Daily Snacks for the Soul

Pablo's Choice

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:26:00 -0800

⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹not of works, lest anyone should boast. - Ephesians 2:8~9

There were two friends, Pablo and Paris, who came from a province and wanted to try their luck in the big city. Paris was smarter, more confident and more ambitious while Pablo just tagged along hoping to share in the imminent success of his esteemed friend. But in return he carried most of the belongings of his friend.

While walking the two talked about the reasons of their move to the big city.

“I want to become very rich, very famous and very successful,” Paris said. “I want to become the envy of the folks back home.”

“Me, I want to become rich too, so that I can help my poor parents and siblings back home,” said Pablo. “One I can afford, I’ll let them live with me in the big city.”

“Don’t worry Pablo. Just stick around, and do as I say. I know exactly what to do.”

As the sun got hotter, the two friends became thirsty. However, they ran out of water.

“Come I have water for you,” a voice came from a distance. Not very far from them, they saw a man standing on a hill.

As Pablo drank from a water jug offered by the stranger, he studied his face. He looked peaceful, gentle and humble which a big contrast to the anxious, temperamental and arrogant nature of his friend, Pablo. Somehow, he felt at ease in the presence of the stranger.

“Where is the two of you heading?”

“We are going to the big city,” replied Paris.

“I know the way, and I can guide you. By the way, my name is Manny and I am from the BIG CITY.”

Paris did not say a word, and there was an awkward silence. Finally Pablo said, “Thank you for your offer Manny. If you know that way to the big city then we will come with you.” He looked at Paris for approval.

"Alright," Paris finally spoke up though looking not pleased at Pablo.

Pablo cringed.

So the three of them continued on their journey, Manny leading the way. Pablo casually chatted with Manny, but Paris who stayed a couple of pace behind remained quiet.

On the next day, the three of them reached a fork in the road. The first road was cemented with a light post on both sides and a road sign that said ‘To the big city’. The second road looked old and rough, no electrical post and no road sign. Paris lightened up when he had read the sign post of the first road, and started to run for it.

“Stop! That way is not the right way to the BIG CITY,” said Manny, interrupting Paris.

“What do you mean it’s not the right way,” replied Paris. “Can’t you read the sign? Can’t you see the cemented road and the light posts? That road is yelling at us, ‘I’m the right way!’”

“Paris, I know that way because I passed that way before,” said Manny. “Down that road there are ten more Sign Posts separated by about 10km. To reach the BIG CITY you have to follow the instruction in each Sign Post. Truthfully, it’s impossible for you or Pablo to follow those instructions. So as a friend I telling you that Pablo and you should go the other way." Manny pointed to the old, rough road.

“What’s your agenda, Manny,” said Paris. “First you tried to win our confidence by giving us water and telling us about the glory of the big city, and now you’re saying that I should trust you because you are smarter than me? No way!”

Manny just looked at Paris gently. "I have your best interest in mind."

"Why should I believe you," replied Paris. "I don't even know you. We just meet."

Manny looked at him with sadness and pity, but strangely remained quiet. He didn't try to defend himself.

“Let’s go Pablo,” said Paris. “I am smarter than him, and I can figure out the way.”

Pablo didn’t move. He was confused – though Manny was still a stranger to him, yet around him he felt at peace and accepted. And he knew so much about the big city. On the other hand, he knew Paris all his life, but he always felt stressed out and not good enough around Paris.

After a few minutes of silence, Paris turned around and went his lonely way. Pablo had made his choice.

This short story is a metaphor of Ephesians 2:8~9.

Manny is Jesus, Paris is the person who believes he can earn his salvation through his own effort -- by being a good doer -- much like the Pharisees during the time of Jesus while Pablo is the typical person who wants to be saved, but is unsure how.

The BIG CITY is the city of the Father, heaven. This is the city of love, joy, peace, and prosperity. Death has no power there. However, only the righteous person can enter into the city of the holiest of holy. Unfortunately, no man or woman on his own or on her own is righteous.

The first road, the cemented one, is the metaphor of gaining your righteousness through your obedience to the Ten Commandments, the pristine standard of God. On this road, your righteousness and salvation depends on your own effort, so the focus here is your own effort.

The second road, the old, rough road, is the metaphor of gaining righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. On this road, the righteousness of Jesus becomes your righteousness as a gift or a favor; not an earned reward due to your effort. In here, the focus is the effort of Jesus, not yours, and his completed work of salvation for man on the cross.

So what passage says is this – your righteousness and your salvation is a gift and favor because of your faith in Jesus Christ. You cannot earn it by exerting effort to fulfill the Ten Commandments because in the first place you can never keep; your sinful nature will always sabotage your efforts. So instead of putting your faith on yourself and your effort, put your faith in Jesus and follow him.

Finally, be aware that faith has a natural enemy deep inside you – your pride. Faith says, "I can’t do it on my own, I need Jesus." But pride says, "I don’t need Jesus for my salvation; I can do it on my own." Don't be like Paris who was blinded by his pride, but be more like Pablo who opened his eyes and choose the right way.

My Daily Rest

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 1 Dec 2012 13:59:00 -0800

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." ~ John 3:16

Everyday life can be quite troubling and wearisome. Stress, distractions and failures can consume us easily leaving us tired, confused and discouraged. We need to find our rest to heal and rejuvenate for the long journey ahead. Here I share my resting place.

I am not afraid of the storms that come my way;

For I rest on Jesus and His awesomeness.

I don’t let my heart be troubled by my situation;

For I rest on His peace and faithfulness.

I don’t rely on my education and skills for prosperity;

For I rest on the goodness of my Father and His abundance in heaven.

I don’t dwell on my feeble attempt to love God;

For I rest on His great and constant love for me.

I don’t boast of my good works and my tithes;

For I rest on the completed work of Jesus on the cross.

I don’t struggle by my own effort to become virtuous;

For I rest on my relationship with Jesus to bear His virtue.

I don't condemn myself (nor others) for my inequity;
For I rest on my righteousness through faith in Jesus.
Because it’s not about me;

It’s all about God – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit –and His great love for me.

How Desperate are You for Change?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 1 Nov 2012 09:24:00 -0700

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

People are funny (me included). Every start of the year they pick up their pen and write down a list of things they wanted to change in their lives -- a New Year's resolution -- only to abandon it before the end of the first quarter. Then the same process will be repeated the next year, and the years after that. It's sad and frustrating.

Truth be told, the reason people can't change is because deep in the recesses of their heart they are not really desperate for changes. They can get by, and a person who can get by is most unlikely to commit to an uncomfortable change.

The same is true with addiction. Unless you can feel its full venom and hit rock bottom (or near it), which you will eventually, you will always find excuses not to dump it today.

The first step towards real change is seeing how dire your situation is (or will be), and consequently, desiring desperately for a change. Only then can you truly begin your journey towards real and lasting change. Before that, no amount of New Year's resolution can make you dump your addiction.

Only when you become desperate for change can God really does miracles in your life. Why? For a change to happen in your life, you have to firmly will it; God cannot do miracles in your life unless you firmly want it to happen. Your freedom to choose is a gift that He truly respects.

So instead of writing your New Year’s resolutions outright why not ponder first the reasons why you want to change. Do you want to change to be like other people or do you have a very deep personal reason -- something that makes you desperate for change? Find that reason first. Use your imagination; you don't have to hit rock bottom before you can truly commit to lasting change. Then ask Jesus to break the strong urge of your addiction for He alone can set you free, not medication. And while God is at work in you, avoid the thoughts, people, places and situations that make you vulnerable to the temptation of your addiction. Then wait patiently. You may not see it now or feel it now, but in Christ you become a new creature, slowly but surely. Just stay on your course regardless of how you feel.

Are You Depressed Today? Don't!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 13:42:00 -0700

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” -- 1 Peter 5:7

I can still remember, although vaguely, that one day when I was very young – oops! I can’t remember anymore my exact age then – most likely a toddler or a pre-schooler – that my father put me on his broad shoulders. To my distress, he didn’t just want me to sit on there, he wanted me to stand up like a circus act. At that time, my father looked like a giant from my vantage point of standing next to him. So when I looked down from his shoulder, struggling to stand up, acrophobia seized me. As a result, I shrieked like a slaughtered pig, kicking as if my life depended on it. For sure my father tried to reassure me, but his voice got buried somewhere between my fear and my yell.

Many years had passed.

One morning, not too long ago, my third daughter and I played mountain climbing. I was the mountain and Eleanor was the climber. She’s a twiggy, wavy haired, four-year who loved to join the Power Puff Girls someday. One major problem though, she was acrophobic, too. So when I told her to stand on my shoulder as a sign that she finally reached the summit, she refused vehemently. My fatherly words of reassurance just passed through her like a ghost through a wall without registering even a single blip in her head. Even when I held her hands firmly to give her a physical reassurance, she resisted and cried out so hard that I had to tell her that she didn’t have to stand on the summit after all.

Her reaction disturbed me. I knew that I would never allow her to fall. Why wouldn’t she believe me? After all, she’s priceless to me.

Then the scene from many years ago where I was on my father’s shoulder, terror-stricken, flashed back to me. It was a very unique experience. I saw both perspectives, the father’s and the child’s, all at the same time. Everything just connected.

This I understand now. Eleanor couldn’t trust me because she couldn’t see the depth of my love for her; it’s an abstract reality. She couldn’t trust me yet because we haven't done it before, so she had no physical evidence where she could pin her trust. Finally, she couldn’t hear my words of reassurance because a monstrous fear stared down at her, screaming discouragements at the top of its voice.

Are you in a situation right now that’s depressing and discouraging? Are you desperately wondering where’s the end of this dark tunnel? Do you feel that it’s the end of the world for you? Don’t!

You have a Father who’s been trying to show to you how much He loves you regardless of who you are today. You have a Father who’s greater than your problems now. You have a Father who wants to encourage and guide you always.

As absurd as it may sound, only when you're facing tremendous problem that you would be able to see the Father's love for you. Only when your self-confidence crumbles to the ground would the Father have a chance to do great things in your life. Only when your self-reliance is stripped away from you would you be able to hear the voice of the Father.

It is when you become weaker that you can become stronger. It is during the low point of your life that you realize that you still need a father. Come to Him and be whole once again.

Fear of God, Love of God -- Are These Reconcilable?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 14:32:00 -0700

Psalm: Psalms 85: 9 - 14

9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. 10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. 11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. 12 Yea, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. 13 Righteousness will go before him, and make his footsteps a way.

Reflection:

I used to wonder how can I fear God and at the same time love Him. As much as I try to rationalize this I cannot find how fear and love can go together. How can I love someone with all my heart when I fear that same person with all my heart?

To me, fear of God is to fear the Righteous Authority who has all the power to strike me dead anytime for all my unrighteousness; the Holy Bible states that the consequence of sin is death. When God handwrote the Ten Commandments, He was basically saying that if I (and you) cannot follow commandment number 1 or 2 or 3, etc., I will surely die! Not only that. He was also basically saying that I have to obey all the laws. How on earth can I (or you) do all of that? Having sinned much because I am a sinner, I am in constant condemnation and fear of God.

But then I remember Jesus and what he has done on the cross; he willingly received the death penalty that is rightfully my birthright for being a son of a sinner, and for being a sinner myself. How can the righteous and blameless son of God do such an unthinkable thing? When I reflected on his agony in the garden, just prior to his death, when he cried to the Father to take away the cup of suffering from him I am awed by the fact that he foresaw the unimaginable physical and spiritual torment that he was about to endure. Yet he willing went through with it. Why?

The Triune God loves me (and you) more than I (or you) love Him. There are only two plausible explanations I can think of as to why God allowed the death of Jesus on the cross – either God has lost His mind or God loves me (and you) so much. The answer to me is very obvious; God loves me (and you) so much that He took the trouble to device and to execute the Plan of Salvation for me (and you) from the death penalty of our sins. Because I know that God loves me perfectly first then I can love Him back with whatever imperfect love I have within me. (As a human being I find it utterly difficult, if possible at all, to love with all my heart, mind and soul someone who doesn’t love me in return.)

Having a said all of these my conclusion is that I cannot love God and fear Him at the same time. To me that is not humanly possible.

I feared God when I believed that I was still under the law for my righteousness, my ticket to salvation, was obtained by my perfect obedience to the Ten Commandments, and I can’t do that. But I have loved God when I realized that He shredded that old covenant He established with Israel -- God did not erase the Ten Commandments, only the covenant that had the Ten Commandments as stipulation -- and replaced it with a new covenant He established with Jesus. Under the new covenant, the Covenant of Grace, my righteousness is now obtained not by my own good works, but by my faith in Jesus and his work of salvation in the cross.

When Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light,” he literally meant it. By this, I learn to truly love God and follow His ways. I don't fear Him anymore for He is a loving God.

Announcement: A Change of Heart and Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:52:00 -0700

There was a conflict inside my heart and mind. I didn't understand it until now.

When I started the Daily Snacks for the Soul blog way back in 2010, my main purpose was to serve the Lord, to give glory and honor to Him, in what little talent He gave in writing. However, along the way I got derailed. (By who? I'm have a very good idea whom to point my finger at.) Instead of focusing on Him I started to venture to other topics such as success, psychology, and creative writing. There is nothing wrong with these topics; these have there own place in this world. The problem was that these took away the focus from the supposedly main focus of this blog...God.

So the unspoken question really was whether I serve the Lord or I serve myself in my write ups. I didn't realize this fully until this morning. The change was subtle and slow. Now, with God's help, I finally see it.

With that being said, I apologize to my God, and to you who has followed this blog and got confused, too. Like you I was confused, too.

Today I am rededicating this blog to the Lord. I can't really make a promise since I am not superhuman; like you, I am prune to making mistakes and repeating them at times -- but isn't this the reason why we cling to our Lord in the first place? Anyway, let me say this: "From now on I will strive that in everything that I will write here, the spotlight will be on Him and Him alone." And all the glory and honor should be to Him, the author and finisher of our faith.

In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

PS: Please include me in your prayers that I might not be derailed again. Please pray also for my family for more blessings, guidance and protection. You will also be in my prayers. God bless and thank you.

One Morning in St. Joseph Chapel

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 7 Jun 2012 17:24:00 -0700

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." -- 1 John 4:7~8

He drags himself out of his car. He feels that day is no different from yesterday and the days before it.

As he enters the St. Joseph adoration chapel their eyes meet. Once he recognizes her, he forces a smile, faces the altar, genuflects, and settles quickly to a pew far away from her. She is squatting on the marble floor at the back holding her rosary.

Once he is seated, he glances at his mobile phone – it is still 7:15AM. He wonders has he arrived to the chapel for his daily devotion a little later, say 8:00 AM, would he still find her there. Silently he wishes he has arrived a little later. When he looks around and saw that there are already a number of people inside, the more he wishes to have arrived a little later. He always feels that silence is necessary to be able connect to his god.

He pulls out his prayer book and kneels down to begin his daily ritual of prayer. Why is she always wearing that red scarf over her head? He can see that she uses the green scarf around her neck to cover the very huge lump, but he cannot see the logic behind the red scarf. Then he remembers why he is there so he opens his prayer book, and get on with it.

Every time the chapel door opens he would look into that direction. He knows that something would happen soon. A few minutes later, it does. The lady with the red, and green scarves goes out of the chapel and sits on a concrete that is a foot above from the ground just outside the chapel. I knew it, he says to himself. She's will wait for me.

He pulls out his wallet to look for P20 or P50 peso bills, and found a crumpled P20. He convinces himself that it should be enough for a breakfast for someone like her. But he feels that his heart wants to give more. He groans. For a moment he stares at the lone orange twenty peso bill leaning against a thin layer of purple one hundred peso bills inside his black wallet. He reasons and wrestles against his heart. What does she need more P20 or P50 for? It's just one breakfast. For a few moments more, he continues to struggle. Finally, he pulls out a bill, folds it and stands up.

Just outside the chapel, the lady with the red and green scarves looks at him, their eyes meet. She lets out a shy smile while her eyes reflect a certain amount of doubt and fear. Donation, sir, please, she pleads. He smiles at her dryly as he hands over a crisp one hundred peso bill. He looks away about to take off when he feels both the lady’s hands grab his hand that is still holding the purple bill. Thank you SO much, sir, she says smiling with deep gratitude in her face.

He looks at her and smiles generously. He feels lightness in his heart. But before he could say anything the lady goes on. Thank you so much for the P20 you gave me last time, sir. You know, sir, this huge lump in my neck is cancerous. I was taken by ABS-CBN to Cebu Doctors Hospital in Cebu City for check-up, but the doctors there declared me as untreatable. They even took me to Chung Hua Hospital for a second opinion, but still the finding was the same.

He can’t find words to say as tears well up from her eyes. He doesn’t know what to do either except to listen.

You know, sir, the pain in my lump is so excruciating, she continues. Sometimes I lost my breath. That’s why I’m so thankful to people like you who shares your blessings so that I can buy my pain medication.

How much is your medication, he manages to ask. P500 every week, sir, she answers. Unfortunately, it's so strong that my hairs are falling down. She removes her red scarf slightly to show her severely thinning hair. Then she breaks into a smile. You know, sir, tomorrow is the schedule for my next injection, but so far I only have P400. And now, you give me this P100….

He doesn’t hear what the lady said after that. The world loses its voice as he remembers what happened inside the chapel. Then he looks into her eyes still moist with tears; he notices how gentle and clear they are, and how they twinkle with pain and joy.

After their conversation, they exchange smiles and goodbyes. Today is a beautiful day, he says to himself as he walks toward his car.

A Night in Ayala Road

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:48:00 -0700

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' -- Matthew 25:40

He tosses some files over the dashboard as he slides into his car. His head aches. But the reports need to be in his boss’s desk by 8 o’clock tomorrow, sharp. He sighs, and starts the engine. Glancing at the car stereo – 9:30PM – he pulls out a cigarette and lights it up, puffing a cloud of smoke. This is going to be a long night, he is saying to himself.

The streets of Cebu City are a little quiet than usual. Perhaps, because it is April, summer vacation or perhaps, because it has rained, although lightly, the whole afternoon. He couldn’t make up his mind nor did it occur to him that it was already late in the evening. He heads to Starbucks in Ayala Mall.

From the mall about twenty minutes later, he takes a left turn to Ayala Road. As he stirs to the middle of the road he grabs a muffin, and takes one big bite. His saliva wells up, his tongue feasts on the familiar taste of chocolate. Down below, his stomach can hardly wait. The aroma of the hot Caffe Latte filled his car.

Right at the crossing of Juan Luna Ave. going to F. Cabahug St., the traffic light turns red. He stops the car.

He pressed on the stereo tuner button looking for a more upbeat music. He wants to stay awake. Once I get that promotion, can I only be happy, he is saying to himself as he imagines the things he would buy. He can’t afford to sleep on this job.

Tok-tok-tok! Please give me money, sir. A boy around 8-year old in tattered, soil ridden sleeveless t-shirt knocks on his window. The soil and grease from his unwashed hands leave stamp marks on his just-washed-this-morning window. Since the window is lightly tinted, the boy cups his face using both his hands and pushes it against his window. Both their faces are now only a foot apart separated by the window.

Just my luck! He steals a glance at the boy’s untended face, and then looks straight ahead, hoping the light will turn green soon. Why can’t the city government keep these kids off the streets; they just use the people’s money to gamble or buy drugs. The boy keeps knocking against his window. Without looking at the boy’s face, he waves him off. But the boy persists as if driven by something intolerable. Frowning, he turns to the boy without really seeing his face – Go away! I have no money to give you – without opening his window.

With head bowed, the boy returns to his place in the street.

Sensing that the boy is already gone, he looks around to see where he goes. There near the gutter, in a dimly lighted patch of the still wet pavement, the boy squats cradling a little boy, much younger than him, in his small arms. They are alone. The light reflects the tears in the boy’s face as he looks far into the distance.

He turns his gaze away wondering if he has done the right thing. His eyes suddenly catch the box of muffins in the passenger seat. But before he could act, the traffic light turns green. It’s time to go. Slowly his car moves on.

What is a Mother?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 May 2012 15:57:00 -0700

Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her. -- Proverbs 31:28

Her pleasant voice sang me to sleep,
When I was afraid to close my eyes,
She stirred the pork and vegetables over the pan,
As I looked upon, on stool, tall as a man.

Her angry eyes flashed my mischief across the screen,
A projector showing a movie I wish I couldn’t see,
But despite the boy I used to be,
She graciously shared her heart to me.

Now that I have diapers, milks and bills to mind,
And a woman who hums against clatter of dishes,
The mother who once upon twinkled only across the sea,
A little unknown star, now is clear to me.

Ah, a mother once saw only her face in the mirror,
Her mind was once a basket full of clothes, bags, shoes;
Who enters a gate cheered by familiar faces,
Knowing not, her path ahead was a thousand guesses!

Then she hears the cry of the first baby,
She floats around like a butterfly,
Squeezing and admiring the life that’s from her,
Saying ‘ugh’, her pooh she almost couldn't bear.

Then she heard another baby’s cry.
And then another. And another!
She forgets the days of the week,
That familiar face in the mirror she now couldn’t seek.

Then the baby coughs, her temperature high!
The fragile girl who once could only sigh,
Now springs about like a seasoned soldier,
It's clear no mountain's too high for a real mother.

Yes, she’s still afraid of the dark,
But she is very brave.
Yes, she couldn't lift a big bottle of mineral water,
But she is very strong.

Yes, she could turn around to her carefree past,
But she wouldn’t.
Yes, she could look at her mirror ‘all’ day long,
But she didn't.

Why I know what's a real mother?
Because I was with one. And now I am with another.
They are made of stuffs that could only come from above,
Different they maybe, yet they both are made of LOVE!

What is The Truth? (Final Part)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 8 May 2012 15:20:00 -0700

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." – John 8:32

In part 1, we learned that the truth is naked, but the lies and deceits by us and by others keep it hidden from plain view. It is simple, yet our fears, wrong beliefs, prejudices and biases make it difficult for us to see it.

In part 2, we learned that the truth is absolute. It doesn’t change over time. It is not dependent on us; it doesn’t sway to the direction we want to go. Therefore, it is important for us to find out if our reality aligns with the truth.

In part 3, we learned that the truth is usually bigger that our ability to perceive. No one can tell exactly what the future will be – yes we can make a guess or projection, but that’s it. But there is a way for us to be assured of the future without actually perceiving it all.

In part 4, we learned that there are physical and spiritual truths, and that for us to flourish we must know and obey both truths specially those governing the spiritual realm since we are engaged in a spiritual battle daily. For us to be victorious, and navigate our way towards the right path, we have to read The Book.

In this final part, I will touch on the power of the truth.

When I was in grade 5, I had terror teacher. She was around 40 to 50-year old, dark brown-skinned, chubby and taller than any of us. Everybody was terrified of her specially me. Why?

First, she was a math teacher. There was something about math that quickened my heartbeat. Maybe because I still employed all my fingers and toes to add and subtract, and I still wrote a lot of sticks on a scratch paper to help me multiply and divide numbers. My only consolation then was that I wasn’t alone.

Second, she wore a long dark green skirt that did not only serve as her lower uniform, but also as a dungeon for those unlucky students who got called to do a board work but failed. Yes, she would literally push an ‘unlucky’ student into the inside of her skirt – I once saw my best friend disappeared in there for a few seconds after he made a mistake in his board work. It was scary. I couldn't imagine myself going down there.

So you can imagine my greatest fear in grade 5. I was terrified. I was miserable. Because I was dumb in math.

Fast forward six years later. I was already a freshman in an engineering course. I was vibrant. I was having the time of life; I was so happy. Because I became good at math and my teachers recognized me it.

What happened between my grade 5, and freshman year in college? Did I drink a ‘math’ potion or did I take brain-enhancing vitamins or did I have a brain transplant? (Yes, the difference was that BIG.)

The answer to those questions is of course no. But I can give you three reasons to my dramatic change.

First, I found a good reason to study math; I wanted a better future and a profession in the field of engineering was my chosen ticket.

Second, I had a teacher who helped me understand math. Plus my math teachers in college were great teachers.

Third, I studied really hard.

Now I can say that the main reason why I was terrified and miserable in my ‘terror’ teacher’s class was because I hadn't learned some crucial lessons math. There were so many learning gaps that I couldn’t grasp and appreciate her lessons. I missed out some truths.

Are you terrified with the future? Is your life miserable right now?

Maybe you have learning gaps in the subject called Life Living. Maybe you haven’t learned yet those lessons that could have helped you avoid the mess you are in right now. Maybe you're missing out some crucial truths in life.

I didn't do well in math until my learning gaps were filled in. Unless the void in your life is filled in by truths that comes from our Creator, then you will not have peace and joy in your heart. Like the grade 5 version of me, you will be afraid, miserable, and uncertain of what will happen to you or your love ones. And oftentimes without you knowing why.

As the Holy Bible has said, the truth is that it will set you free from the fear, misery and uncertainty of life so that you can start living, instead of dying.

PS: Special thanks to those who followed me and supported me in this series, What is the Truth?

Part 4

What is The Truth? (Part 4)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:20:00 -0700

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. -- Ephesian 1"13~14

Early this year, my second daughter had a fever for three days. Fearing of dengue, I rushed her to the clinic. Unfortunately, on our way I entered a ‘No Entry’ street; I knew that street before, but my mind was more occupied on finding the faster way that I totally forgot about this. When a traffic enforcer signaled me to stop only then did I realize just what had I done – I broke a traffic law.

In big cities, the traffic is complex. So to keep the flow of traffic smooth and safe, the city government enacted traffic laws. Every citizen is expected to follow the law. Otherwise, there are undesirable consequences like a costly ticket, losing of a limb or worst losing a life.

Here is where we can see another nature of the truth. The truth is like traffic laws; they exist not for our convenience, but to promote life.

Life is wonderful. But it is also complex like a big-city traffic. So to keep man from harms way, God created laws. Therefore, knowledge of the God’s laws is knowledge of the truth.

God put in place physical laws.

There is the force that that keeps the earth, and everything on it including man from floating into space; we call it gravity. There is the force that we call the earth’s electromagnetic field that according to science keeps earth surface from being toasted by the sun. There is the force that keeps the portion of oxygen, nitrogen and other gases in our atmosphere exactly as it is for life to flourish. There is the force that keeps the moon and the planets in their orbits. There is the force that sustains the sun; without it, we will all freeze to death. And many more just to sustain life on planet earth.

But God also created spiritual laws.

Since you and I are not flesh, but also of spirit, God created spiritual laws as well to keep us from harms way for we have spiritual enemies roaring like lions ever ready to devour us. Fortunately, these unseen enemies cannot harm us if we stay within the path of life. To help stay on the path God implanted a sense of right and wrong in everyone’s heart, and He put in place our Conscience to guide us in our decisions.

But unlike the forces that enforce physical laws, our conscience doesn’t use brute force; he just whispers the right direction or nudges gently. Because God gives man the freedom to choose his/her path in life. We can choose God or reject Him. We have the power!

God prepared a path that leads to prosperity, to hope and to a bright future (see Jeremiah 29:11). But we have ferocious spiritual enemies lead by Satan and his demons that would do everything within their power to derail us from the right path and into spiritual death, and eventually eternal death.

Here's a truth. Hell starts here on earth, and so does heaven. Doubtful? Look around you. Look at the news. There is always good and bad everywhere, even within us. The good news is that while alive we can choose to stop living a hellish life; we can choose to follow that path of life that God has prepared for all of us. The bad news is, once we cross the bar (death) there is no turning back!

Here's another truth. Every minute we are engaged in a brutal spiritual battle. There are ferocious enemies roaming around to inflict harm on us should we meander away from the path of life. They’re so cunning and deceptive; they are experts in distracting and confusing us. And their methods of tempting people to leave the path of life are flawless. We have no chance, whatsoever.

A man engaging the enemies is like a lamb facing a pack of hungry wolves – they attacks in pack. Zero chance. Much more is the man/woman who has no clue that he/she is already being attack by our spiritual enemies. And there are a lot of people out there that has no idea what’s going on the their spiritual life because all the see is the physical. They are easy prey.

Some of you might feel by now that you are walking on a tightrope: there is a path that you have to follow in order to have a bright future, and there are enemies outside the path waiting to devour you. You may start to wonder where does your hope lie? Where does my hope lie?

Two words. In Jesus.He is the way, the truth and the life (see John 14:6).

Jesus who was physically weak has fought Satan in the desert and soundly defeated him. We don’t have to struggle through life alone, we don’t have to fight our enemies alone. We can invite Jesus to fight with us. He wouldn’t reject you or me no matter how sinful we are, no matter what our past was.

We don’t have to stumble through life like a mousetrapped in a maze because Jesus already laid out for us the map that lead to the path of life. Everything we need to know about the path of life is written in the Bible. It's the ultimate physical source of the truth. Read it and follow it’s instruction no matter how difficult it is for you. For sure your life will never be the same again…

Part 3 / Part 5

What is The Truth? (Part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:38:00 -0700

"The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever." -- Psalm 119:160

There was once a young man who lived his entire life in the desert. Having seen only desert sands, dunes, and a few oases his entire life, he started to believe that the whole world was one big desert. But one day he met an old man who told him about a place that was filled with dark blue water. It was called the ocean. The boy could not believe what he heard, so he decided to go on a journey to search the ocean. After asking permission from his parents, he went on his way. The whole tribe saw him off with high hopes that he would return with great stories.

He walked for many days and nights across endless sands and dunes. He braved extreme heat and cold; endured thirst and hunger until one day he came to a little forest. He was thrilled. But along his way he found only streams, rivers, a waterfalls, and swamps. No dark blue water. Finally, after many more days of endless walking, when his spirit was about to give up, he staggered onto a beach. And right before his eyes was the wide blue sea. The young man leaped with joy! He felt so happy and so proud of himself. “Wait till they hear what I have to say about the ocean!”

The truth is usually bigger than you think.

When the young man thought that the sea was the ocean he was wrong. Because by definition a sea is only a part of an ocean. The ocean is still bigger than the sea.

When each of the five blind men in Part2 touched a part of the elephant, each believed that they knew already what the elephant looked like by touching a part of it, but they were wrong. The elephant is bigger than any of its individual parts.

The same with truth. It is usually bigger than what we usually perceived it to be since as human what we could perceive is usually limited.

The interpretations of the young man, and the blind men were incorrect because they only perceived a part of the truth, not the entire truth.

To know the truth you have to see it in its entirety.

My eldest and second daughter like to solve maze. It’s complicated and therefore difficult, but is not impossible to solve. It’s because they have one winning advantage – they have a bird’s eye view of the entire maze.

Life is like a maze; it’s complicated and therefore difficult. Unfortunately, we have to live in it like a trapped mouse instead of a souring eagle. We don’t know exactly where the next right path is because we don’t have a bird’s eye view of our life from start to finish. All we can do is to try, stumble, try again, stumble again, try some more until we succeed...just like a trapped mouse.We flip-flopped between good and bad decisions every now and then.

The same is true with our relationships. It's like playing a maze without the advantage of a bird's eye view; there is no way for us to know exactly what the other person thinks and feels. Yes, we might get a glimpse of it through his/her words and actions, but not its entirety. And man/woman can lie and fake.

So succeeding in life and in our relationships is not as easy as playing maze after all. In fact it's more difficult. If only we could have that bird's eye view of what lies ahead of us, and of what people feels and thinks about us then we could make better decisions, and we could be winners in life and in our relationships.

But we don't; no one does. Nobody knows the WHOLE truth about his/her life, and what other people think and feel about him/her. This is not humanly possible. No matter how smart a person is, he/she could never predict exactly and consistently what would happen tomorrow or what the other person would do.

Does this mean that we cannot become winners in our life, and in our relationships?

Not exactly. Because there’s another way to know the truth about life, and the truth about relationships.

If we couldn’t see life in its entirety, the next best thing to do is to ask someone who really knows the whole truth about life, about relationships, and a bunch of other important things.

But is there someone who is all-knowing?

I believe so. He knows about life because he authored it. He knows about everyone even the number of each person's hairs because he created man/woman. His name is God, the Alpha and the Omega; the "I am what I am."

God is the biggest truth of all for He is the source of all truths about life, relationships, and everything else.

Am I still being truthful here? Or am I now spreading lies? (Because you can't see God?)

Even though we couldn't see God doesn't necessarily mean that He does not exist. After all, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. It could also mean that you just haven't discovered the evidence yet. But how can we discover the great truth that is God?

Let's look at it this way. Why did Christopher Columbus sailed on where no sailor had ever gone before? Why did President John F. Kennedy approved the Apollo program? Why did Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Mt. Everest?

These men, and many others, risked their life, their fortune and their name because...they BELIEVE. They had faith.

To discover something that your senses haven't perceived before or couldn't perceive now you have to believe that that something exist, that discovering it is possible, and that you've got what it takes to discover it. Because faith, even if a little shaky and vague, is necessary to propel you to investigate, to explore and then to discover. Without it, what's the point of taking action, enduring hardship and taking risks?

If until now you haven't yet discovered the great truth that is God, is it maybe because until now you haven't have that faith yet necessary to propel you to investigate the truth about God? Is it possible that you already rejected his existence even before you really tried to know Him?

In closing, to know the truth we have to see it in its entirety; we've got to perceive not only the tail or trunk of the truth, but the whole truth itself. But as human beings our perception is limited so usually we only perceive a part of the truth. Therefore we need an all-knowing God, the source of all truths, to guide us in life and in our relationships. But to discover Him, a little faith is required. But without Him we would be returning to our love ones saying that we've seen the ocean even though when we've only seen the sea.

Part 2 / Part 4

What is The Truth? (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:28:00 -0700

“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.” – Proverbs 12:19

The truth doesn’t change over time. It is what it is regardless of what we perceive it to be.

There were five blind men who lived in a small, sleepy town. One day a circus came and brought with it an elephant. When the five blind men heard about the elephant, they immediately went to the circus. The first blind man touched the ears of the elephant and exclaimed, “The elephant is like a giant fan!” The second touched the trunk and shrieked, “Yikes! The elephant is like a big snake with two horns!” The third touched the leg of the elephant and shouted, “Aha! The elephant is like a coconut tree.” The fourth touched the side of the elephant and said, “Oh, the elephant is like a wall.” Finally, the fifth blind man touched the tail of the elephant and said, “What the heck, I thought elephants are big, but it's like a whip.”

The elephant is the truth; the giant fan, the big snake, the tree trunk, the wall, and the whip are our perceptions of the truth. By perception you and I receive the truth, and our perception is very much dependent on our five senses – sight, smell, hearing, taste and feel.

When our senses perceive something our mind automatically creates an equivalent image. This is called representation.

Here is where the first problem lies. Our representation could easily be wrong because of unhealthy senses or unhealthy mind.

A colorblind person may see different colors from a normal person. A person with a hearing problem may hear the words differently from a normal person. A person with a cold cannot smell the aroma of a brewed coffee. A mad person…well he or she dwells in a different world. And so on and so forth.

But whatever we perceive the truth to be, it remains as it is. So our representation could be right or wrong.

Let me ask you these questions.

What do you feel when you see a black cat cross your way? What would you think when you meet a friend whom when you acknowledged just walk on by as if you didn’t exist? What would you think if your spouse wouldn’t say a word when you get home?

We humans don’t just stop at perceiving an object, phenomenon or event, we also give it meaning. This is called interpretation. The meaning we assign to it is very much dependent on our state (emotional, mental), existing beliefs, prejudices, and biases.

Here is where the second problem lies. The meaning we give to an object, phenomenon or event could be wrong.

One day there was a brown out. So my wife and I lighted some candles. Unfortunately, our third daughter who was barely two years old at that time slipped away from her Ate unnoticed and went straight to one of the burning candles because she thought it was nice to touch.

The morale of the story – parents should put burning candles out of children's reach. Seriously, our baby daughter saw the bright candle and believed that it was something nice to touch. She quickly found out shortly thereafter that she was wrong.

Whatever we believe the truth to be, it remains as it is and our belief could be right or wrong.

Since we are getting deep into the nature of truth let me ask you a relevant question. What is reality?

Reality is simply what you (and I) think and feel is true. So this is largely dependent on our own perception, representation and interpretation of the truth.

If you believe that indulging in pornography is good for you then that is your reality. If you believe that divorce is good for you then that is your reality. If you believe that living a homosexual life with all the secular meanings attached to is good for you then that is your reality. If you believe that being addicted to illegal drugs is OK then that is your reality. If you believe that practicing premarital sex or even adultery won’t hurt you then that is your reality.

But the question is, is it truly good for you or for your love ones? Is it truly OK?

Our reality is relative, but the truth is not relative! The truth, its existence and the meaning it represents don’t depend on what you and I perceive it to be or the meaning we believe it represents. It doesn’t change based on our whims. Our reality maybe largely dependent on us, but the truth is not. Therefore, our reality could be right or wrong. Simple because it feels right to do it, doesn't necessarily mean that it's the right thing to do.

Some may argue that their reality is the truth. Well, they could be right or wrong. But this I am sure of. The truth stands the test of time. Eventually, the truth will break out from all the lies of this world.

So the final question we should all ponder is this, which side you and I want to be – the truth or your (my) reality – when the truth finally decides to correct the views of the world?

(Mind you. Being on the wrong side has nasty consequences: War; STD and AIDS, the breaking down of community because of the breaking down of the basic unit of community, the family (it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out); the killing of fetuses conveniently called abortion (I wonder what would happen if we aptly call this the murder of the helpless); and so many other ugliness in this world. But there is far worst consequence than all of these...)

(Part 1 / Part 3)

What Is The Truth? (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 8 Apr 2012 17:20:00 -0700

"The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death." Proverbs 21:6

One Sunday morning, the entire family participated in the 7AM mass in our parish church. When inside the church my youngest daughter Leyan and her Ate Belle became restless. Fearing that the other churchgoers would be distracted from the mass I gave both of them a stern look. Immediately they settled. But several minutes later they disappeared.

Although seething with anger, I decided to wait patiently till the end of the mass before I would deal with my two rebels; I didn’t want to make a show. However, while the mass was still in progress my two girls returned smiling. Both were holding a bunch of unattractive little wild flowers that they picked from a grass field just outside the church.

“Papa this is for you.”

However, instead of returning the gesture I frowned at them and chided them quickly.

They put their flowers on the pew in front of me, and went back to their seats subdued.

Feeling triumphant in suppressing the rebellion I refocused my mind back to the mass.

Were my two daughters really rebelling or was there something else that I missed?

The truth is simple; it is not complicated. And instead of digging for it oftentimes we go the easy way.

Looking back at the church incident, I now realized how far I was from the truth. What really happened was that my two girls were bored with the going on inside the church – this was reflected by their restlessness – since they could not see the significance of ceremony. They would rather be somewhere else.

A child who is out-of-sight of his/her parents could do anything his/her heart’s desire.

My two girls could have played hide-and-seek or chase each other to drive their boredom away, but instead they chose to pick grass flowers for their father (and mother) expecting to make me happy with their gesture. Why?

But I missed the simple meaning of their gestures because I was distracted by my fear of being regarded as a loose father by the people in the church, and of losing my hold on my children. This complicated matters. And in that moment, I chose to lose my temper which was easier to do than digging patiently for the simple truth behind the distractions.

The truth is naked, but we like to dress it up so that even if it’s right under our nose, we often miss it.

My fears hid the naked truth – that my children loved me; in our culture giving flowers is an act of love – which caused me to misinterpret their actions and led me to the wrong reaction without even realizing it until later. But it was too late. Their feelings were hurt, and our relationship a little bit strained.

(Luckily for me, they were still young which means they didn’t hold a grudge for a long time towards their erroneous father, so I was able to make it up with them later. But I could not allow myself to easily fall into this trap because it could get worse next time.)

In closing I would say, that the truth is simple in its form, but we complicate it by telling lies and believing the lies of this world. The truth is naked like a baby who came out from its mother’s womb, but our fears, prejudices, and biases dress it up so that we fail to see its nakedness. Unfortunately, our failure to see the truth as it really is will harm us, and our love ones in the end.

(Part 2)

Why I Engaged in Pornography? (Part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:07:00 -0700

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”-- Corinthians 6:18~20

In Part 2, I promised to answer the questions about the truth, “What is it? Where can we find it?”, here in Part 3. However, the more I ponder and research about truth the more I am convinced that it deserves its own series of posts. So instead, I decided that in this final part of my personal testimony, I would go straight to the main question.

So why did I engage in pornography?

After racking my brain for days – recalling, reflecting, analyzing, rewriting and praying – I came up with three important reasons.

(1) When my classmate showed me his father’s adult magazine, my stand on the topic of pornography was still undefined – I was neither in favor nor against it.

(2) I was introduced to false beliefs that encouraged me to continue with my vice.

(3) The temptation of the flesh was strong.

I could no longer turn back the hands of time and rewrite that shameful part of my past. However, I could still sound the alarm to alert anybody who cares to listen. For even if there’s only one person could avoid the trappings and pitfalls of pornography because of my testimony then I would be happy already.

Since my problem started when I was still a young teenager let me offer my advice to parents with preadolescent children. (A separate post will be published for those who are already addicted to pornography.)

So how can you help your children battle the evils of pornography?

Don’t get involve with pornography yourself

I learned over the years of being a father to four adorable children that my wife and I teach our children habits and values more by our consistent examples than by our words. I also learned that I cannot give to them what I do not have.

So everyday when my children are around me I am always confronted with question, “Should I stand firm now or let my children suffer in the future for my weakness?” The right choice is never easy but it’s worth it.

Educate your children about sex early on

It is my firm belief that my children deserve to know the truth about sex, and that their best teachers are my wife, and I. I believe that it’s important for them to understand sex not just from the scientific point of view, but more importantly from biblical perspective. And this has to be done soon before another person who doesn’t care about my children as much as I do beat me to it.

When to talk to your children? I believe that as parents we are the authority to answer this question since we know them more than other people do. In my case for example, the first time I talked about it to my eldest daughter when she was 9-year old, and I talk to my second eldest daughter when she was 7-year old. Their circumstances were different.

However, I do have two tips. Start with the question, “Sweety, what do you know about sex?” (Brace yourself for what you are about to hear, but stay calm all the time.) And before you talk to your child, know first what does the Bible say about sex; google it. This is more important than knowing the biology of sex.

Inculcate to your children the right beliefs

Our beliefs shape our motivation and our motivation propels us into action. According to the Bible, we are judged by the righteousness of our motives, not merely by our words and action because both can be faked. So inculcating the right beliefs to our children should be up there in our priority list along with providing education for them.

From Monday to Friday I take my two children and one niece to their school. The travel time is about 15~30mins depending on the traffic flow. What I do to make this a quality time for them is to use this time to teach them the right beliefs by making them memorize Bible verses, and some of my own principles in life that I learned over the years.

I cannot promise you that your children or mine will not become pornography addict. No one can because in the end it is their decision. But by modeling the right behavior, by teaching them about sex from biblical standpoint like the passage above, and by inculcating in them the right beliefs we surely give them a good fighting chance.

It is my hope and prayer that by the time when that old familiar scumbag called pornography would pay my children a visit – it will happen for sure – they will be able to say no and walk away, something that I should have done a long time ago.

(Part 1 / Part 2)

Why I Engaged in Pornography? (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:53:00 -0700

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” -- John 8:32

In Part 1, I tried to establish that a belief is a very powerful force within us that can shape our destiny. This is a continuation of the previous post and will try to answer the question – “What makes a belief good and bad?” It is my hope that when you go away from here you will take with you something that will help you become a better person, and a better Christian.

Our destiny is determined by what we say and do now. What we say and do is pushed out from our hearts and minds by our motives. Our motives steamed out from our beliefs.

When the United States planted their flag on the moon, they became the first nation to do so (destiny). Earlier when Kennedy approved the Apollo program his main motive was to beat the USSR to the moon (action and motive). His motive came from his belief that landing a man on the moon was very possible by either USA or USSR (belief).

When Hitler shot himself at the closing part of World War 2, he sealed his fate (destiny). His unfortunate ending was the result of a six year war he started when he ordered his military forces to blitzkrieg Poland on 1^st of September, 1939 (action). His motivation was to expand the German territories to the east, and annihilate the Jews (motives). These motivations were conceived from his strong beliefs that the German race was superior over other races, and that the Jews were the roots of all evil and problems in the world (beliefs).

There are two kinds of belief – a good belief, and a bad belief. A good belief leads to growth while a bad belief leads to destruction.

The belief of President John F. Kennedy led to the victory of free enterprise which was represented by the USA over communism which was championed by the USSR. It also restored the prestige of the USA in the eyes of the world. But more importantly, it paved the way to great scientific and technological advancements which improved of the quality of living in the US. Kennedy’s belief is a good belief.

In contrast, the beliefs of Chancellor Adolf Hitler decimated the population of world in which the Jews were the most badly affected, reduced many cities to rubble, disrupted the world’s economies, etc. Obviously, Hitler’s beliefs are bad ones.

But what makes one belief good and another bad?

A good belief is firmly grounded on truth; a bad belief is floating in lies.

Was the belief of President John F. Kennedy grounded on truth? You bet. The result speaks for itself.

Were the beliefs of Chancellor Adolf Hitler grounded on truth? A big No. The outcome of the war disproved the superiority of the German race over other races. The source of all evil and problems in the world was not, and is not the Jews nor the Germans, the Americans, the British, etc….it’s sin; Hitler was barking at the wrong tree.

The truth shall set you free.

Lies led me and kept me addicted to pornography for a very long time until one night the Lord spoke to my heart a 'single' truth that kick-started my real recovery. (Click here to read about my recovery.) Without knowing that one truth I would still be fighting even today a losing battle against addiction to pornography, and my life would never have changed for the better the way it has now.

There was once a farmer with two sons. The eldest was very energetic whereas the youngest was a thinker. One day he sent out his two sons to cut two big Narra trees of identical age, height and trunk diameter. His instruction was that whoever cut his tree first would inherit the bigger share of his land. The eldest went away very optimistic about his chances knowing that he was stronger. However, before lunch time the younger son was already done while the eldest was still hacking away non-stop like crazy yet he was still halfway his work. In amazement, the old man asked his younger son how he did it? “Oh, after every one hour I rested and sharpened by ax,” the wise young man replied.

Now it’s your time to sharpen your ax. Stop and answer this question: “Where are your beliefs based on? On truth or on lies?”

Like the younger son, you will have a brighter future if you will take the time to rest and think; write your core beliefs, and determine whether these are based on truth or on lies. Consider this as your quality time investment.

In a nutshell, your belief is either true (good belief) or not (bad belief). If it’s true then it will lead to positive growth over time whereas if it’s not true then it will eventually lead to suffering and destruction. So choose your belief wisely.

Some of you might be wondering by now what is the truth and where can you find it.

(Part 1 / Part 3)

Why I Engaged in Pornography? (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 8 Mar 2012 14:17:00 -0800

"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” --1 Corinthian 10:12

In my earlier post I admitted that I was addicted to pornography for many years, and how I suffered from guilt, shame and self-loathing in the process. (Click here to read it.) What I want to share to you now is the answer to a deeper question: “Why I got there in the first place?” It is my hope that you can get something from it that will help you in your walk as a Christian.

When I was already a first year high school student, I did start to have sexual awareness early on, but I didn’t put too much attention to it; I was still preoccupied with childish stuffs. So I lived a fairly innocent existence until one day a friend of mine showed me an adult magazine he took from his father’s cabinet. From that point on, my journey towards addiction to pornography began and my life was never the same again.

While still in the early stages of my vice I struggled with guilt feeling. Somehow I felt that what I was doing was wrong. But I was undecided. Then someone told me (to justify our indulgence to pornography) that doctors recommended that young men like us should relieve ourselves of our sexual urges every now and then because it was good for the body. And he added that all normal men, young or old, were doing it anyway. So instead of turning away from my vice, I was encouraged to continue my indulgence. When I felt the pangs of guilt again, I stifled it by going back to these beliefs and reassured myself that what I was doing was normal.

Were my beliefs true? Balooney, right? It didn't matter because I believed it to be true.

A firm belief is powerful.

When Jesus said to his disciples – “If you have faith (belief) the size of a mustard seed then you can tell the mountain to move and it will follow.” – he wasn’t being literal about it, but he meant it. If you and I can bring ourselves to truly believe that what we think is impossible is really possible then it will become possible.

At the start of the 20th century, there was a leader who believed that man can reach the moon and come back safely. During that time his belief was bordering in the fantasy world. Nevertheless, since he was a charismatic leader who was well loved by his people, he got the entire nation to rally behind his belief and make it theirs. All the brilliant scientists and engineers of his country toiled day and night. Finally on July 20, 1969, an astronaut from his country sat foot on the moon as the whole nation, and the world watched in total amazement and disbelief. On July 24, three days later, the astronaut and his two companions landed safely back to earth amid celebrations all over their country, and in the world. An impossible belief accomplished. That leader was President John F. Kennedy.

Unfortunately, as much as beliefs can bring upon blessings, it can also bring forth misery, and even destruction.

Let me tell you the story of a second leader. During the later part of the 19th century, there was another charismatic leader who mesmerized his countrymen with his passionate speeches about the superiority of their race, and his hatred for the Jews. He believed that the Jews were responsible for all the problems and evils in the world, and that they were the real enemies of his country. He even published a book that recanted among other things his disgust for them. Like the first leader, he rallied his nation behind his belief and make it theirs. As a result, he started World War 2 which cost the lives of millions of people including 6 millions Jews who were murdered in concentration camps. A belief that led to a horrific ending of global proportion. That leader was Chancellor Adolf Hitler.

Friends, never take for granted your beliefs. They have the power to influence your future, and even change the world for better or for worse. The two leaders clearly illustrated it. My addiction to pornography illustrated it.

The belief I held that indulging in pornography was acceptable since everybody was doing it kept me miserable for a very long time. I didn't fully realize why. Now I know why. It was because indulging in pornography and all the vices surrounding it was a sin against against God, not to mention against my own body. My sin created a spiritual chasm between me and Him. I didn't know it then that my misery was really my longing to be with God and be reconciled with Him that remained unfulfilled.

It didn't help that I believed that I have to be a holy person to come close to God, and that I have to be a consistent good doer – I was more of an on-and-off Catholic – to deserve God's love.

If my earlier beliefs were false, my beliefs later about God were even more farther from the truth. But again it didn't matter because I believed them to be true, and I suffered for it.

My beliefs may not change the world as President Kennedy and Chancellor Hitler did, but it led to my addiction to pornography and a life which I am ashamed of, and which I don’t wish my children to experience in their own life.

In closing, let me leave you with this passage from the Bible,

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” -- 1 Corinthian 10:12

A single belief has the power to change a person, a community, a country and even the world…for the better or for the worse. So choose wisely what you want to believe in that you might not fall. If you think your OK, don't celebrate yet. Turn around and check if your love ones are doing the same.

(Click here to continue to Part 2)

What is the Most Important Thing in the World?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:44:00 -0800

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” – Ruth 1:16~17

Have you, at one point in your life, asked the question, “What is the most important thing in the whole wide world?”

I once saw a very strange movie. It’s about a futuristic place where people have a clock inside their arm, literally speaking. I find it very strange because instead of using money to exchange goods and services, they used their time. For example, if a person wanted to buy something, a certain amount of time would be deducted from his/her clock using a special machine, and if that person was employed, instead of receiving money as his/her salary, a certain amount of time will be added to his/her clock. Not only that, if that person runs out of time -- his/her clock displays ‘00:00:00:00:00’ -- he/she dies instantly. In their world, the most important thing is TIME.

Not in our world.

If there is a vault that keeps the most important thing in the world, what do you think you will see inside if you open it?

Relatioship.

Relationship is the most important thing in the world. The rests, including power, money and time, are just means to this end. At least, this is what our Creator intends it to be. (Ponder on it.)

When Jesus was asked by a Pharisee, an expert of the law, what is the Greatest Commandment in the Law, Jesus replied with not just one, but two. Both of these started with the word ‘love’: (1) Love God about all things, (2) Love others as much as yourself. And both laws are about RELATIONSHIP.

As a father of three adorable daughters and one very cute baby boy, one of my secret fears in life is to wake up one day estranged from my children. Because if I take a hard look at my God-given role as a father, when all the non-essentials are stripped away, what remains is only my relationship with my children. Our love for each other, and the memories we shared together are the only things that I can take with me to my grave.

Today your Father in heaven yearns to have a relationship with you because he loves you so much. In his infinite wisdom He knows that His children, can only survive and thrive in this world if they cling to Him for guidance, nourishment and protection because this world has many fierce, and hungry lions (according to St. Paul) ever ready to devour them.

Yet the world is filled with many prodigal sons and daughters. Lost sheep. The path of the world is littered with misery, suffering, emptiness, brokenness, strife, etc. because many failed to protect and grow the most important aspects in their lives – their relationships with their God, with themselves, and with others.

But the good news is that your Father in heaven is a forgiving God. He is always ready to embrace even the worst prodigal son or daughter who repented of his/her sins, and choose to come back to Him. To the Father, your relationship with Him is more important than your sins and the wicked things you did in the past.

Your Father in heaven is a loyal father.

Haven't you wondered why your still alive today? Without you knowing it, He was there with you to protect you when you're lost in sins, when you foolishly elbowed with death thinking it was fun. He was there with you even when you deliberately disobeyed, displeased and dishonor Him; He was hoping that you would come to your senses and decide to return home.

He loves us first, before we love him. He is a loyal Father to you and to me.

How can I claim to be sure of this? Because I am a father. A father should teach his children what’s right and wrong not just by words, but more importantly by his examples. How can the Father expects us to be loyal to Him if He himself cannot be loyal to us? Remember, our Father is a just and righteous God.

One more proof. The Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die on the cross so that we, rebels of His own kingdom, might gain life. Isn’t that enough proof? To a father like me, it is enough proof of God’s amazing and out-of-this-world love for us, His children.

How should we return the Father's great love for us?

Loyalty.

Just as Ruth was ever loyal to Naomi so should we to the Father; any father would be very pleased to see the loyalty of Ruth in his child. We should stick with Him through thick and thin, in joy and sorrow, in sickness and in health, in victory and in defeat till our last breath. Why?

A business man was lying in his deathbed. Knowing that he was nearing his last breath, his wife and all his children gathered around him. Soon the old man opened his eyes and looked around him. Upon seeing his children he started nodding his head slightly as he looked at each one of them. Without warning his mouth began to quiver, and his once tiredness eyes blazed with anger. Being a thoughtful and understanding woman, his wife approached him and comforted him, "Relax, dear. I know you are upset at yourself because you spend so much time with our business that you forget to spend quality time with your children. Don't worry they've forgiven you." All his children nodded their heads in agreement. With all the strength he could muster, the old businessman struggle to voice out what was in his heart, "You're all here? Who's tending our stores?"

Kidding aside, in our deathbed we will not regret the material things that we couldn't buy, the deals that we failed to close, the promotions that we did not get, etc. What we would most likely regret is our failure to treasure, grow, and protect our relationships with our love ones. What we would certainly fear is our failure to establish a personal relationship with God.

Because in the end, the only thing that really matters is our relationships with God, wiht ourselves and with others. The rests are just means to this end.

Finally, relationship is measured by loyalty. God does not want a lukewarm relationship with us. He expects no less than a personal relationship with Him, a relationship that will stand against the tests of time, a relationship characterized by a timeless loyalty.

The Testimony of Raoul Derit

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:19:00 -0800

Therefore, if any man is in Christ he is a new creature – the old one has gone, the new one has come. – 2 Corinthians 15:7

I have a confession to make. I was a pornography addict for many years. Not only this, I was also hooked to the other shameful activities surrounding this vice.

It all started when a classmate of mine showed me an adult magazine. Upon seeing the colored photos of naked women my 13-year old mind went crazy; I was deeply fascinated, and absorbed by it that I couldn’t get my eyes and hands off the magazine. Soon I moved on to the next stage.

After burning a lot of adult pictures to my mind, I finally asked – “What if I do this? How will it feel?” I overheard my male classmates talked about masturbation, and how normal it was for boys my age. I bought the devil’s pitch. Little did I know that I was entering a very long, dark, and miserable tunnel.

A part of me warned, and pleaded that I should stop, and don’t go through with it. However, another part of me said, “Don’t worry. You can stop anytime you want. It’s under your control.”

It was a BIG lie. I wasn’t in control. In reality, I was being controlled by lust much like a drug addict is being controlled by a strong desire for drugs.

My addiction to pornography became so bad that there were a couple of times that I was awakened at around 2AM by a strong desire to relieve myself. At that point I knew I was already way over my head. Actually, I was already an addict.

Still I believed that by sheer will power I could break free. So I gritted my teeth and willed myself to resist. But after a few days or a couple of weeks, I was at it again. After countless defeats, I gave up trying and indulged in my vice instead. But it only made me hate myself even more.

In desperation, I looked for a magic formula that would make me immune to lust in self-help books, but to my despair I found no such book. Once again I met a dead end.

Finally, running out of option, I approached God. I remember praying – “Lord make me strong enough to resist the temptations“. But it didn’t work. I thought that I was so dirty that God didn’t want anything to do with me so I availed of the Sacrament of Penance many times only to succumb to my vice days later.

I started to dread going to confession out of embarrassment to confess the same sin over and over again. If I went to confession I made sure that the setup was not face-to-face, and that the priest was not someone I knew. I was ashamed and disgusted with myself. I felt so unworthy of God’s love. I started to think that I was already a lost cause.

But God was not done with me yet.

Despite all the defeats and frustrations I met, I did not stop calling on to God for help. I never lost hope. One evening while I was in Japan for a business trip, I was watching a recorded talk by Bo Sanchez when out of nowhere God spoke to my heart – “You’re fighting alone.”

These three simple words changed the course of the battle raging inside of me. In an instant everything became so clear to me; I was fighting the Gates of Hell alone. No wonder I always came out defeated. I remember asking myself, “How can I be so blind and stupid? How can I offend such a loving and merciful God?”

That night in Japan, I cried like a little boy out of shame, regret, repentance, joy and gratitude. Spontaneously, I professed my love for Jesus over and over again; the outpouring of strong emotions from within me was so great that I might have exploded if I haven’t done so. My spirit was so ecstatic.

Then I prayed a prayer that I haven’t said before, “Lord help me. I can’t do it alone.” I felt something heavy was lifted off me and I felt so peaceful.

That night I reconciled with God and with myself, and my journey to freedom began. I wish I could say that I stopped my vices instantly, but I would be lying which clearly does not align with my Lord's will.

Before I end my testimony allow me to say something about addiction. During the time I was addicted to pornography I didn’t need a lot of temptation for me to do it; I was simply gravitated to it and my actions were automatic. And even if I didn’t want to do it I still did it; I couldn’t help it. In short, I lost control over myself.

That night in Japan, God healed me from that irresistible desire towards pornography thus giving me back control over myself. To rephrase the favorite line of my favorite Christian radio drama program, Unshackled, my heart, mind and soul were unshackled that night. Then he gave me His peace and the assurance that He would fight with me. Jesus was enough to revive my soul.

After two decades of slavery to lust, my wounds were so deep and many that it took me a couple of years to fully recover. Now I’m totally out of the long, dark, and miserable tunnel for more than 3 years. God is truly merciful and loving and my testimony attests to what the Bible has said that in Christ we are a new creature – the old has gone, the new one has come.

Where Our Real Hope Lies?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 4 Nov 2011 01:17:00 -0700

“Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.” – 2 Samuel 12:10

David was called a man after God’s own heart. God was with him when he killed wild beasts that threatened his sheeps. God was with him when he killed the giant Goliath in the Valley of Elah. God was with him when he succeeded King Saul as the second king of the Jews. God was with him in every victory in the battlefields. God made him powerful, rich and famous. Not only that, from his lineage came the Messiah which forever engraved his name in the history of the salvation of man. Clearly, David had a very special place in God's heart.

Yet despite his special relationship with God, David faltered. He committed not one but two grave sins in succession. First was adultery. Then murder.

When I reflected on the fall of David two questions immediately came to my mind. Why David hit rock bottom? If a man with such special relationship with God faltered then what hope there is for us lesser mortals?

Let me ruminate on my first question. Despite David’s superhuman accomplishments he was still human; he experienced sensations, desires and urges – hunger, thirst, sex, etc. – like the rest of us. Though these are God’s built-in mechanisms to sustain our human body, and the humanity in general, these also become the Enemy’s favorite entry points for his attacks on us. His goal is to get us addicted to certain sensation, desire and urge and go overboard like David.

David was vulnerable to sexual sensation and urge. Evidence of this was his habit of keeping a number of concubines aside from his wife. This was not too bad in David’s time since he was king. But he went a little further and crossed God’s line by committing adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Then his selfish desire to keep Bathsheba only to himself led him to plot murder against Uriah. He abused his God-given power as king over Israel and committed grave sins. He hit rock bottom.

This leads me to believe that for us Christians to be able to love and serve God effectively, we should be the master our body, not the other way around. We should strive at every moment to live a lifestyle of doing what is right even when it’s difficult, uncomfortable, painful and scary. Serving God without self-control is like trying to swim with no legs and arms. You get nowhere, and have no real growth.

This lead me to the second question, "Is there hope for the rest of us who lesser than David?"

Yes, there is. God forgave David and restored him though the consequences of his sins weren’t lifted from his shoulder. Like David God loves us that He gave us His only son so that whoever believes in Him shall live and not die.

Jesus came with a message of hope and love. He came to save, and not to condemn. In fact, our salvation was already signed by Him with His own precious blood. It’s a done deal!

But in order for us to avail of the salvation offered by Jesus we need to (1) Sincerely repent of our sins and confess, (2) Believe in Him, and (3) Follow His teachings and commandments. No one can be saved by being a Lone Ranger; many of us don’t even realize how desperately we need Christ in our life.

In retrospect, I never got healed from my addiction to pornography when I fought it with sheer will power no matter how hard and long I tried. The saying “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” was so real to me during those dark times. My breakthrough came when in my despair God spoke to my heart that I cannot do it alone. Then the process of healing started when I acknowledged this truth.

(By the time I asked God’s forgiveness I was crying bitterly out of shame. When all my tears of sorrow ran out a strong urge got hold of me – the urge to proclaim, “I love you Jesus.” I kept saying this over and over again because it felt so good. And I cried again a lot, but it was already tears of joy.)

Trying to attain salvation on your own by doing good to look good before God is a ‘subtle’ recipe for disaster since no one can do, say, or think 100% good all the time. Sooner or later your spirit weakens and falters to the many traps that the Enemy laid ahead of us. To make matter worse, God's legalistic standard is so steep and strict that it is written, “…the wages of SIN (even only one) is death...” Trying to attain salvation by our own good works is simply not sustainable. In the end we will only end up bruised and frustrated.

When all is said and done, it turns out that our real hope lies in our love for Jesus. (He said, “No one comes to the Father except through me…”) In doing so, instead of finding yourself naked and trembling alone – being your own lawyer – before GOD the FATHER and the other heavenly beings in the Courtroom of God, you will find yourself standing behind Jesus when you hear Him say the sweetest words you will ever hear in your entire life, “Father, he is with me.”

Learning from David How to Respond to Distressful Moments

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:26:00 -0700

David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” -- 1 Samuel 30:6~8

After working for three years in NEC Technologies Philippines, in September 5, 2003 my dream of being sent to Japan for a business trip came true. However, instead of being in high spirit, I was too nervous, more than I aught to be, because just the other day I caught the virus that causes sore eyes. I was worried that a Mactan or Narita airport official or a PAL staff would notice my pinkish right eye and order me to go back home.

But I had one more fear much worse than being sent home – the fear of getting lost. I heard from my colleagues who had one or more Japan business trips under their belt that train stations, most specially the Tokyo Train Station, were like a maze, and one could easily end up on the wrong train platform or board the wrong train. To top it off, not so many Japanese could speak straight English even in Tokyo, and my Nihonggo was quite limited, so asking for direction seemed like scaling Mt. Apo during rainy days.

After some luck, I finally got out of Narita Airport Custom, and on my way to the train station where I would board a train that would take me to Tokyo Train Station. The first thing that I did was to buy ticket for the Narita Express (NEX), but due to inexperience I chose a train that would arrive 10 minutes later thinking that finding the right platform would be a breeze. After all, I wasn’t in Tokyo Train Station yet.

Several minutes later. To my horror, I couldn’t decide the right way. I tried asking for direction a couple of times earlier, but I got ‘lost’ in translation. So there I was standing somewhere inside the Narita Airport Station, countless people rushing around to their destination like guided drones. Both my arms and shoulders ached from its loads – two no-stroller-attached-to-it bags filled with kilos of rice, a number of canned goods, noodles to last a month, and some clothes, plus a big backpack filled with books, goodies and a 2-kilo Compaq laptop clinging from behind.

Three minutes before the arrival of my train, my entire body was overheating. Sweats dripped freely from my face. I didn’t care anymore.

In desperation I approached a young man, probably in his late teens or early twenties, wearing a black business suit. “Doku,” I managed to say while pressing repeatedly my right index finger to my NEX ticket.

“Ah, the platform for the NEX train,” my young Japanese ‘friend’ replied in straight English, to my great delight. “Come, follow me. Hurry!”

I dashed after him like a Pier Quatro porter hauling two sacks of rice on his shoulders…effortless.

Finally, when I got to my train I dropped to the couch like a condemned building whose pillars were shattered by a number of detonated bombs. Some tight middle-aged Japanese men in well-ironed black business suit glanced flittingly at me with amusement. I must have looked a curiosity or a novelty in their perfectly ordered world, but I was so beat up to care.

King David must have looked down at me with amusement too from his perch up in heaven. We shared the same feeling of distress, but I responded in a way that could be funny to him – I relied on my own limited strength, and nearly collapsing as a result.

In time of distress and trouble, David showed us how to respond. First, he looked to his God for the strength to carry him on. By contrast, in that distressful moment, I relied on my own strength to carry me through. I never bothered to call upon God because I was trapped in the belief that if I have to do this right, I have to do it my way.

Second, he trusted God’s wisdom more than his, and asked for His guidance. By contrast, I did not do this either. My first impulse was to look for direction from Japanese. There was nothing wrong with that except that I declared to His face that I didn’t trust Him. Yet He was merciful to me despite my stubbornness; he sent a kind person to guide me.

Knowing David’s greatness as a warrior and a leader, it was easy for him to be carried away by his accomplishments and then rely more on his own strength and knowledge like many very successful people would do. But David was not like most people. And his uncommon approached made him very successful.

As for me, I learned David’s secret much, much later. My only consolation was, it wasn’t too late.

In summary David's formula to fight distress is (1) Find your strength in the Lord (2) Ask for His guidance.

I Can Choose

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:49:00 -0700

"Yet to all who received him, to those to believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." -- John 1:12

When I was still an engineering student, I encountered a lot of mathematical and scientific equations. We, students, were expected to memorize these equations by heart to pass the course.

I didn't have a very good memory so I devised a study plan that would help me remember these equations. Every weekend, I wrote all the equations I learned during the weekdays in a notebook, and recited these repeatedly until I can recall them instantly.

The next week, I wrote again the new equations I learned that week. But instead of reciting only the new equations, I also recited the equations from the previous week, and so on. So my strategy was to refresh my memory every week, and I find this very effective for me.

As a Christian, we also need to memorize by heart the words of God to become a successful student in the university called life. This is a must. Everyday we are bombarded with lies from everywhere that are subtle and destructive to us, so we need to know the truth. God's word is the truth and it is our light in times of confusion, and difficulties.

Like any typical student, I take notes and write my reflections. In the past month, I was silent; Daily Snacks was silent. During my silence I experienced new things, I learned new things, and I took notes. Now I will share to you my reflection in a form a poem.

I CAN CHOOSE

Today I remind myself that I can choose…

I can choose to become the Father's son or be condemned forever;

I can choose to struggle through life with Jesus or to struggle alone;

I can choose to repent and change or to remain shackled to sin;

I can choose to be faithful or be paralyzed with fear.

I can choose to embrace the truth or to live in lies;

I can choose to be encouraged or to be envious;
I can choose to be one of the bests or stay in mediocrity;

I can choose to spend my time bearing good fruits or to waste it away.

I can choose to care for others or be absorbed with myself;

I can choose to accept their failings or to be a hypocrite;
I can choose to forgive and heal or to wallow in hatred;

I can choose to light a candle or to grope with them in the dark.

I don't have to go with the flow,
Because God gives me the power – the power to choose at EVERY moment;

Lest I lost my way into the wolves,

I choose to go His way even if it's difficult and scary…

In life we always have a choice. Our Creator gives us that power. Exercise that power everyday to choose what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and honorable because unseen powerful forces are conniving that you may forget this power or not exercise it at all.

Debt Ceiling Dispute Between US Senate and Congress: What's Happening To This Great Nation?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 04:30:00 -0700

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. –Ephesians 6:12

It was around 10:30PM. I was looking up at the sky which was filled with thick, dark clouds. Just the other night, a number of stars dangled from this very sky which now appeared quiet and gloomy. Suddenly, a cool wind blew against my face and into a nearby tuba-tuba tree, shaking its leaves out from their slumber. Then a thought came to me – sometimes things are not what they seem to be.

Right now in the US, the Republican-controlled Congress locks horn with the Democrat-controlled Senate. The topic of dispute is the deficit-reduction plan; the Demo wants to raise the debt ceiling, hence continue to borrow money to pay off debt and finance national growth while the Rep wants to lock the current debt ceiling or at least temporarily raise it and then cut spending. What makes it critical is the fact that both houses should arrive at a resolution before August 2 or else the US government defaults national debt. This is unprecedented, and this is very bad not just for USA, but the entire world as a whole.

As the world watch, glued to the edge of their seats, let me ask this question: Is this just a mere battle of political will between two powerful forces in the US government? Or is this something else?

Sometimes things are not what they seem to be. What we see in the lower and upper house of the US government is not just a mere intellectual or political battle between brilliant lawmakers, but a battle as ancient as the time itself, the battle between good and evil. Yes, it’s a spiritual battle, as well. And it’s not good Republicans versus evil Democrats, and vice versa, either. It’s the innate goodness within men (lawmakers) versus the evil desires planted by the ancient enemy of man, Satan.

Picture this. As the US lawmakers earnestly sought out the best solution for the good of their country, Satan and his demons came to secretly spread seeds of confusion, doubt, fear, mistrust, selfish motives, accusation, etc. among the lawmakers. The Enemy’s objective – create division which will lead to destruction – and from what I saw in the news today, they seem to be winning. Or are they?

This crisis in the American government is not purely intellectual and political in nature, but spiritual as well. It is my belief that what makes the resolution difficult to hammer out is not the lack of brilliance or statesmanship, I believe that these men are the cream of the crop or they won’t be there, but the lack of awareness that they are not only engage in intellectual debate, but in spiritual battle as well. Indeed, this situation calls for unity and prudence, but for this to happen under the current situation, prayers and fasting are needed as well.

Now as you settle in the comfort of your living room in front of your TV awaiting for news updates, let me remind you that the battle does not only rage red and hot in the confines of the Capitol, but also right inside your own living room, inside your heart and mind. Yes, not just the US lawmakers, but all of us are at war against these hidden forces of evil, so let us all put on the armor of God and believe that behind those thick, dark clouds God’s love, goodness and glory twinkle, awaiting for the right time to shine through. And He never fails.

GIANT DUST STORM IN PHOENIX AREA

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:05:00 -0700

So Jesus said to them, “Well, then, pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and pay to God what belongs to God.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away. – Matthew 22:21~22

A giant wall of dust rolled through the Phoenix area last Monday. It was so high it reached 900m and created winds of 40 to 48 kmh, with gusts of up to 64kmh according to the National Weather Service. Based on the report I read in the web, the visibility was down to less than 400m in some areas.

When I saw the picture of the long line of cars before the ominous haboob, I got mixed feelings – don’t blame me, I haven’t seen one in my entire life. I was relieved for those drivers who were leaving the giant dust wall, and scared for those drivers whose car were heading directly to it. I can only empathize with the latter; they knew that what they were about to enter was dangerous, but they have to get to their next destination.

Isn’t our life’s journey very much like this? We plow through life jumping from one appointment to another, from one task to the next in our to do list. As a result, we get used to our daily routine and put on hold our spiritual growth in favor of economic progress until a giant dust storm snaps us out of our trance.

For two months I cannot make myself write for the Daily Snacks. There were many reasons I can enumerate, but I can sum it up in two words, dust storm. But God was so good because that period of low visibility was not solely meant to make me suffer, but really to teach me a very important lesson which I want to share to you today.

“The moment that I (you) do not like to pray is really the time that I (you) need to pray for at this moment the enemy is given a measure of control over my (your) feelings to tempt me (you) to abandon my (our) God.”

Loving God is not about following a wonderful feeling; it’s about making the decision to come to Him even if the feeling is not there. And here’s the surprising part: afterward, out of this decision comes a wonderful feeling.

When it hit me, I felt like the Jews in the passage above; I was amazed with God.

How the River Monster Works?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 5 May 2011 20:27:00 -0700

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. -- John 10:10

Have you seen the Discovery Channel TV documentary River Monsters hosted by extreme angler Jeremy Wade? If you haven’t, try watching it; it’s very fascinating. However, real life is the exact opposite of it. Instead of being the river monster, we all are the unsuspecting fishes swimming in the big river of life. The real river monster is the extreme angler, and his name is Satan. He is a very experienced and skillful angler with a bag full of tricks on how to snag souls.

The first thing to remember about the River Monster is that he wants to stay undetected while attacking his prey because it’s easier to catch a soul this way; this way he is pretty clever. He litters the river of life with countless fishing lines, and stays behind the bushes camouflaged.

How does Satan catch souls? This is a very interesting question. To try to answer this, I will draw from more than 35 years of experience as a sinner and insights from the booklet, One on One, by Steve Murrell.

Satan usually uses three basic steps depending on the spiritual strength of his prey.

Grab the attention of his target
Deceive his target by telling lies and half-truths
Tempt his target to commit sin

As Christian way stay out of trouble by focusing on the Lord and following His teachings and ways. But Satan is a clever attacker. He flashes a DISTRACTION to grab the attention of the hapless target. It could be anything and these generally fall under three main categories – wealth, fame and pleasure.

Once Satan grabs the full attention of his target, he DECEIVES his target by telling lies and half-truth. The main motive is to divert the focus of the person from God to himself or herself. Satan would chant, “Is it true that you will go to hell? It can’t be bad if it feels so good, right? Forget God. Forget the needs of others. Focus on yourself and your needs. Nobody cares about you so you have to look after your own interest. Who needs them anyway? You’re self sufficient. You are your own man. ” Lies! Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God.” Now that’s the plain truth!

When a person becomes full of himself or herself and forgets God and doesn’t care about other people, he is ripe for the final blow – TEMPTATION to sin. A person who ignores God and doesn't follow his ways is no match to the evil River Monster. That poor soul will be shackled and trapped to a dark deep pit of sin where short-lived pleasure, emptiness, misery, pain, and torment abound.

Satan does not come with good intention. He hates men and women. But is there hope to the captured? And is there a way to avoid being snag by the River Monster?