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Last night, as I was watching television (the evening news to be exact)… I saw a segment that featured tips on how to welcome the Chinese new year. And since I was just surfing the channels, I decided to stop for a moment and see what makes this portion “newsworthy”.
Feng shui experts started giving their advice on how to bring in “good luck” and how to fend off negative vibes. Rolling fruits on the floor just before the stroke of midnight and writing your wishes on paper and tucking them inside a small chest (container) wrapped in aluminum foil… posting good luck stickers on doors and displaying a particular type of buddha figurine.
Ok, so maybe the Chinese have a bunch of beliefs in order to attract fortune and prosperity… but what I saw on television were Filipinos… Catholics and renewed Christians alike listening to feng shui experts!
The most common phrase I heard from most of these “so-called” practicing Christians when asked why they follow these Chinese feng shui rituals: “Wala namang mawawala eh” (in english, “There’s nothing to lose”).
On the contrary, MUCH is to be lost! Haven’t they read the Ten Commandments? They need not go through the entire list to figure out that what they’re doing is an abomination to the Lord. The first part of the list states:
Do not have any other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.
Now tell me, how does believing in superstition, in other religions and beliefs (such as feng shui) and all the rituals that go along with it not equate to idolatry? Doesn’t that clearly violate what God so clearly commands of us Christians?
To put things in perspective… let’s pretend you’re married to someone (assuming you still aren’t)… what you clearly expect from your spouse is that he/she be faithful to you… to not falter or waver but to be steadfast. Then one day you learn that your spouse has started to “play the field” so to speak… and starts dating other people… her reason being that he/she needs a fallback in case you fall short or aren’t able to deliver on your promises. How would that make you feel? Then he/she ultimately justifies it by saying “Wala namang mawawala, eh” (”There’s nothing to lose”)…
Tell me… is there really nothing to lose?
The Lord never said, “Do not have any other gods before me… but just to play it safe, it’s ok to also put your faith on good luck ornaments, crystals, figurines, coins and mystic advice in case I fail to deliver.”
God delivers. Indeed, He most certainly does… to those who are faithful and obedient. You see, His love is unconditional… but His promises aren’t.
You can be the most generous person during offertory… even the most consistent tither, but without obedience… it is all for naught. Without absolute obedience, sacrifice is empty.
In 1 Samuel 15:22 it reads:
“Does the LORD so delight in holocausts and sacrifices as in obedience to the command of the LORD? Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission than the fat of rams.”
Total surrender to our Heavenly Father is not just something that is said… it isn’t just something that comes out of your mouth… it is an everyday decision… a continuous and conscious effort… a daily act that you must carry out every minute of your life.
Remember, we (Christians) aren’t called the “bride” of Christ for nothing. The Lord expects nothing less than absolute and unconditional faithfulness to Him.
To be recognized as a Christian is not simply in being tagged or labeled as one… it is in how you live your life.
There is no such thing as a pseudo-Christian… or a semi-Christian. Either we’re Christians or we aren’t. There is NO middle ground. No compromise. No “playing it safe”
Try as they may, there is no possible justification to these acts. Nothing. Only complete and total repentance.
Because if they, as Christians, believe in life everlasting…
…there is EVERYTHING to lose.
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Allow me to post a forwarded email received from a good friend in community which I believe is of utmost importance to us Christians, especially to parents and children.
Please read the message that follows and be faithfully vigilant.
BEWARE!!
If you have children or grandchildren, work with children at church, or you have neighborhood children whose parents you know, please take note of the information below and pass it along to others. Schools are distributing this book to children through the Scholastic Book Club.
The name of the book is “Conversations with God”..
James Dobson talked about this book twice this week. It is devastating. Parents, churches and Christian schools need to be aware of it. Please pass this information on to church/e-mail addresses, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, friends.
Please pay special attention not only to what your kids watch on TV, in movie theaters, on the internet, and the music they listen to, but also be alert regarding the books they read.
Two particular books are, Conversations with God and Conversations with God for Teens, written by Neale D. Walsch.
They sound harmless enough by their titles alone. The books have been on the New York Times best sellers list for a number of weeks, and they make truth of the statement, “Don’t judge a book by its cover or title.”
The author purports to answer various questions asked by kids using the “voice of God”. However, the “answers” that he gives are not Bible-based and go against the very infallible word of God.
For instance (and I paraphrase), when a girl asks the question “Why am I a lesbian?”.
His answer is that she was ‘born that way’ because of genetics (just as you were born right-handed, with brown eyes, etc.). Then he tells her to go out and “celebrate” her differences.
Another girls poses the question “I am living with my boyfriend. My parents say that I should marry him because I am living in sin. Should I marry him?”
His reply is, “Who are you sinning against? Not me, because you have done nothing wrong.”
Another question asks about God’s forgiveness of sin.
His reply: “I do not forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive. There is no such thing as right or wrong and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone, do not judge people. People have chosen to judge one another and this is wrong, because the rule is “‘judge not lest ye be judged.”
Not only are these books the false doctrine of the devil, but in some instances quote in error the Word of God.
And the list goes on. These books (and others like it) are being sold to schoolchildren through (The Scholastic Book Club), and we need to be aware of what is being fed to our children.
Our children are under attack. So I pray that you be sober and vigilant about teaching your children the Word of God, and guarding their exposure to worldly mediums, because our adversary, the devil, roams about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).
We know that lions usually hunt for the slowest, weakest and YOUNGEST of its prey.
Pass this on to every Believer you know. God bless!
And, if you are in doubt, check out the books yourself.
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This Christmas let us remember that it is NOT by our deeds that we are saved.
It is by the Lord’s LOVE and GRACE that we are redeemed… by sending His only begotten son to be born on Christmas day and dying for the sins of mankind.
We don’t merit such immense love and mercy… and yet our Lord chooses to do so.
What a wonderful God we have.
All glory and honor to You who has been eternally faithful to an undeserving people.
Praise to You forever!
In Jesus name…
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…Even if life brings me pain
I remain forever true
I’ll accept it just the same
If it brings glory to You…
An excerpt from a song I wrote for our community’s music ministry entitled, “My Prayer (A Love Song)”.
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It’s been a while since I last posted an article here… I regret not being able to post as regularly as I used to. Hopefully, I’d be able to write some more as I’ve always considered blogging to be very therapeutic…
Maybe you’re wondering as to what has been happening the past few months in my corner of the world. A whole lot actually. Lots of changes… in every way, shape and form. During my short blogging hiatus, I have been led by the Lord through a road that felt more like roller coaster tracks that twisted and turned more times than I could count with my fingers.
Ups, downs, trials, tests…
But understandably so… knowing that the deeper my surrender to the Lord becomes, the greater the afflictions. It wasn’t anything I did not expect… in fact, in Sirach 2:1-6 it is written:
“My son, when you come to serve the LORD, prepare yourself for trials.
Be sincere of heart and steadfast, undisturbed in time of adversity.
Cling to him, forsake him not; thus will your future be great.
Accept whatever befalls you, in crushing misfortune be patient;
For in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation.
Trust God and he will help you; make straight your ways and hope in him.”
Since the last time I posted an entry… my kids have already moved into a new school, my wife moved into a new company, I took on a desk job (which I am very happy with… but that’s a whole different blog entry), I was able to fly to Cebu for the first time in about 15 years (yeah, it’s been that long!), and we are moving into our new home in roughly about 4-5 days. These were the more notable changes and events that have taken place… major shifts in our day to day lives.
But change… IS good. Only for as long as it is the Lord who allows these changes to happen. Even if it means the Lord needing to drastically humble me in order to for Him to achieve His plans in my life.
You see… it’s all about HIM… and never about us. We’ve heard this countless times. You’ve even probably concurred to this notion… but until you’ve actually embraced and allowed yourself to be consumed by this wonderful concept, it only comes out as lip service.
I’ve been bent, broken and remolded by God… and I’ve gladly and willingly let Him. He needs to work His perfect will in my life before I can be an instrument that would better serve His purposes in this world.
And with all the uncertainties that come with change, I’ve learned to depend all the more on my Creator… a vital trait that the Lord desires to be instilled in each and every one of us… “dependence”… absolute and unconditional dependence on Him who is provider of and answer to everything in this life.
So, as you better your faith… as you walk towards God… and as you slowly and completely open your heart to Him… welcome change. Even if at first you perceive some of these changes to be unfavorable.
Welcome change.
“Study the generations long past and understand; has anyone hoped in the LORD and been disappointed? Has anyone persevered in his fear and been forsaken? Has anyone called upon Him and been rebuffed?” - Sirach 2:10
Be confident in Him who, in His infinite wisdom, knows what’s best for you… in Him who sees farther and knows better.
Change IS good… you can be sure of it.
Because God is.
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Whoa! What better place to celebrate Pentecost Revival than in Baguio City, an area known for its wonderful ambience and refreshing atmosphere… ! The overwhelming success of bringing revival to the Summer Capital of the Philippines last May 10, 2008, and how it was embraced by the crowd there is something that we can only credit to the Holy Spirit and the power He has poured forth to the droves and droves who came to the venue to open-heartedly receive.
Praise God…! Revival has arrived to Baguio City!
We could already feel the Spirit during rehearsals in the venue… it was unmistakable! Praise and worship run-throughs were already powerful and the entire production crew could already feel the intense atmosphere during setup and preparations.
Though we only had the chance to stay for about 3 days… the climb up was well worth it. May revival spread all over northern Luzon because of this empowerment by the Lord.
But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” -Acts 1:8
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There are times when the Lord leads you to do things which you just have to obediently follow and obey…
He pulls you away from one direction and leads you to another… and you just have to trust that He has your best interest at heart.
Earlier this afternoon, things have unraveled so fast that I kind of got lost in the flurry of how my life was turned upside down and inside out by the Lord… and only this evening have things started to sink in…
It kind of popped up in my mind already much earlier today but I kind of brushed it off during that moment… but it was once again triggered as I was talking with my wife over dinner.
I hurriedly sought advice and guidance which I badly needed to help me get over the depression that was building up inside of me… and the answer was clear: To rejoice and delight in God’s will… no matter what.
So now, though extremely saddened to part with people whom I have grown to love and care for, I faithfully submit to my Lord’s divine will as he opens a new chapter in my life.
I just praise and thank Him for the wonderful opportunity He has given me to serve in an area which has opened my eyes, my heart and soul… a place which will always be close to my heart… and for giving me the chance to meet people and kids whose strength and resilience through faith have greatly ministered back to me.
I look forward to the day when I shall once again be reunited with them.
To my Rosario family… I already miss all of you. You guys will always be in my heart and in my prayers.
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I haven’t had the chance to blog lately… I really can’t say it was only by circumstance but somehow, a whole lot of things… physically and emotionally, have somehow contributed to my lack of enthusiasm in blogging the past weeks.
Not to mention that I totally lost my voice 2 Sundays ago right after Community Mass. I was part of the music ministry that performed the church songs during that event. And my throat bled right before we started. Soon after, as the final bar of the closing song was winding up, I realized that my vocal chords had started giving up on me…!
Praise God it didn’t happen DURING service. Whew! 
By evening, I was voiceless… it was frustratingly funny. Frustrating for me… funny for those who could hear me struggle to barely let out a sound. It’s been about 2 weeks already since I lost my voice and I’m still on the path to recovery.
My doctor told me it was a severe case of Pharyngitis. The nasal drip caused by congenital nose problem (yes, the bridge of my nose is bent to the left obstructing air passage on my left nostril), has finally irritated my vocal chords to the point of acute swelling and bleeding. Sounds bad, huh?
I am currently taking medication combined with steroids and a nasal spray that’s supposed to alleviate the pain and irritation. I was advised to stay away from dust and possible sources of allergy.
But just what is PHARYNGITIS exactly? According to the website it’s as follows:
Pharyngitis is commonly referred to as a sore throat. It is a very common ailment that may signal a multitude of other possible illnesses. Strep throat, the common cold, ear infections, and many respiratory illnesses all tend to begin with discomfort in the throat, which we call a sore throat.
Pharyngitis is not a disease, but a symptom of another problem within the body. It can be tremendously uncomfortable, and can be difficult to deal with during an average day. Many over the counter treatments may help to alleviate the symptom, but ultimately the patient should seek to find the cause of the symptom and then proceed from there.
If the cause is a bacterial infection, which happens only a small percent, then an antibiotic will help alleviate the discomfort and the cause. However, in most cases, a virus is to blame which renders the antibiotic useless.
Rarely does pharyngitis occur as the only symptom. Other symptoms either accompany a sore throat or are soon to follow. Symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, headaches, and fatigue often indicate the common cold or the flu.
Because of this, I missed one Wednesday of Elim, Rosario (A place we go to on a weekly basis to serve and hold praise and worship gatherings for our dwellers there). But I’ve been serving again… I’ve bounced back to my old routine… I’ve even managed to get back to singing during team revival and was even able to sing during our recent Couples Time Out Gathering last Friday.
My voice (and throat) isn’t back a 100% yet but I’m getting better. Praise God.
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It’s such a pity to see people enslaved by their own insatiable love for money… the end all and be all of a good number of people I know.
I, myself, was brought up in an environment that believed that “money is king”… my old life was an endless pursuit of worldly wealth. It was all that mattered. It was everything to anyone I ever met within my own sphere. My lifestyle revolved around this vicious cycle of work-pay-splurge-work. It seemed great… or so I thought.
Looking back now, I realize that even though a huge part of my youth believed that money could fill the void inside me, the emptiness was just too much to satisfy. It was merely temporary comfort for the vast vacuum in my life.
It’s true… what you gain materially pales in comparison with what can be obtained through spiritual sustenance. An individual who truly knows God, loves God. And a person that loves God, needs nothing else but God.
And needing nothing else but the Lord leads to less disappointments, and loosens one’s grip on worldly expectations. Letting go of worldly expectations detaches you from the material…
Greed is “lust”… lust for money… and lust is never satisfied. That being the case, how can a person filled with greed, which is never content with anything, ever be happy?
You can acquire all the riches in the world and still feel empty. Your life will never be truly filled until you have surrendered everything to the Lord…
Ironic isn’t it? To be filled, you have to surrender everything… to empty yourself. The same way the Lord teaches that in order to be forgiven, you yourself have to forgive… that you should love your enemies, not just your friends. But it’s true. These are God’s divine ways… and His ways never fail nor do they ever disappoint.
All you have to do is to trust, believe and have faith that the Lord is ALL you need. Receive Him and let Him do wonders in your life… wonders that money and wealth can never be able to buy or measure up to.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? -Mark 8:36
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My wife recently had old friends over to the house to celebrate the birthday of an old classmate of theirs. Back in the day, they were a close knit band of rowdy friends hanging out not just in campus but around town as well… They’d go to bars, restaurants, regular hang-outs just to chit-chat the night away while drinking alcohol coupled with a handful (to put it mildly) of cigarettes on the side.
This was their old life. Mine didn’t differ too much from theirs… sans the smoking and drinking of course. I never was the drinking type… nor was I hooked on nicotine and tobacco. But that doesn’t mean my old life was more righteous in any sense… it was just as regretful.
Though I didn’t participate in booze sessions within the confines of smoke filled bars and restaurants with friends, I did engage in conversations with them which promoted distasteful humor and gossip and reveled in others misfortunes just to name a few. Who hasn’t at one time or another?
But now that my wife and I have entered and renewed our personal relationship with the Lord, it has totally transformed us and completely overhauled our way of life. It has changed the way we act, the way we speak, even the way we think.
But just as we get more and more comfortable being around folks who share the same zeal and faith in God, more and more also do we get uncomfortable with individuals who engage in immoral and ungodly activities which we once considered to be “okay”.
I remember when, a few months back, I was invited to go to an event out of community wherein it would expose me to the old crowd that I used to hang out with… I was, at first, eager to touch base with them and catch up on old times… but as soon as I was in the same room with them, everything seemed so different… it felt really weird… in front of me were people whom I used to be very very close with and yet it was as if the way we were conversing was that of one stranger talking to another… shooting the breeze, so to speak, took so much effort on my part… in fact, the usual gossiping and worldly humor that could be seen (and heard) in every corner of the room made me want to bolt out and go home.
It was apparent that I have significantly detached myself from these worldly and unnecessary practices.
But I realized soon after that it wasn’t enough for me to just be satisfied with being in and around community and to simply keep off the “outside” world and its false promises which I have so quickly grown out of. In as much as I’d like to avoid being away from the company of people in community, so too must I be immersed in situations wherein I am put in the midst of individuals who are caught up in worldly matters.
It is our mission to bring the word of God to people who have not fully realized the impact it has in their lives. The Word is not something to be kept only within yourself… The Word was meant to be shared in order to save everyone from eternal damnation. We have the Word within us… and by being in the presence of those who have yet to encounter Christ in a more personal manner, it is through us and our witnessing that they may be able to gain knowledge and ultimately salvation.
The salt has to be in the soup, in a manner of speaking.
“You are the salt of the Earth…”, says Matthew 5:13… “salt”, the ingredient which effects preservation and prevents corruption…
Salt are we who have heard the Good News and incorporate it in our daily life. Salt are those who have learned of Christ and accepted Him as Lord and Savior.
Not the apostles, not ministers only; but all of us who are thus holy, are the salt of the earth - are to season others.
Now, whenever I find myself in situations wherein I am in the company of those who aren’t part of community, I rejoice and give thanks. I do so knowing for a fact that the Lord has given me another opportunity to spread the Good News… a new opportunity to testify and to witness to others…
…to truly live the life of one who is called a disciple of Christ…
…one who is a “fisher of men”.
