Often times when our day doesn't start that good, we tend to count all the negative things that happened to us for the rest of the day and ending up with the conclusion na "it was really a bad day" or "it's not my day today" or even "napakaMALAS ko ngaung araw" but actually, how your day's gonna turn out depends on how you will see things and how you will respond to every situation, start counting your blessings and remind yourself of the things you need to be thankful for and be amazed of how blessed you really are, respond to your situations with joy and thanksgiving :)

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

"give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1thessalonians 5:18)

 

Time to Check on your Heart !

Being a christian needs a constant calibration .. checking up on our hearts needs to be a constant task and a constant habit .. we always must remind ourselves if we are still aligned in what God wants, if our hearts are still fully submitted to Him ! or are there other things thats slowly taking up His place in there .. it could be a person, money, fame, career, or even ministry, church and other things alike. even professionals constantly attend seminars and conventions to remind them of what they should do and how to do it. 

   And as we evaluate ourselves, sometimes we tend to think "okay nmn ako .. nagmiministry, nag seservice, never nmn ako nagfail sa pagtatithes, discipleship ? i meet up with my group every week, okay nmn ung faith ko, okay nmn kame ni Lord".

   Seriously ? have you spent time with God alone lately ? having a relationship with God and enriching your faith is not just about attending church and ministering to people it's about spending quality time with the Lord, listening to Him and letting His word consume your heart. Sometimes the things we have to do get piled up in front of us that we neglect to really cherish our relationship with the Lord. It could be a job or other things, even ministry. But we should always bear in mind, 

that ministry and praise and worship is just an outpour of your love for Jesus not the other way around ! don't confuse yourself. Check your heart if your motives are still right, for from the heart starts everything, even sin.

    Listen to God and hear what He has to say, and be prepared for an extraordinary change He'll perform in you ! :)

Listen clearly, Stand up and Obey !

     Ever wondered why God chose to be born in Bethlehem among all the places in the world ?
To tell us and show us that eventhough the world tells us that we are small and insignificant, God has a great and life changing plan stored for us. He has planted a great seed in us, waiting to be awakened and to sprout in His appointed time.
 "But You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler of Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." - Micah 5:2 (NIV)

     And why did He chose to enter this world as a baby looking up and everyone looking down on Him?
 To show us a perfect example of Humility! To teach us to humble ourselves. Nothing at His birth says He is better than us, all of it says that He is one of us! And that He would go anywhere and do everything to reach His people! That's the big announcement of Christ's birth! He came to experience all sorts of pain, to tell you that He knows what you're going through ! He can feel you ! He experienced excruciating physical pain (the Crucifixion) to Heart Breaking emotional pain (mockery and insults from the people He's willing to and has died for) 
      "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." - John 15:18 (NIV)
      "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." - John 16:33 (ESV)


    Therefore, keep in mind that you are precious in God's eyes ! Don't let other's insults and mockery define you cause your real identity is in Christ and in Him alone ! God indeed has a great plan for you .. So the moment He reveals it to you, Listen clearly, Stand up and Obey ! And whenever your situations weigh you down, seek God, lift your head up and raise your hand and you'll see, He will be there stretching His hand to reach yours .. Great advises come from those that have gone through it and there can be no greater adviser than the one who has conquered it all :) and again when He tells you what to do, how to face your situations, Listen clearly, Stand up and Obey !

Ang mga puso naten parang mga babasaging baso yan .. at pag nabasag, NAKU ! napakahirap buuin yan .. pero si God talaga iba ! :) cause He will not just fix your heart ! He will not just glue it together ! He will give you a brand new heart :)

" I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)

So whenever situations bring you down, crushes your spirit and breaks your heart .. go back to the Lord for "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" psalm 147:3
Hold on to Him and trust Him .. Seek His wisdom and not man's for "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in Man" psalm 118:8 "... for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain victory, and He will trample down our enemies" psalm 108:12

God gave us the privileged to be His children ("You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" - Galatians 3:26) never waste that ! :) so if you are weighed down, drop it all off, "LET GO and LET GOD" ! Run to Him like a child running to His father seeking for comfort after a great fall and He will be there .. He will meet you half way with a big hug :)

It Takes Time :)

     Something that the world doesn't understand is ..

"Why would you lay down your life or entrust it to God ?

and when it regards to making decisions, why would you depend on Him ?

Someone you can't see and someone so mystical that you can't understand ?

I mean, why Him ?

     Well, what they don't know is that we Christians do it because

we know: We can see God if we take time to open our eyes and look.

That we can understand God and actually hear Him

if we listen closely and open our minds,

that He can direct us clearly if we let Him to ..

and why Him ?

because He created us !

No one knows us better than the one who made us ..

and He loves us so much that He would not let harm come upon us ..

     Christianity is not a one snap process ..

it takes time ..

it's a life long journey you need to take step by step,

one step at a time !

And the first step is accepting Him :) ..

Faith, Trust, an Open mind, and Willing Heart

are the most important ingredients you'll need to make a tasty journey :)

God's Love Recipe ♥

Valentines Day .. a lot of people usually cram in finding a date or
someone to get into a relationship with during this occasion ..
Being single on valentines day is sooooo uncool FOR THEM :)
but I say .. it should not be just for one occasion or season ..
it should be considered for a lifetime ♥ and
Relationship takes time, you just need to be patient ♥
and soooo what if everyone around you have a sweet date ?
wait for your time :) don't rush .. you'll get there :)
no matter how much effort you invest in, if you wont be patient,
all your efforts will just go down the drain.
You'll just end up tired and wasted.
just like in cooking, no matter how much effort you invest
in making and mixing the perfect ingredient
it wont be at its best if you wont cook it under the right cooking time ..
God already made the perfect recipe for your love story ..
He personally and carefully wrote the ingredients and formulate the proper procedures for it
and most importantly He calculated the proper time for you to enjoy it ..
so stop bothering yourself in making another one
cause surely God's recipe will always be better than yours !
at wag kna makialam .. recipe ni Lord yan .. wag ka magmarunong ..
isang lutuan lang yan .. wag mo sayangin ü listen closely to God ü
let Him guide you kung ano ang dapat ilagay at kung kelan dapat ilagay
at kung kelan dapat lutuin at kainin yan ü

Picture of one my quilling creations specially made for valentines day :)

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven" (ECC 3:1)

"He has made everything beautiful in its time" (ECC 3:11)

"Do not arouse and awaken love until it so desires" (Song of Songs 2:7)

Boast in the Lord !!

 When I was walking on my way home, a child approached me and begged for alms .. so out of pity and compassion, I gave .. but when He took it, I was waiting for a simple "thanks" but nothing came .. he walked away and went to his friends bragging .. then I was reminded by the verse in Hosea 13:6

" When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forget me. "

 We often ask God for a lot of things and sometimes when its already provided we often forget where it really came from .. we acknowledge everyone but not God, we give thanks to everyone except the one who truly provides .. This is the reality .. We boast of what we have without even realizing that it was never about us and these things were never ours .. it's God's .. He owns it .. He's just lending it to us .. even your life is not yours ! so what is there to boast about .. we can't be proud of anything that we do or anything that we've done .. cause every single raw material we use, even the energy and time we invest is from God ! nothing from ourselves The only thing to boast about is having a powerful and ever loving God in our lives.

" For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. " (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV)

"Therefore, as it is written: 'Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord' " (1 Corinthians 1:31, NIV )