Monday, January 22, 2007
“A good start: Face your Destiny”

Last week, I was contemplating whether to go on and attend the midweek service or not because I have been diagnosed with viral exanthem. (urgh! rashes all over my face, arms and thighs!) I went to school last Monday and was shocked to see my face in the mirror!(parang bungang araw na tinubuan ng mukha) I thought I was allergic to my powder or something but I soon discovered the same cutaneous manifestations on other parts of my body. I was advised not to go to school because the dermatologist told me I was contagious and wrote out an excuse letter and medical certificate for me. If this was high school or even pre-med, I would have been delighted at the very thought of having a good excuse to stay at home, but being the medical student that I am (third year at that), it’s worse to be absent on a busy exam filled week. Although I didn’t experience any other symptoms, I prayed to the Lord because I have already set my mind to go to school and attend the midweek service last Wednesday. Truly, He is so good and even though I could still palpate some lymph nodes, I was rash free on that day!
Like a true warrior, I again set out my lonely journey (I was again without any companion for that night ) for the midweek service but I wasn’t disappointed because I was blessed with the service that night! The preaching was entitled "Face Your Destiny: The Power of Goal Setting" by Bro. Al Ian Barcelona. I think this is a good way to start the new year and I compliment Bro. Ian for such an inspiring talk. (He’s realy good) According to him, we got the best destiny! You want to know why? Because God has wonderful plans for us. It’s true. I have to say one of my favorite passages from the bible : (Jeremiah 29:11) " For I know the pans I have for you says the Lord. They are plans for good, to give you a future and a hope". This is the Lord’s words speaking to us and we have to believe it!
He quoted Psalm 90:12 : "So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart" . The Lord teaches us to balance our lives: our family, studies, friends, work, and other areas of our lives. "…Teach us to count our days": it means time…and time is the greatest equalizer next to opportunity according to him. Sometimes we have too many things going in our lives. We are so busy with one thing that other parts of our lives are suffering. I remember the movie "The Devil Wears Prada", Nigel told Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) that when you start having problems with your personal life, it means you’re doing great with your job. In this crazy busy world, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with everything. He emphasized that we need to plan our lives and pray "that we may gain a wise heart": apply wisdom!
He brought up 4 fundamental questions that we should all think about: 1) What do I really want? 2) What will it cost me? 3) What am I willing to pay? 4) When will I start paying the price? At this point in our lives, do we really know what we want? I received this quote from a friend "always remember that the longer you stay with the things you don’t really enjoy equates to every moment you lose with what could be a happy life"….and it’s true.
My friend in medicine who is one of the brightest people I know just recently quit in the middle of third year. She wasn’t having problems academically. In fact, as I’ve said, she’s a good student. We were all surprised at her decision and I know that everybody was wondering why she would quit at this time and thinking about all the hardships we went through from first year and all the time, money and energy spent on it…sayang naman. She answered all our questions through an email and you know what? I am happy that she realized what she really wants to do in her life and admire her for having the courage to pursue it which most of us don’t have. And so my friend answered the remaining questions already at this point in her life. It cost her much but she was willing to pay the price. And right now, she is happier doing what she really wants….writing. I am so proud of her because in the short time that she was out of medicine, she got an article published at the Inquirer Young Blood, and is currently living out her dreams…writing her heart out, and then going on to take up a masters degree on English next school year. And so I take back what I’ve said, walang nasayang. If it took all those experiences and years for her to realize what she want in her life, then it’s all worth it.
We need to step up. We need to give in order to grow up. Bro Barcelona said, "In life you either repair or prepare. We experience either consequences or benefits". Do we spend most of our lives just repairing what we have done in the past? He stressed the importance of planning. These are the specific areas for planning according to him: 1) personal 2) spiritual 3) family 4) studies/ career/ business 5) ministry/ social involvement. Our personal life should not be our only focus nor is our career only. There must be a balance and we must have a vision of what we want to happen so that we could have some sort of direction in our lives.
He mentioned of the FAITH GOALS which stands for F- focus, A- attitude, I-initiative, T-trust, H- holistic. G- God centered, O-obedience, A-affirmation, L- lead yourself, S-sacrifice. In thinking about the FAITH GOALS, we must bear in mind Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
F- focus : What are our priorities in our lives? What do we want? We must focus on what is important…on what we really want. We could be doing everything but still be unhappy.
A- attitude: (The way you respond). We must have a POSITIVE ATTITUDE. Success depends on how you respond to the things that has come our way.
I- initiative… No one will do it for you except YOU of course. We must tell ourselves " I will do the plans that God has for me!" We must always exert extra effort and take action. Don’t wait for someone to do the first step for you.
T-trust. Be confident! Christianity is more than emotionalism. We must build our self-esteem. The Gospel is the power to salvation and we represent the gospel. Other people must see it in us. God is calling us to be the best we can be.
H- holistic. God is concerned with your life and in every aspect of it.
G-God centered. Make God the center of all things we do. When we center our lives in Him, we can never be lost. Daniel 11:32 "He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant; but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action."
O- Obedience. We must have the obedience to do what is right.
A- affirmation. Affirmative thoughts are 100% better than negative thoughts. Learn to say I WILL!!! At the start of the day, let’s learn to say things like "I will pass our exams today!", or "I will overcome my financial problems!".
L- lead yourself. We should not spend time noticing other people’s weakness or faults but let’s look at ourselves first.
S- Sacrifice. Unless you’re willing to sacrifice, you’re not going to achieve what you want.
DO: Determination + Obedience
BE: Believe + Excel
START DOING!!!
We are encouraged to overcome ….then in becoming we grow.
He shared what Bro Anthony Pangilinan told them in a seminar: THE ABF X 3
ABF1: Accept the Brutal Facts: The world is ugly, it is full of uncertainties, filled with poverty, problems…and so much more. But we must learn to accept it. We cannot be blind to the things around us. We should acknowledge reality and what is truly happening around us. The first step towards anything is acceptance.
ABF2: Act with Bold Faith: this is what he called courageous obedience.
ABF3: Anticipate Brighter Future: If we read the bible, we would realize the great things that God has promised us. And I believe He wants the best for us and so we must hold on to his promises! Great things are in store for us.
And in closing he told us that God is a man of details. When we ask Him to do something for us. Be specific. He is our father...just converse with him and don't be afraid to tell him what's in your heart.
Ephesians 3: 20. "Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think".
Nothing is impossible with God.
Only we set limits in our minds.
God bless =)
***

sarah =) ♥ 4:35 PM link to post 0 comments


Thursday, December 14, 2006
Close your eyes and let go

Labels: The Journey of Faith

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Monday, December 11, 2006
Does God always Answer Prayer?

Many thanks to Arthur for this one. This is by A.W. Tozer from his book "Man - The Dwelling Place of God". =)

Does God always Answer Prayer?
by A.W. Tozer

CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION, the cultivation of a psychology of uncritical belief is not an unqualified good, and if carried too far it may be a positive evil. The whole world has been booby-trapped by the devil, and the deadliest trap of all is the religious one. Error never looks so innocent as when it is found in the sanctuary.

One field where harmless-looking but deadly traps appear in great profusion is the field of prayer. There are more sweet notions about prayer than could be contained in a large book, all of them wrong and all highly injurious to the souls of men.

I think of one such false notion that is found often in pleasant places consorting smilingly with other notions of unquestionable orthodoxy. It is that God always answers prayer.

This error appears among the saints as a kind of all-purpose philosophic therapy to prevent any disappointed Christian from suffering too great a shock when it becomes evident to him that his prayer expectations are not being fulfilled. It is explained that God always answers prayer, either by saying Yes or by saying No, or by substituting something else for the desired favor.

Now, it would be hard to invent a neater trick than this to save face for the petitioner whose requests have been rejected for non-obedience. Thus when a prayer is not answered he has but to smile brightly and explain, "God said No." It is all so very comfortable. His wobbly faith is saved from confusion and his conscience is permitted to lie undisturbed. But I wonder if it is honest.

To receive an answer to prayer as the Bible uses the term and as Christians have understood it historically, two elements must be. present: (1) A clear-cut request made to God for a specific favor. (2) A clear-cut granting of that favor by God in answer to the request. There must be no semantic twisting, no changing of labels, no altering of the map during the journey to help the embarrassed tourist to find himself.

When we go to God with a request that He modify the existing situation for us, that is, that He answer prayer, there are two conditions that we must meet: (1) We must pray in the will of God and (2) we must be on what old-fashioned Christians often call "praying ground"; that is, we must be living lives pleasing to God.

It is futile to beg God to act contrary to His revealed purposes. To pray with confidence the petitioner must be certain that his request falls within the broad will of God for His people.

The second condition is also vitally important. God has not placed Himself under obligation to honor the requests of worldly, carnal or disobedient Christians. He hears and answers the prayers only of those who walk in His way. "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight . . . . If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (I John 3:21, 22; John 15:7).

God wants us to pray and He wants to answer our prayers, but He makes our use of prayer as a privilege to commingle with His use of prayer as a discipline. To receive answers to prayer we must meet God's terms. If we neglect His commandments our petitions will not be honored. He will alter situations only at the request of obedient and humble souls.

The God-always-answers-prayer sophistry leaves the praying man without discipline. By the exercise of this bit of smooth casuistry he ignores the necessity to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, and actually takes God's flat refusal to answer his prayer as the very answer itself. Of course such a man will not grow in holiness; he will never learn how to wrestle and wait; he will never know correction; he will not hear the voice of God calling him forward; he will never arrive at the place where he is morally and spiritually fit to have his prayers answered. His wrong philosophy has ruined him.

That is why I turn aside to expose the bit of bad theology upon which his bad philosophy is founded. The man who accepts it never knows where he stands; he never knows whether or not he has true faith, for if his request is not granted he avoids the implication by the simple dodge of declaring that God switched the whole thing around and gave him something else. He will not allow himself to shoot at a target, so he cannot tell how good or how bad a marksman he is.

Of certain persons James says plainly: "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." From that brief sentence we may learn that God refuses some requests because they who make them are not morally worthy to receive the answer. But this means nothing to the one who has been seduced into the belief that God always answers prayer. When such a man asks and receives not he passes his hand over the hat and comes up with the answer in some other form. One thing he clings to with great tenacity: God never turns anyone away, but invariably grants every request.

The truth is that God always answers the prayer that accords with His will as revealed in the Scriptures, provided the one who prays is obedient and trustful. Further than this we dare not go.

A.W. Tozer has a point on this one...I guess this just answers the question on why doesn't God always answer our prayers...
Sometimes, I catch myself taking God for granted... I just have to pray and say the magic words and He'll grant me whatever I wish... That's why whenever there are unanswered prayers I ask, "Lord, why don't you grant my prayers? I prayed hard everynight and yet... why??" . In the midst of all these questioning and doubting, I miss what I should have seen right from the start...and that is myself. As always, it is easier to blame God than yourself.

Labels: Living in His way

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Monday, November 27, 2006
On Waiting...

As I was browsing through blogs, this one caught my eye. This is posted at Be Still blog entitled "The Waiting Game"...these are quotes from the book Red Moon Rising by Pete Grieg and Dave Roberts:.

unanwered prayers?

“I feel like God is waiting to see if I am waiting. If he just flooded in with answers and guidance right now, I would not have changed, I would not have learned to wait and trust without the answers and without a roadmap for the future. So I’m glad that God was silent, because I actually want to wait…
I don’t necessarily want ease and instant anything any more. I want to be different before I do anything different. So I’m waiting for God, and God is waiting for me to see if I am really waiting for him, and not just wanting things from him.”
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Friday, November 24, 2006
better late than never


Since my pre-med days, I have built my reputation as a late comer in class. I know that it is not an excuse that I commute everyday from Rizal to Manila because it was my choice to endure pain, traffic and pollution (haha- masochism?)so I must suffer the consequences but let me remind you, those were pre-LRT2 days and it took 3 hours for me to get to school and 3-5 hours to go back home (and ofcourse, I still had to wash the dishes and feed the dogs when i get home). No wonder during those times I looked harassed everyday and there was always some form of stain or dirt on my white uniform (that you could probably trace to the stuff along my journey, haha). I remember taking exams with other sections whenever I missed my 7am exams (thank God for understanding professors! try that in medicine, gud luck na lang). It's good that medicine has forced me to somewhat change it...and when I come to think of it, much of my growth as a bible believing Christian also took place just recently...right in the middle of this toxic, rigid and totally demanding medicine life.

Since I was a kid, my father have always encouraged us, and forced us to attend sunday service. The confused and rebel person that I was before, I tried to oppose him. I was still unsure about my beliefs and faith back then and the only thing that made me come to sunday service was my fear and respect for my father who only comes home for vacation twice a year (bec. of his work). And i thought, "well, I just have to attend this thing while he's here". simple. no arguments. but I did try perform my delaying tactics --which always resulted in us arriving late. (waking up late and taking my time sa shower, haha..)

I have to thank my father for not giving up on me in that aspect. It was a painstakingly long process. I was already in college when I started attenging sunday service voluntarily--even when my father's not here to check my attendance. And yet, I continued to be like what dra macaranas lectured about those cooking oil stored in tin cans... you won't see it but when you look inside you'll notice it's solid at room temperature (meaning it's not like the your olive oil which is healthier, made up of polyunsaturated fat and liquid at room temperature). translation: natutulog na mantika=tsk, tsk,not good. yes, i accepted Jesus Christ in my life but I continued to be like my old self..like stagnant water breeding mosquito eggs.

But the Lord really works in mysterious ways. He never gives up on us, and he doesn't turn his back when His children is ready to come to Him even after being neglected and rejected many times. He welcomed me with open arms and a warm accepting embrace. Whenever they ask me when did I start to becoming a Christian, I would say I have been attending church for years but really, as much as I would hate to admit it, my true spiritual birth just came this year. And really, knowing Him has been one of the most wonderful experiences in my life. I have realized so many things (which deserves lots of future posts!) about myself and how I should live my life...my purpose...and my relationships especially with Him. But one important realization was that, what have I been doing all these time? I have wasted so many years when I could have been having a hot and boiling relationship with the Him, not hiding inside my tin can, sleeping stupidly while struggling hard to find the answers, when
all along, He was just around, waiting for me.

This is one time I regret being late... because i have missed out on so much during those years.
*Sigh* Grabe, truly living up to my "late comer" reputation before... =(
on a lighter note, as they always do say, better late than never!=) Seriously, it is true...because with Jesus Christ, IT IS NEVER TOO LATE. He is open and loves us all...early birds and late comers alike! (Aba, may mas understanding at mabait pa pala kaysa sa mga professors ko before)

Remember what he said " I will never leave you nor forsake you" Deut 31:8; Psalm 37:28

I am thankful that at this point in my life I came here...tired...late....but nevertheless...at home.

"Everything on earth has its own time and its season"
Ecclesistes 3:1 CEV


sarah =) ♥ 1:17 PM link to post 2 comments



HEART OF WORSHIP

beautiful song by Matt Redman

when the music fades,
and all is stripped away...
and I simply come...
longing just to bring something that's of worth
that will bless your heart...

i'll bring you more than a song,
for a song in itself, is not what you
have required,
you search much deeper within..
and though the way things appear,
you're looking into my heart...

*i'm coming back to the heart of worship
and it's all about you, all about you Jesus.
I'm sorry Lord for the thing,
I've made...
and it's all about you...
it's all about you Jesus...

King of endless worth,
no one could express
how much you deserve..
though i'm weak and poor,
all I have is yours
every single breath...

*repeat
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Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Payat na kalbo o matabang may buhok?


These days, I haven't been updating my blog for a number of reasons. First, there is the usual medstudent katoxican. Second, I busied myself during my free time, relaxing, totally away from the computer. Third, (which is really the main reason): I have been having problems with my hair. Yes, I know,everybody has it....especially girls...worrying about dry hair, split ends, the usual. But mine's bigger and should cause you major alarm. For the past 3 months or so, I have been experiencing progressive loss of hair. At first, it was negligible, like the usual shedding of hair. I thought it was because of my shampoo, maybe it was too strong. But then, I changed several times, using the mildest and I lessened the frequency from everyday to every other day, to every 3 days, 4 days and now I'm thinking of just reducing it to 2x a week or once a week. I just use conditioner when I take a bath on days I don't use shampoo. Because I have come to a point that when I shampoo, I lose so much hair around 10-20 strands!!!! And after that, so much more when I comb my hair. I remember the movie scenes when the cancer victims undergoing chemo would lose so much hair...well, it's happening to me and I'm not even under chemo. hay... And right now, even when I stroke my hair or even doing nothing, some hair would fall... And if you compare the thickness before and now, I think it's been reduced to one half.

The sad part about this is that I think I know the reason for all of these. And it's definitely my fault. I've been battling my obesity (I was type II obese before), for the past months and I was doing great, reducing my weight from 150 lbs to 117lbs. The road was difficult and it took a lot of effort but right now, I think I am suffering from chronic malnutrition and the effect? hair loss.=(

My friend asked me this question: "payat na kalbo?" or "matabang may buhok?".

grrr....difficult, difficult.

And you know what i said? payat na kalbo. hahaha. But I hope I don't have to make a decision between those two. Seriously, when you have fought so much for so long something that is so difficult, it is really hard to make decisions. Today, I am going to a doctor for advice. I don't want to gain weight but I really want to stop my hair loss before I lose them all.

Sana, payat na may buhok. hehe=)
sarah =) ♥ 10:07 AM link to post 2 comments


Friday, February 17, 2006
Waiting and Forgetting


"If pain must come, may it come quickly.
Because I have a life to live and I need to live it in the best way possible.
If he has to make a choice, may he make it now.
Then I will either wait for him or forget him.
Waiting is painful.
Forgetting is painful.
But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering..."

This was the text message I received from a friend of mine last night which really struck me.It really just frustrates me because why do things have to be so complicated for me? In the movies, the girl meets the guy, they exchange glances, they fall in love... and then live happily ever after. Well, this is the real world, things just don't work out the way we want it to be.
Before I thought, just any guy would do...any anatomically member of the male species, whatever he is, wherever he came from...as long as he would have interest in me and love me, it would be enough. But again, things don't work out that way. You just can't force yourself to like somebody just because you're lonely and he likes you. It would be unfair. It would be selfish. It would be just feeding your ego and your needs like a predator in the jungle...and i just can't live like that.
When it comes to relationships, I thought before that it would be just like in the movies, holding hands, doing sweet stuff , and all of those mushy things. But again, as I travel through my life, it isn't like that. And I hate myself for sometimes thinking too much that it is and things would be like that.
It is harder, much harder...because I realized that you fall in love with the wrong person, the wrong time, and sometimes for the wrong reasons. And it is much painful when in your mind, you know that it won't work, and you know that you'll surely get hurt but in your heart, it continues to beat, echoing the same name. The worst thing in all of it? It is when you are trying to live your life, slowly freeing yourself from those feelings and then, from time to time, receiving glimmers of hope for love that you've been hoping for. Are you trying to send me a message? Or are you just trying to get a hold on me for selfish reasons? Just like what the quote said...I hope you'd decide now. So I could stop the "what if's" and "could be's". So I won't get confused, whether to wait or start forgetting and go on with my life.
sarah =) ♥ 3:01 PM link to post 2 comments