For I Know The Plans I Have For You

A lot is going on right now with my life. Work. LoveLife. Ministry. Family.

They were just too much and I think I can no longer bear them all.

And then when I was about to just give up and lose focus and do my own way, God just hit me with His Word!

I have read these verses before but this time they were more meaningful than ever:

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Psalm 139: 1-6 (The Message)

God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.

I'm an open book to you;

even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.

You know when I leave and when I get back;

I'm never out of your sight.

You know everything I'm going to say

before I start the first sentence.

I look behind me and you're there,

then up ahead and you're there, too—

your reassuring presence, coming and going.

This is too much, too wonderful—

I can't take it all in!

He'll Put Your Lives Together

Colossians 1:22 (The Message)

But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence.

Lately, I have been experiencing failures and disappointments in the 3 most important (if not the only) areas of my life. 

First for my family, when I returned last weekend I was planning to witness and tell them that Jesus loves them and died for them. I wasn’t able to which hurts me so bad because I know how important it is.

Second, in my job I haven’t been hitting targets and expectations even how much I tried for the past few weeks now plus bad impressions on my leadership are starting to appear hurting me really bad. 

Thirdly, my dear roommate who I’ve been with for approximately 9 years now is leaving for AbuDhabi to pursue a career there. Aside from the fact that I’ll be missing him so much, at the same time it does hurt my heart as well which makes me re-think my future in comparison to him. I asked myself “Why is there something happening to him and he’s starting to be successful while I am stucked in this little Call Center Company for 4 years now?"

So many disappointments. So many failures. So many frustrations.

Really. They were, for me OVERWHELMING.

They say these things should push you closer to God and make you stronger in your spiritual life. 

I don’t think that’s what’s happening to me. I started to be broken and messed up. I started to be doing things on my own and GIVE UP.

Praise the Lord for He came to my rescue (as always)! 

He reminded me of my faith and trust in Him. 

He reminded me that what’s happening right now is just plainly part of the GREAT and WONDERFUL plan for my life.

He reminded me that there’ll be time for everything.

He reminded me that things will just take place in it's right time.

He reminded me of His promises and that he’s faithful to fulfill them.

He reminded me that there's always HOPE in Him and that when I do what HE wants me to do, there'll be no room for frustrations, hurts, failures and disappointments.

He will surely put my life together.

Amen!

Random Texts

I'm not sure how you call it in your place but here in the Philippines we call SMS, text messages.

This would just be very short. These are several text messages I received just this morning and these have blessed me a lot. I hope that it will bless you as well.

#1

"If wealth is he secret of happiness, then the rich should be dancing on the street...

But only poor kids do that.

If power ensures peace of mind, then officials should walk unguarded,

But those who live simply, sleep soundly.

If beauty and fame bring ideal relationships, then celebrities should have the best marriages,

But those who trust God completely have the most fulfilled relationships.

May We all have a peaceful day filled with God's abundant blessings!"

#2

"Here's a beautiful prayer to start this bright sunny day:

'Lord when I lose hope because my plans have come to nothing, help me remember that your LOVE is always greater than my disappointments and your PLANS for my life are always better than my DREAMS!'

Good Morning and take care!"

#3 (from my MOM)

"Morning Prayer:

'Lord, even the best of my intentions can be misunderstood. Help me to go on anyway and be grateful for whatever comes my way. Amen.'

"Mowning! Have a nice day ahead!"

God Bless you today my dear readers! God loves you so much!

Death is Inevitable | A look into Michael Jackson's Death

When everybody is still shocked with the death of the former Charlie’s Angel Farah Fawcett, another news broke out about Michael Jackson being rushed to UCLA due to cardiac arrest. And as of this writing UCLA had pronounced the Pop Superstar dead. When I first heard this, my first reaction was “Michael can’t be dead. He’s like Michael Jackson: the superstar!” I mean a powerful man as he is can’t easily die just like that. I hope you understand where I am coming from. But then again, we need to accept it he really is DEAD. Gone forever.

What’s my realization?

Death is inevitable! All of us will surely die in one way or another. Some may just go ahead of us but really we will just follow them. But you know what, God didn’t design this to be this way. God’s plan didn’t include death. His plan was for man to multiply and fill the earth. But when Adam and Eve fell, that’s when things got mixed up. That’s when things got deadly.

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of SIN is DEATH.”

It was when Adam and Eve sinned that Death became inevitable.

But Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no, not one;”

What does that mean?

We’re all going to die.

What’s the point?

God has great plans for our lives. In fact his plan for you is not to harm you but prosper you and plans to give you hope and a future. It’s when we choose to do our own thing, that things get mixed up. It is when we listen to the devil, it is when we choose our own way and plans instead of God’s plans that things get messy. Just like what happened with Adam, Eve and the whole mankind at that, death then came in. It is when worry, discouragement, disappointment, unnecessary struggles, came into our lives when we live our live our own way.

What then?

Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Yes! You read it right. God’s will for our lives are good, acceptable and PERFECT for us! Wow! That is one great promise, don’t you think?

Here are the things that must be done for us to know the WILL of GOD:

1. SEEK
- We need to seek that Will of GOD and DO it! And God said when we seek with all our hearts, we shall find it! Jer. 29:13.

2. TRANSFORMATION BY RENEWAL
- Jesus said “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. It takes for us to be re-birthed and renewed. Taking out the old mind and putting in the mind of Christ.

3. BE DIFFERENT
- Once we are re-birthed, we are no longer citizens of this world which means we should not act like one. Let’s not conform to the pattern of this world. When the world worries, we TRUST. When the world panics, we remain still and know that HE is GOD

At the end of the day, we are faced with two choices: God’s WILL or our WILL? What’s your choice?

Take Heart, you're UP for something Great

2 Corinthians 4:17 (King James Version)
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory"

An arrow can be shot only by pulling it back. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means you will be launched for something great!

so Take Heart!