Abba Father

Abba Father, My Defender

You are Holy, I surrender.

For in my weakness You Protect me.

And When My heart strays, you correct me.

Abba Father, I love you

Abba Father, I love you

Abba Father.

"We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps"

Proverbs 16:9

REIGN IN US.

Faithfulness

God provides. He shows his abundance of grace and mercy throughout our lives. He is faithful and compassionate. He never broken his promises.

Finishing the book of Joshua, and moving on toward the book of Judges, left me a small note on how great God is. God was faithful to the Israelites and helped them conquer their enemy and land. God showed that if you serve Him, if you stay faithful to HIM, His promises are made. He promises are kept and held bound. His promises never fail.

 "¹⁶ Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! ¹⁷ It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. ¹⁸ And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.”

                                              ~ Joshua 24:16-18

Our God is faithful. He is just. But He is also a Jealous God.

Our God has been faithful to us, but have we been faithful to God?

Have we been serving Him wholeheartedly and truly living out our life as a Christian?

⁶ “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. ⁷ Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. ⁸ But you are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now."

                                       ~Joshua 23:6-8

It's the end of the Thanksgiving break and school is coming around back into our lives.

Lord, I thank you, I thank you for your everlasting love.

I thank you for your mercy, your forgiveness, your grace.

I thank you for your son dying on that cross to save us.

I thank you for never letting us down.

I thank you for my family, friends, and everyone that's been in my life.

I thank you for my home, food, and a nice place to sleep in every night.

I thank you for those who inflicted my life and helped me grown spiritually throughout my bumps and turns in my walk with you.

I thank you for my worship team.

I thank you for my discipler, accountability partner, and my best friend.
I thank you for everything I don't even notice you've given me throughout my life.

I thank you for being our Lord of Lords.

I thank you for being our King.

Let me, oh Lord, be faithful to you as you have been faithful to us.

"Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds."

                                                                     ~Psalm 36:5

Promises Never Broken

Too know that we fail, and we always fall down. Too know that we break our promises, we stray away. It's the times of temptation, the times when we lose hope, the times we really need God.
As I am still reading the book of Joshua, it talked about the allotments and all these things I thought was just boring stories about things. But it's not. Everything in His Word is precious. It's secure. It's holy. So I told myself, this is God's Words I'm reading. These are the very little pages that God gave us so we can read and learn.
So I opened my eyes, my heart and my mind. I told myself, get up, don't let the devil tempt you. Go and learn. Go. Don't fall away.
I've been reading the bible constantly everyday for the past many months, and sometimes, I do get bored. I lose my passion for Him, I lose sight of my goal. Doubting my faith, doubting what God's promises are yet to come true, a verse did speak to me.


So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
                               ~Joshua 21:43-45


Not one of God's promises failed for Israel. He helped the weak conquer the enemies. Not ONE. NOT ONE of their enemies withstood them. His promises are TRUE.(:


He is faithful. He is just. He is God.

He is our King.

City of Refuge

I read the book of Joshua today, and it talked about the City of Refuge. How those who accidentally murdered, or sinned against another could come and hide from the people chasing him. And it made me think.

What is our City of Refuge? When times of troubles and times of danger come about, who protects us? When we fall down, When we stray away, Who correct us? Obviously it's God. 
Obviously it's Him. The Lord of Lords and King of Kings. The God of Wonders who provides us with the abundance of Grace and Mercy.


Grace.
&
Mercy


If He provided all this love, all these things money cannot buy, all these things this Earth cannot provide, why. Why. Can I not spend a little more time with Him? 
I feel so selfish, so greedy, thinking about all the desires and fun I want to have for this Thanksgiving break. There's a party and a worship discipleship dinner at the same day, same time. I mind says go to the party, but my heart says go and Learn. Learn more about Him. Learn and grow.
It hit me hard. Just thinking about how selfish I am. So I pray. I pray for God to just come and purify my heart, my soul. Asking for Him to truly REIGN IN ME. RULE MY THOUGHTS, WORDS, AND LIFE.
Just spend a little more time with God. Just to thank Him for all the things He's provided.
When I fall, when I feel like I'm not worthy to even to talk to God, I know He cares for me. I know He loves me. He doesn't condemn, judge, or discourage me. He gives out His mercy and grace. He loves me. And you. And every single person out there.


He Is My City Of Refuge. My Stronghold.


"The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble"
                                                                  ~ Psalm 9:9


Seven Wonders of The World-

A group of geography students studied the Seven Wonders of the World. At the end of that section, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following got the most votes: 1. Egypt's Great Pyramids 2. Taj Mahal 3. Grand Canyon 4. Panama Canal 5. Empire State Building 6. St. Peter's Basilica 7. China's Great Wall While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:" 1. to touch 2. to taste 3. to see 4. to hear She hesitated a little, and then, 5. to run 6. to laugh 7. and to love  We tend to find the wonders of what man has built. What we have accomplished. Yet, God made us, the mountains, the planets, stars, the universe in just like that. He spoke, and it came to be. That's all it took. This story truly shows how thankful you and I should be. We don't need the World, we just need the simple things. The simple things of life that creates Joy.  "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful."                                                                           ~2 Timothy 4:7 Finish the race because HE IS THERE AT THE FINISH LINE WAITING FOR YOU.

God is at the Window

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of  impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood  pile, only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said  nothing. After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes."  But Sally said,

"Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper. " Sally just smiled and said," Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help. After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's, he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you,  I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done ... and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.) whatever it is. You need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing. He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets.

http://www.amazingsigns.org

Why. Why?

There's so much going on around my life. My friends. Their Friends. Our Friends. So much pain and burden on their shoulders. There's divorce, relationship problems, trust, illness, drama, death. It's all so hard to contain.

One of my friends, my best friend, told me about the problems going on with his friends and he was just so mad on how bad things happen to such good people. Innocent people who don't deserve to suffer so deeply. There's absolutely no reason at all, none, for these things to happen. Maybe there is, maybe it's all part of God's plan. Who knows.

I replied back saying, this is why we need to shine as Christians. To show those lost, those broken, that God's love, His love can mend any broken heart, even if it's shattered into billions of pieces. It's God. A God who can move the mountains, split the seas apart, turn a river into blood, and heal the blind and sickness. 

It's a perfect time to share. But what if they're already Christians? What if they already know about Christ and go to church all the time?

I think it's the perfect time to show them that I care. I think it's the perfect moment for me to show love just like God showed His Love towards us.

"We love because He loved first."

1 John 4:19

We are a body of one, and I want to show them that I do care for them, I don't really know how to show love because I'm not really that type of guy, but I do know I can pray for them. I can pray and encourage them daily.

"If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."

1 Corinthians 12:26

So, I guess, wondering why, why on earth does all these things happen to the people we love, and care for? I really don't have an answer.

But I do know that if me, you- ALL of you, as a loving brother and sister in Christ, can help them continue to seek God with all their strength and that they may trust in Him with all their soul even through the darkest times, that they will find joy and that they know those holes can be filled up by the Lord's love and grace.

Pray. ALL THE TIME.

Hope. FOR THE BEST.

Love. UNCONDITIONALLY.

"Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying."

1 Corinthians 12:12

24/7

It's a good start of the week. I have barely any homework, my sleeping schedule is going off just fine and I'm in a happy mood.

I'm in the book of Joshua now, and this morning I read Joshua 9-10.

It talked about the amendment made to the Gibeonites and how he helped save them from the enemies that attacked them. It's very fascinating to read and analyze the stories in the Bible. God can do many works and wonders. Even today, throughout our lives.

This Friday, I'm leading worship, and I guess, I would say I'm in a "lazy" mode. I don't feel like practicing, or just suiting up myself to lead the youth to the heart of worship.

I'm so relaxed, with barely any drama going on in my life, I feel the need not to do anything.

I guess this reminds me that we tend to go to God only when we need something. When, I need something. Instead, it should be when I can do something to glorify God.

I still do my daily devotions, my spiritual walk throughout my life, but I need to know that I need God everyday. Every second of my life, I need Him. Because this world is so filled and in depth with sin, with the Satan, ruler of the world, that I need God to help me resist the temptations out there. I need God, the provider and ruler of the universe and beyond.

So, if you're short on prayer requests, I have one. Just pray for me for this Friday, that I may truly lead with a pure and humbled heart. That no distractions will come between me and God.

We do need God. 24/7. 

"Trust in the LORD forever, 
   for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal."

                                      ~Isaiah 26:4

Time never stops

God is good. He is gracious and He is Abundant. Lately, I’ve been thinking about my future. What am I going to do in my future? In just 2 years, I’m going to be in college, then 4 years later, I’m out independently. I’m on my own. Me verse the World. The World verses Me.

 I’m scared. I’m really scared on how I’m going to survive. But I guess this is where God comforts me. I’m giving my life to God, and I know He can Provide. That He is all I need. But still, doubts and the uncertainties come about. What if I’m not successful? What if I don’t live a happy life? I know that my life is going to be based on God. My future is all in God’s hands, and if he wants me to become a missionary, I’ll go. If He wants me to become a teacher, I’ll be. If he wants me to be a businessman, I’ll do. I wish my childlife would stay forever, never having to worry about the future, never worry about anything, because I know my parents have my back. But I guess, you have to grow up someday.

“Put God first, and everything will fall into place.” 

That’s what I’m leaning on. That’s my foundation, my fortress. I’m placing everything I have at God’s feet. And it’s hard and scary, but this is where faith steps in. Life is going to go on, whether I like it or not, so instead of wasting my time, my desires on the simple things that give happiness, I’ll give my time, my life to the One who can provide eternal Joy.