Failure.

There has got to be one point in your life where you felt you just failed someone or something. That happen to me today. I didn't know what was wrong. I did everything perfectly and it just hit me. Failure.

What was God trying to tell me? I have no clue. It always happens to me. Maybe it's just a sign? I was talking to my friend and he told me that it's something i can learn from and not keep myself down on the ground. It's just another obstacle that God placed in front of me and i have to tackle it. Who knows when i'll succeed but if i try my best then i'm sure it'll be fine.

It was just a slap in the face. Basically felt like someone ripped my heart out and stomped on it then attempting to put it back as if nothing happen. Yeah, failure hurts but we need to know that it's another thing that God puts in our path. In Him, anything is possible.

Tears might be shed. Hearts may be broken but it's just a challenge for a mighty warrior.

Clearing The Air: Baptism

Baptism. I feel like many people dont fully understand the meaning behind it and its purpose. I think many people think its something only the "super spiritual" can do. And to be honest, i thought it was like that too. I felt that i had to be completely sinless, or at least "above a certain level of holy" to be able to get into it. I remember during that time, when i was making my decision, i was struggling, and i felt that i had to overcome the struggle before i would step into the water.

But i've come to learn that Baptism is nothing like that. In a nutshell, baptism is your public declaration of your commitment to Christ. I guess you can say its like a marriage. Its that kind of public declaration. You are telling the world, without shame and with confidence that you are a follower of Christ.

But we must also understand that a commitment to Christ is a BIG DEAL. You can just choose to give up or walk away. God does give us free will and will let us go if we do choose so, but when we dedicate ourselves to someone, we shouldnt be doing that. Following Christ is big. Like it says in Luke 9:23,

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

This is a commitment that will last a life time, and in previous posts, we've discussed that its not easy, at all. God will throw at you trials and obstacles that are meant to build your faith. Its these times you may feel that God has abandoned you, but he's there if you call on Him.

Back to baptism. If you're a Christian and you havent been baptized, think about it, reflect on your journey and your walk with Christ and think about if you're ready to tell the world that you love our Saviour and God and that you're ready to tell the world that you're His.

Clearing The Air: The Good Life

Ha, wonder if this will turn into a series, but i dont know if anymore will come after this one.

This is also a biggie. We'll just jump right into it.

Becoming A Christian does NOT EQUAL A Good Easy Breezy Life.

Many MANY people think becoming a Christian and accepting God will make life so much better, he'll handle everything, and it'll just be a breeze. No more sadness or suffering, no tears, just joy and happiness.

In FACT, becoming a Christian is probably the opposite. God WILL give you challenges and trials for you to endure, to test your faith in Him. I've learnt that life on earth is a test, a test for eternity. God will throw you questions, obstacles, problems, and scenarios and will test how you react/respond to them. God honouring or not. If you pass the test, he will say,

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!" (Matthew 25:21)

Believe me. The run and the journey is hard, and its rough, but knowing that God is on your side is already relieving. Know that he'll never abandon you, even in the roughest and the toughest times, he's always by your side. Learn to call on Him and he'll be there. Im not saying accepting Christ will lead to a misery and dreary life, in fact it WILL lead to happiness. Yes, there are "rules" that we may find annoying, and restricting, but its for our own good in the long run, and he's protecting us because he loves us oh so much. Having God in my life has changed me, its given me hope, and im happy and proud to call him my Saviour and my God.

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)

Will you be able to say this at the end of your journey?

I Got This. Trust.

Don’t See How? God Will Make a Way.

Rick Warren

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

(Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

You may be facing a dead end right now — financial, emotional, or relational — but if you will trust God and keep on moving in faith, even when you don’t see a way, he will make a way.

It will become more understandable as you head down the path he sets before you, but understanding is not a requirement for you to start down the path. Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day” (NIV). One day you will stand in the full light of eternity and view the big picture. You’ll see God’s purpose behind the path he specifically chose for you.

In the meantime, do what Proverbs 3 says: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Be patient. God knows what he’s doing. God knows what is best for you. He can see the end result. You can’t. All those problems, heartaches, difficulties and delays — all the things that make you ask “why” — will one day be clear in the light of God’s love.

But for now, we’re learning to trust God.

TRUST. It’s something that we all have. May be big or small but we call have it. There may be times where we don’t trust anyone or the opposite of that, we trust someone a lot.

It’s something that we all have to work upon and can’t just leave it as that. When we say trust in the LORD with all our heart do we really do that or just say it. I know for me, it’s a struggle. I’ve faced many challenges and it seems that sometimes I ask God “Why Me?” then it all goes downhill.

He purposely chose these struggles for each and every one of us because he knows that there’s a way to get you out of it. It takes time and patience to work with God. Obedience is key in this relationship. If He tells us to go somewhere (for example a mission field) and we don’t want to we have to make a big decision.

We may not see the path that he has made for us right away but we need to stay focused and be mature about what he has set for us.

I hear you!

God Designed You to Hear His Voice

Rick Warren

“God does speak—sometimes one way and sometimes another—
even though people may not understand it.”
(Job 33:14 NCV)

God designed you to hear his voice. In a sense, there is a “receiver” in you that allows you to get guidance from God.

What channels does God use? The primary way that God speaks is through the Bible. This is why we need to read the Bible every day. God’s will is found in God’s Word.

God also speaks through godly Bible teachers. Have you ever been in church or at a Bible study and you feel like the teacher is speaking directly to you? In that moment, God is speaking directly to you.

God also speaks through other Christians. He even speaks through you. If you’ll stay in tune to him and learn his Word, sometimes God will use you to say things to people that he wants to say to them. It’s not something special reserved only for pastors; God speaks through every believer at different times.

God also speaks through your circumstances and your pain. God is speaking all the time. But we must listen. Tune in to God and he will lead you on the right path.

Hearing God's voice is what many people find difficult. For me, it is a challenge. Sometimes i don't exactly know if it's God himself or someone else just messing with me. We always have to keep in mind that He never stops talking.

Through thick and thin, he's there for us. He's the one that keeps us accountable and he's the one that helps us while we are in pain. It may be hard to understand what he's saying but, using his Word, it helps us give us a better understanding of who he is and what he's done.

He may be hard to understand at first but we have to accept it. Keep in mind that without Him you wouldn't be here. He made us who we are and we need to keep our ears open because he made us so that we can listen to him and be obedient to him.

We all have our different struggles and obstacles that we've faced or we are facing now but just remember that God is there for you 24/7.

He never leaves you.

That you God?

You always hear those intense stories where something tragic happen then someone came to Christ or heard his voice. Those happen to some people, not all. Personally, I’ve never been through any of those hardcore “I touched Christ” or “He was standing right in front of me” moments.

We’ve all been through challenges and through Christ we overcome them. From as simple as walking up those many stairs to struggling with a relationship. Believe it or not He’s by our side every single second of our lives. From when we were in our mother’s wombs till now. Young and old.

It may be hard to hear God’s still voice and we have to be careful with what we are listening to. Satan’s voice can be very similar to Christ’s but those tricks and obstacles that he makes us face involve him. Everyone has a purpose in their life, from striving to become your dream career to serving God in your own community. He speaks to everyone in a different and unique way, whether it be from an incident or through worship, He knows how to speak to you. We have to be patient and obedient with God.

Christ is accepting and He’s always happy to hear you confess your sins to Him. Overcoming an obstacle is very challenging and sometimes we may take the wrong path and regret it. Christ gave that reason for you to take that way, He’s willing to forgive your every move but only if you are willing to confess and come up front to Him about it. Be honest to Him and don’t lie.

Fully rely on Him because he creates your every move.