Do not worry

This is the first time I’m blogging using my clever little technological contraption.

Cute, huh?:-)

I was in a rough time recently. Sometimes, the enemy really knows which button to push - or who to send to make us feel down or depressed.

In the past, I would mope around and maybe allow myself to drift into the negative thoughts. Today, however, I already recognize the attack coming from the enemy, the words he uses and the circumstances that he puts me in. However, there are times when I do not recognize his attacks. Suffice it to say that I still get deceived every now and then.

This is why we all need to increase our dependence on God - this means we have to read His word even more, to pray even more and to be around Godly people frequently.

Truth is, we cannot really make everyone  agree with us.

I recently fell into a disheartening situation after someone misinterpreted my words because someone else tried to explain what I meant.I had a feeling it hurt the other person who received the explanation but it hurt me more because I really did not have any intention to hurt anyone. 

I prayed to God several times and asked for help about the situation. I told Him that He sees my heart and He knows what I truly meant. I lifted it all up to Him and He has promised that the solution is on the way. 

The devil will still try to deceive us but if we have enough ammunitions (Bible verses) to fight back, we have an increased chance to overcome every trial.

Here are helpful verses or ammunitions that we could use to avoid or repel deceit from the enemy

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:25-27

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

PS I have received quite a number of questions in my inbox from my readers. I am sorry if it took me a long time to answer them. I check my blog not as often as before due to an increased workload. I appreciate your interest in sending me your thoughts. If you have questions, you can also tweet me at: @I_will_flourish or through facebook.com/mannaforjenny. (^_^)

(Source: pinterest.com, via windycitymissy)

I Love Sundays.

On Sundays, I am able to wake up late, that is 8 AM, so that I could attend the 10 AM church service.

On this day, I am able to just take it easy, unworried about deadlines and other stuff that torment my mind on a regular day. I don’t know if it’s just me but every Sunday, I feel like everyone is also unhurried and relaxed.

It is on Sundays that I am able to realize how crazy that week has been.

I recharge and I connect to the Father. I have more time for God. I have more time to listen to His voice and instructions.

This is why I look forward to Sundays.

                                                          ***

I recently read a tweet that talked about idol worship in modern times.

When we hear about idols, our mind usually goes back to those mentioned in the Bible – the golden calf, the statues that were made to be worshipped as gods. But what does idol actually mean these days?

According to the author, idols are those that we hold on to for security and comfort. These could be our jobs, friends, fame, money and all earthly possessions.

I actually forgot reading about this until I ran into a minor misunderstanding with a friend. After I had agonized about it for about an hour, this tweet came to mind and I suddenly thought that I may be putting much of my trust in some friendships because they are making me comfortable. Some friendships seem to give me the ‘assurance’ that I should seek only from God.

My friend and I were able to sort things out in a matter of two hours but the whole experience had me thinking I should assess my relationships and be especially mindful about how I look at them.  

I felt sad upon realizing this and I immediately asked God to forgive me and to show me areas in my life where I may have been turning to idols unknowingly. God is faithful and has been walking me through this issue.

How about you? Ask God to reveal what’s in your heart so may know if you are also having the same issues in your life.

“You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.” Exodus 20:3-4 (NIV)

*If you want to read more scriptures about idols, I recommend the books of Ezekiel and Deuteronomy   

*You could follow us on twitter: @I_will_flourish and in Facebook: www.facebook.com/mannaforjenny

(Source: surfyouthprojects, via mmmchild)

Wait

I’m always in a hurry.

This I found to be true.

Maybe it is because I work on deadlines every single day or that’s just my personality…Just like the rabbit with the watch in ‘Alice in Wonderland’, I feel as though the clock is ticking fast and I need to do something. I’m always in a hurry and this makes me feel confused and frustrated sometimes.

When I was young, I was in a hurry to grow up. When I was in College, I was in a hurry to graduate. When I entered the media industry, I joined reporters who are bound with daily deadlines. This set-up added hurried mindset.

This all changed when I encountered a huge challenge last year.

It made me realize that waiting on God truly produces good results.

First, it made me patient and appreciative of the people in my life - my family and friends.

Second, I knew myself better – my strengths and weaknesses.

Third, I learned to depend on the grace of God and rely on God’s timetable to work out the issues in my life.

Initially, I was in a hurry to get over the pain and start a new life. But as my relationship with the Lord progressed, I learned to relax and just allow God to work in me. It wasn’t easy but I understood why everything happened.

Today, the pain is gone and I am living a happier and more productive life.

In my journey toward healing, I encountered a poem by Russel Kelfer that reinforced my attitude on waiting in the Lord. I sincerely hope you’ll find inspiration in this beautiful poem as you wait for the Lord’s deliverance.   

Wait

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried:

Quietly, patiently, loving God replied.

I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,

And the Master so gently said,

“Child, you must wait.”

“Wait? You say, wait! My indignant reply.

“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!

Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?

By faith, I have asked, and am claiming your word.

“My future and all to which I can relate

Hangs in the balance, You tell me to WAIT?

I’m needing a ‘Yes,’ a go-ahead sign,

Or even a ‘No’ to which I can resign.

“And Lord, You promised that if we believe

We need but to ask, and we shall receive.

And, Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry:

‘I’m weary of asking! I need a reply!”

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate

As my master replied once again, “You must wait.”

So, I slumped in my chair and defeated and taut

And grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting…for what?”

He seemed, then, to kneel

And His eyes wept with mine,

And He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.

I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

“All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.

You would have what you want –

But, you wouldn’t know Me.

You’d not know the depth of My love for each saint;

You’d not know the power I give to the faint;

“You’d not learn to see through the clouds of despair;

You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there;

You’d not know the joy of resting in Me;

When darkness and silence were all you could see.

“You’d never experience that fullness of love

As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;

You’d know that I give and save, for a start,

But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

“The glow of My comfort late into the night,

The faith that I give when you walk without sight,

The depth that’s beyond getting just what you asked

Of an infinite God, who makes what you have last.

“You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee,

What it means that, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’

Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,

But, oh, the loss if I lost that what I’m doing in you!

“So be silent, My child, and in time you will see

That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.

And thought oft’ may My answers seem terribly late,

My most precious answer of all is still, ‘Wait.’”

(Source: mannaforjenny, via hermuse)

Cultivate your relationship with family members 

“There is no use enjoying anything if you have no one to share it with.”

This made a strong mark in my mind as Pastor Joey Bonifacio was making his talk about relationships which is the central theme of his book, The Lego Principle.

In the second round of the Caring Cup Conversations held at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Robinsons Magnolia one fine Saturday, Pastor Joey echoed what I have felt in my recent Europe trip.

There I was enjoying all the beautiful sights in my recent travels in Europe: Vienna, Switzerland and Berlin but more than once I caught myself wishing that the experience would have been better if my whole family was there. Sure, my sister and my mother and my brother-in-law were with me but I thought it could be more fun if my two other sisters and my father enjoyed the sights too.

“The overarching theme of life is all about relationships,” Pastor Joey said.

He went on to say that in our last days, we will be surrounded by our close family members – the ones whom we should cultivate love the most.

Think about it, we are too busy doing so many things during the day and sometimes, when we get home, we are overly fatigued. We nod at our family members, take a quick dinner, perhaps make a short chat with one of them and head straight to bed (or in some cases, watch some mindless TV). We don’t even have time to really bond with them. We know we need to invest in our relationships with our loved ones but due to the demands of life, many of us find little time to achieve this.

I think this is something many of us really have to work on in the coming year.  

(Source: oohcamila)