Rescued!

My apologies for letting April pass by without me leaving any word. I did promise to write my testimony (I recently did another testimony at church last Sunday so, really, I am lagging in my blog posts) but today I want to focus on the word: RESCUE. Because, really, that's the gist of my testimony--I have been rescued from my sinful self by the beautiful and perfect blood of Christ. I have been rescued from confusion and frustration, thanks to the amazing grace of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. I have been rescued from emptiness from the pleasures in the world, and led to the fullness of having nothing but Christ alone. 

How does it feel to be rescued? Liberating. Safe. Secured. I love, love, love the fact that I can just raise my arms and surrender everything to Christ because He knows what's best and His desire is the best for me. He has won the fight already and His victory is already mine!

And this brings me to those enslaved in the sex trade and other forms of trafficking. When you are locked in a dark and cheap brothel room, fearing for your life every day, and abused by men of all characters, attitudes, and strengths, how does it feel to finally have your brothel room opened, and be informed that these men entering--they are good and they have your best interests in their heart? 

Well, today, my heart leaps for joy and my soul dances with The Exodus Road and their partner, the Indian Rescue Mission for their successful raid of a leading brothel. Accordingly, more than a hundred girls were freed, more than 30 of whom were still under the majority age of 18. And all glory and praises go to the Lord Almighty. 

May I earnestly ask you to pray for these girls? That the transition, rehabilitation and re-integration to the society will be smooth and grace-filled? Most importantly, please pray that they will meet Jesus in the process and accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior. 

"Ever wonder what the inside of a locked brothel looks like? In this short video, covert footage captures investigators with The Exodus Road and Indian Rescue Mission entering a brothel searching for victims of sexual slavery. These brave men consistently gather evidence in the darkest of places, for the sake of raids, rescues, and prosecutions of criminals. Visit The Exodus Road or like their page on facebook to find out more." (text and links from The Exodus Road)

When I said, "yes" to God...

Out of the unexpected, I was asked by our pastor's wife to share my testimony on God's great love during a spiritual retreat of graduating college (Tourism, Nutrition, and Hotel and Restaurant Management) students in one of the universties in the city.

I wasn't sure at first as to what to do with the opportunity (and a challenge!) considering that I was still struggling with a worldly loss, which I now believe was never a loss in the eyes of my perfect God. Thoughts of whether I was worthy or deserving haunted my decision-making but I knew very well that God has a purpose for me. I finally said "yes" as I have vowed to grab every opportunity to talk about God.

I intend to share what I testified during that event (and I am quite excited at the thought of it) but for that, I need more space and a longer time. But I will do so, in His perfect time.

For now, I would like to share what I have learned from the moment I said "yes" to the opportunity to share God's love to the moment that I was actually doing it until the after-event:

1) The moment I said, "yes," the enemy has been attacking me non-stop, determined to thwart God's perfect plan.

Whether it was a tiny-weeny detail that my fiance forgot or a minute mistake I made, I was quite irritable and easily-angered. Every little thing was magnified. My sinful self was up and about and the enemy knew it and he made sure to tempt me with every available circumstance.

I would be a hypocrite to say that I did not fall for any of the temptations. I did. I was impossible to deal with at some point and I allowed my emotions to control me. What was helpful was that, by God's infinite grace and the Holy Spirit's convictions, I was able to identify the enemy's tactic and I relied on His promise everytime I fall.

2) I always had to constantly and solely rely on God's power.

I am nothing without Christ. And I could not do anything without Him. The morning before I spoke, I wrote down in a piece of paper a detailed outline (yes, I am a perfectionist and I am excited to share how the Lord has been re-shaping me in this area) of the points that I wanted to be included in my testimony. I prayed hard for Him to speak through me and to use me as instrument of His love.

When I was finally speaking in front of the 60+ students, all my notes flew from my mind and I could no longer remember anything nor did I have the chance to re-check that piece of paper. I really had to rely on God alone and as expected, He enabled me to do so.

3) I did not have to do it perfectly because my inefficiency is the primary reason why His grace exists.

Did I say I was a perfectionist? Well, my old self was screaming my mistakes right after I did the testimony and the small-group sharing thereafter. All the "I-should-have-done-this" and "I-shouldn't-have-done-that" kept on flooding and it was only by the extra-ordinary grace of God that overcame all of these insecurities.

The truth of the matter is that, I am not perfect and I never will be. It is God's grace who fills all that I lack or those that I do not have. More importantly, it is the Holy Spirit who works in the hearts of those young students and my job was only to proclaim the greatness, the majesty, the glory, and the faithfulness of God. If there were some points (which I thought were important to share) I failed to mention, verses I did not share, or illustrations I did not emphasize, I trust the Lord that He will make a way--that He will bring His other children or any other way to further strengthen them.

4) I did not testify to please men or glorify myself but only for the purpose of pleasing and glorifying the Lord Almighty.

I don't know if it is just me but I assume most (even Christians) will agree that we humans all love to have the spotlight. After I gave my testimony, I was expecting/hoping/wishfully thinking that someone from the crowd will come to me, shake my hand, and with tears in his/her eye will say, "Thank you. I was so touched at how God worked in your life. Thank you for sharing."

But nobody did. And at first, I thought that perhaps, I wasn't effective. Maybe, I told myself, I should have just declined. But by God's grace, however, I was equipped to remember that I did it not to please men or to glorify myself but only for Christ alone.

When Christ's name was preached by me or someone else, God is pleased. Period.

To end this entry, I would like to leave you all with this photo that I found online. And remember that the Bible says that we should all do this with gentleness and respect:

The Perfect Love

I know.

It's that time of the year again when shops and malls are filled with heart cutouts, heart balloons, heart chocolates and cookies and what-have-yous shaped like a heart. It's that time of the year when roses seem to flood the streets and restaurants are fully-booked for dinners for two.

Some years ago, I would have cringed at the thought of February 14 fast approaching. Though outwardly, I'd feign an I'm-cool-I'm-not-a-lovey-dovey-kind attitude, still, I'd silently wish that I'd get a bouquet of white roses or a box of dark chocolates with almonds on that date. And because I was a control freak (streaks of it still show up once in a while until now), I learned to devise my own coping-with-the-valentine-fever plan: I'd give myself my own gift or treat just so I'd be happy on Valentine's Day. I'd often tell myself that one day, someone's gonna give me a treat or two on that day.

Today, I am joyfully engaged to the love of my life--the sweet surprise and wonderful blessing the great Lord has blessed me with. (Yes, God knows how I love surprises and the loving Father that He is, He never failed to give me lots!) We are engaged, excited, and happy at the thought of getting married (Lordwilling!), but for the years that we've been together, we have not been celebrating this holiday. And we probably won't be celebrating it even after our marriage. And yes, I am so thankful that we ended up this way, that the Father gave me someone like Him--someone who cares less about what the world says and more on what the Father Up Above thinks and commands.

You see, I have nothing against those who celebrate this day. We all have our own convictions and I respect the decisions of everybody. Allow me to simply present my reasons and air my side:

1. The way the world celebrates this day, it makes you think that love is cheap.

There's no need to elaborate on this one. But with the materialism and commercialism this day brings, it makes one innocent heart to think that it can be bought by a mere balloon or stuffed toy or a dozen of roses. It makes young girls think that just because they are being treated with dinner and dessert, a nice bouquet of flowers and chocolates, they are obliged to give in. You see, love is so much more than these. Love is a decision. Love is a commitment.

2. Our celebration of this holiday advances the me-myself-and-I culture.

With all the material things being sold to mark this day, selfishness is actually being promoted. Each one of us is actually being sold to the idea that it is okay to want/desire something and whoever gives us what we want/desire is the one who truly loves us. I see this as a very convuluted concept. Love is not selfishness but selflessness. It does not seek to please ourselves but to serve others. Love is sacrificial.

3. How we usually celebrate this day gives us the wrong notion of what love really is.

Well, this is the most important point. The idea of celebrating valentine's is to celebrate a love that is being orchestrated by a cute baby with a bow and arrow. We are made to believe that love is like that, that this cute cupid can just hit anyone's heart and make him/her fall in love. And because we are made to think that we fall in love by chance and destiny, we believe that we no longer have to control our emotions or make wise decisions. We are made to believe that we love by ourselves, that the center of our love is the heart.

However, this is not the love that God intends for us. Real perfect love is the love of God personified in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, who came to the world and sacrificed himself so we may have life. Jesus Christ is the perfect embodiment of love--He is kind and patient; He is faithful to His covenant; He is selfless, giving Himself up for our sins. He loves us perfectly that He does not really care about our past but what He cares is that we put our trust in Him. He does not keep a record of our wrongs but He always rejoices with the truth in us.

With this, we learn that love, actually, is not about our hearts but about the Cross--self-sacrifice.

As we live this day, let us not be blinded by the worldly thoughts on love but on how God really designed it to be.

Unless and until we accept and are fully satisfied by the love of God, we will never be capable of loving someone else. Unless and until we understand God's love, we will never be truly happy in our own idea of love.

This is how God showed his love among us:

He sent his one and only Son into the world

that we might live through him. This is love:

not that we loved God, but that he loved

us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice

 for our sins. this is love ♥

                                 1 John 4:9-10

Slaves to None But Christ

The greatest freedom we can ever have is to become a slave to the Perfect Master.

These were the words I repeatedly heard in a series of sermons our senior pastor delivered in the middle of last year. And I am completely blown away with this perfect paradox.

Indeed, for most of my life, I used to always crave for freedom, for independence—living and surviving on my own, for my own whims and caprices, by my own ways, in order to glorify myself. It was only about four years ago that I met the Lord Jesus Christ and by His grace, I realized that He is my freedom and that becoming a child of God is the most liberating experience one can experience!

Nonetheless, even now that I am walking under the authority and control of the Perfect Master, I still find my human tendencies entangling me in a web of slavery to selfish ambitions and worldly pursuits—to please people, to live up to the desires and expectations of many, and even to the mundane stuff, like to dress to impress.  

It takes a daily, moment-by-moment commitment to surrender to His Lordship in order to experience the perfect and most amazing freedom that only Jesus can give. And most often, it takes a beautiful exchange of perspective: looking away from myself and looking up to my Master.

And what does Christ show me when I look up to Him? He shows me the world; He shows me what’s around me—the people and places I have constantly overlooked when my focus is on myself.

Today, I look up to Him and He shows me modern-day slavery. He shows me the heart-wrenching reality that yes, even if it’s already 2013, slavery is on-going and is even rampant in different areas in the world, my country not exempted. He shows me that while I am comfortably seated in my office corner writing this entry, these realities are happening:  

1)      somewhere in a train station or bus lane in Europe, a young boy/girl is being sold to save a family from poverty;

2)      somewhere in a dark brothel room in Southeast Asia, a young woman is being forced to perform  paid sex;

3)      somewhere in a cargo van in Russia, a teenage girl’s dream of uplifting her family from poverty is shattered as she realizes that after paying her placement fee, the caregiving job promised by her recruitment man is actually a job in the sexual trade.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and it is high time that we know all these. It is high time that we know Jesus’ heart for every boy/girl/man/woman trapped in sexual slavery. It is high time that we adopt His heart and His plan for them—to love and rescue them just as He continually loves and rescues us from our many sins.  

We are Christ’s ambassadors here in this world we live. We are His hands and feet. If you have been reading this post and are moved to help but feel inadequate or too little to make a difference, let us all together consider these simple action steps:

1.       Know.

We are not compelled to move if we are not passionate about our causes. We don’t become passionate if we don’t see the needs. We don’t see the needs if we do not know. Nehemiah hadto know about the situation in Jerusalem and this led him to pray and act.

To know more about the political and social situation of human trafficking in Southeast Asia and beyond, visit The Exodus Road.

2.      Pray.

Offer a prayer in faith, with faith. The Bible says that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. We have been made righteous in Christ. Tap into this amazing power to make things happen. Remember, it is not us who make things happen; our perfect and sovereign God does.

Pray for the Lord to reveal to you what He wants to do through you.

3.      Act.

Prayer is communication. When we pray, we do not just tell God our petitions. We listen to Him and respond to what He says. Move as His Spirit leads. Is He telling you to pray for one soul trapped in sexual slavery or the investigators who risk lives and limbs to rescue them? Then, bring him/her to God on your knees, even if you do not know his/her name or face. Is He leading you to raise awareness through social media? Then open up your Facebook or Twitter and let the whole world know. Is He asking you to write about sexual slavery in your blogs? Then, respond to it.

Remember, where God leads, He always provides.

***

There are countless ways to help. As we know, pray, and act, let’s watch the Lord do immeasurably more than we can ask for.

Personally, I am excited to see great things happen (actually, great things are alreadyhappening here) and I am prayerfully hoping that the less time I spend thinking of my self and the more time I spend doing His will, these boys/girls/men/women will soon become slaves to no one but Christ.

29 years; 42 months!

All day long, all my heart could sing is this. I am overwhelmed, thankful, amazed, humbled down and smitten all over again by my Perfect Lover, JESUS CHRIST, who is also my Redeemer and Lord. Great is His faithfulness. His ways are higher, better, grander. :) He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is the God who saved and redeemed, who owns me, who perfectly scripted my life even before He created me, who defends and upholds me even despite the persecutions, rudeness, and mockeries... He is the same God who gave me a lot of victories last year and who will continue to do great and greater things, ALL for my good and His glory.

So, here's the song of my heart. My prayer is that we will all ponder and be edified by the lyrics.

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!“
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Forgiven and Forgiving

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive

and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

~1 John 1:9

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you,

your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

~Matthew 6:14

Are you wearing forgiveness like a crown?

Or are you hiding it, afraid of what the enemy says of you?

I have been immensely inspired by this message on wearing forgiveness like acrown. And in this entry, I will be adding a few reflections of my own.

You see, I used to be a people-conscious person. I still am but by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in me, I am slowly (and at times, painfully) being continually transformed to the image of Christ. That said, I was obsessive-compulsive to the point of being perfectionist—I worked hard to achieve, to win accolades, to gain the approval of the people around me, and to prevail over them. I lived to please myself by pleasing those around me.

As a staunch Roman Catholic then, I found it hard to accept that no matter how hard I try to be good, I would always fail. It was frustrating to think that heaven was always out of my reach.

It was in this frustration of realizing that I can never be perfect that I was led to Christ. It was in the pain of realizing that I can never please everybody that a deep desire and hunger for something more was created in my heart.

And I bumped into the man-god Jesus Christ. Actually, the more I think about it, He intentionally bumped into me to catch my attention as I have always ignored His pursuit of me.

In Him, I found completeness. In Him, I discovered that as a human being, I can never be perfect and righteous on my own. In my encounter of Him, I finally understood that He alone can fill all my inequities and inadequacies. In Him, I found forgiveness for all my sins—past, present, and future.

But as I have said earlier in this entry, it is my human nature to be a perfectionist. And knowing the enemy’s cunning tactics as an accuser, there were a lot of times in my early Christian life that I felt frustrated and it was incredulous for me to believe that I am already forgiven.

But in my a-little-more than three years of Christian journey, I have learned the importance of flaunting the forgiveness and salvation I have in Jesus Christ. I have learned to wear forgiveness like a crown. By His grace, I was enabled and equipped to claim victory in His Cross and Resurrection.

Christ taught me to cling to ancient Truth and to listen to His word instead of being persuaded by the whispers and deceptions of the enemy. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And the moment I accepted Him, His love for me is and will always be complete and perfect.

Another way of flaunting God’s forgiveness in my life is to extend the same forgiveness He has given me to other people, believers or unbelievers alike. This is what the Lord has especially spoken to me for the past month.

The words of Christ in Matthew 5:23-24 are very clear. This is one of the best illustrations that in the eyes of God, obedience is better than sacrifice. As a Christian, I am to forgive and set my heart right in accordance to His will before I can come and fully experience His presence.

As such, I have to show forgiveness to fellow Christians. Because just like me, they are sinners who have been saved by His grace and needing His grace in each moment. Just like me, they are also God’s work in progress. Just like me, they falter and fall but just like me, Jesus is working in them and building them up into His image and likeness.

I have to forgive them because just like them, I am also a sinner always forgiven by Him.

I have to forgive the unbelievers because this is what Jesus commands of me. In fact, this is what He did for me. And this is His continuing invitation for the unbelievers: His forgiveness for all their past, present, and future sins. Since I am already in Christ, I have to reflect His glory; I have to mirror the same invitation to them—to come to Christ as sinners and accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior. I can only do this if I show them forgiveness just as Christ has shown me.

I have to forgive them because once in my life, I was just like them—a sinner, lost, confused, and seeking for the Truth.

When I forgive other people, I wear Christ’s forgiveness like a crown. I radiate His glory and majesty. I mirror His never-ending compassion and perfect love. When forgiveness (from Him and to other people) is always in my heart, I live life with so much positivity, giving more room for the Holy Spirit to work in my life to make me fruitful in His works through me and in me.

When I ask and accept the Lord’s forgiveness and extend the same forgiveness to everyone, I keep my accounts short, making me always prepared to meet the Lord, in death or in rapture.

How about you? Are you wearing forgiveness like a crown? Join my prayer to make each and every one of us aware of who we are in Christ: forgiven and always forgiving.

Thanksgiving Tuesday: New Depth of His Love, New Confidence and Security, and A Surpise Provision!

Praises to my King and Savior--Jesus Christ--who has graciously allowed me to experience a new depth of being loved by and being in love with Him. It is amazing how he is using my loneliness and pain to have greater joy and rejoicing in Him. Truly, only He can empty me so He may fill me with Himself.

In this season of seeking His will amid the loss and pain, I praise Him for bringing me closer and closer to Him. I praise and thank Him that He is my First Love, and He is my Only Judge. People may already have their own preconceived judgment and condemnation of what I said, decided, or did, but thank God, they are just people--fellow sinners needing God's grace just like me. Only the Lord Jesus sees my heart and He alone knows what's best for me.

I praise and thank Him for teaching me that my standard should only be His Word, the Bible. His Word is the light to my path and the lamp for my feet. People may give their advice, solicited or not, but I choose Jesus. I choose to honor Him. I choose to listen to Him alone and do what he says. I choose to obey His word, adding nothing or subtracting a zilch from it. I will accept His word and I will not bend it to serve my own pleasure or purpose.

In this season of lack, I praise Him for teaching me to depend upon Him for everything. And in this season of utter surprise, I praise Him for His downpour of provisions--something I did not expect. Just this morning, I was on the phone with a personnel from the Central Office and I was filled with inexpressible joy even when she broke the news I probably have to wait for August for my provisions. But lo and behold, by this afternoon, I received God's provisions. Indeed, I revel in the fact that He is my Great Provider and He alone knows best in when and how He will meet my needs.

For all these, I praise and thank God the Father of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ Himself who is my Lord and Savior and His Holy Spirit within me, my constant Guide and Help and the Seal of my salvation.

I have my prayer requests and desires but I praise the Lord for giving me this peace to say: "Not my will, Lord, but Your will be done."