Battle Cry.

A copy of the word I shared in the our smallgroup last Tuesday :)

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REELationships, REALationships, relationSHIPS

Reel- go round, go round and round, whirl, spin, revolve, swirl, twirl, turn, swim.
Real- Authentic, Truth, True, tangible
Relate – communicate

From the range of 1-10, rate how great or how poor your relationship is with your...

....FRIENDS.

…FAMILY.

…GOD.

The one who gets the lowest will always be God. Believe it or not. The one who will always get the highest will be our friends.

FACT: The more important the relationship is, the lesser importance we give to it.

Why? We always neglect those whom we think would always understand us.

…EVEN IF WE MISBEHAVE.

…EVEN IF WE REBEL.

…EVEN IF WE ABUSE.

Why?

1. Because we know that we can always abuse their love for us.

2. Because we know na ‘hindi nila tayo matitiis’

3. Because we know that when everyone walks out on us, they will still be there for us.

Last week’s topic: Getting to Know God.

Today’s topic: REELationship? REALationship? RelationSHIPS.

Ships = Vessel

Text: Luke 10:27

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength & love your neighbor as you love yourself."

We’re like ships made to relate to one another! =)

1. J.O.Y (Jesus owns you!) – Love the Lord your God w/ all your heart, your soul

First of all, why heart? Because it is in our hearts that we feel! God wants us to love him not only mentally or spiritually but also emotionally. See Psalms. David was very emotional.

What God says:

“Because I love you with an everlasting love.” – Jeremiah 31:3

“For you are my treasured possession.” Exodus 19:5

2. W.W.J.D (Walk with Jesus Daily) – With all your strength

Why strength? Not with all our wisdom? Because it is in our strength that we get to apply everything we know, everything we’ve learned, everything we feel. From singing songs, doing missions, and serving God!

What God says:

“As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart.” – Isaiah 40:11

“I will never stop doing good to you.” – Jeremiah 32:40

3. T.G.I.F (Today God is First) – With all your mind

Mind because this is where all the knowing starts! This is where… the battle begins. The Lord knows us very well that’s why he said,

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” –Romans 4:8

What God says:

“I gave up everything I had that I might gain your love.” – Romans 8:31-32

4. CTC? (Care to Care?) – love your neighbor as you love yourself
We need to demonstrate care just like how Joseph cared for his brothers, just like how Moses took care of the Israelites, just how Noah took care of the animals and etc.

What God says:

“I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me.” –Matthew 25:40

Let’s always ask our selves, WWJD? What would Jesus Do?

END POINT: The secret key to keep all our relationships going is to keep our hearts closer to God. God desires to lavish His love on us… God desires for us to lavish His love on others, too.

It’s all about God lavishing His love on people.

People lavishing their love on God.

And People lavishing their love, on people.

CHALLENGE: TELL SOMEONE YOU LOVE THEM TODAY.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. - 1 Corinthians 15:58

I feel compelled to write about this verse.

You see my dear friends, I have witnessed how God can turn someone's failures into victories. I have witnessed and experienced how God turned my failures into victories. Let me tell you my testimony.

For 6 months, I have dimmed my light. For one semester at school. During the first two starting months of classes, I still had it. Little by little, little did I know that I was already being lured into a trap. It was a slow death. Problems after problems, struggles after struggles. Then came one time when I stumbled because of not fixing my eyes on Jesus. I started avoiding those people who hurt me so much, sadly, those were people whom I looked up to. It was a domino effect.

They stumble, I stumbled.

Everything started crashing in when I began spending less hours with God. I lost spiritual strength. I said, "Hey, if Christians are like this, I might as well quit being one." Moments with God turned into moments with sin. Finally, I lost all my defenses when I stopped keeping in touch with God. I gravitated with my own strength. Believing in my own wisdom, I convinced myself I could do it without God on my side. I could excel, I could manage, I could gain esteem. I knew it was no longer me who was taking control but I ignored it. I liked it. I wanted it. I've chosen it. A choice for that matter.

I kept running in life with an empty heart. Henceforth, I conceded into substitutes. Apparently, these substitutes seemed to satisfy me for awhile. I kept on coming back to them from time to time, to gather a fake strength that I could use to comfort myself. I came to a point where I wanted to leave home when things weren't going any better. I came to that verge where I wanted to just take down my own life. I wasted my life on temporary things, on things that would eventually use me up more.

Despite the happenings, I was still being dragged to church at Sundays. However, there were Sundays where I missed attending, and when I didn't, I was just physically present. Worshiping God through songs... yes. I felt His presence. The songs, they convicted me. But I was in a very strong war. I was telling God, 'I want to be with you, but I can't give this up. I want to stay here longer...'

There were times where I would just cry my heart out to God, although I wasn't really communicating with Him. It was a cry of blaming, of anguish, of hatred, of confusion. I didn't want to come back to Him yet. I wanted to explore more of this life, to delve into deeper traps, to get myself tangled in the net of the enemy. And I did get what I wished for.

One evening, while looking into the mirror, I could see an empty girl with empty eyes. I could see her empty soul, and her empty heart. I looked like a living dead. A dead girl walking. I looked evil. Part of me wanted to cry, but a part of me argues and says it was better off this way. My hatred for those people who condemned me for lies grew even more. The anger consumed me. I was a monster.

This kept on for months.

But my friends, I am not here to tell you about how destroyed I was that time. I am here to tell you how much GOD turned my life around.

God was still faithful despite me being a rebel. He showed himself in a vision.

It was noon that time, Saturday. I went back to sleep because I was still sleepy. I had a vision in a dream. Exact scenario. Exact location. I battled with the enemy in my dream. He appeared as a very beautiful lady in my dream. In my dream, he was wearing a long black gown. Seducing. Pretty seducing. He was praying to the other side of the world for me not to escape from him. I was pretending to be half asleep. However, he knew I was playing with him. He walked to me, caressed my face. I caressed him back, I told him lies. I told him he was beautiful, I told him I wanted him. I told him I belonged to him.

But that's because I wanted to deceive him so I could escape after. I wanted to make him believe that I was already his. But came God's grace. The enemy shouted and he himself told me, "Liar! You still have Him in your heart!" I could remember escaping. He wouldn't allow me to. I was still in my room. After wrestling with him, I finally had the chance to get out. I went out of my room, directing me to thousands of stairs. It was spiral. I kept on going down, away from him. He was chasing after me. I was contacting a friend. I called her. I said, "I'm on my way to the cemetery."

That vision was purely God's word, speaking to me. I couldn't forget the line of the enemy there, "You still have Him in your heart!" - This is the perfect example of Christ's love. He never left my heart. He was still there even though I had a lot of attempts to completely erase Him from that space. He was still in my heart, residing. It brought tears to my eyes. I woke up with a heart that was ready to repent. A throbbing heart. I ran downstairs to tell some of my church friends about it, I told them in tears. There was a loud thunder afterwards. It was really a sure sign that God wanted me back.

My friends, I am here to tell you that we can never deceive the enemy. If you're playing with fire you should stop. You can never play with fire because it will always consume you. I have learned my lesson and now here I am to testify that God has turned my failures into a series of victories.

October 28, 2011 - I decided to re-commit my life to Jesus Christ. God made wonders in my life. He used my bad circumstances so He could turn something good out of it. He did. I have now started a campus ministry at school together with a friend of mine. I have shown my light to my classmates by confessing to them everything bad that I did and that I shouldn't have done. I talked to them, telling them that I am going to change. I changed. All because of God's grace. The most amazing part is, I have this friend who had turned his back away from Christ for some period of years now, and because of my failure that has turned into victory that I have shared to him, I believe that God has used it to make him think. Good news is, last saturday, he re-commited his life to Jesus! And yes, I am overwhelmed with great joy! I have been praying for him since first year college, and now he came back to Jesus!

Another good news is, I shared Christ's goodness during my 18th to everyone who were invited! They listened to God's word and some of my relatives who weren't saved cried. God has touched their hearts! There were friends who told me that they were blessed with the word I shared and that's because GOD IS GREAT! It wasn't me. It was God, using me! Now, my classmates know that I am a Christian. That I have Jesus in me. That God is great and good and amazing!

Another one is, I was invited to speak into a small group. All boys. I spoke about "DATING NON CHRISTIANS" and I thank God for using me in such new ways! I've never spoken to a group of boys before... and here He is, using me in another level because I've turned away from my sin!

And lastly, tomorrow will be another good news. I will be speaking in our small group, and I will be talking again about how good God is.

Thinking back, I am so amazed with His love, His grace, His unending mercy. If you think I'm righteous, no think again, it's my God who is righteous. If you think I'm strong, never, God is my strength. I am in no position to boast about anything because I wouldn't survive without God's hand that upholds me. Here's one thing I want to share, if you think you'll never be moved or shaken, think again... you can never tell. That's why we always need to stay on guard by keeping our hearts close to God. When our hearts are close to Him, we are always protected. We are always safe. Never compromise. Never play with fire. It will burn you. But if ever you are, and you had, God's the best Fireman.

He's always on the rescue.

Repent while you still have the time.

I pray that God would use this testimony to bless you. Amen.

Life has its series of ups and downs, mine is not an exemption. 18 years of existence is equal to 18 years of God's faithfulness in my life - then double it twice. The open arms of my family and their warm appreciation gives me a fuzzy comfortable feeling of security. The laughter of my closest friends remind me how blessed I am to celebrate the first few hours of my birthday with them. God had been so great for blessing me with people who love me. Despite the barriers of distances, there are friends who remembers & who would never take me for granted. The love of friends and family. This kind of love gives me millions of reasons to get up every morning, to still keep up with life, this kind of love.. thank God so much for His love that radiates through the faces of those whom He's been using to bless my life. The beautiful painting of a life lived in Christ gives me enough reason to never stop singing for Him. The melodious beat of my heart is a proof that God cares. The wonderful tickles of the wind on my cheeks in times of refreshment is a sure sign that God sees. The warm, peaceful, secured feeling I have during the night is a witness of how much God protects.

A shot taken during the shoot :)

Me with my parents. :)

Me sharing God's word. :)

I spoke this message during my 18th birthday :)

Taste.
- A brief experience of something, conveying its basic character [noun]
- Perceive or experience the flavor of [verb]

And.
- Together with, along with, with,
as well as, in addition to, etc., [conjunction]

See.
- Latin word, sequi ‘follow.’
- Perceive with eyes.
- Discern.
- Meet.

“TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD.”

This verse invites us not only to taste, not only to see, BUT -- to taste and to see that the LORD is GOOD.

It might be that you’re going crazy with what’s happening in your life right now, you can’t even see God’s care and love.

It might be that things are too complicated to understand that you just leave it the way it is right now and ignore it like nothing’s happening.

It might be that everything in your life’s wrong and nothings right anymore, that everything’s broken and it’s impossible to even fix the situation.

It might be that you’re losing it all, or it might be that the faith you have in God is gone now and that everything doesn’t make sense anymore.

It might be that you think everyone’s condemning you, that no one understands your pain, or no one recognizes your worth.

This is where the verse comes in. “TASTE and SEE that the Lord is GOOD!”

GOD cares about you. GOD sees what you’re going through. GOD hears the cries in your heart, even the deepest aches. GOD heals. Why? Simply because GOD is GOOD. You won’t be able to experience His goodness if you shut the door of your heart close to Him.

It clearly says, “TASTE.” This word is not only a noun, but a VERB. Try God. Try Jesus. Try to open up your heart to Him. Accept Him in your life. Accept Jesus. He offers EVERLASTING LIFE.

No, God did not promise that life with Him is easy. BUT He did promise that His grace is sufficient for each and every weaknesses that we have. He is the SOURCE of everything you need. Life’s hard? Smile! GOD IS GOOD. See it for yourself. Want to experience His goodness? Just take a step of faith, let go of all the lies of the enemy, because GOD is GOOD. God is great. He is faithful.

You’re asking me, “How can I even experience that kind of goodness when I’m not even worth His love and His attention?”

No. That’s a lie. We keep on trying to do all good things, everything else that we can just to EARN GOD’S LOVE… but that’s not how it’s supposed to be.

We don’t need to earn His love because His love is FOR FREE. Whether you like it or not, God loves you.

You ask me why?

Because He is GOOD.

God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called.

God is great. Amazing. Beautiful. We are just under His feet, created to praise Him. My heart is overflowing with praises right now. Just thinking about how he lifted me up from my trials... God's been so wonderful. Nothing compares to Jesus. Nothing in this world. Nothing will ever satisfy us but Him. Even if we seek other things to cover up the void, nothing will ever fill the place that's been set apart for Him in our hearts. It amazes me just to think about how the stars at night unite together and give Him worship. It amazes my heart how the wind could give praise to God. It amazes my heart when the whole universe and the whole creation of God could bring Him glory. My heart is sinking in praises right now. Even though I am not worthy of His love, He is always worthy to be praised. Jesus, I love you. God, be praised. Holy Spirit, thank you.

No matter what our circumstances are, God always has his beautiful extraordinary ways in which he could work in and through us just to reveal his glory through our lives. What I have learned these few months of being on hiatus, is that no matter how much you try to protect your fire it will eventually die out if you're doing it without God's help.

The love we have for Christ should be so hidden in our hearts so that the enemy won't steal it away from us because once its stolen, you're lured. Due to the busy schedule I had last semester, my time for God was put into compromise. Even my very own faith. Yes. I had struggles. Tormenting ones. Did some stupid things I've never done before. But God... is higher than everything else.
However, God is just so faithful... because no matter how much we try to be independent and enjoy our freedom independently, God still sees us as his very own. Independence is dangerous - as quoted from The Shack. I have been there, done that, did it my own way. Things happened, and then before I knew it, everything was out of control. God struck me deep down in my heart one day,

"You don't have to take control of things because it's my job."

What a soft, sweet, rebuke.

Sometimes, we try to delve into other things because we know God's always there and because we know He won't ever leave us nor forsake us that's why we keep on hurting him. And by thinking of this right now, I just realized what a fool I have been these days. I shouldn't abuse His grace. Same goes for everyone of us. God is gentle... but who says we should take advantage of that?

Afterall, He's still the God cuts off every branch that bears no fruit. I have learned too, that I should always keep my eyes fixed on Him. I have been swayed, looked at people, got disappointed of how things turned... then it just hit me, I wasn't looking at God, I wasn't fixing my eyes on Him anymore. Sometimes, things like this happen to Christians. Most of the time, it happens all the time.

We tend to judge others, condemn them just because, we talk bad things about them... and then what? What happens next? The enemy rejoices because the relationship has been destroyed? That's the importance of why we should always look up to God. Indeed, He is the author and the finisher of our faith.

We need to put our trust in God. Same goes for me. However, I know I'll be more than okay. God is always God. No matter how hard trials are, God is still to be praised. I am a sinner, but He saved me. I am a sinner, that's why He came. He came to cure the sin in me. Same goes for everyone.

In the last days, the world will become so evil that it will find ways to lure you in.

I have been trying to stand my ground in the last few months and I've been really scared about a lot of things especially about compromising your principles. I am surrounded by different influences in the field that I have chosen : both bad and good company.

Sometimes, it's really hard to stand out when you're supposed to blend in. But then God reminds me that I should keep my feet planted on the ground and not be shaken. I admit, it's been really hard on my side. The pressure, the time management, the sudden change of environment. Yet I have really proven that God is still amazing since he provided me with people whom I can really have "Christian talks" with.

Last night, while I was spending time with Jesus, I told him how much I really need his help. I was like, "Lord... I really want to talk to you but I can't put it into words and I don't know what to say... Everyday is a war... Help me not to lose the battle... I'm scared." That's how the conversation went, and then he led me to Hebrews 10. My Bible is in NIV version, and the title of the chapter was "A Call To Persevere".

I knew God was talking to me that time... asking me to persevere despite other influences around me. I felt like he was telling me that he's sending me to the world, to be a positive influence to those who are trying to give me negative forces. I felt like it's time for me to get out and really apply what I've learned from church. Maybe this is it. I am taking this as a test of perseverance. It's time to go out and stand my ground. All I'm asking for is his help and protection.

It's time to face the world.

In a culture that is pushing everyone to compete against one another, in a world that screams for justice, in a universe that is too crowded, in a room that is really suffocating, in the streets where people are dying and are begging for mercy -- you can see what it truly lacks.

You can see the emptiness; the halo hearts; the desperate silent stares from empty people you meet on streets; those eyes that had just gotten dried up right after crying... You see what the world lacks now? Let me elaborate it further; putting it into more vivid, clearer & imaginable details.

You just had the world's greatest heartache yet you don't know where to run to, you fall and trip on your knees but no one's lending you a hand in the crowd. You go to school unnoticed even with the effort

you make. You try to keep a title for people to love you but in the end you got tangled up in a mask of pretension.

You got kicked out from your home, you drank up 'til you passed out, you went to a bar; went out with friends, you smoked weed, you still found yourself -- empty. Empty with nothing inside but a huge deafening silence.

Now do you know what you lack? The Savior's love.

You say you're unlovable? Think again, the Lord loves you just the way you are. He fashioned you, he took care of you in your mother's womb, he loves you so very much!

You say no one understands you? Think again, the Lord knows what you're about to say even before you utter it. He knows everything we have in mind, he reads our minds!

You say you're tired and can't stand your life anymore? Think about the sacrifice Jesus did at the Cross. He was beaten, bruised, he was mistreated! It's nothing compared to the trials we face!

You say you want to die? Think about the nail-pierced hands of the loving Savior who gave His life for you.

He died in order for us to live, now you just want to take away your life because you want to escape? He died for you! He pained himself with those nails for you!

You say you're alone? Think about the presence of God that follows you wherever. Jesus is omnipresent! Even though we can't see him, he's always with us. We should never doubt that because we won't experience his company unless we believe that he is with us!

You say you're empty? Think about the love that Jesus has for you. Jesus had purposely created empty hearts so he can fill them with his power, with his love, with his grace, with his presence. We are being emptied to be filled again, over and over again!

The love of this Savior is so deep that once you experience it you don't want to ever let go again. The love of this Savior is above everything else in this world. The love of this Savior who died for you is something that money can never buy, it's not something that can be taken away from you, and bear in mind that nothing will ever separate you from His love except sin. The love of this Savior is enough to break barriers of sins. The love of this Savior is enough to break prison bars. The love of this Savior is enough to set the captives free. The love of this Savior is enough to change our moods, the way we think, and even our lives. The love of this Savior is enough to break hearts of stone. The love of this Savior is enough to penetrate in this dark and lonely and empty world. See the sad glances of people you pass by at times? The love of this Savior can transform those glances into something better.

The love of this Savior is for free.

Jesus will never give up on us. Jesus will love us even though we feel like we're the ugliest person in the world. Jesus will love us even though we're growing pimples that makes us feel like we're losing confidence. Jesus will love us in our worst moments, in the times when we feel like letting go, in the times when we think that everything's unfair. Jesus will always love us despite the flaws we have. Jesus will never let go of our hands.

When he holds onto us, His grip is secure, not too tight but tight enough to protect us from falling and hurting ourselves. Jesus offers a love that is unconditional. He was thinking about us when he was hanging on the Cross. He wasn't thinking about himself. He was thinking about our lives. He wanted our hearts to be His.

His heart beats for us.

The love that He offers is true, real, it never expires, never runs out, it never fails, never ceases,

it has no conditions. He will love us whether we're fat, chubby, skinny, anorexic. He will love us even if we have illnesses. He will love us even though we're not popular, even when we're outcasts, even when we think we're so invisible. He will love us even if our friends would betray us, even if our parents forsake us, even though we lose all hope in the world. Jesus had always thought that we are precious, that we are priceless, that we are really beautiful. He always looks at us with love in His eyes, with huge admiration, He delights in our lives. He wants our hearts.

Jesus loves you. His love is nothing compared to the love that people would give us. Why?Because this love that He gives...

...is unfathomable.

...is unchanging.

...is never ending.

...is everlasting.

Let us not neglect the love of Jesus but let's accept it and allow it to make a revolution in our hearts.