Anne🦋

"I'm living proof of what the mercy of God can do."
          
          The grace of God really breaks my heart into pieces and mends my heart whole at the same time. How can God be so gracious to me after doing bad things to Him through His beloved people? When I look at my sins and the favors of God, it just humbles me to the floor. Imagine after being bad then God made a miracle for me. That's just so good and beyond my grasp! 
          
          Why, Lord? Why are you so good and kind and gentle and patient with me? What did I do to deserve these?
          
          And then my heart understands that this is GRACE. this is God's MERCY. Without His love, where would I pick myself up?
          
          So, Lord thank You! It isn't enough to express how grateful I am. Please teach me to be patient and kind like You. Teach me Lord to be good too, just like how You have been so good to me.

Luke 11:11-13  “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
          
          God will answer our prayers BASED ON WHAT HE SEES AS GOOD, not based on what we think is good. Whatever you are asking now, keep on praying and keep your faith. Delays are not meant to discourage us but to mold us in prayer, faith, and love towards God.

If I live for 23 years yet do not have LOVE, I am nothing.
          
          I thought being "maldita" was cool. I thought being on top was cool because I had the power to belittle others. I thought being judgemental was cool because I was condescending. I was so proud of myself, not wanting anyone to overpower me.
          
          But today, I look back at who I was and realize how hard I tried to be important. Being "maldita" isn't cool because I am hurting myself, and it hurts people too. Being on top doesn't make me feel giant- the tip is lonely and depressing. Being judgemental doesn't make me perfect, it only reveals my insecurities.
          
          As St. Paul said to the Corinthians, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."
          
          Truly, what do I benefit from having honor yet nobody loves me? What do I benefit from having people beneath my feet if God is opposed to me?
          
          By God's grace every day I am reminded how He loves me. How honorable He is yet He remains humble. How powerful He is yet He remains gracious.
          
          And the truth is... only the love of God can change you and me. Only His grace can sustain us. And I praise Him for this life. 23 is just the beginning of my journey towards Christlikeness. To Jesus be all the glory!

Do you only ask God's forgiveness to get rid of your shame, guilt, and fear? 
          
          Have you come to the end of yourself where you keep asking God for forgiveness but still continue doing the same sin? 
          
          We're no different. 
          
          It's a horrible realization that we only ask God to forgive us because our sins broke our own hearts, and not because we realized we broke HIS heart. 'Yon bang nanghihingi nalang tayo ng kapatawaran para matanggal 'yong guilt sa puso natin? 'Yon bang akala natin kapag nanghingi na tayo ng kapatawaran sa Dios ay FREE na tayo from CONSEQUENCES? 
          While it is NEVER wrong to ask God for forgiveness (because this is the right thing to do and I believe we commit mistakes each day), if the IDEA of "repentance" is for our selfishness, then that's the real trouble! 
          
          Shame on me upon realizing this truth. When we enjoy sin and forget its consequence, our hearts become calloused and eventually this disobedience and unholiness will draw us away from God's presence. 
          
          Heart check! Are you genuine enough to ask for God's forgiveness and turn away from your sins? Or do you do it because you just want to get rid of shame and guilt?

In a world full of 
          
          "I deserve this"
          "Ako lang 'to"
          "Pinaghirapan ko 'to", 
          
          May we remind ourselves that apart from God, we can do nothing. 
          
          I always thought being a consistent achiever was something to brag about myself. I always thought I got these achievements because I was good, or even better than anyone. I lived my whole life believing that I could always learn things easily because I was "intelligent". (That's why I was always competitive.) But here's the truth... wisdom and knowledge come from God. Period. 
          
          As I journeyed towards the meaning of my whole existence, I came to realize that there was nothing special in me. I only became special because Jesus died for me. His love made me special. And these achievements? I worked hard for years but only to taste its sweetness for a minute, or even for seconds. And then my pride kicked in, "I got this because I worked hard for this. I deserve this! I am better than anyone!" 
          
          Even if I work hard to be the best of best but if God won't bless me, nothing's gonna change. But even if I do nothing, blessings will come and what God has for me will always come in the right time—not because I deserve it but because He loves me. It's His heart that makes me precious in His sight. 
          
          Now I learn to give the honor and praises to God because He deserves it. Nothing will I credit to myself no matter how hard I went through just to get that; for it is the grace of God why I endured all the testings before I arrived at certain moment of my life. To Him be the glory always and forever!

testimony #18
          
          I grew up independently, and that means without my parents by my side. I grew up thinking I never needed anyone to survive, basta ba may nagpapaaral sa akin ayos na ako jan. I was not needy nor demanding from people who took the responsibility of nurturing me. It was enough for me. I had no choice anyway.
          
          Pero iba 'yong habang lumalaki ka ang dami ring tanong sa isip mo:
          
          Saan ako patungo?
          
          Ano ba ang purpose ko?
          
          Sino ba ako? 
          
          Ano ba ang dapat kong gawin sa buhay ko?
          
          Paano ba maging masaya?
          
          I could recall nights of weeping and days of trying--trying to fulfill my life. Yet, none of these were enough. None of these were successful.
          
          Then I realized, saan kaya ako pupulutin kung walang Diyos na nagmamahal sa akin? Saan kaya ako ngayon kung hindi lang ako inaalagaan ng Diyos? Napakabait po ng Panginoon sa buhay ko. Imagine at the age of 19 I learned to rebel against my aunt kasi akala ko mas masaya kung wala sila ng anak niya. Wala akong iniintindi kundi sarili ko at saan ako masaya. Pero mali pa rin ako. I was looking fulfillment in wrong places and wrong people.
          
          And now seeing people who are lost, I want to introduce Jesus to them. How I really prayed they too will experience the love of God. Nakikita ko 'yong dating ako na palaging mag-isa, palaging galit, palaging emotional na parang walang patutunguhan ang buhay.
          
          Sobrang nagpapasalamat ako sa Dios. Yes po totoo Siya at mahal Niya tayo! Only Him can satisfy us. Only Jesus can make us new. Only in Him we know what's our purpose in life, and that's to love Him, to serve and honor Him, and to make Him known sa lahat ng tao.
          
          I am living in the grace of God. I pray you too will have a heart who seeks Him and will find Him.

The story of a prodigal son gives us assurance that God, our Heavenly Father, will accept us with His arms open wide after we went astray. Three months I went away from the Lord, in short nagbackslide. Pero sobrang bait ng Panginoon pinukaw Niya ang atensyon ko. Siya na mismo ang gumawa ng paraan para makabalik ako sa presensya Niya. Kaya eto ako ngayon, it's the GRACE of God that keeps me moving forward and be able to be used for His glory.
          
          Kung feeling mo hindi ka na tatanggapin ng Panginoon, o kaya sobrang guilty mo na sa mga kasalanan mo, o feeling mo mahihirapan ka ng bumalik sa Kanya, I am telling you that YOU ARE NOT TOO LATE TO COME HOME! You are just ONE step from coming home. God is ALWAYS WAITING for you to come home. Mas gusto Niyang hintayin ka na umuwi kesa sa tuluyan ka ng malawa sa piling Niya.
          
          Come back Home. Come back to your First Love!

Was there a prayer you asked from God yet He answered differently? How will you respond when God won't give the very thing you've been crying over to?
          
          It's always a battle not to get angry at God for not giving us the things we want. But consider this, if God gives you the thing that He knows will harm you,  then He's not a good God at all.
          
          God will never give us the things that will destroy us in the end. He will even protect us from those. It's better for us to get hurt and disappointed for a short time than to suffer lifetime because we force things to happen on our own terms.
          
          1 Corinthians 13:5 "love is not self-seeking"

"Yes, they are the best but it doesn't make you less"
          
          The Lord Jesus warned us not to make ourselves great but to be humble always, so did Apostle Paul taught us to consider others better than us. However, the Bible didn't say to see ourselves less than them to the point that we don't believe that God has also given us gifts; that we feel so little of ourselves just because we could not do what they are good of. Yes, they could be better than you but it doesn't make you less in the eyes of God. You too are wonderful in the eyes of your Creator. 
          
          So, stop comparing yourself from others. If there is the best thing to do now, that is to focus on your personal development. You only need to be better than you were yesterday. ✨
          
          Psalm 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
           #ToGodBeTheGlory #MakeJesusFamous

Bawi tayo next time! With God, maraming chances. With God maraming opportunities. You failed today? Well, you can do better next time. You always have the choice to move forward or not. But choose to. Choose to try. Don't let fear hold you back. Cheer up! Pray about it again. Do it with God this time.
          
          for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
          Proverbs 24:16 NIV
          
          To God be the glory!