"Command Me"

"Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask Me of things to come concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands command ye Me." {Isaiah 45:11}

Wow. Look at that. See, the Lord wants us to enquire of Him, to ask, to search, to find out answers from Him. He says, "Command Me." He says to ask Him about His work or about people and about what is going to happen. But so many of us don't ask. We'd rather go blind and clueless or if we are curious about spiritual things we go and ask people who we think are connected to God instead of asking Him ourselves. And some of us do worse, we ask a fortune teller or a medium. Is it any wonder God gets so mad at us? The blessings of the Lord is missing from our lives because we don't ask Him directly. 

And then people say, How? How do you ask God? Where do you find Him? Ah, that's where it gets complicated isn't it? God fills both heaven and earth with His presence, the Bible states. It also says that the spirit of man is the candle of God searching the inward parts of man. (See Proverbs 20:27). Why the answer is right there in your mouth, right there inside your heart. Where you are, God is! So speak! It's so simple we don't want to believe it's that easy. But it is! He can hear you, wherever you are. He knows your thoughts, He knows your heart, and He knows when you are addressing Him. So speak! Say what you want to say. The Bible states we will find Him if we search for Him with all our hearts. (See Jeremiah 29:13) He is a Spirit, He can be anywhere, even inside your thoughts and inside your heart. He can even fill your body if you ask Him and guide you to the right paths of righteousness until the day you die. People go to this country, to that mountain, to that shrine, but God is everywhere. We don't need to go seeking Him in remote places. The Bible states He dwells in the praises of His people. So if you praise Him, if you open your mouth and talk nice to Him and invite Him in your life, He will come to you. He will hear you.

And then you will say, But how do I know when He is speaking back to me? How do I know that He has heard me? Well, first thing first, you just have to believe He's heard you. He doesn't like people not believing in Him. He is God, He knows everything. Everything. So to doubt that He doesn't hear you is an insult to Him, that's why He doesn't appear to people that doubt Him. But if you are asking with all your heart, you will see His answers, you will know, He will make you see. He knows everything remember? He created you. So He knows exactly how your mind works so that you will know for sure He is answering you. So be waiting and be expecting because He will show you. And you can even say to Him, "Please Lord show me. Please don't let me miss Your answers." And you won't. You will see it. Watch Him work wonders in your life if you speak to Him and talk to Him and seek Him with all your heart.

Finding Peace In God

More and more I am convinced that the greatest peace for me is drawing to the Lord and loving Him. Whatever answers I am looking for I will find in Him. Even as small as the answer for What should I make for dinner tonight? the Lord gives to me. (Actually, as I was just typing that last sentence, the Lord just answered my question. I just saw the pork chops left over we had when we went out for dinner the other night with a friend. I totally forgot about it. And so we are set. Peace again.) It's the greatest thing ever for me! The Lord! The God of all creation! The God of all things! Who knows and understands and sees all things! And who loves me above all! Can give me the answers to any questions I may have. Like, What am I supposed to do in this life? What is my purpose? And what I am supposed to do in preparation for that purpose? What? What? What?

All these questions that can send a person in high depression if they don't have the answers. I have found I can have by coming to Him.

And the answer? This is what He gives me: Just love me. I will take care of it. I am your purpose. Love me and I will make all your dreams come true.

I read blogs, listen to inspirational podcasts, and they are all good and amazing; but after awhile I've found myself depressed. How do you keep up with all the lists they give you on what you're supposed to do to prepare for your calling; for your dream? At one point I felt like a total loser - an outcast of society - a lazy bum - someone who will never amount to anything - hence, a failure. Because I found myself totally inadequate and limited to the dream I have in my heart.

Then I remembered the Lord and talked to Him and cried to Him. How can I do all this? How can I prepare for what You have for me to do? And then He said an amazing thing to me: Just love me. I'll take care of it for you.

God is not only the one that gives us the dream, He's also the one that prepares us for it, brings us to it, and finally brings the dream to reality for us. When our lives are totally committed to Him, there's nothing we need to worry about, but just loving Him and drawing to Him. He said in His word:

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing." {John 15:4-5}

I have a file of songs in my laptop ready to go when the time comes. But the Lord was the one who told me to file them in one place: Type the lyrics down and record the mp3 files - in one place. I used to have them scattered in different notebooks, in different computers, in binders, in this tape player, in this voice recorder, or in little notes here and there. Now, whenever I have a new song written He's the one that tells me, "File it." Sometimes I get lazy and file them the next day or so. Last week after a song, He told me, "File it." And I started to say, "Tomorrow." He said, "File it." meaning "Now." And I had no excuse. I had allocated an hour for writing a song and still had half hour left. So I did. And in ten minutes I have a song added to my log of songs. I have now almost three hundred songs filed. If the Lord hadn't told me to file them all in one place and to keep filing them as I write them, I don't know where they would all be today or even if I'd know how much songs I've written already.

And the truth is, if the dream you have in your heart is from the Lord, you don't attain it, He gives it to you. And the reason why He's going to help you prepare for it (and actually sometimes you will not even be aware of it), is because it's His dream also. He wants it to come to pass as much as you do. So what do you have left to do? Just love Him. That's it. Continue to abide in Him in His word, talk to Him, and praise and thank Him everyday. It's that easy!

I've heard of people who prepared for their dreams and when they were ready the Lord brought the next step for them - whether a publisher for their book or a recording contract for their songs. Some people will say, It's all their hard work that had gotten them where they are. It had nothing to do with God. Maybe so. And if God isn't in your life and equation, maybe it is all your handwork; for after all Proverbs states, In all labor there is profit. But I know some who actually believe that they were being led to prepare for it. They didn't think it was just their own. Some say they didn't even know they were being prepared until the day the opportunity came. They believe it was divine leading.

Well for me, I'd like to think for myself, it is God. More and more, the closer I come to Him, the clearer it is to me, that He is the one drawing me to where He wants me to be. And He is showing me, that He's the one that does all things. Daniel said:

"…The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever He will." {Daniel 4:32}

God is the one that changes the times and the seasons. He's the One that sets leaders and kings in their place and takes them away. He's the One that gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those that understand. {See Daniel 2:21} He does all things so that man cannot glory in himself. Whether man gives it to Him or not, it doesn't matter. In the end, God will get all the glory.

If my life is His and I've committed it to Him - what should I worry about? Since He does all things for me; there is nothing really, at all. He is showing me, that He wants me to live in peace today. He doesn't want me worrying about tomorrow. He said in His word:

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." {John 14:27}

Peace yesterday, peace today, peace tomorrow…Peace always.

And how does this happen? By daily abiding in Him - in His word, talking to Him, loving Him, and bringing myself to His presence always…bringing my thoughts to His word, to His voice, to His wonderful works He has done for me in time past and believing Him in what He's going to do for me today, as well for the future.

Peace always. He promised to never leave me, nor forsake me. He does all things. And does it well. Amen.

Help Us Believe

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?" {John 11:25-26}

Beautiful, beautiful words! Of life! Right there! Thank you, Jesus, I love Him so much! He's so real to me!

So, the Lord asked Martha, if she believes He is the resurrection and the life - that though Lazarus was dead yet he will live again. And Martha says,

"Yea, Lord: I believe that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." {John 11:27}

And then yet, when put to practice, and the Lord says, Take the stone out of the tomb, Martha panics.

Why do we do this? We are so like Martha. The Lord tells us His word and we nod our heads in agreement - Yes - we believe it! Without a doubt! Then as soon as trials come, we're like, Wait a minute Lord, wait, where are you? The Lord said, He'll not leave us nor forsake us and we agree, we believe it. But the minute trials come, we're panicking.

"Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto Him, Lord by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. 

"Jesus said unto her, Said I not unto thee that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?"

{John 11:39-40}

Man, I'm telling you, that just cringed me. I wonder how Martha felt about that! I probably would've wished I bit my tongue!

But then I think, How often have I said to the Lord, "Yes, Lord, Okay…I got You…Okay…" And then the next scene, I'm panicking.

Like one night, after a snow storm had come in and my husband is out there shoveling by the end of our driveway by the mailbox, and the road is pretty busy with commuters; so I started to worry about him. And so I kept praying, "Please Lord, protect him." And each time I would get, "He's fine." But then after watching for him and not seeing him by the mailbox shoveling I start to panic. Before you know it, I'm putting on my boots and my coat on. Then the Lord's voice, "Do I not know how to take care of him?" just as I was about to go towards the door. I stopped and I was like, "Okay Lord…." But then I was really curious to see where he was. So I was like, "I would just like to go and see where he is." So I opened the door to the garage and there was my  husband shoveling outside the garage door, finishing up. He was done at the mailbox.

Ugh. Talk about embarrassing. Thank the Lord He's so gracious and merciful! I tell you though, it's so good to hear His voice of assurances; but I surely need to believe Him more. I sometimes judge Martha for not believing the Lord about Lazarus - but here I am doing the very same thing!

Oh, Father, help me to believe in You more; that You are ever with me; and will never leave me nor forsake me. Amen.

When Forgiving Is Not Easy

I don't know about you, but I find that forgiving people takes God in my life. I need His help in order for me to forgive. I don't know what I'd do without Him if I didn't have Him in my life. As it is, it takes me a couple of days to recover from someone who has done something that hurt me. I don't know, maybe I'm just extra sensitive or I still yet to understand the American culture. Or sometimes I think I overanalyze things and the person's motive; which again I think is because of the cultural differences.


I came to America when I was thirteen years old and it took me a long time to get used to people being "sarcastic" or "witty" and being married many years later to learn from my own husband how to be sarcastic or "witty" myself. (Thank God he has such a good heart that he never uses sarcasm to hurt me.) But he can be very "witty" and "funny" and I've picked it up along the way. We've have had many a laughs because of it. Which I've also found out for the most part is "not convenient" at all, as apostle Paul would describe it. There are things that are "lawful" but they are most certainly "not convenient". And sarcasm is one of them. Put it the way you want to put it, even to the expense of having people laugh, but at the end of the day if someone is hurt, you're not doing what is "convenient". It might be lawful, but definitely not convenient. And definitely, not Christ-like.


So that's what I struggle with. My husband tells me all the time, "Stop analyzing the motive behind it; you're never going to fully know it."


Times like these, I just do the next best thing I know - turn to Christ: the author and the finisher of my faith. Whether I know the person intentionally hurt me or not, but I hurt nevertheless, I know for myself I cannot retaliate. Let God do that part; but for my part, let His love shines through.


Is it easy? Of course not. That's why I turn to Him because for myself I'd have burned the bridge(s) long time ago - and have done it too without hesitation - and know, will do it again - but with Him, I can find His wisdom, His comfort, and the courage and strength to deal with the same person who took offense in me and hurt me back. With Him, I can forgive and forget, the pain and the sin done against me.


Whenever I struggle in letting go of the hurt and the endless diatribe I go through in my head trying to analyze what I've done wrong to cause the person to say or do what they said and done to me; or to justify myself that I didn't do anything wrong; or the wish that they would disappear from my life; I just go and talk to the Lord about it. And most of the time He tells me, of course, to Forgive - and then He tells me to "Let it go…Move on…" He reminds me of what apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14:


"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Forgetting is so key in forgiving. Otherwise you have not fully forgiven. I've found you can "forget" and "let it go" when you have the Lord helping you. You might not "forget" as in having an amnesia about it, but you can move on, and forget it. You don't need to harp on it and reanalyze your motive and their motives and what you said and what she said. It will be an un-ending cycle. Whether they're the ones that did us wrong or we're embarrassed about what we said or done - move on! 

Forgive, forget, and move on!

I am also trying to accept, which you would think at this age I would have accepted already, what Jesus had said to His disciples:


"Woe unto the world because of offenses! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" {Matthew 18:17}




Basically saying, Woe unto the world because there are offenses that come…Because they do come… And that's the thing I have to accept that offenses will come whether I like it or not. It is part of the world I live in. I get offended because they did or said something unkind or others will get offended at me because I did the same thing. Whether I meant it or not to be unkind, doesn't matter; they took it wrong. As I took it wrong. I think actually a lot of offenses come because people take things wrong. Whether because we didn't understand where the person is coming from or we're a product of our upbringing; it doesn't matter. Offenses will come.




So, what do you do?




Take it to the Lord. Talk to Him about it. There is nothing we can hide from Him so we might as well talk to Him and tell Him exactly how we feel about it. The more we practice taking things to Him - by talking to Him - the easier it will get. I've learned to fume and rant to God about my offenses and tell God how angry I am. It helps me calm down. I've actually found Him counseling me as I rant and rave to Him. And when I've calmed down I've learned to ask Him too to show me what I did wrong and asked Him to help me accept it if it was me that was wrong. That is often my issue in this life. I hate being wrong. It's hard to swallow one's pride and say, "Gulp, I guess, it is really me that made a mistake; not the other way around." 




It's not easy. You can "block" God to keep Him away from showing you the truth, or you could be brave about it. It's not always easy to be brave. But I've surprisingly enough found on few occasion when I do, and say, "Please give me courage to see truth - what did I do wrong?"; He has a few times shown me, "You didn't do anything wrong." From there I can breathe a sigh of relief. If I had not asked I could also deceive myself to think I've done something wrong when I have not.




He knows all things; and He knows how to comfort us. And when He has comforted us we could ask for His grace and forgiveness upon our own foolishness and for the sin of the other person. I do ask for their forgiveness from the Lord - to forgive them too - as I forgive them. I want the Lord to forgive them; as He had said to God when He hanged on the cross and as Stephen did when he was unjustly being stoned to death. And that doesn't come naturally. That only comes after the Lord has showered me with His love and His truth. Because I want the same thing done to me. I also ask for more of His Holy Spirit upon my life and in their lives. The more we both have the Lord, the better it is for both of us. Our relationship hopefully will become better because we have more of Him and less of ourselves.












When God's Against Us - Part II

I thought I'd follow up on another post about this subject. I remember a journal entry I have about couple of months ago, in the essence that God does not intentionally afflict. We have been conditioned to think that as soon as a crisis come in our lives God must be against us. I would like to dispute that thought today. I don't want my other post on this to be misunderstood; as if God is out to get us. My intent on that post is to show what we need to do when things go wrong in our lives. We need to go and talk to the Lord; find out what's going on. Is He really against us? Or is He actually seeing the path we're heading and is trying to get our attention before we are completely lost? Or maybe in truth He sees our struggle and is trying to reach out to us to help us? Whatever the reason, we need to find out first from Him what's going on, before we come to the conclusion that He's against us and is "punishing" us. I want us to see that today; that God is good and He does not willingly afflict.

There is only one reason I can find that He will intentionally be against you, and that is if you intentionally rebel against Him. When He has talked to you and let you know His desire but you are defiant against Him and hate Him and want absolutely nothing to do with Him anyway - and is going around hurting people; then watch out. Us going around hating and hurting people are one of His pet peeves. He will not let that go. He is just and He is merciful so He will avenge those that you hurt. But even then, even how horrid you might be, (think of king Manasseh in the Old Testament), if you repent and turn from your wickedness, He will abundantly pardon. And yes, He is slow to anger too and of a great mercy; so when you think the other person should've been "punished" already and seems to be getting away with murder, be patient. The Lord could be working on him and is waiting for him to turn around.

That being said, let's move on to our study.

So today, I want to go the famous sufferer of all in the history of mankind, (besides Jesus Christ), Job himself. We all know Job. He didn't know why he was suffering and he wanted to know what he had done wrong. Here were his complaints:

33:9 I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me.

33:10 Behold, He findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for His enemy.

33:11 He putteth my feet in the stocks, He marketh all my paths.

34:5 For Job hath said, I am righteous: and God hath taken away my judgment.

Some of you might feel like Job. You feel like God is against you. And you might even think you've done nothing wrong; that you are actually doing everything right. Well, read on.

Here is Elihu's understanding of God: (Elihu is the fourth person in the room after all the other three friends of Job had gone accusing him of sin in his life - the reason of his sufferings. Elihu was actually there - the youngest out of all four of them. It turns out he understood God more that they all did.)

34:10 Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that He should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that He should commit iniquity.

34:11 For the work of a man shall He render unto him and cause every man to find according to his ways.

34:12 Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.

34:13 Who hath given Him a charge over the earth? Or who hath disposed the whole world?

34:17 Shall even he that hateth right govern? And wilt thou condemn Him that is most just?

34:19 How much less to Him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? For they all are the work of His hands.

And here is Job's conclusion about God, after he had seen Him:

42:2 I know that Thou canst do everything and that no thought can be withholden from Thee.

42:3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

42:5 I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth Thee.

42:6 Wherefore, I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.

You know, ever since we came to the knowledge of the book of Job, we all like to come to the same conclusion that Job did: God afflicts. How come we never, so few of us anyway, come to the same conclusion that Elihu did? God does not afflict. He doesn't go around afflicting people as if He delights in afflicting them. How come we forget that it's the devil that afflicted Job? Not God.

And then we also think right away, "I have all these problems, ugh, I feel like Job, God is allowing the devil to afflict me. It must be. What else is the reason?" As if we are an extra-ordinary person like Job was, and God is singling us out. Or the other extreme I've heard, "Well, I am a sinner and a horrible person, God is right to be afflicting me. I must bear it like Job."

No offense, but this is rather arrogant don't you think? As if we're better than Job? We are going to take "these troubles" as God's punishments against us and we will bear this up as patiently as Job did?

Well, Job wasn’t really patient about it actually. Job complained. You see how he was saying, "I am righteous…I didn't do anything wrong…Why does He treat me like I'm His enemy? What did I do wrong?" In essence, I don't deserve this at all!

That's not being patient is it? That sounds like someone complaining to me. (And rightly so, Job was righteous. He was right. He did nothing wrong.)

But we read the book of Job and come away with the conclusion that we mustn't complain when we're afflicted. And the real sad part: that God afflicts. Or at least lets the devil afflict us. Which at the end of the day ends up to be the same thing: God afflicts us. We forget about the devil altogether and we end up believing God is afflicting us or punishing us, for sure. Yep, there's the devil rejoicing away that the people of God who supposedly love Him and believe in His goodness are now thinking evil of Him.

What? We say we're not thinking evil of God when we conclude He's the one punishing us and afflicting us?

Sure we do. That is thinking evil of God. We are accusing Him of doing something He hasn't done. That's the problem, we completely forget what Elihu told Job:

"Touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out: He is excellent in power and in judgment and in plenty of justice: He will not afflict." {Job 37:23} 

We all assume right away God is afflicting us and is punishing us when things go wrong. This thought is so ingrained in us.

(We even like to think that about others who are suffering. "Hm, I wonder what he or she done?")

That is wrong! We must be very sure it is God before we go concluding He is the one afflicting.

Here's another thing Elihu said:

"Behold, God is mighty and despiseth not any: He is mighty in strength and wisdom." {Job 36:5}

He just doesn't go around delighting in afflicting people - even if they've done something wrong. He is very merciful. "He despiseth not any…" He gives us a word to correct us first, to make us repent and to turn away from what we're doing wrong. He just doesn't drop the bomb on us. He sends us His word. He prompts us in our spirits to turn away from wickedness.

He sent Jonah to the land of Nineveh to encourage them to turn away from wickedness, because they didn't know that what they were doing were wrong; before He sent judgment against them. Lot went to his children and told them what's going on and that God is about to burn the place. The angels of the Lord told him to do it. He urged them to come away with him. But all they did was laugh at him. The children of Israel sent messengers first to the land of Benjamin and asked for the elders of the land to turn the wicked men who committed whoredom. They were only going to punish the wicked men alone. They didn't go and slay everyone without warning. Why then, would God "punish us" and "afflict us" without warning us first? Especially if we are His children who confess to love Him? Are we better than God?

We can ask and say, "Lord God, why am I going through this? What did I do that's wrong or merit this afflictions?" Rather than say, "God, why are You letting these sorrows and troubles happen to me in my life?" You could be very well be wrong. The scripture states, "He makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends the rain on the just and on the unjust." {Matthew 5:45} He treats everyone alike according to his or her works and is very merciful.

It could be the reason you are sick is you don't take care of yourself. Or the reason your car died when you're running late for work is because you haven't taken care of your car. Or your children are rebellious and unruly because you've indulged them and given in to everything and never corrected them. (Or the opposite extreme, you were too hard on them and did not show mercy). Is that God's fault? Why blame God? Maybe we need to look at ourselves first before we point fingers on God.

Man since Job's time, has learned to blame God instead of learning what Job did; ask for an answer. So what if he found out he was wrong and had to repent; God showed up didn't He? So what if God didn't "exactly" give him the answer he was looking for? Why should that stop us? God showed up - that was Job's answer. He saw how right Elihu was - God is holy, God is righteous, God is perfect, God will never fail in His judgment.

So ask. Don't just accept your afflictions. Or you’ll never see God.

Just seeing God was Job's answer. That's why God didn't have to explain to Job why. Furthermore, God gave him a discourse on how He does things in nature. All showing His greatness and how truly wonderful He is.

Now, don't get me wrong; don't think God doesn't send correction and send afflictions to correct us. He does. But don't take it lying down when it doesn’t make any sense. And don't come to conclusion either and quickly say, It's God. But if you know exactly why, for example He's been warning you about a sin, then comes the affliction? Well then, you know what’s going on.  He wants us to repent and make it right with Him. There’s no sense in making it harder for us by running away and hardening our hearts to Him. The sooner we repent and make it right with the Lord, the sooner He will make it well for us. And He will bless us because He is a very good God and delights in blessing His people who obey Him.

We have to be careful of our thoughts regarding God. We must always ascribe righteousness to God. He is holy and good. It is not His pleasure to see us suffer every turn we go. He came to die for us so we can have life abundantly and give us peace.

The Lord would send His prophets to warn the children of Israel from doing wickedly - to preach to them to repent, again and again, before He sends correction. And when they cried out to Him He is very merciful to them and saves them.

"But though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. To crush under His feet all the prisoners of the earth, to turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not." {Lamentations 3:32-36}

We, who are humans and faulty, know how to show mercy and patience to our children, how much more God who is very loving and tender-hearted? He will not afflict willingly. We are created in His image; which means He has feelings too like we do. If we don't like being accused of wrongdoing, neither does He. We should first find out from Him what's going on before we accuse Him of being against us. 

"But let him that glorieth glory in this: that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the LORD who exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the LORD." {Jeremiah 9:24}