Smoking Area

I saw a post from my friend that he quit smoking a year ago and it’s counting. I am so proud of people who are able to do that, because I myself had a difficult time quitting smoking. It was such a struggle for me that I  get stressed every time I need to have one, if you are a smoker, smoking is a stress reliever and by not smoking or controlling your urge to smoke is such a stressful task, it adds more pressure to the stress you are having. The Bible clearly tells us to do our part in everything that we need to do. We can all lift up everything to God what we want, but without your part in doing a thing, it will not work. So I like what my friend posted in facebook that he is quitting it and will continue to do it. It is all about doing our part to claim that victory!

So what are you believing today? Do you want to be promoted? Healed? Restored relationship? Freedom from addiction? God can help you with these things, He wants you to live in blessing, but in order to experience His promises, we have to do our part. We have to keep believing and trusting Him. Don’t get discourage and keep doing it!

When you feel to go back in smoking again, when things aren’t going your way, when you just want to give up that relationship, when you just want to commit suicide, when you just want to shout because of that stress! Just say to yourself, “This may be hard, it may take a really long time or it may be really difficult, but God is good, He is faithful and can help me out with this situation!”

If other’s can do it, so can you my friend. I am blessed and so are YOU!

Being A Physical Therapist.

No matter what you are experiencing right now my friend, no matter what may be happening today. God has still good things in store for you. It may not be easy to see now, but God will line up new beginning for you, new friendship, new opportunities, new plans for you. Maybe you had setbacks, delays and difficulty, but don’t make the mistake of expecting the same again. Claim and embrace the new season that God will give you!

Molly and Me, her patient. lol...

And as a physical therapist seeing patient who are disable, crippled by their diseases, you can always expect that majority of them are so negative about their lives, negative about their attitude, about their sickness, negative about their future. And two days ago, noticed one patient that is really extra ordinary, I was reading his medical chart and by reading his chart alone, you will notice that this patient will be another regular pessimistic patient who will just complain about what he has and how miserable his life is. He has a very crippling disease, multiple back surgeries, multiple failed rotator cuff shoulder surgeries, hypertension, dyslipidemia, kidney problems, eye problems, cannot ambulate, he cannot even stand up from his bed, nor sit up from lying down, he needs maximum assist from lying down supine to sit up, he is totally dependent in transfer, name the disease, he has it, we call this type of patient “perfect package”, a pangkabuhayan showcase kumbaga. When I first entered his room, it smelled like urine and feces, he was soaking wet and soiled. I said, this is totally unbelievable, I don’t know what to do with him now. But by observing him, I was able to know that he still believe he can do it and God still has a plan for his life, not just after life, but in this life. I just realize that God will put you in a trial in life to help you fulfill his destiny and plan in your life. God intentionally put this person to go in this trial to be a fulfillment of His destiny in that facility. And knowing and talking to that person, I just learned that he used to a pastor of a church and now I know what his purpose is to share the word. Our goal now is for him is not just to stand up and walk, not just to improve his bed mobility, or improve his transfers, not just to improve his own quality of life, but to go to the dining area and share the good news to the other patients in the facility and improving the quality of life of all the people in the facility!

I just want to encourage you my friend that no matter what may be happening today. God has good things in store for you in the future. It may not be easy as of now, but God will use you for His own very purpose! The person I was talking about was being used as an instrument of God to bless other people, even though he looks crippled, he tries to encourage other people by making other people smile.

Let us be like this person, that even though he has a crippling disease, he still believes that God can make turn things around not just for him but as well as to other people. Let’s imitate that attitude, and start saying positive words even though you see negativity in your lives. You may be like him, the medical report may not look good, but he declares another report that God says He is restoring health unto him. Start saying “even though the economy is down, I am not worried, I know God will take care of me,” “Even though I failed this exam, God will help me push through.” It may look impossible in the natural, it may seem impossible, but our report should be “I know God can do the impossible!

Be encouraged today and don't give up on your tomorrows because God has a good plan in store for you! I am blessed and so are YOU!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future;"
(Jeremiah 29:11)

Who Are Your Friends?

I attended a service yesterday and they talked about the topic “gossiping”. Brandon the pastor talked about several verses and this particular verse in Proverbs hit me on choosing the right friend. A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends (Prov 16:28). And I remember the story of the 3 kids (Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego) that were thrown in the fire when they prayed to God during their time. You know, they have a good friend in the name of Daniel, the 3 kids chose not to bow down to other idols and chose to praise the Almighty God instead. Their friend Daniel influenced the kids to be strong in the Lord. In short, these kids chose their friends carefully.

And in life my friend, sometimes we have to choose our friends carefully, if you want yourself to be successful, you need to surround yourself with people who have positive attitude, you have to ignore all those gossipers, negative minded people who wants to drag you down. And whether you realize it or not, the people who we are with always will reflect your personality. If you are with friends with a gossiper, eventually you will be one, if you are friends with a negative person, tomorrow you will adapt to their attitude. I still believe in reaching out to them by influencing and reaching out to them, but there is a thin line between reaching out and being influenced.  

Knowing this, I encourage you to check your friends.  If your friends are all negative, tend to compromise things, I think we should get new set of friends.  Let us all choose our friends carefully so we can setup for success and be equipped to move forward.

Forget The Former Things; Do Not Dwell On The Past

I attended a Bible study last night and had some pointers from this great Pastor. He shared how he went through some challenges in life, he shared how he helped and how he was criticized by other people in spite and despite of what he has done to that person. But still he continued to serve God. And in the Bible, it tells us that every person, no matter how high or excellent your faith is they will eventually face disappointments, troubles and uncontrollable circumstances in their lives.

It may be like just waiting for that promotion at work, maybe that office worker who keeps on talking behind your back, or maybe a spouse that is so critical about you, or maybe an exam that you really need to pass, maybe something more serious like a family member who is sick or death, or worst, even a church mate saying bad things about you. I believe, one of the main point that Pastor Nick was saying last night is learn to over come disappointments and learn to let go of the past. I like how my wife handles our situation, yes we have problems and we have misunderstandings, but she always chooses to move on and forget what is past. She chooses to forget what happened before. If she didn’t move on, she might have probably left me for some reason just for remembering all the hurtful words and abuse I give to her.

Now, if you feel heavy today, you may want to examine what you are still holding on to. Be willing to let go of that extra baggage, let go of that disappointments by choosing to forgive. Whoever hurt you, whoever wrong you, just release it to God. Make that choice today and forgive others and yourself. Letting go of the past is the best way to overcome your disappointments and you will start experience a bright future. I am blessed and so are YOU my friend.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past
(Isaiah 43:18, NIV)

Great Wall of China

Last Sunday, I attended two church services, different preacher but almost the same message. They both explained on how we should keep pushing and keep believing on the promises of God in our lives. I don’t know about you, but everybody goes through a season of difficulty. I myself am having some struggles, challenges and trials along the way. If your life is too perfect, I guess this message is not for you. Lol… But according to the Bible, it tells us that in this world, we will have trouble, trials and challenges, but we can be encourage today because God has overcome the world and has protected us from that harm. Always remember my friend that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. His ways are higher than our ways and He has promised to deliver us from that situation.

And so many times, people feel stuck in their situation because they keep on looking at them from a natural perspective. Like what I said, this world will just look on the natural sight, and if you will look on just the natural, it is very limited, it is small, it is only a fraction of what is going on. But if you will rise up to a higher level, you will see things the way God sees them. Because He is a God of supernatural, a higher being who does everything that any normal eye can see. Pastor Nick explained how we should be praising and worshiping God before seeing the victory itself. I like what he said about praise, it is a precede for victory. Meaning you have to see or feel first the unseen victory before God can do something in your life. Praising God mean’s you are preparing Him to do something in your life. Praise mean’s you are thanking Him even though you haven’t seen it yet. Yes, it is easy to praise Him when you have received the blessing, but it is a real praise when you haven’t received it yet but you are expecting that it will happen. That is what God wants’ us to do when we are having trouble. This is what happened when the wall of Jericho went down. God instructed Joshua and the Israelites to march around the city in silence for 6 days and on the 7^th day, they were to give a shout of praise. You know what happened next. The wall came down. I don’t know about you, but I want to shout of praise to my problems and start declaring that my God is bigger than that wall I am facing!

Today, if you're feeling overwhelmed, if you are feeling down, or if you are facing a wall like the Jericho or let’s just say the Great Wall of China, I guess it is just the right time to praise God, you may not feel like to sing praises, but I assure you, it will work, try talking to God and start praising Him, play some praise music in your car, in your house and start declaring positive words in your life. If you feel down or depressed, say to yourself that you are going up and rejoice in the Lord, if you feel that you have failed that exam, say to yourself that you will pass through the help of Christ, if you are having problems with your relationship, thank God that He is working behind the scene and making you both mature, if you are having financial problems, declare that you will overcome and will someday be out of debt. Stop declaring how big your mountain or wall is and start talking to that mountain or wall how big your God is. Jesus is the rock who is high above your circumstances or whatever situation you have. When you call on Him, He will be with you. He will lead you and guide you into the higher places He has prepared for you! Keep the faith brothers and sisters! I am blessed and so are YOU!

Fall Seven Times, Stand Up Eight.

Sometimes, this life is so full of negative things, it will try to push you down. We will all face disappointments and setbacks. And since its NBA finals, I am following Lebron James and he had some setbacks and delays in achieving his dream of getting that championship ring. When he was in Cleveland,  he didn’t get that championship, he was rejected by his home team when he transferred to the new and revamp Miami Heat, all because he wanted a championship ring. I believe that was his setback, that was a delay, but he bounced back.  Several days ago, they have beaten the unshakable Boston Celtics with ease, because like what I said they chose not to dwell in the past and chose to look forward. It is easy to get discourage, lose their enthusiasm, or even be tempted just to stay where they are.  But when they chose to see what they have in the future, they were motivated to get that dream.

Just like me my friend, practicing my profession as a Physical Therapist took me more than 10 years to realize that this is my real calling. I had some setbacks and delay, I was denied visa several times and failed exams. But that doesn’t mean I have to stay on that position. I looked on God’s best. I chose to have a bounce back mentality. That means when we get knocked down like Pacquiao, you don’t stay down; you get back up again and again and again and again! You have to know that every time adversity comes against you, it is a time for you to stand up and fight!

And remember, as a child of the most high God, the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives in us. Remember this, there is no challenge to difficult for you, no obstacle too high for you, no sickness, no denials, no rejections, no disappointment, no person, nothing can keep you from your God given destiny but only you… If you keep staying under His wings and in faith, stay in a positive attitude, I believe you can rise again! He can make things beautiful even it is dark, He can take that stumbling block into a stepping stone, He can move you forward to VICTORY!

"For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again"
(Proverbs 24:16a, NIV)

My Way or Your Way?

Isaiah 55:9-11 (King James Version)

 ⁹For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I always encounter this verse at church and the first time I’ve heard this was when my friend from Therapharma  prayed this during our meeting. I didn’t know what he was praying during that time and thought that it was really odd. When I was starting up as a Christian, I just pray a memorized prayer and think of God as a genie that I pray to and wait for an instant answer or solution. But when I heard that prayer and reading it again and again, it hit me hard. I just realized that His way’s are really totally radically higher than our ways…

Now, have you been praying and waiting for God and have not received the results yet? There is this story in the Bible that “When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.”  There is another translation that it said “Jesus sat down when He knew that Lazarus was sick or dead.” And I can’t imagine what would be the reaction of Lazarus family “Jesus, don’t sit down, when we need You most.”, Some of you might be saying now to Him, “Jesus, please don’t sit down when my money is low”, “Don’t sit down when my problems are big.” You have to realize this my friend. Jesus did not intended to just healed Lazarus, He intended to resurrect Lazarus from the dead! You may be thinking like this, you may be telling yourself that it’s over, you have failed and failed the exam, you have been denied several times a visa, you have been declared sick, you have been told that you will not succeed, you been told that you will not be promoted. Remove that thought and you have to know that there is a reason for a delay.

I have a friend here in the US and have been working as a C.N.A. (Certified Nursing Assistant) for some time now, he did some initiative on taking a college/master’s degree. And with God’s help, he was able to finish his degree, but the problem now is that, he can’t find any job or position that is suitable for his title. Mind you he has a Master’s Degree in Finance and still can’t find a good job here. But still he kept on pushing and believing in God. I can see in his eyes that he still has a passion to pursue his dream. He tried going back being a C.N.A. just to get some extra money for his family. But God gave him a vision, now he is starting a business, a business that will make him more financially stable than his colleagues, it took him several months/years to accomplish this dream, but without God’s help and His resurrection power, this wouldn’t happen.  And I would like to encourage you today whatever you are going through right now, your mind may be telling you it’s over, it’s too late, it’s never going to happen. You’ve got to realize that not all delays are denials. You may be thinking on how you can just survive, but God is thinking on how he can bless you and how you can thrive. You may be thinking of just a healing, but God is thinking of a resurrection. Always remember this my friend, His ways are always definitely higher than our ways. So just be it… and accept the fact that He is a good God!

The Power of the Holy Spirit in You.

Have you ever thought my friend that sometimes that we are really weak? When I was about to take the NPTE (National Physical Therapy Exam) in the US, I was thinking, how am I suppose to pass this exam? I’ve graduated way back in the late 90’s and not really practiced this profession. Or sometimes I feel like I can’t carry weight of a grocery bag, but still I can manage it din pala. And sometimes, we get so focused on what we consider to be a disadvantage in our lives. Maybe there is something about you that you really don’t like physically like you nose is too big, or you are too small, or your skin is dark or your eyes are to chinky. Or you may have been in a situation that is really unfair like a divorce, a struggling business or just got fired from your job.

Well, to tell you the truth, we all feel that weakness or disadvantages in life. But just because we have that disadvantage, just because we have been in a tough time, just because we got into that trouble doesn’t mean we are supposed to just sit down and take that mediocre life. No!!! God still has something great for you, He still has plans for you, to bless you and to prosper you. Jemel, my friend, trainer, partner, supervisor, whatever you may call him, we have been talking about the power of the Holy Spirit at work and we just realized that the Holy Spirit helps us to see the real plan of God in our lives. The Holy Spirit wants to help us during those times when we feel weak (of course, I will set aside the power of speaking in tongues Jemel, lol). Now, if we will stay in faith and not get into that negative feeling towards that problem that we encounter, God can take that problem into a solution, God can take the negative into positive, He can turn things like a liability into an asset, a death into a resurrection, a no to a yes! A down to up! Through the power of the Holy Spirit! Period! Lol…

Romans 8:26 (New Living Translation) And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

More Than Enough.

These past few weeks is challenging for me and my family, I have been sending money to the Philippines and it seems that the expenses keep on piling up, it seems that sending money is never ending. While sending and paying debts is my priority, I just realized I no longer have cash on hand in my pocket and I started to become conscious on how much money I have left in my bank and realized that I almost have zero balance on my savings and on my checking account and maxed out my credit card. And tell to tell you the truth my friend, when I run on am empty bank account, sooner or later things start to break down and everything seems to be affected, I easily get mad, my relationship, my work and even my character is affected. I remember when I was working as a pharma rep, when I don’t have a budget to implement my activities, I get mad at the company. Before I knew it, I am making bad choices,  stealing from the company, saying things I don’t really mean and allowing discouragement to replace the hope of God that He has put in my heart.

And sadly my friend, this does not just happen to me, it happens to everybody, I believe if you are also a regular employee like me, it also happens to you, this happens to everybody and nobody wants to run on an empty budget, no body wants to run a car without a gasoline, nobody wants to live a life of lack, but in our world today, it is slowly becoming a way of life. But let me encourage you my friend, that this is not God’s way, we are not designed to live like this. God wants to bless us and He wants to take care of us. He wants us to live with a pressed down, shaken together running over life.

And just this week, I was really running low on my budget like what I said earlier and I asked God, how am I supposed to survive this week without going to grocery? Come on now… I don’t have relatives to run to ask money here, I don’t have a close friend who can I eat out with. But I just trusted God, He enjoys watching us trusting Him, He loves to see us happy and fulfilled, full of faith and expectation. And just this week, somebody hand me a significant amount of money, CASH! Money! Moolah!!! And people are treating me lunch and dinner. And because of that blessing, I can now send money to my family in the Philippines… That is God working for me behind the scenes, He has touched other people to bless me, He had prepared other people for me.

Same with you my friend, you may be going through a hard time, you don’t know what to do, you don’t know where to go, just keep trusting Him, put your faith in Him. He created us to be blessed. The Bible says that “God will generously provide all that we need and then you will always have everything that we need and plenty of left over to share with others.” This happened when he fed 5000 people, they had leftovers. Just like me, somebody blessed me so I could be a blessing to my family and have enough leftovers to bless my family.

I believe if we will continue to trust Him and ask Him to pour His incredible love and grace, I believe our best days are still ahead… Thank you Jesus for blessing me! I am blessed and so are YOU my friend!

The Best Way to Make Your Dreams Come True is to Wake Up

To know the summary of the stories of Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and the rest of the great people in the bible, you should read Hebrews 11. They call that chapter Faith Chapter. According to that chapter God has placed these people a dream in their hearts and these people have put their faith in Him. It is the same God who placed dreams in each of these great men of God, and the same God who can place a dream inside of you.

Every time that dream inside of you begins to start, there will be challenges, adversity, struggles and people that will tell you to give up. When I first dreamt of going to the US, there are a lot of challenges, to name a few, I was denied several times of a visa, failed some exams, leaving my family behind and people discouraging me not to go to a place that  has an economic problem. But the key is to know that you know that God will continue to finish that promise in YOU!  It just like this, when everyone around you is telling you to quit and give up, that’s the perfect time that you should start believing, trusting and stepping out of faith! Like the title says, in order to reach your dreams, you need to wake up.

Waking up from that slump means, waking up to the promises of God that you can overcome that situation, waking up to that situation that God will take you out of the dark, waking up that God will help you get out of that debt, waking up that God will take you to another country to bless you, waking up that God will help you pass that exam, waking up that God will bless you to be a blessing to others. Always remember that no one else can accomplish that dream God gave you. God planted that dream in you and no one else can do that for you. Through faith and obedience to His word, you can accomplish it, but you have to take action! You have to have faith! And of course wake up!

Now, if you are unsure of that dream, ask Him to give you wisdom to know if that is really for Him. If you are having a hard time, just keep pushing, keep praying, keep believing and keep the faith! That’s what the great men of Hebrew 11 did, they just kept their faith. Or maybe you have been waiting for some time, this is your time to step out and take that leap of faith and wake up to the promises of God!

Resurrection Sunday!

These past few weeks were a hard one for me and my family. From a very comfortable suite life at the hotel with free food, internet and amenities, here I am transferring to a one small bedroom apartment without furniture’s and basic utilities, like internet and cable. No TV, no bed, no tables, no nothing, no means of communication to my family in the Philippines. Adding insult to the injury, I have to save and not send money to my family in the Philippines. And sometimes, I can’t help but doubt my situation, doubt my God, asking Him, is this really your plan for me? Is this your design for me and my family, that we are away at each other’s arms, what did I do to deserve not be with my kids? And this last Resurrection Sunday, I was reading His story, when Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to Mary and Martha at the tomb, He said, “Go tell my disciples”. I am sure everybody was excited, I am sure there was rejoicing among all the disciples, all of them except Doubting Thomas, he probably said it like this, “oh yeah, I am a believer, I love Jesus, but unless I see Him with my own eyes, unless I feel the nail prints in His hands, unless I touch the scars on His side, I am not going to believe.” I believe Thomas also spent as much time with Jesus like the other disciples, I believe he also memorized some of his teachings or knew all the scriptures, and deep down, he wanted to believe, but his mind was filled with doubts…

And then several days have passed, the disciples gathered all together and all of a sudden Jesus came walking through the door. At first they thought it was a ghost, but they soon recognized that it was Jesus. What’s interesting is that Jesus didn’t go over to Peter or the other disciples to say “Good job guys in keeping faith in me” or “Thank you for keeping your words and trusting in me”, what Jesus did was He went straight to Thomas, the doubting guy, He did not go over to the one who had the most faith, He went straight to the one who had the most doubt. Jesus looked to Thomas in his eyes and said, “Thomas, I have heard what you said and I know that you don’t believe until you see me, go ahead, feel the nail prints on my hands, touch the scars on my side, I want to assure you, that I am a faithful God and I will always fulfill what I have promised.”

Like you and me my friend, we may feel a doubt in our lives right now, you may feel why are you in this kind of situation, why is this happening in my life, why did he leave me, why did he/she passed away, why o why o why…?!!?!?! Today, know that your doubts don’t drive God away. He doesn’t closes His door on you, in fact, He will go closer to you and show His mercy to you. When we go through things that we don’t understand, He just wants us to keep looking for Him. And just recently my friends, a lot of my new found friends, through of course the help of our God, provided everything for me, they gave me a bed, tables, chairs, television, microwave, basically all of my needs in the apartment have been provided for now (You know who you are all). I will not be amazed if one time, my family is already here in the US in no time…

Today my friend, it doesn’t matter if you have doubts, it doesn’t matter if you have questions, because God looks beyond your doubts and sees what is in your heart. He is faithful and will continue to fulfill His promises in your life.