Humble ourselves before God. Depend on Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Complete dependence on God. That is our goal. To follow Jesus and walk in His ways. To let go of ourselves and humbly submit ourselves to His guiding hands. To let go of our pride, turn away from our earthly desires, and let the Holy Spirit work in us. To listen to Him and trust that His plans are greater than ours, that He is sovereign, He is in control. To humbly do everything we do for God and for His glory.

We have to be very careful because this is the complete opposite of what the world teaches us. Its teaching is me-focused. I-focused. It teaches us to have selfish ambition. These words seem harmless and even sound motivating. “I do this so that I will make an impact in the world. I do that so people will think highly of me. I want to be the best.” But they’re all about me, me, me. This type of wisdom is not from God, but from the evil one (James 3:15 NIV Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.) 

That is never the intention of God for us. He wants us to be completely dependent on Him because He is really the One who knows best. He will be the one to uplift us once we humble ourselves and accept that we can’t do anything good without Him. If we only listen to His guiding words, we can achieve so much more than we can ever do by ourselves. But this achievement comes when we don’t want it for ourselves anymore but for the glory of God. It comes when we don’t see ourselves as the owners of His blessings anymore but as stewards who should use them according to His will. Jesus says this principle best in Matthew and Luke. (Matthew 23:12 NIV For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.)

Every thing we do should be done in humility that comes from wisdom. But where does wisdom come from? It comes from God, not us. Let’s ask it from Him because He generously gives it to all who ask (James 1:5 NIV If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.) We’ll know that it comes from Him when it satisfies the ff: James 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 

Every day there’s a spiritual battle in me. I really want to follow Him, to be dependent on Him. But when I’m not careful, I get consumed by the world. “For Him” turns into “for me”. The devil really works overtime. That’s why we really have to work overtime also by completely being conscious of God and letting Him guide us every second of every day. To submit ourselves to God and be completely dependent on Him. Let’s pray to Him, ask Him to open our hearts to Him and to teach us to know His voice and follow Him. 

James 3:13-18 NIV

Give Time for God. Prioritize Him

Do you believe that if you die today, you’ll go to heaven? This is a tough question for most of us. Before, I used to have difficulty answering this one. But now that I’m beginning to know God more and more, I can shout with definite conviction that YES, I’M GOING TO HEAVEN! I’m not saying that I’m perfect and holy. In fact, I can’t achieve the holiness that God recognizes. But I know I’m going to heaven because I’ve received Christ as my Lord and Savior. And I know that’s all I need to be saved: To admit my sins to God and accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  (1 John 5:11-13 NIV And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.)

Too easy for you? It’s true! It’s called grace. A gift from God. We don’t deserve it, but He gave it to us. No good works, no having to make up for your mistakes. None. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.) That’s how much He loves us, all we need to do is believe. (John 3:16 NIV For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.)

Now, although the only thing we need to do is accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have to test and check if this acceptance holds true in our lives. If it is real, genuine acceptance. You see, when you’re already in Christ, it will reflect in your life. The worldly things that used to be normal for you would be detestable, or questionable. There will be change. I’m not saying that it’s overnight. But what I can attest to is there will definitely be struggle. Why? Because your old self will die, and Jesus will live in You. If you’ve really accepted Him and allow Him to work in your life, you and the people around you will know that there’s something happening, changing in you. A changed life. (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!)

So what constitutes a changed life? Your priorities will definitely be different. You’ll want to please God instead of others. You’ll want to know Him more and walk in His way. Most though, like I did, don’t know where to start. When you’re beginning a relationship with someone, you’d want to know him right? This is the same with God. You’d want to know every aspect of Him. Good thing there’s the bible! It’s all there! The bible is His Word. All his likes and dislikes are there. Everything that matters is there. All His instructions are there. He even tells you there how you’ll know if you’re already in love with Him. 

You want to know how? When I started really seeking Him, a friend suggested starting with the book of John. And Jesus gives His answer on who loves Him in John 14:15, 21 and 23. [John 14: 15, 21, 23 NIV “[15] “If you love me, keep my commands.” [21] “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” [23] Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”]

Jesus said that the one who loves Him knows His commands and keeps them. We’ll get to know His commands in the bible, that’s why it’s very important to read it every day. Do you remember God’s greatest commandment? Mark 12:29-30 NIV “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”

We are all familiar with God’s great commandment. But are we practicing it? Are we loving Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength? Do we see it in our lives? How much time do we spend on God? Is He our priority? Or are we prioritizing our family, work, hobbies, ourselves over Him? Are we turning them or ourselves into idols (anything that we put first before God is an idol)? Are we praying to others instead of Him through Jesus Christ? [John 14:6 NIV Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”] 

These are tough questions that we should always ask ourselves, that I should ask myself to check if I’m walking in God’s path. (2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?) Isn’t it better to know right now than on the day of judgment, when what He might say is: Matthew 7:23 NIV Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’?

Is this message too heavy for you? Do you want to ignore it and go back to your old life, your old ways? Or do you want to start prioritizing Him? 

If you want to start prioritizing Him, there’s great news I want to share to you. He wants it too, & is helping us by sending us the Holy Spirit once we’ve accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We just have to pray for the Holy Spirit to work in us. And read the bible so the Holy Spirit can use His Word to guide us. (John 14:26 NIV But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.)

Dedicate Your Plans to God

Can you think of at least one situation when you expected one thing and ended up with another? Like expecting to get X as your first salary but got a lower K? Or expecting to marry your 1st boyfriend/girlfriend but got your heart broken and now you’re back to square one? I can think of a lot of my plans that didn’t turn out to be the one I wrote on paper so many years ago. But even though we’re not certain of what lies ahead, we still make goals and 5, 10-year plans so we can work towards something, not aimlessly wandering through life. So, what’s the first step in goal-setting? Thinking of what you want to achieve in life from big picture to the specific. You then write it down using the smart method (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely). Right?

I would like to recommend a new first step, before the thinking of your plan: Pray to God that your plans may be in line with His. Ask Him to lead your heart to where He wants you to go, to what He wants you to be. You see, we might not know where we are going, but He knows. In fact, He knows everything, He’s never surprised. So let’s save ourselves the headache of the consequences to our self-appointed plans and entrust our goals and plans to Him.

So we’ve prayed to Him to lead us, but how will we know if our plans are in line with His? Here are some guidelines I use:

• Read the Bible: the more you read His word, the more you’ll know His heart. His messages to you through the bible will serve as guiding principles as you make your plans or reassess them.

• Be consistent with your quiet time: God is everywhere, and you can also find His messages everywhere. But I get more secure that it’s His message I’m receiving when I get it during quiet time/ bible study time. And the more I’m consistent and serious about my quiet time, the more clearly and consistent His messages are.
• Don’t forget to write down His messages in your journal: Sometimes a verse strikes me but I can’t relate it to my now. But fast forward a few days or weeks, when I reread my journal, His message becomes clearer. I may have been too focused on what I wanted or distracted that I missed it before. There are also times when I get confused and worried if my plans are really in line with His, or maybe I’m making this up all by myself? My journal reminds me of His messages and these messages assure me of God’s promises.
• Pray, pray, pray: Always pray, be honest with Him, talk about what you’re thinking, what you’re confused about, what’s burdening you right now. And listen. Eventually, we’ll realize that our prayers are changing, either from problem-focused to thanksgiving, or from insisting on our personal wants to lifting everything to Him and asking the Holy Spirit to guide us and be the one to work in us because we can’t do anything good, or everything we do will be worthless, without Him.
• Make sure that the Great Commission is a part of your plans: Let us also take note of Christ’s great commission, the one Christ instructed the apostles before He went to heaven. This should always be a part of our plans: Matthew 28:19-20 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jeremiah 29:11 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.

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB) 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Deuteronomy 7:9 (NASB) Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments

Psalm 48:14 (NASB) For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.

Watch Over Your Heart

Have you ever been in a situation when you really felt like you were the victim and acted on it, but later on realized that you’ve turned into the aggressor?

I had problems with one of our household help. She had an attitude, would get into fights with other helps, didn’t do her job properly. It’s also hard to ask her to do something, and I often felt like having to walk on eggshells whenever I’m around her. Whenever I ask her to do something in her job description (that in the first place I didn’t have to ask if she does her job properly), she would pretend like she didn’t hear it or act like she’s doing me a favor. I was really thinking about letting her go, but I didn’t have the power to do it because she wasn’t directly under me.

Then I read Psalms 140-142. The lines that struck me in Psalm 140 were:

 

Psalm 140: 1-3,8,11-12:

1 Rescue me, Lord, from evildoers;
    protect me from the violent,
2 who devise evil plans in their hearts
    and stir up war every day.
3 They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s;
    the poison of vipers is on their lips.

8 Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord;
    do not let their plans succeed.

11 May slanderers not be established in the land;
    may disaster hunt down the violent.

12 I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor
    and upholds the cause of the needy.

 

I was really surprised that I felt convicted and guilty about my feelings towards our help. Before this, I really felt righteous and the victim. Now after reflecting on it, I’ve realized that I’ve turned into the violent men described in Psalms. Why? I’ve always thought that I was being gracious to our help because I didn’t try to clash with her, I was the one adjusting. When normally I would have said what’s on my mind, I kept quiet. But the problem was I didn’t let go of the negative feelings I felt, and they grew. Before I read the verses above, I reprimanded her for not doing something (one of only a few times I corrected her which, now that I thought about it, might be wrong because how can she improve if we’re not telling her what she’s doing wrong?). I wasn’t shouting, I was actually near calm, but I could feel the anger boiling in me. Verse 2 “Who devise evil things in their hearts;They continually stir up wars” spoke to me. I felt God admonishing me, telling me to be careful and take a closer look at what’s in my heart. The emotions that I felt started from confusion (What are you talking about? Am I not the victim here??), to horror (Have I been doing other small things that showed anger towards her? Haven’t I been thinking of the many reasons why we should let her go? Have I been one-sided, not thinking about her situation and placing myself in her shoes?), and finally to thankfulness. 

Thankfulness. Isn’t our God a great, faithful and gracious God? He doesn’t stop at giving His one and only Son, Jesus, to save us from our sins. He even helps us and guides us in our walk with Him. He loves us so much, that He sent the Holy Spirit to convict us whenever we do something or think of something that is not pleasing to Him. He’s there to help us correct our hearts and move it to the direction of God. We just have to always pray for Him to work in us and accept His kind words wholeheartedly, may it be through His Word or through the people He used to send His message.

 

Psalm 141:3-5

3 Set a guard over my mouth, Lord;
    keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil
    so that I take part in wicked deeds
along with those who are evildoers;
    do not let me eat their delicacies.

5 Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;
    let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head.
My head will not refuse it,
    for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.

Hold On To God and Pray

I recently willingly went into a situation with God’s guidance. This is a situation that I knew for sure was going to be a challenge for me. This situation will test my faith in God to provide for us financially, to guide me in what I am kind of entering into blindly, and to send the Holy Spirit to work in me and improve on my patience, let go of myself and fully trust Him.

Just a few days into this situation, I felt really helpless and expected to fail anytime soon.

It is in these situations though that we should be more careful and vigilant of where we’ll run to. Normally, I would run to books (feel good), movies, my husband, my parents, then finally think of ways to get out of this situation.

But God is a good and faithful God, He knows what avenue would make me listen most, and he reminded me through it that in all situations, especially in the dire ones when what you normally would have done is run away from God in shame, you run to Him and pray.

Prayer, for me, is challenging. Whenever people ask me to start a meeting or meal with a prayer, I freeze up and babble all throughout, not giving the Holy Spirit a chance to work in me. But prayer is very important. It’s our way of talking to God, telling Him what’s in our hearts, and lifting up to Him all our concerns, the general and specific ones.

 

Here are 5 Ways that Helped Me Jumpstart My Prayer Life

Be intentional

A friend once told me that she always tried to have conversations with Him, especially during her lull moments. She reminded me that we always have to be intentional, to seek Him every moment we can. Decide today that you want to be fully dependent on Him and lift up everything to Him. Be conscious all throughout the day of your first impulse when you have free time, and commit them to talking to Him.

Learn from the Master of Prayers: Jesus

If you’ve read the life of Jesus, you’ll notice that no matter how busy He is, He always makes time for prayer. He also gave concrete tips for praying:

Matthew 6:5-15  “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
 Give us today our daily bread.
 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.’”

Luke 11:1-4 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”

Just Say What’s in Your Heart

This is God we’re talking to. He already knows what’s in our hearts before we even realize it. I always find it easier and comforting to just tell Him how I feel and to ask Him to direct my heart on what should matter. I also always find myself asking for guidance from the Holy Spirit, that He may work in me.

Keep a Prayer Journal 

I used to think that a prayer journal is not necessary in my walk with God. I was so wrong. Remember how most productivity gurus would recommend writing everything down on paper so you won’t forget them? Prayer journals work the same way. They’re important because they serve as reminders for you of what you prayed for and God’s answers to them. Sometimes, we don’t see right away that God has already been answering our prayers. It’s during re-reading our prayer journals that we see the answers and multiple confirmations through His word.

Prayer journals also serve as our resource for witnessing. I personally also need it for this purpose. Sometimes I get so caught up in life that I forget the great things He has done for me. I’m happy I have my prayer journal to remind me of my struggles with sin and how He always picked me up and carried me through my struggles. Now I get my elevator pitches of how God worked in my life from my prayer journal.

Always Pray Through Our Mediator, Jesus

Before Jesus, people had to go through a lot of rituals every time they sin. I got overwhelmed when I read them in Leviticus. But now, we only have to confess our sins to Him and truly accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and we’re saved. Just that. Nothing more. No good works, no trying to redeem ourselves. Of course the proof of our true acceptance is a changed life, but we’ll talk about that in another post. What I want to say is that we don’t have to go through others, to ask for intercession, to talk to God. We can go directly to Him, through Jesus Christ. [John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”] 

Lastly, I would just like to remind you and me to keep our focus on God. It is during the times we divert our focus from Him that we get in trouble and see all the problems that the enemy wants us to pay attention to. So let’s be careful and intentionally keep our focus on Him. [Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.]

Always: Bible Over Devotionals

The first time I tried reading the Bible when I received Christ in my life, I was utterly confused even with the book John. I know it’s all stories and I should be able to understand it, but I immediately wanted to experience hearing, or in this case, reading God’s personal message to me. I understand what happened, but what about the “Aha!” moment that can be your guide throughout the day or even the month, the one you would want to share to your friends? I didn’t experience that immediately. I may have not experienced it after several tries.

 

If I already knew back then what devotionals were, I would have ran to the bookstore and just depended on them. Their messages were straight to the point and easier to understand. They already give points to reflect on or plans of action. Why shouldn’t I just depend on them?

 

We all need to be careful where we focus our efforts and attention on. Devotionals really are great reads, but they should only be secondary to the bible.

 

Here’s what finally worked for me, and therefore what I can suggest:

• First and foremost, always start everything you do with a prayer, even before reading your bible. Your prayer is personal, you can say anything to Him. But if you’re lost, you can start by asking the Holy Spirit to guide you, to help you understand God’s word, and that you may receive what He wants to tell you.
•  God always knows what’s in your heart. So it really works if you set your heart to wanting to know more about Him.
• Be prepared with your notebooks and pens. When a verse strikes you, write it down. Reflect on it and the whole reading. You can ask questions like “What was the situation back then?” “How does this apply to the present times?” “How does this apply to my life?” “Is there something I’m doing that He wants to confirm or am I doing something wrong that He wants me to correct?”. It’s really good to ask questions so you can think harder and deeper. Sometimes I easily get the message, but there are also times when I really have to dig deep.
• Don’t be afraid to highlight, underline, write notes in your bible and memorize them. It really helps especially during the times you’re attacked and you need to hear His message. When you open the bible, the ones that will pop out will be the verses you reflected on, the once you marked and know by heart.
• Write down your application, what you can do to make His message real in your life. Our knowing Him shouldn’t stop at just understanding His word. We should also obey them. [Jn. 14:23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and will come to them and make our home with them.”]