Jesus, God of all comfort

Dear Jesus,

Good morning!

I need you to be real in my life again. I need You to come alive in my life again. I need You my Messiah. Jesus, please help me to resolve the conflicting feelings, emotions, thoughts, doubts, fears, hurts, bitterness in my heart today. Please grant me peace and resolution as I spend time with You today.

Please give me the freedom to worship You and please give the opportunity and the time that I need to spend time with You. I need YOu Lord Jesus and my husband needs you too. Amen.

JESUS CHRIST, OUR EVER-PRESENT COMFORT

In probably one of the most vulnerable episodes of Jesus' life, during the last supper, Jesus delivered His very emotional speech to his disciples. In John 14 to 16, we hear of Jesus' reassurance to His followers, words of comfort that kept them faithful 'til the end.

In these chapters, Jesus made no attempt to sugarcoat the hardships that His disciples will experience in this world. However, He comforted His apostles and believers of future generations with His promises. Let us then refresh our hearts and minds with these promises, that we may find comfort in our struggles here on earth.

In the words of our Lord Jesus himself:

THE COMFORT OF BEING WITH GOD AND JESUS SOMEDAY
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."
John 14: 1-4.

THE COMFORT OF JESUS' INTERCESSION
"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, becasue I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it. " John 14:14

THE COMFORT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,
"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:26-27

THE COMFORT OF FRUITFULNESS
" I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. " John 14: 5-8

THE COMFORT THAT JESUS, OUR MASTER CAN RELATE TO OUR SUFFERINGS
" If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged
to the world, it will love you as its own. AS it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I have spoken to you: No servant is greater than his master." John 14:18-20

THE COMFORT OF OVERCOMING
" I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:23

THE COMFORT OF PROTECTION
" My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. AS you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." John 17:15-19

THE COMFORT OF CONTINUED UNITY WITH GOD FOR GENERATIONS TO COME
" My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, FAther, just as you are in me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ...

...Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me from the creation of the world." John 17: 20-24.

Application:

Jesus foresaw our sufferings and trials as disciples. He knows what each of us is going through individually. He knows that this world will be tough and it is tough for everyone.

Sometimes, we are blinded by the temporary comforts of life. We think that those people who have more are happier. We think that those who have better careers are more fulfilled with their lives. Nothing is further from the truth. We all have come from seemingly "good" lives before we became disciples. We can testify that despite these seemingly "ideal" or "good" lives, something was still missing.

We have to believe that we are in better shoes simply because we are disciples. We have the hope of heaven someday. We have the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who comforts us in times of trouble. We have Jesus, our God, Messiah, High Priest, who intercedes for us. We have ever-available access to the throne of grace and to the throne of God when we need help.

The enemy tells us lies by convincing us that we are losers because we followed Jesus. We are more than conquerors! Our lives on earth are gonna count. We will be faithful and we will meet with Jesus face to face someday. That is our comfort!

AMEN!

Finding the Messiah (QT 10.24)

QT thoughts 10.24.07

First confessions of Jesus' Messiah-ship

John the baptist, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!..."I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." John 1:29-34

Andrew (Peter's brother), "We have found the Messiah". John 1:41

Philip, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." John 1:45

Nathanael,"Rabbi you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." John 1:49 (The Jews thought that the Messiah is a political leader, a king).

Reaching out to our families

John 1:40-42

" Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah' (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus."

Our families are our very first ministries. I hope that someday, we will all be able to find our family members (both immediate and non), and bring them to Jesus, just like Andrew did.

Read on John 1:43-44, Philip found his friend, Nathanael and introduced Jesus to him.

Application:

Imagine the joy of finally finding/meeting what you are looking and waiting for. That was the same joy and excitement that John, Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael felt when they met Jesus. Finally, the Messiah has come! (Jews have been waiting for the Messiah for hundreds of years)

View this video, "Could you be Messiah?"


We were looking for the Messiah at one point of our lives. We were looking for purpose and meaning. We were looking for someone to save us from our miserable and empty lives. Let us recall the joy we felt when we finally found Jesus and got baptized in His name. Those were the most glorious days of our lives.

Years after that day, are we still excited? Do we still have the same excitement that drives us to go find our family members and friends that we may introduce them to Jesus?

Honestly, I have lost some of those zeal. Years after I decided to become a disciple, I am ashamed to admit that the excitement is no longer there. What replaced it are feelings of burdens about the cross that I am carrying as a disciple of Christ.

What I have come to realized now (10/24) is that I need the Messiah to be real to me everyday. I still need my Messiah to be real (as if I have just found and discovered Him). That is my struggle. Why has Jesus become far of in my thoughts? What is it about Jesus that my situation and experience drives me to learn today?

I feel that I am hitting a ceiling, a cap in my Christian life so to speak. I have to break through and I want to break through. I want to experience my Messiah in my life once again. I want to experience life-changing encounters with my Messiah again. I want to find a greater purpose in my discipleship today. I believe it is possible.

I'd like to think of discipleship as climbing a mountain. Discovering Jesus was just the start. The journey is an upward one. It gets tougher as you get higher, but the peak is yet to come, and it's going to be glorious when we reach it. (In contrast to getting baptized was the highest point, and then we go downslope from there).

I pray that Jesus makes this happen in my life and yours too. Happy climbing!

What a year....

Dear Lord,

I pray that this morning I can reflect on Your words and receive answers for my questions and receive comfort from my struggles. Please guide me with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name. Amen.

After having read books that show Jesus is indeed the Messiah the Jews have been waiting for for hundreds of years, it's time to be changed by that knowledge. I have become and confessed to be a disciple of Christ. Yet, as years passed, my cross has become heavier. As it grows heavier, my decision to follow Jesus has been tested. Never has the cross been so real in my life as this current year.

Joe was in the hospital for one month (Feb to March). We moved to the states in April. Had to look for jobs May to July. Had to pay back child support for 5 months. Had to accept that we can't have a house of our own for who knows how long. Had to face the fact of overwhelming debts. Had to adjust to becoming a stepmom and the whole complicated structure that goes with it. Had to constantly battle with my husband to find my role and place in in his priorities. Had to learn knew set of skills for the new job in the bank. Had to commit costly mistakes before I learned how to balance my cash drawer. Have to build new relationships in a new country with a new culture. Have to now wrestle with all my emotions and thoughts and struggles in dealing with and facing all these episodes and changes in my life.

Whew! God, I was not prepared for this. I just hope that You keep me near you as the storm passes. I pray that I don't say, do, think things that can cause my family, my marriage, my husband, and other people damage (as the storm passes). I pray that I stay faithful to You and your word and your ways and trust You. Please allow this phase of my life to produce fruits that will last.

I pray for my husband to be close to You and to come to a new and higher level in his walk with You. Please carry him as well.

I love you Lord. Amen.

QT on Ephesians 6

QT on Feb. 23, 2007 (9 days before Joe woke up)

After realizing that what was happening to Joe and to other (sick) members of the church was a spiritual battle, I requested that people pray and fast. We were pretty much beat up because we were all mostly discouraged and hopeless and sad about our situations. But when we go to war, we ought to have the right attitude to FIGHT and not give up, right?

So, I turned to one of the most useful scriptures that teach us how to "gear up" for a spiritual battle: Ephesians 6: 10-20. Please take time to read that scripture now.

Let me share with you how these scriptures struck me by putting them into my own words as God revealed them to me.

****
"Finally, be strong. Remember that in this battle, God is on your side. The devil is deceitful and will feed you with different lies in order to discourage you. So, be ready and gear up for the battle.

The battle is not against flesh and blood. Don't be afraid to see Joe's body deteriorating. That is the least of your concerns right now. Focus on the spiritual battle that is going on. That is more important. Also remember that your enemies are invisible and they are powerful, almost scary to a certain extent. They are "ganging-up" on you right now with all their forces because they know that you are much more powerful that they are.

So hurry! Put on God's armor now! It is available for you. The enemy will come and strike but with God's armor, you will survive the battle (which is already won by God). At least when the battle is over, you will still be able to stand your ground and not die.

Here then is how you should prepare:

1. Put on God's buckle of truth. Be sharp minded and alert. Don't believe things that are not truthful and not based on God's words. People will have different opinions and different things to say, but hold on to the TRUTH ONLY. Remember, filter the messages that you receive everyday and see to it that you only believe that which is TRUTH and based on God's word. Don't let anyone tell you that there is no hope because that is a lie. And don't let anyone tell you that miracles don't happen because they do.

2. Wear the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Don't give the enemy a foothold by responding in an ungodly manner. Still be good and kind to others even though you are suffering. Still try to serve and understand others. Do not let fear, doubt, anger, bitterness rule your heart because that is what the enemy wants. Still follow God even in the midst of your trial.

3. Let your feet be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Believe it or not, this is a time for you to shine the most as a disciple. Let it be evident to all who are observing your response to God, that you are a DISCIPLE of God. Let your light be evident to all at this time. Be always ready to share your faith because it is at this time that people will ask you the reason for the FAITH that you are displaying. So, be ready and share God's gospel of peace to anyone who asks.

4. Take up the shield of faith. The flaming arrows of the enemy definitely hurt and they are aimed at your heart. Do not let Satan's lies hurt your heart. Block Satan's lies with words of FAITH that come from the Bible. Remember God's promises and comfort to help you in times of trouble. Your faith will keep your heart from getting hurt. When tempted to dwell in discouragement and disbelief, hold up your shield and block them off. This will greatly help you overcome sadness and hopelessness.

5. Take the helmet of salvation. Always, always remember that you are already saved and therefore you are already victorious. Keep that in your head. Don't equate what you see in the flesh with what is truly happening in the spiritual world. In this battle, you already are a winner.

6. Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Who says you can't strike back. Strike back as hard as you can against the enemy by using God's words. Conquer every lie, every doubt, every accussation by God's powerful words. In no time, God's enemies (your enemies) will run away squirming in pain. So, why not use your sword powerfully? Use it fiercely and confidently because it is God's word.

Pray in the spirit on all occassions. There is no limit as to what you can ask and request for. Ask for a miracle and don't doubt. God is able.

With this in mind, be alert. Do this by getting enough rest, enought nutrition, and enough energy. An emotional and tired person isn't alert and sharp. Lastly, keep on praying for all the saints to be spared from similar trials. Keep on praying.