It's been 5 months since the last time I updated my blog. And for the past 5 months, as prophesied, my passion for the Lord is being revived.
This year, it's been accelerating. As I go near the end of the tunnel of our financial crisis, I am surely coming out victorious and on fire for the Lord like never before. This is in fulfillment of the prophecy Jesus gave me when He told me we're going to go under tests.
Last Friday. for the first time in my life, I was invited to speak to our church's Youth Night. It's a once-a-month gathering of the youth (ages 13 to 25) in our church. Of course, I was excited....and nervous at the same time. But without second thoughts, I wanted my first preaching to be focused on the habit of spending quality time with God on a daily basis.
This topic is something I can share from the heart because I firmly believe that if I did not learn to develop this habit, I would've turned my back to the Lord a long time ago.
I shared the revelation that the Lord gave me while reading the story of man's fall. Ever since the beginning, knowing God and His love for us gave us eternal life. But when we sought to be "like God" by knowing ourselves instead, we died.
Now I understand why we need to fix our eyes on Jesus. The revelation about Him and the Father's love will sustain us everyday. And how do we get this revelation if we do not spend time with God? If Adam and Eve needed to go near the Tree of Life to eat its fruit, we need to go near Jesus to get to know Him better.
I also shared that everything we learn from our pastors and spiritual mentors only work with the Presence. God's promises are sure and amen in the Presence. God's presence makes everything work. So why do we think it's not important for us to seek His presence on a daily basis.
I shared all these last Friday. But the truth is, most of what I said on the pulpit I already forgot. I was kind of nervous when I was speaking. I'm really not a skilled public speaker. But the Lord told me "Just be yourself. I'm not grading you."
I shared to them that I enjoy my God in my simple ways. You don't have to be boring when spending time with God. You can laugh, sing, dance, and do whatever you do well. I draw when I'm with God. I'm an artist! That's what I do. And I enjoy doing it even more when with Jesus.
I told them that they can forget everything else I taught them in Genesis just not the commitment to spend at least 10 minutes every morning with God. The time we spend with Him indicates how much we value Him. That if we honor Him with our time, He will bless the remaining.
People call me "pastor, pastor" because I seem to know " a lot" in the Bible. But if the Lord will permit me to talk back, I will tell these people that I just spend time with God everyday. It's normal that as I spend time with Jesus, I get to know Jesus. And I believe this calling is not only for pastors, church leaders and spiritual mentors. It is the highest calling of every Christian - to know Christ and to be molded into His image as the natural effect of knowing Him. Not just head knowledge but intimate knowing. To know God by heart.
After I spoke that night, my flesh keeps on reminding me to grade myself. There are hits and misses that I remembered. Things I wish I have included. Things I wish I had not. But I do not want to dwell on that. Clearly, when I was speaking, the Lord was with me helping me in delivering my first preaching. He was the one at work, not me. I put on a garment of authority when I was speaking but the moment I went down the pulpit, I put on a servant's cape again because this is what the Lord had taught me.
When I was home, I saw the Lord looking at me in a way He never looked at me before. It's that expression of deep love and thanksgiving without saying anything. His eyes expressed a deep joy while He was washing my feet. I told myself "where else can I find a God like Him. Who am I, oh Lord, that you should wash my feet? But I let the vision continue because the Love He is showing me was a reward beyond what I imagined.
I told the Lord "I will love you more and more each day. For there is no one like You. No one loves me like You do." As I write this, I am still at awe with His passionate love. It is the joy of sharing whatever I can share to the young ones. And I believe my Lord is very pleased with what I shared.
It is my prayer that everyone who commits a daily heart time with God increase in the knowledge of the Lord even more. Like Jesus, David, and every spiritual model in the Bible who spent time with God every morning, they shall be called a people after God's own heart.
Worthy is the Lord! Worthy is He of our time!
