I have a Father! :)

♫ I have a Father

He calls me His own

He'll never leave me

No matter where I go

He knows my name

He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls 

And hears me when I call ♫

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness."
-The LORD. (Jeremiah 31:3)

  

BEHOLD LOVE!

In my "Remember" post I rant about all my dissatisfactions with my life then how God told me that all I need to do is to remember His love, His rich, rich Love because it His love that transforms me and brings restoration to my life. 

"BEHOLD! what kind of love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1a)

This is funny because that's the same thing He told me at Prefall (He spoke through Thaddeus in Hello Africans post) and when I stopped fixing my eyes on myself (my mistakes and the devil's accusations) and on my mind (trying to understand grace logically), yeah when I took my eyes off me and fixed them on God (the Living Loving Faithful Father) I was set free! It didn't happen immediately because there was a battle of doubt (unbelief) vs. faith (choosing to believe the Truth about God, His great Love and my identity in Him). It really helped me to speak the Truth outloud to silence the accuser in my thoughts. Yeah He then set me free and filled me with His Love through His Holy Spirit("God has poured out his Love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."(Romans 5:5)And yeah when I did this (renewed my mind with Truth), it was kinda like the story of the prodigal son: 

"So he got up and went to his father.“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate." (Luke 15: 19-24)

The thing is God is our Father and He sees us and cares about us and He doesn't care how long we've been distracted by the world, deceived or oppressed by the enemy, He loves us the same. All He cares about is that we come back to Him and freely receive His Love and find our identity in Him (sons and daughters) because He hurts to see us hurt and oppressed by the world. He just LOVE US for free! hahaha We don't have to work for it or even understand it. We just need to see it. Let us behold His Love :-)

NEVER will I leave you, NEVER will I forsake you

At one prayer meeting during Fall, Paul, Thaddeus and I were praying for each other and doing listening prayer. God gave me encouraging words through them. Paul told me that God was going to protect me- He got a vision of the cross and it's shadow (It reminded me of Psalm 91) and Thaddeus got this verse for me:

"I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:18)

This was really encouraging to hear because, I was facing a lot of opposition and I still had the fear of rejection. At prefall, I shared in my post that many people had visions about what was going to happen this year. Most of people got visions that spiritual warfare would intensify this year. Some people had visions/dreams that there would be lots of conflict between the staff and students in the fellowship and it is unfortunate that this came to pass :( ( "a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household." -Matthew 10: 36. To be continued... )
Let's all behold His love and receive it =) God is with us and even when everyone deserts us He never will.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ." (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

P.S: Thanks God for my earthly dad, for how you have shown me Your love and protection over me through Him. And thanks God for being the Perfect Father who loves me perfectly :)

*Note: "My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." =) (Proverbs 3:11-12)
I thank God for my African parents who helped me understand what this verse means lol.
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Every stress and anxiety is gone when I enter Your Rest. I am surrounded by the Power of Your Love! :) 

LOVE ME :)

Hey everyone =) Just wanna share this:

"When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” (John 21:15)

I think Jesus is asking us the same thing. "Do you love me more than_______?:

Like the song let's ask Him to 
♫ Come make war on every other lover... ♫

And Read 1 John =) Be blessed! Let's remember God is with us as we do our papers, midterms and prepare for finals. All the best! =) (Message I shared with InterVarsity on Nov. 17, 2011)

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22: 37-40)

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♫ What does love look like? is the question I've been pondering ♫

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” - Jesus ♥ John 13: 34-35 ♥ 

2/13/2013 -> In the Journey post God was encouraging me that I'm on my way home. Yes I've encountered many obstacles and setbacks but nothing is wasted. He was showing me what was in the way of me being myself, what was in the way of me loving others. I learnt a lot and He's been renewing my mind. I already mentioned some of the obstacles that I identified but through my experiences over the break and coming into this quarter God showed me another one that I hadn't noticed and I think this just might be the last one: I really care about unity so I want to see reconciliation so I try to get everyone on the same page. I try to get everyone together to reconcile through waiting on God, fighting for each other using spiritual weapons such as prayer and worship. Which is also what God wants to happen and what He had told me to share. But then nothing happens then I feel the burden to try to make people understand why that is the solution so we can all apply it together. And I wait for that to happen because I know things will be easier after that. Things will flow. People will finally understand what I'm saying and I'll be accepted. Everyone will care about each other more and love each other deeper. So I wait for that to happen.

LOVE LIKE JESUS DID. LOVE INDIVIDUALS. LOVE ALWAYS.

So God was showing me where my approach was wrong. Yes He had told me to share the solution, the shortcut to unity and reconciliation. But He was telling me that it wasn't my burden to carry. I felt obliged to carry it since I care for unity but it's not my job to make everyone understand. He told me to stop defending myself since it's His battle not mine. His Word not mine. What He revealed to me about myself really pierced my heart. He showed me that I was waiting for things to get easier so that I could love people. I was waiting for the right conditions or permission to be myself. I was waiting to feel welcome and accepted for me to give my heart away to people. And He showed me that's not real love. I want to love people but at the same time I don't want to inconvenience them by initiating if they don't seem to want me/ need me in their lives. But He showed me that it was self-defensive and to love I need to die to myself. I need to love like Jesus did. To love in the face of rejection/ not being included, opposition, apathy, being misunderstood, being unknown, being different. I just need to love always. He told me stop worrying about what people think about me because He sees my heart. So just to follow His lead and give His love away. I thought I had to get everyone on the same page so we can all apply stuff together so I tried and failed and kept trying and kept failing. But He just told me to keep it simple and love my friends. To love my neighbor. Yes unity is great and it's gonna happen eventually but everything needs to start at home, at the individual level. To love and treasure everyone He has placed in my lives right where they're at and right where I'm at without waiting for some change to happen first. That was really freeing for me to hear! I don't need to wait anymore. I don't need to fight anymore. I am free to be me and free to love others! Thank you Lord for your great mercy for me and for renewing my mind with Your Love and Truth! =) I Believe in the miracle of Love =D I'm excited to apply this! Leaving the past behind since God makes all things NEW! :D

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♫ You must love Me with arms wide open, a heart exposed, sometimes bleeding ♫
Update: 4/3/13

So at the beginning of Winter quarter God told me this: "Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24)

And now, after my last quarter at UCSB, I am still a single seed :( ...I should have let my emotions get in the way... Vulnerability will be the death of me. It will be the start of new life.... Listen to the arms wide open song again.... More details to come. 

Tips for Conflict Resolution

Lessons from a Jesus-Peter Interaction :

Keep in mind spiritual realities:

"Praise God, Rebuke The Devil"

1. Let's acknowledge how God speaks to us through each other.

{Main Text: Matthew 16}

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

--->If we fail to do this we are: a) Not paying attention to God when He does speak through people. b) We are not giving God the glory. We are giving it to each other. Yet it all belongs to Him. Yes we are to "bless each other and encourage each other IN the Lord" but the glory should all go to the Lord.

2. Let's rebuke the devil and how he wants to sneak in his schemes (opposing God's plans) in us and through us.

" (Jesus predicts his death)...Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

"Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." (Romans 14:19)

***-> Let's resolve conflict coz it hurts God (he doesn't like disunity), it affects worship (Matthew 5:23-24), affects fellowship and keeps us from bearing fruit (love, joy, peace...). To address conflict with the urgency it deserves we have to remember that we are our "brother's/sister's keeper" so we have to devote ourselves to God's word and to each other (Acts 2:42).

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 )

(Message I shared with InterVarsity on Nov. 3, 2011)

NO SHAME!

One reason we suffer is because God is pruning us (the Greek word used for "prune" also means "to clean") (John 15). He is leading us to a place of deeper trust in Him, meaning there's no room for idols (anything else that we put our trust in that's not Him).

Read Psalm 16.

He wants us to surrender. He is leading us to rest =)

At the same time, He wants us not to be ashamed of our struggles. He wants us to stop feeling ashamed for how we struggle and fail to let go of our idols, how we fail to surrender, how we fail to trust Him. We are human, we are weak.

He is saying: there's no shame, no shame, no condemnation. He wants to help us surrender. So don't strive to surrender, you will fail. It's not about strife (your own strength), its about rest (rest in His power over sin and His ability to set us free).

(Hebrews 4:14-16) "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." ♥

We are safe in His arms so we can trust Him. Let us approach Him in confidence (not shame) and find rest in His love and grace =)

***Also, let's renew our mind with His Word (He has lots of promises for us!) coz like the Mexican Pastor said, "You defeat the enemy with the Word of God." So let's take up our sword! (Ephesians 6) =)

(Message I shared with InterVarsity on Oct. 26th, 2011)

Listen to these powerful songs:

"I Love You" by Misty Edwards:

• http://youtu.be/UHlliA_Ui2o

"One of us" by Paula Bowers:

• http://youtu.be/_g3yHc7rT34
  
  
  

Rooted in Love

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”(Ephesians 3: 14-21)

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

 and the love of God,

 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit

 be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14) =)

Family Matters

(Message I shared with InterVarsity on Oct. 10th, 2011)

"My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins."(James 5:19-20)

Why "brothers and sisters" is in bold :

The other girl in the picture is Olivia, my younger sister (and birthday twin! Oct 16 twins!!!:) Growing up, Olivia didn't always have other kids around to play with and my brother was always too rough with her so I felt bad for her and played her games with her (we are 6 yrs apart). She really loved that!

But problems always arose when she saw me as just her friend and kinda forgot that I was her big sis too. Conflict sprung when instead of just doing what she liked me to do with her (play games), I told her to do something or not to do something. So yeah, when the need arose I would correct, rebuke and challenge her, and she would always get mad at me and say, "I'm not your friend anymore! Don't talk to me!" Then I would snap back, "You don't have to be my friend but I'll always be your sister! haha. I'm your big sister so I'll tell you what to do and I'll correct you when you're wrong."

LOL that's just a snapshot of the drama in my family :)

*What I'm trying to say is ♫ WE-ARE-FAMILY!!!! ♫ So let's care for each other and love each other.

*Being family means that we should be having fun with each other but we should also correct and rebuke each other when need arises.

*Let's not esteem our bonds of friendship more than our familial blood ties (it is the blood of Jesus that binds us together) -> I'd rather speak the truth which may result in you hating me and you may tell me, "I'm not your friend anymore! Don't talk to me!" I'd rather do that than not rebuke you, stay silent, then watch sin eat you up and leave the devil to lead you down the path of destruction (hell is real and it's terrible!!!).

FAMILY FIGHTS FOR EACH OTHER.

*Let's not just tell each other what we want to hear but what we need to hear.

*Let's not leave all the "dirty job" (rebuking) for the staff. Because we all have some spiritual authority over each other's life (in the sense that we can speak life into each other).

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8)

FOR REAL LET'S START & CONTINUE ACTING LIKE A FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." (1 Corinthians 12: 25-26)

Listen to this song below. (It's sung by kids but the message is really deep.)Here are the lyrics:

"Welcome to the family, 
we're glad that you have come to share your life with us.

As we grow in love and may we always be to you
 what God would have us be,

A family always there, to be strong and to lean on.

May we learn to love each other, more with each new day.

May words of love be on our lips in everything we say.

May the Spirit melt our hearts and teach us how to pray.

That we might be a true family."