Before I come to know the Lord Jesus Christ, my life is a mess. I came from a broken family and become a mother at the age of 19. My name is: regret, shame, pain, dirty, angry, failure, hated, forgotten. My life is full of valleys, with no mountain in sight. I use to blame others specially my parents of my difficult life. Growing up, I told myself, I will never let my children suffer the same misery I had and from a broken family but it happened. I got married but failed.
In order to survive I decided to work abroad thinking to give a good future for my kids. But life here is not easy as I dream and wish for...trials become more and more. I don't want to be alone so I focused in the worldly thing. Forgetting the reason why I am here abroad. Until one day, December of 2009, (is the day that God found me and changes everything, a beginning of a new life), a friend of mine invited me to a party (thinking it was a usual party we used to go) didn't know that it was a Women’s Christmas Fellowship. That night when I heard the message of the speaker as she share the word of God, to be exact John 3:16, there is something I felt touches my heart, tears fall down and one woman approach me and pray for me the salvation prayer. And without no doubt and hesitation I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal Savior. I became a new person that night. Jesus saved me from myself. He became my life. I go home full of happiness that I really can't explain even when I wake up the next day I still feel His presence and the Joy is still in my heart. That feelings I never felt before. I feel like I am so LOVED, the love which I have never felt before. At first I don't understand, but as days pass by I see God's faithfulness in my life. Things with me changed; My weekend become busy attending to the church and going to the Bible study, I continue studying and reading more of His word and trying my best to live with it. I become a new person, and I told myself, No turning Back! 2011 after I was water baptized, I joined the Women Ministry and fulfill my vow to Jesus that once He change me, I will follow Him and serve Him with all my heart, soul and mind. I am so motivated to share and encouraged other woman the life of being a significant Woman living with a purpose of serving others. Same year, blessing run over me, the Lord qualified the unqualified giving better opportunities to serve and be served. I used to share with others, that it is Him who is the highest authority whom I serve put me in the position I have right now. He is my great provider. Best thing happen to me, and I really want to thank the Lord, He teaches me the genuine and real meaning of FORGIVENESS. I went back home to Philippines and I reach out with my parents (both my mother and father) and forgive them. I become open in helping all my siblings both side. God is full of surprises as He allows me to spend time with my father for the first time and the best thing is, it happened here in Abu Dhabi. As I continue serving Him, God is really faithful to His promises, He blessed me with a new family of my own. I got married to the one He gave me, a faithful servant, a husband and a best father to our children. Now, we are blessed with another blessing, a bundle of joy baby Nathanael; we are now living a one BIG happy family. We are thankful to God that our children become more dependent and obedient to God even though we (Retchie & I) are not on their side to guide them physically, Prayer is our weapon against all trials that happens. I'm proud to share that we are all serving God, as our thanks giving for all that He has done in our life. This time was totally different now. I was done running. I am not alone. I asked Jesus to carry me through it and he did and He still doing. Because of him I have now a beautiful smile on my face and a song in my heart. I have valleys, but I also have mountains. I have hope; I see the good in the bad. I am transformed. I know now my name and it is change to: Joy, Peace, Over-comer, Remembered, Redeemed, Restored, Loved and most of all Forgiven. My life story has been aired at GMA 7 (Philippine local TV station ) through the 700 Club Asia 2 years back, and shared a thousand times in different groups in social medias giving inspirations and encouragement to others and still until now I'm receiving messages from different places of the world, asking for prayers and I'm happy to testify that I was able to win souls through my life testimony. JESUS and His truth, His light, and His precious gift to me, the gift being He died on the cross for EVERY single sin I have ever committed, and then rising the third day to completely defeat satan and his demons and all of sin and death’s power. He HAS set me free and given me every promise in His Holy Word, The Bible, including this fitting verse below: Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's Peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His Peace will guard your heart and mind as you live in Jesus Christ. (Philippians 4:6-8) To God be all the Glory!
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"We make it our aim (we are ambitious) to be well-pleasing unto Him."-- 2Co_5:9 (R.V., see marg.).
There is a scope for ambition within the sphere of the Christian Faith, and to be without it is to miss an influential incentive to high and holy endeavour. Our Lord does not destroy any natural faculty, but directs it to a worthy object. Instead of living for material good, or the applause of the world, we must stir ourselves to seek those things which are the legitimate objects of holy ambition. In two other passages the Apostle Paul uses this same word. See 1Th_4:11; Rom_15:20 (R.V. marg.). There is the ambition of daily toil,--"Be ambitious to be quiet, to do your own business, to work with your own hands." In the age in which the Apostles lived there was much unrest, and in the case of the Christian Church this was still further increased by the expectation of the approaching end of the world; many were inclined to surrender their ordinary occupations, and give themselves up to restlessness and excitement, all of which was prejudicial to the regular ordering of their homes and individual lives, But the injunction is that we are not to yield to the ferment of restlessness; we are not to be disturbed by the feverishness around us, whether of social upheavals or for pleasure or gain. The ambition to be well-pleasing to Christ. At His judgment-seat He will weigh up the worth of our individual mortal life, and He is doing so day by day. Not only when we pass the threshold of death, but on this side, our Lord is judging our character and adjudicating our reward. Let us strive to be as well-pleasing to Him in this life, as we hope to be in the next. The ambition of Christian work--"Being ambitious to preach the Gospel." The great world lies open to us, many parts of it still unevangelized; and all around us in our own country are thousands, among the rich and poor, who have no knowledge of Christ. Let us make it our ambition to bring them to Him, always remembering that the things we do for Christ must be that which He works through us in the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom_15:18-19). The ANFGM - Abu Dhabi men's ministry (A.M.E.N.) created a basketball team to compete for inter-faith basketball tournament. They gather not just to play, not just to show their talents in dribling and shooting like their favorite court heroes but there much more this team wants to fulfill. Through the effort of Bro. Vincent as the coordinator, Bro. Alvin as coach, Bro. Ronald as assistant coach at Bro. RV as captain ball. Fifteen players composes the whole team. These men stood up and prayed and came up with the objective that makes ANFGM BASKETBALL TEAM their tool to REACH OUT all basketball enthusiasts, bring them to Christ and unite them with ANFGM's members through Seed Group for the Glory of God. The AMEN ministry continue fulfilling their vision statement, "But you, Man of God… Fight the good Fight of Faith, Lay hold on Eternal Life….." PRAYER Give us grace, O Lord, to work while it is day, fulfilling diligently and patiently whatever duty Thou appointest us; doing small things in the day of small things, and great labours if Thou summon us to any; rising and working, sitting still and suffering, according to Thy word. AMEN. "Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear. Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: For He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him."-- Psa_45:10-11.
IT IS difficult to decide the occasion of this Psalm, which was written to celebrate a royal marriage. But there is much which goes far beyond the immediate circumstances out of which it sprang. We recognize its prophetic character, as well as its historic basis, and that it points onward to Christ the King. It is so quoted in Heb_1:8-9, and we may therefore certainly appropriate the Psalm as directly addressed to our Lord, who is our rightful King. Christ's claim rests on these grounds: The Righteousness of His Rule. His sceptre is not a rod of iron, but of "uprightness." Our King loves righteousness and hates wickedness. Therefore His throne stands firm, and He claims the allegiance of all pure and upright souls. Would that all rulers and leaders realized that right makes might! The Gladness of His Reign. The righteous heart is the joyful one; and our King teaches us that so far from holiness meaning gloom and depression, it is the root and fountain of true and abiding joy. Jesus was "the Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief," but underneath was an abiding and eternal joy, like the spring flowers that nestle under the warm coverlet of snow. There is a blessed attractiveness in Christian joy and gladness, which is characteristic of our King, and should mark all His subjects. The Love of His Heart. The bride is willing to forsake her own people and her father's house, and if we take the Lord Jesus to be our King and Husband, we shall be willing to count all things but loss for love of Him. Therefore He said, "Whosoever he be that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple." "'He is thy Lord." We are reminded that however tender may be the sense of Christ's love to us, we must reverence Him as our King. Reverence is the best foundation for true affection. We shall never fully know His salvation until we recognize and own Him as King. "Thy King cometh unto thee, having salvation." "He is exalted as Prince and Saviour." Lift up your heads, O gates of Mansoul, and the King of Glory shall come in! (Rev_3:20). PRAYER In all things attune our hearts to the holiness and harmony of Thy Kingdom. Hasten the time when Thy Kingdom shall come, and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. AMEN. |