I kept silence during the inauguration
of Pres. Noynoy Aquino,watching and praying that indeed we have not made
a mistake in choosing this unlikely candidate. I have prophesied before
in my article, “The birth of a New Philippines” that appeared in May
and quickly taken on by the broadcast media and aired that we are living
in a new chapter of history.
Indeed, one can hardly recognize when history had come and favoured
the most unlikely person to be the president because we were... Continue reading ...
There are three keys of success in our Christian life: 1) the faith
that overcomes the world, 2) our trust in the Scriptures as His
inerrant Word and 3) intimate relationship with the Lord. Let’s discuss
how we can grow in faith and develop confidence that can help us grow
and do mighty exploits for God. There are teachers that teach
self-confidence is a vain thing in this world and therefore we must
throw it away. There are also teachers that tell the opposite that we
need it and we cannot... Continue reading ...
Fear binds the soul of man like no other just as faith strengthens us
and promotes well-being in our souls. In addition, just as faith is the
vehicle that releases power in our midst so that the forces of heaven
works with us, fear attracts the powers of hell to bind us and destroy
us. It is written that Jesus came to set the captives free, that He was
sent in order to “render powerless him who had the power of
death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of
death... Continue reading ...
I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples
no one was with Me. Isaiah 63:3
Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for
his friends. John 15:13
The old rugged cross was a symbol of the Roman empire’s prestige,
power and position. It is shameful to be crucified as the Scriptures say
that cursed be the man that hangs on a tree. The cross was a human
invention of the most wicked scheme of punishment to his fellow; yet
just as the human mind intended it ... Continue reading ...
Evil does have a life by itself. It cannot be denied that once this
life form infects the human being, he becomes its target until he is
fully overcome. The devil establishes itself in the believers mind and
heart as clearly expounded by Paul, For though we walk in the
flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our
warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction
of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing
raised up against t... Continue reading ...
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6
Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of
wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been
brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as
instruments of righteousness. Romans 6:13 (NIV)
Like a virus that needs a host before it can infect an animal or
plant, evil is not transmitted without a host. It needs body before
being incubated and then shots up to infect othe... Continue reading ...
I was greeted by the grim news that Lola Sol, as we fondly call the
former chief of the Department of Education Culture and Sports (now Dep
Ed) then at Bulanao, passed away. Her husband had just gone to be with
the Lord last January and to suddenly realize that she too had been
called at the city gates of the New Jerusalem above seems impossible and
unexpected. I came to know my lola personally during my kinder and
elementary days because my mother who was employed as a clerk at D... Continue reading ...
Apart from afflicting nations and people
groups just as we had discussed, fear can also hijack the destiny of a
nation or a person. Because Israel allowed the fear of the sons of Anak
to conquer them, they were never able to conquer their Promised Land.
This generation wasted for 40 years in the wilderness and did not see
the fruits of the Promised Land. Where a nation or people group
continues to allow fear to control them, they will stop moving forward,
that’s the end of a nati... Continue reading ...
Just as faith is the door for God’s
Kingdom in one’s life, fear is the door for Satan to enter into a
person’s life and oppress him. He controls people, kingdoms and nations
through fear. To the degree that one has allowed fear in his life that
is the degree that he is influenced by fear. Every time there is
distrust among nations and among friends, it is because one has been
affected by fear.
For example the conflict between Christians and Muslims in the south
is not merely ... Continue reading ...
How can someone have faith in God? Is it fact or feeling? Or how does
one know he already believes in God? I had such questions on my mind
when I was just starting up as a disciple. When I found that the Lord’s
disciples too had the same questions, I found, I was not in bad shape or
in bad company. They too had many questions but Jesus did not answer
them by explaining their faith. He pointed them to the Source, who alone
can grow such faith. I was always wary whether I am growing up ... Continue reading ...
In the coming days we will witness the
rebirth of the Philippines–our prayers for our country will determine
whether the outcome will be for good or for evil. I have been in a
church service this past week and had seen a vision of what is coming
upon our country. I felt that this is real and true, I saw the
Philippines bathed with a great light, the radiance and the expanse of
it covers the entire island in yellowish tinge coming from the heavens
above and animated by wavelit lig... Continue reading ...
“The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works
of the devil.” 1 John 3:8
The Lord could have easily bound Satan when He arose from the dead
but He allowed him to remain at large for the simple purpose of maturing
the saints. He was sent to destroy the works of the devil and just as
He was sent for this purpose, He has also sent the church to do the
same. There is really nothing that can hit us that God has not allowed
to come to pass. He does this to perfect the... Continue reading ...
“The Son of God appeared for this
purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8
The Lord could have easily bound Satan when He arose from the dead
but He allowed him to remain at large for the simple purpose of maturing
the saints. He was sent to destroy the works of the devil and just as
He was sent for this purpose, He has also sent the church to do the
same. There is really nothing that can hit us that God has not allowed
to come to pass. He does this to perfect... Continue reading ...
“The heavens are the heavens of the LORD, but the earth He has
given to the sons of men.” Psalms 115:16
The earth is the battleground between good and evil. It is occurring
in the hearts and minds of people. Even if we think we are inside the
church, God and the devil are pursuing us with diametrically opposed
purposes and intentions; the two most powerful beings in the universe
are both trying to kill us! Just as God desired to walk with man in the
garden in close and intimate fell... Continue reading ...
“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were
already kindled!” Luke 12:49-50
God did not instantly translated us to heaven
Many complain of the evil they see around us. Many are downright
angry at the bottom of their hearts. They complain of abortion, of their
corrupt leaders, of the Muslim insurgency, of the economy and so many
other things. They question, why God did not translate us to heaven
earlier when we were born again? Why can’t it be like Enoch or Elij... Continue reading ...
Elections are highly stressful activities and they can kill you if
you have heart problems for many unexpected turn of events. This could
be as simple as people bringing their solicitation letters at your gate
and asking for money or a true health threat such as the unbearable
scorching heat under the sun when campaigning on the road. Others could
be as simple as irritations from others who continuously hurl a barrage
of accusations against us on the radio or on the TV. Politics may see... Continue reading ...
Death and deliverance
The natural man is most bound by the fear of death (Hebrews 2:15).
There is nothing more feared, even reverenced by many than death whether
this is by culture or by religious practice. Some religions weight
their sins by the good they do in a given day. But it is clear from the
Scriptures that man cannot be saved by his good works because this is
considered rags by the Lord.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the ... Continue reading ...
Set at liberty
When truth sets us free, it liberates like no other so that even
Jesus said that “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you
free” (John 8:32 KJV). There is no truth that man cannot live by and be
set free of because it overcomes the lies of the devil. To be in the
truth means to live free from deception. But to think that we are
perfectly living in it now could also be a misunderstanding of the
truth. We live the truth only when we have first understo... Continue reading ...
Patience in the Kingdom
John who could have been waiting for deliverance was tested for his
patience inside the dunk and dark dungeon where Herod had thrown him. In
fact, he sent some of his disciples to ask the Lord if He were the One
they were waiting for. It was the sad voice of a man already
hard-pressed. When I passed through his cell, my thoughts were flying
again, racing through as I tried to remember the days that other
apostles have gone through. Most leaders who were entruste... Continue reading ...
The times in the wilderness
Israel was not quickly transported to heaven after believing God and
being “baptized” in the Red sea. She was thrust rather to walking the
great distance from that point on to the wilderness. This experience is
really a means of God to get their hearts truly aligned to His mind for
the calling that He has called them. This journey could have not lasted
very long, it could have been simply an 11 days journey and then to the
Promised Land, but because of t... Continue reading ...
“To do righteousness and justice is desired by the Lord rather
than sacrifice.” Prov 21:3
There was incredible silence after the Massacre of the victims of the
Ampatuan clan, until now, swift justice has not been served, and it
seems indeed that justice has been delayed. Where are we at this time?
Why do we not want to keep silent over this debacle? Are we not being
partial that because the poor stands at the door like a pauper and now
we disengage ourselves from their affairs? We h... Continue reading ...
“There seems to be a way for a man but the end thereof is death,”
Solomon wrote, and it seems that every man since tried to put up a
solution to solve every problem. There is a subtle thought, that just
one chance, just one idea, just one opportune time, and I will make it big. Like Lucifer, these
dreamers defile the sanctuary, use the name of God, their calling and
then trade it for the goods of the world. Every dream, goal and motive
which is not aligned with the Word of God, and ... Continue reading ...
I think most of us do not
grasp the degree of suffering and devastation that has hit Haiti. We
think because the front-page news about Haiti has diminished that
Haiti's need has also diminished, but it has not. The urgency of people
being buried alive has been replaced with the urgency of a million and a
half people without homes or shelter.
To put this disaster into
perspective, recall the terrifying Sumatran tsunami that killed 230,000
people in December 2004. Eighteen nations were... Continue reading ...
“Farewell my brother,” I bid him. Tears welled from my eyes and
started flowing. I sobbed. I could not keep my heart from grieving
knowing what awaited him in that dungeon. What could have happened had
John kept his mouth shut? Could he have live a little bit longer? Could
he have disciple more men? Those questions were coming to me like
rushing waters. But I bet, it is not the will of the Lord that this man
should live the way I thought of him. Even Paul could have lived to be
90 ... Continue reading ...
Almost all of us were swept with fear when our friend and brother bid
us to go. He said that his work is finished and the time to depart
draws near. He had been as prayerful as during the first time I saw him.
He did not pray with any structure nor did he pray with highfaluting
words, it was as if Jesus was conversing with His Father again. He
prayed for his disciples to be strong and to know the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world. He prayed for strength, joy and the
cour... Continue reading ...
Yesterday was different. The clouds seem to have their shining luster, stirred as if brought nearer into the clouds of heaven, full of stars. The Jordan river was not full and overflowing at the day nor it flooded its banks. This is the place where many come to refresh themselves and gather some water for washing their camels and donkey. Few have ever imagined that this River would still continue its coarse running for more than 4,000 years feeding Israel and the Jordan valley for the neede... Continue reading ...
John spoke many exhortations to the people and was the first one to
preach the gospel to them. His sermons are clearly related and had the
same flavor as what the Lord preached later before the congregation. And
he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”
Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what
shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by
force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wag... Continue reading ...
The words of the Lord were like fire that cleansed all darkness in my
heart. We were still in the wilderness and His words are cleansing me
over and over again. This could be the reason He has also said that
faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of the Lord. A clean heart
is a powerful heart, able to listen and obey the Lord without any
reserve. Some people speak about serving God, others do serve God but
only those whose service are genuine and full of joy will truly get
reward.... Continue reading ...
As I was about to get out of the Jordan meeting where John was doing
his crusade among the people, the Lord caught me up to show me where He
had trained this man. “Lord, you have anointed your great prophet with
such power that few sinners could even resist.” “You had heard John’s
fiery sermons but do not look at his fire, look above where his fire
comes from. Come and I will show you some things.” Then the Lord took me
in the desert wilderness of Judea where only the fox or v... Continue reading ...
I slept only to rise up and open my eyes
to see the desert wilderness of Judea, it seems untrue, but my dream
was real. The blinding light has penetrated my only cover, the rolled
blanket I took from my grandmother since travelling to Israel. We were
just young children then, talking about going somewhere and doing things
with no profoundities but some absurd foolish heads jesting about their
future. I heard of the Messiah who will come again and judge the world
in truth and righte... Continue reading ...
I have promised to our guru readers last
year that I am working on a new book release apart from the first one
which you have already read, “Awaking the church into her glorious
destiny.” Writing has not been my craft in High School and college
though I wrote a lot of letters to my love ones and especially to my
wife. To prove that, I have been part of the TNHS Newsette since my
second year in High School but for my three years of stay, I had never
been given the chance to go t... Continue reading ...
The five essential traits of spiritual leadership
- Vision-the eyes of the leader beholds the panorama
of how far, how wide and how long he can go in the revealed purposes of
God. Vision takes precedence in the life of leader because he must see
so that he can lead others. The lack of vision sounds the death knell
to any existing enterprise or organization. It is by having a vision
that we can understand and see how many more steps we need to get
nearer to what God called us to do. Just as Jesu...
Continue reading ...
There are many definition for the words leadership and leaders. Just
googling the word leadership gives you 122 million entries to look up.
That is how desperately varied we are in defining what leadership is,
some definitions of leadership are the following,
“The history of the world is but the biography of great men.” Thomas Carlyle, writer, historian
“Times produce the person and not the other way around.” Herbert Spencer, philosopher, social darwinist
“Leadership is influence.... Continue reading ...
As I have
written last week, understanding your purpose to answer the call of God
in your life could be the greatest cure to the church’s spurious and
superficial life in the spirit. True spiritual regeneration brings with
it genuine changes and fruit of eternity that could only be counted
once we graduate in heaven. There are general purposes which the
Christian life follows and fulfills on this earth. Only the naïve
thinks that this is all there is, however. Following the Lamb must b... Continue reading ...
One of the
greatest fear that man struggles todays is to have lived a life that
lacks purpose. Everyman asks for what purpose his existence has been
granted in the council of the Eternal One, and almost everyone either
ends up finding one or they are bent looking for it in the wrong
places. Do we have a purpose? Shall I answer this in 40 points like
Rick Warren did? Neigh, but let’s get down to the basics. God created
man for a purpose, that no one can doubt but as to why He made you an... Continue reading ...
Last time we addressed the question as to whether man has really a
purpose on this earth. And if he does, how can he find this out and
through which door can he enter to discover it. Just these previous
weeks I have been involved in giving lectures concerning the purpose of
man and how he can find this out. When I tried asking the audience if
they knew their purposes in this life, most of them would not even
raise their hands except for a handful few. If this is the state of the
church today...
Fröhliche Weihnachten! Naragsak a Pascua kadatayu amin. These two words are often painted in canvass of mixed colors, splashed with creativity, they hang almost everywhere in most shops and department stores. Some even glow at night
with neon brightness. This happens not just in Europe but around the
world where Christ is named and the
 To the extent that we do good deeds to the least of His Brethren, we did it to Him practice celebrated with assiduous religiosity. Sometime ago, I felt
the pa... Continue reading ...
 - Vehicles along with the victims were apparently dumped in ready made pits by the perpetrators
It has since been more than three weeks and we have been seeking justice for the sake of 57 innocent people who have been mercilessly killed for the sake of selfish ambition and territoriality of the Ampatuan prowling lions of Maguindanao. In due time, the Word of God clearly elaborates more and let us hear what could be the cry for righteousness and justice of those who have been buried i... Continue reading ...
We are taking sometime to absorb the lessons that we can get from the recent albeit macabre Ampatuan massacre. As Christians who are called to be the salt and light of the earth, we are supposed to be shining our light on issues in our
For there to be justice in the land, a judge must be impartial, decisive and takes action on the basis of evidences and witnesses communities that beg us to question why? And how we can avoid those same pitfall that our brethren has fallen to. We are decei... Continue reading ...
The carnage that left 57 dead at Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao on
November 23 has left us all wondering for what barbarity and primitive
acts has been committed not just to the Maguindanao populace but for us
all. This begs us not just a simple what? Or why? But a condition that
existed already and burst out of control, finally the devil has been
exposed for what it is. Political violence that marked many provinces
is a color that has co-existed among many
 The killing fields is a deliberate atte...
William Tyndale
A man with genuine faith once stood without regard for his life and
said, “I defy the pope, and all his laws;” and added, “If God spared
him life, ere many years he would cause a boy that driveth the plough
to know more of the Scripture than he did.” So William Tyndale begun
the English Reformation that changed the very flavor of Christianity in
the
 William Tyndale, reformer and Bible translator west. He was a man raised up in the farming counties of Wales but as
a chi... Continue reading ...
There are many definition for the words leadership and leaders. Just
googling the word leadership gives you 122 million entries to look up.
That is how desperately varied we are in defining what leadership is,
some definitions of leadership are the following,
 Bro. Edison Macusi giving a lecture on Leadership-seeing and taking action “The history of the world is but the biography of great men.” Thomas Carlyle, writer, historian
“Times produce the person and not the other way around.” H... Continue reading ...
Even if Wycliffe had not translated the Bible in English, his action of
training lay preachers or common men to preach the Word of God in
England before the priests of his day was a rebellious act tantamount
to excommunication. But he excelled even when pressured to stop his
program and it was during these times when he was already under fire of
 The lollards were disciples who took up the vision of Christ to preach the gospel to all men as Wycliffe activated the movement Rome that he wa...
As some of you may already know, we went to Kiangan, Ifugao for the
CYF leadership conference that has instilled a greater zeal and
devotion on our part who oversaw the work there. Truly, God’s army is
moving forward and I could find no other encouragement than that my
survey of the youth leaders there showed that 87% of these young men
and women wants to do ministry and 95% of them in worship/music area.
This is not a coincidence because it is during these dull, boisterous
and chaotic peri... Continue reading ...
“The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they
transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant.
Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held
guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men
are left.” (Isaiah 24:5-6)
Many among us thinks that the global warming is simply the business
of Science to take care and save the planet. Despite the many warnings
and the awareness preached by environmental movement gr... Continue reading ...
Political dynasties did not completely surface not until the post
World War II. Most Filipino leaders then after the war were completely
driven by reconstruction efforts and the Philippine economy is just
enjoying its highest value in the
 Malacanang Palace, the house of all Philippine Presidents Far East. War tempered and full of vision, this post World War II
leaders gave a sense of vision to Filipinos both the rich and the poor.
It was to be going on to great progress, but the wilderness pe... Continue reading ...
A fragmented society
The Philippine culture has a great flair for being known for
political dynasties. One question that we can have on this is what are
the factors that caused this thing to happen? Why are many Filipinos
opting for rather a familiar person and not looking for another one or
for a change? Culture alone and history won’t completely answer these
questions but we do have a culture that promotes political dynasties to
run. The history of the Filipino people would to show us th... Continue reading ...
In an amazing twist of destiny, we have been spared from
another possibly deadly typhoon attack but praise the Lord for as we
have all been praying, God stopped Ramil in the sea. Can God really
stop a typhoon, much less a superstrong one in the radar of weather
forecasters? Yes, that truth is easier realized than anything when we
think that He is both just, merciful and loving God. God can stop any
percolating typhoon, windstorm, thunderstorm or even tornado. Even at
the risk of being ...
The Middle Ages
One characteristic of the Middles Ages is the combination of drastic
fall of the Church from one reigning as supreme with the risen Lord in
the heavens to one earthly minded and having lost its savor. There are
many important lessons that we can get from the Middle Ages but one
prominent event that plays well into the modern history of nations is
the
 There
would have been no modern world as we know it today without the man who
brought freedom movements into the fray. Truth spo...
Previously we discussed that there is an ongoing battle
between light and darkness and ultimately, light will win just as when
you open your lights at night, it drives away darkness in the room. A
basic way to gain understanding how best   Blackholes can suck the light of others when nearby stars passes them by we can truly become the light of the world, is by examining the
Scriptures which Jesus used to teach the people about being lights. It
is imperative that if we want to properly u...
Given all the prevailing issues that have come due to the
floods that has brought our country to its knees, there is only one
sure solution that everyone of us need to understand. We must build our
houses on the Rock, that is plain, stable and solid ground that none
can push away. This Rock is not dead, nor is it of volcanic origin or
“earthly” as many geologists would mistake. It is not. We have to see
the perspectives that is upon us now by asking three salient questions,
1) Wh... Continue reading ...
How can one be a living witness? This is one of the most urgent
questions and probably the most answered question by those who have
gone through a Christian witnessing course. But is witnessing the whole
point of being a living witness? Jesus called Himself the Faithful
witness (Revelation 1:5) and the Faithful and True witness (Revelation
3:14) while He also called Antipas as His faithful and true witness who
was martyred for His name in the city of Pergamum (Revelation 2:13).
The Word witne... Continue reading ...
One of my favorite books in the Bible is the book of Daniel. This
man of God tread down the serpent and acted as counsellor, watchman and
interpreter of God in the courts of the Kings during his days. He
served one of the most cruel king ever born of woman, Nebuchadnezzar.
He also served Darius the Mede as well as Cyrus the great. During one
instance in his service to the house of Nebuchadnezzar, when his son
was already ruling in his place, a finger appeared suddenly on the
wall. Lost of wor... Continue reading ...
Can a nation be born again? Can it emerge from where it was mixed up and bring a distinct culture, language and practice that it is? This is the story of the Bago tribe as remarkable as this must be, yet in the story of nations and how they evolve into a distinct race and culture of their own, the Bagos can be called to be a nation of their own. The word nation means ethnos in Greek, which distinctly applies to every tribe that is found on earth today having come from different parental sourc... Continue reading ...
As we have been discussing previously, fear binds the soul of man
much like the jaws of a predatory animal clasps the flesh of its prey.
Previously, we said that there is nothing to fear, except to fear God
Himself because He is the Lord Almighty who holds the hearts of kings
like water and turns it wherever He wants (Prov. 21:1). We also said
that faith is counter to fear and this is held by the peace of God in
our hearts. I want us to take a closer look on this fruit of the Spirit
that keep... Continue reading ...
Fear binds the soul of man like no other just as faith strengthens us
and promotes well-being in our souls. In addition, just as faith is the
vehicle that releases power in our midst so that the forces of heaven
works with us, fear attracts the powers of hell to bind us and destroy
us. It is written that Jesus came to set the captives free, that He was
sent in order to “render powerless him who had the power of death, that
is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were
... Continue reading ...
We continue our discussion on how we can best become the harbingers of peace and light into our families, communities and eventually our nation. The church is the most powerful entity in this world when we all combine our resources together as one big cooperative and institution. Whenever the Lord looks down from heaven, He does not see His body as bodies but He only sees one Church, His Bride. It is therefore very repugnant if not at all presumptuous to think that we own the people of God as... Continue reading ...
In one of the most prophetic songs I have ever heard, Michael W. Smith’s Above All declares the majesty and power of God over the creation and dominion of man and all created beings. God’s power is really above all authority, above all powers, above all kings, above all thrones and dominions-He truly is the epitome, the one above all things. If Jesus is then King above all, what is the question? This is the struggle of all believers during times of crisis and during trials. Can God be tru... Continue reading ...
I was wondering if there were signs to be observed and things that we have overlooked why we have not known before hand the magnitude of the flood that will be coming. If we could have known then we could have prepared very well. This in essence is the conclusion of many of those who were surprised of the flooding that took away millions of pesos of infrastructure damages and more than a hundred lives.  Because we thought that PAGASA forecasts are not worth learning, most of us were caught una... Continue reading ...
This past two days we saw the great swell of water that flooded Marikina, Rizal, Bulacan and 23 other provinces that could only be described as catastrophic in nature. Typhoons and hurricanes represent one of the most potent forces of nature that could ever bring disaster on earth. With an average of 20 typhoons passing all over the country, there is no doubt that it takes a great faith and patience to truly build something of value and wonder in our country specially in Luzon and parts of Vi... Continue reading ...
Previously, we discussed that one of the greatest barriers that is coming down is the carnal reasoning that we must only take good care ourselves and forget the others. Being our brother’s keeper is loving our neighbor as we love ourselves which is the second commandment of Love. Probably, all the great mistakes in history is rooted in self-preservation, thus Jesus forewarned “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. “For w... Continue reading ...
The following is our tribute to the family of Renan Gup-Ay who
passed without even saying goodbye to his family because he was
snatched into eternity while studying Medicine as a second year proper
at St. Louis University Baguio. May the Lord comfort all the bereaving
family and give them the grace to stand and face the storms in this
life. God bless you all.
A monologue of the dead
How fallen is the man of the family,
How terror has befallen us all,
Death has taken one slain,
Where is victor... Continue reading ...
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