Week 3 Insights- Papal Visit, Let it Drop, 5 CSs in which God Guides Us

One of the things I hope to do this 2015 is to write (whether here or on my trusted journal) at least once a week about how God has been good to me, the things He taught me or revealed to me, how I've been, the things I went through and related stuff. It was a commitment I made during the camp I attended before 2014 ended, but which was also a bit of a compromise because no matter how much I appreciate the beauty of writing down my thoughts especially conversations with God and amazing milestones, I can't seem to bring myself to do it daily. If it still isn't obvious, I'm an introvert writer (if there's such a thing) which means, I am not too comfortable sharing my notes to others. Part of it include days (okay, most days) when I just want to keep my thoughts to myself without any desire to write it, only to regret later on that I didn't keep a record of it. Besides, I know I can blame it on the introversion all I want but it would still boil down to my laziness..hehe..so I realistically aimed at writing once a week...and so far so good! Yey!

Today is the first day of the long weekend (January 15-19) to give way to the Papal Visit. I am not Catholic but I like the example Pope Francis is showing Christians- on living a life of love, mercy, and compassion. And just like what Pope Francis has been pointing at, I hope all the people who admire him will know more of Jesus because of his example. May they go beyond seeing Pope Francis as he is, to seeing who is behind what he has become, the amazing God who transforms lives for His glory.

We're also on our 5th day of prayer and fasting in our church and I admit that I am not as focused and as controlled. I initially committed that I would eat only 1 meal a day but yesterday, at around 10 am, I gave up and ate a bread because I was already beginning to feel irritated with the people who asked help from me. Pressure's high at work these days because of the many requirements we have to accomplish so before committing an even greater sin, I said a prayer and ate one piece of pandesal (with ham and cheese..hehe). After all, I am sure God would not delight in my sacrifice if I harbor ill thoughts against my neighbor because I was hungry; but to be able to have done both - obedience and sacrifice would have been better. Right now and until tomorrow, I committed to a one meal fast and every night, we gather as a family to discuss our daily prayer and fasting devotion. This is a first for us because we usually pray and fast individually, but doing it with family certainly makes the hunger easier to bear. Our daily devotion focuses on the armour of God; and God has been revealing to me the devil's strongholds in my life that need to be destroyed, as well as its attacks I need to be guarded from. But more than being guilty, I long to be liberated from all of Satan's lies. I know I am a work in progress but I've been failing more lately. Thankfully, I have a God who never fails and never gives up on me and in Him I know I am an overcomer. So as I rely not on my own strength, I intend to strengthen God's armour on  me by praying and studying His Word more frequently and intentionally.

In relation to that, I recently finished Joyce Meyer's New Day New You devotional in Youversion Bible and certainly gained a lot of revelations and tips on how I could work on my emotions. One of my favorite lessons was on letting things drop, trusting God and letting Him work instead of worrying about things that are beyond my control. And even if it's within my control, I'm gonna practice majoring only on the majors and loosening my hold on everything else. It would take discarding a big chunk of my pride, which is a good thing, and just trusting God and offering to Him all my concerns in prayer. Aaaand so far, so good..I think:)

Finally, I'm also on Bible in a Year devotional, still in Youversion Bible, and while I find the readings a lot longer than what I'm used to, the insights I've been getting are most profound and helpful in understanding the Word so even though I'm behind with the lessons, I intend to stick with it and use the long weekend to catch up.  

This morning, I particularly took note of what I read on 5 CSs in Which God Guides Us. I found it very insightful and useful that I wrote it on my physical journal and I'm also writing it here again for anyone who might find these nuggets of wisdom useful as well. These were illustrated in Genesis 24:1-67, the story of how Abraham's servant knew that Rebekah was God's chosen wife for Isaac. This does not only apply to choosing a partner though, and can be used when discerning God's guidance for our decisions.

1. Commanding Scripture (v. 3-4)
- God commanded His people to marry only believers in Him.

2. Compelling Spirit (v. 12, 15)
- guided by God, listening to Him and being led by the Holy Spirit as we pray...so pray
v.45 'Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out'

3. Common Sense
- The choice of Rebekah made sense (v. 16) for she was not only beautiful, but also generous, gracious and kind (v.19).

4. Counsel of the Saints
- Godly advice; Rebekah and Isaac chose (v. 57, 67) following the counsel of the saints especially their parents who recognized that this is from the Lord (v. 50)

5. Circumstantial Signs (v. 12-26)
- The servant asked for signs and got exactly what he asked for. The signs he asked were not random but a test of character of Rebekah, which she fulfilled.

From Bible in One Year, Commentary by Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, Youversion Bible

On top of my daily devotion, I have a lot of pending readings and reviewers to devour and I am having a difficult time 'starting'. May God grant me the grace, and the momentum to excellently accomplish all my responsibilities and commitments for His glory! I'm feeling sleepy now so there...may I be able to keep this up for the entire year!

Love,

Katy