Bananasarethebest

Pag mabigat na ang lahat, pag magulo ang isipan, pag maraming kailangan gawin, pag nag-papanic na ang puso, at pag gusto mo na mag-give up:

REMEMBER JESUS. Remember how He has sustained you in the past. Remember how His grace is sufficient. Remember your assured victory in Him. Remember what He has done for you in the Cross. Remember how His love is able.

“I, yes I, am the one who comforts you.

    So why are you afraid of mere humans,

    who wither like the grass and disappear?

Yet you have forgotten the Lord, your Creator,

    the one who stretched out the sky like a canopy

    and laid the foundations of the earth.

Will you remain in constant dread of human oppressors?

    Will you continue to fear the anger of your enemies?

Where is their fury and anger now?

    It is gone!

Soon all you captives will be released!

    Imprisonment, starvation, and death will not be your fate!

For I am the Lord your God,

    who stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar.

    My name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

And I have put my words in your mouth

    and hidden you safely in my hand.

I stretched out the sky like a canopy

    and laid the foundations of the earth.

I am the one who says to Israel,

    ‘You are my people!’”

Isaiah 51: 12-16 NLT

Thank You, Jesus! Thank you that OUR VICTORY is assured in You. :)

TIWALA. LABAN! 

Aminan na!

I like being pursued. I enjoy the specific and exclusive attention given to me when someone pursues me. I feel.. special. Out of all the women that can be pursued, ako ang napili? Wow, there must be something I have that no other has! 

Pero based from my past experiences, the pursuit of a woman is a temporary phase for ALL men. Lahat ng lalakeng nanligaw sakin, ultimately ay sumuko rin at naghanap ng iba. Yung mga sinagot ko naman nuon, after kong sagutin ay naging kampante at tumigil sa panunuyo saakin. 

Ang masakit pa, minsan nalalaman ko na they just pursued me dahil lang sa physical qualities ko. Once nalaman nila ang aking character, naiirita na sila sa mga weaknesses ko!  All the more na nanghihina ang luob ko kasi feeling ko hindi ako worthy to be pursued kasi yung physical qualities ko naman pwede mag fade. Paano pag tumanda na ako? Paano pag pumangit at tumaba na ako? Hindi na ako pwede pursued? 

Pero yan ang same reason kung bakit SOBRANG thankful ako kay Jesus. Dahil alam kong kung ano man ang ganda ko ngayon, bukas pwedeng mawala, pero mahal niya parin ako. I think of the past 21 years of my life, and I realize that God was there for me ALL the time. In those 21 years, I became an agnostic, an atheist, a rebel to God, and I did a lot of things that the bible says as sin. But you know what? All through those years, God was with me. Even if I did not believe in Him, He was there to comfort me in the painful consequences of my rebellion. 

Now I realize, I’ve been pursued and loved by God ever since I was born. In fact, iniisip niya na ako kahit nung hindi pa ako pinanganak. Sabi nga sa Romans 5:8,

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Two thousand years ago, He died for me already. Alam niya na I will grow up a rebel. He knew I will disobey Him numerous times in my life. Alam na niya yun, pero namatay parin siya para saakin. Ang mas matindi pa, kahit alam niyang sasaktan ko siya, araw araw niya parin akong iniinvite na bumalik at makilala siya. 

My mind is going to explode, just trying to reason out why an Almighty God would constantly pursue and love me, even if I have rejected Him so many times! But now I am thankful, because He never gave up on me. Even if I am an empty soul, he deemed me deserving to be saved. When He set His eyes on me, He gave me my worth. 

His love for me is personal. His attention for me is on 24/7. He will never reject me. He pursues me everyday, not because of any good I’ve done but because of what He is. He pursues and loves me! I will never be empty. My cup will always be overflowing, because when God gives, laging SOBRA!!! 

If you want that kind of love and security, then call unto God. He is never busy for you. 

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. -Jeremiah 33:3

I opened, by chance, my folder containing one note entries dated a year ago. I was surprised when I read it. But more than being surprised, I was more blessed. I couldn’t remember the emotions evoked to me at that moment, and I guess the same emotions could not be reproduced anymore. That’s why I was really glad when I saw this! It’s dated October 5, 2011.You should read it first before I move on:

Word for today:

Luke 24:31, 45

Kakamatay lang ni Jesus dito at third day na. He was with them in the road to Emmaus, but they didn’t recognize Him because they were eaten up by their problems . They focused so much in their problems na kahit anjan na si Lord sa harapan nila, they can’t enjoy his presence! How sad! Minsan ganyan ako. Lord, I am sorry and I repent of this. But in luke 31, it said “Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him..”

It is not because I study scripture or because I’m full of wisdom kaya ako nakaka-alam kay Lord. It is He who opens eyes. He was the one who revealed himself to me and to the apostles that’s why we are able to recognize Him.  Sa verse 45, sabi dun “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures” GRABEEEE. Si Lord talaga ang dahilan kung bakit may alam ako sa scriptures! Lord, I pray that your word may be revealed to me and that it may be planted deep into my heart. I pray, Lord, give me my daily bread of you. I thank you because you continually give me these things because of your love. Thank you!  Thank you for your love that enables me to walk in this life free and hopeful, complete and not lacking in anything. Thank you Lord, for the wisdom that you are giving me. I do not doubt it Lord, your grace supplies me with unlimited wisdom. <3 Thank you Lord! :) 

Wow. I could feel the joy and enthusiasm that I once felt when I read that scripture! I feel nga na super relevant niya saakin, kasi as of the moment, I have a lot of things to do. When you’re busy and focused on your work, you can’t let your emotions get a hold of you. Kaya nga problema ko yan, busy na nga ako, emotional pa! Kalurks!

Kaya imagine, how cluttered my mind and my heart is! Oh, how more cluttered are the pieces inside of me yearning for love, sustenance, consistency, and peace! But how should I manage to go back to God if I have an urgent paper that would spell a lot of trouble if not finished? If every moment, another paper and exam pops, how am I supposed to go about finding peace?

But then, it hit me. A painful rock staggered through my brain and exposed those intentions that I myself do not know about. 

I’ve put my academics before God. Instead of seeing too much academic load as the distraction that hinders me from enjoying my relationship with God, I saw it the other way around. It is painful to admit, but in my innermost being I have categorized Him as the distraction from my academics. 

This, my friends, is idolatry at its best. Idols in this present time don’t come in the form of wooden dolls and clay statues anymore. It’s in the form of things that we consider as greater than the One true God. 

How pathetic of me! I know ‘pathetic’ is too strong of a word to be used, but how could I not describe myself as such before I realized all these? Could my academics save me from the eternal fires of hell? Would it be able to give me true and lasting peace, joy, and love? Will it ever die for me, because it wants me to be reconciled to itself?

No, no, and no!

There is no other god that would die for me just so that I can be reconciled to itself. How I wish my grades are reconciled with me! But grades are just grades. At the end of the day, it’s just an imperfect evaluation of one’s knowledge and hard-work.

But when everything has been said and done, when everything crumbles and returns to dust, Jesus remains. His love for you and me remains. 

This truth returns me in perspective. Everything is arbitrary with respect to Him. And I am so thankful that even though my eyes were once fixed on things that are temporary, He, in His great patience and mercy, focused my eyes on that of which is eternal. 

And so, today, I repent of this things and consciously choose Him before all things. 

“For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.” -Colossians 1:17 The MSG

Everyday with you Lord, is sweeter than day before!  (Listen at the song here) 

Hello! 

It’s so amazing, and wonderful. Remember how emo and reflective I am of my situations the past few days? Well, I’ve been pulled out of that black hole of seemingly endless place of darkness and despair. :) yey!

I don’t really know how and when it all started, but all I know is that I prayed to God about my situation, almost everyday before I sleep. I would cry endlessly and pray for the hurt to be gone. Everyday, after praying, I would weep myself back to sleep. It wasn’t an easy season for me, and I thought I would never overcome. But during this season I learned, that it is not by my strength that I can move on with life and have joy. Moving on can only be achieved when you acknowledge your weakness and inability to do it to God, and when you depend on the strength that He gives you to turn away from the things that are not from Him(i.e. doubts about future, shame from your mistakes, feeling of condemnation, etc.)

I also learned that moving on takes determination. You have to be determined to look at Jesus and not on what slimy pit has entrapped you. Whatever quicksand/slimy pit/black hole is out there pulling you, Jesus is faster and stronger than that and He can instantly pull you through it. I testify that it is true. 

Especially when I realized that there is something missing in my ‘pag-amin’. I realized that I was praying to God about taking all my hurt and pain away, but then again, I still have not forgiven truly the people that caused me this troubles that I am experiencing. God.. revealed to me what’s keeping me from enjoying the life that He has purchased for me. I didn’t have to ‘try harder’ for me to realize that, but it was only because God chose to reveal it to me. God can make things happen, even the ones the I thought would not ever happen. 

So now, I stand, joyful and relieved that God has pulled me out of that season already. Although the season to experience the slimy black hole is finished, I still have some bruises and wounds that I need to be healed with. But it’s nothing! haha, compared to the pain I had before, I’m definitely thankful that I only have these few ones remaining in my life. Rejoice! :D

So, I end with this word, that truly encompasses all the experiences that I had this past season. :) Thank you Lord, you are faithful. :)

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory. (NLT)

‘and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.’ (NIV)

Isaiah 61:3

Hallo! Did you miss me? I sure did miss you guys. 

Moving on, I wanted to write about something that bothered me for a couple of days. This may come too straightforward, but I don’t have any other way of saying this. I want to be transparent with my emotions, so that I myself may check if I am in line with God’s word. 

Anyways, the ever pretty Christia Asistio modeled for our shop, Clothes by InBeauty. She was as tall as me, thin, extremely pretty, and well-mannered. She even plays video games like a pro! Haha, she a gem that shines so brightly.

I.. I can’t help but be eventheslightestbit jealous. Everywhere we shoot, people look at her, and she gets all the love, even from the camera! I just really felt grepa and basura beside her. No kidding! I’ve grown a healthy 5 lbs because of my academic load, and it does great wonders in making me look like a whale. 

Seriously, you guys, I felt basura. In that moment, I knew that those feelings were not from God. I quickly prayed to God because I don’t want to allow it to linger in my life just so that it can ruin me! No! So I prayed, and I declared the truth to myself, to remind me of who I am in God:

I am complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10)

I’m chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)

I’m a child of God - He is my Father (1 Jn 3:1,2)

I am a child of the most beautiful and awesome God. I was so insecure because I only thought of who I am without God. Indeed, I am trash—I deserve to be unseen and unloved.

But with God, I am COMPLETE. I am made whole, without lacking anything.

After all this craziness in my life, the more I realize how crazy I was overyly thinking on wordly things that don’t last. Beauty won’t last and charm is like a breeze. But God—and who I am in God—-those things last.

So glad to be loved by Him. :)  

Read and Obey my bible everyday. :)

What’s yours?

Is your weakness in the area of relationships? ‘Cos honestly, it’s my weakness.  But I’m not just talking about romantic relationships, but more on the platonic kind of relationship. Looking at my credentials, apparently:

I get hurt easily.

I’m sensitive.

I’m hard to understand.

They are hard to understand.

But I kind of figured that it’s not just me who feels this way. A lot of people feel this way, especially people of my age. That’s why when y brother said this verse to me, I was on the verge of tears. I have read this before, but I guess this time it moved me differently. The verse says..

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:8

Ahhh, love indeed is powerful enough to cover all the faults of the people around me. More powerful and weighty than any faults that they would do to me. 

I hope this helps you. <3 Good day!