Adopted into the His Household - Eivind Osnes

It’s rather late that I’m writing something related to Shavuot. I transcribed and inserted some of my thoughts, not many, from my favorite message related to this Feast. This was a sermon at Christ Church given by one of the wisest men that I’ve ever known - Eivind Osnes, whom I met in Jerusalem last year. It’s amazing how clearly he communicates the things the Lord shares with him. You can listen to the message from my Google Drive thru this link, time to listen is 28:02.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.  (Romans 8:14-17)

Those who are led by and guided by the Spirit of God - you are now sons and daughters of God. The Spirit cries out as a witness, that YOU BELONG. You are a son or a daughter of the Most High King!

What does it mean to be sons and daughters of the King? Let’s jump to Acts 10, the story of Cornelius, which a lot of us would know very well. At this point, the Spirit bears witness that the Gentiles are part of God’s Family, that they belong to His household. This is the first time that Gentiles have received the Spirit of adoption.

It is hard to be adopted. Sometimes, we have to deal with the fact that we come from a different background from the family that adopted us. However, to be adopted is to become a real and full son and daughter. We, Gentiles, we need to be reminded: what kind of household did we get into? What does it mean to be heirs? Sometimes, we have the attitude - let’s just hang around, let’s not get into trouble, and let’s wait for our inheritance. Sometimes, we don’t understand that we’re missing out. We have a struggle, as we are adopted into this different household of God. It’s probably because we don’t know what it means to be a family or to have a Father in the Biblical sense.

A Father in a Biblical sense means He is the source of the family. He provides and protects. He will give us an inheritance. Because He is the Father, He is worthy of honor and respect. He can give discipline and guidance to the family.

Inheritance. Is it always a material thing? What is the inheritance in the Biblical sense? While inheritance is also a material thing, it is also inheritance as a character. I love how Eivind explains it - that we inherit things and we inherit traits. In Filipino, we say, pamana for material inheritance, and nagmana for inheriting traits. What do we inherit from the Father?

1. His value - what the Father is worth, the children is worth.
2. His roles - as our Father is doing, so do His children. The children will represent the Father. They will show everyone who He is.
3. His mission - we go and join in His mission.

It’s so easy for us to miss this out. It’s not because we’re lazy, but it’s because we don’t realize our inheritance is so much more. Our inheritance is to show the world the character of God.

What are the characteristics of the family?  What are they like?

On the day of Pentecost/Shavuot, the Israelites were celebrating. One of the intents of the Feast is to thank God for His provision and blessings (Feast of the First Fruits). It developed into something more, as man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. It became a reliving and celebration of the giving of the Torah. The people were gathered in the desert during the time of Moses, and God revealed to them how they can live with each other, and how they can live with God in shalom, in a way that reflected to the world who He was. So that Israel can be a light to the nations. So they could do what Abraham was promised by God when He said, “I will bless you so you can be a blessing to the nations.”

It goes further in the Prophetic books. In the book of Jeremiah, The LORD says, one day, I will make a new covenant. I will give you a new heart, and I will write the law upon your hearts and you will be able and be willing to do what is according to my will. In the book of Ezekiel, the LORD says, I will put my Spirit within you. That Spirit will make you able and willing to live according to my teachings, instructions and guidance so you may show the world who God is.

In the New Covenant, during Pentecost/Shavuot, we read about the outpouring of the Spirit upon Jerusalem. On that day, the LORD gathered in His church 3,000 people witnessing about who Yeshua is - how He came, how He is the New Covenant, a Sacrifice for their sins, how He defeated death and resurrected, and defeated evil for once and for all. This Spirit (Ruach רוח), which also means wind or breath, comes upon them and something completely new happens. It spread like wildfire on that day. What was that Ruach? When we hear the word Ruach, it should automatically remind us of Creation, when God breathed into Adam. He became alive. As God is coming upon Jerusalem, He breathed life into them and they became new.

That is the kind of family that we got adopted into - a family that must honor God and His Word.  A family that believes in His promises for them. A family that is given the Torah with laws that are difficult to follow, but are promised to receive a new heart and new spirit to be able to obey these laws. A family that is given a calling to be a light, a blessing and a reflection of the character of God on the earth. 

How should life and relationships be in God’s household?

• It is a life that is about our Father, not about ourselves. 
• In this household, it’s not a life that is comfortable for me, or good for me. It is good and comfortable for me in some ways, because He is the God of life. Additionally, it shouldn’t be shocking that His household is life-giving to us. After all, the Father is the Author of life, the Creator Himself. 
• It’s about the Father’s mission and purpose for this world - bringing life and light, creating this world anew. 
• Knowing that He is the Almighty, it will also give us the confidence that we have the provision/protection for whatever that comes our way, as long as we are led by His Spirit. 
• Our relationships are no longer about us, it’s about the Father. Relationship becomes characterized by yielding to the other, living a lifestyle of forgiveness. 
• In this household, we are to have a lifestyle of generosity, because He is generous, and He gives to everyone. To have a good eye, to have a good treasure in heaven. It's about giving to the poor, because God himself gives to the poor. 
• We are to have a lifestyle of seeking righteousness, justice, mercy - because that is who God is.
• Our material blessings and inheritance are for the fulfillment of God’s mission for his household.
• Our life in this household is reflecting His character.
• In this household, the things of the world are called obstacles - burden, entanglement, However, despite that, there is an abundance of life. 
• It’s a lifestyle of rest and trust. 
• We know that the Father is the Almighty King. We know that He sees beyond what we see. We know His Word is truth, even if it doesn’t make sense with our common sense. 
• He invites us in a lifestyle of availability and listening. However, there is a condition here: those who are led by the Spirit. If we want to live a life in this household, we need to listen and be available. This invitation is not so much about us. He’s the one who makes the calls here. It’s not about our qualifications. It’s how He wants to qualify us to use us. 
• Therefore, He calls us not to worry, not to be concerned about what the world around us is concerned about, not to be scared, not even of death. That’s not dangerous, Jesus says. Don’t be afraid of death and suffering, as in these, you glorify Me. You come even closer to My heart.

Let us press forward, and come closer into that life where we receive His Spirit, the breath of life into our lives, and we walk as sons and daughters in His household.

Photo taken from http://turkrazzi.com/

Two Sides to Every Story: Sarah Lanier

Earlier this year, I wrote my personal reflections about one of the teachings that moved me - from Peter Sage's 4 Levels of Consciousness.  I was treading with caution, because I wanted to make sure that I don't get into something that is against the word of God.  A couple of weeks after writing that blog entry, I discovered that Peter Sage was imprisoned for fraud.  It taught me so much about praying for the people that I look up to, and to present before the Lord what I learn from others.  After all, the Lord desires that we do not to conform in the ways of the world, and be transformed in the renewing of the mind.

Today, I am writing my personal reflections and highlights on Sarah Lanier's message (27 minutes long) at Narkis Baptist Church in Jerusalem.  She's my most favorite speaker on cross-cultural communication.  I read her life-changing book Foreign to Familiar, which was necessary for me to read, especially that I am currently based in Israel, a country not my own.  Sarah's personal goal, her calling, is not easy - to help people get along with each other.  She is a Leadership Personnel Strategist.  Her specialty is in the field of mediation and leadership transition.

According to Sarah, the biggest challenge of the Body of Messiah is UNITY.

In the message, she gave an example of a wonderful woman of God who was kidnapped, worked in a war zone, having her people die in her arms, and been diseased and hungry.  One day she burned out and went through counseling. She had the grace to go through all those difficult challenges, but when her team went into disunity and conflict, she had no grace.  She realized that in disunity, God is not present.  It is impossible to work into those circumstances without the Lord, because it's too big for the flesh.  She realized she has nothing to give if the Holy Spirit is not with them.

Why don't we, the Believers, recognize that unity is the hardest task?  The Bible says when 2 or 3 are gathered in His Name, there He is with them (Matt 18:20).  The opposite is also true.  Enmity between and among each other prevents true worship.

Oneness with Yeshua

I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17: 9-12a,20-23) 

John 17 is one of my most favorite chapters in the Bible.  Here, Yeshua is calling the disciples to intimate oneness with Himself, just as He and the Father are One.  He knew that the disciples will struggle with unity.  If the Believers are united, these are the benefits: Messiah is glorified in them, the world may believe that God has sent Yeshua, the world will see that God and  Yeshua are One, they will be made perfect, and they will know that they are loved, just as God has loved Yeshua.  It appears that arguing is NOT the way of the Lord.  He wants man to be submitted to Him and not to compete with one another.

This behavior is infamously known as Submission.  In our day and age, it is considered as a weakness.  Yeshua seems to suggest that the strategy for having people understand who He is, is our own behavior to each other.  If the enemy can attack that, and keep us from getting along with each other, then the presentation of the Gospel is worthless.  We often hear "I can't believe they're fighting, Christians shouldn't be fighting like that."  It's precisely the reason why they are fighting because they are Christians.  There's a spiritual dynamics to it.

Here, Sarah presented amazing tools and questions on how to facilitate submission to one another:

1. What is the side of the person that the Lord focuses on?  We know that the Lord doesn't focus on our weaknesses.  He sees us in His image with all the potential that He has created in us.
2. What is the other side of the story?  After all, there is no story until there are 2 sides of the story.
3. Ask a question to the other person, instead of making a statement.  Making a statement puts one in a trap of quickly judging the person without defense.  Yeshua speaks strongly against judging one another.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matt 7:2)
4. What if I got it wrong?  It takes a lot of self-control to not judge, a lot of humility to assume that maybe you got it wrong and they got it right, no matter how wrong their actions seem to appear.  But those who do have self-control and humility to stop the response and believe in the highest of the person is called a peacemaker.  Blessed are the peacemakers.
5. Why don't we get along?  It's because we are made differently, and the Lord applauds the difference.  While it is beautiful that we are different, it is also the cause of disagreements - values, gender, culture, power, doctrine.  The differences can become idols.  If what I believe about something is more important than the Lord to be glorified through our unity so that world will be drawn to Him, then I have a problem. 
6. What can we do: laying down differences, having self-control, staying silent and looking for the good, or staying away from the person, anything but don't walk in disunity.  Don't dishonor the Lord.

There are some people made to be aggressors or opinionated or strong leaders.  We wouldn't have pioneered work without them.  Even leaders usually have anger issues.  The personality type High D have high propensity for anger, in which I myself am one (High D and High I).  However, there are people who are not that way at all.  They are type that want everyone to be happy, they are the glue of society, but they are easily offended.  The offense turns into gossip, then turn into polarizing people, then leads to division.

Culture is often a source of disagreements.  For the Individualist culture, people have the right to say their mind, especially the Americans, whose country is founded on personal rights. For the Group culture, everybody in the family is expected to lay down their rights for the sake of the group.  They are not allowed to put themselves forward.  When these two come together, there will be a lot of conflict.  If we recall the prayer of Yeshua in John 17, Yeshua asks the Lord to please help the believers get along.  Help them walk in unity.

When we allow ourselves to be angry, judge others and take offense, we lose the benefits of having unity in the Body, and we also lose our peace.  We have the option to think or say something like "I know this person's character, there must be an explanation for this."  It is our choice to be angry.  Yeshua wants us to get along and love each other.

Sarah ends the message with this awesome advice: Don't get too close to each other if you're too different and you don't have time to work out your differences.  Opposites attract and often marry one another.  However, the requirement of marriage is a deep commitment to unity.  It demands so much death to self and denial, without the luxury to do it our way.  In the same way, that's what it takes for the body of Messiah to get together, and walk together.  Death to self and a commitment to unity.  The commitment to one another is not as strong.  Hence, the commitment should be unto the Father.  For His Sake, and for the Kingdom's sake, it is worth it to die.  For Your sake, I will not make an issue about it.  For Your sake, I will not be mad.  If we make those decisions, something wonderful happens.  It comes with a benefit that we are asking for.  In the Lord, there is peace, harmony and love.  Being in the Lord requires that unity, and it is our choice.  If we choose not to demand our way, then the Holy Spirit knows He is welcome, and will be in our midst.  That's when He can work powerfully beyond what we can do.  May the Lord give us that power and that humility.

As Me: 4 Levels of Consciousness

For the past few months, I have been watching videos from a business coach named Peter Sage. I must say, he’s brilliant and an excellent communicator. I am usually very careful about accepting secular thinking. I would often check what the Bible says about certain topics, so I could keep my focus on God’s agenda, and not on worldly things. Admittedly, worldly things are very attractive.

Today, I am attempting to add to Peter’s video on The 4 Levels of Consciousness, and hopefully, making it relevant to a committed Christian. For your reference, you may want to check out his video. It’s about 20 minutes long, and it’ll be worth your time.

Peter begins with a statement from Albert Einstein: We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them. This statement gave birth to the concept of “levels of consciousness”, and Peter simplified it in 4 levels.


1. To Me (Victim State) 

A person at this level has a mantra that “everything happens to me.” He would say things like: “If you had my boss/family/circumstance...” He believes that he is wronged by someone else, and others inflict trouble TO him. It’s a very sad and limited level of existence. As Peter would say it, a person at this level lives life at effect, and not at cause. When things go wrong, he will always have someone to blame because things didn’t turn out the way he planned it. How do you know that you are in this level? You probably feel bored and disempowered.  I call this state the "defeated" state.

2. By Me (Achiever State)

A person at this level recognizes that if he will just wait to win the lottery, he might wait forever. He realizes that he’d rather do things himself, and make things happen. His mantra is “life will happen BY me.” Compared to the To Me level, the By Me person is far more productive than the former. Most people are probably in this level. 

How does one move from To Me to By Me? To move to the next level, he must give something up, and replace it with something else. He must give up BLAME and replace it with RESPONSIBILITY. Most of the self-help and personal development tools are geared towards moving from To Me to By Me. Things like – setting goals, have persistence, cultivate desire, how to have joy and success, and make life in your own terms. 

Coming from a To Me level, the motivation to move to By Me starts with awareness that something is not right. One questions if it is worth it to take responsibility and action, or just close the door and slide back to the To Me state. For example, a chain smoker could realize the smoking is bad for him. Does he just hold it intellectually in his mind that smoking is bad? Or will he move forward with the awareness of the consequences, and take action? 

At the beginning, the By Me mode can be fun and exciting. Moving from bored to achieving is an amazing accomplishment. However, this can be very exhausting. It is like being in a supermarket with everything on sale, and we elbow each other to get what we want. It’s like – if I put a lot of energy on something, I’ll get half of what I want. How do you know that you are in this level? You are probably tired, overworked, but you have results. You are hoping that there is another way to do things, hopefully, easier. I call this state the “striving” state. 

3. Through Me (Flow State) 

A person at this level is in a much more relaxed state than By Me. Things happen. Doors open before he puts his hand on the handle. People show up at the right place at the right time. Everything seems effortless. I would call this state the “rest”/”cease striving” state. However, some people who have not understood this level can easily fall back into the By Me, and swim upstream again. 

What does one need to give up to move from By Me to Through Me? He must give up the NEED TO CONTROL. What can we really control in life? Notice that it doesn’t say “give up control”, but just the NEED to control. He must embrace uncertainty a little higher. It’s like letting go of the death grip of how life should look, and allowing himself to flow a little more with the river, rather than panic, because it is not going to the direction that he is expecting. Then he starts to let go of the By Me heart attack lifestyle. 

What does one need to replace the need of control with? Peter asserts that there are 3 things that can be useful: 

1. BELIEF – belief is formed when we have references. The things we believe in are things that we have tested, we have done ourselves, or someone else has done it. It is something that has proof. Belief gives us a feeling of certainty. The more references we have on a certain belief, the stronger it becomes. I recall a time that my boss in my previous job would say in front of his staff that “he believes in the new CEO.” He said that because the CEO has a track record of doing great things in the companies that she led. Additionally, he heard how she speaks, and he is impressed with her, and saw a lot of potential in the company with her leadership. His proofs are her track record and her behaviors. 
2. FAITH – when belief collapses, faith can enter. Faith is very useful because it works with the absence of references. One doesn’t need proof to have faith. When one has great faith, it can be strong enough to compel him forward despite lack of evidences that it is right, or it will work. However, faith has a limit. There is a force that counters it called doubt. When our doubt is greater than our faith, we stumble. If someone gives us a perfectly timed false evidence or fear, our faith can be tested and could potentially plummet. Faith can become unstable when we try to question – did I really hear from God? Or I just made that up in my head? Or I just interpreted it to fit my desires? Did I overly spiritualize the Word of God and assumed that my interpretation is God’s interpretation? 
3. KNOWING – there is something more supreme than faith. It’s called Knowing. With knowing, you know that what you know is truth. There is no struggle, no effort, nothing to defend, nothing to conquer. Knowledge of the truth is just plain truth. For example, if I let go of a stone from my hand, I don’t say – “I believe that the stone will hit the ground” or “I have faith that the stone will hit the ground”. But I will say “I know that the stone will hit the ground – the law of gravity.” There is safety in knowing the truth. Have you ever gone into a stage of moving from “I believe that God is good because I was told and I read in the Bible that He is” to “I have faith that God is good because I am going through crisis and He’ll walk with me through this” to “I know that God is good with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. I have seen the beauty and goodness of God. I know Him.” 

4. As Me (Oneness State) 

A person at this level is in a much higher level of consciousness. In his eyes, there is a strong sense of connection, there is no separation, and his mantra is “I see myself as you”. I listened to a sermon from my pastor in Israel, and he was explaining the beauty of the greatest commandment: Love the LORD with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And to love your neighbor as yourself. He emphasized on the word “as yourself”. In Hebrew, it is כמוך (kamocha). He explained that what it actually means is that your neighbor is someone who “is like you”. It implies that we love our neighbor with the awareness that he is no different than us, he’s like us, a sinner, imperfect, and needing salvation. 

Peter suggests that in order to reach this level of consciousness, one must give up the ILLUSION OF SEPARATENESS. I would like to suggest that we also must give up PRIDE. Pride makes us see that we are higher than someone else, and hence, making us feel that we are different from others. What do we replace them with? Lo and behold, I was not surprised that Peter said UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. 

It encourages me to know that while this man that I listen to, who doesn’t have the same faith as me, whom I highly respect, came to the same conclusion as I, and many people of the same faith as me did – what a man desires is unfailing love.

How does unconditional love look like based on Bible? It is to die to self, just as what Yeshua did at the cross. He died for our sake, and called the men to love their wives just as He did for His Church. With the power that He has because He is God, He was able to resurrect Himself from the dead. His love does not only give a love worth dying for. His love also has the power to resurrect the dead, and to live for all eternity. He offered the most important thing that we need - FORGIVENESS - while we are still sinners.  This is the richness of His love, that He is able to accept us fully for who we are, while walking with us to our best version of ourselves.  After all, He is our Maker, He knows what's best for us, and the best that we can be - our glorified bodies.  His love comes with much faith and much hope in who we can be with Him.  While I’ve heard too many definitions of unconditional love, His love is still unbeatable, and still the greatest one of all.  I would call this state the "glorified" state.

As a bonus, here's a video from Myles Munroe on How Love Works.

The highest level of consciousness is to know God's mind

Walking Together

Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet? (Amos 3:3)

I found a really interesting video on YouTube made by an Israeli-born American comedian.  He makes silly videos that make a lot of sense, as these are real thoughts going on in our heads that are unspoken.

Check this video out: click HERE.

It reminded me so much about Amos 3:3 - Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?  In this world of increasing individualism, people prioritize results over relationships.  Why don't we agree to walk together?  Why is it awkward to be with strangers?

It's a very short, seemingly silly video with a lot of depth.  Enjoy! :)

P.S. I miss hearing that funny Israeli accent. :)))

A Warrior and a Princess

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Eph 1:5-6)  

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, (Eph 6:13-17) 

I have a nagging thought in my head. I could not understand why I am not passionate about being a Proverbs 31 wife. I would catch myself thinking this each time my single female friends say that they could see themselves as one, and I would wrestle with it. Somehow, it made me feel that there is something wrong with my feelings, or there is something wrong with them.

One fine day, I gathered up the courage to seek the Lord on this matter. I delayed asking because I was afraid to hear God’s answer - what if He said that I should get married, or not? What if He points me to a person that I don’t like? So I asked, “why am I not passionate about being a Proverbs 31 wife? Why is it that the only thing that stands out for me is the line “the woman who fears that Lord is to be praised”? Why can’t I associate this with my identity? Lord, how do You see me? Who am I? I know I asked You this countless of times, but I need help today.”

I was quite surprised to receive His response to my question - “Thea, how do you see Me?” I smiled. I love it when the Lord asks me questions. So I answered - “You are the LORD of Hosts, the King of Kings, and You are my Good Father.” The Lord asked me a second question - “With how you see Me, what does that make you?” I answered - “I am a warrior and a daughter of the Most High.” It turned out that my question on Proverbs 31 led me to know the answer to a more important question - who am I in reference to my Father?

A warrior and a princess.

I love being called a warrior. I feel like I’m part of a great and awesome mission and adventure, and I am in the front line of the battle, thinking about tactics and strategy to defeat the enemy. I would always imagine angels and a war in the spiritual realm, and I know Who will win. There I am, watching, praying, smiling, thinking that the Lord of Hosts has already won the battle. 

A princess. I’ve always had the princess complex. At a young age, I recall seeing myself higher than everyone else, as if my father is a great and valiant warrior, a mighty king*, and I am his precious daughter who resembles him.  However, in my Heavenly Father’s Kingdom, I am designed to be like Him, which also means that I have to be a servant, too. He is a King Who is not far from His people, a King Who loves, a King Who is interested about His people and interacts with them. To be like Him, I must go lower.

However, being a warrior and a princess at the same time is a tricky and sticky situation. Both roles require different costumes and weapons. The warrior requires the full armor of God, always ready to fight in battle. The princess needs to wear the robe of righteousness and the crown of life, and her weapon is love. I want to do a little play on words, the warrior needs her neshek נשק (weapon), the princess needs her neshika נשיקה (kiss).

Sometimes, I do not choose the right role in certain situations - I use my warrior weapons on people, and I shrink in feminine meekness during the war. So my greatest takeway from my conversation with God was to learn how and when to use my weapons, and to be better in both roles.

* My father is an Arthur and a Cole - both are kings, just like him (his name is Arthur Cole)

P.S. Hearing this from the Lord brought me back to a not-so-distant memory when I attended a Women’s Retreat way back in 2010. I recall the speaker talking about finding a mate, and she spoke about the Warrior-King, as her image of God in her mind, and of her future husband. So to my future husband / man in the Garden, you are my warrior prince, and I am waiting for you.

A warrior and a princess on her knees

Diving in the Ocean of God's Grace

I love diving. I've had some of my best moments with the Lord underwater. At some point, I asked the Lord - why would You keep such a beautiful underwater world hidden for the land creatures to see? I felt like a new revelation was given to me when I asked a very simple question.

Yeshua often speaks in parables and metaphors. He's such an excellent storyteller and communicator, which I must say, one of His most attractive traits that draw me close to Him over and over again. So today, I would like to write about my underwater experience in parable/metaphor form.

The Kingdom of God is like the world underwater. One will not be able to see and know what is in there, without actually going there and experiencing it for himself. When he gets there, he won't see anything like it in his reality or his world. It's a different world, with colors, life, structure and peace that one cannot imagine to be possible. It is too wonderful for a man of the land to comprehend. Also, first hand experience is much better than the pictures, or in an observatory. One needs to be immersed in it to really know what it is about.

The holiness of God and the unholiness of man is a world of difference, like the land and the underwater. Holy and unholy have nothing in common. Similarly, the land and the underwater have nothing in common. If a person from the land would force himself to live underwater, he will die.

To survive the underwater, one must have faith in his suit and gears. Without faith in his equipment, it is impossible to enjoy the underwater, as one will be diving in fear of danger and death. The diver is required to trust in the weight belt that will keep him grounded, the wet suit that will keep him warm, the fins that will allow him to move quickly, the regulator that gives him breath, the buoyancy control device that keeps him on a level that he's at, and the knowledge of underwater diving, at the same time, trusting the dive master that he knows what he's doing. Similarly, a believer is called to wear the armor of God - the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

To communicate underwater, no audible words are necessary or heard. The divers communicate through a language that they can only understand. The goal of communication is to ask how you are - are you good and safe, the way to go, what you need to see. The job of the diver is to follow. The job of the dive master is to lead and help. Like in our relationship with God, realistically speaking - our opinions don't really matter as much as His truth. Our job is to know His commandments and follow them. His job is to lead and to help. Lastly, the diver's job is to trust the dive master, as there is no way to survive the underwater without trusting him. Similarly, we can't survive the life of a believer without trusting Him and His directions.

The goal of diving is to enjoy the underwater, to appreciate the life hidden from the world and to rest in that extraordinary peace that it brings. Like the life in the Messiah, the goal is to enjoy Him and His presence, to appreciate the life that He has given us, and to enjoy His rest and the extraordinary peace that He brings. When we leave that solemn and sacred place, that peace won't depart our hearts and we carry it with us, even when we are above water, or in the world.

Photo taken from Phuket Scuba Diving

Five Difficult Lessons (New Arrows in My Quiver)

For the past few months, I have been having a writer's block. The main reason for it is I was confronted with a truth that I am so afraid to admit, which was my hyprocrisy. How can I write such beautiful learnings, when I am confronted with my own sin, shortcomings and failures? I have come to learn that sharing my learnings and living them are 2 separate things. The learnings can be tested through fire - if I am really able to live the things I claim that I've learned. Does my life really show a testimony that I've learned well?

There are 5 key items in my most recent and current season that I believe I need to learn. It doesn't necessarily mean that I'm good at them, but I am starting to see the benefit of having them in my quiver.

1. Waiting patiently
Waiting is not one of my best traits. I can wait for a few things, especially if it's my first time to wait on something or someone. However, I realized that waiting patiently is not something I do consistently. In fact, I noticed that I am pretty selective on things that I can wait for, and I set different standards on certain things and people. I learned that the key to waiting patiently is to lay down my expectations - the higher the expectations, the higher the chance that I get impatient. This boils down to communication of expectations - the more promises given, the higher the expectations. If I meet a person for the first time, and this person is late or cancels, it is easier to show grace to him/her, compared to a person whom I've known for a long time.  I could view it that this person is taking my friendship for granted. However, how does God wait? (Ecc 3:1) How long does He wait? What is He waiting for? (Hab 2:3) What are His standards for mercy and grace when it comes to waiting? Does He get angry while He waits for us? Does He lecture us while He waits for us? How does He respond when finally, we are at that place that He has been waiting for for soooo long? (Luke 15:22)

2. Obeying without seeing, or even expecting the blessing
I was taught earlier in my walk with the Lord that I have to claim the promises of blessing in the Word. While that still works, I realized that counting my future blessings sometimes does not help me. It creates self-entitlement in my heart, to demand from God what I deserve to have because I did my share of righteousness. It actually led me think - do I just obey the Lord because of what He said He'd do if I obey? Do I obey Him because that's what a good Christian should do - I get a confirmation, then I must do it? Or do I do it because I care about Him? (1 John 5:3) What about Abraham who was promised decendants as numerous as the stars, and he died without seeing them? Or what about Yeshua, who was promised a pure and spotless Bride, and we see the bethrothed Bride as... stained? He waited and is still waiting for His Bride, and it appears like the Bride is not necessarily getting purer, but more... stained, with blood - not of Yeshua, but hers? How does Yeshua, who is God, deal with this?

3. Confronting with truth, if possible, with love
One of my biggest stumbling blocks is confronting truth - say Yeshua and His ability to confront with such directness and boldness that blows my mind away. Or the prophets, how can they say such incredibly horrible things about people, totally politically incorrect, not even encouraging? I learned that my culture has taught me a lot of ways to flatter people. I love my people, the Filipinos. We feed on encouragement, affection, even if it's not exactly the truth. As long as it feels good, and the person feels encouraged. I realized that it's not exactly the best thing to do. Do we really help others by flattering them? Does the Lord flatter people? I can always pull the Gideon card - but didn't the Lord believe in the best of Gideon, when He said that he's a brave and valiant warrior before he became one? So my question is - what is the right way to confront truth? Would things be different if Yeshua did not confront Peter that Satan was influencing him? I was listening to a podcast from Derek Prince, and he had a very interesting translation for "speaking the truth in love". He goes - "be honest with your love." Until now, I have not figured out how to live that. However, knowing that the Lord revealed that piece of gold nugget to someone gives me hope that there is actually a better way to do this truth and love thing. As of now, I am learning to confront truth faster than I used to. I realized that confronting truth is such a great way to set boundaries. I just need to get better at seeking the truth, because that's harder compared to saying them. I can easily be swept away by my feelings, and miss out on reality. And hopefully, when I am ready to learn the second part of the verse, I can be honest with my love. (Eph 4:15)

4. Humility without expecting to be exalted
How interesting it is that culturally, Filipinos find it so easy to say sorry. We say sorry for the most mundane things, even for things that don't really lead to offense. However, just like everyone else, we are also plagued with the difficulty to say sorry on things that cause offense. Humility is not a natural human behavior. Our society has taught us to exalt ourselves - our name, our role, our background, our results. Humility is difficult because we hardly see any reward to it. In fact, there are more times that we get persecuted for humbling ourselves, as there is a temptation to condemn someone who admitted his sin. In Filipino, we'd say, "eh di umamin din?" ("See, finally, he admitted his mistakes?" This statement is often said with sarcasm) While I completely believe the Word when it said - the humble will be exalted, I realized that being exalted is not the ultimate motivation of humility. (James 4:10) I learned that we can get to know a person better with how they react towards someone humbling himself - will they condone, persecute, judge a person who humbled himself? Or will they show compassion and mercy? Learning more about people is such a wonderful experience. It tells us about how far we can invest in our relationships with specific people, if they can be a friend to keep, or they can just be acquaintances. I have come to a conclusion that the 2 greatest reward for humility are genuine friendship and knowledge (Matt 5:5). Being exalted is secondary. It may or may not happen in the timing that we want. But who cares? (Prov 22:4)

5. Not wanting so badly (covet)
Not wanting (Ps 23:1) is probably one of the most difficult things for me. I am the type of person who is very clear about what I want, what I need, and what I want to happen. I realized that it's much easier to communicate my wants and needs if I know my place, I know the level of authority and power given to me, and I am able to assess properly what I can demand from that circumstance. The lack of discernment on the last part can cause shame. The lack of knowledge on the first 2 parts cause anxiety and/or confusion. In some extreme cases, I could get depressed, or even resentful. I kept replaying a narrative in my head about what I should have because I had them at some point. I find myself telling the Lord, until when should I suffer? (Phil 1:21)  However, there's something very beautiful about being in lack (which I often use interchangeably with "not in luxury"). It taught me that there are a lot of things that I don't need. Honestly, I still want them, but I don't need them. The longer that I live this life, the more distant the memory of luxury becomes. I observed that this lifestyle has changed (and is still changing) the way I think, plan and even worry. There are many things that I want, but I don't want them as badly anymore. However, there is one thing that I still want with passion - to know what is right, what is fair, what is wise. To know how to respond based on that knowledge. To know and understand the timing of God. To know when to fight and when to withdraw. To know when to share and what to share. Solomon was not condemned for asking for wisdom. And the Word says that the Lord will not rebuke me for asking for wisdom, and He is ready to give it abundantly. (James 1:5)