Jenny's Daily Journey (JDJ): Leading to be a blessing

Bill Crosby once said that "In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." It's easy to say this but it is hard to apply it in real life. You know its human nature to fear when we see things are out of control and we are afraid to step out of our comfort zones. We are afraid to take the lead and initiate the change in us, our family, our workmates, relatives, friends, and in the community. One thing is for sure, God has bestowed upon us the power to become a beacon of change and be a channel of blessing to others. What we need is to pray to Him, ask and He will grant the desires of our hearts. 

Today, in our 2nd day of mid-year fasting, we are reminded about the unwavering faith and leadership of Elijah in prayer and in sharing the word of God to his people. His leadership in prayer has breakdown barriers of fear and opened the dawn of praise and worship to God. There are a lot of lessons we can learn from Elijah. In James 5:17, the events in the old testament were referred and described Elijah as a man with a future like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months, it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain and the earth bore its fruit. 

This description of leadership and faith in Elijah was narrated in 1 Kings 18:30-36. Elijah reminded the people who God is - He said, "Oh Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel." He acknowledges God's lordship and counting on God as "I Am" and addressed him as Yahweh, the eternal, immutable, and independent God of the universe with whom all things were possible. Elijah's actions inspire us to allow ourselves to become instruments to remind the people of our nation about who God is. Are we up for a challenge to step out in our comfort zone and preach the gospel to our nation? What is God leading you to do regularly to be a blessing in our nation?

Now is the time to lead and be a channel of blessing to others and be an instrument of change. With the recent public health emergency of the COVID19 global pandemic, we have the opportunity to preach the gospel and convey the message of God about love, faith, hope, kindness, perseverance, and understanding. No matter how small or big our actions are, it counts. Everything that we do in our homes, offices, schools, and communities, and as we commit all our works to the Lord, all of these things shall be established. 

Let us be inspired by what Warren W. Wiersbe said, "Faith in small things will lead to blessing in big things." Always honor and glorify God in all things we do. Let us take a small step of action and we will have a giant leap of faith that will have promising fruition in the future. Keep the faith burning in us always, Amen!

Jenny's Daily Journey (JDJ): Keeping God's Mission

Source: my.groople.com

In the last three months, we have experienced the lockdown due to the COVID19 pandemic. We were all shocked and we patiently waited for this to end and stayed in our homes. Now the home is where we work, study, listen, and watch church services and vacation with family. For me as an employee for almost thirteen years, I did not experience a big break from work and because of this community quarantine, I was able to have a vacation and spend time with my family. People have different circumstances and perspective of this lockdown, its either advantageous or disadvantageous, but one thing is for sure, everything has a purpose. God planned this to happen, in order for us to reflect in our past, where we did wrong and how can we correct at present, to straighten our future paths. 

We design our own future with the decisions we make every day and we are writing our destiny and we are liable on what are the results of our actions. But sometimes or always, there are things that are uncertain and not part of the plan, but it will turn out to be great. Just like Joseph in Genesis, when he was sold by his brothers as a slave in Egypt, he realized that he has a mission and he accepted his fate because he understood later that God sent him first to this land to save his family from famine. Just like him, every one of us has a mission, and let's ask for God's guidance on how to fulfill them. 

In day one of this mid-year prayer and fasting in our church, the main topic is about World Mission. Today we are reminded that our mission is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ on the cross and to fulfill his mission, we must have the power of the holy spirit. In Luke 24:46-47, it is said in this gospel that Christ should suffer and on the third day he will rise from the dead, and the repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem. Moreover, the power of the Holy Spirit was proclaimed in John 13:16-17, in which it was promised that God the Father will give another helper to be with us forever, even in the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him or knows him. We know him for he dwells with us and will be with us. 

With the gospel and the promise of a helper, which is the Holy Spirit, we are fully equipped to work on our mission in sharing the message to our family, friends, workmates, relatives, and neighbors. We should not be afraid to step forward and change our paths to righteousness. We are filled with the Holy Spirit if we pray and meditate on God's word and asked him for his guidance in everything that we do. We have a mission to do great things to the community, we can help each other in this time of trial, and that's how we keep our mission alive in the name of our savior, Jesus Christ.

Seeking peace in this troublesome times

Source: https://www.pacificbuddhistacademy.org/sharing-peace-worldwide-through-symbols

Every day of our lives we stumble on people with different personalities. We can share the same views but frequently we argue on things we do not agree. Our natural reaction is to debate and let our own opinion be heard and win the conversation. But I guess, it is not about winning an argument but rather how you respect each other and not retaliate in this situation. In these circumstances, it is really hard to control our emotions. 

Do we need to get back on someone and tell them that they are wrong and you are right? How often do we do this? Is it really important to win a debate? Are you willing to just be silent and not react? Well, these questions are hard to answer but a scripture from the Bible reminds us what is the appropriate action to this notion.

In Psalm 34:14 (NLT) it says:

"Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it" 

In these times of troubles and people arguing with each other, we just need to set aside our pride and learn to control our emotions. Just remember to exemplify the teachings of Jesus Christ in your daily life. Even if its hard and will make you ashamed of yourself and not win an argument, you are still a winner in the eyes of Our Creator, because of your obedience in His teachings. Do not do evil things in words, thoughts and deeds. Try to control and have a peaceful mindset in everything you do. Remember this life is not about winning arguments, it is about following Jesus Christ and have a strong faith in Him. 

Lighten your load

Scripture of the day: "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you, he will never permit the righteous to be moved." -  Psalm 55:22

We are working very hard day and night to earn income and to provide for our family. Sometimes we feel that this is a never-ending journey, our tasks are infinite every day and our bosses always add targets to our daily checklist. Are you tired and feeling that you are trap in this corporate slavery? Or do you wish to end your work but you have no choice but to continue? Do you feel that you are forced to do your work just to earn a meager salary that cannot even compensate for your daily expenses? It's a natural thing for us to be tired and complain about some things we don't have control of. But feeling heavy in all our work is a choice. You can continue working lightly even though it's heavy if you offer your works to God. Your burden is God's burden so cast all of these heavy loads to the Lord and he will lighten it. He will carry you through it. Just be patient and glorify His name in all of the things you do every day. Our Lord will lighten our daily loads, you just need to call upon His name!

Ask, Trust and Receive

Ask, Trust and Receive

Scripture of the Day: "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it, and it will be yours." - Mark 11:24 (ESV)

When we ask for something, we expect that there is a 50% probability of success and also a 50% chance of failure. We are uncertain with the future, we don't know what will happen but we are expectant that it will come true. Have you put your 100% TRUST to God when you asked Him about your prayer request? Have you doubted Him that it will never be granted because you have thought about negative circumstances? It's easy to let go of our desires because we expect that it is impossible to achieve. But what if the moment you have prayed to God you have given your 100% trust and receive the promise more than a hundredfold? Will you give it all? In God everything is possible! If you put Him first in everything, trust Him and never let go. Have a journey with Him in the valleys and faults, because at the end of the road there is a rainbow of success. Ask God for the desires of your heart, trust Him 100% and you will receive more than what you are asking for. For whatever we ask in prayer, we only need to believe and receive it and it will be ours!