7 things to make your faith grow

This is written by Harold Herring, sent to me through email by a Pastor, I'm just re-posting the snippets but you can read the article in full here. I'm sure you'll also learn from this.

 "Here are the seven things to make your faith grow...

1. Feed your FAITH..through the Word
 
READ YOUR BIBLE. . .BEGIN DOING WHAT IT SAYS AND YOU WILL HAVE A GROWTH SPURT IN FAITH.

2. Exercise your faith..by your actions

what you do in life. . .will be a reflection of what you’ve learned.

3. Speak to your faith..to make it grow

Your boldness in your faith will open doors of opportunity for you. 

4. Free your faith....from negativity

 “Feed your faith and starve your doubts.”

5. Believing the impossible as possible

 Luke 1:37 in the Amplified Bible says:
“For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.”

6.  Share it with others

Philemon 1:6 says “As you share the faith you have in common with others, I pray that you may come to have a complete knowledge of every blessing we have in Christ.”

7. Discuss your faith..frequently with your manufacturer

If we want to have advantages in life then we need to understand our instruction manual. . .God’s Holy Word.  Every answer to every problem we face is in the book.

Raising Funds for Ministries

Sometimes (okay most of the times) having lack of funds for the ministries disappoint me. And I know I should not look at it and just keep on going but reality is we need funds to feed the kids in that urban poor area, we need money to be able to send our scholars to school, we need funds when the band go to places to lead worship events and we need funds so they can finish their worship album.

So the burden of raising funds is always there, last night while my husband is printing t-shirt for the Global Intercessors we talked again on how we can raise funds for the band as we have one upcoming event this November in Mindoro, we had lots of ideas (thank God for that) and we weighed every possibilities to earn (from printing to selling foods and scraps in the house even military coin and silver coins if we have that).

 But of course, God never fails to provide. Thank you also that there are people whose heart was touched by the Lord and have been supporting us in all our ministries. The Lord bless you. Proof is, the first semester of school year is now over and we were able to pay all the tuition fees of our scholars.

For the upcoming second semester, two of our college students are already enrolled.

I know our ministry funds are depleting and running low but God will surely fill it again.

Proverbs 15:13-30

^{(New Internation Version)}

 

¹³ A happy heart makes the face cheerful,
    but heartache crushes the spirit.

¹⁴ The discerning heart seeks knowledge,
    but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

¹⁵ All the days of the oppressed are wretched,
    but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

¹⁶ Better a little with the fear of the Lord
    than great wealth with turmoil.

¹⁷ Better a small serving of vegetables with love
    than a fattened calf with hatred.

¹⁸ A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,
    but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.

¹⁹ The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,
    but the path of the upright is a highway.

²⁰ A wise son brings joy to his father,
    but a foolish man despises his mother.

²¹ Folly brings joy to one who has no sense,
    but whoever has understanding keeps a straight course.

²² Plans fail for lack of counsel,
    but with many advisers they succeed.

²³ A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
    and how good is a timely word!

²⁴ The path of life leads upward for the prudent
    to keep them from going down to the realm of the dead.

²⁵ The Lord tears down the house of the proud,
    but he sets the widow’s boundary stones in place.

²⁶ The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked,
    but gracious words are pure in his sight.

²⁷ The greedy bring ruin to their households,
    but the one who hates bribes will live.

²⁸ The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,
    but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

 ²⁹ The Lord is far from the wicked,
    but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

³⁰ Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart,
    and good news gives health to the bones.

Haggai 2:19

This week (as we continue to fast and pray) we received a new promise from the Lord and we are claiming it. I know the Lord is true to His promises, all I have to do is wait for it to happen, wait for the Lord's timing is always perfect.

Haggai 2:19 (NIV)

¹⁹ Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”


Thank you Lord!!!

Why do we fast?

Today is our third day of the week long fasting and prayer in our church. Some of our leaders are fasting from 6 AM to 6PM but since me and my husband are working we decided to just do a one meal fast, we are giving up dinner for a week.

But why do we fast?
In the book of Joel 1 :14 it says
 "Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.^{" (NIV)}

Also in Luke 4 :2  "where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry." (NIV)

Biblical fasting is abstaining from food but today people fast from certain things also like internet or TV.

 Why do we fast? personally for us, it's because we want to be more closer to the Lord and we want to hear his voice in answer to our prayers. And basically to cry out with our petition. Number one on our list of prayer items is for us to have a child. I'm hoping and trusting that the Lord will grant our request because it's says in the last part of 1 Chronicles 5 :20 " He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him."

Fasting is not dieting but it's natural to lose some weight while on fast but it should not be your main reason :)
 Though I would be delighted if I can lose some too ( haha!) then I would not be looking for plus size homecoming dresses anymore. 

Anyways, here are some practical tips while fasting:

1. Rest as much as you can
2. Be in the spirit of prayer the whole day, you can pray for your family, nation, church and others..
3. Drink plenty of water
4. While in fast, it is normal to feel weak and irritable-so ready your self about it.
5. Bask in the presence of the Lord. Enjoy His company :)

The power of prayer

 When times are rough (just as it is now ) PRAYER is like my fortress, it's like a room where I can go to and there I find peace and quiet.

Talking to God (sometimes I know I just blabber)  but that doesn't matter,as long as I tell HIM everything, every single thing that worries me is the only way I can rest  knowing that HE is in control.

But there are times though that I don't even have a word in my prayer, I sit (or stand) still and cry. Especially when I am overwhelmed by a lot of burdens.

I thank the Lord that I can always go to Him in prayer and there I find comfort and assurance that somehow, somewhere everything will be alright.

~*~

"Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven"
 
Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

James 5:14-16 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another,that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Worship Pastor

Apparently that's my husband position in our church now. I don't even know what it means :) but last Sunday, they (along with other Pastors) were presented in the church as we had our first Metro Manila joint worship service in our new worship place.

Honestly, the position and the title does not matter to us but the responsibility does.

And I know, here comes a bigger responsibility for him, am I afraid he can't cope with it? Oh yes I admit I am but I am also reminded that if those whom the Lord found faithful in small things, He gives more. So I praise God for entrusting bigger responsibility to my husband.

I stand on His promise that not by my husband's might but by the power of the Holy Spirit, he wil be able to fulfill this greater calling.

And I know also that I play a very big role on this as his wife.

I must understand and support him all the more. And I know he will be spending more time for this, for planning,praying, executing and pastoring all the worship teams from different outreaches of our church. Help me God :) because I know I can be rough at times specially when it comes to the many music instruments and gadgets, even an aa battery charger for microphones and what nots can cause a major headache for me sometimes.

I should understand that the responsibility was not given to my husband alone but for both of us. I acknowledge though that God will give us strength and all the resources we need for the ministry.

God bless everyone!!

Octoberpraise

When : October 12, 2012 -FRIDAY 
Where : Rainforest Skatepark, Pasig City  

SELAH will be there! 

Thankful Thursday

It's been a while since I last participated in Thankful Thursday :)  I know I have lot's to be thankful for everyday. I'm counting my blessings and focusing on what we have rather than what we don't have. Learning to be content on everything that God has given us, so here's my list;

1. Thankful for the job of my husband-I'm beginning to feel less stress in terms of our finances, his regular salary is such a big help and I know in no time will be more able to save  :) and hopefully buy some stuff like platinum rings perhaps to replace our cheap wedding rings or treat the whole family in a vacation. I really hope so someday.

2. I am so much thankful  for the health of my parents, my father is still seeing his doctor and still need a lot of test but we're seeing a very good improvement in his health, he is now walking daily and he looks better than before. Praise God!

3. My husband and I are also grateful for the opportunity to serve HIM in several ministries even if we have our regular day jobs. We are thankful that the band (SELAH) are being given more opportunities to lead the people in worship in different places here in the Philippines. I am thankful also for the people who supports the Fishnets ministry specially our scholarship program.

That's it for now :D If you are thankful, join us at "grace alone" blog.

Don't get snared

Got this on my email this morning. It was totally related to what I posted yesterday about power in declaration, the power of your words.

Just sharing with you guys :)

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Don’t Get Snared TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “You are snared by the words of your mouth...” (Proverbs 6:2, NKJV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria During the 1990’s, Jose Lima was the star pitcher for the Houston Astros. One season, he won 20 games and was considered one of the best pitchers in the league. When the Astros moved from the Astrodome to their new ballpark downtown, the fence in left field was much closer than the fence in the Astrodome. It favored the hitters and made it more difficult on the pitchers. The first time Jose Lima went to the new ballpark, he stood on the mound, looked at the fence, and the first words out of his mouth were, “I’ll never be able to pitch in here. The fence is way too close.” Sure enough, he went from being a 20-game winner to a 16-game loser. It was one of the biggest negative turnarounds in the history of the Astros. What happened? He prophesied his future. Today, don’t get snared by the words of your mouth. When negative thoughts come, don’t speak them out; instead, speak life. Speak hope. Speak blessing. Speak what you seek! Speak the Word of God so you can move forward in the victory He has prepared for you! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father, today I submit my thoughts, my words, and every area of my life to You. Help me, by Your Spirit, to speak life according to Your Word. Help me to stay aligned with You on the path of blessing in Jesus’ name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen