devotion: GOALS & FAITH

April 30, 2012

Today's words are: GOALS & FAITH!

Question is what are your goals in life? Talking to some young people, some goals were to make it to the NBA, or other professional sports career. Some want to be doctors, nurses, psychologists, etc... Some goals are to get married and have kids. My goal growing up was to be some sort of professional athlete. First I wanted to be the first filipino to play in the NBA. Then I wanted to be a professional golfer. These are the 2 sports that I felt if I put much into it, I can really be good at. My problem was I didn't put too much into it. Then as I got older I knew I wouldn't have a future in the NBA or golf for that matter because I never practiced or anything, and so I started to think more about where I would go. I asked God what He wanted me to do. At a young age, around 13 God spoke to me about being a pastor some day. I was actually super excited, but when high school graduation came around and it was time to go to college I ran from it. So for 1 year I ended up at Sac State pursuing nursing mainly because my mom is an RN and I knew how much money a nurse can make, but that first semester God kept knocking on my heart reminidng of His calling for my life and I knew I wasn't where I was supposed to be. I then finished the schoolyear at Sac State but applied to Bethany University where I attended the next year giving up on my desires and that desire for more money to pursue what God wants me to do. It was the best decision I made in my life.

Yes I had goals, but God's goals and desires for me are much bigger and better than my own. I followed His will and it is the best decision I have ever made. Yes there are bumps in the road along the way, but it is the most rewarding. My parents wanted me to continue nursing, but once they saw the calling God placed in my life, they gave me over to God 100+%. Let me tell you though that it definately is a faith stretcher.
No one ever said that obedience to God was going to be simple and easy. The disciples who followed Christ did not have an easy time continuing Christ's ministry after He left. Paul did not have an easy time either. He was imprisoned for the most part for spreading the Gospel. They did not have it easy... There are many preachers and teachers and ministers of the Word today who can say that there have been some trying times in ministry, and where their faith was being stretched.

First of all I have to apologize because to be honest there are times including now where my fears and doubts outweighed my faith. Honestly I have been scared for a while... And I have allowed that fear to take over and I wasn't even aware of it til I had breakfast with my dad today before I came into the office. For a while I have been out of school, mainly because I couldn't afford to go back. We owed Bethany for a while til last year, I'm in a huge amount of debt with student loans, etc... Since I left Bethany things fiinancially have been tough. I tried to get loans to finish, but I couldn't get anymore. Ever since I left Bethany I allowed this financial burden to take over my life. I applied to schools trying to finish my one year, but as soon as I saw the amount I needed to pay, I froze. And still today I neglect to even apply to school because I know I CAN'T afford it. Great faith for a youth pastor huh?! The fear of finances have taken over my faith and caused me to put more concern and focus on the payments than my faith in God and God's love for me knowing that He will never leave me nor forsake me. I even neglected going after my lisence with the AG for 3+ years because I knew I couldn't afford to go back to school and my credit report isn't that great so I was embarrased to even continue.

I preached yesterday about the devil finding our weaknesses and pounding at them, and my dad helped me realize that I was actually preaching to myself too. The devil is pounding at my fears of NOT being able to pay for school and my crazy credit report that it's totally making me doubt what my God can do!!! So for that I apologize, but I can tell you that the devil is not going to defeat me any longer! I am going to show the devil that with my shield of faith I will extinguish all the flaming arrows of the enemy, and I will declare that NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME WILL PROSPER!!! I will not live by fear, but I will live by my faith and my God's love for me, that with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE for those who believe! That I will begin to live by the Words that with faith as small as a mustard seed, I can move mountains!

No matter what your goals are keep praying and ask God to direct you towards His will for your life! Not only that continue to walk by faith and not by sight! Put your faith and trust in God not allowing the enemy to take hold of your weaknesses as it has done to me. Put your faith in God and not our ability to try to make things happen because I've tried that I know that it doesnt work. BE STRONG WARRIORS OF GOD! OUR FAITH WILL BE STRETCHED BUT KNOW THAT IT'S ONLY GOING TO MAKE YOU STRONGER!!!

Please continue to pray for me & many others who are struggling or have struggled with fears & doubt!

Pastor Ronald D.

Devotion: GRATITUDE

April 16, 2012

Today's word is GRATITUDE!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV) "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Psalm 107:1 (ESV) "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever."

Ephesians 5:20 (ESV) "Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Gratitude! What is gratitude. Gratitude is giving thanks, being thankful and greatful for something. Question is what are you thankful &/or greatful for? I'm not sure if you feel the same, but sometimes there's not enough gratitude that goes on around this world. I do hear a lot of complaining though... We have paying jobs & yet we complain that we don't get paid enough or we can't stand the people we work with. At least we have a job! We complain about not having a properly working toilet or household items. At least we have a place to call HOME! We complain about not having a nice car like so and so. At least we have a car! To be honest I can be one those people sometimes... but do you know what I mean? Too much complaning and not enough gratitude where if we think about it, there a lot more people around the world that have it worse.

God's teaching me to be THANKFUL & GREATFUL for what I do have! So let's not think about what we don't have, but what we DO have. Look around you, there's so much to be thankful for. The last scripture in Ephesians Paul is thanking God for everything, and I love this because Paul was in a situation that most people if in prison would not be thankful for. No matter what situation Paul was in, He still thanked and praised God. Can we do the same? That even if we were in the most terrible of positions or circumstances that we can still give glory and honor to God? Let's ask God to instill in us the ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE. It's great to be THANKFUL, it definately helps us focus on the positive rather than the negative.

Have a good one everyone & be blessed! Remember SMILE & BE GREATFUL FOR ALL GOD HAS DONE & IS DOING!

Ronald D.

Devotion: boredom

April 15, 2012 It's kind of late but I'm up and I thought I would blog this little devotion. Word for today: boredom! Boredom gets to all of us right... Like tonight, I didn't really have anything to do after church but watch tv including stuff I recorded on my dvr, and then after that tv got boring too, & so I opened my Bible to what Pastor talked about this morning in Ephesians 6:10-20 & since we're continuing with it for youth Sunday I tried to see what God has to say to me & it's amazing how God has so much in one passage for us! It went from an initial night of boredom to night full of truth and excitement about what God has for me & you included. Let me tell you what, living a life in Christ IS EXCITING, no matter what anyone says. Boring nights aren't as boring anymore when you allow God to take over your boring night. in this case He brought me to His Word. What do you do on your boring days or nights? Instead of walking around your room, flipping channels on tv, eat snacks etc, til you find something to do let God lead your boring night/day! Sometimes it'll lead you to His Word, it can lead you to prayer for someone, or even lead you to finding something about yourself that God's been trying to tell you but we're to preoccupied with stuff to listen. Whatever it is there are no limits to where He can take us on these boring nights/days. So I guess, boring times aren't so boring after all! Good night! Ronald D.

Devotion: Open & Closed

April 12, 2012

Today's word or words for the day are OPEN DOORS & CLOSED DOORS. During my own personal devotion yesterday I read a devotional about "Open Doors." It got me thinking about how great open doors are. When doors are open you can walk through with no hesitency, no fear, and you can just walk right on through. With open doors you can get to wherever you need to go. No keys needed, no locksmith, doors wide open for us.

With open doors, we've also had many closed doors. Closed doors stink because we CANT get to where we need or want to go. It stops us from continuing and moving forward, but what it also does in my opinion is it prevents us from going places we weren't meant to go to in the first place.

We have many OPEN DOORS & CLOSED DOORS in our lives. There are times where God says "walk on through" but other times He says "I have something better for you." The question is though, what do we do with those open doors? Are we going to walk right on in or question the opening? These OPEN DOORS are opportunities that God has placed in our lives. Who knows how long or often these opportunities will come, so when we get the opportunity to do what God wants us to do JUMP IN & GO FOR IT! You might be scared or maybe even frustrated that this open door wasn't the door you wanted to go into, but that's the great thing about God, He's going to surprise us (in a good way) every now and then. God's going to take us to places we've never been or imagined going and doing things we've never imagined ourselves doing.

So whatever doors that God opens for you, GO RIGHT IN AND JUMP AT THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE GOD. If there are doors that God seems to close, KNOW THAT THERE'S AN OPEN DOOR WAITING FOR YOU. When doors are closed, know that it's God knowing what's best for you!

Ronald D.

Devotion: The Future

April 11, 2012

The word for today is FUTURE. I look outside today, though it is a little chilly the sun is out and shining. We could even wear our sunglasses. I was super surprised this morning though to see the sun out, mainly because I remember hearing on the news that it was supposed to rain all the way until Friday. So it got me thinking that no matter what equations we use, what sciences we use, patterns we use, we just never really know what’s going to happen each and every day. The weather person may predict the weather for the entire week, but we never really know what’s going to happen until that day comes. It may be sunny right now, but we all know that it can change any moment. WE JUST DON’T KNOW!

Same goes for our lives, WE JUST DON’T KNOW! I can sit here and lay out a plan I have for my future, all my goals and desires. I can even write down exact dates that I want things to happen, but the truth is I’m not even sure it’s going to happen at all. We can go to a psychic and get our future read, or call a number and they’ll tell us what our love lives will be like, or get a bunch of fortune cookies and find out what the cookie says about my future, but the truth is no matter what someone says they don’t know either.

I do know someone who does know and that’s God! He knows our plans, He knows where we’re going and He’s going to take us there. Last Friday I had the youth write their plans, goals, etc., and toss it in a basket representing us giving our hearts, our goals, and our plans to God. That’s what we have to do on a daily basis. I don’t know what’s going to happen today, tomorrow, a month from now, even 10 seconds from now, but what I do know is that if I give my every second and every minute of every day to God He’s not going to let us down. He’s going to take us to places we’ve never dreamt of going and have us doing things we didn’t write down on that list.

“I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Live everyday giving everything to Christ. You won’t regret it!