Mar
25th
Encourage Yourself
By Allen EspejoHave you ever had a goal in life that you wanted so bad that you will do whatever it takes to have it?
Did you ever experience the feeling that
despite all your efforts in doing the right things you could not
even take a step to get closer to that dream?
How do you encourage yourself if you cannot
experience a breakthrough to reach your goal?
Can you quit and just try doing something
else?
In my blog
"When God
Delays", maybe we
just need to practice the virtue of patience.
But how can we practice patience when we are
discouraged?
Let me borrow a parable from the Gospel of
Luke. "A man had a fig tree
which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for
fruit on it and did not find any.
And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I
have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any.
Cut it down! Why does it even use up the
ground?'
And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this
year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it
bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"
(Luke 13:6-9)
Have you ever noticed when you are about to
experience a pivotal moment in your life you stop and quit
because of discouragement?
Let me tell you the story of the uncle of
R.U. Darby? R.U. Darby is one of the most successful
insurance salesmen. His uncle was caught in the "gold
fever" in the gold-rush days. He was so passionate about
his discovery of a shinny oar that he knew he will be able to
find gold. Together, they invested heavily on machinery so
they could follow the vein of gold. After all the digging
and investment, something happened – the vein of gold
disappeared. For them it was the end of the rainbow.
They tried to dig further but to no avail until they
stopped.
Finally, they decided to quit. They
sold the machinery to a junk man for a few hundred dollars and
went home. With guidance from the experts, the junk man was
able to find the vein that they were digging for just three feet
from where they stopped drilling.
They were able to take millions of dollars
in ore from the mine.
Like R.U. Darby, every person is guilty of
this mistake one time or another. This lesson in life
taught him so well that he became the best in the field of
selling insurance.
Before success comes to most people, it is
almost sure that the biggest challenges come into place.
When we face these challenges and we think there is no way
out, we get discouraged, we quit and we isolate
ourselves.
We get discouraged, that's a normal thing.
We isolate ourselves, that's not a bad idea too because I
believe that finding yourself alone is God's doing.
Let's face it, there will be a time in our
lives when we are left alone, discouraged and everything that
could go wrong has gone wrong - so, what do we do?
Just like the parable says, "dig around and
put fertilizer in it" and do what King David did - "But David strengthen himself in His Lord God"
(1 Samuel 30:33)
God allows us to be alone so that we can
turn to Him completely. A lot of us fail to understand
these circumstances in our lives. We think he has forgotten
us. No, He is just trying to tell us something - He is
there for us. We are not alone. He wants us to be
totally dependent on Him. He will show us another path to
achieve our purpose.
Stop being discouraged because worse things
will follow. If you become discouraged, you will only
attract bad things in your life and believe me, they pile up
really fast.
How do we encourage ourselves when we are
left alone, depressed, discouraged and facing difficult
situation?
1) Pray - "Ask
and you shall receive." (Matthew 7:7-11)
I remember an old friend whose daughter was
diagnosed with dengue fever. The platelet of his daughter
is 10,000. (If you are wondering what platelets are - in an
adult, a normal count is about 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per
microliter of blood. If platelet levels fall below 20,000
per microliter, spontaneous bleeding may occur and is considered
a life-threatening risk)
When my friend heard this from the doctor,
he was devastated. At that time, he confessed that he never
knew how to pray but regardless, he took a chance of praying over
her daughter. It was all his hope. Although the
doctors were giving up, my friend never did. After praying
over, her daughter had a miraculous recovery. That is the
power of prayer!
A lot of us could pray like a fighter plane
passing by. You can feel the ground shaking, they have
words of prophesy and their praying in tongues is like singing.
You can feel the presence of God in the place. I
admire these people!
If you do not pray this way, welcome to my
club. My prayer is more like a pin dropping on the floor.
You can't hardly hear it or feel it. No one notices
it. No ground shaking, no walls crumbling, no thunder
roaring no nothing. No power.
Often, I don't know how to pray or how to
focus my prayer; often, I do not know the root cause of the
difficulty; often I do not have the right words.
Regardless, that doesn't bother me.
When I pray, I know that the power of prayer is not in the
prayer or how you pray. The power of prayer is in the one
who hears it. That's the only thing that
matters.
All we need to do after praying is to trust
the one who hears our prayer and expect that it will be
answered.
When I feel discouraged and I ran out of
words to say while praying, instead of entertaining these
thoughts in my mind, I secretly pray in tongues.
I hope that I could write more about the
gift of tongues in the near future.
2. Be thankful.
When we are thankful to the many blessings
that we keep receiving, that should be enough to encourage
us.
Not thanking the source of all blessings is
one step in the wrong direction.
Paul the apostle wrote to the Romans (1:21)
– "For even though they knew God,
they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became
futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was
darkened."
In Ephesians 5:20 it says, "Always giving thanks for all
things."
When the scripture says "all things" that
means all "all things."
Is it possible to give thanks to the Lord
for that person who harmed you? Who discourages you?
Who tries to destroy your dreams? Who ridicules you
and mocks you?
We should be able to do this through the
grace of God.
In the Gospel of Mark 11:25-26 it says,
"Whenever you stand praying,
forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father
who is in heaven will also forgive your transgressions. But
if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven
forgive your transgressions."
These people will be the one who will purify
you. They will be the tools so you could develop a good
character. It is how you handle these adversities that
results to what you can become. They will help you develop
an attitude of gratitude.
3. Praise God.
The most common reaction for most people who
are struggling with life and feeling discouraged in what they do
is to analyze what has gone wrong.
Why am I in this situation? Why am I
struggling to meet both ends need? What is the cause of my
problem?
Stop analyzing and start praising!
When we are hit with adversity, difficulties,
discouragement, anxieties and a long delay, it's easy to lose our
focus that we have a God out there who looks for us and loves us.
It's sad that we prefer to look at our
circumstances.
Just like prayer, there is tremendous power
in praising.
What brought down the walls of Jericho?
It was not the analytical warfare genius of Joshua but it
was the trumpets and shouting (praising) of its people that
brought the walls down. (Joshua 6)
What broke the chains of Paul and Silas when
they were imprisoned? It was through praising. (Acts
16:25-30)
It is our choice to remain self-pity and be
sad or to enter into His presence by praising and glorifying
God.
I remember a time when I had a client that
requires me to leave the house at five in the morning so I could
take a two hour drive to arrive at their office. During
rush hour, it would take me four hours to get back home.
One Wednesday afternoon, I planned to leave
early from my client so I could make it in time for our bible
study where I was the one leading it. Our group gathers in
the church hall which is five minutes away from our
house.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to
finish testing the system I made that I have to extend my working
hours. I left my client at 4:30 pm and our bible study
starts at 7:00 pm. There was no way for me to make it on
time.
I did not analyze which route I'm going to
take or how am I going to make it on time. All I did was I
started praising God. I played the tapes of Steve Kuban and
Don Moen and started singing inside the car while driving.
Can you guess what happened?
I arrived at the church 15 minutes before 7
pm. Praise God!
No matter how strong the enemy is, the
battle is not yours but God (2 Chronicles 20:15c)
4. Remember
Stop being discouraged and remind yourself
of how the Lord has delivered you in the past; the same God who
delivered you ten years ago, five years ago, one year ago or even
yesterday, will deliver you again today.
Knowing how the Lord dealt with your
problems and delivered you again and again, that should help us
to remember His faithfulness to us.
We are suppose to remember all the goodness
that's been done in our lives.
If you could not recall any blessing that
you received throughout your life or if you think you were born
to have bad luck, you are lying to yourself. God does not
create junk!
The fact that you are reading this blog is a
blessing in itself. I do believe that you did not read this
far if this blog was not for you.
God has begun a work in your heart.
And what he begins, God completes.
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good
work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 1:6)
God is the greatest!
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Note: If you want to be a part of my mailing list, email me at alteamor@canfaithandmoneymix.com. You will receive an email with my most recent blog twice a month absolutely FREE!
You can also go to my website to read my other blogs at www.canfaithandmoneymix.com.
Mar
4th
Man in the Mirror - Can Faith and Money Mix Series
By Allen Espejo
Is there anybody here who doesn’t know Michael
Jackson?
For the benefit of older generation, like my dad (am I
going to be in trouble here?), he was Elvis Presley of their
time.
I’m not going to talk about the media buzz that are being
said about him or his humanitarian works where he supported 39
charity organizations (Reference: 2000 edition of the Guinness
Book Of World Records - "Most Charities Supported By a Pop
Star").
I just want to borrow a line from his song entitled “Man in
the Mirror.”
How is this related with Faith and Money?
Our site’s subtitle is, “Handling your finances with a
faith perspective.”
To achieve this, we have to use our faith to discipline
ourselves on how we handle our money.
We have to have faith in our self, faith in others and most
of all, faith in God. This kind of faith, reinforced by love can
achieve this kind of discipline.
If we do not have discipline, we are lacking in
self-control.
Handling your finances without self-control is
chaos!
The scripture says that we have to love what is good; we
have to be self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. (Titus
1:8)
To know what is good, goodness should be found within us.
If there are things that prevent us in bringing out the
goodness within us, then we need to evaluate ourselves and find
the areas in our lives that prevent us in doing these good
things.
We need to have full control over our weakness so we can
attain the discipline that we want to achieve.
It’s unfortunate that most of us do the
opposite.
Instead of controlling our weaknesses, we look for the
weaknesses of others and we try to control them. We tell
others to change but we do not take the initiative to change
within.
I have to admit that I mastered this skill!
I tried to make the world around me a better place by
telling other people to change. Unfortunately, they could
not see the changes in me so guess what happened? Many of
them turned from bad to worse!
The scripture says “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust
in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your
own eye.” Luke 6:41
My favorite part of the song “Man in the Mirror” is - ”If
you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself
and then make a change.”
If we want to see changes in our world, the first step is
to start fixing the problem within our self. The problem
is, we try to fix the world from the outside.
It’s so easy to point our fingers to others. There
are times when my wife will to say to me, “it’s all your fault!”
Then I would reply back, “Well, look who’s talking!”
Then we argue.
(I have to confess that once in a while I still find myself
guilty of this weakness. I’m a work in progress. Please
pray for me on this.)
There are instances where you think that you are trying to
help others but in the end, people would blame you for the wrong
reasons.
Whether they are right or wrong, it wouldn’t hurt if we
stop and reflect a bit and ask ourselves, “What made them say
that?”
Sometimes the answer is obvious. Unfortunately, our
first reaction is to put up our defenses and we retaliate back.
We are so focused on the mistakes of others that we missed
the opportunity to look deeper into ourselves and ask – is it
me?
Our biggest enemy is our own self. We tend to justify
ourselves because we favor our self. We are right, they are
wrong.
Another problem is, we limit the love we give. We
share our love only up to a certain level. If it reaches
that point, we expect something in return before moving further
or worst we stop giving love.
We cannot forgive, we cannot accept our mistake and we
cannot change, because within our self, they are wrong.
We need to have an inside look. We need to look at
the man in the mirror.
What is the reason why I am like this?
The significance of looking at the man in mirror is
measured by its helpfulness in moving us towards greater
love.
When we are able to see our weaknesses, it is easier for us
to love.
The same goes with our finances. We often ask, why
don’t I have money?
We justify ourselves that we need the things we buy?
The question is, do we really need it or do we just want
it?
We need to take a look at our self on how we spend our
money and change it. Buy objectively. Learn to identify your
needs versus wants.
Find these weaknesses and fix it.
In my case, when I started to look deeper into myself, I
found out these weaknesses.
1.) I am the Expert Blamer
2.) I am right, you are wrong.
3.) I know everything.
4.) I love to procrastinate.
5.) I choose the wrong friends.
6.) I fail to simplify my life.
After identifying my weaknesses, I became more aware when
these weaknesses creep in.
In my next blog, I will share you how I manage these
weaknesses.
How about you my friend?
How do you see the man in the mirror?
Do you find any weakness that you need to change?
God is Great!
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Note: If you want to be a part of my mailing list, email me atalteamor@canfaithandmoneymix.com. You will receive an email with my most recent blog twice a month absolutely FREE!
********************************
Note: If you want to be a part of my mailing list, email me atalteamor@canfaithandmoneymix.com. You will receive an email with my most recent blog twice a month absolutely FREE!
You can also go to my website to read my other blogs at www.canfaithandmoneymix.com.
Feb
16th
What if God does not provide?
By Allen EspejoHave you ever been in a situation where you keep on praying for something but God never seem to listen to your prayer?
What would you feel if you woke up one
morning only to realize that you no longer have friends, you no
longer have a job or a business and your flat
broke?
Would you blame God for not answering your
prayer?
When God does not provide for our needs, does
it mean that he had abandoned us?
First of all,
we need to understand that God gives us blessings and not curses.
Let me share
you my personal experience.
Okay, I know
this will be boring since I will be talking about my life
experience. I promise to keep it short – 15 pages only
(just kidding). I’m sure you don’t want to turn down a
friend who recommended you to read my blogs who is probably my
relative, so, here it goes …
In
1996, I use to be a part of a group who runs a premier nightclub
operation located along the world famous Manila Bay sunset strip.
The place was a haven to very rich people and tourists.
Our club slogan was “hall of the gods and the goddesses.”
I was one of the gods.
I
will not disclose the details on how we run the business – it’s
censored. 18 months later, due to mismanagement and more,
we have to shut down the operation.
During those
18 months, although I knew my life was going towards the wrong
direction - my troubled relationship with my wife; being
acquainted with the wrong people and wrong business, I did not
know when to stop - correction please – I did not want to stop
doing the wrong things!
After
everything has been taken away, I could not understand why all my
hard work and efforts ended up nowhere. I could not accept the
fact that I have failed. As far as I knew, I did everything I can
to be successful in life and to make things work. We were
running a legitimate establishment, we employ people, and we
provide entertainment – what’s wrong with that?
I
blamed everyone including God as if He had something to do with
my failure - “God, its unfair! Why did you allow this to
happen to me? Why did you abandon me? You said that you are
with me all the way! Where is the Great
Provider?”
God took away
the things that are not for me. I lost everything because I
was not functioning based on my intended purpose in life – to be
His good steward. I was my own god.
I
had “temporary” financial abundance and plenty of artificial
friends. There were times where I would have lots of money
before the night begins and I would boast my “big shot” image
then end up broke in the morning (yes, I did that and more).
I did not have the discipline to handle money. A discipline
that was impossible to have because I was engaging in a business
that is morally against my beliefs. I became broke because
I was selfish, irresponsible and financially illiterate.
I
have learned my lessons in life the hard way. I am just so
fortunate to be blessed to have a family who stood behind me all
the way. Through them, I learned to pause and reflect and doing
the things that I never thought I would be doing – to call on to
God for help.
Today, when my
wife and I want to do something or decide on something,
especially if it is a major decision, we would pause, pray and
reflect. We would write down our dreams and plans then we pray
for discernment before we put them into action.
In
our spiritual journey, we have used the following questions to
help us discern if our dream is aligned to God’s plans for us.
If we feel that we are struggling on something while
implementing our plans, we stop and reflect then we go back to
reflect on these questions again. If our answer to any one
of the four questions is “No,” we stop and redo our plans.
These are the
questions that we ask ourselves:
First question,
am I asking based on His will? “Your
will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew
(6:10)
In
my case, running a nightclub is definitely not His will.
From then on,
any business I choose, it has to be in accordance primarily with
the word of God through the scriptures, my faith, moral beliefs,
values and expectations.
I
made sure that I do not use my time and money on the things that
do not correspond to my expectations. I expect to put my
money towards a system that is in line with my beliefs – “Your
will be done.”
There are
three questions to answer to know if “Your will be done” is
followed before you move to the next question:
- Will this glorify God or will this glorify you?
- Will this give more praises to God or you just want people to praise you?
- Will this give me more time to serve God or will this give you more time to serve you? (By the way, serving God is not limited to serving your church alone. Don't limit yourself in serving God in a single place or a single area in your life. A good place to start is within your family.)
If
your answer is "no" to any one of these questions, don’t bother
yourself moving on to the next question. But if all your
answers are "yes", then...
Second, do I maintain a good relationship with God? “If
you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish
for, and it will be done for you.” (John
15:7).
If
your running a business that involves prostitution, you
definitely do not have a good relationship with God.
I’m not saying
that prostitutes are damned to go to hell. Of course not! I
can name several prostitutes who are heroes in the bible.
What I’m saying is that I will not be investing anymore in the
type of business that runs prostitution. I’ve been in that
business before and that experience is a lesson that I can never
forget for the rest of my life.
Having a good
relationship is with God essential to make sure that whatever you
wish, it will be done for you.
If
you have a good relationship with the Lord, then...
Third, am I using the authority given to me when I'm saying my
prayers? “Whatever
you ask in My name, that will I do.” (John
14:13).
Many of us
underestimate the power of using this authority – “In Jesus
name.” I have heard several Christians use this phrase as
an expression. Remember, do not use God’s name in
vain.
Let me share
you an example on how powerful it is to use one’s name.
My
“kumpare” (godfather of my son) works for a recruitment agency
for shipping companies back in the Philippines. If you know
someone who works in a cruise ship owned by “Princess Cruises”,
they probably know my friend.
Anyway,
whenever someone comes to me for help to back him or her up to my
friend, I would write on a sheet of paper (there was even a time
when I wrote a note on a cigarette box) and say “kumpare, please
help so and so on his application” and I would sign at the bottom
and he would bring that note to him.
Here’s the
thing, when that person goes to meet my friend, he would skip a
big line up of applicants and he would be entertained directly
and immediately by my friend as if he was holding a VIP
pass.
He
was entertained immediately not because he had good credentials
or he was good looking or he was somebody else. He received
immediate attention because he used my name when he went to my
friend.
We
have to remember, when we ask something in prayer and say “In
Jesus Name”, we are actually using our VIP pass to be entertained
immediately by God the Father.
Now, you know
that your plans are based on His will for you and because
you have a good relationship with the Lord, you have the liberty
to use His name in your prayers, then...
Fourth, did I have the faith to believe that I am going to
receive what I prayed for? “Therefore
I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that
you have received them, and they will be granted you.” (Mark
11:24)
When you pray,
don’t doubt but rather expect.
I
have questioned this verse from the scriptures when I was new in
our community. I asked my fellow brothers and sisters – isn’t it
crazy that we would act like we already have something but we
don’t? Wouldn’t it give you more frustration if you acted
like you had something but in the end, it will never be
yours?
Here is a tip,
to avoid being frustrated, don’t act as you received that
something if your answer to any of the first three questions is
“No.”
If
your answer to the first three questions is yes, then there’s no
reason for you not to expect an answer – in his time.
Let me share
you one more story before I end this blog.
Two years
before having a Canadian visa, after submitting our application,
we were already saying our goodbyes to friends and fellow
community members.
Take note,
when we submitted our application, this was the time when my wife
and I have no permanent job and both of us have no business
income. We have no proof of income based on our income tax
returns. Our chance to be granted a visa based on our
credentials is a high 10%.
Within those
two years of waiting, many people keep on asking this question,
when will we leave for Canada? We would just answer,
“soon, very soon.”
It
never crossed our minds that we will be denied of a visa. What we
know is, to all of the four questions, our answer was a
resounding yes!
And behold, we
are now living in this beautiful country for the last 8 years (at
the heart of 2010 Winter Olympics venue) proclaiming to the world
how good our God is!
Amen!
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Amen!
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Sep
23rd
DREAM BIG
By Paula Hope DavideBe led by your dreams.
From where I look, it seems that these times are calling us to dare to dream big dreams. Simply because we are facing big challenges and big consequences are at stake. For most of us, the tendency is to stay safe, pull in, retreat, act like a tortoise. Or not! You could go and choose the other path. Dream Big.
If everything is well in your life, if what you’re currently doing is working for you, keep doing it. If you’re happy just the way things are, your bank accounts are always on the positive and money just keep on coming in, great for you! Please let the others know how you do that. But if you’re like many people, chances are you’re looking at a different reality than the one I just described. Chances are the future’s not looking so bright about now, so “Why not dream big?”. And why not now?
To achieve something big in life you will also have to think big. Nothing has as much potential power for affecting our futures as your capacity to dream big and achieve it. Dreaming big has a magic in it that inspires people to new levels of achievement. Dreaming big pushes you to the outer boundaries of your current thinking. Those who dream big live in the land of pure potentiality where anything becomes possible… it’s the only place to be!
When the dream is big enough the facts don’t count!...
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