Dream... Into Reality?

I was at Urbana 2012 in St Louis, MO. It's a Christian Mission Conference geared towards college/university students but anyone could join. There was about 16,000 people there. During that time, God has reignited a passion that was sleeping in my heart. I had a passion for broken people that are victims of sexual exploitation.

Sex Trafficking. It's a form of Human Trafficking. Which by definition is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation includes sexual exploitation, forced labor or services and/or slavery.

My passion is more focused on Child Sex Trafficking. God has given me a path to follow. He gave me a strong passion and a strong interest in Psychology. To study it in a biblical, spiritual perspective. And move in to counseling, healing and restoration of the victims. I don't have any money to pursue this. I have been in debt before and I don't wanna take a student loan. Even if I did, when I move into the field of counseling, I don't wanna do it to pay my living expenses. Besides, the places where healing is needed most are places that can't even afford a counselor. I wanna do counseling because that's what I want to do, and whether or not I get paid, I will do it because the victims matters. I would do full time volunteer counseling, healing and letting victims hear the Gospel, that despite of the horrifying traumatic experience they've gone through, there's Someone that loves them unconditionally. Sees them as beautiful. That there is hope.

I also wanna build facilities around the world that would house victims of sex trafficking. A place they would feel safe in. Where they can get counseling. Seek Godly advice. Build life-long relationships. Develop skills and learn and study. A place of worship. And equip them with the Gospel so as they enter back into society with Christ centered in their hearts and life, they'll be able to share their powerful testimony of how God transformed their life.

These are all in my head… Is it wrong to dream so big? Are we not able to bring our dreams into reality? If God is the center of all your dreams, is it wrong to keep asking and praying for Him to turn it into a reality and take steps towards it? I believe it's possible to dream big with God… and we can be sure that He will turn it into reality and His glory will shine as it happens. Fix your eyes on Jesus, dream big, surrender it to Him, place Him in the center of it and watch Him as He turns it into reality.

Confronting Fear

We all battle fear. Anything that hinders us from doing what we want, or doing the right thing. Fear of being ashamed. Fear of embarrassment. There's a lot of it and each person has a different type of fear that they struggle with.

My fear is my shortcomings. The years I've lost due to me wandering off not knowing where to go and what to do. Uninformed of the world. I didn't take school seriously. I wasn't made aware of how important it was. My shortcomings consists of lack of education, having not finished high school, and years of social isolation. These are my weaknesses and my fear which leads to other fears like the one I mentioned from previous post. Having low comprehension level, and struggle to organize my thoughts and remember them. During a conversation, my mind can easily wander off or focus on something said trying to comprehend it and block out the rest of the information coming in. Hate it! But knowing these, I can easily distinguish what God is doing in my life. For when I'm weak, He is strong.

Few months ago, I've developed a way to counter these with Biblical truths. Although I still struggle, I could grow and overcome them. So how do I confront fear? Having the knowledge that by keeping yourself cooped up in your comfort zone is fear. Afraid to try new things. Afraid of change. Afraid to make a difference. Here are my notes about fear and overcoming it.

• Fear prevents forward progress.
• Anytime we make any forward progress, Satan will take a step against us to see if we will crawl back in our hole.
• Stand your ground.
• Don't fear the unknown or change.
• Always move forward.
• "I will not fear!"
• We can feel afraid and still not be afraid!
• Feel is in the flesh, but who we are are from our "born again" spirit.
• Fear is from the devil. We do not have to live in fear. Believe in God, for He is faithful.
• LOVE is the main theme.
• Pay attention to what God is doing in our lives.
• Perfect love. No fear in love. Perfect love casts our fear.
• God has not sent us to be tormented.
• God is LOVE. God loves us very much!
• Do not be afraid of any circumstances.
• Fear is a dead end, but faith always has a future. Fear opens the door for Satan to work in our lives. Faith opens the door for God to work in our lives.
• God is giving us divine experience.
• Trust in His will for us. Not our own.

Finally, encouraging truths from the Bible.

1 John 4:8-19 (ESV)

⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
¹³ By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷ By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us.

Romans 8:31;35-39 (ESV)
³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
...
³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 3:17-20 (ESV)

¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 13 (ESV)
⁵ Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ⁶ So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
    I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”

2 Peter 3 (ESV)
¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

2 Timothy 1 (ESV)
⁷ for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Psalm 118:6 (ESV)
⁶ The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
    What can man do to me?

Isaiah 41 (ESV)

¹⁰ fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

There really is nothing to be fearful of. But it's in our nature to be afraid of unknown. Physically, mentally, emotionally. That's why our walk with God will always be a great adventure. It is a transformation filled with surprises and awesome revelations. Even with all of these, I struggle day after day. But I will try my best to be dependent and lean on Him, my Solid Rock.

What is the worst thing in life? Death. If you're guaranteed life because of Jesus' finished work, what else is there to be afraid of? Living a miserable life is a choice that we make, and completely optional. God is always faithful.

The Same Love - Paul Baloche

This song was played in my church at Rexdale and I instantly fell in love with it. So simple yet so powerful. The theme really touches me. God's love is for everyone! Everyone is invited! A feast has been prepared and it is free to partake! Answer His call. His love for us heals the harshest, deepest wounds.

All praises to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour!

A Revelation

Shortly after my baptism, I felt a heavy burden in me. It was so heavy that on some days, it was hard to breathe. I have posted about it below. Basically, I felt only alive during Sundays, and from the time I come home from church to Saturday night, I felt completely alone, empty, and sadness engulfed me.

And then I posted again, 2 days later when the Lord answered my cry. It was amazing.

Now, just last week Thursday. I had a choir rehearsal for the Sunday service. As I walked in my church at Rexdale, (it was kinda empty because I was too early, as usual) a thought entered my mind. It was from God, "You cried to me and I heard you. You wanted everyday to be like Sundays, and now it is." I was in awe when I heard this. I didn't know how to process it. But I totally agreed. I was aware that almost every single day now, I'm in church. But I have completely forgotten what I asked from God. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ! He remains faithful and never forgets when we easily do.

I really thank God for all the things He does for me and for everyone. The love, discipline, guidance, teaching, wisdom, answered prayers, confirmations, revelations. I cannot live any other way without God by my side. Either He's always there with me, or He's already secured the path and waiting for me on the other end, or He carries me to where I need to be. What a beautiful loving relationship.

What if there's a bigger picture?

Great song. Great message. I can relate. And so can you! Love God and love your neighbor. Your life is not about you.

Matthew West - My Own Little World

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Yasgzjc0w