Death to Self

No more turning back.

This is where it all began.

In a place where water meets the sun.
Two years ago. Lenten season. A black Saturday.

What brought me here then was a broken heart and a drifting spirit. Not knowing that this is where God would eventually break me. No, crush me. Ground me. Hurt me.

It was here where my brokenness has led me to be made whole. To be mended heart and soul. To be confronted with greater breaking. To be defeated by a love so life-changing. To be drowned with grace so fierce that nothing would be left in me undone.

It was here on this place--where waves constantly crashing the sea would eternally remind me--that surrender has led to victory, defeat has turned to glory, and brokenness has turned to beauty. What more can one say? 'Coz when grace becomes so real it melts your heart away, it melts you in a wonderful way.

On days that I would look back along the journey of the faith, I'd find myself in a place where water meets the sun. And there with the last rays of a dying sun, I would bask in the glory of the divine. And remind myself of the blessings which came from a surrender, and the grace that led to the birth of a fighter.

In this place where water meets the sun, where waves constantly crash the sand, a man has died to self and God has raised a warrior.

No storm too great

Was there ever a time in your life that you were so rattled and shaken up that you’ve forgotten that Christ himself was on the boat? The thing is, fear paralyzes us. But more than that, fear keeps us away from trusting God’s power to deliver so that in ways we did not expect, it begs to ask the question: are we of little faith?

Mark 4:39 recounts: “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.””

In order to have the right perspective toward storms of life, we must understand three things:

1. The Presence of Storms

Storms happen, and we have to face them. Christians are not exempted from life altering, faith shattering storms—even with Christ on our side. There will be those storms that will break over our boat and would swamp us in ways we least expected (Mark 4:37). Our consolation amidst these storms is that they don’t happen without God’s sovereign knowledge and without his purpose. The old saying goes: if God brings us to it, he will bring us through it!


2. The Purpose of Storms

There are different purposes of storms as recorded in the bible:

a. Disciples’ Storm, Mark 4:37 – To test the disciples’ faith. This is not to put down the confidence of the disciples but to test how far they can go for trusting God.
b. Paul’s Storm, Acts 27:14 – To open new door of witness. We may not understand it at first, but God’s ways are always for the good—and it’s been proven.
c. Jonah’s Storm, Jonah 1:4 – A storm brought Jonah from backsliding. Jonah might have reacted very fearfully in the presence of his storm, but in the end, we’re just sure that he thanked God for it. It was a rebuke he’d forever be grateful for.


3. The Power of Jesus over Storms

But in the midst of these storms, we should remember one thing: our God is on the boat and he will never permit himself to sink with it! Our God is king over all that even storms obey him (Mk 4:39). There’s no storm in our life that his power can’t quiet, there’s no fear inside us that he can’t calm, there’s no confusion around that he can’t make his presence felt. Psalm 121:3 perfectly captured this truth when it said: “He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber.”

Challenge...

Is there any storm in your life right now? Be reminded that Jesus is just right there in the boat with you. Just as he did before, he can command the strong wind to die down and can certainly bring you safely to the other side of your destination. There was this classic song that we’ve all been taught in Sunday school that affirms our faith in the One who rules over the storm: with Christ in my vessel I can smile at the storm…until he takes me home…

The God of no dead-ends

I serve a God of no dead-ends. 

Not only is my God the God of 180-degree turn, but He's also the God of new frontiers and uncharted roads. When there seems to be no going beyond, God can trailblaze even in the wilderness.

God can destroy dead-ends.

With God, our greatest dead-ends are His greatest opportunities to show His power and glory. With God our greatest limitations and weaknesses are His opportunities to show how strong and mighty He is. With God our greatest humiliations are His opportunity to show the world His unrestricted love and saving grace.

Have you realize that many people thought that the Cross was the dead-end? And that the grave where the Savior was buried was the dead-end? Even Christ's disciples would have thought that with their Teacher hanging on the Cross, it was all over. With Him buried for three-days, they thought they we're a bunch of defeated fanatics.

And yet, the Savior has risen! What people thought was their greatest defeat, God turned into a great victory. What people thought as their darkest moment, God turned into glorious light for the world to see.

The Savior has defeated what they thought was the greatest dead-end--death itself.

The next time you're at a dead-end, just remember that God Himself had been there. He's just about to turn your darkest moment into your finest hour!

"By Your spirit I will rise

From the ashes of defeat

The resurrected king

Is resurrecting me

In Your name I come alive

To declare your victory

The resurrected king

Is resurrecting me."

He can't be stopped

Our youth ministry has a byword for this year: Unstoppable.

It's not that the word is cute--its actually clicheish--but it is a vision that God has imparted to us as we enter a whole new season of serving God and making Him known in the campus through our youth fellowship. It is a vision that we want to honor God with all the best that we can offer.

And by His unlimited grace and provision, we are what Christians are meant to be: unstoppable!

It just reminds me again of how God was so unstoppable in my own life. On how He have won a stubborn heart and a reluctant warrior that was me. Where would I be without God's insistent prodding and conviction? Where would I be without Him pursuing me and leading me towards what matters in this life? I can't imagine, but I'm glad that His grace has overrun me wherever I've been.

God is faithful. God is relentless in His promises. God is unstoppable. I may have ran away, but God didn’t give up. I may have chased wrong directions, but in every detour that I took, I’m glad He was there, too. He was and still is my greatest pursuer!

Nothing can prevent Him from fulfilling His purposes for my life, as He already have shown. And as I continue in my personal journey with the Lord and as I keep on seeking His will for my life--to go higher, deeper and stronger--I realized that the God who created me has also imparted a distinct destiny for me. 

And for all of us. 

A distinct place in the world. A distinct purpose. A distinct calling that a person must pursue daily if one’s life should have meaning and significance. Let’s now stop the meaningless chase for ourselves and instead pursue God.

Choices that matter

A warrior is decisive.

I learned that it is truly our choice how we may end up in our limited stay here in our physical and temporal existence. God will not even impose His choices to us because He has given us free will, an opportunity to decide for ourselves. 

He is not an authoritarian God who forces us to follow Him when in fact even accepting Him as Lord and Savior is a matter of personal decision. 

That’s why every time the gospel is preached, people have to come up with a decision. It is OUR choice whether to surrender to Him or not, whether we choose to live for Him or for ourselves. 

God will not make the choice for us, but He is assuring us and promising us that once we choose Him, He will prove Himself true to the promises He has for us. He will prove Himself faithful more than I romanticize Him to be.

If we decide to daily choose God in every areas of our life, He will prove to us that it will be the best decision we’ll ever make.

In everything, above all things: CHOOSE GOD.