Do Not Pamper Your Fear

Fear can paralyze.  Our imagination of the worst case scenario can stir emotions in us that make us retreat instead of bravely marching forward. But let us be assured -- God is always ahead of us. 

"It is the Lord who marches before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not be dismayed (Deut 31:8)."

A missionary priest shared to us, "When you go to a mission area, do not presume that you are 'bringing' Christ to the place. Christ is already there, waiting to use you. Christ is already with the people you will serve. You will meet Christ there." True enough, in the missions that I do, I am always amazed of how the Lord talks to me through the people I serve. The Lord surprises me of the unforeseen opportunities that he opens up for the mission -- especially at times when oppressions happen. The Lord's promise of not forsaking us should make us the bravest person of all. 

The only thing that blocks us from moving forward is that we are pampering our fear instead of conquering it with faith. We feed it, entertain it, and nurture it -- and so it grows until it eats us up. 

Let us not make fear our best friend -- Christ is. Peter was walking on water when Christ called him. But whenPeter feared the strong winds, he started to sink. We should trust more the One who commands the strong winds to stop; He who lifts us up when we start to sink.

Many of us fear this one thing -- the future. Fears that affect our future: fear of not having enough, the fear of loss, the fear of not being good enough, the fear of not meeting high expectations. Fr. Joel Jason in one of his homilies said, "When you plan for your future, make a faith declaration not a fear declaration." We must work hard not out of fear but out of faith. Fear can make us greedy, while faith can make us generous -- and when we share, the Lord blesses us a hundred fold. Just ask those who tithe.

Faith is a response to the reality of God in our lives. When Jesus revealed the true nature of God as our Father, He was not only talking about any other father but the reality of a perfect Father! A Father who knows the number of hair on our heads, who knows us more than we can ever know ourselves, who looks at us lovingly and assures us, "I will never fail you or forsake you."

So let us put our faith forward and march on. Be brave, God marches before us!

Musicians at the Front line

I just came from a Music Ministry workshop. One of the worship leaders exhorted us that in actual battles in the medieval, the ones who are at the frontlines are the drumbeaters, trumpet players, and other musicians. The music helps uplift the warriors' spirits and makes them more courageous. It also intimidates the enemy, making the other side nervous.
These musicians at the frontline do not have a weapon at hand while being attacked. They are very heroic and sacrificial in their duty that they are willing to risk their lives just to be able to rouse the bravery of their army.

Like the frontliners in war, music ministers are also vulnerable to the attacks of pride, disunity, and jealousy. There is a need to strengthen our spiritual armor (Eph 6) as we serve Him, so we can ward off these attacks and be shielded by our faith.

No wonder that in spiritual battle, music is a very powerful tool to remind us of the strength of God and give us courage to fight the enemy. Indeed, singing is twice praying (St. Augustine).



Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

Of Friendship and Bravery

Four brave men who do not know each other will not dare to attack a lion.  Four less brave, but knowing each other well, sure of their reliability and consequently of mutual aid, will attack resolutely.  There is the science of the organization of armies in a nutshell. (Colonel Charles Ardant Du Picq, 1821-70)

Facing the new year ahead, there will surely be great challenges.  Some problem encounters, as fearsome as lions. But these challenges, no matter the size, will be won with true friends by our side. We will become brave because, Jesus, our true and faithful friend, is with us.  He surrounds us with people, our friends, who will help fight our battles.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:15).


So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).