Diana Rose Gacila

Lyrics:

There is no one else for me None but Jesus Crucified to set me free Now I live to bring Him praise In the quiet, in the stillness I know that You are God In the secret of Your presence I know there I am restored When You call I won't refuse Each new day again I'll choose

There is no one else for me None but Jesus Crucified to set me free Now I live to bring Him praise

In the chaos, in confusion I know You're sovereign still In the moment of my weakness You give me grace to do Your will When You call I won't delay This my song through all my days

There is no one else for me None but Jesus Crucified to set me free Now I live to bring Him praise

Back in college days, we were required to read this scroll by Og Mandino. I hope it'll help you as much as it helped me especially in my season now! 💖

-=TODAY I WILL BE THE MASTER OF MY EMOTIONS=-

“The tides advance; the tides recede. Winter goes and summer comes. Summer wanes and the cold increases. The sun rises; the sun sets. The moon is full; the moon is black. The birds arrive; the birds depart. Flowers bloom; flowers fade. Seeds are sown; harvests are reaped. All nature is a circle of moods and I am part of nature and so, like the tides, my moods will rise; my moods will fall. Today I will be master of my emotions.

“…And how will I master these emotions so that each day will be productive? For unless my mood is right the day will be a failure…And how will I master my emotions so that every day is a happy day, and a productive one? I will learn this secret of the ages: Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions; strong is he who forces his actions to control his thoughts. Each day, when I awaken, I will follow this plan of battle before I am captured by the forces of sadness, self-pity and failure-

“If I feel depressed I will sing. If I feel sad I will laugh. If I feel ill I will double my labor. If I feel fear I will plunge ahead. If I feel inferior I will wear new garments. If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice. If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come. If I feel incompetent I will remember past success. If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals. Today I will be master of my emotions.

“…If I become overconfident I will recall my failures. If I overindulge I will think of past hungers. If I feel complacency I will remember my competition. If I enjoy moments of greatness I will remember moments of shame. If I feel all-powerful I will try to stop the wind. If I attain great wealth I will remember one unfed mouth. If I become overly proud I will remember a moment of weakness. If I feel my skill is unmatched I will look at the stars. Today I will be master of my emotions.

OK.

STOP thinking that you are living a defeated life, or you are a failure, that you can't be healed, you are a hopeless case, or you can't be forgiven, or maybe you can't start all over again.❌

Life is messy? YES. But the story doesn't end there. Every year, we remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ and its power. And I can promise you that it isn't too late to start believing in its power over your life. It's time to think like a victor, 'coz you and I are. Infact, when Jesus Christ defeated hell, death, and grave that also mean that He has won our present battles and future afflictions. It is finished! We just need to have faith in Him as we continue on the journey. May He find a face of an overcomer with you in His second coming!

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead will raise us up, too. Therefore believe that in HIM, you are Victorious, you are Healed, there is Hope, you can rise from the ashes, you are forgiven, you are loved. CHEER UP! HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD.♡ #AllHailKingJesus👑

The timing is up to Him, not us. 

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ~1 Peter 2:2

Jesus did nothing of His own accord, but only what the Father told Him to do, and only when the Father told Him to do it.

Don’t you try to create an Ishmael of your own making. Don’t! Because our Lord has something far better in store, if only we will trust Him!

If and when the time comes for us to be married, God will orchestrate the love story.  #TRUST

 A heart centered upon Christ is not a sentence of death – it’s a doorway into abundant life, into the most glorious relationship you could ever imagine; a daily romance with the One who loves you more than you can ever comprehend and tenderly cares about each and every detail of your life.

But Joseph told them, “Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you . . . . It was not you who sent me here, but God” (45:5, 8).

God knows what his plan is for our lives. Most of the time we struggle a lot just to make sure that everything is under our control that we may escape from anything that will cause us pain or trouble. We hate to see ourselves broken. We hate to see ourselves becoming a laughing stock or failing in this one life. But what if the tears, the heartache, and pains are God’s loving hands toward us. Sounds weird but it could be that we are presently at the place where the Lord doesn’t want us to stay for forever and he is to bring us to a place where your life will be used mightily. Where you can be called blessed and a blessing. Sure that the process won’t be easy but waiting and trusting in the Lord will never fail our hope that He is in control. We don’t know how long it will take or how long does the Lord want us to be in the unlikely situation, but we have to learn to trust his timing. And trusting his timing also means believing that he’s never delayed. He’s always on-time! Everything is beautiful in its time.

Praise God! He knows what He is doing!

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

6 “For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. 7 I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9 The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

Blessings Promised for Obedience

10 On December 18[c] of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord sent this message to the prophet Haggai:11 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says. Ask the priests this question about the law: 12 ‘If one of you is carrying some meat from a holy sacrifice in his robes and his robe happens to brush against some bread or stew, wine or olive oil, or any other kind of food, will it also become holy?’”

The priests replied, “No.”

13 Then Haggai asked, “If someone becomes ceremonially unclean by touching a dead person and then touches any of these foods, will the food be defiled?”

And the priests answered, “Yes.”

14 Then Haggai responded, “That is how it is with this people and this nation, says the Lord. Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin. 15 Look at what was happening to you before you began to lay the foundation of the Lord’s Temple. 16 When you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, you harvested only ten. When you expected to draw fifty gallons from the winepress, you found only twenty. 17 I sent blight and mildew and hail to destroy everything you worked so hard to produce. Even so, you refused to return to me, says the Lord.

18 “Think about this eighteenth day of December, the day[d]when the foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid. Think carefully. 19 I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn.[e] You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you.”

The Glory of the New Covenant

7 The old way,[b] with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. 8 Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?9 If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! 10 In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way.11 So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!

12 Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 14 But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.

The Potter and the Clay

18 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:2 “Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear[a] my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.

Reflection:

I only see one word here in this passage and that is “obedience”.

A Call to Repentance

6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’

8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!

“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’

“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease.[a] Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

13 “You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord.

“But you say, ‘What do you mean? What have we said against you?’

14 “You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? 15 From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’”

The Lord’s Promise of Mercy

16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lordlistened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.

17 “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. 18 Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

(God’s word to me 6/7/2017)

The Lord’s Servant Commissioned

49 Listen to me, all you in distant lands!    Pay attention, you who are far away! The Lord called me before my birth;    from within the womb he called me by name. 2 He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.    He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.    I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.

3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel,    and you will bring me glory.”

4 I replied, “But my work seems so useless!    I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand;    I will trust God for my reward.”

5 And now the Lord speaks—    the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant,    who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him. The Lord has honored me,    and my God has given me strength. 6 He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.    I will make you a light to the Gentiles,    and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

7 The Lord, the Redeemer    and Holy One of Israel, says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations,    to the one who is the servant of rulers: “Kings will stand at attention when you pass by.    Princes will also bow low because of the Lord, the faithful one,    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Promises of Israel’s Restoration

8 This is what the Lord says:

“At just the right time, I will respond to you.[a]    On the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you and give you to the people    as my covenant with them. Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel    and assign it to its own people again. 9 I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’    and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures    and on hills that were previously bare. 10 They will neither hunger nor thirst.    The searing sun will not reach them anymore. For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;    he will lead them beside cool waters. 11 And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.    The highways will be raised above the valleys. 12 See, my people will return from far away,    from lands to the north and west,    and from as far south as Egypt.[b]”

13 Sing for joy, O heavens!    Rejoice, O earth!    Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people    and will have compassion on them in their suffering.

14 Yet Jerusalem[c] says, “The Lord has deserted us;    the Lord has forgotten us.”

15 “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?    Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible,    I would not forget you! 16 See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.    Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins. 17 Soon your descendants will come back,    and all who are trying to destroy you will go away. 18 Look around you and see,    for all your children will come back to you. As surely as I live,” says the Lord,    “they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for you to display.

19 “Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land    will soon be crowded with your people. Your enemies who enslaved you    will be far away. 20 The generations born in exile will return and say,    ‘We need more room! It’s crowded here!’ 21 Then you will think to yourself,    ‘Who has given me all these descendants? For most of my children were killed,    and the rest were carried away into exile. I was left here all alone.    Where did all these people come from? Who bore these children?    Who raised them for me?’”

22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:    “See, I will give a signal to the godless nations. They will carry your little sons back to you in their arms;    they will bring your daughters on their shoulders. 23 Kings and queens will serve you    and care for all your needs. They will bow to the earth before you    and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord.    Those who trust in me will never be put to shame.”

24 Who can snatch the plunder of war from the hands of a warrior?    Who can demand that a tyrant[d] let his captives go? 25 But the Lord says, “The captives of warriors will be released,    and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved. For I will fight those who fight you,    and I will save your children. 26 I will feed your enemies with their own flesh.    They will be drunk with rivers of their own blood. All the world will know that I, the Lord,    am your Savior and your Redeemer,    the Mighty One of Israel.[e]”

"But forget all that--it is nothing compared to what I am going to do...” Isaiah 43:18

When I was praying for the Youth Summit 2017, I told the Lord that if this is the last time that He will use me in this event, I want it to be really record breaking. (Just like our theme: Break the Record) So He gave me Isaiah 43: 14-21 (NLT)

The Lord’s Promise of Victory

14 This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

“For your sakes I will send an army against Babylon,    forcing the Babylonians[b] to flee in those ships they are so proud of. 15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,    Israel’s Creator and King. 16 I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters,    making a dry path through the sea. 17 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt    with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned,    their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.

18 “But forget all that—    it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 For I am about to do something new.    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness.    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. 20 The wild animals in the fields will thank me,    the jackals and owls, too,    for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland    so my chosen people can be refreshed. 21 I have made Israel for myself,    and they will someday honor me before the whole world.

When I was meditating these verses, what I have in mind was, God is up to something in my life. Once again, he will blow me away by the amazing things he will do. There are so many things that I want to thank God for! Like, (1) For making it possible for me to minister at the KKB Youth Summit 2017 in 5 locations: Pampanga, CDO, Davao, Cebu, and Manila, and (2) For appointing me to compose the theme song of the summit “Break the Record” which was inspired by his Spirit. It was an overwhelming experience seeing this generation seeking the Lord and worshiping him in spirit and in truth. I can’t help but cry whenever I see the young people asking Jesus to come into their lives. Cuz, I know how hard it is to live in this age and fighting the good fight of the faith. So, whenever I see them crying out to God for deliverance, healing, and forgiveness, I am with them in the warfare. It feels so good inside when you know that the Lord is glorified.

My earnest prayer to the Lord is that he may only place in my heart the right desires and that I may pursue his dreams. ‘Coz I know, being a limited and flawed human being I could make a lot of poor decisions in my life that I will regret, for sure. I acknowledge that I couldn’t make it by my own strength or depend on human wisdom that’s why I need Someone Sovereign, Someone whose thoughts and ways are higher than mine, and Someone who can calm the raging seas in my heart. If you are a believer of Jesus and your faith is being tested, you might say, “I trust in the Lord with all my heart.” But have you tried saying it with tears flowing in your eyes because you realized, #trust is such a big and deep word? It entails exercising your faith and respecting God’s perfect timing for your life.  Sometimes, because we want things done our own way, we end up disappointed.  We end up exhausted because we manipulate things which aren’t aligned with God’s will. They say, “Great haste makes great waste.” Oh! sounds like the demise of a dream.  STOP! Don’t give it away! God’s plan for you is greater than what you can imagine. Eyes on the prize, baby! (Prize? God’s glory and honor.)

There were times and seasons that I thought God doesn't hear my prayers or maybe he doesn't care for me anymore. But he will always prove that even the darkest moments of our lives can be used for his glory to be revealed.  I realized, you can only experience the joy of respecting and waiting on God's timing when your heart is genuinely surrendered to God. Waiting upon the Lord, how wonderful is that?! So if you haven't embraced the answers to your longstanding prayers yet, maybe he is still preparing and equipping you enough that when he gives you the answer, you will be in awe how much he worked out things for you. I know that, because I have experienced that, many times. And I still have so many dreams that God has deposited in my heart. I wish to finish my master’s degree after a year, expand our small business, and many other personal & family goals I am committing with the Lord.  So when I feel like doubting his power, I just remember how much he has exceeded all my expectations and wishful thinking before, provided for all my needs, and delivered me from an impossible situation.  And with that, I start respecting the season of waiting. He is working. Yes, he is working it all out for me, for the glory of His wonderful name.

This image is my reminder to self how God has been so faithful to me. I am grateful how he established the works of my hands and it’s all by his grace.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ~Romans 8:28

 He has made everything beautiful in its time. ~Ecclesiastes 3:11

Love,

Right at this point, I have so many “to-do’s” but I chose to write... and breathe... and cast these cares upon the Lord. Coz maybe from here I would know where to begin with.Haha! Call it euphoria, call me insane... but I call it “joy and peace” that comes from the Lord. Na kahit nakakapagod and mind-boggling ang season na ito, I have the joy that comes from the Lord and peace that overwhelms my heart.

“...Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” ~Nehemiah 8:10

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”   ~Psalm 28:7

I want to remember this day that my mind is swamped with so many responsibilities. Like, in our office I am working on a project with deadlines. In the Graduate school, it’s our finals this Saturday and I have papers to submit and defend to my professor, and guess what? I’m still working on the papers.haha! In our church, I have to finish the program flow ASAP for our Worship Warrior’s night this Saturday also. And on Sunday I will lead the worship in our church as a reliever (and I’m excited, still). In my lifegroup, my other disciple needs my feedback on her thesis in school (requires reading but I want it too.), while my other disciple needs a counsel for a specific challenge she is facing rightnow. And many other cares. :) Heaven knows I want to give my best in every aspect of my life for the glory of His name. So I know he will help me because I desire to please him. I know I can depend on God alone and yeah, I am expressing to the Lord my need of his Spirit to conquer this busy week! One day, I will be old and gray and I won’t be able to do these stuff I’m able to do now. So, I thank God I’m not running out of reasons to praise and glorify His name with all these.  Smile and breathe like Diana :)

PRAYER