A Matter of the Heart

Sitting at His Feet

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Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."

And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

-Luke 11:38-42



But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

-Luke 5:16

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,

Oh, what words I hear Him say!

Happy place so near, so precious!

May it find me there each day;

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,

I would look upon the past;

For His love has been so gracious,

It has won my heart at last.

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,

Where can mortal be more blest?

There I lay my sins and sorrow,

And, when weary, find sweet rest;

There I love to weep and pray;

Grace and comfort every day.

Bless me, O my Savior, bless me,

As I sit low (As I'm waiting) at Thy feet;

Oh, look down in love upon me,

Let me see Thy face so sweet;

Give me, Lord, the mind of Jesus,

Keep me holy as He is;

May I prove I've been with Jesus,

Who is all my righteousness.

Thirty-six years ago today, Ernie and I were married. He went home to heaven five years ago, so we can no longer celebrate this day as a couple. But it brings back precious memories of the kind of marriage we had, and of the kind of man that he was. He was a man of integrity, dignity, and humility. Below is a photo of him and me taken on our last week in Chiang Mai, Thailand, just two months before he passed away.

It is a favorite photo of mine because his heart is beautifully reflected on his face - his kindness, and his gentleness. Ernie was a man who aged with grace! I will be forever grateful to Abba Father for having given me the privilege of being Ernie's wife.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

September 2008

Well, I am back here in Metro Manila, visiting my daughter Obedient One for a few days. When I arrived in Manila from the US two months ago, I only stayed overnight before leaving for Bacolod the following day. There were many things to attend to in my home city after having been away for nearly five months.

It gives me such a good feeling to know that I had waited for the right time to visit my daughter again.

On the day after I got here, this is what we had on the breakfast table: freshly squeezed pure calamansi (a local citrus fruit) juice, plantain bananas, slices of papaya, avocado, and guyabano (soursop), fresh vegetable juice (from carrot, apple, celery, squash, ginger, cucumber), homemade kefir, bone broth, steamed sweet potato, cheese omelette, some bread, butter, wild honey, and brewed coffee.

I should have taken a photo of it for it was indeed a breakfast fit for a king... and I had a little of everything! Obedient One had to leave for work while I was still eating, but she and I had a wonderful short but sweet breakfast time together.

Obedient One is my youngest daughter... and what I appreciate about her is how she values the things I have taught her through the years.

Eight years ago, as a fresh university graduate, she began living in the huge Manila metropolis, far from where she was born and raised. I would constantly remind her that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and that one way we honor God is to keep our bodies healthy by eating the right kind of food.

Even as a little girl, she would observe how I do things, and she would try her best to follow what I say.

Today I can see that she has gone a long way. My heart trusts in her because I have seen her mature into a confident young woman before my very eyes.

She is an obedient girl.


As I write these words, I am reminded of this searing question Jesus had for His disciples:

But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?

- Luke 6:46

The joy that I feel as a parent is the same kind of joy that our Father feels when He see His children giving value to His words, and obeying Him.

These past weeks I have been spending more time than usual studying Scriptures and trying to gain more understanding about the end times.

From the various teachings that I have heard, it looks like we might be on the threshold of the last seven years of the age before Jesus returns to establish His millennial kingdom.

There are a number of things that Bible scholars have conflicting views or interpretations on. But rather than cause me to be confused, this has become an opportunity for me to search the Scriptures and sit at the feet of Jesus for clarification and confirmation.

I appreciate this beautiful passage in Daniel:

Those who do wickedly against the covenant 
he shall corrupt with flattery;

but the people who know their God shall be strong,

and carry out great exploits.

And those of the people who understand shall instruct many...

- Daniel 11:32, 33

The context in which this passage appears has something to do with the rise of the diabolic Anti-Christ in the first half of the last seven years. In Daniel's time, this prophecy was partially fulfilled by the actions of Antiochus Epiphanes, but he really was just a prototype of the coming Anti-Christ. The passage says that this evil Anti-Christ will influence and and deceive those who hate God's covenant with Israel by using flattery.

But the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

This is our protection and preparation for the last days: to get to really know our God... to stay as close as possible to the Father. 

We will recognize the counterfeit only if we are constantly immersed in the pure and unadulterated presence of our Lord. 

As Pastor Edgar at Victory Church emphasized during his sermon on Sunday morning: 

Lordship is more than words, labels, or performance orientation. 

Lordship is concrete action. Lordship is obedience.

"Lordship" is a relational term. 

Lordship is a matter of the heart.

The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.


While the Anti-Christ will deceive and lead many astray, this verse comes as a great encouragement. In the midst of the deception, there will be a people who know their God and will be empowered to carry out great exploits.

I believe that this is the season of the "greater works" that Jesus speaks of in John 14:12.

Yes, the only way that we get to know our God is to stay very close to Him.

In this season of great deception and confusion, it is also imperative that we obey what we hear the Father saying.


He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.


I have said this before, but it is something that has been repeatedly dropped in my heart these past days: We are in a season of humbling ourselves, of being willing to give up doctrinal positions we have long cherished, if the Spirit brings clarity and deeper understanding.

Daniel 11:33 tells us that there are those who will be given understanding and will be used by God to instruct others.

And those of the people who understand shall instruct many...

These are people operating under the Forerunner anointing and have an accurate grasp of what is happening on earth and in heaven. God is raising them up to serve others... to prepare the way for the return of the King... that the Enemy may not succeed in deceiving many through false and erroneous teaching.

I love to know that God is raising anointed men and women in our midst who have an understanding of the times and the seasons.

They will sing songs of encouragement in the night, speak powerful anointed words of declaration and instruction, and offer unceasing prayers and intercession...

God will minister and speak to us through them.

We are entering turbulent waters and difficult times. But rather than be filled with a sense of fear or confusion, I want to be encouraged by what Jesus says, that when we see these things happening, we are to stand up, and look up, for our redemption is near.

As the Father speaks, so I remain faithful to obey, and to trust that what He says will come to pass.

Humility.

Obedience.

More than ever, these words of Jesus makes so much sense to me:

Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," 

shall enter the kingdom of heaven,

but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

- Luke 7:21

Lordship is a matter of the heart.

I end this post by quoting Gavin Finley, one of the teachers on the end times that I have come to greatly respect and admire:

"Our walk with God is not just an intellectual matter. If we love Him we will walk with Him, if we walk with Him, we will ask questions. And we'll search the Scriptures, and we'll wait on Him for answers. Our progress as pilgrims is not a head trip, it primarily hinges upon issues of the heart. Each one of us is being wooed into the heart of the Shepherd. He knows that the way ahead will be difficult for us, that's why He sent the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter, our Strengthener, and our Guide. We cannot study the endtime without being drawn by God into devotion to Him. And as we study the Scriptures we soon come to realize that we are not permanent citizens of the nations of this world. Rather we are pilgrims on a journey to a better country and a city with eternal foundations. It is the Holy City that Abraham saw, a city not made with hands, whose builder and maker is God."

The Road to Emmaus

by Robert Zund

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