Lotus flower
photo taken at the Royal University of Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
September 30, 2016
"...If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword";
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
- Isaiah 1:19, 20
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you.
- Matthew 6:33
"...If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword";
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
- Isaiah 1:19, 20
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you.
- Matthew 6:33
What an amazing, remarkable month September has been!
By 11 o'clock a.m. of Saturday, the 17th of September, David, Tina, and I had checked in for our 1 p.m. Thai Airways flight to Bangkok, but all three of us had actually awakened before dawn just to make sure we got to the airport on time.
Upon reaching Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, we literally walked several kilometers to reach our boarding gate for the flight to Phnom Penh. I have never been as thankful for travelators (moving floors) as I was that day!
We waited another hour or so at our boarding before we could finally board our plane.
After nearly a day of travel, we finally arrived in Phnom Penh at 7 o'clock in the evening. Our hosts were outside the baggage claim to meet us. We each had a bowl of hot pho at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant, but by then, travel-weary as we were, all we really wanted was a good night's rest! We were so grateful when we reached their cozy home and finally settled in our bedrooms.
I woke up early the next morning refreshed and ready for the kingdom assignment.
The "assignment" came in the form of an invitation from Pastor "Famous Soldier" whose ministry is based on Phnom Penh, to conduct a two-week School of Ministry-Facilitator Training for fifteen of them who wanted to be trained to minister in the context of an Ancient Paths seminar.
A year ago, Pastor Famous Soldier and his wife God is Gracious were in Bacolod City for vacation. On their last weekend in the city, they were invited to attend an Ancient Paths seminar. This was not part of their original plan, but they decided to say yes to the invitation. Unknown to them, this seminar was part of God's plan to put them on the pathway of blessing that God had prepared for them long before they were born.
The healing from emotional wounds that they received at the seminar changed the course of their lives. A desire to bring this seminar to their church in Phnom Penh burned in their hearts.
In January this year, they requested our office for a team to conduct An Ancient Paths seminar in their church, a request that became a reality in May of this year.
Their request was actually an invitation for all of us to partner with God's kingdom purpose for our lives. All of us just needed to understand that it is God who plants the desire in our hearts to join Him in what He is doing.
In May, four of us from Family Foundations International-Philasia (FFI-Philippines), namely Raffi, David, Tata, and I, traveled to Phnom Penh to do a preliminary School of Ministry with Famous Soldier and his wife, and an Ancient Paths seminar for 18 members of their church.
In July, two months after we got back from Cambodia, we received another request to conduct a ministry training for fifteen of them who were willing to be a part of this kingdom work in this part of the world.
It was again another invitation to join God in what He was doing.
In September, three of us from the Philippines, David, Tina, and myself, traveled to Cambodia to do an FFI School of Ministry for their church.
There is a main plot, and several sub-plots, in this chapter of my life story. There are many other things that are not yet revealed to me at this point.
All I can say is that the invitation to join the Father in what He is doing is the main plot.
When I turned my life over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ 43 years ago, when I was just a twenty year old third year university student, I really had no idea what my life would be like forty years later.
The promise is eternal life. But the details of how that works out in my daily life here on earth are not all given.
God's plan is revealed one step at a time; there is actually just enough light for the next step.
It is up to me to say yes.
The year 2016 started off with me going on an emotional roller coaster ride.
Trusting, yet not fully trusting.
Believing, yet not fully believing.
One foot in the water, the other still firmly planted on the shore.
I was in a crisis of belief.
Henry Blackaby teaches about this in his Bible study workbook Experiencing God, one book that literally turned my life around.
Mr. Blackaby writes:
Each of us will go through a crisis of belief several times in our lifetime.
For me, I realize that each new crisis of belief requires another adjustment in the way I respond. There are well-laid out plans that miscarry, close friends and beloved family members that disappoint us, financial reversals, health issues, and of course, death.
Each crisis I face asks me the question, will I trust God, or will I trust myself?
It is easy to trust God intellectually. And of course, that never works.
In this season, God was asking me if I was willing to do the assignments that He was giving me, despite the uncertain circumstances I was in.
Each crisis of belief is a new lesson in trusting Him when it is difficult to do so.
Hoping for what I cannot see, as yet.
Trusting, when there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
By 11 o'clock a.m. of Saturday, the 17th of September, David, Tina, and I had checked in for our 1 p.m. Thai Airways flight to Bangkok, but all three of us had actually awakened before dawn just to make sure we got to the airport on time.
Upon reaching Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, we literally walked several kilometers to reach our boarding gate for the flight to Phnom Penh. I have never been as thankful for travelators (moving floors) as I was that day!
We waited another hour or so at our boarding before we could finally board our plane.
After nearly a day of travel, we finally arrived in Phnom Penh at 7 o'clock in the evening. Our hosts were outside the baggage claim to meet us. We each had a bowl of hot pho at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant, but by then, travel-weary as we were, all we really wanted was a good night's rest! We were so grateful when we reached their cozy home and finally settled in our bedrooms.
I woke up early the next morning refreshed and ready for the kingdom assignment.
The "assignment" came in the form of an invitation from Pastor "Famous Soldier" whose ministry is based on Phnom Penh, to conduct a two-week School of Ministry-Facilitator Training for fifteen of them who wanted to be trained to minister in the context of an Ancient Paths seminar.
A year ago, Pastor Famous Soldier and his wife God is Gracious were in Bacolod City for vacation. On their last weekend in the city, they were invited to attend an Ancient Paths seminar. This was not part of their original plan, but they decided to say yes to the invitation. Unknown to them, this seminar was part of God's plan to put them on the pathway of blessing that God had prepared for them long before they were born.
The healing from emotional wounds that they received at the seminar changed the course of their lives. A desire to bring this seminar to their church in Phnom Penh burned in their hearts.
In January this year, they requested our office for a team to conduct An Ancient Paths seminar in their church, a request that became a reality in May of this year.
Their request was actually an invitation for all of us to partner with God's kingdom purpose for our lives. All of us just needed to understand that it is God who plants the desire in our hearts to join Him in what He is doing.
In May, four of us from Family Foundations International-Philasia (FFI-Philippines), namely Raffi, David, Tata, and I, traveled to Phnom Penh to do a preliminary School of Ministry with Famous Soldier and his wife, and an Ancient Paths seminar for 18 members of their church.
In July, two months after we got back from Cambodia, we received another request to conduct a ministry training for fifteen of them who were willing to be a part of this kingdom work in this part of the world.
It was again another invitation to join God in what He was doing.
In September, three of us from the Philippines, David, Tina, and myself, traveled to Cambodia to do an FFI School of Ministry for their church.
There is a main plot, and several sub-plots, in this chapter of my life story. There are many other things that are not yet revealed to me at this point.
All I can say is that the invitation to join the Father in what He is doing is the main plot.
When I turned my life over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ 43 years ago, when I was just a twenty year old third year university student, I really had no idea what my life would be like forty years later.
The promise is eternal life. But the details of how that works out in my daily life here on earth are not all given.
God's plan is revealed one step at a time; there is actually just enough light for the next step.
It is up to me to say yes.
The year 2016 started off with me going on an emotional roller coaster ride.
Trusting, yet not fully trusting.
Believing, yet not fully believing.
One foot in the water, the other still firmly planted on the shore.
I was in a crisis of belief.
Henry Blackaby teaches about this in his Bible study workbook Experiencing God, one book that literally turned my life around.
Mr. Blackaby writes:
When God invites you to join Him in His word, He has a God-sized assignment for you. You will quickly realize you cannot do what He is asking on your own. If God doesn't help you, you will fail. This is the crisis of belief when you must decide whether to believe God for what He wants to do through you... At this point many people decide not to follow what they sense God is leading them to do. Then they wonder why they do not experience God's presence and activity the way other Christians do... The way you respond at this turning point will determine whether you become involved with God in something God-sized that only He can do for you or whether you will continue to go your own way and miss what He has purposed for your life. (from Terry Covey's blog, Seeds of Faith)
Each of us will go through a crisis of belief several times in our lifetime.
For me, I realize that each new crisis of belief requires another adjustment in the way I respond. There are well-laid out plans that miscarry, close friends and beloved family members that disappoint us, financial reversals, health issues, and of course, death.
Each crisis I face asks me the question, will I trust God, or will I trust myself?
It is easy to trust God intellectually. And of course, that never works.
In this season, God was asking me if I was willing to do the assignments that He was giving me, despite the uncertain circumstances I was in.
Each crisis of belief is a new lesson in trusting Him when it is difficult to do so.
Hoping for what I cannot see, as yet.
Trusting, when there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
Now hope that is seen is not hope,
For who hopes for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
-Romans 8:24-25
This is the chapter of the life story I find myself in.
The chapter called, Willing and Obedient.
I am willing to do what God has called me to do, forgetting in a way, my own personal fears and struggles, and choosing instead to cast all my burdens at His feet, and joining Him in His work.
I have one favorite line: It's not about me.
My life is not about me, when all is said and done. Rather, it is all about what the Father is doing in me, and through me.
And so, as I was in Cambodia the past two weeks, together with my friends David and Tina, I heard the Lord say these words over and over again in my heart:
"...If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword";
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
- Isaiah 1:19, 20
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you.
- Matthew 6:33
And I must say, peace floods my whole being.
Here are a few photos of my recent journey:
1 comment:
Dear Lidia...once again my heart is quickened by your words that speak directly to it..."crisis of belief"...such a powerful 3-worded phrase...spot on for this current season/chapter of my life, too...adjustments have been many, but my hope remains in His will for the better good...trying to remain pliable as He molds and reshapes my life.
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