My Sabbath: Dethroning Unforgiveness

Sunrise this morning

as seen from my bedroom window

The entrance of Your words gives light;

It gives understanding to the simple.

- Psalm 119:130

Peter was therefore kept in prison, 

but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

And when Herod was about to bring him out,

that night Peter was sleeping,

bound with two chains between two soldiers,

and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.

Now behold an angel of the Lord stood by him,

and a light shone in the prison;

and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying,

"Arise quickly!"

And his chains fell off his hands.

Then the angel said to him,

"Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"; and so he did.

And he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me."

So he went out and followed him...

When they were past the first and the second guard posts,

they came to the iron gate that leads to the city,

which opened to them of its own accord;

and they went down one street,

and immediately the angel departed from him.

- Acts 12: 5-9a, 10

He knows the way that I take;

when He has tested me, 

I shall come forth as gold.

- Job 23:10

God's heart is always to restore, to bring back to life,

to reinstate, rebuild, reestablish,

renovate, and repair.

- Barbara Yoder

Cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, and other similar modern day methods of communication have tremendous advantages but sadly, they have also slowly eroded our ability to read pages of the written word. Instead, we have become re-programmed to seek the fast, easy, instant, and more convenient, means of communicating with one another. This generation has become used to expressing their thoughts in a single word, a one-liner, or even just a click of the thumbs up icon.

I've written this post with the prayer that to anyone who "lands" on this page, it will be a message of encouragement and hope in a world where life is often lived on the fast lane.

As you read what the Father has so beautifully done in my life, may the Spirit quicken His words and make them come alive in your hearts.

photo source

Today was significant because it was the first time ever in my whole life that I observed the Sabbath with full conviction.   At sundown, 6 o'clock p.m. yesterday, Friday, I began to observe this important day of rest. After logging out of the internet, I listened to a beautiful song of worship by Paul Wilbur, Show Me Your Face. 

It was my heart's desire to be truly present before the Lord on this day, to observe this important weekly event with meaning, with purpose, and with spiritual awareness.

God began preparing my heart for it a long time ago. The beginnings of this heart preparation can be traced back to a significant event that took place during the Visayas Prayer Congress held in my home city of Bacolod  in 1996 - sixteen years ago. 

During that congress, God favored me with a supernatural breakthrough in a teaching session given by Vineyard pastor Renchie Arce, during which he talked of Peter's miraculous release from prison with the help of an angel. (Acts 12:5-10)

At that time my heart was still bound up in unforgiveness for what a spiritual leader in our church had done to my husband a few years earlier. I had seen the anguish and the pain that Ernie went through because of it. The false accusations hurled at him were so unjust and unfair.

God knows the whole truth while we, in our limited understanding, see only a small part of it. Inevitably we will either be targets of direct attacks or caught in the crossfire, because we live in enemy territory. Looking back to those days, I now realize that spiritual growth includes learning to let go of hurts and to embrace healing when wounding comes.  Nevertheless, I remember my heart was in so much pain for what had happened... struggling to forgive, because I knew it was the right thing to do, but no matter what I did, I could only do it intellectually, not from my heart.

In this Bible account, an angel had come to set Peter free. I saw myself as Peter, bound in the chains of unforgiveness. Just as an angel came to set Peter free, Pastor Renchie was the angel sent by God... that night, at the conference, my eyes were opened, my chains fell off, and I too, found myself on the road to freedom.

photo source

The year 1996 became a crucial turning point for me. It was in November of that same year that I knew God had given me a prophetic gift. It was also the year when I received His call on me to be an intercessor, not only for this nation, but also for Israel.

I didn't immediately understand the mechanics of how to go about it, much less what was involved in being an intercessor. But I do remember the burning desire on my heart, and I would wake up nights just knowing I had to pray for Israel.

Today, the desire to lift Israel up before heaven's throne continues. It has somehow become a part of my identity; I cannot walk away from it.  There's much food for intercession constantly available. In seeking to understand, my seeking has been rewarded with new understanding, a deeper awareness of what is going on behind the scenes...

This connection with Israel, it all began in 1996. That's how long God has been preparing my heart to bring it to the point today where it will finally embrace the Sabbath as a provision of rest, a gift from my heavenly Father.

When Ernie and I were still living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I received an email from a friend who lives in Hong Kong. Angelina is also an intercessor for Israel. She doesn't email me regularly, so it came as a pleasant surprise to get an email from her one day in early 2008. She emailed me because she sensed God instructing her to tell me that He wants me to begin observing the Sabbath regularly.

Tell Lidj I want her to observe the Sabbath. These were the words she heard in her spirit.

Such a dear messenger from God. Her email implied that if I obeyed, a pathway of healing and provision would open up for me and my family.

I knew that Angelina had received a genuine message from God. It was February of 2008, and Ernie had just been diagnosed with Bell's palsy, on top of his other health concerns. There were other issues we were facing, issues which for the time being I had chosen to sweep under the rug, mainly because I did not know how to solve them on my own. 

Even then I believed God wanted me to observe the Sabbath His way, not my way. But somehow there was no inner light of understanding that shone in my heart, no compelling desire for me to begin observing the Sabbath.

Some friends of mine had begun observing the weekly Sabbath in their own families. And I have heard their stories of supernatural breakthroughs and blessings.

In fact, I did try a few times to do it with my family... a Sabbath meal after sundown of Friday, as a signal that Sabbath had officially begun in our household.

Eventually I gave up. Schedules rarely coincided. Our lives have been built around a different calendar, with Saturday as the start of a two-day weekend. We have all been used to doing our own thing come Saturday... chores, the marketing, the laundry, or going to the beach. Whatever. If there was anything that didn't get done during the weekday, Saturday would always be the convenient day to do it. Saturday was the catch up, do-as-you-please kind of day.

We've been used to Sunday as our day of rest. It was the day we went to church to worship the Lord.

I am aware of the differing positions regarding Sabbath-keeping. Many believe that the seventh day, what God calls the day of rest, has been moved to Sunday, using several passages in the Bible as reference.

Others refer to a decree issued by a certain king that began the tradition for Christians to begin worshiping on Sunday.

It has been, and remains, a subject of much debate.

I really take no issue with that. People are free to believe what they want to believe.

Again, it was one of those things I shoved under the rug. At that time, it seemed too complicated.

And I am not really in the mood for any debate.  What concerned me was my heart that was out of peace because deep within I knew that all God wanted was my obedience in this matter. So I began to seek Him for a way by which I could really begin observing the Sabbath... His way, not mine.

The first breakthrough came when I decided I did not need my whole family to join me in my observance of Sabbath. All my children were grown up, with their own convictions and schedules to keep. It would have been wonderful if I could release blessings and words of affirmation to each one of them during the Friday evening Sabbath meal, but I realized that I could still do this even if they were not around.

This decision is probably what I have been waiting for all along. It is actually an easy one for me to make because I do not have a fixed schedule to follow. I wonder why it took me so long to arrive at that decision.

The second breakthrough happened when I decided to hold a twenty-one day spiritual journey to the heart of my Father beginning last September 7. During this 21-day journey, my goal was to seek God's heart for guidance and direction before the last quarter of this year began. Being in Manila, I have much unstructured time on my hands, the perfect setting that I needed.

Doing an inductive Bible class with a group of women every Wednesday morning for the past five Wednesdays has also opened my eyes to many new things. It is true, one never encounters the same Bible passage twice. Each encounter with the word of God is a fresh encounter.

Attending the one-day Worship, Warfare, and Intercession Training Module, as well as the Rosh HaShanah worship celebration, has increased my spiritual awareness to what the Father is doing in this season in this nation, in Israel, and around the world.

During the ten Days of Awe that started on the Jewish New Year of Rosh HaShanah, I was reminded that the Sabbath was instituted by God in Genesis when He rested on the seventh day. In Leviticus 23, again, the Sabbath is mentioned by God as the starting point of all His feasts. The Sabbath is the foundation that secures or undergirds the observance of the seven feasts of the Lord.

In the Hebrew calendar, the twenty-four hour day begins at sundown the day before. Therefore, the day of the Sabbath, as instituted by God, officially begins at sundown of Friday and ends at sundown of Saturday. God never changed this. Whatever changes have been made in the past have come by way of man-made traditions.

I believe God is not legalistic about the Sabbath. Jesus Himself said that "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27). Surely, if anyone truly desires to observe this holy day, God will help move and rearrange our schedules. He will make it easy for us to obey.

As an eyeopener to me, a few days ago, a Scripture passage in Isaiah 55 was laid on my heart to share with a friend who needed encouragement that morning. As I opened my Bible to read the passage, these lines caught my eye:

For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are My ways higher than your ways,

and My thoughts than your thoughts.

- Isaiah 55:8-9

Reading on to the next chapter, these verses gripped my heart:

This is what the LORD says:

"Maintain justice, and do what is right,

for My salvation is close at hand,

and My righteousness will soon be revealed.

Blessed is the man who does this,

the man who holds it fast,

who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it,

and keeps his hand from doing any evil." 

- Isaiah 56:1, 2

Who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it.

Those words seemed to jump out from the page I was reading. And somehow, intuitively I knew those words were meant for me.

So I gently asked the Lord, "Father, have I desecrated Your Sabbath?"

I wasn't really expecting an audible reply, and in fact, there was none. But there seemed a tug, a soft whisper in my heart that said something like this: "You know the answer."

It was true. I knew without anybody needing to tell me that I had indeed desecrated... defiled... the Sabbath. Not intentionally, of course. But in at least two ways, I had defiled the Sabbath by not considering it important enough to go out of my way to observe it, and by giving it my own human interpretation.

The voice - which was not really a voice, it must have been just a thought - was not accusing, nor was it angry. I was certain it was the Father speaking to me.

Because this was a season of soul-searching for me, I was very much aware that one of the commandments of the Lord specifically and categorically states that we are to

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8)

From that verse alone, it was clear I had violated a commandment. Sunday is not the day that the Lord called the Sabbath. Any substitution that has been made through the years was not initiated by God, but by man.

I opened my Bible and wrote down as many passages about the Sabbath as I could.

Two passages spoke directly to me:

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice s much as they gather daily. - Exodus 16:4,5

If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,

from doing your own pleasure on My holy day,

and call the Sabbath a delight,

the holy day of the Lord honorable,

and shall honor Him,

not doing your own ways,

nor finding your own pleasure, 

nor speaking your own words,

then you shall delight yourself in the Lord,

and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,

and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.

The mouth of the Lord has spoken. - Isaiah 58:13, 14

In the Exodus 16 passage, it struck me that even in the instruction to gather twice as much manna on Friday morning was a test, whether the Israelites will walk in God's law or not.

And in the Isaiah 58 verses, the word of the Lord makes it clear. If we honor Him on the Sabbath by not spending it to please ourselves, there are sure blessings that God has promised to give.

After meditating on those passages, I reached a turning point in my sacred journey.  I woke up yesterday morning fully determined to observe the Sabbath.

To honor it. To set it apart as holy. Never again to be guilty of desecrating it.

Yesterday, a few minutes after sundown, I ate my Sabbath meal, all by myself.  There was sense of quiet peace and joy in my heart... a sense of knowing I was doing the right thing.

I thanked God for my very first Sabbath. I told Him that I do not want to be guilty of defiling His special day, the day when He rested after creating the world. I asked Him to forgive me, for all the time I considered keeping the Sabbath as an optional thing. I thanked Him for giving me understanding, and now my heart was delighted to obey Him, out of a high regard for Him, my Abba.  It was to honor Him, and give Him the deep respect that He alone deserves.

And I realized God did not really want the Sabbath for Himself. God gave us the Sabbath, for our own sake. That on this day, if we keep it wholeheartedly, we may receive fresh provisions for the long journey ahead, a re-alignment of our focus, a clearing up of our blurred vision... rest for our weary souls... a brand new encouragement and spiritual energy for the next season of our lives. Many wonderful things in store for the one whose heart is open to these things.

I woke up in the middle of the night, fully aware that it was a Sabbath day. Since it was only 1:30 a.m., I prayed the Midnight Watch prayer focus, asking God to unravel insights and revelations to me that will bring me to my rightful place in Him. I prayed the words of Jeremiah 33:3 where I called out to Him, and asked Him to reveal to me mighty things that I do not know. I declared that this was the very time God ordained for me to move forward and upward in my destiny. I prayed the same things for my family, my church, my nation, and Israel.

Soon I was fast asleep again.

I awoke just as the sun was rising in the horizon. Looking out my bedroom window I saw a beautiful sunrise. After eating a simple breakfast, I prepared to spend time with the Lord for the rest of the day.

I read more Bible passages, a chapter from the book by Barbara Yoder I was reading, and wrote down the response of my heart in my devotional journal. I thanked the Father for the beautiful opportunity He had given me to sit at His feet, uninterrupted by human concerns, unhindered by distracting voices. My cell phone was turned off, and so was the internet. It was a meaningful time of feasting at His table, listening to what He had to say, as my favorite worship songs softly played in the background.

During these moments spent alone with God, as I soaked myself in His presence, I sensed a lot of heaviness being lifted off, and I sensed a cleansing in my soul. I was being washed and renewed by the word.

He spoke to me about dethroning the false gods that would want to share the throne of my heart with Him.

These past weeks, the Father has been speaking to me about obedience. Obedience happens at different levels, and daily God gives me a new opportunity to obey Him at another level. Each new revelation demands a response of obedience. And I realize that obedience is not just a mere intellectual assent, true obedience is an action.

Obedience, God repeatedly says to me, will help me see or understand a new facet of God, as well as a new facet of myself. The starting point of obedience is an inner resolve to obey, but that decision culminates in an action, an obedient act.

I know that my observance of Sabbath today is one such obedient act, but it was also the result of another obedient act done sixteen years ago... when with His help, I decided to dethrone the false god of unforgiveness in my heart. 

Tracing back to those years... when I told God I was obeying Him in my will, but that I badly needed His help to make my forgiveness real... God sent an angel to set me free from my prison. God broke through for me.


Obedience really does have far reaching effects. But today I understood that obedience is really a lifestyle of making sure there are no other gods in my life.

Sometimes we are unaware that a twisted interpretation of a Bible truth is a false god we have given space on God's throne. It is comfortable to hold on to a cherished but erroneous belief, not knowing it has become entrenched as an idol.

Obedience is a lifestyle of dethroning idols from my heart.

Praise the Lord for half a notebook filled with fresh revelations from God.

I will continue to worship God on a Sunday, I believe there is really nothing wrong with that. I am just so delighted that I have finally understood what keeping the Sabbath really means, and I will do that as well!

I will never forget the significance of this day, my very first Sabbath.

I thank You Lord for enabling me to observe this day of rest. Today, Lord I have chosen to honor and obey You, and true to Your word, You have refreshed and satisfied my soul. You have truly filled my heart with joy today. I give You all the glory and all honor. Amen. (6:01 p.m.)

A Resting Place
by Paul Wilbur

My soul finds rest in God alone
My peace depends on Him
And in that place of quiet rest
He fills me from within
He pours on me His holy oil
Spirit of Adonai
Then He takes me by His hand
Comforts me with His love
Comforts me with His love

Those who wait upon the Lord
New strength He gives to them
He gives them wings like the eagle
That they might soar with Him
He weaves His strength into our lives
Spirit of Adonai
Then He gives us  all of His peace
To guard our hearts and our minds
Abba guarding our hearts and our minds

Come my soul, take your rest
And find your place in Him
The holy presence of the Lord
Will fill you from within
Oh pour on me Your holy oil
Spirit of Adonai
Fill my cup, I lift it up
Until I overflow
Oh pour on me Your holy oil
Spirit of the Living God
Fill my cup, I lift it up
Until I overflow

Sabbath: The Wedding Ring of Remembrance

My Rehoboth

Sunset in Miranda, Pontevedra
October 27, 2011






And Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there.

Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the same names which his father had given them.

But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours!”

So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him.

Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too,
so he named it Sitnah.

He moved away from there and dug another well,
and they did not quarrel over it;
so he named it Rehoboth, for he said,
“At last the LORD has made room for us,
and we will be fruitful in the land.”

- Genesis 26:17-22




He sent from on high, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
And from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the LORD was my stay.
He brought me forth also into a broad place;
He rescued me, because He delighted in me.

- Psalm 18:16-19




You enlarge my steps under me,
And my feet have not slipped.

- Psalm 18:36





Call to me and I will answer you
and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

- Jeremiah 33:3

When the month of October began thirty-one days ago, I already had a name for it.

October, as I say good-bye to you, my heart is filled with thanksgiving for how good you have been to me.

The words of David found in Psalm 139:16 always bring me great delight each time I remember them:

... all the days ordained for me were written in Your book
before one of them came to be.

Truly, these words have been fulfilled in my life this past month.

Through the days and weeks of October, I had a deep sense that God had already written this chapter of my life story in His book in heaven, and I was simply walking through the script, bringing the written lines to reality.

How awesome is that? It gave my heart a feeling of walking through the wide open spaces of God's loving provision!

Surely, my circumstances were far from ideal, and on the human level, I felt like I was the target of an orchestrated attack. However, because of the deep love of the Father that I knew was surrounding me, there was no room for discouragement to set in.





When Jacob began to re-dig the wells that his father Isaac had built, the first two wells were met with strife and contention by the herdsmen of Gerar.

Esek means "dispute"; Sitnah means " contention."

Jacob showed wisdom and maturity in moving away from dispute, contention, and strife.

So must I. Strife is not my portion, contention is not the land where I want to dwell.

Jacob re-digs a third well, naming it Rehoboth.

Such a beautiful word! It literally means "broad places."

It also means "room enough."

Jacob makes this declaration: "At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land."


Rehoboth... this was the word that kept ringing in my spiritual ears this month.

I still remember the time God spoke this word to me. Ernie and I were living in Chiang Mai, Thailand when I was meditating on this story early one morning in 2008.

"I am bringing you into a broad, spacious land, " God had impressed upon my heart.

(Read Isaac: Redigging Old Wells)

Ever since, that special word has had an important place in my sacred journey.

Yes, there is a Rehoboth waiting for me, I am on my way to my Rehoboth... a place that is abundant, life-giving, and has room enough for love, mercy, grace, compassion, and kindness to flourish.




So many things happened this October.

October 1 to 9 was a period of transition for my daughter and I - of moving out from a place of comfort - my father's home, into a tiny rented room, somewhat cramped... with hardly enough space for all our things.

But... it opens up to a big garden, so there is still a sense of space; besides, it was the place God had prepared for us, the place where a friend had welcomed us, to accommodate my daughter, a place of provision at the right time, just when we needed it. For this, I am truly grateful.

On October 10, I returned to my home in Bacolod City with a sense of accomplishment and peace.

On October 13-15, I coordinated an Ancient Paths seminar for a group of nine persons here in Bacolod.

On October 23, my grandson Matt had a party to celebrate his third birthday.





On October 24 to 26, my friend Pat and I went to Iloilo City, located on another island, to do another Ancient Paths seminar upon the invitation of our friend, Lennie.

It was an amazing time of spiritual healing and breakthrough in all the nine participants who attended it.

Celebrating Dr. Zenia's birthday
October 25, 2011

Lennie, Pat, and me having an early dinner at Cafe Laguna
October 26, 2011

Here's our group picture with the Ancient Paths seminar participants
Iloilo City, October 26, 2011

On Thursday, October 27, Pat and I took the early morning boat trip back to Bacolod City. Upon arrival at the Port of Bacolod, we proceeded to the Sea Breeze Hotel for a quick breakfast before going to my friend Jing's beach house located in Pontevedra. The women of our church had a two-day prayer retreat at this lovely place by the sea.

The lessons taught by Helen Coromina, one of the prayer coordinators for Intercessors for the Philippines, all confirmed the same message God has been speaking to us these past months. He is looking for true intercessors, and true worshipers! We are called to stand in the gap, wherever there is a breach in the wall, and to stand on the ramparts as watchmen!

This is a season of deeper intimacy with God; one can be a true intercessor only if he or she has a history of intimacy with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!


Today, the last day of this October month, God spoke to me in a very special way.

At 6 a.m. I was walking to the neighborhood bakery, not too far from our home, to buy some bread. It was drizzling, and as I looked up, what did I see but a beautiful rainbow smiling down at me! I hurried back to the house to get my camera, but the rainbow was no longer there when I got out.

For a few moments this morning, that rainbow was a timely reminder to me of God's favor!

At noon, my friend Maggy invited me to a lunch she was hosting for her friends from Chicago, Pastor Richard and his wife Lillian. Again, this meeting proved to be another divine appointment for me. After lunch Richard gave me and Maggy a leather bracelet each. The words inscribed on the bracelet I received brought up a resounding Y-E-S from my heart:



These past weeks God has been speaking directly to my heart about my name, that it is connected to my calling, and to the particular season that I am entering. Once again, God has confirmed something in my heart, even though the messenger through which the message came is someone who doesn't even know me personally!

Before our time of prayer, Richard shared with us some of the things God has been impressing upon his heart - that as the year 2011 is about to end, the remaining months of this year will be a time of exiting, and entering in!

We are being called to bring this year to a close, and as we do so, we are to break old cycles, get rid of relationships where there is unequal yoking, and remove from our hearts any ingrained attitude and disposition that doesn't reflect the heart of Christ...

We are to prepare ourselves for 2012, a year when those who are willing and obedient will heed the call to enter a Jeremiah 33:3 season, a season of being consecrated, set apart for God's purposes.

I understand that God's purposes goes beyond my own personal concerns. They go hand in hand with His plans for our families... they extend far beyond the four walls of our local church, and the boundaries around our nation.

God's eternal agenda is far reaching, extending to the rest of the world. And today, more than ever, I am reminded that His purposes for these last days are somehow intertwined with the history of Israel!

I must remember not be too self absorbed, focusing only on the present events of my little world, or on the man made programs of my church.

God is reminding me, Look beyond... let go of self-pity, or self-focus... join Me in what I am doing! My purposes for you are bound up in my eternal plans for the rest of the world!

This invitation requires a response of faith. To anyone who hears what the Spirit is saying to the churches, 2012 ushers in the call to separation unto God Himself, that we may partner with Him in what He is doing. For each of us who will respond to His call, this really is the appointed time for favor to be shown to each of us, to His church, and to the nation of Israel.

As is written in Psalm 102:13,

You will arise and have mercy on Zion,
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.

As Richard spoke, his words were like the gentle rain falling on the softened ground of my heart.

Indeed, as I have personally experienced through the years, the difficult circumstances that come our way can be used as God's plowing tool on our hearts!

Two weeks ago I harvested three large bins of compost material. I had also been digging up and cultivating parts in my garden where the soil had become hard and dry due to the severe dry spell we had been experiencing this month. The rich compost matter made from fermented vegetable and fruit peel, coffee grounds, dried leaves and other garden waste were added to the softened soil. I took time to prune and cut back the overgrown bushes... Then, by divine providence, these past two days, gentle rain showers began to fall day and night over our city.

In just a couple of days, my garden burst forth with life and joy!




"First the natural, then the spiritual."

I believe God was giving me an external picture of the plowing and the cultivating He was doing in my own heart.

These timely words are falling like rain on the seedbed of my heart. The year 2012 will be a Jeremiah 33:3 season:

Call to Me and I will answer you
and show you great and mighty things,
fenced in and hidden,
which you do not know
(do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).

- Jeremiah 33:3 (Amplified Bible)

God is inviting us to enter into a season of self-consecration, that He may release to us fresh revelation... the unsearchable, great, mighty, unfathomable things that we would otherwise have no natural knowledge of. These are the "fenced in and hidden" secrets of God that He is going to reveal to the heart that is ready.

The year to come will be a turnaround year, a season of great blessings is about to be ushered in, as the faithful saints position themselves to receive,

allowing themselves to be sown unto the Lord,

gladly obeying the command to be disentangled from that which defiles, deceives, and distracts us from walking in the purposes of God.

I stand with Israel and believe the day is coming when God's promise to bring her to her own land will be fulfilled. It will be a spacious land, free from contention, not a land that another people claim to be their own!

For thus says the Lord God:
Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep
and seek them out.
As a shepherd seeks out his flock
on the day he is among the scattered sheep,
so will I seek out My sheep
and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered
on a cloudy and dark day.
And I will bring them out
from the peoples and gather them from the countries,
and will bring them to their own land;
I will feed them on the mountains of Israel,
in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.

- Ezekiel 34:12, 13

In the same way, I wait with eager expectation for my own land, my Rehoboth.

What a precious month October has been to me!



Pictures from the prayer retreat:

Back row L-R: Rose, Jing, Helen, Mayang, April, and Elena
Front row L-R: Marie Rose, me, Arbee and Rachel

Beautiful sunset
Taken from Jing's beach house in Miranda, Pontevedra
October 28, 2011

Beautiful, happy feet!

Dining room antique lamp

Elena and Marie Rose, dinner time

early morning in Miranda
October 29, 2011

Smiling, happy faces...

one last group picture at the end of the retreat

At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.

This blog entry is dedicated to my dear kingdom friend, Tina.

Choices

Elijah on Mount Carmel

photo source

And Elijah came to all the people, and said,
“How long will you falter between two opinions?
If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.”
- 1 Kings 18:21




And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD,
choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,
whether the gods which your fathers served
that were on the other side of the River,
or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.
But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
- Joshua 24:15




Multitude, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
The sun and moon will grow dark,
And the stars will diminish their brightness.
The LORD will roar in Zion,
And utter His voice from Jerusalem;
The heavens and earth will shake;
But the LORD will be a shelter for His people,
And the strength of the children of Israel.
- Joel 3:14-16




For nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom.
And there will be famines, pestilences,
and earthquakes in various places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows...
- Matthew 24:7

In a speech at the State Department just forty-eight hours before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Washington last week, President Obama gave the announcement that he not only fully intended to divide Jerusalem, he was also going to use all resources available to him to give the PLO state all of Israel's land retaken during the 1967 Six Days War.

This announcement reveals how little President Obama understands the heart of God for Israel.

It is a severe test for Prime Minister Netanyahu's leadership and statesmanship.

It is a test for the rest of the world as well.

Right before our eyes, the scenario for the endtime battle is unfolding. The choice to stand with Israel is once again being offered to us.

There can be no fence sitters on this important issue. When push comes to shove, each one of us is called to make a stand.

When God gave the covenant promise to Abraham that he will become the father of a great nation, the nation of Israel, God declared that whoever blesses Israel will be blessed, and whoever curses Israel will be cursed.

The LORD had said to Abram,
“Go from your country,
your people and your father’s household
to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.

- Genesis 12:1-3

Will we join the rest of the world in its diabolic plan to wipe Israel off from the face of this earth, or will we align with the heart of God in His eternal plan for Israel?

Will we choose to be blessed?

Or will we choose to be cursed?

The choice is ours.

When God created man, He gave him a free will, the capacity to make choices.

Adam and Eve were free to eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, including the Tree of Life. Only one tree was forbidden, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Nevertheless they were free to choose.

They chose to eat from the forbidden tree, however, they didn't understand the implications of their choice.

With their choice, death entered the world.

They could have chosen God... they chose self.

They were free to choose life... but they chose death.

No, they didn't understand the consequences of their choice.

Ever since that day, man has found himself in the midst of a difficult battle. Tricked by the enemy into thinking that everything is a choice between good and evil, we are constantly tossed to and fro on the raging seas of choosing between what is right and what is wrong.

Who then becomes the final arbiter for these things?

God is the Ultimate Righteous Judge. But one problem with the fall of man is that nearly everyone has assumed the role of judge.

Every man does what is right in his own eyes.

Throughout the ages, history reveals that man is on a downward spiral leading to his ultimate destruction.

For this reason, and in His mercy, God steps in to send a Redeemer. Jesus has come to open the door to life again, and to undo the works of the enemy.

Jesus paved the way for us to make choices that will save us from eternal death.

To anyone who chooses to to abide under the finished work of Jesus on the Cross, death is a defeated foe.



The enemy has instilled into us the mindset that the choice is always between good and evil.

God, on the other hand, always invites us to choose between life and death.

Moses makes this clear in his amazing sermon to the Israelites before his death:

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you,
that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing;
therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
that you may love the Lord your God,
that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him,
for He is your life and the length of your days;
and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers,
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.

- Deuteronomy 30: 19, 20

Daily we are being invited by God to make wise and intelligent choices... choices that will lead to life, and not to death.

We are free to choose our eternal destiny, the most important choice we will ever make.

Choose life that you... may live!

But many other choices confront us each day. And we need to pray for God to give us wisdom and enlightenment to make choices that lead to life!

Each day we face the choice to walk in obedience... in joy... in faith... in hope... in kindness... and in truth.

We need to choose our words... the way we spend our money... and our time.

To pray... or not to pray.

To forgive... or to become bitter and resentful.

To believe in the Lordship of Jesus... or to reject His offer of eternal life.

Choices are ever before us.

Choices are the hinges on which our destiny turns.


Prime Minister Netanyahu rightly says that the hinge of history is turning.

And each one of us has a role to play... a choice to make.

We are definitely living in the last days. No one knows the day and the hour when the end will come... but Jesus teaches us how to discern.

Learn your lesson from the fig tree, Jesus tells us:

Now learn this parable from the fig tree:
When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves,
you know that summer is near.
So you also, when you see all these things,
know that it is near—at the doors!

- Matthew 24:32, 33

"It" in the passage quoted above refers to the day of the Lord... the day of His return... the end of the world.

Israel is the fig tree that we are to learn our lesson from.

The prophet Joel writes about the multitudes in the valley of decision... the coming day when the nations of the world will be judged according to the way they treated the nation of Israel.

I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I will put them on trial
for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered my people among the nations
and divided up my land.
- J0el 3:2

Read Joel 3

Will we stand with Israel in this difficult hour?

The choice is between life, and death.

The choice is ours to make.




Watch: Prime Minister Netanyahu's landmark speech before US congress during which he received 29 rounds of applause, 26 of which were standing ovations.

Transcript and Video: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech before US Congress joint meeting on May 24, 2011

Read: Mike Evans Jerusalem Prayer Team article: Fate of Israel Up For Grabs

Read: Israelis slam Obama's dangerous peace policies (Israel Today Magazine)

Read: Conservative News and Views: Obama Israel Speech Fuels Rage

Read: Is the President God's Instrument of Judgment on America?

Blessing Israel

Emblem of Jerusalem



Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces."
For the sake of my brethren and companions,
I will now say,
"Peace be within you."
Because of the house of the LORD our God
I will seek your good.

- Psalm 122:6-9

On May 14, 1948, sixty one years ago, the State of Israel officially came into being. (Read Israeli Declaration of Statehood/Independence here.)

But not very many people know that The Philippines played a major role in its birth as a state.

On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel.

Philippine President Manuel Roxas became part of the history book of Israel when he decided to recognize the country as an independent state. He gave instructions to then Secretary Carlos P. Romulo, Philippine Representative to the U.N., to vote in favor of the independence of Israel. The vote of the Filipino Representative broke the tie between those for and those against Israel's independence. (Information taken from here.)

Another significant step taken by the Philippines to bless Israel was to open our doors and extend a hand of welcome to Jewish refugees in the 1940s. The Philippines was still a commonwealth nation of the United States then. President Manuel Quezon allotted a certain portion in Marikina, a wide area located in suburbs of Manila, to Jews who were looking for a safe haven to escape the Holocaust in Europe at that time.

More than 1,000 Jews fleeing persecution in Nazi Germany found refuge in our country, thanks to President Quezon's "open doors" policy that Israel plans to honor with a monument this month.

The modern structure of three steel doors, frames and marble floor tiles commemorates the "courage, hospitality and the determination" of the Philippines to give humanitarian support for European Jews seeking refuge from the Holocaust, the Israeli Embassy said in a statement on its Web site.

"The warm hospitality of the Filipino people undoubtedly shed light to one of the darkest and most difficult periods in Jewish history," the embassy said.

The "Open Doors" monument, designed by Filipino artist Jun Yee, is scheduled to be unveiled this coming June 21, at the Rishon Lezion Holocaust Park in central Israel.

Taken from news article by Associated Press Writer HRVOJE HRANJSKI

Today, the first of June, was another day of divine appointments for me.

What a privilege it was for me to attend the Jerusalem Global Feast Conference held at the Aranate Coliseum here in Metro Manila.

Scott Holts, a Messianic Jew, spoke on the Filipinos' end time role for the restoration of Israel. He quoted from Isaiah 40:1-2 which says,

"Comfort, yes, comfort My people!"
says your God.
"Speak comfort to Jerusalem
and cry out to her,
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned...

Oh how these words touched my heart!

Speak comfort to Jerusalem. Speak tenderly to her. Speak kindly to her.

"They are My people," says God. "Cry out to her!"

And yet what do the nations of the world want to do?

Wipe her out of the face of this world map.

Kill her.

Terrorize her.

Burn her in the gas chambers.

Humiliate her.

Annihilate her.

It doesn't align with God's heart... not at all.

We are to speak comfort to His people, His word tells us.

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Another major part of the conference was the documentary film presentation on the making of the largest Israel and Jerusalem flags by Filipinos!

On April 12, 2009, the world's largest flag was unfurled here in the outskirts of Metro Manila. It was in the design of the Jerusalem flag, measuring 287 by 151 meters, covering a staggering area of over four hectares!

Swaths of yellow, blue and white covered a wide, grassy field in Barangay Pintong Bukawe, Rodriguez town in Rizal as it was unfurled early Saturday morning.

It was difficult and intense work, taking four months day and night non-stop, to complete. Aside from its immense size, the flag had many intricate details. (Taken from ABS-CBN news.)

It was the faith of Grace Gupana, founder of the Halleluyah Prophetic Global Foundation Philippines that led her to do it.

Through this prophetic act, Grace believes that it is a declaration to the whole world that Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and a signal to the kingdom of darkness for the final ingathering of the Jews scattered worldwide and to be ultimately repatriated with their beloved homeland, Israel.

View below the unfurling on April 12, 2009, of the largest Jerusalem flag in the world as of today, June 1, 2009.

May the deep love and commitment of the Filipino people to the end time purposes of the Lord for Israel grip your hearts!

Standing with Israel

Jerusalem, Israel - The Western Wall or simply the Kotel... is a Jewish religious site located in the Old City of Jerusalem. The wall itself dates from the end of the Second Temple period, being constructed around 19 BCE. It is sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall, referring to Jews who come to the site to mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple. (Photo Credit: tommyimages_com)


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Does your heart beat for the things that are on God's heart? Israel is at the crossroads of her destiny as a nation. Let us be faithful in standing with Israel for the the accomplishment of God's purposes for this nation.

A love for Israel is one of the things that caught my heart by surprise. I couldn't understand it. But gradually God opened my eyes to the truth. As the new Israel that has been grafted to the original olive tree, we have the same roots and heritage!

It is but natural for us, for we draw our sustenance from the same root system!

Below, I have copied in full this week's prayer points for Israel. May you be encouraged to lift up this nation, our nation, to the Lord.

Friday Prayer Points

13 March 2009

We began with Psalm 15:

A Psalm of David. LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

Through Yeshua's sacrifice on the cross we can fulfill God's standards for righteous people. Thank You that through Your blood we have a relationship with You.

Psalm 15 became a plumbline for much of our prayers today.

1. Continue to pray for Benjamin Netanyahu.

   • Netanyahu has the potential to be the greatest Prime Minister Israel ever had. His Macro management is excellent, he has an incredible world view, but his micro management is poor. He is known as a man who panics. Ask God to touch him and give him the management skills that he needs to lead the government and the nation.

   • "We believe that Netanyahu has been called for such a time as this, give him wisdom between compromising and completely letting go. Help him to sort out the government. Help him to hold to principles that cannot be bent."

   • "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held- To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: ''I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant's sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me."

     Isa 45:1-5

2. Continue to pray for the Coalition to be formed

   • Netanyahu is running out of time by Thursday next week. He can have another two weeks, but then if he does not form a government Livni will get a chance. If she cannot form a government we will go to new elections. Meanwhile we continue with our incompetent government.
   • There is a lot of grumbling amongst the Likud members that the best ministries are going to people outside of the Likud.
   • Pray that this government will be a government of excellence and not just politicians that are looking for themselves.
   • Pray that the government will be form by Wednesday and by Thursday that they will be able to present for confirmation all the candidates for each ministry and position.

   • "Give us a government with men and women with a passion and a calling to do your will. Give Netanyahu's negotiators red lines, this far and no longer."

   • "Father give them the way forwards to unify with one heart for such a time as this. May the government ministers cooperate with each other; understand the difficult time we are in and that there is an imperative need to unite. Help father the Shas party to understand that they cannot expect so much money from the government to continue with their Yeshivas and their life style that they lead."

   • "Give us, Abba, a government that understands Psalm 15, which will come under your plum line for a righteous government."

3. An angelic battle is raging

   • There is a battle in the heavenly places. We know that in the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) there are many people, and we know that when politicians come into power they change their policy; they do things differently than what they promised, why? Because there is a battle going on and there are different forces at work.
   • The scriptures generally do not reveal the names of Angels apart from two, Gabriel and Archangel Michael. Michael is specifically mentioned as the angel who protects Israel.
   • Ask God to send Michael and his angels to surround the Knesset.
   • Ask God to protect the newly forming government and to keep back the forces of darkness.

   • "Father bring confusion in the enemies ranks, create leaders that bring truth and righteousness into the government, may nobody be in power if he is not prepared to withstand the battle. You know who you have appointed and you know the outcome. We pray for your people for the task that is to come."

4. Iranian situation

   • Obama is trying to enter into a dialogue with the Iranians and stepping up the sanctions against Iran. Most people with understanding will be able to see that dialogue is only going to give Iran more time to build the nuclear bomb and therefore destroy from the face of the earth the people of God. This is a physical and spiritual battle.

   • "We know that Netanyahu has the Iranian situation very much in his heart. Give him an anointing, courage and the right timing to know what needs to be done. Give him Father the right words to explain to the world the threat and the give him courage to take the right action at the right time."

   • "At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever."

     Daniel 12: 1-3

   • Michael was previously seated, and then he stands up. We are entering a time of battle of great distress, such as never was seen before in this land. However, God will deliver his people, and in verse 3 it says that those that are wise will shine, righteousness will come to the people of God, whilst this battle is raging in heaven.

   • "We pray into the end of this age, courage to be able to withstand the struggle, for You are going to deliver us."

5. Pray for the body of Messiah Globally

   • The theme of this year's IPCJ is Isaiah 60:1-2: Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.
   • We are coming to a critical time worldwide; we have the threat of terror and economic shakings. According to history, this is a breeding ground for demonically empowered dictators. People are scared and they look for strong and powerful leaders. The Lord wants us to trust Him at this time of darkness that His light will shine in Israel and the remnant of the church.

   • "Abba draw us closer to you, we pray for the body of Messiah worldwide. We need to lay the cares of this world upon You. We need to walk in a new measure of trust, keep us Father from disastrous situations, where we will not be able to buy or sell, help us to walk through the fire if necessary."

   • "Unite us Father as a people around you, unite us as a people around the truth, unite us Father for these days, for this day, we need you so much."

6. The darkness is becoming more evident and more open in the body of the Messiah

   • There is an incredible lack of God's standards, where leaders are having adulterous relationships and are being accepted as normal. There is an incredible lack of His standard in the body of Messiah.
   • Pray that the body of Messiah will have the "gift of the discernment of spirits". It is the gifts that is least desired amongst believers, because if you have it, you will have to do something about what is revealed as false, evil etc. And yet is one of the most important gifts for this age.
   • Pray for God's plumbline to be manifest.

   • "Abba we confess our lack and our own weakness in that as a people we do not desire the gift of discernment of spirits, and yet is so important. You called us to judge the fruit that people produce, to test the spirits, to have an understanding of what is of You and what is not. Plant Your plumb line in our midst."

   • A few hundred years ago the character of people was more important than the gifts and anointing people have. Now it seems to be the other way around.

   • "Give your people mature leaders that will set an example, righteous people that will raise a standard of righteousness around them"

7. Prayer for the Body in Israel

   • The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the LORD." Isaiah 2: 1-5
     

   • We as a nation look to the rest of the world, for the word of God to come here from abroad. We believe if it is from abroad it must be good. But, the scripture says the opposite. We need to also look to the teachers in our midst from people of this land.

   • "Father your truth will come out of Zion, even from this city. For the Law will come out of Zion. Your word will go forth from this city, from Jerusalem."

   • "Thank you Father that many teachers from Israel are already going out to all the corners of the world. They are preaching Your Word, not a word of flesh, but Your Word with Your anointing."

We ended our time with special prayer for Chuck Cohen who is ministering in the UK and for Guy and Anita Kump who are returning to Israel on Monday.

Guy is board member of IFI and they have gone out of the country to be able to renew their visas.

"Father we pray for a special anointing on Chuck as he brings The Word from Jerusalem. That Your Words will touch their hearts and minds, and that they will be able to hear what Your Spirit is saying to the churches."

"Bring back Guy and Anita safely, may they be surrounded by your angels, may they have no problems coming back into the Land."

Shabbat Shalom

The IFI team