Archive for the ‘goodnews’ Category
November 26th, 2009 | 
Author: TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close” -Revelation 3:8, NLT
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
I believe that God is ready to present you with new opportunities. He wants to open new doors before you. It doesn’t matter what’s happening in the world around you, God’s Word remains true!
Remember, in an instant, God can bring the right people into your life, the right opportunities, and the right resources to take you to a whole new level. But in order to go to a higher level, you have to have a higher way of thinking. You can’t allow worry and fear to fill your thoughts because fear actually blocks the door of God’s blessing. Instead, fill your mind with the Word of God. Let His truth empower you because His ways are always higher than our ways; and I believe that even now, He is working behind the scenes on your behalf!
Today, choose to keep an attitude of faith and expectancy. Begin to thank Him for the opportunities that are just ahead for you. Shut the door on fear and let God lead you by His peace through the door of opportunity He has prepared for you!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father in heaven, thank You for opening doors for me that no one can close. I believe that You are faithful, and You reward the people who seek after You. Fill me with Your peace and joy today as I learn to follow You in every area of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“…And God has visited His people [in order to help and care for and provide for them]!” -Luke 7:16, AMP
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
Every person has times of visitation from the Lord. These are the times when God distinctly intervenes in our lives to bring us help, direction, care, and provision. He’s ordained special times to pour out His love, favor, and blessing. It may be through a person we meet, an unexpected promotion, or supernatural favor so that in a split second we are thrust years ahead. These marked moments in our lives keep us on the course of our destiny.
When you really understand this point, you don’t have to be frustrated because things aren’t happening as fast as you’d like. You don’t have to worry about how things will turn out. All you have to do is stay in faith, knowing that God is directing your steps.
As long as we keep believing, our marked moments are on their way. Don’t allow the enemy to steal your joy or distract you by getting you focused in the wrong direction. Remember, God is on your side, and He is leading you and guiding you in the path of victory in every area of your life!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your divine favor and direction on my life. I choose to release my cares today and trust wholeheartedly in You. Teach me to recognize those marked moments so that I can give all the glory and praise to You! In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
It’s easy for people to let go of their dreams when all they see is what they’re lacking or what’s not happening for them. But God sees the whole picture when He looks at your dreams. He has equipped you for the victory, even though you sometimes can’t see how you will win with what you have to work with right now.
Remember that God is always at work in your life. He is giving you favor and opening doors of new opportunities, so keep looking and hoping; the things He has promised and planned for you will happen. As you put your confidence in God, He will continue to work in supernatural ways to guide you into all He has for you.
Are you looking at the whole picture today? Can you see how God is working to bring the right things together for your success? If you’re not seeing things happen for you, don’t give up on your dreams. Be confident in God’s promises; He sees things that you can’t see, and He will make sure that His plans for you are fulfilled. Hold on to your dreams today. Have faith in God – He wants to bring you the desires of your heart.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Heavenly Father, today I have a renewed confidence in You. Help me to see my life the way You see it – whole and complete. Thank You for not only beginning a good work in me, but also finishing it. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
EFREN PENAFLORIDA for CNN Hero of the Year
I was touched by the heroism of this man because he made a big difference in the lives of the street children in the slum area in Philippines. Efren, I admired your heroic deeds. May God bless you beyond what you could ever imagine.
Pushcart classes hel
p break gang chain
CAVITE CITY, Philippines (CNN) — At 16, Rhandolf Fajardo reflects on his former life as a gang member. Using a pushcart classroom, he and volunteers teach reading and writing to children living on the streets.
“My gang mates were the most influential thing in my life,” says Fajardo, who joined a gang when he was in sixth grade. “We were pressured to join.”
He’s not alone. In the Philippines, teenage membership in urban gangs has surged to an estimated 130,000 in the past 10 years, according to the Preda Foundation, a local human rights charity.
“I thought I’d get stuck in that situation and that my life would never improve,” recalls Fajardo. “I would probably be in jail right now, most likely a drug addict — if I hadn’t met Efren.”
Efren Peñaflorida, 28, also was bullied by gangs in high school. Today, he offers Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education. Vote now for the CNN Hero of the Year
“Gang members are groomed in the slums as early as 9 years old,” says Peñaflorida. “They are all victims of poverty.”
For the past 12 years, Peñaflorida and his team of teen volunteers have taught basic reading and writing to children living on the streets. Their main tool: A pushcart classroom.
Stocked with books, pens, tables and chairs, his Dynamic Teen Company recreates a school setting in unconventional locations such as the cemetery and municipal trash dump.
Peñaflorida knows firsthand the adversity faced by these children. Born into a poor family, he lived in a shanty near the city dump site. But he says he refused to allow his circumstances to define his future.
“Instead of being discouraged, I promised myself that I would pursue education,” he recalls. “I will strive hard; I will do my best.”
In high school, Peñaflorida faced a new set of challenges. Gang activity was rampant; they terrorized the student body, vandalized the school and inducted members by forcing them to rape young girls, he says.
“I felt the social discrimination. I was afraid to walk down the street.”
Peñaflorida remembers standing up to a gang leader, refusing to join his gang. That confrontation proved fateful. At 16, he and his friends “got the idea to divert teenagers like us to be productive,” he says.
He created the Dynamic Teen Company to offer his classmates an outlet to lift up themselves and their community. For Peñaflorida, that meant returning to the slums of his childhood to give kids the education he felt they deserved.
“They need education to be successful in life. It’s just giving them what others gave to me,” he says.
Today, children ranging from ages 2 to 14 flock to the pushcart every Saturday to learn reading, writing, arithmetic and English from Peñaflorida and his trained teen volunteers.
“Our volunteers serve as an inspiration to other children,” he says.
The group also runs a hygiene clinic, where children can get a bath and learn how to brush their teeth.
Since 1997, an estimated 10,000 members have helped teach more than 1,500 children living in the slums. The organization supports its efforts by making and selling crafts and collecting items to recycle.
Through his group, Peñaflorida has successfully mentored former gang members, addicts and dropouts, seeing potential where others see problems.
“Before, I really didn’t care for my life,” says Michael Advincula, who started doing drugs when he was 7. “But then Efren patiently dug me from where I was buried. It was Efren who pushed me to get my life together.”
Today, Advincula is a senior in high school and one of the group’s volunteers.
Peñaflorida hopes to expand the pushcart to other areas, giving more children the chance to learn and stay out of gangs.
“I always tell my volunteers that you are the change that you dream and I am the change that I dream. And collectively we are the change that this world needs to be.”
Watch Peñaflorida and his group in action with their push cart classroom [click here]
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“Write the vision [dream] and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.” -Habakkuk 2:2, NKJV
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
Have you ever known someone who had an exciting dream to do something great but did nothing to make it happen? It’s so important to act on the dreams that God has given you. You can take ownership of your dreams by planning and preparing for them.
Remember, success is not accidental. Where do you see yourself in your career, finances or relationships? Put some action behind what you’re believing for. Maybe you don’t see how it can happen in the natural. The good news is you don’t have to have it all figured out. With your faith and obedience, God will work supernaturally in your situation to turn things around for good.
Believe in your dreams today. I encourage you to write down your short and long-range goals. Keep them in front of you so you will stay focused. When you make a move, God will direct your steps. He’ll make sure you come across the right people, at the right time. God will give you wisdom, insight and favor as you take steps to bring your dreams to pass.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the dreams You have given me. Today I will take steps toward seeing them come to pass. Help me to set goals and map out steps for victory so that I know where I’m going and how to accomplish my dreams. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
by Bo Sanchez
One day, a huge crowd was in front of Heaven, waiting to get in.
To put more order, Jesus announced, “I’ll see the men first.” He then said, “All husbands who are the leader at home, form a line on my right. All husbands whose wives are the leader at home, form a line on my left.”
Immediately, thousands of men lined up on His left.
And only one brave guy stood at the right.
Jesus shook his head. He scolded the husbands at the left, “I’m a little bit disappointed with you. I specifically told you in the Bible that the husband should be the leader at home!” He then looked at the one man on his right and smiled. “Congratulations!”
The man said, “Thank you, Jesus. But I really don’t know why I’m here. My wife told me to stand here, so I did.”
Today, leadership is a bad word.
Let me tell you about my friend Carlos. He’s only in his thirties, but has already had eleven jobs in eleven companies. All because he can’t work with his bosses. Either his boss is too selfish or too inefficient or too lazy or too picky or too bossy. Though it was clear as daylight, Carlos couldn’t see the pattern. That he had issues with all authority figures.
Later on, I found out that Carlos never had a good relationship with his father.
This was the root.
Your father, whether you like it or not, was your first leader.
If you had a difficult relationship with your father, most likely, you’ll have a difficult relationship with all the leaders in your life. Including God as leader. You may be able to relate to God as healer, savior, and miracle-worker, but not as leader.
Plus, leadership is a bad word because of all the bad leaders in the world.
Let me give you a few crazy examples.
Top 10 Evil Leaders In The World
Take tyrants like Pol Pot.
In the three years that he ruled Cambodia, he killed most of their intellectuals. He then forced people living in cities to work in the barrios as some extreme agrarian communism. Because of the mass executions, the poor health conditions, and the poverty—two million people died—half of the population of Cambodia.
Another word for Tyrant is Bully. Bullies like Adolph Hitler.
Hitler was an incredible leader. He spoke so powerfully, he convinced all of Germany to conquer Europe. But at the end of Hitler’s rule, 10 million people died—including 6 million Jews.
Or take Joseph Stalin.
He was head of the Soviet Union for 31 years. Because of the vast number of executions he ordered upon those he deemed “enemy of the state”—plus administrative decisions that caused widespread famine in huge parts of his country—international observers say that Stalin may have killed 10 million to 60 million people.
Based on death tolls and barbaric torture, here are the other top 10 evil Leaders in the world: Ivan IV, Vlad Tepes, Leopold II, Idi Amin, Ruholla Khomeini, Maximien Robespierre, and Atilla The Hun.
For many people, God is like them—a tyrant and a bully.
That’s why they can’t relate to Him.
He bullies us to follow Him—if we don’t, He throws us to Hell.
How can we follow a God who is a bully?
I know I can’t.
Thankfully, God is not a tyrant and a bully.
What Is A Good Leader?
Somehow, you already know a good leader when you see one.
Movies show good leaders all the time.
Remember the movie Karate Kid?
If you remember, then that means only one thing: you were born in the sixties, your James Bond was Sean Connery, your Darna was Vilma Santos, and your Batman had written sound effects (“Kapaw”).
In Karate Kid, young Daniel had Mr. Miyagi as his leader. (Favorite quote in that movie: “Wax in, wax out.”) Remember how Mr. Miyagi spent time with Daniel and taught him about life? Remember how Mr. Miyagi loved him and poured his life into him?
It was the same in Star Wars. If Karate Kid had Mr. Miyagi, then Luke Skywalker had Yoda. You see the same thing: Leadership is relationship.
For those of you who can’t relate because you were born in the 90’s, then let me fast-forward in time. How about Lord of the Rings? If Karate Kid had Mr. Miyagi, and Luke had Yoda, then Frodo had Gandalph.
Goodness, even in Kung Fu Panda, Po had Master Shifu. (Favorite quote: “Squadoosh.”)
What is common among Mr. Miyagi, Yoda, Gandalph, and Master Shifu?
Three very important things…
1) A leader builds a relationship with a disciple
2) A leader plants a dream in that person’s heart
3) A leader empowers that person to reach that dream
Let me tell you about my first spiritual leader.
My First Spiritual Leader Was A Woman
I met Aida Manongdo when I was 12 years old.
She was our prayer group leader. At that time, she was already a mother of six children. But despite our age difference, she took me under her wing and discipled me.
First, she built a relationship with me. She sat down with me and we studied the Bible together. She shared her conversations with God. She poured into me her faith and wisdom. And I’ll never forget those times when she prayed over me. When she did, it was like I was transported to Heaven.
The second thing she did was plant a dream in my heart. When I was 13 years old, she took me aside and said, “God told me that you’ll be a preacher. God told me that He has given you the gift of wisdom.” To this day, I have no idea what she saw in me. I was a normal 13-year-old kid who watched Voltes V on TV (I even memorized the theme song) and read Superman Comics. But that’s what great leaders do—find gold in the rough—and pour their lives in that person until the gold comes out.
And third, she empowered me. She said, “I want you to give a talk this coming Friday.” Being obedient, I went home and prepared a 20-page talk.
That Friday, when I took the microphone, I saw everyone was excited. I heard them say, “Wow, Bo’s going to give a talk! He’s the youngest in our group!”
But a few minutes later, they weren’t very excited anymore. Everyone was bored to death. Except for my mother of course who was absorbing every word, they were acting like chickens, their heads bobbing up and down.
I panicked. I decided to skip most of the pages in my talk and turned to the last page. And I said, “That’s all. Good night.” I was totally humiliated. I sat down and told myself I’ll never give another talk in my entire life. Never!
But Aida came up to me after the prayer meeting and said, “Bo, next Friday, give another talk. I said, “Sure!”
I am who I am because of Aida.
I owe my life and ministry to this great leader.
A Leader Builds A Relationship
Bottom line, Leaders are Lovers.
All throughout the Bible, when God wants something done, He’ll call one person—and establish a relationship with that person—and love that person.
This is His modus operandi.
When God wanted a new nation that will follow His ways, He called one person—Abraham. He shows Himself to him, speaks to him, spends time with him, and gives him a vision—“to be a father of many nations.”
When God wanted to rescue Israel from Egypt, He called one person—Moses. He brings him up to Mt. Sinai, shows Himself as the burning bush, introduces Himself as the Great I Am, and gives him a vision—“to rescue my people from Pharaoh.”
In this same way, God wants to build a relationship with you.
He doesn’t want to intimidate you so you’ll follow Him.
He doesn’t want to dominate you into submission.
He doesn’t want to terrify you into obedience.
Instead, He’ll spend time with you. He’ll win your trust. He’ll expose His own heart to you. He’ll pour his life into you.
In other words, He’ll love you.
This is His brand of leadership.
Don’t Cut The String
Imagine a Kite flying on high up in the sky.
You are the kite. God is the boy flying that kite. The string between the boy and the kite is your relationship with God.
But there are kites that feel that the string is holding them back.
So the kite says, “I want to fly higher. I can do so if this string isn’t here.”
So they cut the string. They want to live their lives on their terms. Their theme song is Frank Sinatra’s I did it my way.
When they cut the string, they soar even higher into the sky. And the kite feels wonderful. But in due time, the kite will come crashing down and destroying itself to bits.
Don’t cut the string. Remain in your relationship with God.
In other words, allow Him to love you.
However, we’re not just talking about friendship with God. Leadership is friendship, yes, but it’s more than friendship. Aside from relationship, a leader casts a vision—a dream.
Like the boy flying the kite, God has a vision for your life: For you to fly high up in the sky—as high as it can possibly fly.
God has a vision for your life. It’s found in John 10:10—I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly.
Here’s what I found out: Like any great leader, God is totally committed to this vision for your life.
Ready To Die
One day, a General knocked on the house of an old priest.
The General said, “Old priest, tomorrow, I’ll be going to war. I want you to offer Mass for our victory.”
The old priest opened the door, saw the General, and said, “You seem very calm for someone who’s about to go into battle.”
The General smiled. “I assure you old priest that this will be an easy victory.” The enemy has 1000 men, I’ve got 4000. They’ve got 1000 guns, I’ve got 4000 guns.”
The old priest asked, “Where are they positioned?”
The General laughed and said, “They are insane. As we speak, they’re now positioning themselves on the seashore, between my army and the sea. And they have no boats. They’re trapped. They’re sitting ducks.”
The old priest asked, “Where will you be when your army attacks?”
“At the back of my army,” the General said.
“And where will the commander of the enemy be?” The priest asked.
The General chuckled, “I heard that he will be at the front of his army. I guess he wants to die first.”
The old priest shook his head. “I urge you, do not go to battle. You will lose.”
The General was shocked. “Old man, didn’t you hear me? We’re 4 times their number. We have 4 times their weapons.” He stormed out of the priest’s house and said, “Don’t bother praying for us! Good bye!”
Three days later, the General—wounded and battered—walked back into the old priest’s house. “You were right,” he said, “my army was wiped out. I’ve come back here to ask you how you knew we were going to lose.”
The old priest said, “Their commander was ready to die. You weren’t. Their commander positioned his army between you and the sea, because he wanted all his soldiers to know that they either win or die. He positioned himself in front of his army to tell his army that he was ready to die—and they should too. Because battles aren’t won by numbers or weapons, but by the commitment of their leader.”
I repeat. God has cast a vision for your life: To give a life of abundance.
But how committed is He to make this come true?
He’s so committed, He’s not only ready to die for it—He already did.
He gave His life on the cross to make that vision come true.
Nothing Can Stop God’s Vision In Your Life
I cannot tell you the name of my second spiritual leader.
He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
He wore a nice barong with a nice large silver cross around his neck. He preached well. He sang well. He prayed well. He looked very holy.
But he was the man who molested me when I was 13 years old.
He was also the same man who molested my other friends in the youth group.
I cannot begin to describe to you what followed next. My addictions. How I hated myself. How I lived with shame. I had this incredibly deep wound in my heart that would take two decades to heal. (Even to this day, God is healing my inner wounds.)
I will not wish this pain on anyone—not on my worst enemies.
But here’s my point: even this tragedy in my life was not enough to stop God’s vision for my life—to give me an Abundant life.
Because I’m experiencing this abundance today.
Friend, God won’t allow any problem, any crisis, any trial, any evil in your life to stop His great vision to happen in your life.
You will receive an abundant life.
Trust Him.
I urge you now to make Him your Leader.
Give yourself to Him.
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
TAKE IT ALL
Hillsong United
Searching the world
The lost will be found
In freedom we live
As one we cry out
You carried the cross
You died and rose again
My God
I’ll only ever give my all
You sent Your Son
From heaven to earth
You delivered us all
It’s eternally heard
I searched for truth
And all I found was You
My God
I’ll only ever give my all
Jesus we’re living for Your Name
We’ll never be ashamed of You
Whoa o oh
Our praise and all we are today
Take take take it all
Take take take it all
You sent Your Son
From heaven to earth
You delivered us all
It’s eternally heard
I searched for truth
And all I found was You
My God
I’ll only ever give my all
Jesus we’re living for Your Name
We’ll never be ashamed of You
Whoa o oh
Our praise and all we are today
Take take take it all
Take take take it all
Jesus we’re living for Your Name
We’ll never be ashamed of You
Whoa o oh
Our praise and all we are today
Take take take it all
Take take take it all
Running to the One
Who heals the blind
Following the shining light
In Your hands
The power to save the world
In my life
Running to the One
Who heals the blind
Following the shining light
In Your hands
The power to save the world
In my life
Jesus we’re living for Your Name
We’ll never be ashamed of You
Whoa o oh
Our praise and all we are today
Take take take it all
Take take take it all
Jesus we’re living for Your Name
We’ll never be ashamed of You
Whoa o oh
Our praise and all we are today
Take take take it all
Take take take it all
Jesus we’re living for Your Name
We’ll never be ashamed of You
Whoa o oh
Our praise and all we are today
Take take take it all
Take take take it all
Take take take it all
by Bo Sanchez
“Bo, can I be honest with you?”
“Sure,” I answered Mandy (not his real name), a dear friend of many years.
“Please don’t be offended. But I feel you’ve lost your focus on the Lord.”
I knew it took a lot for him to say that to me. I felt his discomfort. I was also disturbed by what he said, coming from someone I trusted. Mandy is a lay missionary who has been serving God for the longest time I can remember. He was the leader of a network of prayer groups.
“I welcome your input. Please go on,” I said.
“I’ve been reading some of your articles and I feel uncomfortable about your topics on finances. I just feel you lack trust in God now. You depend on your businesses more than on the Lord.” (This conversation took place five years ago, when I began writing about money.)
“What makes you say that?” I asked him.
“Because I remember the old Bo. When you were poor. When you had no money. When you stood on the street, with empty pockets, praying to God for your bus fare to preach in a prayer meeting.”
“Those were good days,” I said.
“Bo, I’m still poor today. There are days when I don’t have money for my needs. But every time, God provides. And I see so many miracles. But you’ve become rich, Bo. You’re different now. I really pray hard for you. May you remain pure.”
I said, “Thank you so much. I need your prayers.”
After Mandy left, I searched my heart and confronted God.
But all I could find was peace. My decision to get into business, my decision to teach finances, my decision to become wealthy—I felt even more convinced that God was smiling at me. As crazy as it sounded, I’ve found God in the worldly. I’ve found God in business and profit. It was absurd, but I felt closer to Him more now than I’ve ever been.
That was five years ago. Today, my conviction is as strong as ever.
Since then, there have been many times when Mandy called for help. Tuition fees for his kids. Hospital bills for his father. Electric and telephone bills. And his ministry needs.
Each time he’d call me up, he’d be very embarrassed. I knew that he was the type of person who would rather starve than ask for help. But he had no choice. He was asking for his family’s needs.
Each time, I was very happy to help out my friend. But every time he came to me, desperate and troubled, I saw what my life would have become if I didn’t decide to work on my finances.
Mandy and I are both missionaries. (I still devote 90% of my time to ministry.) But here’s the difference:
Mandy chose to be poor. I chose to be rich.
My message? Wealth is a choice.
I believe God leaves that up to you.
What’s your choice?
Get Financial Mentors
How did I become rich?
I added to my mentors.
Being a missionary, all my mentors were other religious leaders. Not one of them knew much about money.
Here’s a simple lesson in life: You become like the people you hangout with.
So I prayed and searched for millionaire mentors. God answered my prayer and I found them, one by one. I learned from them and my life has changed 180 degrees.
From being poor, I now have many income streams. I’ve invested in real estate, buying foreclosed properties from banks and turning them into rental properties. I’m earning passive income from my other businesses. I’ve also learned how to invest in the stock market. It’s been an amazing adventure.
But what’s more amazing is the incredible freedom I have to help others.
If you want that freedom, I encourage you to learn more.
You don’t have to attend my seminars. There are other seminars out there. Look around. You don’t even have to read my books. Read other books on money.
But my seminars and books have a distinct advantage: They have a very strong spiritual perspective. It’s an essential part in transforming your mindset. I believe that wealth is God’s gift and we need to use it for His purpose.
Get Paid for Referrals, No Selling Required, Free $100 Sign-up Bonus [click here]
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by Bo Sanchez
A college student in Manila called up his Mom in the province.
“Mom, I need money,” he asked. “Can you send money over please?”
“Sure,” the mother said. “By the way, there’s a Math textbook you left here at home. I’ll send it over with the money.”
“Uh, oh yeah, Ok,” her son answered.
His mother sent the money and the book.
Later that day, the father asked his wife, “How much money did you send?”
She said, “I sent two checks. One was a P1000 check and the other was a P100,000 check.”
“What?” cried the father in shock. “That’s huge!”
His wife smiled. “That’s okay Honey. I taped the P1000 check on the cover of his Math textbook. I then inserted the P100,000 check somewhere in chapter 25 of his Math textbook. Believe me, he won’t find it.”
Your relationship with God is like a Math textbook. Because I believe the biggest blessings of God for your life are in “chapter 25”—when you go beyond the surface and go deeper in this relationship with God.
My goal today is to bring you to chapter 25 in your relationship with God.
Let me tell you how.
I want to start a new series today I’ll playfully call, OMG! If you don’t know what that means, LOL. (For those my age who didn’t grow up with chat and IM and facebook: OMG! means Oh my God and LOL means Laugh out loud.)
For the next five weeks, I want to help you get to know God more—which will deepen your trust in Him. And the more you trust Him, the more you’ll be open to His blessings for your life.
I’ve met a lot of people who don’t trust God because they don’t know Him. They’re confused with misrepresentations of who God is.
Here’s what I learned: Your problems are big because your God is small.
Before Anything Else, God Is Daddy
I just arrived from the US the other day.
It was my shortest trip ever: Four days!
But I had to do it.
I was there to meet a very special man who was a spiritual mentor to Presidents, Kings, Prime Ministers, and other heads of government. In other words, he disciples them to follow Jesus. He’s awesome.
This spiritual giant has been working in the United Nations for the past 25 years. Each month, he holds 30+ face-to-face meetings with heads of government, ambassadors, and other high-level officials, guiding them how to lead their country using the Bible.
So for three whole days, I sat around his table (we were just four students—myself, two bishops, and a secretary general) to learn one thing: How to disciple Heads of States. It was mind-blowing.
So on my way back, I felt very important too.
I mean, how couldn’t I?
I spent three days with a guy who takes phone calls from Presidents and Prime Ministers before he has breakfast. How cool is that?
But the moment my plane landed in Manila, everything became clear to me. I knew the first Heads of States I would meet.
That entire day, upon arriving from the airport, I spent time with the two Kings who’ve conquered my heart since I saw them: My two boys—ages 9 and 4.
Together, we did very high-level, critical, world-changing, life-altering work.
We drew robots and airplanes.
We played with little cars.
We played a video game (I lost, as usual).
We jumped around the coach.
Why did I spend the entire day with them?
Because I believe that before I’m a preacher, writer, leader, missionary, and businessman, I’m a father.
And I suspect that God will say the same thing. This is just my personal opinion. I think before God is supreme judge and king of kings of the entire universe, He’s a Father. That’s why when someone asked Jesus, “Teach us how to pray,” He answered, “Say this: Our Father…”
The original word that Jesus used for “Father” is Abba, which doesn’t really translate to Father but Daddy or Papa. It was what a little baby would call his father.
But as I played with my boys yesterday, I began to think of all the other children who don’t experience what they experience. And I believe that one of the reasons why we don’t know God as Father is because of the wrong fatherhood we’ve experienced.
Specifically, I thought of four of my friends: Emmanuel, Grace, Dulce, and Fides. I’ve changed their names to protect their privacy.
But unfortunately, their stories are true.
Invisible Fathers
My friend Emmanuel’s father was a lawyer. Later on, he became a judge and was promoted all the way to the Supreme Court.
Emmanuel was proud of his father. But when our conversations became intimate, he’d tear up, and tell me that he rarely saw his father. When he woke up, his father was rushing out for his breakfast meetings. In the evenings, his father wasn’t home yet.
Emmanuel grew up knowing his father was an important man doing very important things. But as he grew up, he realized he wasn’t one of these important things his father did.
Years later, Emmanuel came to know God in a personal way. Yet for years, he wondered how important he really was in God’s heart.
Autistic Fathers
Some fathers are physically present at home.
But they don’t engage their kids.
Instead, they’re wrapped up in their own world. Either watching TV or surfing the web. That’s why I call them autistic fathers.
Many years ago, I met Grace. She told me that as a child, her goal in life was to make her father smile at her. Because he never did.
Oh, she would find him laughing with his barkada.
But never to her.
One day, she came home with very high grades on her report card. In her heart, she hoped that perhaps today, he would smile at her.
But when she gave him the report card, all her father did was look at it for two seconds, grunt, tossed it back, and went back watching TV.
Not one word of affirmation or appreciation.
Her little heart was crushed.
For years, Grace had a hard time imagining that God was pleased with her. She always imagined God having a perpetual frown on his face.
Cruel Fathers
Dulce’s father is the most barbaric father I’ve ever heard of in my life.
When she was 3 years old, he raped her.
Years later, she always had this nightmare of her head being pushed into a toilet bowl. She realized why. Because her father warned her not to tell anyone of the rape or he’d drown her in the toilet.
For the next ten years, for the slightest mistakes (such as a spilled glass of milk), her father would whip her with his belt until blood flowed. When he was lashing her, her mother would tell him, “Don’t hit her below the knees!” So that the wounds would be covered by her skirt.
He would then grab her ankles, hang her upside down, and bang her head on the floor. He would do this for thirty minutes until she stopped crying and was a lifeless rag in his hands. He would do this each week for ten long years.
Here’s the absurd fact of this story: Until the day he died, her father was an elder and deacon in church. To everyone else, he was an angel. Upon arriving home, he was the devil incarnate—and no one knew.
Dulce is now an adult but suffers massive physical, emotional, and spiritual torments. She has gone through 9 surgeries in various parts of her body. Her doctors discovered micro-strokes in her brain, caused by the head banging she suffered as a child. But her emotional pain was even more severe than her physical pain.
I’m happy to say that Dulce enjoys an intimate relationship with God. God has healed and continues to heal her. But it took years of healing and learning to trust a tender loving Father.
Unfaithful Father
Fides was still a small child when she saw her father walk out of their house carrying his suitcase. At that time, she didn’t know that he was abandoning her, her mother, and her two brothers for another woman.
Unlike her brothers who rebelled and got into drugs, Fides became even more obedient. She became even more responsible. Her school grades shot to the moon. Everyone praised her for being such a good girl.
Later on, Fides realized she blamed herself for the separation of her parents. Inexplicably, she believed that if she were only a better girl, her father would have never left. And for years, she secretly hoped that if she became that better girl, perhaps her father would come back.
For years, Fides’ relationship with God was also about buying His love. She would always try to be good to try to please Him—so He would love her. She had this constant fear that if she made one mistake, God would abandon her too.
May The Real God The Father Please Stand Up?
For many Christians, it’s so much easier to pray to Jesus. After all, He died for our sins. He’s the sweet one. The Father was the mean guy who sent Jesus to die on the cross.
And for many Catholics, it’s so much easier to pray to Mother Mary than to God the Father. Because they believe Mary is more merciful than God. If you can’t go through the front door, go to the back door—Mary has the key.
Which is utterly preposterous.
We have these difficulties because we don’t know who the Father really is.
The Father and the Son are one. And Mother Mary is a beautiful reflection of God’s love for us.
May the real God The Father please stand up?
I changed the names of our four real-life characters. I chose each name deliberately to show you who God the Father is: He is Emmanuel, Grace, Dulce, and Fides.
Daddy Is Emmanuel
A tribe in Africa had a very scary manhood ritual.
When a boy turned 12, the entire community gathered around him for this once-in-a-life-time chanting and dancing ceremony. The elderly women painted red die on his face. His mother gave him a beaded necklace. And the tribal chieftain handed him a long knife with a carved wooden handle.
By nightfall, he was blindfolded and led by six men into the middle of the forest. Once deep inside, the men left him. Alone. In total pitch darkness.
The instruction was simple. Survive until dawn, and he gets accepted as a real man in the tribe.
But the young boy knew very well that the forest was an incredibly dangerous place. It was the home of tigers. Snakes. Bears. Hyenas.
And so for the entire night, this scrawny little 12-year-old boy was now all alone in the forest. The entire night, he held his knife trembling in his hand. Not for one moment could he rest. Try as he might, his eyes could see nothing but shadows around him. In his imagination, every little sound—even a leaf swaying in the wind—was a wild animal ready to pounce on him at any moment.
The whole night, he could hear his heart pounding in his chest.
When his terror overwhelmed him, tears ran down his cheeks. He wanted to shout, “I’m just a little boy! I’m not ready yet to be a man!” But who could hear him now? He was all alone.
But after many hours of fighting his fear and exhaustion, his eyes could see more clearly. Dawn was approaching. The first shafts of sunlight pierced through the thick canopy of leaves above him.
That was when the little boy felt something move behind him.
In terror, he turned around.
And there, standing tall on a rock behind him, was the towering figure of a fierce-looking man holding a long spear.
The boy shouted, “Daddy!”
The father smiled.
“When did you arrive?” the boy asked, “Are you here to pick me up?”
Daddy is Emmanuel—which means God with us.
Friend, I don’t know what darkness you’re going through right now. Perhaps you’re praying for your child who is on drugs. Or your husband is having an affair. Or you’re having financial problems right now. Remember that in your darkness, God is with you. He will never leave or abandon you.
When you’re in pain, God embraces you and feels your pain. He weeps with you. Because Daddy is Emmanuel.
Daddy is Grace
When I think of Grace giving her very high report card to her father—and all he did was grunt—I remember my own experience with my report card.
When I was in grade school, my report card had red marks. (At least, it was colored. Yours was just black and white.) Because I failed in Math and Pilipino.
That day, I went up to Mom and showed her my report card.
All she said was, “Show it to your father.”
Gulp. Oh boy. I walked up to Dad and gave it to him.
He read it, nodded his head, and handed it back to me, and said, “Son, just study some more.”
No spanking. No scolding. No disapproval.
He then said, “Let’s eat.”
That’s why for the rest of my academic life, I kept failing. (Hehe.)
I guess Dad knew that my brilliance wasn’t in academics. It would bloom elsewhere. (Ahem.)
I thank God for having parents who loved me whether I performed in school or not. They just loved me, period. Unconditionally.
Daddy means Grace. Grace means gift.
Two weeks ago, my son Bene came up to me and showed me his Math exam. He was sad because out of 100 points, he got 92. I couldn’t help but laugh. Because if I got 92, my mother would have fainted. Because when I was a kid, out of 100 points, I would get 36. One time, I got 28. I would show those test papers to Dad. And all he’d say was, “Just do better next time.”
Grace means “free gift”.
Here’s my point: You don’t have to please God so that He loves you. He loves you as you are. He accepts you totally.
I don’t care what sin you committed. I don’t care how many times you’ve done it. God loves you and will forgive you of your sins. It will be this love that will bring you to repentance and a new life.
Because Daddy is grace.
Daddy Is Dulce: Dulce means sweet.
I believe God is the sweetest Daddy in the world.
A few years ago, I was in a preaching tour in the US.
I remember one big event. After the last song, I was signing my books. There was an unusually long line of people who wanted my autograph. In front of me were four ushers telling people to wait for their turn.
That was when someone ran past the long line of people, squeezed himself in between the ushers, and ducked underneath the table. He then climbed on my lap, handed me a bottle of water, and said, “Please open, Daddy. I’m thirsty.”
Bene was four years old at that time.
Obviously, I stopped signing books and opened his bottle.
How could Bene do that? Because he was my son and I was his Daddy.
He was confident that I wouldn’t reject him. He knew that I loved him more than the entire world.
This is what Jesus meant when he taught us the “Our Father”.
Like Bene, we too can run to God, climb on his lap, and ask for what we need.
Because Daddy is dulce.
Daddy Is Fides
I like to believe I’m a good father.
But I’m nothing compared to Dick Hoyt and his love for his son Rick.
In 1962, while baby Rick was in the womb of his mother, he was strangled by the umbilical cord—causing a lack of oxygen in his brain. He suffered cerebral palsy and couldn’t speak or control his arms or legs.
As an eight month old baby, doctors told Dick and his wife Judy to place the child in an institution. “Because he was going to be a vegetable all his life,” they said. But the parents refused and brought him home. Dick promised that he would try to give his son as normal a life as possible.
Fast forward today: Dick learned that Rick loved sports. After a lot of pain and exercise (Dick wasn’t athletic), he pushed Rick in a wheelchair in a 5 kilometer run. After the Run, Rick said that while he was in the race, he didn’t feel an invalid.
That was the start of a great adventure. Today, this father-and-son team has participated in 66 marathons and 229 triathlons.
While running, Dick would push his son in a wheelchair.
While swimming, Dick would pull him in a rubber boat.
While biking, Dick would carry him at the front of his bike.
When I watched the life of Dick and Rick Hoyt, I saw a glimpse of God’s love. This is the Father’s love for you.
I don’t know about you, but I must admit that I’m handicapped in many areas of my life. I’ve got weaknesses I still battle to this day.
But in this adventure called life, I’ve experienced my God pushing me, pulling me, and carrying me in his arms.
I know God does the same to you.
Fides means faith. The root word for faithfulness.
God has faith in you. He believes in you.
Daddy is fides.
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me…” -Psalm 23:4, NKJ
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
In the Bible, David went through some dark times in his life. But notice in this verse that he didn´t say,”I´m going to sit in this dark, challenging place, this shadow of death, and have myself a pity party.” No he said, “I´m not staying here! I´m going to walk right through this situation because God is with me!” Are you going through a dark time right now? If you´ll make up your mind and be determined to walk through, knowing that God is with you, you will see things turn around in your favor.
Oftentimes, those difficult situations don´t make sense. We can have a lot of questions. Sometimes those questions get answered, and sometimes they don´t. But that´s when we have to be willing to trust God and know that He is with us. He promises to never leave us nor forsake us, especially in the dark times.
So be encouraged today because God is on your side and by your side. He is your light in dark places. As you trust in Him, He will lead and guide you into the wonderful place of blessing He has prepared for you!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father in Heaven, today I choose to follow You, knowing that you make Your Word a lamp to my feet and a light upon my path. I will be bold and not afraid, knowing that You are always with me even when it´s difficult for me to see. Thank you for the courage to keep walking even through the darkest times. I thank You for Your comfort and presence to guide me into the life of abundant blessing and victory you have for me. In Jesus´ Name. Amen.”
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