Detox: Detoxifying your RELATIONSHIPS

Detox 3

Detoxifying Your Relationships

by Jeremiah Sanchez

No man is an island, and we don't mean that literally.

No one can survive without other people. We want the companionship of other people. Most of us have friends, in large groups or in pairs. Wherever we go, we have people around us and some of them we love spending time with. What's a social life without your barkada? 

But not every socialization leads to good results.

33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

1 Corinthians 15:33

This verse is a part of a letter written by the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. One of the problems they encountered were false prophets who fooled the people into believing lies about the gospel. In order to avoid the growing discord among the people, Paul reminded them not to be misled by these false prophets. They had to stay away from bad company.

The very same applies to the relationships we have. Are we choosing our friends wisely?

I. We are relational beings

As mentioned above, we people need other people. We want to be loved and appreciated by others. This is our driving force in finding people. It's a good thing that we seek the company of others because as Proverbs 27:17 says: "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."

We need friends who will be there for us through the good times and also during the bad. We want to be surrounded by people who share the same likes and passions.

We need them, they need us!

However, we need to be careful when it comes to choosing the people we're with which leads us too...

II. Choose your friends wisely

You probably heard mom or dad quote the old saying: "Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are."

Who you choose to hang out with defines YOU. Friends are supposed to be people with common interests binding them together. It's good to be part of a group but you have to make sure that you're with people who will lead you towards the good rather than the bad.

Friends can change you in a positive or in a negative way. Some kids are non-smokers who eventually become smokers because of their friends. The pressure to fit in succeeds and you succumb to become one with them.

Walk with the wise and become wise
for the companion of fools suffer harm

Proverbs 13:20

Don't spend time with people who can change you for the worse. Instead, be with people who knows how to have fun the right way and much better, if we can find people who will lead us towards Christ. 

III. Jesus is a friend

There may be some of us who feel as if he/she doesn't have a friend in the world. They feel like outcasts; as if no one understands them. 

No worries.

We have another Friend who will stick with us if we stick with Him.

15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you

John 15:15

We have a friend in Jesus!

It's a big deal. Imagine: being friends with God the Son? 

He mended our relationship with the Father by dying on the cross for us. He is a friend we can trust and be assured that He is always by our side. As Peter writes in his first letter, Jesus cares for us and we have nothing to worry about.

He's our friend and we are His.

Friends make life colorful and more interesting. Remember to choose people who will lead you to towards the good and not the bad. And never forget that you are never alone...you have Jesus as your friend if you let Him to be.

Written by Ashley Petallano (c) 2013

Detox: Detoxifying from BITTERNESS

Detox 2

Detoxifying from BITTERNESS

by Alvin Lagamon

Have you ever experienced eating a piece of bread and finding out much later that it had molds?

Or probably eaten sardines that have already expired?

Or maybe even fall victim to food poisoning?

When we intake food that has already  expired or has molds, we usually experience the worst: stomachaches, endless vomiting and possibly hospitalization. If we don't do something, we'll end up hurt and just plain sad.

Similar to the emotional and spiritual toxins left unattended within us and the focus of this blog is the toxin named BITTERNESS. 

No, we're not talking about that flavor.

It's that emotional toxin almost everyone has experienced.

Let's be honest: everyone has already experienced hurt. We have been back-stabbed, friendzoned, shunned unto one side, taken for granted, etc. Being offended is inevitable. Most of the time, the people closest to us are the ones who hurt us. 

There's only 2 ways to respond whenever we're hurt:

To forgive or not to forgive?

That is the question.

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Matthew 18:21-22

When we consider forgiving someone, we hesitate. We think that they might just take advantage of us again or we're just giving them the chance to hurt as for another time. Jesus' disciple, Peter, might have thought of the same thing when he asked this question.

Jesus answered by telling Peter he needed to forgive seventy-seven times. In other translations, it's seventy times seven. 

He was not being specific, telling Peter to forgive 77 or 490 times. The main point was he had to forgive endlessly, which was not the norm during those days. What kind of person forgives endlessly?

A radical type of person, that's who. 

Why should we forgive?

I. Forgive because we are forgiven

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant begins in Matthew 18:24 with a servant who owed his master 10,000 talents. 10,000 talents is no small amount. 1 talent is equivalent to 20 years of wage. It's an amount that is impossible to pay. 

The servant knew he was in big trouble.

And he was.

The master ordered death for him and his family but the servant dropped down on his knees and begged for his life.

Surprisingly, the master did the following:

27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

Matthew 18:27

He was forgiven!

Just like that!

The parable illustrates our reality. The Gospel tells us that we are indebted to God. Our sin has pronounced us guilty and worthy to be sent to hell. We cannot save ourselves. But God, out of His infinite wisdom and mercy, chose to save us from our deaths. 

Forgave us for our sins.

Which is why we have to forgive...because we are forgiven.

13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Colossians 3:13

II. Not forgiving = Major suffering

The parable of the unmerciful servant continues:

28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.[c] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

Matthew 18:28

Despite the forgiveness he received, the servant failed in reciprocating it to his fellow servant who owed him a meager hundred of silver coins. He threw his fellow servant to jail due to this fault. His refusal to pardon his fellow earned him a major suffering.

31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

Matthew 18:34-35

Harboring pain against people doesn't hurt them. In fact, it only hurts us even more. We have to forgive those who hurt us if we want to move on. As one quote goes: "It's like setting a prisoner free and finding out that the prisoner is you."

Set yourself free from all the grudge. As Jesus forgives us over and over again, so should we. You may think that justice will not be served if we forgive. 

18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[a] says the Lord

Romans 12:18-19

God doesn't forget. He will not let you down.

So, let go.

Forgive.

Forget.

Move on.

Written by Ashley Petallano (c) 2013

Detox: Detoxifying Your THOUGHTS!

Detox 1

Detoxifying Your THOUGHTS!

by Daniel Carandang

You might wonder why this series is called Detox in the first place.

Detox" is a shorter term from "detoxify". The dictionary defines detoxifying as removing toxic substances / qualities from something, toxic being harmful leading to sickness or even death.

We live in a toxic world, not in the sense of nuclear toxic but emotionally, physically and spiritually toxic world. There's a constant danger for us because we are prone to absorb these toxic things. Our thoughts, emotions and even relationships can be easily affected and whether we like it or not, the consequences that follow are worse than what we thought. 

Are you familiar with the Chernobyl tragedy? It was a nuclear accident that caused lives and inflicted injuries on others. The toxic pollution was so bad that new born swines whose mothers were infected with the toxic wastes were born deformed and sometimes, dead. 

God doesn't want us in such situations. As much as possible, He wants us to avoid the emotional, physical and spiritual pains the toxicity this world has. 

For this blog, let's look at the number one target of world toxicity: OUR THOUGHTS.

What we choose to think about and what we dwell on reflects on how we live our lives. If you love KPop, it manifests in what you buy, what you listen to and sometimes, how you speak. Our thoughts play a powerful role in how we direct our actions.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:1-2

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Paul was exhorting the Christians in Rome to live a radically different life, offering their bodies to God and giving control to Him, and to resist being conformed to the world and its systems. But the key in not being conformed to the corrupt ways of the world was to renew our minds..because the truth is that our thoughts directly affect the way we live. 

There are different type of toxic thoughts that we encounter:

- NEGATIVE thoughts

These are feelings of resentment, bitterness, ill-feelings that are usually accompanied with hurtful words and hopeless thoughts. It's like nothing in the world can ever go right for you.

- FEARFUL thoughts

Thoughts that are filled with worry and anxiety, where your head just runs off with fear. Like when you're worried for your exams or fearful of letting someone go

- DISCONTENTED thoughts

Insecure thoughts.You think you have less than others, you're not as good-looking as they are, you're not as awesome as them. 

- CRITICAL thoughts

Thoughts that are usually directed at others. Back-biting and gossiping originate from this type of thought. We think of others as lesser beings who don't know better. 

With all of these toxic thoughts, it's about time that we detoxify our mind! How do we do this?

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

2 Corinthians 5:10

To demolish - to pull down, demolish the subtle reasoning (of opponents) likened to a fortress, i.e. to refute, to destroy.

In order to refute toxic thoughts, we use God's word. It's similar to the process of Chemotherapy. God's word acts as the radiation that kills the toxic inside our thoughts. We have to reinforce thoughts of God and His Word in our heads every now and then to kill these toxic mind matters. 

We can't let the toxicity in our minds to win. We have to overcome them with the help of God and His Word. In order to do so, here's two steps we can use to fight out the toxic thoughts:

. FILL

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Philippians 4:8

Thinking about good stuff is way better than thinking of things such as cockroaches and rats. Okay, maybe you don't think about them but we can compare them to the filthy, toxic thoughts. Let's imagine you get busted by this girl you really like. Thoughts start circulating your head: you're ugly, you're a loser, she's a cold-hearted girl, etc. All the hurt will come crashing down and you will blame God for everything.

Bad thoughts.

Instead of torturing yourself, it's best to think of what God has to say and the things He has in store. Think of the good. Don't dwell on the bad thoughts cause they won't help you at all. Just stop thinking about them.

. GUARD

We have to guard our minds from toxic thoughts and lies!

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Proverbs 4:23

Don't let the emotions rule you out. We always have to keep watch of our hearts and what the emotions it sends to our heads can do. Feelings can be overwhelming and can overrule our thoughts if we're not careful. We have to be mindful of what we let ourselves feel.

Guard!

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Ephesians 6:11-17

We have to protect ourselves from the lies this world feeds our minds. In order to do so, the armor of God is a helpful shield from all the bad feels and negative thoughts we have. Keep God's Word close at hand so that you can deflect the bad thoughts attacking you :)

Don't lose this battle!

Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Written by Ashley Petallano (c) 2013

Elevate Anniv 2013: LIFE CHANGING ENCOUNTER

Elevate Anniv 2013 preaching

Life Changing Encounter

by Daniel Carandang

If there was one person you'd want to meet, who would it be?

Daniel Padilla?

Kobe Bryant?

Megan Fox?

There's no doubt that if given the chance to meet them, our lives would never be the same. No, we're not talking about an super duper impact, more like an epic impact. We can walk on this earth and tell people that we shook hands with our favorite stars.

Epic encounter, that sounds nice, right?

But there's another encounter that would make an epic encounter with your fave stars look less epic-er (if there was such a word). Encounter with who?

JESUS.

It's an encounter that will surely change your life.

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that He was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples. So He left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now He had to go through Samaria

John 4:1-4

Samaria was a shortcut that would lead the Jews towards Galilee. But interestingly, the Jews during their time, would pass by Decapolis, Perea, take Joppa, --it doesn’t matter if it would cost them more or take them longer hours, as long as they would not pass Samaria. It's like taking the long cut when there's a shortcut right in front of you.

CRAZY!

What was the reason behind this?

Simple.

Samaria was inhabited by the Samaritan people, a group not close to the Jews' heart. To God's chosen people, they were filthy hybrids and traitors due to their religious culture embraced from the outside world. They were the last people on Earth that the Jews would like to interact with. 

Imagine a Samaritan as someone who cheated on you before or hurt you so much you just want them to fall off a building. That's how repulsive they were to Jews.

As the story goes, Jesus chose to go to Samaria. Being a Jew, it was expected of Him not to want to pass there. He had nothing to do with them as far as his fellow Jews were concerned.

What was going in His mind?

Was Jesus thinking of saving time and money, that's why he wanted to take the shortcut?

Nope.

He knew He would be meeting someone along the way.

And that someone was a Samaritan woman.

She was about to have a special encounter with the Son of God.

Jesus was trying to prove a point. He wanted to show His disciples (and also us) that in spite of who the Samaritans were, He would still reach out to them. He loves them, despite the fact that many despise them.

He met the Samaritan woman by the well.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])

John 4:7-9

The Samaritan woman knew He was a Jew and wondered why He even asked her for a drink, knowing the prejudice Jews had for them. It was an unexpected and rather strange event for her. It's like having your worst enemy buy you flowers or chocolates for no reason. Really unexpected.

Not only that, Jesus talked to her. TALKED. That must have blown her away.

She had misconceptions about Him and so do we.

"God hates me! I keep on failing!"

"God doesn't care about me! Who am I?"

Lies.

God does not hate you nor does he not care about you. The very reason you are here, given the chance to encounter Him, is because He loves you. 

Instead of being insulted, the Samaritan woman was respected and shown love.

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

John 4:10-12

She had no idea of who He really is. She questioned His ability.

But Jesus went on:

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 4:13

Jesus was not talking about literal water. Jesus used the “water” analogy to teach a spiritual truth to this girl. Jesus knew that she was thirsty physically but He also knew, and wanted her to realize that she was thirsty for something else.

Just like her, we are thirsty for something. In the case of this girl, she was thirsty for love, acceptance, respect, genuine friendship and relationship. Jesus knew that and He said He has living water that if you receive, you will never be thirsty again.

Many  times, we try many things to fill the gap we have, but they don’t work. We need REAL, LIVING WATER. Substitutes may taste good now, but eventually, it will make you sick. It's like drinking milk tea or Coke instead of water every day.

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

17 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

John 4:15-18

This girl was living a sinful life. She’s thirsty for love, and she trying to get it from relationships.Jesus wanted to show her that beyond her need to satisfy her physical thirst, she had a thirst in her heart that needed to be satisfied. She tried filling it in with relationships and perhaps sex, but these failed that after having 5 husbands, she is still living-in with a sixth one--perhaps still hoping that he could fill and satisfy the thirst in her heart. It could have felt awkward, but Jesus’ intention was not to shame the girl.

He wanted her to know that she was still loved.

You don’t need to hide and pretend that you’re okay, or wait to be okay before being okay with God. You don’t have to put your best foot forward. Because God already knows you, and still He loves you.

God is encouraging us to come to Him and let Him in our lives.

You don’t need to hide and pretend that you’re okay, or wait to be okay before being okay with God. You don’t have to put your best foot forward. Because God already knows you, and still He loves you.

God is encouraging us to come to Him and let Him in our lives.

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

John 4:25-26

The Samaritan  woman had a powerful encounter with Jesus —the Messiah, the Savior of the world! The only One who can give living water that will satisfy the void in our hearts, the only One who can save us from our sins and give us a relationship with God.

We can have that encounter too that is if we open our eyes and heart and let Him in. 

Don't miss out! 

Encounter Jesus and see what He has in store.

When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong

Series Break

When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong

by Daniel Carandang

Everyone has their own weakness. 

It differs for every person.

Some might experience knobbly-knees when they see their crush.

Others can't resist the temptation of chocolate. They say goodbye to their diet almost on the spot.

There are those who just can't stop worrying about their grades. One mistake reduces them to tears.

It varies.

But we share the common factor of having a weakness.

In all honesty, we don't like feeling weak. We hate realizing that we can't do everything and we fail more than we want to. Being weak sucks. 

But God tells us otherwise through his messenger Paul.

10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

You might be wondering where the sense is in verse 10b. When you're weak, then you are strong? How is that possible?

The world views weakness as something we should be ashamed of. Being a weakling is not attractive at all. Our generation dubs weaknesses as challenges that we should get over with. No one likes being the weakling or the runt of the bunch. We get crushed when we're picked last in teams or when people think we're the dumbest in class.

We despise what is weak and we don't want to admit that we are weak.

But according to v.10 of 2 Corinthians, Weaknesses should not discourage us. Rather, we should be encouraged and excited for them.

God has 2 reasons why He allows us to experience weaknesses:

- TO KEEP US FROM BEING CONCEITED

 Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

2 Corinthians 12:7

Comparing Paul against 11 of Jesus' original disciples, it was evident that he was used more than they ever were. God knew that despite his pure intentions, Paul may have the tendency to be proud and conceited. It's just like having top grades in exams. When people dub you as the smart one, you can't help but smile and be proud of yourself.

Paul writes the phrase thorn in the flesh. When we're pricked with a thorn, it feels like the first time our braces were installed or when we poke ourselves with a needle. It's awfully painful! Some popular theories regarding the thorn's interpretation involved malaria, temptation. No one can say for sure what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was, but it was a source of real pain in the apostle’s life. But the objective was clear: to keep him from being proud.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 

2 Corinthians 12:8

God saw it necessary that his thorn in the flesh would stay. Otherwise, he would become proud, because of the surpassingly great revelations he is being given. Paul had the bragging rights and if he wasn't controlled, he might find himself immersing in his own glory rather than God's.

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

Pride makes us vulnerable (off-guard) “I’m exempted from this”, stubborn (unwilling to listen) “I know better”, & destitute (unwilling to repent) “I don’t need God.” Remember those friends who come to us with their problems and when we try to help them, just stubbornly don't listen to us at all? Pride deceives us, makes us think that we know everything when we don't. We think we can work our lives without God. 

Being too proud can lead to our personal destruction.

- TO ALLOW US TO EXPERIENCE GOD'S POWER

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” 

2 Corinthians 12:8-9a 

The context of this verse is: Paul was defending his apostleship. If he chose to boast, he would not be foolish, but he still refused to boast but chose to boast about his weaknesses because He knew that it was only by God's grace and power that everything was accomplished.

God knows us and our tendencies. He desires for us to be more like Him, to build Christ-like characters we need to defend ourselves from our sinful nature. This is why he allows our limitations and weaknesses to change us. We need not fear because God will never send us any challenge too difficult for us. But He will challenge our faith in Him, how we depend on Him for strength.

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 

2 Corinthians 12:9b 

- “rest”

-- to fix a tent or habitation on

-- of the power of Christ descending upon one, working within him and giving him help

When you rest, you don't wiggle or squirm away. You stay still. You trust that He knows what He's teaching you and that you have nothing to fear.

Remain humble before God and we will experience His grace and power in our lives as Peter said in 1 Peter 5:5.

Always remember that your weaknesses do not prove that you are an embarrassment, a failure or whatever the world throws at you. Think of it this way:

Through my weaknesses, I experience God's strength.
Through their insults, I experience God's joy.
Through my distress, I experience God's comfort.
Through the persecutions, I experience God's grace.
Through these difficulties, I can experience God's power.

Ain't that amazing?

Are you experiencing a weak moment right now? Don't be discouraged. Don't be ashamed. Cry out to your God and see what He can do.

Cause when you're in you're weakest,

That's when you're at you're strongest.

Written by Ashley Bernadette Petallano (c) 2013