Fresh Start Daily

Day 1 (Dec. 27)

Day 2 (Dec. 28)

We arrived in Naga (from Caramoan) in the evening. I requested that we have fellowship/Bible study before going to bed and though we were all dog-tired, they were still very generous of their time and energy. Talk about kingdom women!!! Always on the go for God’s work. Praise God for their lives. Mommy Pheng facilitated the fellowship. Her testimonies are whoa!!! They’re the kind of testimonies I would like to have! However, of course, no two followers of Christ can have the same testimony.

The missionaries left at 5:30 in the morning. Before they left, they laid their hands on me and prayed for me. I appreciate the gifts they gave me—prayers!!! Prayer is the sincerest and most loving gift anyone could give. It’s the kind of gift that does not tarnish.

Abba, thank You for giving me another day to live. Thank You for allowing me to witness my 34th birthday. My prayer is that You continue to use me. My life is Yours, O God. I am nothing without You. I am only breathing today because of You—because You still breathed life into me today. You are in control of my life. You know until when I will be on earth. I am Yours. May Your will be done in my life. Your plans are my plans. Your dreams are my dreams.

When we stopped over at Mandaluyong to have breakfast, we waited for one car to leave so we could take their parking space. The driver smiled at us in acknowledgement. Suddenly, someone maneuvered hurriedly towards the parking space we were waiting on. We looked at them in aghast. We were shocked because somebody stole our parking space.

An old man from the passenger seat went out and glared at us. Then the driver who was seemingly in his twenties went out at stared at us, too. We were still looking at them because we couldn’t believe what just happened. The old man shouted at us and said, “May problema kayo?!” Whuuut?! They stole our parking space and they had the nerve to ask that question conceitedly.

Papa was tempted to say something back but mama and I were able to stop him. Papa just steered away from that area and looked for another spot. Of course we were upset. Who would be happy with what happened? I always ask God to fill me with the Holy Spirit because it’s easier to be evil than to be holy. We act like animals when we don’t have God in us. We live by instinct. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

I’m grateful to God because though my parents are not perfect (like me), they seek God’s heart. I prayed and fasted this morning for my family’s safe trip today (mama, papa and I from Manila to Bicol, and the Tans from Manila to Japan).

We got stuck in traffic for 3 hours total in Quezon province (in Gumaca, Sariaya, and Lopez). Two buses broke down in bottle neck areas and some parts of the road we passed by were being fixed. Plus it rained the whole day. I just kept praying that God would keep us safe. I learned (and I am still learning) to be grateful for delays because God sometimes uses delays to protect us. When I’m stuck in traffic, I just think that God is keeping me from accidents.

It was still dark when we left Manila (5 a.m.). We arrived in Naga at 9:40 p.m. We were on the road for almost 17 hours! I’m just really grateful we’re home safe and sound.

Perfect with cheese 😊

I learned that if there is one thing God is intolerant about, it is false teachers. A false teacher is someone who teaches religious things that are not based on the Word of God, or they may be based on the Word of God but they’re twisted.

There are several reasons why some teachers do that. First, they choose political correctness. It’s either because they are scared to offend or they want others to think they’re kind and accepting. They don’t preach the truth about God. They sugarcoat it. Second, they want to take advantage of others.

Third, it may be that they don’t really know God’s Word. They just teach whatever they feel like teaching and sprinkle it with the Word of God to make it sound legit. It can also be that they think what they are taught in their religion is the right thing and they don’t bother finding out if what they are taught is real or not.

Many people are sincere when it comes to their faith. They sincerely want to follow the Lord. The problem is, they are sincerely mistaken. Many of us say we love God, but, do we really know God? Who is God? What did He do? What is He going to do? What pleases Him? What displeases Him? We cannot say we love someone we don’t know.

True love is knowing who the person is. True love is seeking what pleases and displeases the other person. We cannot say, I feel that I love God. Feel. It’s a dangerous word. What if you don’t feel love for Him anymore? What if you don’t feel God anymore? Not feeling God doesn’t mean He’s no longer there. Whatever we feel, God is real. I am not attacking other religions. I am simply sharing my experience. I came from a Catholic background. I prayed the rosary, did the novena, prayed to Mary and the saints canonized by people, joined Marian feasts, etc. I was even a part of the choir in a local Catholic church before.

I practiced the traditions in the Catholic church because that’s what I thought was the right thing to do. When I came to know Christ, I saw how different the Word of God is from what is taught in Catholicism. When I understood His Word, I started following it because God’s Word is valid and reliable.

God and His Word should be our final authority. I understand that believers will be persecuted by nonbelievers. It will happen because it is written in the Scripture. What’s sad is when believers persecute other believers for teaching the truth.

Faith is not based on emotion. Faith should be grounded on the Word of God. Feelings are fickle. We can’t even trust our heart. It says in the Bible that the heart is deceitful.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9

“God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” 1 John 3:20

What is the basis of our faith? Is it emotion, other people’s opinion, or human tradition? Human tradition is created by humans. I love what pastor Jonathan Bradford said in one of the classes I sat in. He said, “Your opinion doesn’t matter. My opinion doesn’t matter. Only God’s opinion matters.” I couldn’t agree more. No matter what we feel, no matter what we say, no matter how we oppose the Word of God, at the end of the day, it’s God’s opinion that will prevail.

It’s the yeast I can do! 😅

Cashew cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 c raw unsalted cashew nuts (soaked for 1 hr.)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

• Soak the cashew nuts for 1 hour
• Drain the cashew nuts and blend
• Add garlic, salt, and pepper
• Add olive oil and lemon juice

No-cook pizza sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1-2 c tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp rosemary

Directions:

• Combine all the ingredients. Mix well.

Pizza dough

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2/3 c lukewarm water

Directions:

• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt
• Add honey, olive oil, and water

Pizza toppings:

Ingredients:

• 2 large bell pepper
• 1 large white onion
• 5 large pieces Portobello mushroom
• fresh basil leaves

I like watching the yeast bloom. I’m weird, I know. 😅😂