In Constant Battle

Can a seasoned warrior stay in battle for days without stopping? Surely they too must put a stop on their seemingly endless struggle for strength and victory.


So many days have gone by that I have been suffering an absence in my very own self. Maybe it's just a case of teenage intrapersonal battle raging from within. I don't have any mortal enemies in the people around me. My arch-rival--who is by the way, myself-- always gets me into thinking that maybe I was meant to fight off his self-destructive nature. I wasn't always so successful all the time.


I have won wars before. Mind games against other people was my hobby when I was still dead. I was never a genius but it was fun sometimes to be able to read the minds of my enemies. And yet, I do have limitations. The more I go on destroying other people's swagger, the more I sink myself in the quicksand that I have always avoided throughout those days. I never really have known my enemy back then. All I was aware of is that I'm battling the shadows of something yet unknown to the depth of my ignorance.


It felt like I have two 'selves' living in me. One was the ignorant and one was the wise--although I'm not yet fully wise but I have been fully ignorant. Paul of Tarsus was right when he said that the Spirit is in constant battle with the flesh. What one likes, the other hates. When one wins, the other one loses. And of course when one is hurt, I would also be hurt even though I love one and hate the other, after all, the two are in me.


It's tough to be caught between the battle. I'm in constant struggle to be purely on one side and not in the middle. I love the Spirit and I want to defeat my flesh, but sometimes it appeared to be the opposite. God forbid.


In those times, the Spirit taught me very important lessons. One was about emotions. I dislike emotions so much that I would do anything just to suppress myself from exposing myself to it. It's disappointing that battles against emotions do get a toll of me most of the time. Many people have stumbled simply because they treat their emotions as their master, unfortunately unaware. It's suicide to follow what your heart desires, for the heart is the most deceitful of all things and nothing can compare to it. It hurts to avoid doing what your heart wants you to do simply because you're aware that it's wrong. But hey, savor the victory because emotions are hard to defeat even with the toughest warriors in the planet and most importantly because you saved your butt from burning in hell.


Then there are the worthless cravings, indulgences and the like. As a slave begotten a son by the High King, I am soon to be a prince someday. Someday I would be living in total luxury in my Father's mansion in heaven, and then what, should I continue to enjoy myself playing with mud? By no means! But I am still incomplete, still in training. I feel a great disgust on myself whenever I run after things I don't want.


The thing is, no matter who you are-- rich or poor, tall or short, young or old-- you are in constant battle the moment you know who you are and who the enemy is. If you don't know the truth then you don't really know anything at all. You are on the losing side if you live in the dark. The battle was even tough on those who know the truth. How much more on those who don't?


So then, it was not easy for me. I took a side; trusted in my Master; and that's all that matters.


Victory.

Prayer in Trouble

Praise to you, Lord!

You called me amidst

the storm.

I will worship you

in my suffering.

I will praise you

in the storm.

You sent that to make me stronger

Like a candle in the dark,

Your mercy shines brighter

under the shadow of judgement

Your love radiates

around rings of hate.

Lord, though I am shaken,

you held me tight and

made me still.

I called you, Lord!

I called you on top of my lungs.

I can barely hear you

The thunder is so loud.

I can barely see you.

Because the rain is so thick

I can barely feel you.

I am covered in numbness.

And though my senses

fail me.

My strength now lost,

my will now dying,

I still know you are there.

The Cost of Faith

The heavens declare

your holiness, Father.

What is the worth of you

glory?
What can equal your price?

Nothing! For you, O Lord,

are priceless.

The wealth of the whole world

can never equal your value.

You are not even worth my life.

My life itself is worthless.

For I am but dust

from the lowly earth.

It was you who made me

as precious as diamonds.

It was your Son't blood that

lifted me up.

What can I give

that you have not given?

What can I let go

that you have not taken?

To my oppressors I say:

"Take away my wealth.

Take away my things.

Tear my house down!

Starve me from food.

Take away the ones I love.

Take away my life.

But you can;t take away my Jesus.

Do not abandon me, Father.

Do not forsake me.

For the cost of my faith

is not a timed prayer each day.

My faith cost me nothing

but a lifetime of praise 

to your Holy Name.

May my life, this broken life,

radiate your glory and

shower your love,

though the Spirit of your

beloved

who is within me.

The Lord Gives Joy

When I am down, the Lord

 lifts me up.

My Father loves me as his own.

He comforts me in my pain,

suffering and grief.

Lord God, thank you so much.

Thank you so much!

I rejoice in the presence of

the Lord.

Amidst the pain, I find

shelter in the Lord.

The enemy wants me down,

but my Father, the Lord

keeps me up.

His Word will never fade.

It is my assurance.

He gives my face a smile.

Indescribable joy.

I rejoice because the Lord

is my Father.

The Lord is my Strength

Lord, hear my desperate cry!

This is for your name. 

 Though they hurt me with 

their words,

They say that you

are not real,

I will praise you Lord with all

my being.

You sent me like a sheep

to a pack of wolves.

I do not fear

For you are my shepherd.

Watch over me, Eternal Master.

I am weak and helpless.

In the presence of my enemies,

I am alone and small.

They think they can

crush me.

They are giants!

You strengthened David,

your servant.

No doubt, you would

strengthen me, your child.

You are my strength, Lord.

Amen. Amen!

The Lord Provides

Lord, remember your promise 

to your servant David:

"I was young and now I am old,
       yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
       or their children begging bread."

You O Lord are my provider.

You feed the birds in the sky.

You clothe the butterflies with

robes more colorful than that 

of Solomon's

Remember me, Father!

You have begotten me as 

your child.

I will not lack anything if

I only have you.

You see my needs O Father.

You know me more than

I know myself.

Protect the glory of your name Lord.

Don't let them say:

"Look! He is begging and

asking for money.

His God doesn't provide."

Don't let your enemies gloat

over you, my King.

They rely on their wealth alone,

those godless people.

Don't make them boast that 

they are more powerful than you.

They are consumed by greed.

All of the things Lord,

let you will be done.

The Lord's Battle

Lord, I am trembling.

Take hold of me.

I see myself as the enemy.

And you are my ally.

You drew the line of battle.

You light up my path.

I know which side to take.

In you there is victory.

The battle is in my head,

But the war is yours.

It is raging in my hands.

Lord, the victory is yours.

Though in the darkness of death,

I walk its path blind.

You light up my feet

To keep me from falling down.

So I have come to this time,

in the crossroads.

What have I to choose, Lord?

You have the choice.

It may be now or never.

I do not fear.

For I have you forever.

The Lord Helps

Oh Lord, King of the universe,

You come to my aid at times of need.

May your name be glorified

in the things you do. Be xalted.

The Lord helps me everytime.

He hears my desperate cry.

He calls out his ministering angels

to help me, his child.

The Lord fills me up with his Spirit

He enables me to battle

my human unbelief.

My Father calls me to his banquet

And I answer him:

"Yes Father, I am coming."

He runs to me instead

and carried me into his arms.

I am weak, Lord. I can't walk

in a holy place.

My feet hurt. I'm easily stumbled.

You gave me strength. For you, O Lord, 

are my strength.

My mighty Fortress, Strong Tower.

You never waste a moment.

So to you I rest my soul.

Rejoice O heaven!

The REAL Standard for REAL Men

 

VS   

  

 Is it really about the brawn or the wits? Is it really about the intelligence or the number of girls running after you? 

^"Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment." Jn.7:24

Let's take this to court but no mere human can really set the standard for real men. Who else but God?

To start of, let us delve into the world of the layman--what the world established as a common standard measure of musculinity.

Gold. Wicked as the world is, money is the thing that's making its world go round. It seems like to a man, money can do the most help and pleasure to his miserable life. With money, he can buy anything to sink his teeth into. Perhaps it could somehow satisfy his insatiable hunger for lust and anything that his flesh could ever ask for.

Glory. Talking about bragging rights... To the world, the more "packs" a man has in his abdomen; the more muscles he has in his futile body; the more he passes the rare human standard of being handsome, the more he has the rights to brag about himself. Surely, every man in his childish thoughts wants to be worshiped for the strength he has, much like Nero in his hay-days.

Girls. Oh yeah. Those days of running away for the girls crazy about you surely would turn up the volume of every man's daydream. How could a politician win if he has no votes at all? In the same way, men cast their votes and quality by the number of girls under their arms. The more girls they entice with their own bravado, well... How 'manly' can they get especially if he brags with his homies the number of times he went to bed with his prey.

Muscle. Men can fight. If he knows Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, Boxing, etc., he can establish his dominating presence among his peers because of his fighting swagger. Men would fear him and women would like to have someone like him to be their protector. His strength is in the way he fight. 

Now, on to the real standard.

The most handsome man to ever walk on earth was of course, Adam, the first man, since his looks were patterned exactly after the image of God.  

So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. Gen. 1:27

He has a perfect DNA until he sinned and darkness reigned on earth since that day until the second Adam came, the same man who spoke about judging by real standards.

 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. Rom. 5:14

Real standards are not from earth but from heaven. It came not from the ones being judged but from the one who is worthy to be the judge, the one who created man. Here then is the real standard from heaven:

Not Muscle But Spirit.  It's not all about fighting back. Real men can control their emotions and let love to his brother overcome him rather than his anger. Man's real strength is not tested in his capability to fight nor his capability to forgive. Real men take the blows and turn the other cheek.

'But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.' Mat. 5:39

And after all, war is waging in this wicked world and the real warriors, the real strong men, don't fight against the flesh but against the wicked deceit of the Evil One.

'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.' Eph. 6:12

Not Girls but Men. Happy is a man who, along with the Real Man, build the Kingdom of God by doing his part in bringing more souls to God. 

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Mk. 1:17

He leads men to the Righteous one not by means of force or deceit but by means of Truth. Parallel to the world's standard, the more souls a man reaps for heaven, the more apparent his glory will be upon the return of the Christ who started it all.

Not Glory but Surrender. A real man knows that he is nothing but a mere cosmic dust. He knows his insignificance compared to the enormous creation that is unfathomably vast. 

As for man, his days are like grass,

       he flourishes like a flower of the field;
  the wind blows over it and it is gone,
       and its place remembers it no more.
 But from everlasting to everlasting
       the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
       and his righteousness with their children's children- Ps. 103: 15-17

Man's real wisdom is in his acceptance of his foolishness and his dedication for the eternal wisdom of God.  It's not in the way he hates but in the way he loves. 

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. 1Cor. 1:25 

And it is not in the way he values his life but it is in the way he would lose it for his friends.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. Jn. 15:13

Not Gold but GOD. What is money when you have everything in God? Every pleasure in this world would eventually fade and man's lust for worldly pleasure will never be satisfied. Joy is found in the Lord alone.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

   "Never will I leave you;
      never will I forsake you." Heb. 13:5

 A real man knows that real wealth is in his contentment of what he has. Blessed is a man who takes delight in the Lord for he shall be blessed.

More of these are found in the Word of the Almighty God, for He said:

Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and fair dealing [in every area and relation]; yes, you will understand every good path.
For skillful and godly Wisdom shall enter into your heart, and knowledge shall be pleasant to you. Prov. 2:9-10

  

Judging by the real standards, ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH?