Lord, You are majestic and great, a refuge, a tower, a source of strength when there is none left to give. I praise You in times in plenty and praise you in times of famine, I run to You when hope is lost and run to You when hope springs as eternal as Your glory, Your Name, Your love. I give thanks for Your providence, that out of nowhere come blessings when least expected. Thank you, Lord!

Father, I pray for the families and friends of all affected by the tragedy at Virginia Tech. 33 lives will not be forgotten. I pray for healing, for reconciliation, for love to spring forth, refreshing all who are touched.

Father, I claim emotional healing for the family and friends of Julia Campbell. I pray for their forgiveness of us on behalf of our nation. I pray the love Julia showed the people of Donsol motivates them to find her killers and bring them to justice.

I pray for complete physical healing for Jody McBrayer, a man I hold in highest regard. I claim healing for his heart condition in the name of Jesus. I claim a long life for him with Stephanie and his family, and a renewed faith and vigor in him as thousands throughout the world join me for his swift and safe recovery. Miracles, Lord, in the name of Jesus. MIRACLES!

Finally, I pray for Cathy and Nikki, that the rest of my wife’s pregnancy will be relatively free of Braxton-Hicks, in Jesus’ name, and that Nikki will join us safely and soundly in Your time, Lord.

In the name of the Christ, whose name Jesus opens doors and possibilities previously closed, Amen.

These days, God has given me blessing after blessing after blessing, and if you’re the type who keeps asking, ‘when will the poop hit the fan,’ you’re bound to curse your day and get a really bad day. While I didn’t curse my day, I did have a bad one yesterday – among other things, got my ancient ATM card swallowed by the machine for sheer dilapidation and forgot my umbrella at the Food Court. God gently reminded me, though, in Psalms 46:10: Be still and know that I am God. Properly chastised and repentant, I gave that day to Him and went to bed full of hope and Cathy’s delicious macaroni and cheese.

Today, listening to Tulele Faletolu sing Hillsong Australia’s Still (off their Hope album, a spectacular double disc), I was reminded by God that He was still in control, and I entrusted my day to Him. It could’ve been a bad day, all wet and monochromatic, no thanks to Manila’s monsoon rains, but on the way to work, I received a quick phone call from the church’s worship ministry leader, who asked if I could sing backup on Sunday.
!
After calming myself and screaming a wholehearted “YES! Praise God, thank you, brother!” into that blessed man’s ear, I headed off to work with a smile on my face and a lilt in my step that hasn’t faded an hour later. Few things bring me so much joy as singing God’s praises – whether I’m in the privacy of my home or as part of the church choir – and this opportunity to step up and serve in the music ministry is something that superblesses me immensely.

And today is PAYDAY! Whee! *sets aside ten percent *

The icing on the cake was reading ever-faithful, ever-encouraging Bene Diction post this testimonial for blogging on my MySpace page:

“Ganns!
The beds are sweet (if that is you on piano, you have a nice touch) they don’t overshadow the vocals.
Your music focuses on Christ; it isn’t juvenile me and God music, sappy or trite, it’s worship, shows spiritual maturity and I like it.
If I had to pick, my favorites are - To me You Are Everything - the harmony surprises me in that one and Incomparable - it stills my spirit. You have a steady voice, good range and you’ve written your music to fit it. What’s not to like. :^)

That songs of mine are blessing people not even from my home country just blows my mind. My dream of making music that glorifies Jesus Christ is becoming a reality right before my eyes, and I am humbled and encouraged on a daily basis. Here’s to a lifetime of service and God-music. May I never stray from that credo – if this is truly God’s plan for me, thank you, Lord, I joyfully accept Your plan!

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The Jabez Journal category contains posts that testify of God’s grace and faithfulness. Claim your victory today in Jesus Christ’s name!

A week before Victory Weekend, I cut soda from my system. To those of you who know me, I was a soda freak through and through. It was like my coffee, and I didn’t start my day without it. Pepsi Max, Coke Light, Mirinda… a day would not be complete without at least a can, and if you count two or three cans throughout the day, that’s more than a liter of soda in me.

At the same time, I ate a LOT of junk food. I was an emotional eater, and I would eat at my desk at work, stashing away potato chips, corn chips, and other little munchies (even with a no-eating-at-your-desk policy! I repent!!). In short, I was subscribed to this RSS (really stupid steps) for obesity, and I was a basket case.

Over the course of the weekend, I was reminded - yet again! - that it is not God’s will for me to be fat and unable to break the system, so I claimed victory over softdrinks and chips in Jesus’ name.

It’s been more than a week since I stopped drinking soda, and no harsh withdrawal effects have taken place. This means I now chug approximately 16 glasses of water a day, thanks to my Lug-a-Jug. I’ve also stopped eating at my desk (which means no in-between meal snacks!), and I can feel the effects of my relatively healthier eating (e.g., oatmeal in the mornings, and lunch and dinner viands with only a cup of rice each, because I don’t necessarily want to shock my system).

Cathy said the effects are already starting to show, with my pants becoming slightly looser around the thigh area, and my stomach is feeling a little less compact.

My daily prayer always includes victory over obesity, and I believe God is making it happen slowly but surely. None of these are through my own real individual effort, so all these great things in my physical life are happening because God is blessing me so. Score yet another point for the power of prayer.

In 2000, a book titled The Prayer of Jabez, written by a Christian man named Bruce Wilkinson, swept its way to the top of the bestseller lists. This book revolves around the account of a man named Jabez (whose name, ironically, means ’sorrow-maker’ or ‘Oh the pain!’), whose powerful prayer was answered by God. This is the full story of Jabez (1 Chr. 4:9-10, The Message translation):

“Jabez was a better man than his brothers, a man of honor. His mother had named him Jabez (Oh, the pain!), saying, “A painful birth! I bore him in great pain!” Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don’t let evil hurt me.” God gave him what he asked.”

In just two verses, we can learn so much about how to claim victory in our lives. Take a look:

Jabez was a man of honor who prayed to the God of Israel.

Jabez was no Sunday church-goer; he practiced what he preached and believed in (’he was a man of honor’). This man had a relationship with God. The NIV translation reads ‘Jabez cried out to the God of Israel.’ When we run to people we love and trust in earnest to ask for something, like a child to his parents, we cry out, don’t we? This was Jabez running to God, and we know we, like Jabez, can run to God confidently, approaching his mercy throne, when we have that intimate relationship.

Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Bless me, O bless me!”

Jabez’s prayer resounds with the earnest persistence of a man who just won’t quit. Not one ‘bless me,’ but two. Back in those days, this is what it meant to be blessed by God, and God did bless those who really wanted it, for some, even turning their lives around completely (e.g., Jacob, who was a liar and cheater before becoming Israel).

“Give me land, large tracts of land.”

The NIV version says ‘Enlarge my territory.’ What’s wrong with wanting more territory? God wants to prosper you and give you land, i.e., BIG THINGS. Big, grand, wonderful things that you can use to bring glory to His name.

“And provide your personal protection…”

Jabez asked for God’s personal protection. What are the implications of that? It means Jabez asked God to be with him. Always. That kind of close, intimate, personal relationship that means God will always provide, which we are also assured of in Phil 4:19.

“—don’t let evil hurt me.”

Jabez asked God to keep us free from all harm, which is also part of the prayer that Christ encouraged us to pray in Matthew 6:13. There is nothing wrong in asking God to help us remain healthy and holy.

“God gave him what he asked.”

No explanations. God just did it.
After the breakthroughs I experienced last Saturday, I have full faith in God’s power and desire to answer your prayers. Call upon Him and pray a similar prayer daily. That was part of the deal - don’t give up, storm the gates of heaven with prayer from a sincere heart. Start clean with Christ (here’s how), and walk in God’s way (Here’s how).

Starting tomorrow, I claim victory over many things in the name of Jesus, crying out to God to bless me, to enlarge my territory, to protect me, and to not let evil hurt me. Each victory will receive ample coverage in the ‘Jabez Journal’ category. I strongly encourage you to try it out too, to claim what is rightfully yours, in the name of Jesus, and see how God can work absolute signs and wonders in your life.