Take a Leap of Faith

We serve a God who 'overanswers' our prayers and requests. 

                                                                             by Jenno Marco Misa

     All of us have dreams in life. Whether it’s buying a new house, finishing college, or getting married, we all have something in our hearts that we believe God for. We were not created to just barely get by, day in and day out, and wait for Jesus to call us home. On the contrary, we were created to be more than conquerors in Christ (Romans 8:37).

     Some of our dreams are really big that we become uncertain if it could happen or not. Oftentimes, we end up asking ourselves, “Am I asking too much from God?”, or “I think my dreams are too far out that God isn’t capable of bringing it to pass”, or “I know God could, but I do not know if He would”.

     To begin with, God created all of us. He knows everything about us. From our weakest points, strengths, thoughts, plans, and the desires of our hearts –even the bad thoughts, sinful desires, and selfish ambitions, He knows all of it and yet, He still loves us. Nothing can be hidden from the eyes of God. 

     Ephesians 3:20 tells us this “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”. Take note of the part where it says, “exceedingly abundantly above all...” Isn’t it good news that God is able to do more than what we ask or think? So don’t worry about your dreams if they seem to be too big for you. You won’t be the one who will bring it to pass. God will. When you dream big, you are magnifying the size of your God. So go on and take a leap of faith.

     The next thing that would boggle our minds is “Is He willing to bring it to pass?” When Jesus was in one of the cities, a leper came to Him and asked if He would cleanse him. The leper didn’t doubt if Jesus could. He heard about Jesus’ power and compassion for the sick. But he doubted if Jesus would. In those times, lepers were outcasts and there was no physical contact allowed between them and the clean people, lest the clean will become unclean. This leper didn’t know any better. With all the doubt within him, he asked Jesus “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean”. And Jesus did more than what the leper could ask or think, he stretched out His hand, touched him, and said “I am willing. Be cleansed!” (Luke 5:12-13).

     Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So if you are not sure if Jesus will grant the desires of your heart, He is saying to you right now “I am willing!” We just have to ask. The scripture says in James 4:2 “You have not because you ask not.” The more we ask Him, the more we show our full dependence on Him. 

     So don’t let your flesh and wrong belief about God cage you and stop you from reaching your full potential in life. Jesus said that He came so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). If Jesus has paid for it, it is yours! Go on and take a leap of faith, knowing that Jesus is with us wherever we are, He will continue to prosper whatever we touch, and that all things work together for good for those who love God (Romans 8:28).

Jesus Is Enough

He is enough.

      Everything we need is in Christ Jesus. From physical to spiritual needs, Jesus is the answer. A lot of times we seek answers from the world, when the real answer is in the Word. The Word of God is Jesus Himself. In the book of John, the scripture says that ‘”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, NIV). Later on, the scripture goes on to say in John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us”. 

     The more we partake of the Word is the more we partake of Jesus and who He is, how perfect His perfect sacrifice is, and how finished His finished work is. Because of Jesus, we can now come boldly to the throne of God where we can find grace and mercy in times of need. 

     If we are sick, Jesus is our healing. If we are in debt, Jesus is our wisdom and supply. If we are in need, Jesus is our provision. When we are in fear, Jesus is our peace and courage. When we are in despair, Jesus is our comforter. When we are in darkness, Jesus is our light. Everything we need is found in Him.

     The more we tune in to sermons that unveil the person of Jesus, the more we are drawn into His loveliness, beauty, and perfection, and the light of this world will go strangely dim, until the main focus of your eyes is on Him and not on yourself. Simply by beholding Him, the Bible says, we are transformed into His same image from glory to glory.

Grace is Fresh Every Morning

Embrace each day knowing that God’s grace is new every morning.

                                                                     -Jenno Marco Misa

    Being in a world where you are on the very frontline of the demands of life can be very draining. If you are in the corporate world, the demands in the office can be very pressing until it gets on your nerves and steal away your joy. Or if you are a homemaker, the list of chores can roll up to the next town, and before you know it, you have forgotten that you too, need to take care of yourself.

      Has your life gone this busy? Have you felt like your 24 hours is too short compared to somebody else’s? Has your life gone very routinely that every day has become all the same? Have you ever wished that you would bump into something new for the next day?

      The Scripture tells us in Lamentations 3:22-23 “22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (ESV)”. Mercy here also means grace. We all have grace from God in all the things that we do. The verse tells us that this grace and mercy are new every morning. That means that although we are running out of energy and enthusiasm for doing the same things everyday, the grace of God does not ran out. As long as the sun rises and a new day comes, there is a fresh grace from God daily. So, embrace each day knowing that His mercy and grace are new every morning.

    If you are a homemaker and you have been taking your kids to shower everyday for 4 years already, don’t step into the next day with a drained and exhausted mentality, thinking that it’s just any other day. Be conscious of God’s grace everyday, that you too, are being bathed by God’s love and mercy everyday. Before you know it, you will be saying things like: “I’m not just bathing any other kid. I am bathing a child that came directly from God as a gift to me! I am bathing a champion! Or I am bathing the next president of my country!” When you are conscious of God’s grace being poured unto you, you will take the usual things into a whole new paradigm. Here’s the key: being conscious of God’s grace always leads you to increase in output without putting in more effort. It is always a restful increase.

     Start each day by tapping into His inexhaustible supply of grace. The more you tap into this grace, the more you make room for God to increase you in favor, wisdom, and influence.

Peace in His Presence

In His presence, there is peace.

                                                                        - Jenno Marco Misa

     Today, if you surf around the web or watch the news, you will hear different stories of wars, nations extinguishing their own kind, and many stories of countries setting up nuclear weapons to increase military influence. When you go to work, what awaits you is a stack of papers and reports that need to be done, deadlines that need to be met, and backlogs that your boss has been asking you to expedite.

     In the midst of all these, we often make the mistake of giving out our joy and peace. Everything that surrounds us seems to be as chaotic and pressing as can be. There seems to be no room for calmness.

    The Bible talks about the Peace that surpasses all understanding in Philippians 4:7. The whole verse says “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV)”

    Isn't it wonderful that in the midst of all the trouble out there in the world, there is a place where we can run unto where no evil can come close? Philippians 4:7 tells us about that so called place: in Christ Jesus.

     Basking in Jesus’ presence is not something that’s so drastic where you hear a loud voice from heaven, or a shining light radiating from afar – although these stories happened many times in the Bible. To come into Jesus’ presence is simply to call on Him, invite Him, and involve Him in your everyday life. Once you do this, you will sense a deep and contagious peace from within which then envelops your heart, guarding you from any bad news, stress, or even happenings that are detrimental to you. By just basking in His presence, you will realize that although there are storms, stress, and bad news bombarding you, you don’t get ‘bothered’ by all these. This is not slacking off. This is being enveloped by Peace.

     This effortless peace comes neither through meditating on the high mountains nor by donating certain amount to charities and orphanages. This Peace that surpasses all understanding can only come by being conscious of Jesus’ presence in your life. Once you have Him with you daily, then there is no news too bad, no stress too pressing, and no war too frightening can ever move you out of that place of peace and rest.