Do Not Wait For The Storm To Pass

“Do not wait for the storm to pass; LORD God will coach you to stop the storm.”

Many times I have asked myself, “How strong the faith I have?” When Pastor Obet began his sermon this Easter Sunday afternoon in Jesus the Giver of Life Sanctuary about the Resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ and the kind of faith we should have along with it, I asked myself again, “How strong the faith I have?”

Many times before, I wanted to give up. I just wanted to let it go and be it. There were even few occasions I had already given up. I did not care if I would die or not. I was thinking that I better let go than prolong the non-sense process of running around circles. I know I didn’t sound like a Christian those times. But true it is that we humans tend to feel disheartened because we are still in flesh. We are entitled to feel emotions. However, it is never counted as an excuse. Besides, these are the perfect times to be blessed. These are the times that we have the chance to experience the power of God’s guiding hands. This gives us the opportunity to let our faith grow and be stronger.

One important occasion in my life that happened last year which I will never forget is the prayer I had on the Canlubang Bridge in the middle of the night. I was not planning to commit suicide by jumping off the bridge. Besides, there was tall fence by the bridge that it would be so challenging for someone who wants to die by jumping off the bridge. I just wanted to be on the top of moving things. Explanation to that? I don’t know. I just felt like being there. It was weird but there was a feeling that I felt closer to God when I was there.

There were so many people who hurt me so much that I was left terribly broken. I refused to kiss the ground. I gathered all the strength that was still left in me to fight back, hoping that I would win the game. I kept telling myself that it was not my fault, that it was their fault. I was so sure of that. That was what I believed in. So clueless I was, I was suddenly surrendering myself to so much hate that I hated more and more people I know. I began to remember all the hurtful things they did to me which I had already forgiven long time ago. The hate became so strong that if ever there were grains of faith left in me, I was hardly able to feel it.

However, all those times, I knew LORD God was just there. He was working in my life and He was so alive. When I got there on the bridge, I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. I wanted the whole world to feel me, to feel all the swollen pains in my soul. Then I felt God was just there. He was standing in front of me. There was the holy fear that I fell on my knees and let go all my hurtful sobs. I knew I had so much to tell Him. I felt like a kid who was seeking comfort from his father. No other words came out of my mouth but His names. I kept on repeating His names. All the pains of many years travelled through the tears I cried that night. And I never explained myself to Him but He understood me. He listened to me. He had comforted me. He had forgiven me. And that was so wonderful. That was the longest time I cried non-stop. But every tear I cried had brought me closer to Him. Again, I was blessed.

Months had passed and I still feel down sometimes, especially when people say bad things about me. It easily upsets me. I don’t want to hate people so I keep praying that my faith in the LORD God would help me forgive them completely. I feel like I am still running in circles. I asked the LORD God many times before in my prayers that I needed someone or something to save me from these circles.

When Pastor discussed the beautiful event in the Bible that Jesus Christ arose from the grave to fulfill the prophecy and the will of God, he stressed that we should not just believe in it. We should have faith. And the kind of faith we should have is the moving faith which has power to comfort us, to be confident for the unknown tomorrows, and to trust the will of God. He even made Abraham as the example of an amazing kind of faith when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac to God. We should have that kind of faith. We should not just know it. We should have it by heart, into our soul.

Pastor Obet added, “Do not wait for the storm to pass; LORD God will coach you to stop the storm.” It felt like God was telling me this. That I don’t need someone to come, or something to happen in my life to stop running in circles. It is with the faith I have in Him alone that will make me stop running in circles.

Now, how strong the faith I have? I cannot really tell you. Perhaps only the LORD God could tell. However, I know in my soul that I don’t need to fear tomorrow, that whatever happens in my life, I have Him to support me all the way. Just thinking of it, I feel so blessed and happy. #

Reporting,

Fernand Yim

Read more...

False Guilt

Can you remember the worst sin you ever committed? Which after that circumstance you find your life changing faultily? If you are a Christian, suddenly you become a prisoner in an imaginary cell. What did you do with it? Are you done with it? Or still coping with it?

If you are done with it, you deserve congratulation. Sometimes people pay for their transgressions years after their evil deeds are done. It is like sins have permanently taken a place in their memories and plagued their minds with the evil thought of, “I’m bad. I don’t deserve forgiveness. I don’t deserve God!” The evil guilt begins to swallow their whole being resulting to treating themselves really bad and not accepting the forgiveness of God as their punishment to the sin they have committed which is wrong.

In some cases, these people have bravely sought for an advice and they are told to pray for forgiveness. And they did. Yet they find themselves still suffering from the false guilt. Their life continues to go on with a state of mind that says, “I should do something extraordinarily good to cover up my sins.”

Therefore, they hardly feel pure happiness every time they smile to people or when they do something good with their fellows. Some also experience fear. Fear of praying because they think God is not listening anymore. Fear of going to church or to Bible study because they feel they don’t belong anymore. Fear of a Christian fellow because they feel like they are always being the subject of criticism or the center of judgment. (But keep this in mind: Psalm 34:4: "I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.)

Consequently, they begin to embrace the whole dirty world outside Christianity. They begin to ramble and hang out with a new circle of so-called friends. It is where they find freedom because they never feel guilty anymore. Finally it is freedom. But don’t be too foolish to have mistaken freedom from false happiness. You can’t deny to yourself you are not completely happy.

It is simply because something important is missing. That is your personal relationship with the LORD God. Something you used to celebrate from the smallest detail of your life up to the biggest event of each day. Something which has made you completely happy, even though you only won the second place in English Fair in high school. You can’t find the miraculous paints of the dawn anymore. True it is that your life has really changed.

The good news is that, it is not yet too late for you to come running back to your old home. Even if you think you don’t deserve the forgiveness of the LORD God, you know God is not bad. He is a loving God. Even before your knuckles have touched the door, Jesus has already opened it for you. Now you know you are special. And claim it.

When you pray you are forgiven. You only need to ask Him once. The false guilt is a work of the devil. Don’t welcome him in. Free yourself by forgiving yourself. Remember, Christ’s holy death releases you completely from God’s judgment. So claim it. You deserve it. I know you can succeed. Because I did. #

Reporting,

Fernand Yim

Read more...

A Breakfast with the World

Are you one of those who don’t want to read newspapers in the morning? Don’t want to turn on the TV for the morning news? I can understand that. How could you start your morning right if you welcome the day with the news about kids died in suicide bombings in other part of the world? How could you enjoy your little moments with a warm cup of coffee when you know that terrorists had kidnapped new set of innocent people as their hostages? How could you enjoy your fresh baked hot pan de sal if you know there are people dying because of hunger? How could you enjoy your morning breakfast like that if you know someone doesn’t have anything to eat?

I know it is frustrating. And I know you wouldn’t let your breakfast be ruined by these reports from TV or morning papers. So what you would do? Simply ignore them? Being Christian doesn’t let you go that easy. In times like this, there are two things you can do. Two beautiful things.

First, you can start counting your blessings that early in the morning. That warm coffee you have between your two palms is already a blessing. How about the peaceful morning you have waken up to today, isn’t that so much of a blessing? You may have your family together before the table, chatting with each other as each of you passes the butter to the one next to you. Or, if you have a family like mine who each of us have different time to get up, depending on the schedule we each have, you have your brother or sister, your mama and papa with you around the table. That’s so beautiful. And more importantly, you all can pray together thanking the LORD God for the hearty breakfast He has given you.

Or if you are living in a pad with a friend, that casual breakfast you two share together is already a step closer to something deeper. If in any case you live all by yourself in an apartment, that text message, or that e-mail message, or that little note posted on the ref by a friend who wakes up a little earlier than you do, is already a blessing of love.

Second thing you can do is by sharing what you have that very morning with every person in the world. You think it is impossible? No way. That is so easy. All you need to do is just close your eyes, put your hands together, and let the Holy Spirit do the rest of it. Remember when Jesus fed more than five thousands people with five loaves of bread and two fish in Matthew 14:15-21? Let us say it is the modern version of it.

If you let the Holy Spirit fill you in and let your faith work into it, you know there is nothing impossible with the LORD God. Through you, He can show His greatest love by sharing whatever you have in your breakfast. I always say, “My LORD God, let this breakfast be shared with all my fellow Christians and non-Christians all over the world, especially those who really need it. As You fill my hungry stomach, let them be full through the power of your Holy Spirit.”

So why don’t you try it? It is cool and very refreshing. Especially when you know you have started your morning right. It feels so good when you have shared yourself to the rest of the world through the power of God’s unique love. And when you meet someone along the way as you go to work or school, you would feel so connected with everyone around you. It is because you know that even if you don’t know them personally, you have shared a very special breakfast with all of them. Start sharing! #

Reporting,

Fernand Yim

Read more...

Reporting Fernand Yim Has Been Revised

Lately I had been posting my favorite Christian songs here, their lyrics and the songs themselves, which was okay. However I had realized that I had already forgotten the very purpose of this blog. That is to share, or to report, the little beautiful things people today always take for granted. My goal with this blog is to re-discover those little things and report them here.

Now I am becoming busy with so many things in my life. Perhaps I am trying to be professional in my writing life, laughs! I might not be a best-selling author, or I might never have a published book at all. But that doesn’t mean I should stop writing. That is me. A writing Fernand Yim. And this gift from Him is so important to me. And I know that through my writings, I can glorify His holy name.

And through this blog, I want to return all the favors the LORD God has given me by glorifying His wonderful love with every article and pictures I’ll be posting here.

To my few readers, if ever I have some (Laughs!), I hope that in my little ways I can inspire you. If you have something to say, just tell me by leaving a comment here. You are so welcome. Or if you have something to share, I would love to hear from you.

Now I am starting with my newest article entitled “A Breakfast with the World.” It has been my practice every time I hear some bad news from TV news, or if someone tells me something not so good to know that I share my breakfast, lunch, or dinner with every people of the world, especially the children of the world, through a prayer. Hopefully you will enjoy every article I’ll be writing here as well as the pictures along with them. #

Reporting,

Fernand Yim

Read more...