Epiphanies from Frozen Bubble...

While biding time before I start working again, I told God I will finish Frozen Bubble in all its stages. And in the process of playing the game, these were my realizations. But before I go on, I would like to tell you the mechanics of Frozen Bubble. You aim balls of different colors at a mass of other balls in order to make everything else disappear. It’s like the more-famous DynoMite or even Billiards.

I am not one for sports, or the mainstream computer games, but when I like a computer game, especially the simpler ones and the puzzle-type ones, I really get obsessed until I finish the entire game. :p

It’s been months since I put off finishing all 100 stages of Frozen Bubble, and since the last time I had been able to go up to Level 70, I decided to finish it today so I will have “closure” with this game. :p

So, then, here are my realizations.

• God wants to play with me too. In several periods of losing, I, finally, in all my exasperation, asked God what was wrong. He said: “It’s because you’re not letting me play with you.” And you know, with every game that I ask Him to teach me where to aim the balls, I finish the stages “cleanly” every time. :p
• The game taught me that Jesus does not want me to be exasperated with myself when I fail. He is the one who tells me that it’s okay to lose. I am the one who would like to be over and done with it then and there. I better listen to the One who knows me better.
• I need to focus. Most of the time, we do not reach our goals because we listen to the first sign of distraction.
• Keep an eye both on the goal, and on my own feet. In this case, on that arrow down there that aims the balls at the “goal”. At one point in the game, I got too confident after winning a particular stage that I would just aim blindly on the goal. The thing is, that’s how I do it in real life too. Because I am sure of the goal Jesus has set for me, I tend to live the present carelessly. Not so. I should live my present with care, because each step I take today determines the quality of my future.

• And lastly, Jesus wants me to win!

Even if it’s just purely a game, like this one, or one of the “games” of life that we go through, all I know is that Jesus wants me to have victory. And you know whom my biggest adversity is? ME. No one else. It’s just me who will stop Jesus when He’s about to carry me over the finish line.

Written: 3/25/08

Whom the Son Sets Free is Free Indeed

"Blessed are those whose disobedience is forgiven and whose sins are pardoned. Blessed is the person whom the Lord no longer considers sinful."

-Romans 4:7-8

This week, a friend had told me that I was "still not free." I had lashed out, because I believe I am. Then I realized that I still had a shaky faith in the fact that Jesus had already set me free, and I was out to protect what I thought could still be stolen. Here is my answer. I do not have to strive nor struggle to secure my own freedom. It had been bought and paid for. "It is done," 2000 years ago.

Thank you, Jesus. :)

4 AM Break

God approves of people without their earning it.

-Romans 4:6

For so long, I had tried to earn my worth in Jesus. Here is my lesson of the week.

I had been puzzled why God keeps telling me I am loved and I am approved of, even if I felt so lacking, even if I felt so inadequate. Here is my answer. :)

Workin' at 4 AM. Can you spell "addict"?! :p

The Importance of Rituals

Rituals are very much a part of the Catholic faith. When I became a Christian, I never thought I would need them again... EVER.

Until I started experiencing Spiritual Warfare on a daily basis.

I finally understood that rituals, and words, were very important to God.

First, I will discuss how words are important to God.

Jesus is the Word, and He became flesh (John 1:1-18). God the Father SPOKE the universe into being (Genesis 1-2). God also emphasizes the importance of how His Word would be spoken by His people:

(Isaiah 6:5-6) Isaiah had cried out how “unclean” his lips were when he had seen God and His angels, and he was subsequently cleansed. To me, this is an emphasis on how a prophet/man or woman of God’s mouth should be clean before he/she can be trusted with speaking the Word.

No wonder the Holy Spirit is in the business of erasing blasphemies from our lips!

In the Old Testament, God had waited for an entire generation of Israelites to die off before He allowed them to enter the promised land, because they had sinned with their constant grumbling. I was once told by God, through a prophetess to “Stop saying curses on yourself, my daughter.” It is only now that I realize how offensive and self-damning it is to nurture the negative self-talk.

(Jeremiah 1:4-10) Jeremiah, in his seeming fear, was protesting being called by God to be a prophet, reasoning out how he did not know how to speak, being “only a child,” but God had insisted that He is putting His words into Jeremiah’s mouth. This, to me, means that God does not care whether we are young or old, simple or worldly-wise. When He calls a person to speak His truth, He does it, no matter what the person’s circumstance is.

(Ezekiel 3:1-4) Ezekiel was fed the Word of God in order to speak it. This is a model of how we Christians should be, even today. We are called to “eat” the Word, no less. God’s Word is our sustenance, and “feeding” on it is the only way we would be honed to be able to speak His Word. Besides, as Pastor Bong Mabilog of Iloilo once said in a Sunday sermon, try not reading the Bible for a month and watch yourself die slowly.

I used to reject the fact that I need to read the Bible. Today, I cannot live a few hours without a “refill.” Not that I’m being self-righteous; it’s just that it seems to be my fuel nowadays.

If you are at the point of your walk when the words of the Bible seem to bounce off your mind as you read it, most likely, there is unconfessed sin in your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to expose what the sin is, ask for forgiveness for it, renounce it, and God to tell an angel to toss the spirit behind it straight to hell.

Which brings me to one ritual that I have.

Whenever I notice that my mind is already cluttered, offended, or complaining, I try to remember who had offended me. Usually, the mantra that is reverberating in my mind (I hate her! I hate her! I hate her! OR I hate him! I hate him! I hate him!) makes it obvious whom had offended me at that stretch of time. So I forgive the person, and ask for forgiveness for growing mad at the person, then renounce the spirit behind it and then ask the Lord to make an angel spear the spirit straight to Sheol.

I realized that I can actually have the angels spear the spirits straight to Sheol just this week. I was just spending time with God and reading the Bible when it hit me that I can actually ask for that. That takes care of the spirit permanently. When you cast it out and just let it wander for another victim, you’re doing Satan a favor by leaving one fallen angel (or ten) angry enough at being displaced to torment another human victim. Please do Jesus a favor by asking Him to let an angel of His toss the critters straight into Sheol, where they belong.

If you still are hesitant on how to do it, here is a usual format:

Lord Holy Spirit, please show me what sin there is in my heart that keeps me from hearing You.

(If you are offended by another person): I forgive (name of person), in Jesus’ name.

(If the above is not applicable, go to the next step. If the above is applicable, ask for forgiveness, in a manner similar to the next step, and renounce the sin of Unforgiveness.)

(When you realize what the sin is): Lord, please forgive me for the sin of (name of sin, i.e. Pride), in Jesus’ name.

I renounce the spirit of (name of sin, i.e. Pride), in Jesus’ name.

Lord Jesus, please ask one of your angels to spear the spirit of Pride that just came out of me straight to hell. Thank you. (You can also say, Lord, please ask one of...In Jesus’ Name. Amen.)


Another ritual that I have is praying the Armor of God, based on Ephesians 6:14-17:

• Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace
• Belt of Truth
• Breastplate of Righteousness
• Helmet of Salvation
• Shield of Faith
• Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

I pray this, like dressing in the Spirit, when I feel like I got too tired, or felt an “energy loss” of sorts. Sometimes when I sin, I feel like I got an energy low or I feel suddenly sleepy or something. Around a month ago, I thought to experiment with praying like this. And wonder of wonders, I got a boost of energy after I confessed and renounced the sin, and finally asked for the Armor of God to be fitted onto me.

But what really gives me a major boost, after putting the Armor on, to prevent more “energy” loss (it’s actually the oil that is the Holy Spirit: Matthew 25:1-13), is reading the Word, or speaking in tongues. Either way, I put the Armor on first, because I really dislike being tired; being filled again, but there’s nothing to seal in the Holy Spirit because I am under severe attack or what.

Another thing that I pray for is that Jesus be a Seal upon my heart, my arm, my hands, my mouth, my tongue, my eyes, or any other parts of me that I can’t seem to control. I had taken that from the song I posted here, You Won’t Relent by Misty Edwards, and from the Song of Songs. I notice that I seem to be more in control of myself when I pray that.

I am also being led to ask for the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), because these are much more important than the Gifts, and because if a Christian has these, he or she can face the challenges of our stressful world:

• Love (The definition of LOVE is in 1 Corinthians 13)
• Joy
• Peace
• Patience
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-Control

Just a disclaimer, I do not advocate empty rituals. I had balked at Beth Moore’s prayer series because it all felt too formatted, ritualistic. All these that I had shared today, you are free to say however you want: more flowery, or just as is. I just memorized the Armor, and the asking for forgiveness/releasing forgiveness ritual, because I easily get offended and I am much too sensitive to people around me for my own good sometimes. I did notice that as I spend more time with God, and as I read more of His Word, I have more of the Fruits of the Spirit; but when I have serious sin, then I get offended on top of it, I revert to my old, wailing, tantrumic, angry self.

You cannot avoid your stress triggers forever, surely. But you sure can fast from them. I have my own triggers, and I take extra measures to stay away from them. Even if it saddens me that I cannot be a perfect Christian, it’s just as well that I have my own blind spots, because unless a Christian has a “thorn on his side,” like Paul, or else leads himself to believe that he doesn’t, he or she is in danger of spiritual error and may die, perfect to the world, but an infidel to Jesus. Remember that our battle isn’t between flesh and blood, but against the spiritual horde of Satan’s cohorts(Ephesians 6:12). Meaning, your enemies are not your annoying boss, your family members who annoy you to no end (it’s there somewhere in Proverbs that siblings are naturally going to be in adversity), the traffic, the pollution, or even your own hair or “cursed” skin. Your true enemies are those who are in the spiritual realm who manifest as negative attitudes, negative self-talk, negative or even sinful thoughts, and sinful actions. Therefore, cling to Jesus, Who, even as these would prove helpful to your own walk, would enable you to stand your own battles, and carry you on to victory.

Shalom!

Split Apart and Burned at the Altar

“It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the LORD.”

This is from Leviticus 1:9. This is what is said with every sacrifice that is burned on the altar in the Old Testament.

While we go, “God is soothed by the smell of burned animals?!” we should also stop and realize how grateful we should be that we are not that bird or cow or sheep on the altar. Our sins warrant that we should be the ones being burned up, up there, but God’s love and mercy has allowed us to escape the pain of being split open and burned on the altar. Instead, it was JESUS who was scourged and bled and split across a Cross, left to die.

It was JESUS who went down to Hades for us and snatched the keys of the first and second death up from Satan, so we may live at God’s pleasure/will, or die, if He cannot put up with our stubbornness anymore.

I am so happy I was born in our times. We may have different challenges today, but I am so grateful that Jesus is the one who carries my burdens today. Jesus teaches me so much, as I walk with Him daily. I am so thankful that I need not be perfect for Him, because He is already perfect for me.

But mostly, I am thankful that my pains are so minor... Compared to the one which He endured on the Cross.


Hope you will reflect on this, too, and be glad that you are Jesus’, and He is waiting for you to turn your heart to Him. :)

Notes on the Book of Revelation

If you have ever been fascinated with the Book of Revelations, but was just way too scared with the fact that it seemed to speak of just so much doom, I’d like to point out that it’s not all doom and death, after all. If anything, it is a story of our times, and it’s a benchmark of where we are at in God’s History.

If your love for God has grown cold in the past few months, there are a few things He would like to remind us of, from John the Beloved’s Book of Revelation.

But before I talk to you of God’s loving reminder to us, about His purposes, let me talk about two things that had I had been able to pick up from Revelations that had inspired me before.

The first thing that I had ever come across that made me see hope in the Book of Revelations (Chapter 22 v.1-5) is this:

The angel showed me a river filled with the water of life, as clear as crystal. It was flowing from the throne of God and the lamb. Between the street of the city and the river there was a tree of life visible from both sides. It produced 12 kinds of fruit. Each month had its own fruit. The leaves of the tree will heal the nations. There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and the lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him and see his face. His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night, and they will not need any light from lamps or the sun because the Lord God will shine on them. They will rule as kings forever and ever.

The leaves of the Tree of Life was something that had caught my eye before, and I felt like it was one of the most important symbols of our time, but I never really understood the part of the leaves before, though I was inexplicably drawn to that symbol. I thought it was some mystical thing that would arise in the future. It turns out that... It’s us Christians, actually.

The Tree of Life, in the understanding I had been given, is Jesus. In John 15, He talks of being the main Vine, and that we are the branches. To me, the Tree of Life is still Jesus, and the leaves.. Are us Christians.

Notice that whenever a Christian, or a pack of Christians, decides to take a city, or a country, or some uninhabited region even, change takes place in the region, and the things that were going awry in the place just gets, well, fixed. It is because God is using us and the message of His Love that we bring, to lovingly heal the region where we are called to dwell. So if you have a stirring for missions, like Samuel, say, “Speak, Lord, I am listening,” because who knows, God may be using you as part of the pack of leaves He is using to heal that place or nation.

Another verse or area that struck me is this:

"Don't be afraid! I am the first and the last, the living one. I was dead, but now I am alive forever. I have the keys of death and hell.

That was taken from Revelations 1:17-18. Before I used to be scared that I will die before my time. Today, I realize that I can only die by prematurely my own hand or when Jesus decides that I will be of better use in Heaven, OR if I have rebelled much too much. It had puzzled me why some people’s loved ones had died prematurely before. Today, I realize that either their hearts had no room for Jesus, or they were an object of idolatry for some people.

Some mothers may love their children too much, other men and women may love other people above God; some other people may have stained Jesus’ name much too much, or still others just needed to be put out of the way because they had been such potent instruments for Satan’s kingdom that they have to be taken out of the way, even if that sounds much too Machiavellian for comfort, even for me. But God is all-wise, and He can do whatever He wants with His creations. The only way I know to keep our lives... Is to lose our lives for Jesus.

Now we go to the doom-ridden part of this narration.

We are now at the part of history wherein Babylon is on its way to permanent destruction, and false religion is on its way out, while true Christianity is being led, by Jesus, into an agreement. As we were taught in Victory Christian Fellowship, we are a Family of God. For me, VCF is my NUCLEAR family, but ALL OTHER Christian Churches are my EXTENDED FAMILY. Kids, let us not be too clique-ish and love only our VCF brothers and sisters. Let us love even those Christians who come from other churches, because they are our brothers and sisters too.

We are also in the part of history when God finds our self-centeredness His biggest adversary, as stated in Revelations 13 (v.16-18):

The second beast forces all people--important and unimportant people, rich and poor people, free people and slaves--to be branded on their right hands or on their foreheads. It does this so that no one may buy or sell unless he has the brand, which is the beast's name or the number of its name. In this situation wisdom is needed. Let the person who has insight figure out the number of the beast, because it is a human number. The beast's number is 666.

I do not fully understand the “brand,” but one insight I had with this is that it could be a spiritual “brand.”

But before that, let me explain what is meant by the number “666.” It is nothing to fear! It had always been man’s worst enemy, since the dawn of time. Or at least, since The Fall (from the Garden of Eden). Because, when you look in the mirror when you wake up in the morning, you actually stare at that beast.

Yep, “666,” is YOU.

“6,” in the Bible, according to Bible scholars, is the number that symbolizes Man. Since God is 7, and man falls short of the glory of God, we are then on number 6. I came across that concept eons ago from an article online, and the point is, I realize how true that is.

You have to admit that we are the ME generation: where our motto seems to be, “Me, Myself and I”: 6, 6, 6.

When we do something, we seem to be doing it for our own purposes. Even in ministry, a lot of us are motivated only by Self, and not Love... Love for God, or Love for our Neighbors as we love ourselves. That is the reason why we are so ineffective as Christians. Because our motives to reach others are based on the need for worldly acclaim. When Jesus said that we must serve, in order to lead, He did not say that we brandish that title: “Servant-Leader.” He meant to say that we do indeed roll up our sleeves and scrub that floor if need be!

People-pleasing is not in God’s plan. If you do things in order to please others, you are in danger of being in disobedience, actually. So even if it’s strange, even if it’s impractical to the people around you, even if it’s in Ezekiel proportions, if you are clear that God said it to be so, follow it.

Back to the Me Generation concept that is just so abhorrent to God.

The Me Generation people, sadly, myself included, like following their own desires too much. We like running after the newest iPod, the newest digicam, the newest laptop, at the expense of forgetting what should be our main agenda: Loving God and Loving Others.

Don’t get me wrong, God promises to bless His children, but only if they can choose to follow Him first.

God does not desire that we, His children, be poor. Instead, He desires that we would seek Him, above all these things that seem to give us comfort, value and significance: money, relationships, power.

When Jesus came to our world the first time, his generation was a wicked and perverse generation that sought after money, power and possessions. Has anything else changed, much?

In His time, the Pharisees were all after showing to the world how important they were by tithing publicly and letting the world know that they tithed. But Jesus debunked the myth that God’s standards for glory were equated to the world’s own standards. He accomplished that through telling His disciples that it was the poor widow instead who had given more than everyone in that room, with her two copper coins, among other parables.

There is also this parable of a rich fool, in Luke 12 (v.13-21):

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of the inheritance that our father left us." Jesus said to him, "Who appointed me to be your judge or to divide [your inheritance]?" He told the people, "Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed. Life is not about having a lot of material possessions." Then he used this illustration. He said, "A rich man had land that produced good crops. He thought, 'What should I do? I don't have enough room to store my crops.' He said, 'I know what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones so that I can store all my grain and goods in them. Then I'll say to myself, "You've stored up a lot of good things for years to come. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself."' "But God said to him, 'You fool! I will demand your life from you tonight! Now who will get what you've accumulated?' That's how it is when a person has material riches but is not rich in his relationship with God."

I am again reminded of the case of Rico Yan. When I was younger, I had wondered why the whole Philippines seemed to mourn when he died. Who was he, that people loved him so? I mean, I was actually just watching the entire hoopla with borderline curiosity, even if I did have a crush on Rico Yan before. To me, he was just another star. He was just another cutie who didn’t really touch my life. But why did the Filipino teen populace cry with such wracked passion at the loss of his death. It was so horrid and surreal, yet I couldn’t help feeling that these people had reached the zenith of their idolatry, because such passion and torture should only be reserved for crying about Jesus’ death!

But back to the love of money and worldly honor. We go to Luke 16 (v.19-31):

"There was a rich man who wore expensive clothes. Every day was like a party to him. There was also a beggar named Lazarus who was regularly brought to the gate of the rich man's house. Lazarus would have eaten any scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Lazarus was covered with sores, and dogs would lick them. "One day the beggar died, and the angels carried him to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. He went to hell, where he was constantly tortured. As he looked up, in the distance he saw Abraham and Lazarus. He yelled, 'Father Abraham! Have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue. I am suffering in this fire.' "Abraham replied, 'Remember, my child, that you had a life filled with good times, while Lazarus' life was filled with misery. Now he has peace here, while you suffer. Besides, a wide area separates us. People couldn't cross it in either direction even if they wanted to.' "The rich man responded, 'Then I ask you, Father, to send Lazarus back to my father's home. I have five brothers. He can warn them so that they won't end up in this place of torture.' "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses' [Teachings] and the Prophets. Your brothers should listen to them!' "The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham! If someone comes back to them from the dead, they will turn to God and change the way they think and act.' "Abraham answered him, 'If they won't listen to Moses' [Teachings] and the Prophets, they won't be persuaded even if someone comes back to life.'"

Here we see how the Rich Man was rewarded with what was due to him in the Afterlife. While God intended Hell for the demons, when a person has clung to his sins or to the love of money much too much to the point that repentance no longer has room in his heart, God does not hesitate to throw the person to hell. No matter how much God loves humans, He is also equally just as He is loving.

I am of the belief that even if we’ve prayed the Sinner’s Prayer, as Paul says, we have to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.”

Even James, the brother of Jesus, attests to that, when he said in James 2:14-26 that “Faith without deeds is dead.”

While I surely do not subscribe to the school of thought that says that works can replace faith, I also do not subscribe to the thought that we can accept Jesus’ call of being His friends without turning from what He calls sin. We surely cannot do this on our own, because in our flesh, we are nothing more than dead zombies who just want to cleave to the comforts of our old lives.

My point here is that even as you had said to Jesus that you want to be His, you have to make a choice daily as to Whom to follow: God, or the god of money (or lust, or power, etc.).

The good news is, everything is done and over with. The martyrs’ blood has been spilled, and there is nothing that can stop Jesus’ coming back. I feel it in my Spirit, I know that I have to make a daily choice to live as a Christian, and not as the fallen woman that I always will be, in my flesh.

To me, the Book of Revelations is not a book of doom and fear. To me, it’s a chronicle of our times. The remnants of the Tribulation is still there, but I am sure that the Kingdom of Jesus is coming relentlessly. So kids, “wash your robes” in His blood, seek after HUMILITY, and be quick to obey when you have confirmed God’s Word for you.

(Disclaimer: My views and insights do not reflect those of Victory Christian Fellowship as a body of believers.)

Bible text taken from the God's Word version of the Bible, as viewed from MacSword.

Epiphanies on the Book of Revelation Part 1: The Churches

Have you, as a Christian, lost your fire?

Have you lost the passion you had for loving Jesus and reaching out to His lost? Maybe the call to these churches calls to YOU.

Some of us Christians have been taught that a church is not a building. Indeed, The Church, The Bride of Christ, cuts across religious or denominational boundaries. Jesus’ Bride is the Body of those who are willing to forsake their lives for Jesus. Those who want to walk closely in His ways, and who are willing to die to themselves and allow Jesus to fully transform them.

Thus, I realized that Revelations 2-3 is about Jesus calling to certain groups of His people who have the following characteristics:

Revelation 2

To the church in Ephesus

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

To the Church in Smyrna

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

To the Church in Pergamum

"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

To the Church in Thyatira

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come. To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—

'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'— just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 3

To the Church in Sardis

"To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Philadelphia

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Laodicea

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Which one is you? If this message hits you square in the heart/gut, then confess your sin, turn to Jesus, and follow Him, step, by relentless step. When you falter, He will carry you. Don’t ever think that this is a walk that you alone are tasked to carry. Far be it. He died on the Cross so that He can walk with you. Don’t turn it into a Me-against-the-world endeavor; rather, turn it into a Me-and-Jesus against the world thing, and surely, you can overcome any pesky adversary in your path. :)

(I got these insights while fasting a week ago.. Hope you enjoy the sudden change in focus!)