Psalm 119:71
King James Version
71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted;
that I might learn thy statutes.
Until GOD made me born again, I could not make sense of things.
For a time, I enjoyed money, and success.
Then came a long, long drought.
Nothing I did worked anymore.
GOD plucked me from the big city, and brought me back to my home city.
He made me sit still for the longest time.
No way was He going to give me money.
For if He did, He knew what I'd do.
I'd go back to the big city.
I struggled, for a long, long period.
Used to success, suddenly, there was none.
Except for random jobs GOD would put on my plate.
Back in the small city, He gave me little sources of income.
He made me write for a national magazine, for a year.
He made me teach piano for beginners, for over two years.
He allowed occasional bazaars here and there, for a few years.
He allowed me to put up shop, for a year.
The rest of the time, I was in limbo.
What work to do?
What business to get in?
How to build income all over again?
I had no idea He had a plan.
To humble me.
To make me wait.
To take out ego from me.
Let's just say He did that for 22 years.
It's a miracle I lasted that long.
Of course, I got into debt.
Mostly, from ignorance on my part.
No one to blame, but me.
GOD was really teaching me a lesson.
Many people suffer from various types of affliction.
Mercifully, I was blessed with good health.
But the health of my finances was critical.
Worse, I had no idea my spiritual health was in great danger.
At a loss as what to do next, I eventually did something right in April 2019.
Actually, I did FIVE things right:
1. I wanted real change.
2. I repented of my sins.
3. I turned away from sin.
4. I sought ABSOLUTE truth.
5. I surrendered ALL knowledge to GOD.
I didn't know those were what GOD really wanted.
But it felt right at the time to do so.
I don't believe I prayed for money.
Deep in debt as I was for a long time.
But I did ask Him for work.
"What work shall I do?"
There was no clear answer.
That's why I kept doing odd sales jobs.
I even got into internet marketing in 2015.
But no program seemed to work.
The dubious programs made me lose even more money.
Cash I didn't have to begin with, for I had to use credit cards.
All who are in online marketing know such pitfalls.
We keep trying to latch on to new programs.
Hoping one, or two, or all, would pan out.
Of course, none did.
I knew then I wasn't getting "something" right.
What did this thick skull of mine not get?
What did I "miss"?
What did GOD want me to know?
So, on and on, I'd pray to Him.
To please make things clear for me.
An answer finally came.
FIVE months after doing those FIVE things.
What is it about the number "5"?
Ed. F. Vallowe's "Scripture Numerics" book refer to "5" as:
"GRACE OR GOD's GOODNESS".
That will become evident as we write this article.
I was just going about my normal routine on 6 September 2019, when GOD led me to Bible prophecy.
Which involved two videos as warning to America.
Now, what did that have to do with me, a Filipino?
I got so intrigued, I listened to Dr. David R. Reagan's video.
He enumerated the sins of America.
(Which, if updated now, would exceed all that.)
And that judgment was hovering upon them.
That sure got my attention.
On that same day, GOD made me born again.
How do I know He did?
I dropped all other books, and started reading the Bible.
Scripture became easy to understand.
For me, that's a miracle in itself.
Where before I wouldn't touch the Bible, now, I couldn't have enough of it.
And I started taking down TONS of notes.
To this day, four and a half years later, I'm still at it.
Still taking notes.
SPIRIT created a system for me.
That I may understand Scripture easily.
Organize it, according to the LORD's will.
And share it with you every day.
The tons of material produced 101 blogs as of this writing.
It also led me to write 22 spiritual warfare books (fiction).
As well as two books on JESUS.
All could be found on my Amazon author page.
As born again, things became clear.
GOD purposely afflicted me, for His perfect reasons.
To humble me.
To save me from myself.
To make me read Scripture.
To write about stuff I've learned.
To share all that with you.
JESUS did say:
Revelation 3:19
King James Version
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:
be zealous therefore, and repent.
Similar verses can be found here:
Hebrews 12:6
King James Version
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Hebrews 12:7
King James Version
7 If ye endure chastening,
God dealeth with you as with sons;
for what son is he
whom the father chasteneth not?
Hebrews 12:8
King James Version
8 But if ye be without chastisement,
whereof all are partakers,
then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Hebrews 12:9
King James Version
9 Furthermore
we have had fathers of our flesh
which corrected us,
and we gave them reverence:
shall we not much rather be in subjection
unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Hebrews 12:10
King James Version
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us
after their own pleasure;
but he for our profit,
that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Hebrews 12:11
King James Version
11 Now no chastening for the present
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless afterward it yieldeth
the peaceable fruit of righteousness
unto them which are exercised thereby.
We accept our afflictions with grace, for they come from GOD's GRACE.
If not for His GRACE, we'd have perished.
If not for His GRACE, we would not have known such love.
My afflictions were GOD's form of chastening.
Without such afflictions, I'd have remained blind, and ignorant.
To my great peril, of course.
That's why I know GOD loves me.
He chastened me, through financial affliction.
After all, I was not exactly a whiz at handling money.
When I started reading Scripture, I realized money didn't matter anymore.
I lost my fixation upon it.
Now, I still have debt.
I may be financially poor, but I feel rich spiritually.
And that's all that matters.
That I do the will of the LORD.
That I do the work He wants me to do.
That I tell you about JESUS.
That I write, and warn you about our sins.
That I tell you about the imminence of the Rapture.
That I alert you to the end times.
Another affliction came in 2021.
Far more painful than anything I've ever felt before.
To get past the pain, I just wrote and wrote with SPIRIT.
We created more blogs than ever.
I studied, more than ever.
I sought GOD's WORD, more than ever.
And held on tightly, to JESUS.
I offered everything back to the LORD.
Only He would know what to do with my family's pain.
I don't know what pain you're going through.
But I do pray each night that people would turn to JESUS for comfort, peace, clarity, and salvation.
In JESUS is peace.
In JESUS is strength.
In JESUS is LIFE, LOVE, LIGHT.
I do not know what to pray for you.
I do not have GOD's perfect wisdom.
But I do know what we need to pray for.
We need to pray to know GOD's will.
That's the only way our prayers get answered.
1 John 5:14
King James Version
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him,
that, if we ask any thing according to his will,
he heareth us:
Related material:
The PURPOSE of affliction
The Waiting Was All Worth It
Biblical PROPHECY You Will Want To LISTEN To
WHAT makes GOD answer a PRAYER?
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