As some of you are already aware, I fully stand with Israel which is very connected with my uncompromising faith in the Lord. I keep on praying to Him for Israel to overwhelm its enemies, rescue the hostages and recover from the effects of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks committed by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. I can assure all of you that nobody from the evil Islamo-Leftist mob, nobody from the pro-Palestine radicals, nobody from the terrorist leadership of Iran and nobody from any evil society would stop me from supporting and loving Israel.
Now, on with the latest developmentsā¦
It has been days since the war between Israel and the terrorist state of Iran started. This is a war that did not just start out of the blue. In reality, it has been building up for a very long time going back to the aftermath of the 1979 Iranian revolution when the Ayatollah and his henchmen came to power. Iran drastically changed into what is now an Islamic state driven by an evil ideology that includes genocide (including the annihilation of Israel and Western democracy), hatred, violence and terrorism.
No matter what the Islamists, the Leftists and their mainstream news media partners-in-crime (read: Reuters, Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse) say, it cannot be denied that Iran is a terrorist state and their leaders and officials chanted āDeath to Americaā, āDeath to Israelā and āDeath to Englandā so many times through the years. Iran also brutalized Iranian civilians who refused to be part of their culture of terrorism.
Along the way, Iran had been lying to the whole world as they kept moving forward with their uranium enrichment program and nuclear projects which were designed for mass destruction, not for energy. Given how hateful and evil Iranās government really is, they should never be allowed to have nuclear weapons.
That being said, Israel launched a series of strategic aerial attacks in Iran hitting military facilities, nuclear sites and government facilities. Israel is at conflict with the Ayatollah-led government and not the civilians of Iran. In fact, Israelās assault against Iran is meant to bring down the wicked regime and pave the way for millions of Iran to become free and hopefully move their nation towards Democracy. Israel is also doing the world a favor as Iran intends to be able to fire weapons of mass destruction (WMD) at Europe, Africa and even America.
To learn about the history between Israel and Iran, watch Ben Shapiroās explanatory video below.
It should be noted that Israel is not only in conflict with Iran. Israel also has terrorist supporter Qatar (which has Islamic terrorist news network and propagandist Al Jazeera), Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Houthi terrorists and Hezbollah to deal with. Iran funded and armed Hamas, Houthi terrorists and Hezbollah for a long time now. I should also mention that the corrupted mainstream news media remain antagonistic towards Israel and they allowed themselves to be partners-in-crime of Iran and Islamic terrorists.
Israelās war with Iran is very costly and they are focused on achieving their goals to not only bring down the evil regime but also secure the safety of the Jewish state. Watch the comprehensive videos of travelingisrael and pay close attention to the details.
As mentioned earlier, you cannot rely on the mainstream news media for international updates or breaking news about the Israel-Iran war. Reuters, Associated Press and Agence France-Presse have sold their souls to Islamo-Leftists a long time ago and it is unfortunate that other smaller news organizations worldwide subscribed to their news feed which are filled with lies and distorted details designed to make Israel look bad and make people hate Israel. If you want truth and clarity, better get the news from TBN Israel and Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). Some selected news videos posted below for you all.
As some of you may be aware right now, I will always stand with Israel and I reject all forms of evil. Learn from what God declared in the holy scriptures below.
Now the Lord had said to Abram:
āGet out of your country,
From your family
And from your fatherās house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.ā
Genesis 12:1-3 (NKJV)
Again God said to him, Your name is Jacob [supplanter]; you shall not be called Jacob any longer, but Israel shall be your name. So He called him Israel [contender with God].
And God said to him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you and kings shall be born of your stock;
The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and to your descendants after you I will give the land.
Genesis 35:10-12 (AMPC)
No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,ā
Says the Lord.
Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV)
Also, let me remind you that Lord Jesus is the hope of all nations. Never allow the forces of evil to bring you down. Never let the wicked ones pull you away from the Lord. Learn from the scriptures below.
For there [is only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
1 Timothy 2:5 (AMPC)
For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 (NKJV)
āI am a true sprouting vine, and the farmer who tends the vine is my Father. He cares for the branches connected to me by lifting and propping up the fruitless branches and pruning every fruitful branch to yield a greater harvest. The words I have spoken over you have already cleansed you. So you must remain in life-union with me, for I remain in life-union with you. For as a branch severed from the vine will not bear fruit, so your life will be fruitless unless you live your life intimately joined to mine.
āI am the sprouting vine and youāre my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within youābut when you live separated from me you are powerless. 6If a person is separated from me, he is discarded; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire to be burned. But if you live in life-union with me and if my words live powerfully within youāthen you can ask whatever you desire and it will be done. When your lives bear abundant fruit, you demonstrate that you are my mature disciples who glorify my Father!
John 15:1-8 (TPT)
Always pray to the Lord in support of Israel, its government, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and its stakeholders. Learn to love and bless the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray to Him for Israelās victory over terrorist state Iran, for the existence of the Jewish state and Western democracy, and for the freedom of the Iranian people.
As some of you are already aware, I fully stand with Israel which is directly connected with my uncompromising faith in the Lord. I keep on praying to Him for Israel to overwhelm its enemies, rescue the hostages and recover from the effects of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks committed by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. I can assure all of you that nobody from the evil Islamo-Leftist mob, nobody from the pro-Palestine zealots and nobody from any evil society would stop me from supporting and loving Israel.
Now, on with the newsā¦
Recently here in the Philippines, memorandum of understanding (MOU) on food security solutions was signed by an Israeli agricultural center and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), according to an official announcement. The MOU signing was witnessed by Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the announcement published through the DILGās website. Some parts in boldfaceā¦
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with an Israeli agricultural center aimed at providing intensive training and education to selected local agriculture students on modern food security solutions.
The MOU was signed by DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos and AgroStudies Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Yaron Tamir at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
In his speech, Abalos thanked the Israel Embassy and the AgroStudies for their friendship and partnership, as the agreement will significantly boost the attainment of Pres. Marcos Jr.ās vision of ensuring food security under the Bagong Pilipinas brand of governance.
Agrostudies is an international training center which provides a program for agricultural education to interns from developing countries around the world.
āWe thank our partners for this continuous partnership of you transferring the technology and best practices to our Filipino farmers,ā he said.
Abalos also thanked the partner national government agencies including the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Agriculture, National Security Council, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for their equal commitment to pushing forth the said program.
The DILG Chief also cited the DILGās Halinaāt Magtanim ng Prutas at Gulay (HAPAG) Program, which complements the national governmentās food security measures, and the KADIWA ng Pangulo program, which provides access to quality and safe food items at affordable prices.
Based on the MOU, the DILG will collaborate with LGUs in the selection of eligible students to participate in the 11-month AgroStudies program in Israel, focusing on various aspects of agriculture, including crop cultivation, livestock management, and agricultural technology.
Meanwhile, Tamir explained that the Philippines was the first partner country of Israel over the last 20 years, with some 8,000 Filipinos as scholars in this program, the largest among 15 partner -countries in the AgroStudies internship program.
āOur purpose is for the students and farmers to learn modern technologies in Israel and engage in businesses in the Philippines. I promise that as long as I am the CEO, the Philippines will have the highest quota,ā Tamir said.
Posted below is a related news videoā¦
The MOU signed is crucial because food security is a priority under the current government. We Filipinos should be very thankful that Israel ā which is an established world leader on agriculture, farming, water and food development ā was willing to be a strategic partner as there are over one hundred million people around the Philippines who need to be fed in the long term. Along the way, the Philippines has to keep working hard on boosting agricultural production, expanding the number of government-backed food stores, stabilizing prices of food and cracking down on those who smuggle and hoard agricultural goods.
We should also be thankful to the Lord that even as Israel remains busy fighting the terrorists not only in Gaza but also across the border with Lebanon (Hezbollah), the Jewish state and Israeli companies still value the Philippines as a key partner on economics and social development issues.
To my fellow Filipinos reading this, I encourage you to accept the truth that Israel is the land God designated specifically for the Jewish people (read Genesis 35:10-12) and His command must be followed without hesitation. If you want to be blessed further by the Lord, do so by loving and blessing the Jewish people (Genesis 12:1-3). I did my part when I was in Israel. Also, let me remind you all that the ties between the Jews and Christians are truly biblical!
We live in a very divided world. Around the world, Leftist forces have been supporting evil forces like the current regime of Iran which is known for supplying and arming the Palestinian terrorists and other terrorist groups around the Middle East. Leftist forces have been supporting the Palestinian Authority and other enemies of Israel. The Leftists and terrorists always go together and their anti-Semitism is clearly obvious. Hamas is purely evil and they are being protected by not only their fellow terrorists but also by mainstream news media outlets who are linked with Leftist forces and people who hate Israel and the Jewish people. Beware of the evil union of the Islamo-Left which is wicked deep within.
With all that said, I encourage you all to pray to the Lord God in support of Israel and believe that He will guide the Israeli forces to another victory which means finishing off Hamas, crushing Hezbollah and forcing Iran and its terror proxies to give up. Read Joshua 11:1-20 in the Holy Bible for relevance and truth.
Welcome back readers, fellow people of faith and supporters of Israel. Last time around, I magnified a GMA Network news report about Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss confirming that Filipinos present in Israel are being taken care of as the Jewish State’s war with Palestinian terrorist group Hamas goes on. The latest news that Filipinos should pay attention to is the Israeli government’s confirmation of extending support to the families if the four Filipinos (identified as Grace Prodigo Cabrera,Ā Loreta Alacre,Ā Angeline Aguirre, andĀ Paul Vincent Castelvi) who lost their lives when Hamas launched its attacks on Israel, according to a GMA Network news report.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the GMA News report. Some parts in boldfaceā¦
The Israeli government will extend long-term support to the families of the four Filipinos who were killed during the attack of militant group Hamas in Israel.
According to Sandra Aguinaldo’s report on Unang Balita on Friday, this was the information received by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) from the Israel Embassy in the Philippines.
“Sila ay treated like an Israeli citizen, so kung ano ‘yung benepisyo na nakukuha ng isang Israeli citizen, gan’un din ang ibibigay sa kanila,” said OWWA administrator Arnell Ignacio.
(They are treated like Israeli citizens, so their benefits are the same as those of an Israeli citizen.)
Aside from assistance in burial and mourning expenses, the families of the four Filipinos will also receive monthly support and yearly cash benefits.
The Israeli Embassy has earlier said it would extend assistance not only to the families of the Filipinos killed in the violence but also to who were injured.
Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss confirmed that Israel will extend assistance to foreign victims of the ongoing violence, including Filipinos.
“We recognize them as victims of terrorism and for that then they will be receiving assistance, either the parents, spouses or children accordingly,” Fluss said in the Unang Balita report.
“Financial assistance, their monthly income. If they need assistance in education, in healthcare, housingā¦ as long as they are in Israel and documented,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ignacio said 58 Filipinos from Israel are set to arrive in the country on Monday, October 30.
In relation to the above news, we Filipinos should thank the Jewish State for the assistance and other forms of support for Filipinos there in Israel who got affected by the continuing attacks by the terrorists. We should also thank the Lord God for the thriving Israel-Philippines ties which for me are truly essential and more Filipinos should value the said ties. Having been to Israel myself (click here, here, here, here, here and here), I witnessed the Holy Bible coming to life at the Holy Land sites our pilgrimage tour group visited and I developed love and support for the Jewish people in accordance to God’s Word. As my faith in the Lord is unbreakable and uncompromising, I will always stand united with Israel.
As Israel and the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) keep on fighting the terrorists not only in Gaza but also in other parts of the country (across borders with nations that somehow accommodated the terrorists), we who believe in the Lord should keep on praying to Him to ensure Israel’s victory, to support the Jewish people, to support the families of the Filipino victims as well as others who became victims of terrorism. Pray also for the innocent and dissenting Palestinians who did not want to be part of the evil activities of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
Be aware that the United Nations (UN), Hamas, Iran, the Democrats, the Palestinian Authority (PA), the woke, Black Lives Matter, the socialists/Communists/Marxists/liberals, the anti-Semitic mob, the climate change extremists, the LGBT mob, the diversity zealots and their inclusion counterparts are all doing the dirty works of Satan. Those are the worldly forces who do not even realize that they have been consumed by evil and they have members who decided to become evil. Along the way, the evil legacies (anti-Israel) of Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and murder Yasser Arafat are still being felt.
That being said, supporting Israel and the Jewish people with God watching us is the right, the moral and holy thing to do. We need to keep on praying to Him for Israel and if God commands you to do something in serving him, do it without hesitation. Ask the Lord how you can support the Jewish State and help contribute to Israel’s next victories while putting out the fire of hatred around the world. For insight about Israel’s place under the Lord and why victory with Him (crushing evil) is inevitable, refer to the holy scriptures below…
Now [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your fatherās house, to the land that I will show you.
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].
And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and [a]curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves].
Genesis 12:1-3 (AMPC)
After these events, God tested and proved Abraham and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Here I am.
[God] said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I will tell you.
So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and then began the trip to the place of which God had told him.
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
And Abraham said to his servants, Settle down and stay here with the donkey, and I and the young man will go yonder and worship and come again to you.
Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on [the shoulders of] Isaac his son, and he took the fire (the firepot) in his own hand, and a knife; and the two of them went on together.
And Isaac said to Abraham, My father! And he said, Here I am, my son. [Isaac] said, See, here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt sacrifice?
Abraham said, My son, God Himself will provide a lamb for the burnt offering. So the two went on together.
When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there; then he laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar on the wood.
And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took hold of the knife to slay his son.
But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham! He answered, Here I am.
And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear and revere God, since you have not held back from Me or begrudged giving Me your son, your only son.
Then Abraham looked up and glanced around, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering and an ascending sacrifice instead of his son!
So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide. And it is said to this day, On the mount of the Lord it will be provided.
The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time
And said, I have sworn by Myself, says the Lord, that since you have done this and have not withheld [from Me] or begrudged [giving Me] your son, your only son,
In blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And your Seed (Heir) will possess the gate of His enemies,
And in your Seed [Christ] shall all the nations of the earth be blessed and [by Him] bless themselves, because you have heard and obeyed My voice.
Genesis 22:1-18 (AMPC)
Again God said to him, Your name is Jacob [supplanter]; you shall not be called Jacob any longer, but Israel shall be your name. So He called him Israel [contender with God].
And God said to him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you and kings shall be born of your stock;
The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and to your descendants after you I will give the land.
Genesis 35:10-12 (AMPC)
Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Gaza [a city in Philistia] and for four [for multiplied delinquencies], I will not reverse the punishment of it or revoke My word concerning it, because [as slave traders] they carried away captive the whole [Jewish] population [of defenseless Judean border villages, of which none was spared, none left behind] and delivered them up to Edom [for the slave trade].
So I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza which shall devour its strongholds.
And I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon, and I will turn My hand against Ekron; and the rest of the Philistines [in Gath and the towns dependent on these four Philistine cities] shall perish, says the Lord God.
Amos 1:6-8 (AMPC)
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [Godās] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord.
Romans 12:19 (AMPC)
O my God, make them like whirling dust, like stubble or chaff before the wind!
As fire consumes the forest, and as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
So pursue and afflict them with Your tempest and terrify them with Your tornado or hurricane.
Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek, inquire for, and insistently require Your name, O Lord.
Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
That they may know that You, Whose name alone is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.
Psalm 83:13-18 (AMPC)
If you truly believe in Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Heavenly Father wholeheartedly and you continue to be faithful, you should be aware that Christians are meant to stand united with Israel and love the Jewish people no matter what. You can do your part supporting Israel byĀ donatingĀ toĀ Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Do not forget to read the Holy Bible, thenĀ pray in tongues to the Lord in the privacy of your room with the door shut. The Lord is faithful and He is capable of winning battles and wars that are too great for us to deal with. Have unwavering faith in Him knowing that victory is His that we can be part of.
Welcome back my readers, fellow people of faith and those who love entertainment. Today, I want to emphasize something within the 1983 sci-fi epic TV miniseries V: The Original Miniseries.
Before I proceed, I want to address the newcomers reading this. V: The Original Miniseries was about alien humanoids from space who arrived on Earth āin peaceā but gradually took control of the world and its people through varied means. Told through the viewpoints of affected Americans in California, V: The Original Miniseries was a cerebral and reflective form of science fiction entertainment that strongly parallels Nazi Germanās occupation and takeover of countries in Europe in relation to World War II. As expected, a group of resisting people forms led by a reluctant young woman.
I personally love V: The Original Miniseries as well as its 1984 sequel V: The Final Battle. I own Blu-ray discs of the two mini-series (click here and here) and I encourage you to check out my retro reviews (click here and here). To this day, both mini-series remain solid to watch and are worth replaying all over again in my experience.
Going back to the subject matter of this post, the one significant scene of V: The Original Miniseries I want to emphasize is the prayer scene in the 2nd episode. The prayer scene took place just before the human resistance (led by Julie Parrish played by Faye Grant supported by Mike Donovan played by Marc Singer, Caleb Taylor played by Jason Bernard and others) execute their desperate moves to free their people from the Visitors (the aliens). Watch below the video clip I recorded off-screen while replaying V: The Original Miniseries on Blu-ray discā¦
The prayer scene of V: The Original Miniseries.
As you can see in the above clip, the affected people were about to pull off a major push back against the Visitors from outer space. They no longer had the local police (who are already working with the aliens) nor the National Guard, nor the State Government of California nor any American authority to help them. Caleb, who lost a son, reminded Julie of having a prayer as he knew that without the Lord, everything they will do will fail. Caleb knew that as a rebelling force, they could not succeed against the Visitors by focusing on themselves, their resources and their abilities. Caleb knew they had to look up to God even though he does not know the state of each group memberās personal connection with Him. It was also symbolic to see Julie Parrish declare amen before finally giving the go-signal for their next operation which eventually served as the series of spectacle (action scenes) and suspense serving as the big pay-off for viewers.
Within the context of the what happened in the 2nd episode of the mini-series, Julie and her crew moved to secure essential equipment and military hardware at a local facility guarded by the Visitors which results in acts of violence as both sides fire at each other. These scenes happened after the prayer scene.
That being said, I want to make clear that I am not emphasizing the concept of praying to God to be able to win against the oppositionby means of violence. Violence and using the very methods of wicked people as a means of getting back at them are clearly not the ways under the watch of the Lord. God has a plan for each and every one of us and we have Lord Jesus to follow to save the lost and unsaved souls. The Lord has His ways of defeating Satan and his pawns, and we only need to follow the Lord instead of taking matters on our own hands.
If you are oppressed and you truly need the Lordās help for favor and breakthroughs, let the Holy Spirit guide you instead of giving in to your fleshly desire of using force on those who attacked you. Do not even think about using the ways the evil ones used against you. Trust in Him, not the worldly and certainly not your flesh. Always remember that vengeance is the Lordās. Read the bible verses belowā¦
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, āVengeance is Mine, I will repay,ā says the Lord. Therefore
āIf your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.ā
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:19-21 (NKJV)
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [Godās] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord.
But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.
Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good.
Romans 12:19-21 (AMPC)
Vengeance is Mine, and recompense, in the time when their foot shall slide; for the day of their disaster is at hand and their doom comes speedily.
Deuteronomy 32:35 (AMPC)
But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
Romans 1:18 (NLT)
For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, āFear not, I will help you.ā
Isaiah 41:13 (NKJV)
As seen among the bible scriptures above, Romans 12:19-21 should remind you all that vengeance is the Lord’s and we only need to follow Him because He knows best and has the means to help us overcome the forces of evil. In relation to that, this should remind you all that V: The Original Miniseries is not a faith-based story. Rather, it is a science fiction tale designed to entertain viewers while emphasizing the concept of what the world would be like if people welcomed foreign entities to come in peace pretentiously and take over societies by means of force, violence and fascism. Take note that the mini-series was released at a time when science fiction movies and TV shows were in high demand arguably due to George Lucasā Star Wars.
The prayer sceneshould serve as a reminder that we the faithful in real life should keep trusting in the Lord and we need to support each other and strengthen our faith in Him no matter how twisted the world is around us. That is what makes it significant as part of the mini-series. Learn from the scriptures belowā¦
For wherever two or three come together in honor of my name, I am right there with them!
Matthew 18:20 (TPT)
Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6 (NKJV)
In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear).
Ephesians 3:12 (AMPC)
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)
For God has not appointed us to [incur His] wrath [He did not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His] salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)
Who died for us so that whether we are still alive or are dead [at Christās appearing], we might live together with Him and share His life.
Therefore encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another, just as you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 (AMPC)
Finally, while focusing on being with other people of faith and praying to the Lord together as a united body of His, learn from the scriptures below pertaining to Lord Jesusā ascension to Heaven and His faithful followers (the early Christians) who stayed united together at the Upper Room in Jerusalem and prayed together knowing they are living on with His victory. May this encourage you to be with your fellow spiritual family (Godās family) members and pray to Him together.
Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, āMen of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.ā
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath dayās journey. And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Acts 1:9-14 (NKJV)
Now watch this video I recorded during my first-ever visit to the Upper Room in Jerusalem which was part of the pilgrimage tour I joined with my local church.
This was from my 2nd visit to the Upper Room in Jerusalem. I went to Israel on a pilgrimage tour with my local church because I desired to seek God’s kingdom there (read Matthew 6:33).
From this point on, I would like to reach out to all the lost and the unsaved people reading this. Did a religious and idolatrous extremist ruin your life? Have you been living in bondage for too long? Did the atheists, the humanists and the secularists fool you and abused you? Were you involved in the terrorist activities of Iran or the Palestinians? Have you been living as a homosexual or as a transgendered person? Are you still addicted to sex, drugs and other inappropriate elements? Did you spend an entire life worshiping statues, statuettes, images, people and relics? Are you a toxic person or one of those modern-day Leftist activists (Black Lives Matter, Democratic Socialists of America, Antifa, the abortionists and others) who got fed up fighting for worthless causes? Did you kill someone and have been living so long with the guilt?
All of the darkness related to what was mentioned above can finally end and you can decide to do it! How? You can save yourselves by submitting yourselves to the Lord Jesus willingly and realize He is the Light! There is no force and no coercion here. You have time and freedom to decide to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. For those who have decided to get born again now and gain salvation, please read the instructions and follow the prayer that I learned from a pastor.
Are you ready? Firstly, open your heart to the Lord and pray this simple prayer in sincerity from your heart:
Father God,
I thank You. I believe Jesus is Your Son. I believe that He died for me and redeemed me from all of my sins. He took my sins and, Father, thank You for loving me and You demonstrated Your love for me through Your Son Jesus Christ. Forgive me for all of my sins. Jesus, I open my heart to You. I welcome You to enter into my heart. I confess today that You are now my Lord and Savior. Thank You for forgiveness. I receive forgiveness. Thank You for Your blood that cleansed me from all of my sins. I will follow You, Jesus. Thank You for Your plan. I receive the Holy Spirit. And Holy Spirit, help me to follow the will of God in my life in Jesusā name. Amen.
Congratulations! You are now a child of God! You have received Holy Spirit in your heart! This is easily your greatest decision ever made and also the greatest miracle of your life. Always praise, thank and honor the Lord. No more darkness in your life caused by politics, radicalism, toxicity, rebellion, religion, unbelief, evil, idolatry, traditions and rituals! Leave behind the darkness of your life and donāt look back to it. Remember that idolatry is evil, Purgatory is a lie, penance is a deception and Satan always used religion and unbelief to prevent people from being saved by the Lord. Also, do not ever hail Mary (the mother of Lord Jesus) because all the praise and honor belong to God, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit only.
With Lord Jesus, you are already moving forward and the best is yet to come! You also have a personal relationship with God, a relationship that is strictly off-limits to others (even to your household members or biological family members).
The Holy Bible is the ultimate authority and nothing else comes close to it for it is the Word of God. Remember always that Lord Jesus did not die on the cross to start religion. He died to redeem us all and showed that we must be led by faith in Him, faith in the Holy Spirit and faith in God the Heavenly Father. He rose from the dead and made His earthly presence felt once more to those who believed in Him. Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven and He promised to return in the future. His return is what we must always remember and keep living with holiness under the watch of God. We can do our part in building up Godās kingdom here on Earth by preaching His Word, blessing the Jewish people and saving the countless lost and unsaved souls around us by leading them to Lord Jesus. Living as a Christian is always about the personal relationship with the Lord, and it is certainly not about religion. Never let the idolaters, the idol makers, the ritual practitioners and other sinister forces fool you into becoming unholy.
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.
Recently Philippine President Ferdinand āBongbongā Marcos, Jr., emphasized the need to use new technologies so that the country will be able to improve the management of its water resources and ensure a stable supply for the people, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article. Along the way, Marcos mentioned Israel as a role model that the Philippines can learn from to achieve water security.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA article. Some parts in boldfaceā¦
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday emphasized the need to use new and emerging technologies to improve the management of the country’s water resources and provide safe and affordable water to all.
Marcos made the statement during the opening of the 6th Edition of the Water Philippines Conference and Exposition at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
āI happened to have been given the opportunity to walk around a little bit and see some of the exhibitors. And it is very gratifying to note that in fact, the technologies that are being used, that are being employed in terms of water treatment, in terms of water management are well-known technologies,ā he said. āAnd so, I am very optimistic that the solutions that we need to formulate are out there, the technologies are out there. What has continued to change in the light of climate change is the management, the stratagems on how we manage our water.ā
Marcos particularly pointed out that flood control projects have evolved through the years, along with the changing times, noting that these are no longer just exclusively used for that.
āWe take the water and we use it for irrigation, we use it for drinking water if we have a treatment plant,ā he said, adding that water can be used to produce power with small hydroelectric plants.
He also cited Israel’s experience showing how it promotes the sustainable use of clean water for various purposes despite having a limited water supply.
āIād spent some time in Israel and I saw how they treat the water because water is very scarce. They live in the desert. Nevertheless, they are able to collect the water during the rainy season, whatever is available, they put fish in it to grow fish. When the summer comes, they take it out, take out the water, harvest the fish, and then that goes to irrigation and so forth,ā Marcos said.
He said the Philippines could learn from Israel and apply this approach to achieve water security.
āThese are the kinds of thinking that we have to apply to the Philippines because of the crisis that we are facing and how debilitating it will be to the entire economy, to the entire society if our water supply problem continues to get greater, continues to become more dependent on what we have been doing in the past,ā he said.
It is very notable that President Marcos mentioned Israel while talking about the state of water in the Philippines. I myself had been to Israel recently on pilgrimage tour and there were times when our tour bus traveled great distances on desert areas, I did not just see sand and rocks. I saw lots of plantations along the road and the sight of lively vegetation in the desert of Israel was astounding. Israel is very well known not only for their highly advanced treatment and management of water, they are also highly proficient on agriculture and creating abundant supplies of food. Very recently, the 65th anniversary of friendship between Israel and the Philippines was commemorated. We need to pray to the Lord that President Marcos and an official delegation of the Philippines will someday visit Israel and have official meetings with their Israeli counterparts, meet with the Filipino community there and come up with new agreements for greater cooperation between the two nations.
To my fellow Filipinos reading this, I encourage you to accept the truth that Israel is the land God designated specifically for the Jewish people (read Genesis 35:10-12) and His command must be followed by all. If you want to be blessed further by the Lord, do so by loving and blessing the Jewish people (Genesis 12:1-3). I did my part when I was in Israel.
Welcome back, my readers and fellow Christians! In this newest edition of my Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series, we will focus on How Great is Our God, a very well-known worship song written by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash and Jesse Reeves. The song was part of the DVD release of the live praise-and-worship Hillsong Worship album titled Mighty to Save.
If you want to discover and learn more about Hillsong Worship, I encourage you to click here (Facebook page), here (Instagram) and here (YouTube). To learn more about Chris Tomlin, click here (Facebook), here (Instagram) and here (official website).
Before getting into the analysis of the Biblical relevance of How Great is Our God, posted below for your reference are the lyrics composed by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash and Jesse Reeves.
Lyrics:
The splendor of a king
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice
–
He wraps Himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
Trembles at His voice
–
How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our God
–
Age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the end
Beginning and the end
–
The Godhead Three in One
Father, Spirit and Son
The Lion and the Lamb
The Lion and the Lamb
–
How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our God
–
Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God
–
Name above all names
You are worthy of all praise
And my heart will sing
How great is our God
–
[3x]
How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our God
–
To begin with, letās take a close look at the first section of the lyrics above: The splendor of a king,Clothed in majesty, Let all the earth rejoice, All the earth rejoice.
The above lines emphasize the greatness of God in Heaven. In His Kingdom, the Lord is the ultimate which is undeniably true and as His faithful children, we do our part honoring Him, praising Him, serving Him, rejoicing with Him and keep on having an eternal personal relationship with Him. Godās greatness also rewards us as we keep on having unwavering faith in Him. Do not forget that submitting to His Son Jesus is the only way to the Heavenly Father. Learn from the following holy scriptures belowā¦
To you, O God, belong the greatness and the might, the glory, the victory, the majesty, the splendor; Yes! Everything in heaven, everything on earth; the kingdom all yours! You’ve raised yourself high over all.
1 Chronicles 29:11 (MSG)
And I said: āI pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments,ā
Nehemiah 1:5 (NKJV)
For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.
1 Samuel 12:22 (ESV)
Jesus explained, āI am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am the Life. No one comes next to the Father except through union with me. To know me is to know my Father too.ā
John 14:6 (TPT)
Then Jesus came close to them and said, āAll authority of the universe has been given to me. Now wherever you go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And teach them to faithfully follow all that I have commanded you. And never forget that I am with you every day, even to the completion of this age.ā
Matthew 28:18-20 (TPT)
Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!
Philippians 4:4 (MSG)
Next, take a close look at the next batch of lines from the lyrics: He wraps Himself in light, And darkness tries to hide, And trembles at His voice, Trembles at His voice
The above lines explain that the holiness of the Heavenly Father is true and eternal. God is great and His light shines upon His faithful children as well as the other souls who repented and submitted to His Son Lord Jesus to come to Him in the Kingdom of Light. Darkness, sin, destruction, poverty and other elements of the enemy have no place in Godās kingdom nor in the hearts of the children of God. With unwavering and unbreakable faith in the Lord, you can defeat Satan and his minions and stay high with the Lordās holiness! Pay close attention to the following holy scriptures.
Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great! You are clothed with honor and majestyā
[You are the One] Who covers Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain or a tent,
Who lays the beams of the upper room of His abode in the waters [above the firmament], Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind,
Psalm 104:1-3 (AMPC)
Everything I am will praise and bless the Lord!
O Lord, my God, your greatness takes my breath away,
overwhelming me by your majesty, beauty, and splendor!
You wrap yourself with a shimmering, glistening light.
You wear sunshine like a garment of glory.
You stretch out the starry skies like a tapestry.
You build your balconies with light beams
and ride as King in a chariot you made from clouds.
You fly upon the wings of the wind.
Psalms 104:1-3 (TPT)
There is none holy like the Lord, there is none besides You; there is no Rock like our God.
1 Samuel 2:2 (AMPC)
You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believeāand tremble!
James 2:19 (NKJV)
Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (Godās holy people) in the Light.
[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.
[Now] He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation.
Colossians 1:12-15 (AMPC)
Then Jesus said, āI am light to the world, and those who embrace me will experience life-giving light, and they will never walk in darkness.ā
John 8:12 (TPT)
Next, take a close look at the next batch of lines from the lyrics. Specifically, the following are lines from the chorus of the song: How great is our God, Sing with me, How great is our God, And all will see, How great, how great is our God.
The above lines emphasize again the greatness of God. It teaches us that as His faithful children, we should be ready to always recognize true greatness comes from the Lord and no other forms of greatness will ever come close to His. The greatness of the Lord is a lively reminder that we must dedicated ourselves to Him, spread His Word to others and help the lost and unsaved souls come to Lord Jesus to be with the Heavenly Father and realize His greatness. Read the hole scriptures belowā¦
There is none like you, O Lord;
you are great, and your name is great in might.
Jeremiah 10:6 (ESV)
For God is the triumphant King; all the powers of the earth are his. So sing your celebration songs of highest praise to the glorious Enlightened One!
Psalms 47:7 (TPT)
The Mighty One has worked a mighty miracle for me; holy is his name!
Luke 1:49 (TPT)
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
1 John 3:1 (NKJV)
Death once held us in its grip, and by the blunder of one man, death reigned as king over humanity. But now, how much more are we held in the grip of grace and continue reigning as kings in life, enjoying our regal freedom through the gift of perfect righteousness in the one and only Jesus, the Messiah!
Romans 5:17 (TPT)
The time came to observe the winter Feast of Renewal in Jerusalem. Jesus walked into the temple area under Solomonās covered walkway when the Jewish leaders encircled him and said, āHow much longer will you keep us in suspense? Tell us the truth and clarify this for us once and for all. Are you really the Messiah, the Anointed One?ā
Jesus answered them, āI have told you the truth already and you did not believe me. The proof of who I am is revealed by all the miracles that I do in the name of my Father. Yet, you stubbornly refuse to follow me, because you are not my sheep. As Iāve told you before: My own sheep will hear my voice and I know each one, and they will follow me. I give to them the gift of eternal life and they will never be lost and no one has the power to snatch them out of my hands. My Father, who has given them to me as his gift, is the mightiest of all, and no one has the power to snatch them from my Fatherās care. The Father and I are one.ā
John 10:22-30 (TPT)
For there [is only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
1 Timothy 2:5 (AMPC)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)
The Lord has done great things for us;
We are joyful.
Psalm 126:3 (NASB)
The above lines emphasize that the Lord is eternal and He does not change Himself. He is always present to guide the faithful and provide for them. He is always there to fight battles that are too great for us to handle. God is always present to emphasize His faithfulness to those who dedicated themselves to Him. He is always present to spend time with each of us ā His faithful children ā and is always ready to welcome the souls who got born again after repenting to Lord Jesus and accepting Him as their Lord and Savior. Learn from the scriptures belowā¦
The eternal God is your refuge and dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He drove the enemy before you and thrust them out, saying, Destroy!
Deuteronomy 33:27 (AMPC)
For this is God,
Our God forever and ever;
He will be our guide
Even to death.
Psalm 48:14 (NKJV)
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
Isaiah 40:28 (NKJV)
Jesus responded and said to him, āTruly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.ā
John 3:3 (NASB)
āI tell you this timeless truth: The person who follows me in faith, believing in me, will do the same mighty miracles that I doāeven greater miracles than these because I go to be with my Father!ā
John 14:12 (TPT)
Then Jesus came close to them and said, āAll authority of the universe has been given to me. Now wherever you go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And teach them to faithfully follow all that I have commanded you. And never forget that I am with you every day, even to the completion of this age.ā
Matthew 28:18-20 (TPT)
Next, take a close look at the following lines of lyrics: The Godhead Three in One, Father, Spirit and Son, The Lion and the Lamb, The Lion and the Lamb.
The above lines refers to the Holy Trinity composed of God the Heavenly Father, His Son Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Having the Holy Trinity is essential in our faith in the Lord as well as Christian living. The lion and the lamb mentioned symbolize our Lord.
Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).
Matthew 28:19 (AMPC)
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
John 14:16-17 (ESV)
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, āBehold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!ā
John 1:29 (NKJV)
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:
āWorthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!ā
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
āBlessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!ā
Revelation 5:11-13 (NKJV)
And I wept audibly and bitterly because no one was found fit to open the scroll or to inspect it.
Then one of the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] said to me, Stop weeping! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root (Source) of David, has won (has overcome and conquered)! He can open the scroll and break its seven seals!
Revelation 5:4-5 (AMPC)
The Lord also will roar from Zion,
And utter His voice from Jerusalem;
The heavens and earth will shake;
But the Lord will be a shelter for His people,
And the strength of the children of Israel.
Joel 3:16 (NKJV)
Finally, we take a close look at the following lines of lyrics of the song in two similar looking batches: Name above all names, Worthy of all praise, My heart will sing, How great is our Godand Name above all names, You are worthy of all praise, And my heart will sing, How great is our God.
Our Lordās name is the ultimate of all names. No name can be greater than the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the only begotten son of God sent here on Earth to lead humanity out of darkness. Jesus died on the cross carrying all of humanityās sins and trespasses with Him, and a few days later He returned from the dead (conquered death), made His presence felt to the faithful and ascended to Heaven with the promise of returning in the future. Lord Jesus is the Messiah, the King of all kings and the One we must follow in order to be with the Heavenly Father in His kingdom. The Lord is worthy of all our praise! Learn from the following scriptures belowā¦
Because of that obedience, God exalted him and multiplied his greatness! He has now been given the greatest of all names! The authority of the name of Jesus causes every knee to bow in reverence! Everything and everyone will one day submit to this nameāin the heavenly realm, in the earthly realm, and in the demonic realm. And every tongue will proclaim in every language: āJesus Christ is Lord Yahweh,ā bringing glory and honor to God, his Father!
Philippians 2:9-11 (TPT)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 3:16-17 (NKJV)
And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:16 (NKJV)
She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21 (NASB)
I will exalt You, my God, the King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation will praise Your works to another,
And will declare Your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
People will speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
Psalm 145:1-6 (NASB)
For through the eternal and living Word of God you have been born again. And this āseedā that he planted within you can never be destroyed but will live and grow inside of you forever. For: Human beings are frail and temporary, like grass, and the glory of man fleeting like blossoms of the field. The grass dries and withers and the flowers fall off, but the Word of the Lord endures forever!
1 Peter 1:23-25 (TPT)
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah is Godās spiritual child and has been fathered by God himself. And everyone who loves Father God loves his children as well. This is how we can be sure that we love the children of God: by having a passionate love for God and by obedience to his commands. True love for God means obeying his commands, and his commands donāt weigh us down as heavy burdens. You see, every child of God overcomes the world, for our faith is the victorious power that triumphs over the world.So who are the world conquerors, defeating its power? Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
1 John 5:1-5 (TPT)
Very clearly, the worship song How Great is Our God is a very holy song. Indeed, the lyrics composed by the writers are very biblical and it is safe to say that the Lord anointed them as well as their musicians to make this great praise-and-worship song. Musically, it is unsurprisingly beautiful to listen to and easily it is ideal to lead your fellow faithful Christians at church to the Lord with. How Great is Our God will easily fit in with your local churchās Sunday worship service music as well as during special worship events that involve the churchās music team. Ultimately, How Great is Our God will not only remind you of His everlasting greatness but also inspire you to deepen your faith in Him and help lead the lost and unsaved souls to Him through Lord Jesus!
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there. Also please consider making a donation to support my publishing of faith articles, CMAs and feature articles.
The year twenty twenty-three ā 2023 ā is finally here. While we do not know for certain what events will happen to us in the next 365 days, we must always be faithful to our Lord and keep on living on and moving forward with His Word (the Holy Bible).
2022 is officially over and looking back to it, there are miracles and positive events that happened which we must thank the Lord for. I am personally thankful to God for His provision, His guiding light and His love for me in 2022. Along the way were blessings from Him such as my attendance of the Planetshakers worship event in September 2022, breakthroughs in my private sector job, further growth through my local church, having attended Sunday worship and the 17th anniversary of CHAN International Ministries in Bulacan province, and the continued global reach of my website and blog at www.CarloCarrasco.com to name some.
There were also big breakthroughs that happened in this very divided world we live in. I am thankful to our Lord that Benjamin Netanyahu return as Prime Minister of Israel as he and his coalition partners won a clear majority of the seats of the Knesset during their national elections months ago. Over in the United States, the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade (legalized abortion) and I personally refer to that at the June 24, 2022 miracle in America. I prayed for Netanyahuās return to power and the fall of Roe v. Wade, and the Lord answered! For those reading this, I encourage you to pray to the Lord in your room with the door shut. Pray in tongues to Him always.
Speaking of my website, I am thankful to our Lord and also happy to share with you what was achieved in 2022. For the full year of 2022, www.CarloCarrasco.com attracted over 160,000 hits (page views) worldwide and the Top 5 nations of users/readers were from my native Philippines at #1 followed by Cambodia (the host of the 2023 Southeast Asian Games), the United States, India and the United Kingdom. In terms of online visitors, over 122,000 worldwide were attracted in 2022. The single biggest month in terms of page views was December 2022 with over 17,000 hits.
With regards to how many hits were counted for my website in terms of lifetime (starting January 4, 2019), more than 800,000 hits worldwide were counted as of December 31, 2022. I am aiming for the milestone 1,000,000 hits mark.
As such, I would like to express my thanks to all the readers and Internet users who visited my website and blog for news, Christian teachings, Christian music appreciation, entertainment, special features and other content. I also want to thank the local government units, the homeownersā associations, local churches, the local news media outlets and other private entities for sharing content and letting me magnify or publicize them through my website. For this new year, I have some new special feature articles planned for publishing.
To those of you who enjoy my website, be reminded that I am accepting donations online to keep it running and to keep more content coming in to not only entertain you but help you and enlighten you all. Visit https://carlocarrasco.com/donate/ to donate online.
For 2023 and the future, I urge all of you readers to never lose faith in the Lord no matter how good or bad your situation is. Jesus is our Lord and Savior and no matter what happens, we must always rejoice with Him.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Philippians 4:4 (NKJV)
If you are hurting and you need healing badly, come to Lord Jesus with unwavering faith in Him.
Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, āIf only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.ā
Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, āWho touched My clothes?ā
But His disciples said to Him, āYou see the multitude thronging You, and You say, āWho touched Me?āā
And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
And He said to her, āDaughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.ā
Mark 5:25-34 (NKJV)
Ultimately, Jesus is the way, the life and the truth that we must follow with unwavering faith.
Jesus explained, āI am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am the Life. No one comes next to the Father except through union with me. To know me is to know my Father too.ā
John 14:6 (TPT)
Always remember to maintain unwavering faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus to move on with 2023 and beyond. Reject the evil ways of the world, push the idols out of the way, and reject religion, atheism and secularism so that you can clear your path of faith in the Lord and make room for Him in your heart. Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!
If you are looking for a worship event to deepen your relationship with the Lord and if you also have the means to travel overseas, then you should look to Planetshakers in Australia as they will organize the highly anticipated Planetshakers Conference 2023 in the cities of Melbourne and Brisbane over separate weekends this coming January with the theme āShow me Your gloryā. The good news here is that online registration is ongoing.
To join the conference in Melbourne set for January 12 to 14, 2023, click here. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) is the venue listed.
To join the conference in Brisbane set for January 20 to 21, 2023, click here. The Royal International Convention Centre Brisbane is the venue listed.
Each Planetshakers Conference 2023 page per location has registration fees (note: be prepared with your credit card) and schedules of activities for each day.
The official message from Planetshakers church founders and pastors Russell and Sam Evans emphasizing Planetshakers Conference 2023 goes as follows:
IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN OUR DESIRE AND OUR PURSUITā¦JOIN US AS WE CONTINUE TO RUN AFTER GOD WITH THE INTENT OF SEEING HIS GLORY.
Just as Moses would not go anywhere unless Godās presence accompanied him we have that same heartās cry and at this yearās conference, people from all over Australia and the world will be coming together with that common passion.
Show me Your glory.
We cannot wait to encounter Him and to sit back in wonder at all the incredible things that will take place. Itās going to be awe-inspiring!
Love, Russell and Sam Evans
For the newcomers who are trying to figure out what exactly is a Planetshakers Conference, posted below is an excerpt from their official page. Some parts in boldfaceā¦
Planetshakers Conferences are a Holy Spirit-inspired initiative, birthed in a supernatural encounter with God in a revival meeting at the Glasshouse in Melbourne, during which Pastor Russell Evans heard the clear mandate from Holy Spirit to, āStart a conference and call it Planetshakersā.
Without fully understanding what God had in mind, Russell and his wife Sam, obediently responded to God and gathered a small group of passionate leaders and teenagers together to communicate the vision. Full of raw excitement and hungry for a move of God, this small group of young people willingly stretched their faith, gave generously of their resources and embarked on a journey that would ultimately lead to the establishment of a significant, globally-impacting church and ministry.
The first Planetshakers Conference was held in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1997, with 300 young people in attendance. The event was marked by intense hunger for God as young people travelled great distances to attend, and queued for hours in extreme heatā just to position themselves for an encounter with Jesus. When word got out that Planetshakers Conference was unlike any other conference experience, numbers rapidly escalated, necessitating that the event be replicated in other cities around Australia.
Over the years that Planetshakers has run conferences, many people from all walks of life have reported that it was at one of these events that they encountered God in such a radical way that they were arrested in their lives and set on course for their God-given destiny. Having started with young people, the event is now marked by great diversity of age, culture and denomination in attendanceāadding to the richness of the corporate worship experience.
Planetshakers Conferences are each marked by a prophetic āthemeā or declaration that has been prayerfully sought by Russell Evans. This theme pervades every part of the experience and is reflected in the songs, resources and preaching.
In addition to fresh, passionate, supernatural praise and worship, many great, Spirit-led ministers from all over the world, have graced the pulpit with life-changing, prophetic messages of grace, love, hope, breakthrough and deliverance.
Our heart in running Planetshakers Conferences world-wide, is that we might appropriate the breakthrough anointing that God has gifted our ministry, inspire passionate, authentic praise and worship, create an insatiable hunger for God in peopleās lives, release generosity and faith in Godās people and facilitate divine partnerships ā for the sole purpose of helping to build local churches around the globe, championing Holy Spirit and seeing the Kingdom of God advance.
The Planetshakers Conference is clearly about experiencing the close encounter with the Lord involving faith and His Word (the Holy Bible). As such, there will be opportunities where you can deepen your faith in the Lord and strengthen further your personal relationship with Him.
I personally would love to attend a Planetshakers Conference someday. This past September, I attended a Planetshakers worship event here in the Philippines and as it was very anointed event, I ā along with many thousands of others who attended ā got blessed by the Lord. I am also very thankful to Him that I personally witnessed and followed the very anointed and heartful prayers led by Pastor Sam Evans herself. That being said, I believe that the upcoming Planetshakers Conference will come with blessings and anointing from the Lord.
If you want to discover and learn more about Planetshakers, I encourage you to click here (Facebook page), here (Instagram), here (Twitter) and here (YouTube). To know more about Planetshakers itself, visit https://www.planetshakers.com/
In ending this article, I posted below assorted music videos of worship songs of Planetshakers. May these enlighten you, delight you and motivate you to come to God, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit without hesitation. Seek Lord Jesus first, follow His light and always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! Peace and amen to you all!
The Philippine Navy (PN) is looking towards Israel with regards to their plan to acquire several more missile boats, according to a news article by the Philippine News Agency (PNA). To be specific, they are looking for Israel-produced Shaldag Mark V missile boats. Thank note that Philippine Navy recently received two new missile boats made in Israel.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA article. Some parts in boldfaceā¦
The Philippine Navy (PN) is planning to acquire at least 15 more Israel-made Shaldag Mark V missile boats, which are the basis of its Acero-class patrol gunboats.
“We are planning to get 15 additional ‘Acero’-class gunboats (to augment the) nine (now on the pipeline),” Navy chief Rear Adm. Toribio Adaci Jr. told reporters on the sidelines of the commissioning and send-off ceremony for the fast attack interdiction craft missiles (FAIC-Ms) BRP Nestor Acero (PG-901) and BRP Lolinato To-Ong (PG-902) Monday.
Adaci said the additional “Acero”-class gunboats would help them to meet their requirements in “patrolling the seas of the country”. He also said the FAIC-Ms will be assigned to the Littoral Combat Force.
He said four more FAIC-Ms, the other name of the “Acero” class in the PN service, will be delivered sometime in 2023.
“I don’t know the exact delivery dates next year but this shall be throughout (next year),” the PN chief added.
The last batch of three, which will be built at the PN shipyard in the Naval Station Pascual Ledesma in Cavite, is scheduled for 2024.
Adaci said Israel Shipyard Limited will help the PN rehabilitate the old shipyard and make it more modern and allow it to build these types of ships.
“In that way, our people can learn how to do it, maintain these āAceroā class boats and that will be the start of the transfer of technology,” he said.
These 32-meter high-speed vessels are equipped with quick intercept ability, remote stabilized weapons, and short-range missiles that are capable of delivering precision strikes against larger hostiles and high-value targets on land and sea.
Four of the FAIC-Ms will be armed with non-line-of-sight (NLOS) missiles with pinpoint accuracy and a range of 25 kilometers while the other five will be armed with Typhoon-mounted 30mm main cannons and .50 caliber heavy machine guns.
The acquisition of these FAIC-Ms is among the 2019 projects approved by former President Rodrigo Duterte under the Horizon 2 List of the AFP Modernization Program.
The notice of award for the FAIC-M project, worth around PHP10 billion, was issued on January 5 last year. These are expected to replace the force of patrol killer medium or medium-sized patrol craft.
For the newcomers reading this, Israel is a military super power as well as a provider of advanced technologies which authorities here in the Philippines are realizing even more in relation to their military needs and objectives. For far too long have locals been obsessed with Silicon Valley (California, the United States) for just about anything related to technology. Many do not realize it but Israel is a major player in technology. As such, we should be thankful to the Lord that the Philippine Navy continues to look at Israel for new military hardware which is surely beneficial.
In recent times, the State of Israel engaged with the Philippines on managing water which is clearly an essential resource, according to a Manila Times news article. Israelās Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss spoke at the meeting.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Times article. Some parts in boldfaceā¦
ISRAEL is offering innovative solutions to help the Philippines improve water resource management and conservation.
Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation and the United States Agency for International Aid shared with the Philippine government and local water concessionaires in the Philippines the expertise and experience of Israel on water resource management.
“Israel invested in technology to support the growing demand and urbanization in the country,” said Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss during a recent seminar.
The technologies, he said, “were introduced together with good policies and regulations that made Israel the leading country in the world in managing the water sector.“
“From desalination to reuse of sewage, minimum loss of water and more,” the ambassador said.
“Through this seminar, we hope that the Philippines’ key implementing agencies will gain insights from the Israeli experience and adapt them to local conditions,” he added.
He noted that Israel faced challenges in water conservation and management. The Middle East is a dry area and more than 50 percent of “Israel is actually desert,” he said.
The Israeli Embassy in Manila said National Water Resources Board Director Susan Abano shared the challenges that the Philippines faces as water availability continues to fall due to rising demand.
The embassy said that engineers Rodel Rik Tumanda and Jon Michael Esteban of Maynilad and Manila Water, respectively, as well as Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System chief regulator Patrick Ty presented their perspectives on managing water scarcity.
“These were analyzed by the Israeli water delegation and presented advanced solutions to better manage the water sector of the country,” the embassy said in a statement.
“The Israeli companies highlighted Israel’s innovation and technology to inspire and encourage the Philippine water sector, businesses and local government units to invest in technologies that will help manage water sustainably,” it added.
Among the Israeli companies who presented their water technologies were ARAD Group, Atlantium, Okiana and Watergen.
For the newcomers reading this, Israel is known for innovation not only with technology and agriculture but also in water management and the development of new sources of water. Constant problems of water supply and resource handling here in the Philippines are not new anymore and the assistance we got from Israel is crucial. This is something we have to be very thankful to our Lord for and we should pray that the Philippine water stakeholders who attended the reported meeting will put into action what they learned from their Israeli counterparts so that water management in the country will be improved.
Author Carlo Carrasco 