My Sanctuary

WHO CAN I TURN TO?

(HOPE IN TIMES OF CRISIS)

By: Ana Marie B. Cruz

Poverty, violence, bigotry,
discrimination, broken marriages, financial difficulties, name them all and we
presently have them in our lives today. These things are the cause of our depression
and our feeling of hopelessness. But are we really “out of hope” in this what
we call “crisis” in our lives? Definitely not!

God has his original plan for man,
being his most treasured creation. His plan is to prosper us and not to harm us.
It was his intention to make man live free of all worries and troubles but when
sin entered the scene, man got separated from God, totally stripped off of the
covering , love and protection of our great Creator. But since God himself is
love, and his mercies endures forever, He sent his only begotten Son as a
ransom for our sins, and by his precious blood, we are once again reconciled to
the Father. Jesus Christ is the very hope we all need to overcome the
oppression of all the difficulties we are facing right now. In the Bible, it is
clearly stated that we can do all things through Christ who gives us the
strength and apart from him, we can do nothing. Whatever we do in our own
effort, will just be put to waste unless the Lord allows it.

“ Unless  the Lord builds the house, those who build it
labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake
in vain” Psalm 127:1.

Simply put, in times of crisis (
whatever it is we are in to right now) God is the only hope that we can hold on
to. He’s faithful to his promises, our faith in him will just be the one to make
it work. To those who are losing hope and asking who can they turn to? Turn to
Jesus, He is just a prayer away.

“
Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”
Matthew 11:28-30

I have got so much to share, so little time…I know my Lord shall give me the perfect timing to share them all with you. Meanwhile, I’ll have to finish my commitments first. Ooooh! I got thrills! Our Gospel Band’s made our first move. Glory be to God! I’ll update all of you soon! Ciao! JESUS ALL THE PRAISES TO YOU!

I’ts March alright and the sound of graduation march reverberates in my brain. I do feel nostalgic during this month.Remembering the good old days, too excited to "that day" when we are officially declared as graduates!

This March is exceptionally special to me, simply because my eldest daughter Cia Basstia Athena will finally have the taste of what I always brag to her about, the unexplainable joy and excitement graduation brings! Truth is, I am the one who is very excited. Little that she knows, I barely sleep at night imagining how am i gonna make the celebration even memorable for her. You see , as soon as she passed the entrance exam, I already bought her a PE uniform! (Tell me if i am not that excited hahaha!) I arranged for her room in a dormitory inside the University and starting buying things she might need when the school year opens, from the bed and electric fan to the last details as toothbrush, soap and toothpaste! You can never be too prepared you know. I do this because I hate cramming and I definitely hate being late.

I must admit, i am covering some sort of  pain inside my heart, I really would love my only daughter to stay with me forever but I would also want to see her walk and discover for herself a new horizon, make her confront life’s challenges and its complexities and be able to decide wisely on her own. I feel like I am the mother bird who let’s go of its young to learn how to fly alone yet always ready to whatever need that arises.

You see I have been in and out of the country for 19 solid years and we hardly spend a whole year together and only a couple of years ago that I decided not to ever leave them again ( except of course when I need to go abroad on short trips). That is why it seems too abrupt to be separated to her again, only this time, she will be the one to leave. But I already made plans to have a mid-week visitation to check her needs and condition and to give her the hugs and kisses she might miss.(and the food i cook!)

I trust the Lord so much and I know He will put a hedge over my daughter and will protect her from all trouble.

"The Lord is on my side ; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper , I shall look in triumph on those who hate me"  Psalm 118:6-7

I have peace in my heart for I know the Lord will not leave my daughter alone .

" Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place–the Most High , who is my refuge, no evil shall be allowed to befall you , no plague come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways ."Psalm 91:9-11

As a mother i may worry a lot but as a believer of Christ, I know worrying will not help but PRAYING does!  GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

Hello! It’s February and obviously, people get too excited to witness the “miracle” Feb. 14 brings to the hopeless romantics and the hopeful ones too! Apparently people thesedays experience some sort of unexplainable tolerance to the usual day -to -day stress. This I may say is the “magic ” of LOVE ! But life ,in its reality do not always conform with what we “hope” happens in a particular event. Even in this so called “love month”, many are still overwhelmed by the problems they are facing day after day. For some reasons, it is  totally ironic to be bombarded with unexpected perplexities when we even prayed to have at least one special day free of worries and problems. Then we ask ,” Is this just a trial or persecution?”

” Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” 1Peter 4:12-13

God wants the best for his children, he only has the perfect plan for all who believes and he is always there to free us from whatever bad situation we are in.Our Hope is in the Lord!

” Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from the trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgement“ 2Peter 2:9

The Scripture encourages us to be firm and strong in times of difficulties.

“ Count it all joy my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect , that you may be PERFECT and COMPLETE lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-3

Let us not forget that there really is a spiritual warfare going on, GOOD against evil. The enemy will attack us 24/7.He is  crafty and dead serious to put us down for we are the beloved children of the Lord. Like I said, Our Heavenly Father designed a perfect plan for us, a plan of prosperity and a bright future . It is the devil that finds pleasure in making our lives miserable and  defeated. But the good news is, JESUS already won the battle for us.Just as He is our Master, His victory is not for himself but for us who accept and acknowledge him as Lord and Savior.He has overcomed the enemy already and the only foothold the devil has from us is our lack of knowledge of the truth that we have been given full authorities over all principalities and as he keeps our eyes blinded by his schemes, we can not retalliate and often feel helpless simply because  we do not know what we got.  It is all written in the Bible, all we need is read and talk to the Lord. Speak your heart to him, ask for strength, wisdom, protection and deliverance. He is ALWAYS there waiting for you and me.

“Let not your hearts  be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me……Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do , that the Father may be glorified in the Son.If you ask me, anything in my name I will do it “ John 14:1  / 13-14

Let’s all assume our rightful position, we are victorious and more than conquerors in Christ Jesus!

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

You may be wondering why I have been slumbering for so long,truth is, there are soooo much preoccupations that seem to fight their way up to be my priority! I miss sharing all the details to you but like I said, i ain’t got the luxury of time. I just happen to be in a situation right now where I have personally been a witness to God’s awesome protection and care. You see, like everybody else, I am going through difficult times these past few months. I thank the good Lord for not ever letting me feel alone.It really feels like I always have a real  dependable friend beside me,I am just so sure that it was HE who holds my hand to give me the encouragement to face the day, the one who tap my shoulder to let me know I did a job well done according to His will, it is HE who listens everytime I pour my heart , the one who guards my thoughts , who offers his shoulder when my burden seem unbearable.You make me feel special Oh Lord, I can’t thank you much! You are indeed my Savior  in the most literal sense! I love you Jesus!

“                       “..what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowed him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts in the field,the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. Oh LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”  Psalm 8:4-9

Peace be to all! God bless!

Hello again! It’s been like what? A week of absence from posting at my blog? Been really preoccupied with family, work and studies.However even in those times that I’m suppose-to-be doing other things, I often end up exploring my mind, asking frequently asked questions yet never bother to ask anyways. I am a type of person who wants answers, it troubles me a lot when there is a hanging question on my mind and I do feel restless until I get to clear that out. I would like to share to you some of the questions  which have been collecting cobwebs already until my husband gave me a book dealing about my area of concern and I believe,it was an answered prayer. Why do we have to sing praises in our worship service? Is it that important? Why not just go through the service proper? What is in singing Praises?

Before, I thought the main reason why we sing praise songs in the church is because we would like to put people in the right mood and not be bored during the service.It’s like getting their attention and telling them that we are about to start, or even like an intermission number. I am sure there are a lot more who thought the same until they too,have been properly informed of what praise is all about.

Praise is considered as one type of prayer where we respond to God’s awesomeness.Even in the old testament, many songs of praise were written because it was also a way of  proclaiming  how wondeful,powerful and mighty our God is. Praise,according to the scholars is also a weapon to silence Satan.He is busy accusing us before God, attacking us day and night! (Thank God for the Full Armor He has provided us to defend ourselves!) But no war has ever been won by defense! In every war, the army that wins is the one that advances. My point is, we all know what to do when Satan and his cohorts attack us,we just put on the Full Armor of God ( the Girdle of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shoes of the Preparation of the Gospel, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit that is the Word of God) and we have divine protection. But not everybody knows that aside from those, God has also given us weapons of attack to take the offense this time and enable us to assail and cast down Satan’s stronghold that his kingdom might be weakened and be destroyed.

In the book Spiritual Warfare by Derek Prince, he wrote about our  4 Weapons of attack namely: the Weapon of Prayer, the Weapon of Praise, the Weapon of Preaching, and the Weapon of Testimony. So, singing praises really is a lethal weapon we can use to bring the Kingdom of Darkness down! One thing that Satan hates most is hearing God’s people singing praises, magnifying the name of our Lord. It is God’s music to His ears but a destructive blade that wounds and weakens Satan!

My purpose in sharing this is to let all the people know that God has provided us the strength to deal with the enemies. We often disregard it’s power that we just tend to sing praises for the sake of singing but if we knew that we are actually attacking the enemy by singing praise from our hearts, then we might  be able to really ,desirefully and intensely be singing like we’ve never sang before!

Praise establishes strength “From the mouths of infants and nursing babes,Thou has established strength,because of Thine adversaries,to make the enemy and the revengeful cease” Psalm 8:2

Praise is powerful ” May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double -edged sword in their hands,to inflict vengeance on the nations and the punishment on the people to bind their kings with fetters,their nobles with shackles of iron,to carry out the sentence written against them.This is the glory of all his saints” Psalm 149:6-9

Praise ,accompanied by a two-edge sword,which is God’s Word is truly a deadly weapon to attack the enemy! This sure gave me confidence and joy, now that I know it’s real purpose and what it can do, I will definitely sing praises (day and night) exalting the name of our Lord!

I hope you’ll do the same.Let’s attack Satan and bring down his kingdom and so he will have less opportunity bugging us around! Let us all sing sweet,mighty praise to God! Jesus, You Rule! God bless everyone!

“I will bless the Lord at all times,

His praise shall continually be in my mouth“

Psalm 34:1

We may have encountered so much difficulties these past few weeks, pressures at work, family and perhaps studies? Majority will agree that we are in deed living in  difficult times where everybody seem to be racing for something. We may all be physically, emotionally,financially, psychologically burdened and nothing seems right. The good news is, Somebody is very much willing to carry our loads for us! A Friend, a Helper, a Comforter, a Deliverer or whatever you might want to call  him and His name is above all name and His love endureth forever. And on the cross He had won the Victory not for Himself but for us that whoever shall acknowledge Him shall  likewise be acknowledged by Him before our Heavenly Father. Such a comforting promise He gave to all who believes in Him that we can cast our burdens to Him and He shall give us rest. To you Lord, I dedicate this song. Thank You Jesus for always being there.

I Will Give You Rest

by:Ana Marie Bondoc-Cruz

All my life, I feel so empty

All my days are but the same

All my fears they grow and haunt me

I was so afraid

All my dreams , I see them shattered

There’s so much trouble, so much pain

There was no one there to turn to

Suddenly You came….

Chorus:

You reached out for me and took my hand

You helped me up so I can stand

You whispered softly, “I will give you rest”

I feel so much peace when I’m with You

I can feel You through and through

Since You told me You will give me rest.

Bridge:

Now I’m looking towards tomorrow

Ready to face the day

I’m ready to reach my distant dream

For I know that You will stay

I thought my life has no meaning

Without color ,so it seemed

Now everything’s so beautiful

And it’s because of You

repeat chorus

The Miracle of Your Love

Ana Marie Bondoc- Cruz

Lord, You own it all

Every little thing above and below

Every single thing You know by name

Nothing in this world can be compared to You.

Lord, You know

That I lacked the strength to stand alone right now

No , I can’t pretend I’m ok when I’m not

I need You now, and as I call on Your name…

Chorus:

You let me feel the warmth of your embrace

In my darkest seasons, You brighten up my days

Now I can move a mountain, swim the deepest sea

Soar up high in heavens as long as You’re with me

For whatever reason You have on your mind

I just wanna thank You for the miracle of Your love.

Bridge:

In my darkest night, You shine to give me light

And when I’m about to fall, You’re always there to catch me

And when I think I can’t ,You remind me to call Your name

And when I do, I regain my strength….

chorus

I honestly am not a very technical person so, I am having difficulties adjusting in my new course but I deemed it important to learn about new technologies today and maximize their use. In Psychology, we deal with fellow human beings, not much use for machines then except for typing long researches etc. My first attempt to use a computer as in simply turning it on was in year 2000. My first attempt to send e mail was in mid of 2003, too afraid to hit keys , worried about the possibility of  doing harm to the computer.It was really a long road to learn!

In my field, we learned that we are the most complex of all machines…we have got the best, state -of- the- art, unsurpassed CPU…the human brain. It’s capacity to receive,process and store data is way ahead of any hitech computer today,it’s just that, we do not know how to press the right key!

Fear is one factor that hinders one to try and face the challenge, and with the devil always reminding us of our  shortcomings, weaknesses and lack of self confidence, it even triggered an anxiety attack that tells us to just forget about trying and admit that we will never succeed and we will forever be afraid.

Like I said, I have not much knowledge about computers, I am way out of  league..Or atleast that’s what the devil is trying to prove, BUT because, I know a special key to hit to turn my fears and worries off, I am very willing and excited to face this new challenge in my life. My God is bigger than any of my fears, than any of my worries, than anything in this world that will bring me down and think less of my self. My Lord Jesus is always with me, to lift me up, to give me comfort ,joy and wisdom for He gives it graciously. I am one of God’s children whom He loves, that’s my position now! In the Bible, he promised  that He will never leave nor forsake us…He will be with us WHEREVER we may go. So what is there to worry? I’ll do my part, be prepared at all times and  be at peace for I know that He will be right next to me until I am done. Amen!

Hello Friends,’thought of sharing  to you encouraging articles I made for God’s Glory. Enjoy reading!Godbless!

I never dreamed of anything else to do after i retire from my long years singing secular songs than singing more songs but this time, glorifying my Creator, my Redeemer and Savior. There were times in my life when I just stop and wonder what is there in store for me.There had been questions hanging, lingering,seeking answers for the unexplainable feeling I have. I must admit,being in the music industry almost half my life had given me unforgettable, worth-reminiscing highlights of my entire life.The opportunities , the places i’ve been, priviledges i enjoyed, favors i received and people who have made my life colorful and experiences that made me laugh and cry,all had tremendous impact on me.I would have had second thoughts leaving all those behind if there was not a better, oh no, a BEST choice for me..I chose HIM!

I thought at the very least that I will have difficulties adapting to my new, more simple life,away from the pressures of night gigs,out-of-town and out-of the-country stints,not to mention out of financial source… from a working Mom to a full time Home Maker. I held to God’s promise that He shall supply all my needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus (philippians 4:19). He sure did!

I decided to use this means to reach more people to share God’s marvelous deeds .He sacrificed His life for our life that we may be saved from sure spiritual death. Jesus offered His life and accepted what the Father willed Him to do,give us salvation for “God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (john 3:16).

I want to share the real joy and gladness that only God provides.I pray that you will all be blessed with spiritual strength and wisdom by Him who gives it graciously. What drives me? Now you know.May God’s Name be magnified and all the glory and honor be His. God Bless!

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life.Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.I will not leave you or forsake you“Joshua 1:5