a day in church

enough of those preaching posts that kind of reads like a pauline letter wannabe. just for today, i'm going back to the basics and am going to blog about this day. i know, nobody really cares what happened to you. but hey, as i said before, this blog serves also as a record of my christian journey. and let's not go into the free speech thing yeah?

church is always fantastic. it is the reason why sundays become one of my favourite days because you know that you're going to experience something new. you know that you're going to receive a fresh revelation from God and it is always exciting.

today in baptismal classes, it was "the practical" of the entire series of classes. being an observer this time watching elder pearleen pray for others to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit gave me new insights to my newfound faith.

faith. how apt a word it is to describe a religion. for isn't it by faith that you believe in the reality of a supreme being? we live by faith, and not by sight. we do not see God but we know He exists.

as a bystander this time, i saw how others struggled to receive the baptism of the Spirit and it made me realise that to receive this baptism in the first place, a great amount of faith is required. if you do not want to believe, you cannot possibly receive. i'm not saying that the people who were being prayed for did not have faith. it is just that if you want to receive gifts from the Holy Spirit, faith becomes an important ingredient in the release of these manifestations.

another thing is that when you try to step out to pray for others, to speak boldly in the Spirit, satan will try to stop you.

it was quite spooky. a little voice simply told me "you want to pray for them? you want to help them? do not be silly! you are not worthy!"

in such circumstances, there is only one thing to do: recognise the enemy and fight back.

i am a sinner. i was imperfect in God's eyes. but by God's grace through the blood of Jesus Christ i am made whole again. i am washed clean by the blood of the Lamb and by God's grace i am worthy to be called a child of God. in Jesus's name, banish the enemy.

true enough, peace was restored to my heart.

i realise i am rambling. but points to be made here:
to those who think the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not of God, or are of demonic origin, do not be silly. why would God give us something that is not of Him?
second point: spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues and the ability to differentiate between spirits are powerful weapons against satan. you recognise the enemy and you hit where it hurts most.

rambling aside, i think this post shall remain as it is as a reminder that i had a great day at church. and this is coming from someone who used to sleep through her masses in novena.