Status: In a Relationship…. with God

It is true that a lot of Filipinos go to church; it is also true that Filipinos are prayerful. Well, let me tell you something, going to church and praying are not enough. Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to discourage you from going to church or praying. Doing those things is good’ but there are other things one needs to do in order to develop a relationship with God.

First, people need to pay attention to what the pastor/priest says.

-Filipinos go to church, there is no question regarding that. I am not a Catholic, but since I study at a Catholic school, I am obliged to attend their masses every Friday and every holy days(?!?). I have noticed that the priests actually give good messages; the messages might be a bit short but they are inspiring. However, not everyone listens. Some attendees have other businesses that they discuss with their seatmates. Therefore, even when the messages are good, not everyone is able to appreciate them.

In our church, the pastor prepares a message and handouts are given to the congregation. There are blanks on those handouts and as our pastor tells us about God’s message, we fill those blanks. I also try to take down notes during the service, that way, even after it’s finished, I can meditate on God’s words and also add some of my thoughts related to them. Of course, I am not saying that every church in the Philippines should have the same kind of system, I am also not telling everyone to take down notes during the service/mass/or whatever you call it, what I am pinpointing out is that Filipinos should not just sit down or stand up or kneel down when they are in church, we should all listen so that we can apply God’s words in our lives.

Second, people should not just pray, they ought to pray from the heart.

-Since a lot of Filipinos are Catholics, they pray the prayers they have just memorized. Those prayers are nice, but it seems that people are only praying with their lips and not with their hearts because they already memorize the words. The Lord’s Prayer is a very good prayer, but Jesus only said that “you should pray like this…” not “you should pray this…” Therefore, Jesus was saying that his prayer is a guide. When praying, one should keep these 4 things in mind: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Thus, when making your own prayer, what you need to do first is to give praises to God, then confess your sins and ask for forgiveness, give thanks, and finally, tell God about your requests.. Requests don’t have to be personal. It’s actually God’s will for you to pray for others. As you pray for others, the blessings you ask to come their way will also come yours and you’ll even be blessed more.

Third, individuals should read the Bible.

-Reading the Bible will allow you to develop a better relationship with God because the texts that are in the Bible are His words. It will also allow you to have a stronger faith and it could be a form of a personal encounter with God. By reading the Bible, you will know the truth and you will be able to know how to face each day of your life according to God’s words. The Bible is also inspiring and it will motivate you to do good things towards other people.

Fourth, love God and love other people.

-Those are the two greatest commandments. If you love God and make Him number one in your life, you can be certain that the enemy won’t be able to harm you.

There are a lot of other things that you need to do like fasting, tithing, etc. However, those things can be found when you do number 3. Also, reading the Bible will make you realize that it is God’s will for you to have a heavenly life even here on earth. Look at psalm 144:13, “Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields.” Let us all work hand in hand to destroy the barrier between God’s blessing and our lives; the heaven is open and our barns will be filled if we will only learn how to place God above all.