“May the God of Hope fill you with ALL JOY AND PEACE IN BELIEVING that you may have an abundance of hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 5:13)

One of the gauges in knowing if we have hope in the midst of a challenge is when every time we think of what we are believing for results to joy and peace.  He is the Lord our God Who fills us with these in believing His great and precious promises.  Doubts get settled underneath our feet as confident expectations of the manifestations arise. 

As we grow deeper in the knowledge of Who the Lord our God is and the One Whom He sent, who we are in Him and what His finished work did for us once and for all, in quietness and confidence in Him become our strength.  It is the knowledge of these truths that sets us free from fear, anxiety, doubt and unbelief.  Our experiential knowledge of how much more eager He is to answer and manifest Himself to us than us to ask Him makes our feet sure-footed as a deer to tread on new heights.

I used to think that faith involves risk.  But, as I grow in the knowledge of how good, faithful and steadfast He is and His love for us, risk gets translated into rest, for He will never lead us to a place contrary to His great and glorious plans for us.  For me, risk only comes in if we do things apart from Him.  But, when we incline our ears to His sayings, hearing His voice from His very own mouth, listening to the message that comes from His very own lips, and be willing and obedient to follow where He leads us, a guaranteed, glorious, expected end is the outcome.

Once again, it is that time of the year when I indulge myself in deep prayer, seeking where God would lead me to travel next. So many beautiful places compete to gain my attention, each one whispering promises of adventure, culture, and unforgettable memories.  Should I journey to Beijing and marvel at the Great Wall of China dressed in autumn’s golden hues? Or perhaps wander through the bustling streets of Vietnam, savoring every flavor and delicacy it has to offer? Then there is Milan and Morocco, two destinations my friend passionately invites me to explore.

Hmmmm… countless doors of opportunity stand before me, each one enticing in its own unique way.  Yet, I know that only one door can truly be opened once a choice is made. And so, I pause—not merely to choose a destination, but to discern the path God desires for me to take.

Travel, after all, is more than just visiting places. It is about discovering purpose in unfamiliar roads, finding beauty in the unexpected, and learning to trust His direction even when the possibilities seem endless. Sometimes, the hardest part is not deciding where to go, but surrendering the desire to control every step and simply following where He leads.

Along with every decision comes the thought of provision.  Yet through the years of walking in His unfailing faithfulness, I have learned not to allow provision to dictate my choice.  Heeding and hearing His voice get the final authority despite its cost, because when it is His perfect will, it surely is His bill.  And so, I move on and continue this journey of faith, learning to trust His voice, all because I absolutely believe that “What He says, He already saw”.   God knows the end from the beginning.

“From the beginning I declare how things will end;
        from times long past, I tell what is yet to be, saying:
    “My intentions will come to pass.
        I will make things happen as I determine they should.” (Isaiah 46:10 Voice)

When my mind becomes too tangled with a buffet of choices, I step back and quiet myself so I can hear Him speak from the depths of my heart.  In the stillness, I position my spirit in worship, allowing Him to enlarge my heart for what He is about to reveal. Because we all know that when God speaks, His plans are always far beyond our own capacity to fulfill. Worship is an enlarger that we may be filled with the fullness of God.

I remembered one dream that I had when one of my favorite ministers came near me to personally tell me, “When you go home, worship more and you will receive more.”  Hallelujah!

In my time of worship came up like a bubble from deep within me, a thought to attend the Ladies Conference in Murrieta, California.  Hmmm … now the stretching reality comes.  This choice was not even in the initial list of my possible destinations, but God knew it was written in my heart. 

As I am scribbling these thoughts right now, I opened my “Vision Notebook” and found a written entry … July 30, 2024:  Attend a Conference in Murrieta California with US$3,500 as my by-faith declared provision. 

Seeing those words again made my heart leaped. Beside that entry was a space I intentionally left blank for a while — a space reserved for a photo.  Later on, that empty portion was filled with the image of the Ladies Conference 2025, serving as a visible reminder my God-given dream.

There is something powerful about writing down a vision.  It transforms a quiet whisper of faith into something tangible.  My notebook has become more than pages filled with plans and desires; it has become a testimony of unwavering trust, bold prayers, and confident expectancy.

Habakkuk 2:2-3 says, “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.  For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.  Though it tarries, wait for it; because IT WILL SURELY COME, it will not tarry.

Now, with certainty in my heart where I am heading, I prebooked my hotel and registered for the conference. 

Where to go after the conference was the next decision to make. Once again, countless options flooded my mind, each one pulling my attention in different directions. The more I entertained every possibility, the noisier my thoughts became.

But this time, I knew exactly what I needed to do. I had to shut myself off from the noise invading my head and redirect my attention to my heart in worship.

Then, a picture of someone from the past came into my heart—someone who used to be my house-help many years ago. She and her family now live in Vancouver, Canada. I remembered how I used to tease her before, saying that one day I would come and visit her. The thought unexpectedly filled my heart with so much joy and peace.

Then another thought came: Why not visit my brother too if I choose to head in that direction? He and his family live in Edmonton, in their new house.  I suddenly remembered all the times I would tell my brother, “One day, I will visit you in that new house of yours.”

What once sounded like casual words spoken in passing now felt like invitations waiting to be fulfilled. And in that quiet moment of worship and reflection, Canada no longer felt like just another option on my list—it began to feel like a direction gently unfolding in my heart.

Moments later, it was then time to book my flights.  Praise the Lord!

When all was set and done, as I was thinking about this trip, I heard Him say, “This is your INVESTMENT in My kingdom with high ROI … 30, 60, or a 100-fold”.  It is an investment seed that is incorruptible with its full potential for unceasing fruitfulness in variable packages and each package carries an unmistakable evidence of His faithfulness.

Kenneth Copeland said, “The plan of God is your wealthy place.” 

You see, God takes such good care of His investments. Our lives belong to Him, and He faithfully nurtures, equips, and enlarges us for His greater purpose. One of the ways He does this is through opportunities that stretch our hearts and deepen our understanding of Him—like attending conferences that refresh our spirits and expand our capacity to receive from Him.

But it never stops with us. His greatness is too much that as He pours into our lives day in and day out is so that we may overflow into the lives of others. As we encounter His goodness, those around us are also invited to taste and see that He is good—not merely for a moment, but in such a way that they begin to hunger and thirst for more of Him.

He delights in renewing our minds day by day, teaching us to see ourselves through the lens of His love and grace that you and I are the targets of His goodness.  He daily loads us with benefits, yet many times we fail to fully partake because we do not truly know the surpassing and unsearchable riches of what has already been made available to us in Christ Jesus for us to explore, experience and enjoy. 

Thankfully, the Lord our God is rich in mercy and abounding in love.  He sees us as His masterpieces who are still in a state of being a work in progress.  In love He molds us according to His image and likeness that we may walk, talk, live, move and have our being in Him. 

Yes, there is so much more for us to dig in deep into the inexhaustible plan of God for us and the best part of it is that He is more than willing and able to teach us when we come to Him with humble, open and teachable hearts. 

So, now why not answer to His invitation of being taught by the Greatest Teacher of All Time. 

“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way that you should go.

Oh, that you had hearkened to My commandments! Then your peace and prosperity would have been like a flowing river, and your righteousness [the holiness and purity of the nation] like the [abundant] waves of the sea.” (Isaiah 48:17-18 AMPC)

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank You for Your unceasing and unfailing love and faithfulness. Thank You for giving us Your Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Lord and Savior—the One who has given us living hope that transforms us and makes us never the same each time we encounter Your awesome presence.

In You, we ascend, we rise, we climb, and we gain ground to become more like You. Thank You, Jesus, that You are the Way to our Heavenly Abba Father, the One who has made us pure, blameless, and righteous through the power of Your blood shed on the cross. Because of You, we can come boldly before the throne of grace, welcomed, embraced and celebrated always.

We believe and acknowledge You as the only Way, our Lord, Savior, King, and Deliverer. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that we may always be sensitive to Your leading. In every day and in every way, may we give You glory, honor, and praise as we live in constant dependence on You.

Photo Credits: Edna Arriola; New Zealand