The funny thing about love is that everyone knows about it but very few could really say what it is. Much of what we know about love come from movies, songs and popular quotes. As Christians, we base our beliefs not on popular culture but on the solid truths of the unchanging Word of God.

What does the Bible say about love, about falling in love, about courtship and about relationship with the opposite sex? Does “love at first sight” really happen? Is “following your heart” a sound Biblical advice? Is love really blind?

In the next three weeks, Victory is going to delve into the Scriptures and look for relevant answers to these questions that people have been asking since the time of Adam and Eve. Join us here at Victory Caloocan or in any Victory congregations all across Metro Manila as we seek to find answers together from the unchanging Word of God.

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Last night was Day 7 of the fast, the day when we prayed for our personal concerns. There were three highlights of the prayer meeting. First was Pastor Ferdie’s exhortation: May breakthrough ka man o wala, kay Jesus pa lang, panalo ka na! (Thanks DocJun for this.) This simple statement cut through the heart of prayer and fasting. We do not fast to twist the arm of God so He will bless us. We are already blessed. We fast because we want Jesus.

Second highlight was the spontaneous outpouring of grace when people started blessing one another. We never planned this in the pastors’ huddle. When Pastor Noel broached the idea in the pulpit, it felt like the heavens were let loose. Some people emptied their wallets to bless others; others gave their entire purse and everything in it. I saw some who could not get up- they simply slumped in their seats crying at the spontaneous flow of goodness. The rest were awe struck. The atmosphere was reminiscent of the fledgling New Testament church in the book of Acts.

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The third highlight was the worship. My God, what kind of worship was that! It was like the fire of heaven came down to burn our offerings at the altar of God. The presence of God was so thick in the air that you could almost touch it. How many times could you sing a song that only consisted of six lines? It took us about an hour to sing Planetshakers’ The Anthem (video above) and we can’t seem to get enough of it.

As we sat around our soft dinner last night and blabbered about how God showed Himself to us in the last seven days, I was simply amazed. For Victory Caloocan, it was a huge departure of the way we did church in the past years. People were brought near to God. They met Jesus in the fast. That, I believe is the single most important thing of all.

We would love to hear from you. Share your story if you fasted with us this past seven days.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Jesus has commissioned the church to go and preach the gospel to all the nations. He has anointed us to declare freedom to those who are being held captive by the power of sin and darkness, to open blinded eyes and proclaim the gospel of salvation.

Let the nations open up, especially those that are hostile and indifferent to the gospel of Jesus. We speak salvation to all the nations of the world. We declare the name of Jesus to nations that are going through political turmoil that even in the midst of trouble, the gospel will find its way in.

“Build up, build up, prepare the road!
Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.” –Isaiah 57.14

Back off Satan, these nations belong to Jesus Christ!

We stake our claim over this nation, we raise up the banner of Jesus over this land, we declare the righteousness of Christ over the Philippines. The powers of darkness have no other option but to back off and flee. Let the nations of the world know that Jesus is God over the Filipino people!

Yes we were hungry. Some of us staggered to church for the prayer meeting. But a deeper hunger is gripping us. We hunger and pray for the righteousness of Jesus to exalt this nation. God hear us from heaven, pour out your mercy on our nation. Let your name rise above the troubles and poverty that haunt us.

In the first night, we joined our hearts together to pray for the youth, for Lifebox, for our campus ministries all across the nation and the world. It was a regular prayer meeting until the Lord showed up and called upon those who have the heart to reach the campuses. One hundred forty five people came down the aisle to be prayed over. The future campus missionaries of Caloocan, all in front of the stage crying out to God, asking for His grace to send them out. It was a moving sight. None of us planned it. It just happened.

On the second night, we prayed for our families. We prayed for restoration of broken relationships and salvation of family members. One woman testified of fasting for the salvation of her entire family in 2011. Today, all of them are attending church. Even her husband’s brother is now in Victory.

One woman testified of finally forgiving the person who left her to be with another woman. She’s a single mother.

We are still on the second day. More to come. More to happen. All for the glory of God. Happy fasting everyone.

The Pharisees’ idea of fasting was to deprive the flesh in order to strengthen the spirit. They were focusing on the wrong thing. Jesus was telling them that fasting is not about depriving yourself. Rather, it is about desiring [Jesus] more. [Joey Bonifacio, The Mystery of the Empty Stomach]

The idea of preferring Jesus over anything else baffles the mind. I must admit that for the longest time I thought of fasting as nothing more than legalistic self denial: to beat the flesh so the spirit can be strengthened, to deny my cravings so I could tell my body that he is not the most important part of me.

At the back of my mind, I like the idea of fasting because I was hoping it would help me kill ungodly desires that lurk in the corners of my soul and perhaps get quick answers to my big time prayers. The problem with this line of thinking is that I was trying to rid myself of sin not by the power of Jesus but by the power of self denial. It was like I was trying to create a version of godliness that springs from my own resolve, not from anything that Jesus did on the cross. Obviously, this is pure humanism and it puts me in league with all the rest of Eastern religions. This idea is not Christian at all.

In his book, Joey Bonifacio clarifies that fasting is about desiring Jesus more than anything else. In other words, fasting is subjecting everything else to the primary need to commune with Jesus. Nothing else comes close. In the whole duration of the fast, everything in life is relegated to the periphery. Jesus takes center stage. He gets all the passion, all the attention, all the focus, all the energy.

Victory people, as we prepare our hearts for the annual seven-day prayer and fasting this January, let us have a quick heart check. Are you going to fast to get quick answers to your prayers or to have an extended time with Jesus? Will your fasting be out of compulsion or delight? Will you be doing it to get a blessing or to commune with the blessor? Is it to twist the arm of God for a year-long favor or to hear first hand about the direction He has for your life?