Last Saturday, October 7, 2017, was a joyous feast at SMX Lanang because a lot of people attended anticipating the lively songs and inspiring preachers during the worship.  This gets exciting every week as new faces can be seen around.  They are referred to as new attendees of the feast. Whenever this happens, we feel happy that He knocked in their hearts and is strongly present in their lives.

Brother AJ Perez spoke that night about being better than what you think you are. We feel insecure or doubt about ourselves.  This is usually the case when we are unsure of what to do in our lives.

Our Trojan horse is our self-rejection.  Behind every sin that we commit is a cry for love.  That is why we look for it because we want to find a replacement for love.  We feel the need to replace how we feel like seeking for love.

 

“Sin is a fake aversion of love.  You have to heal yourself.  How?  Focus on your goodness.  Our behavior comes from our belief.  Victory and failure are just inside jobs.  Thus, we must change our beliefs”, AJ Perez said.

 

He shared his past experience when he was still a teenager.  It was never easy for him but his faith made him stronger and willing to face every trial he faced.  It was quite a shocking revelation because seeing him now is far different from what he was before.  He accepted his fate but was determined to move on and realize the true meaning of his life.  He never felt the love from his friends or anyone around him because they tease him for his physical looks that made him more insecure.  Even his lovelife was affected too.

How did he conquer his fear of rejection?  He faced it with courage.  He found love from a person who told him that he was better than he thought he was.  He changed his way of thinking because somebody believe that he is special.  He had always thought he was a nobody.  That started his journey towards fulfilling his mission to God.  This paved the way for him to take the path that he was led to.  Now, he is one of the sought after preachers of Brother Bo Sanchez, a much better position than his past.  Aside from being a professor at the Ateneo de Davao University, he is also a life coach and a great speaker to various topics that cater the youth.

My life had been a roller coaster ride since my failed marriage long time ago.  I was young then and had my first child at the age of 22.  Fell in love with a very handsome guy who swept me off my feet when I was working at a travel agency inside a Mall.  Unfortunately, I was wrong about him because he turned into a “monster” during our marriage.

I was not able to move on easily because I could not accept the fact that I have a broken family.  I could not accept that I became a single parent.  I felt so insecure comparing myself to other close friends of mine who had a happy marriage. I felt so unsure of what my future life will  be knowing my children do not have a father.  Thus, I sought love from other people without realizing that I should love myself first.

 

This is why the talked last Saturday hit me, “ If you want to win over temptation, you have to heal your relationship with yourself.   Thus, to make your spiritual immune system strong, you need nourishing love.”

 

But my family support was there all along.  I picked up the broken pieces and stood up again stronger than before.  I went to find a job and made new friends.  And I prayed to God for guidance everyday.  I felt that I am better more than I thought I was.

God answered my prayers and it did not take long for me to find myself again.

The talk series 1 talked about winning over temptation through loving oneself and accepting that God’s love is more than enough to live and love life.  If we become weak inside, we can’t easily do away with temptation.  Praying to Him will make our relationship stronger.  We communicate to Him through prayer.  He will always accept and forgive us no matter what.

This is why I need God in my life.  When I feel worried, I feel weak.  I thought doing my passion and eating something I love will make me feel better.  It might help me only temporarily but when I visit Him in the church or listen to Him through attending the Feast, I feel enlightened and empowered once again.  It is just like a cellphone that needs to be charged when in low battery.

The Feast at SM Lanang held every Saturday night at Cinema 6 is always open to everyone.  Mass starts at 6:00 p.m. and have worship afterwards around 7:00 p.m.

photo credit to MR. JAKE RYAN PUDPUD (OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE FEAST DAVAO)