Madali maging masaya kung lahat ng bagay ay maayos, maganda ang panahon, maayos ang pakiramdam natin at malayo sa mga alalahanin at problema. But the Bible says this in the book of Mark 4:19 “but the worries of life come in and choke the word so that it can’t produce a crop…”

May mga taong nasaktan at nanghina dahil sa mga malalaking alalahanin or the so-called: “the worries of life…” Hindi natin sila masisisi dahil talagang may mga pagsubok lahat tayo. Ang problema lang ay tuluyan silang nawalan ng pag-asa, nawala sa simbahan at nawalan ng pananalig sa Panginoon dahil sa mga kasawian at kapaitan ng buhay.

Marami kang dahilan upang sumuko sa buhay ngunit wala kang karapatan – alam mo kung bakit because God promised to give you beauty for those ashes. Sinabi ng Lord sa Isaiah 61:3: “upang bigyan sila ng koronang bulaklak na kahalili ng mga abo, ng langis ng kagalakan na kahalili ng pagtangis, ng damit ng kapurihan na kahalili ng kabigatan ng loob…”

Ngunit upang makuha mo ang koronang bulaklak, ang langis ng kagalakan, ang damit ng kapurihan, you must do your part, you have to stay in the game. Walang sumusuko ang nagwawagi.

Lahat tayo ay nasasaktan at nasusugatan at lumuluha. Ngunit hindi mo pwedeng hayaan na ang mga pagsubok at katalunan ang magpaluhod at gumiba ng iyong tiwala sa Diyos. 

May isang boksingero talagang dugo na ang ilong. Tinanong sya ng coach niya kung kaya pa niya lumaban sa final round. Tinanong siya ng referee kung ok pa syang bumalik sa ring, the boxer: “yes I am bleeding, but I am coming back into the game…” Noong matapos na ang laban, tinanong sya ng reporter why did he come back in the ring when he was bleeding heavily, he replied: “I rather keep figting than for me to give up

Dapat ganyan din tayo sa buhay. “You may be bleeding and hurting but I am still fighting, I am beaten but I am still standing.” I am betrayed, but I am still here. I suffered loss but I am not giving up. I have taken advantage of, but I know that all things work together for good. 

I met this lady who was a “TNT” tago ng tago sa UK. Marami na siya ginastos sa iba’t-ibang abogado, nakulong siya ng maraming beses. She suffered panic attack at halos malunod siya kapag nakakakita siya ng police. I went to see her and I told her what I am telling you, for her to stay believing that God is going to do something amazing. Dati syang naglilingkod sa Lord pero nawala dahil sa “worries of this life..the word was not able produce crop”. Bumalik siya sa Panginoon and when she did, a lawyer assisted and won her case in the Immigration Office who decided to give a visa. Now she has a visa to work and live in the United Kingdom with the provision to become a permanent resident and then a British citizen in the UK in due course. Nawala siya sa church and when I saw her she said: “I was hurting, but I am coming back in the game.” She almost gave up but decided to remain playing in this game.  

Ganyan ang mga taong pinagpapala ng Diyos. They are faithful and determined. They may be defeated but they never allow those defeats to let them down. They make decision to stand up, masakit, mahapdi, mahirap but they don’t let the hurts and the pains to separate them from the love of God. 

Kahit ano pang mangyari, kabiguan man yan, sakit or kamatayan man yan but say this words: “I’m still here.” Nasaktan ako, but I am still here. Nawalan ako, iniwanan ako, but I am still here. Ayaw ko sanang mag-attend, but I am still here.  

My mom and dad started the Maranatha Jesus Is Coming Church in October 1980. But in 1986, my dad suffered a stroke that paralyzed half of his body. It was very traumatizing for mom as we did not have money. We were 7 siblings and life back then was very difficult. May mga panahon na wala kaming pagkain dahil sa hirap. SI dad lang ang may malaking kita sa Saudi. Dad said that he will not go home sa Pilipinas dahil wala kaming pampagamot. Despite this fear, mom made a promise that she will keep the church growing. Since that time in 1980, our church has grown from few people to many churches in different parts of the Philippines and around the world. Mom understood that principle to stay in the game despite the pain. 

She could easily give up back then, that’s understandable but if she did give up, we may not have this fellowship, we may not have this congregation. 

“To win the game, you have to stay in the game…”

“If you want something bad enough, the whole world will conspire for you to get what you want.” People fail not because they don’t know how to win but simply they quit. 

Lahat ng tao nasaktan, natalo, iniwan ay pwedeng sumuko because they have reasonable excuses to do so. But I am encouraging you to stay in the game. Do not let your pain of your past rob you from the joy of your future. If you keep on believing in the Lord, He said that He will bring you beauty for the ashes. 

Do not carry the hurt from the last one that also hurts the next one. Praise the Lord, despite the pain and hurts.

God has something better ahead of you. The best is yet to come. The Bible says that we have never seen, heard or imagined the good things He has for us. Your pain can be a seed of hope: hope to you and hope for others. God rewards those people who are faithful in trials. Nobody can bring you out of the tough times except you. If you move forward in your life, God will take your scars and turn them into stars.

Sa halip na malungkot, matakot, lumabas ka. Do not allow the devil to celebrate because you’re lonely. Do not sing: “I’m so lonely, I’m Mr. Lonely, I have nobody for my own, I am so lonely…”

There was a saying that you don’t drown by simply falling into the water, you drown by staying there. Maraming tao ang nanatiling bigo at talunan dahil hindi na nag desisyon iwanan ang madilim na kahapon. They simply parked their car and put their hazards on. Come on! This is a brand new day. This is the day that the Lord has made. Come out! Get back in the game. You may say: “I’m hurting, but I’m here…” “They’re not with me, but I’m still here…”

Yes you can remain bitter, but no matter how you feel, I want you to get up, dress up, show up and never give up. Make that decision to take those scars and turn them into your stars. If you do this, God can use your mess to become your message, and He can turn your sorrows into joy. 

The book of prophet Isaiah 60:1 said this: ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you–rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!  Kelangan mong bumangon at muling lumaban sa hamon ng buhay. You cannot stay down and join the losers’ party. 

Remember that prodigal son, he was so down and that he ended up eating the food for the pigs. He was the son of a very rich man. He went away and spent all his inheritance. But at the latter part of his life, when he was down, he said: “I will arise and will go back to my father’s house…”

Nobody said that this life will be filled with roses. Nobody said that there will always be sunshine or there will be no rain. But God said: “I will be with you until the end of the world. I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. Fear not.”

The Bible said this: Pag-iyak ay magtatagal nang magdamag, ngunit kagalakan ay dumarating sa kinaumagahan. Psalm 30:5. Kung nakaiyak ka na at lumipas na ang magdamag, the Lord said that joy comes in the morning. Allow that joy to come in. Stop nursing your wounds. Life can be unfair at times, but He is the God of justice and He knows what happened. He can turn it around and will pay you back what you’ve lost. 

Kung ikaw man ay nanakawan, naiwanan, naloko, let me tell this: arise! And get back in the game. Move forward. Move on. Slowly, find yourself again. Allow the wrong people to get out of your life because the right ones are ahead of you. Kung nawalan ka ng tabaho, tama na yang reklamo. Go out and find another job. Mag-apply ka ulet. When one door closes, another one opens up. You have the new key for that new door. 

Huwag ka ng manghinayang sa mga bagay na mismong Diyos ang nagsarado. He has a better and bigger plans for you in the future. Jeremiah 29:11 said this: “The Lord God said this: For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a better future.”

Arise from your failure. Bumangon ka. Sumubok ulet. God has to see you do your part because if you do, He will give you a new and a better relationship, better job, He can heal you and restore your health. When you feel it is the end, He will turn and say: “it’s not the end until you win the game…”

Look at what happened to the life of Job. He lost everything in a flick of a finger: his health, his wealth and his family. His wife even told him: “Curse God and die…” But in the midst of pain, he said: “We bring nothing at birth; we take nothing with us at death. The LORD alone gives and takes. Praise the name of the LORD!” Job 1:21

Job could have chosen to be pessimistic and grumpy but he decided to stay in the game and kept believing and even praising the name of the Lord. After 1 year when Job was tried and tested, God saw how faithful Job was, God gave him double of what he has lost. The Bible said: “After this, Job lived 140 years and saw his grandchildren down to four generations…”

Sa buhay ni Job, “after this” troubles, pains, deaths and tragedies, he did not quit the game and because of that, the Lord blessed him with a fruitful 140 more years to enjoy life to the full with families.

Ganoon din tayo: hindi pa tapos ang laban, kapatid. Your life is in the hands of our Almighty God who has an “after this” in your future. Maaaring ang demonyo ay nagsasabi sa iyo na talo ka na, tapos ka na but do not believe those lies. Jesus even warned us in the book of John 10:10 (AMP): “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]. 

Remember what God did in the life of Job, “after this” which can happen to you too – after this divorce, after this pananakot, panloloko, after this kahirapan, problema at sakit, after this tragedy, Jesus is telling you that you will have an abundant life, a better life than you can ever imagined. 

If you stay in the game and keep the faith, you will see the favor of God. You will see His increase, His promotion, His blessings and He could open for you the floodgates of heaven so the world will know that you are the child of the Most High God. 

There was this client who I personally represented in a court of law in the United Kingdom. This client has been an overstayer in the UK for many years. She also have her husband and their children to come over as visitors in the UK and as a result they also became overstayers, a grave immigration offence. The police were looking to them and they have received a warrant of arrest to be detained and deported. 

They asked me to represent and while in court, the judge said, “Mr Magsino, your client gave birth to a boy in the UK in March. Her husband came in June, how could she gave birth to a boy when she does not have a husband? Unless…” I replied to the judge and asked for a short adjournment. I spoke to my client and asked what was their response to that? The woman admitted that she gave birth to a child which was from another man, not her husband.”

The woman asked me, “Attorney Magsino, shall we stop this court hearing as I am very ashamed…” I said to her that we will come back into the courtroom and “play in the game.”

I spoke to the judge and strongly argued on behalf of my client. I said that despite of what happened to this woman, I asked the judge to consider the best interest of the child. The child should not be punished for the mistake made by his mother. In 3 weeks the judge thought it thoroughly, he said: “Mr Magsino, I heard you submissions and in this occasion, I agree with you that this woman will be given the right to remain in this country and not only her but also her all family member shall be allowed to stay in the UK – because of the best interest of the child under Section 55 of the Immigration Law…”

That was fantastic. Imagine if this woman simply gave up? I told her to stay in the game. You only win when you stay in the game. I wonder how many people lose in life because they are quitters?

You may be in a difficult time but God is telling you to have a new positive attitude and get back in the game. Come on! You may not like to sing and praise the Lord but the fact that you are here in the church now, that’s more important. What matters is your attitude that you are in the game. The Bible tells us what God said to Moses about the Egyptians: “you see them now, soon you will see them no more…” You may see the big problems now, but soon: “God will wipe away all tears from their eyes; and no more sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain…”

In the Bible we heard of what happened to Ruth, who was a Moabite, a cursed nation of God. Mahlon was the first husband of Ruth and when Mahlon died, she was told by her mother-in-law, Naomi, to leave and go back to Moab. But Ruth replied, “Naomi, yes I am grieving but I believe in your God. I believe in your faith. I want to be with you and care for you at your old age. Ruth was in pain, but instead of being sad and get complaining, she stayed with Naomi. The Bible said: “So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. The two women made the arduous [tiring, difficult] journey to Bethlehem…” Ruth 1:19-22

Ruth served and cared for Naomi. While in pain, Ruth’s faithfulness and love to Naomi was seen by Boaz who loved her and took her as his wife. Boaz was the richest man at that time in their community. Boaz loved Ruth and they gave birth to Jesse and Jesse begat David, one of the greatest men ever lived. Ruth went to become the great matriarch of our Lord Jesus. Ruth used her pain to become a blessing to Noami. Use your pain to help others. Ruth stayed in the game. 

Walk by faith and not by negative emotions , God will use your pain to be your seed of greatness. Do not waste the purpose of your pain. Your past does not define you, it prepares you for your great future. Your pain can be used by God to grow you up and one day, you will say what Paul said in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…”

Paul wrote these empowering message while he was in prison. In 2 Corinthians 4:8 “We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up.”

If you stay in the game and do not quit, the rest of your life will become the best days of your life.