June 4, 1997 Joni’s Makati

Tonight, we want to share with you, we’ve been talking about how to be successful and in the past so many days God has really been blessing me, God has taught me so many things about becoming successful and He was I think really that we pass to all people. So just to quickly review si Daniel nakita natin yung the traits of a successful man basically what? What’s the first characteristic? He has God’s spirit, (2) he is filled with spiritual wisdom and the other week we taught to how you can be filled with spiritual wisdom, if you just meditate on God’s word, thirdly he is not motivated by worldly wealth but by obedience to God a really very convicting truth because many people are motivated by money rather than by obedience to God, and I was telling somebody the other day, you know if you’re a leader of any kind of any organization and you leave people astray even very satly away from God by moving them or by motivating them primarily by wealth then God says in his book that you will have a stricter judgment on yourself, if you are a leader like you are the father of the home and you leave your child astray because of your behavior pera ka ng pera yun ang naintindahan ng anak mo puro pera, motivated by worldly wealth. Then the successful man he is not afraid to speak for God before important people hinde niya itinatago yung kanyang pagka-kristiyano, then we read about Daniel 6, that’s where we went through last week, Daniel 6:1-4, It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, [2] with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. [3] Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. [4] At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. And we said, as we continue part 2 of the successful man in God’s eyes a man has to be a man of integrity. As you know he was in government. What do you find in government? Men working as public servants… we said last week suppose somebody put a search life to you, if somebody began to look into your life, what will they find if they look into your closet, okay lang if they find all sorts of bad things in your life before you were a Christian walang problema ako madami ako nun eh I’ve many closet fools of those but I don’t care why? Before Christ yun eh, B. C yan eh, kung after na marami pa rin yan ang problema. So, how many of us can stand scrutiny maybe 90% I would suspect but I look around matitino lahat ang tao rito eh. You know I have many, many stories about trustworthy people come away they are very righteous men of God and everything else then one day on their lap comes million of pesos. You know what happens? The ideal man, the man who graduate from the certain university and he gets into office, he’s a good man then he sees the money, he sees the potential. You know what happens to him? His real self comes out. Once the money is there and all you have to do is wink, blink an eye, sign a piece of paper maski mataas yung bid aprobahin mo, what happens? We are corrupted. I don’t know about you guys, but I know a lot of people in this cap, I worked with some of them very, very closely my heart when I review the history the past twelve years there are times when I think of men and women my heart really bleeds because you spend a lot of time with them mukhang okay eh, okay na okay and then one day they are blessed by God and they failed the test prosperity bagsak, where are they now, most of them have gone to oblivion see I keep records some are still here, praise God for tita Fely, and people like her but there were very few of them because once dumating na yung pera tapos na. I mean you know it, I mean how many church leaders have we know that have fallen, how many? Plenty, many of them you know why? Kasi in the church scenario the money comes in and once there’s money and there are no checks and balances and even if there are checks and balances it corrupts and I’m scared because I have seen it with my own two eyes godly people become alligators. Si Daniel walang ganon. I know some people here are very rich but I know some of the people here are on the way to becoming rich and I speak to you behold, beware, hinde madaling maging mayaman that is why Jesus said, "It is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for yung camel na sinakyan ni tita Fely to enter.. tita Fely how big is the camel? Hinde mo maabot ano? The camel will now come down. So, so many people are like that, once money comes they… and the past so many months there is a very heavy burden in my heart because I’m seing lots of Christians making a big halabalu about money they are being iniikut sila, hinde nila nakikita na si taning ang nagpapaikot nung trumpo and they dance to the tune they are so happy. We need to do something about that si Daniel bakit walang corruption, what was his secret? I like to share with you a simple life changing truth that if you apply in your life will change you forever in such a way that you cannot be over taken by the devil. Napakasimpleng katotohanan and yet so many of us when we read it, when we understand it, we never do it, we don’t do it, nananalo si taning. What is it? Let’s learn from Daniel. What is this truth that can change our life in such a way that we can become very successful in God’s eyes. Let’s start reading v. 5, Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God." [6] So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: "O King Darius, live forever! [7] The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed. So in other words they are all in cahoots, they were going to go against Daniel. One principle that we will study but we can learn from here is what? You know what’s the principle in v. 7, it’s very simple. Hatred breeds hatred, if there is somebody who hates another person tumabi ka ron before long what will you be, you will also be a hateful person, tumabi ka pa sa isa dalawa kayong hateful person, tumabi ka pa sa isa, what will you have? A group of people, nakakahawa po yun, then this people kill others very softly with their mouths… if you have nine bad apples and one good apples, will the nine become good apples or with the one become bad? Bad, it’s very difficult when your company is either dependency is for them to pull you down. Daniel distinguish himself ayaw niyang gumaya. Do you know what kind of fear pressure he must have been under? Mahirap pong gawin ‘to pag lahat ng tao nandadaya, lahat nanlalagay at ikaw ayaw mong tumanggap you go against the grave, watch them bite you, watch them fight you, watch them try to kill you as you stand up for what is true, it is very difficult to be alone the kind of measure will be very, very strong and many cannot stand it. Just remember that it breeds a … hatred breeds hatred if you get a lot of people like that it breeds them therefore huwag nating gawin, protect yourself. So, they are all agreed that king should issue an edict and enforced the decree that anyone who praise to any god or man during the next thirty days except to you O king shall be thrown into the lions’ den. V. 8, Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered--in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed." If you were king Darius would you put that into law, would you? Many of you would say no pero sa totoo lang… what does that kind of law feed, it feeds your what? An ego, anything that feeds ego, will feed the statue for you, have face scar from the mountain so that you will be remembered for all time. Do you think people will like that? Oh! I like that, or put your face on the coin, things like those, would the king approved that? Yeah! The only thing I cannot explain here which this guys did is why they had a limit, did you ever wonder? Itong law na ito it’s not a limit for the next thirty days. Lahat nung nagdasal na hinde sa iyo nagdasal lagay natin sa lions den pero thirty days lang. It seemed very… because if you are going to make a law or you’d make a law that lasts not just for thirty days. So how can we learn from Daniel v. 8, The king issued a decree, it was very obvious that he would do that, in writing so it cannot be altered so king Darius put the decree in writing. Notice v. 8, on the margin put the word contrast. What’s the contrast here? Yung king he would put the law in writing so it cannot be repealed or change, what’s the contrast? The contrast there is this if that was true for a king, a human king who make such a law and if you disobeyed that law patay ka. Can you now imagine the king of kings? He has made laws right? God gave us laws, He has just take the ten commandments. Kung noong araw yung law ng hari na tao, if you violated you die what about the law of God, if we violate God’s law? Sabi nung sa Daniel basta pinirmahan nung king hinde na puwedeng palitan yan eh, what about if God was the one who signed it, can it be changed? Can you imagine the contrast here ito tao gumagawa ng law pag binali mo patay ka yung si God pinakamataas sa buong universe gumawa na siya ng law and here we are honestly if you ask people, people break God’s law right, left and center everyday you sin against God and do we mind it? No, mas takot tayo sa tao kesa sa Panginoon Diyos, we are more afraid of what the king of this earth will do to us rather than God. Have you ever told what God will do to you if you broke His law? Hebrews 10, it says there, alam mo nung araw pag nag-violate ka ng law pinapatay ka eh, ganon din sa panahon ni Moses pag nag-commit ka ng adultery nung araw what did God says, stone them to death. If we do it today there will be nobody left in this planet except the kids nine and below. Sabi sa bible sa Hebrew sabi niya, kung nung araw pinapatay yung mga tao because they violate the law, if you violate God’s law deliberately mag-isip ka ten million times how awful your punishment will be, it is a terrifying thing to be before the king of kings and know that you deliberately violate God’s law. If you keep on deliberately breaking God’s law there is no more sacrifice for you, you trample a foot the cross of Christ, matakot daw tayo ng konti, yung tao hinde takot eh, the fear of God is not in him. And the beginning of wisdom is what? The fear of the LORD which really means fear, which smile it away, he smile sin away, you know why because we don’t know God, we have no idea, the devil has so brainwashed all of us that we think, "Ay! Christian na ako, it’s now okay to sin, God won’t mind He’s a merciful God, He’s a loving God." Please if that thought is in your mind please erase it that is demonic, God is loving, God is merciful, but if you abused God, he’s terrifying you have no idea what you will go through in hell none of us have any idea. So ito ang contrast na nandiyan mag-violate ka ng law, ng tao, if you violate your corporate law, you’ll be fired. What about God? He smile it away sayang, so we will not do that, we need to copy Daniel. What did he do? look at v. 10, Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. [11] Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. What was Daniel doing? He was praying. We want to talk to you about that the successful man needs to be a man of prayer so he has God’s spirit, he has spiritual wisdom, he’s not motivated by worldly wealth, he is not afraid to speak before men about God, and he is a man of integrity there is no corruption in him, it follows God no matter who is looking and lastly he is a man of prayer. Now everybody here will agree with me, should we pray? Now if I ask you, do you pray a lot? Good. Who are the people who pray, why do they pray? If you ask most Christians, if you ask in the area of their life that they can improve most what would that be, it will always be their prayer life. Notice who did Daniel pray to? To God. Now if we are honest with ourselves is this a difficult area of our life? Why is it that most Christians find it difficult to pray? Time. Now I ask you are you saying now that you will now pray, "God give me more hours." Binigyan na tayo 24 hours na ang ibinigay sa atin eh!… Actually if you do that you will notice that you do that, time is not the problem, anybody who told me that I will tell you that that is not the problem. What’s the problem with time, anybody, somebody says time ang problema what they are really sayings is what? Anytime you tell me you have no time, what you are really saying is it is not very high priority. In other words it is your choice how to use your time, what you put there. So, anybody who has, alam ba nyo yung time management? I teach that. incidentally if you want me to teach in your company you can come and see me we will schedule you, I have special deal for those people, we can teach them how to manage time because managing time has nothing to do with time, it has to do with priorities; pag wala kang time sa prayer ang ibig sabihin lang nun it is not very high priority to you. Because if it very high priority what would you do? you will do it, you will have the time to do it like Daniel. How many times did he pray? Morning, noon, night, habitually did it. Was it high priority? Very very high. Sa atin no wonder then if its not high priority to many of us no wonder you are wondering why you are not successful? Here it is on a silver simple platter. You know why you are not successful because your prayer is not a very high priority to you, very simple. Sabi ni Martin Luther who started the reformation sabi niya, "I have so much to do that I cannot afford not to pray." See the pagan, "I have so much to do, I don’t have time to pray." If you are God’s child this will be, should be your highest priority, let me show that to you from God’s word put your finger in Daniel and let’s look at Jesus. Let’s take a simple example let’s go to Mark 1:32-35, That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. [33] The whole town gathered at the door, [34] and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. [35] Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. If you turn to the next book Luke 4:42, At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. Guess what he did there, He prayed. In Luke 6:12, One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. Did Jesus prayed to anybody else except God? No, he prayed to God, so He sacrifice sleep for prayer, Jesus sacrifice sleep for prayer. Some of us we sacrifice work in the office for sleep we sleep until nine and so forth and so on.Luke 22:39-41, Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. [40] On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." [41] He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, Tita Fely will tell you, if you go up a mountain is that an easy thing? It’s not easy to go to the mountain, pagod ka na, anong gustong gawin nung baby? Sleep. So no wonder Jesus prayed, father if you are willing take this cup from me yet not my will but yours be done. In other words si Jesus that was his famous prayer. Now, look at Luke 22:45-46

When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. [46] "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." Ephes. 6:18-19, And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. [19] Pray also for me, Do you understand how important prayer is? Prayer is high priority to whom? To Jesus, to the men of God. A man of God, nakababad sa dasal, it is his highest priority. Now think of it how many of would like to become Jesus? Now tell me can you perform miracles like Jesus, can you preach like Jesus, there are not very many thing you like to become like Jesus, they are not very many things about Jesus that you can copy, in fact one of the best things that you can do if you want to become like Jesus is to pray because that was his highest priority, kaya ba nyong magdasal, kaya ba natin yun, maski yung bata kayang gawin yun eh. You wanna really like to become Jesus not just on your lips but in reality then we begin to pray. Let’s pray! Somebody said aside from time or priority, there are times that you don’t feel like praying. Do you know that prayer is hard work? Absolutely it’s hard, that’s why many people don’t do it, anything hard they don’t do it, we always take the easy way on. We’re like water, you know that? Pag may resistance dito, it follows that path that least resistance but let explore that, why don’t you feel like praying, why we fall asleep? Why don’t we feel like pray, somebody in the other class said, you know why we don’t pray? Because it’s not fun, we don’t enjoy it, it’s not something enjoyable. Prayer it works but many of us we don’t do it, honestly your missing a whole laugh you don’t enjoy it you know why? Because maling maling mali ang perspective natin sa dasal since we were kids we were taught a certain kind of prayer and I’d like to change your mind about your prayer this evening, I like to change so much that every single one of you will become men and women of prayer then you will become very successful why? Lahat ng problema ang daming problema you can go down the list it’s not enjoyable, it’s not fun sa totoo lang hinde tayo naniniwala, we don’t believe it works or our sinful nature basically ang gusto natin. Notice, when is the time you will pray? Pag meron ng problema, pag meron tayong problemang malaki bakit tayo dun nagdadasal? Because our thinking about prayer is so wrong, we think we have been trained to think that prayer, prayer’s purpose is to solve our problems and that’s it therefore, if you aim God problems you don’t pray, magdadasal ka lang pag malaki na yung problema,… we have so wrong an idea about prayer, we make God into something that He is not. Example at home listen to this and tell me who I’m speaking to, pahingi ngang tubig, linisin mo nga ito… who am I talking to? Most of the time kinakausap natin ng ganung tono sino, yung katulong. Then I ask you how dare we speak to God that way, is he a maid? We keep telling, Lord alisin mo nga ito, Lord ayusin mo nga ito, Lord bigyan mo nga ako nito… we talk to God like He’s the maid. Now, I want to change your perspective kaya tayo hinde nagdarasal kasi ganon eh kung puno na yung refrigerator mo magdadasal ka ba, Lord give me this day our daily bread. We have become self sufficient. A man who does not pray a lot is self-sufficient, he does not need God. why? Now let just tilted just a little bit and I pray that if you understand the illustration your prayer life will so change. Now, what is if it is not to solve these things, what is the purpose of prayer because God says in Matthew 6, sabi ni God, alam mo pare before you even ask me alam ko na eh, before we taught the Our Father, Matthew 6:5, "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. In other words bakit sila nagdadasal? So that men will see ay Holy ito but when you pray going into your room close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen then your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. in other words prayer is between you and God the Father who is unseen and when you pray do not keep on or do not used meaningless repetition. Bubbling like Pagans for they think they would be heard because of their many words. Prayer is not padamihan ng salita sabi ni Jesus v. 8, He commands us do not be like then like the pagans why? For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. If you understand who God is, who you’re talking to, you need to understand God yun eh, alam na niya eh, He is not a servant that you look down on Him, you talk to Him like a servant therefor what is prayer all about? Why did Jesus pray a lot? When He became man Jesus spend a lot of time praying, why? Because that is the way God desired man, God desired man so that man would be dependent upon God, would be in fellowship with God. The idea of praying is not simply to ask Him or things to be done for you to solve problems but it is what, the idea is like this, instead of saying kunin mo yan, gawin mo ito, who am I now talking to if I say, "Hi, sweetheart you know I have a drift pain in the office today and I think one of my dreams, alam mo naman yung pinaka dream ko is to take you on a cruise to the Caribbean and really show you a great time and the past hinde ko nakakaya but you know I think next month I’ll be able to do that." Am I talking to the maid? Whom I’m talking to? Somebody who’s close to me, somebody who I can share my dreams with, somebody whom I can relate with. How are you feeling today? You know this what prayer is all about, prayer is intimate communication with God, it’s a two way street, listen to God and you pour out your heart to Him not to get this and that, that’s part of it, hinde ganon. The greatest thing in all the earth is found in Jeremiah 9:23, Because God knows everything, He wants you treat them in a very intimate way, Most of you have read this. Let’s read, Jeremiah 9:23-24

This is what the LORD says:

"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom

or the strong man boast of his strength

or the rich man boast of his riches,

[24] but let him who boasts boast about this:

that he understands and knows me,

that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,

justice and righteousness on earth,

for in these I delight,"

What’s the greatest thing on earth is not your wisdom, it’s not your PHD, it’s not your strength as an athlete or anything like that, it’s not your riches don’t boast about that. What should you boast about sabi ni God? Makilala mo ako, that you know God, that’s what prayer is all about sabi niya sa Jeremiah 33:3, 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' You know if you about that verse and meditate upon it you what those great and mighty things that you don’t know, you know what those are? That’s all about God, He will reveal himself to you and that’s what prayer should be, it’s an intimate time with God. How many of you have spent an hour at least on the telephone with your love one, with your other half before you were married? And yet they spent hours on the phone, was that enjoyable talking about sweet nothings? Why? Now this is the essence why is it enjoyable, because you love them, you wanted to share a part of yourself with him and he the same. Why not with God? Do you know what eternal life is? In John 17:3, Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. It’s knowing God, alam mo ba yung pupunta sa impeyerno, napakabait ang dami nilang ginawa para kay Jesus, LORD! LORD! Did we not do this in your name? Ang sasabihin sa kanila ni Jesus dapart from me, you evil doers, I never knew you. In other words yung knew na yon… an intimate relationship with God. Ladies and Gentlemen if you are not spending time intimate close time with God, I feel for you but you have a major opportunity starting tonight to open up to the only one na hinde lang makikinig kung hinde who really loves you, who really tears for you, who has sent his son to die for you. Open up to Him, you know the Psalms, you know what are all those Psalms, breath prayers, their prayers mostly by David and what do you see in all of those. It’s the man pouring his heart out to God, in pain he would pour out his heart to God, in joy he would pour out his heart to God. Whatever was happening he’d be talking to God, that’s prayer. All of the Psalms the Jews use the Psalms as prayer. So we taught you to meditate, what Psalm did you read today? Psalms 64. When you read the Psalms that’s prayer. You pray to God. What I would like you to do given that kind of understanding do you think you enjoyed talking if you love somebody, did you enjoy talking to him, you love God can you spend an our with God? But Ricky the problem is I can’t see Him. Can you see the guy on the telephone? Wala rin eh, nadidinig mo lang eh. Can you hear God? Psalm can even here, how do you hear? You read God’s word, you listen, you sit down and be still. Believe me if you… his life changing, it will change your life, God will show you so many things, I got so many ideas running in my head, I don’t even know where it came from but I know the source is God. Sabi ni God you talk to me. Basta kausap ko si God I tell my maid wala kunin mo yung number I’ll call them back whoever they are, kasi hinde si God eh. But I enjoy my time with God, you know why? Because I love Him, because He changed me, because He sacrifice His only Son for me. Who else ever done that for you? is anybody done that for you? No!. I’m thrilled to know that my God, who’s the greatest of all is waiting there for me every morning, there is very eager that I talk to. How many have kids? Do you enjoy your little kids talking to you? Hinde mo naiintindihan yung sinasabi nung bata pero ini-interpret nung mother, she wants milk, yung mother she knows what’s the baby is saying ganon din tayo, naku-kyutan si God eh. Can you imagine, just think of it. Do you think the President of the Philippines is busy? Is he doing important things? Now he’s only managing a country, now God is managing the entire universe, you think God is busy? Yeah! He’s got billions of people to worry about and this extremely busy God who’s the greatest of all has time for you, don’t you feel good. See prayer, you get excited about prayer when you have the right perspective with God, when you begin to know God, prayer never becomes boring, never becomes a chore, it becomes something that you look forward to everyday to the hours of the night, sometimes we sacrifice sleep people ask me what will I do, I tell them I pray. What do you say to God? Some sweet nothings and then the magic happens. I have given out for you verses, I verses on prayer in the bible, I like you to just go over these verses in the coming week and in your single one of this, you will see a loving God trying to reach out to a little creature and telling him or her, I love you! come sit with the king tell me your sweet nothings, alam ko na yan pero tell me anyway. Would you like to do that? that will change your life. Have you ever talk to God about your sex life, any of you? you know try it, shout it with God. Talk to him, talk to Him about your dream. Anyone can pray right? Hopefully it will not be a chore. Let’s pray.