Soul Talks with PB

The path that we take determines the direction of our lives. Our direction is more important than our intentions. We must choose the right path so that we can be headed in the right direction. When we are headed in the right direction, and we persevere in it with patience and humility, we will reach the right destination by grace through faith. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spoti...

God created us for Himself. This is the only way that we can be fulfilled as human begins and also this is the only way to glorify God as human beings. However, He wants us to make this choice on our own. He does not want to force His will upon us. Now, this is the problem. We cannot make this choice on our own because our hearts are enslaved to sin and controlled by Satan. We are really not free....

You tested an "Open Door." You sought the guidance of the Lord through prayer and spiritual direction. You're confident it is from the Lord. You now enter it by faith. But, suddenly, in the middle of the process, the situation begins to unravel. Something is wrong. Obstacles begin to arise that cause confusion and doubt in your heart. What do you do? What if an "Open Door" starts to be challenging...

Generally speaking, most people respect Jesus. They know He is a miracle worker, so people pray to Him for their various needs. They also know He is a good teacher, so they love to quote His inspiring words and post them on Facebook. But are they willing to surrender to Him and follow Him as their Savior and Lord? Not really. What people believe about Jesus determines how they respond to Him. But...

It's a privilege to serve the Lord. As the Lord leads us, and according to our giftedness and life situations, all of us must serve the Lord one way or the other. Not doing so is a sin. In addition, we must have the right understanding of what it means to be successful in our service to God. Many people want to be successful. But we cannot define "success" based on worldly standards. Instead, we m...

It's essential nowadays for the church to raise effective communicators. There are so many messengers out there who try to distort God's truth by communicating falsehood. Unfortunately, they are excellent communicators. So, they succeed in misleading and deceiving many people. Instead of improving our skills in communication, many in the church today rely on traditional communication methods that...

Many Christians today started late in their Christian discipleship. They were already adults, sometimes older or senior adults before they decided to follow Jesus. Much time and plenty of opportunities were already lost or wasted because of this. It would have been better if they started young. How can we, as parents, help our children start young in their pursuit of God? In today's world, it woul...

In the Philippines, some congressmen are planning to pass a law that would lower the retirement age of government employees to 56. That's good news! Most people work so hard in their younger years that, when they grow old, they can retire comfortably. Now, if this law is approved, people can retire much earlier. They can then spend their remaining years enjoying life and their families. But is tha...

An "Open Door" is an opportunity from God that we must "TEST" or discern. That is the nature of an "Open Door." It is not simply an opportunity that we must grab the moment we see it. Instead, we must take the time to pray and seek guidance from the Lord, especially through the help of spiritual friends or companions. It's not an easy task. We can make mistakes along the way. The choices are not a...

Because of the advancement in medical science and technology, it's now possible for people to live long lives. If you add a healthy diet and regular exercise, we may live longer than most people a hundred years ago. But the length of our lives is not as important as the quality of our lives. How we live each day is what glorifies our Lord. We need to learn how to live a full life in the Lord. ---...

It's not easy to be a parent these days. One difficult challenge is the scarcity of time. We don't have the time to parent our children well, and we feel guilty about it. We delegate this task to the school or the church, but we know it's not enough. Children are growing up without a moral compass because parents are seldom present to mentor or guide them. Add the influence of media and technology...

The term "Christian" is now used to distinguish a person who is not a "Catholic." But usually what it means is that person is no longer attending a "Catholic" Mass or is no longer doing what "Catholics" do (e.g. pray the rosary, pray to Mary or the saints, etc.). But, other than that, what is the true difference between the two? It has nothing to do with externals. In fact, it has nothing to do wi...

Sometimes when we think about the birth of Jesus, we only think about it as a cute story. We may add some religious meanings to it, but it is still just a nice story that we tell children during Christmas time. We don't really see it as something personal, something that can and must affect us personally. That's why it's good to revisit and ponder upon the story of the birth of Christ even though...

Evangelism is our task as the people of God while we are in this world. But what does it mean? Some people are confused about this word. Some people think it's about helping the poor. Of course, that's important. But that is not what evangelism is all about. Others think it's about inviting people to the church. Again, that is important, too. But that is not the meaning of evangelism also. We need...

An "Open Door" is an opportunity given by God to us so that we can experience the presence of Christ, the purpose of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, it is our foretaste of heaven on earth. But how do we know if an "Open Door" is actually set before us by God? What if we are wrong? How can we be sure? In other words, how do we discern an "Open Door"? The answer? We need to TEST it. ---...

We are called to be witnesses of the Gospel. Sharing the Good News with others is our privilege and responsibility. But not many of us are doing it effectively. Effective witnessing is all about sharing the Good News to others so that they are persuaded to trust God also. But how do we do that in such a way that we do not alienate people in the process? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcast...

For most people, worship is what we feel when we are in a religious activity or event. That feeling may be inspired by the music, the preaching, the ambience, or any other external trigger. But seldom is it the realization of who God is and what He has done for us or for other people. Although feelings are important, it is not the essence of worship. True worship is our response to the personal re...

It's not easy for us to rejoice when others succeed. Jealousy, envy, and a competitive spirit often hinder us from celebrating the success of others. Are we angry when others are promoted, especially when we think we are better than them? Do we feel bitter when others receive affirmation while we do not, especially when our accomplishments are better than theirs? Do we criticize those who seem to...

Those who do not believe in the Lord live their lives as if everything depended on them. Those who believe in Jesus, however, know that they need grace every moment of their lives. They hunger and thirst for grace because everything in their existence depends on it. Without grace, they cannot survive nor thrive in this world. With grace, nothing is impossible with God. Grace is not just God's atti...

We sometimes imagine that God cannot do anything when we don't have faith or when we are struggling with doubts. For sure, faith is important, and God wants us to have faith at all times. But even the best of us can sometimes have doubts and unbelief in our hearts. The good news is that God can and will remain faithful even though we are faithless. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.s...

Christians are unaware of what is available to them because of Christ. Consequently, they miss the opportunities that God makes available for them if they will trust in Him. They waste their time and resources dabbling in worldly pursuits or false attachments. Many settle for mediocrity in their Christian lives instead of experiencing the glory of God. What they need is a deep understanding of the...

Many believers today do not have a clear sense of calling from the Lord. So they go through life aimlessly. They waste their time or resources doing all sorts of things that are not part of God's calling for their lives. Instead of seeking God's will, they settle for less than what God has prepared for them. God saves people for a reason. He has prepared good works for us to do with the life that...

A lot of people struggle with prayer. It seems that praying for a lot of people is a burden that is hard to carry. With so many things to do, some people think prayer is just a distraction or a waste of time. If ever, people pray just because they have to or it is expected. But they don't think it will make much of a difference. In contrast, there are those who understand that prayer is actually a...

No one wants to experience disappointment. But they do happen and they happen all the time to everyone. The effects of any kind of disappointment vary widely depending on how we view it. Some may be challenged by it. They may try even harder to overcome and succeed. Others may become discouraged and they may give up altogether. Others may just accept it and surrender to the situation, going into "...

We live in a world of uncertainty. People are not sure about anything. This is the reason why most people would rather not commit themselves to anything. They would rather take a neutral stance. This is especially true when it comes to faith in God. Who can be sure about anything when it comes to God? There are so many different views (i.e., also called diversity). In addition, to claim that one's...