My Life with God

By Tessie N. Del Rosario

Each of us experiences the vicissitudes of life in different ways. Some, it could be said, never experience grief while others seem to have lives of grief alone. I wrote this book, the story of my life, not to suggest my life is full of either just strife or just happiness. Like anyone else, I have experienced both joys and sorrows. But I wrote this book so the reader can experience the reality of our great and awesome God speaking to us all in an audible voice and clear in our spirit. No matter what occurred for me, no matter what surprises life brought me, it was always our God, Creator of the Universe, who kept His promises of the things He would do for me and that He will also do for you, the reader of this book. What He did for me He will do for you and you will see things happen one by one before your very eyes all your life if you are accepting Him as I am.

Once you see how our God dealt with a person like myself, who is average and very ordinary, a person like me full of imperfections and sins, a person who even by my own standards would not be acceptable or qualified to be His servant, yet still He called me to serve Him, you will understand why I am very indebted and grateful to Him. It is my hope that after your reading this book you will one day feel as indebted and grateful to Him as I am.

Our God used a nobody like me to heal a crippled woman to walk normally (as you will see). He used me to heal instantly a woman with back problems who had been going to chiropractors for years with no results. He delivered drugs addicts from their bondage of addiction, and fought for someone who was on the brink of Satans possession, casting out demons from a house that was haunted. I was his vessel that showed how when someone prays believing in God that He will always answer.

Our God showed me His wonders, His power for healing, the manifestation of His gifts, and His presence in my life and the lives of others. God treated me as special and highly favored, touching the hearts of men to do me favors.

He demonstrated His great love for me by sending His only Son to die in my place to save me from sins and the fires of hell. He showed me how privileged I was and still am to be given an opportunity to accept Jesus into my heart to be my personal Savior and Lord of my life. He gave me the right to become a child of God and He will do the same for you. He gave me a blessed assurance that I will go to heaven to be with my Lord Jesus forever and ever.

Here you will learn how to have that very close, intimate and personal relationship with God that I have. You will feel you know His plans and directions for you. You will develop a very strong faith to believe that whatever His will for you, it is acceptable and with the complete resignation that He is in control no matter what the circumstances are you find yourself in. It makes no difference if you are sick or well, dying or lively, because you will understand the need and desire to put yourself in His hands as I have done. You will completely trust in Him because you will believe in His sovereignty.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456715991

Tessie N. Del Rosario

Tessie N. del Rosario was born in Alabang, Muntinlupa, Rizal, Philippines. She is the eighth child of ten children of Francisco N. Nopuente and Isabel B. de Mesa. She earned her Associate in Commerce degree at the Philippine College of Commerce and graduated from Arellano University in Manila, Philippines, where she completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Commercial Education. In 1982, she found the Lord Jesus and accepted Him into her heart as her personal Savior and as the Lord of her life. She was so grateful that our Lord Jesus died for her sins that she started to witness and share the Word of God to others. She first went to her friends’ homes and conducted Bible Studies, later opening her office as place for Bible Study also. Many people have been touched and become born again through her simple ministry. In 2003, she was ordained as a Minister by Dr. Davy Ray Kendrick, Bishop of the First Church of the Gospel Ministry. In 2006, she was ordained as a Pastor by Apostle Larry Johnson of Our Father’s House in Pittsburg., California. She is currently teaching and preaching the Word of God in her own “Saving Souls Ministry to the World” every Sunday. Her heart beats to save the lost and the objective of her ministry is for anyone to know the Savior and to develop a very close, deep, personal and intimate relationship with God. She never asks for tithes or offerings because she believes her service for the Lord should be free. Currently, Tessie is a Real Estate/Mortgage and Insurance Broker, a Licensed Tax Preparer and Notary Public. She has operated her business, “Best Haven Realty/Mortgage/Insurance and Tax Services” with the help of her daughter, Teresita, who is also a Real Estate Broker and a Licensed Tax Preparer in Pittsburg, California for over 21 years.

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© 2011 Tessie N. del Rosario. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse   5/5/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-1598-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-1599-1 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-1600-4 (dj)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011900555

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DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my Lord Jesus who inspired me,

to my children, Francisco and Teresita

and to my grandsons: Mikey, Joey, and Sammy

Contents

ABOUT THE BOOK

INTRODUCTION

Chapter I: "But God demonstrates His own love for us

in this: While we were still sinners, Christ

died for us."

Chapter II: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Chapter III: Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God."

Chapter IV: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Chapter V: The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.

Chapter VI: For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord and He watches all his paths.

Chapter VII: In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence and His Children will have refuge.

Chapter VIII: For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Chapter IX: Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, says the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.

Chapter X: The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.

Chapter XI: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Chapter XII: And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation."

Chapter XIII: Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then I said, Here am I, send me!"

Chapter XIV: I will not die but live and declare the works of the Lord.

Chapter XV: I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

POEMS TO MINISTER AND PRAISE

POEMS TO MINISTER AND PRAISE

LORD, HOW CAN YOU LOVE ME?

GOD IS AWAKE

LET GOD TOUCH YOU

DO YOU KNOW HIM?

JESUS IS COMING

CALVARY

HE HAS RISEN

TOUCH THE LOST

WHICH LIFE TO CHOOSE?

I WAS SET FREE

GOD IS MY MAN

I’M SO BLESSED

TONGUE

I AM CALLED TO FLY

TRANQUILITY

LORD, I WANT TO PRAY

GOD HOLDS OUR LIFE

UNTO HIM

GOD IS THERE

THE POWER OF GOD

"WHAT IS CHRISTMAS?’

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

TO MY MOTHER

TO MY GRANDSON, MIKEY

TO OUR PASTORS

TO OUR PASTOR EDMONSON

A FATHER

"A MOTHER’S LOVE’

PRAYER

ABOUT THE BOOK

Each of us experiences the vicissitudes of life in different ways. Some, it could be said, never experience grief while others seem to have lives of grief alone. I wrote this book, the story of my life, not to suggest my life is full of either just strife or just happiness. Like anyone else, I have experienced both joys and sorrows. But I wrote this book so the reader can experience the reality of our great and awesome God speaking to us all in an audible voice and clear in our spirit. No matter what occurred for me, no matter what surprises life brought me, it was always our God, Creator of the Universe, who kept His promises of the things He would do for me and that He will also do for you, the reader of this book. What He did for me He will do for you and you will see things happen one by one before your very eyes all your life if you are accepting Him as I am.

Once you see how our God dealt with a person like myself, who is average and very ordinary, a person like me full of imperfections and sins, a person who even by my own standards would not be acceptable or qualified to be His servant, yet still He called me to serve Him, you will understand why I am very indebted and grateful to Him. It is my hope that after your reading this book you will one day feel as indebted and grateful to Him as I am.

Our God used a nobody like me to heal a crippled woman to walk normally (as you will see). He used me to heal instantly a woman with back problems who had been going to chiropractors for years with no results. He delivered drugs addicts from their bondage of addiction, fought for someone who was on the brink of Satan’s possession, and casting out demons from a house that was haunted. I was his vessel that showed how when someone prays believing in God that He will always answer.

Our God showed me His wonders, His power for healing, the manifestation of His gifts, and His presence in my life and the lives of others. God treated me as special and highly favored, touching the hearts of men to do me favors.

He demonstrated His great love for me by sending His only Son to die in my place to save me from sins and the fires of hell. He showed me how privileged I was and still am to be given an opportunity to accept Jesus into my heart to be my personal Savior and Lord of my life. He gave me the right to become a child of God and He will do the same for you. He gave me a blessed assurance that I will go to heaven to be with my Lord Jesus forever and ever.

Here you will learn how to have that very close, intimate and personal relationship with God that I have. You will feel you know His plans and directions for you. You will develop a very strong faith to believe that whatever His will for you, it is acceptable and with the complete resignation that He is in control no matter what the circumstances are you find yourself in. It makes no difference if you are sick or well, dying or lively, because you will understand the need and desire to put yourself in His hands as I have done. You will completely trust in Him because you will believe in His sovereignty.

INTRODUCTION

My Life with God

Some people might think God causes them problems, but to the contrary, He is always there as protector from whatever might happen. I only had to put my faith in Him to learn this. I was burdened because I wanted to write a sincere and personal account about my own life and my life with God, or more precisely, about my own life’s experiences knowing the Lord. I mean by this that the Lord reveals to me that He, too, is alive and real. He does this through his endless love and mercy. He is faithful and true. I was burdened for many nights about how to share this knowledge with others. Although, I had experienced things in life, certain events, that when I was in them they seemed to be problems, but I was never alone or without His protection. How could I show this to others so they could share His greatness and love the same as I had.

My Lord, whom I know so well in my heart, is awesome. I have learned that His wisdom and power I cannot fathom and His presence knows no distance. I can call on Him anywhere and He can still hear me. I feel secure with His love and my knowing that He is in control no matter what situation I am in. I feel rich for having a Father, who owns the universe, the heavens and the earth, and everything in it, including me. I feel proud to be called a child of the King, and I want other people to know that a blessed life like mine is possible for them, too, if they know Him and let Him know them personally. What a wonderful life for us all in the glory of His kingdom if we are accepting Him!

But in order to do this I faced a new dilemma. I am not a writer, so how could I start a book to tell my story? Where to begin? And what should I say? So I put the thought of writing aside more than once, ignoring the urge to write for many months.

But then it came to me. On February 25, 1998 at the stroke of midnight, I was very sleepy and my home was quiet and my son was already asleep in his bedroom. I knew my neighbors had all retired to bed and were asleep as well. I was in my comfortable bed with my clock radio playing softly some Christian songs from my favorite Christian radio station. I had taken my blood pressure medication and was about to go to sleep after reading my Bible and saying my last prayer for the day, but instead I took out a red binder I had and I just began to write. The desire to tell about my life with God was overwhelming within me!

How wonderful it feels to know that the Lord is with me and will never leave nor forsake me!!! I thought, I had already reached a place in my life that is secured with God. Nevertheless, some questions plagued me that now could be broached and answered as I wrote and shared my beliefs and experiences with other people

Did it matter what I did or where I was? I wondered. Is there a difference if I am well or sick? Happy or sad? What if I am alone or in the midst of my family or friends? Will there be a difference in the world if I live or die now? I honestly analyzed my feelings and tried to answer these questions as truthfully as I could. My answer was always the same though: I feel no difference because no matter what circumstances I am in, I am always with God. Dead or alive, I will be with God so there is no difference. So, I began to write and share my life and relationship with God with others.

What happened to me that I should feel this way? I thought. How could I feel so resigned and trusting of future events I could not foretell? I asked myself if I had reached a pinnacle in my life where my spirit was in control. Was I being controlled by the Spirit?

Chapter I: "But God demonstrates His own love for us

in this: While we were still sinners, Christ

died for us."

Romans 5:8

LORD, HOW CAN YOU LOVE ME?

Just the thought of being controlled by the Spirit made me feel privileged. I said, "Lord, who am I that you chose me to know you? How can you love a person like me? I am a nobody and you selected me among my brothers and sisters, and from among many other people. Despite my thoughts of my being unworthy, the Lord gave His life for me and I was filled with so much emotion that I began crying from deep inside me. It was then I noticed that I began writing a poem titled:

LORD, HOW CAN YOU LOVE ME?

Lord, how can you love me?

I’m no one and not worthy,

I’m a sinner and your enemy,

yet, you found and saved me.

I am lost and so far away,

Nowhere to go and have gone astray,

But your grace showed me the way,

You lit my path that was dark and gray.

Your love is unending and unconditional,

Your patience to wait for me is never final,

You even sent your Son for me,

He was obedient ‘til death in Calvary.

Oh! My God, your love is awesome,

My limited mind cannot fathom,

Your arms wide open to embrace me,

willing to bestow your undying mercy.

How can you love a wretched one like me?

My life is filled with iniquity,

I tried to be good, but I cannot do it,

Lord, how can you love a person like me?

I continued writing: Lord, I want to thank you so much for revealing to me your mystery. Thank you for calling me and opening my eyes from blindness. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to meet you. I have many thanks for the Lord. My heart is filled with thanks because I know my inadequacy and I am so undeserving.

DID THE LORD SEE ME?

My thoughts then brought me back to when I was a little girl. I was about seven-years-old. I remembered my family had a big but old, green-colored house with three big bedrooms, one for our parents, one for the boys and one for us girls. Our living room was huge, as was our dining table that was always filled with my six brothers and us three sisters at dinner time. The part of the house I liked best was the porch, long and open, it was like a big balcony/family room combined with a staircase descended down to our yard. Our huge front and back yards were surrounded by different fruit trees. I remembered how I had so many good times there where I could play with my brothers and sisters in either yard. I remembered snacking on fruits in the mid-afternoon, because my brothers and sisters had no problem climbing the fruit trees to pick tamarinds, mangoes, camachiles, coconuts, atis, bananas, and guavas. Unfortunately, I was the only one in my family who lacked the talent of knowing how to climb a tree.

We were the only ones with a house next door to our Roman Catholic Church. I remembered at the side of our home, a little path that was almost covered with high wild weeds, especially during rainy season. During the dry season, the weeds and grass turned brown and dried up revealing more of the path. I recalled in my mind’s eye using this path to go to the side entrance of the Catholic church.

Every Sunday morning, I would wake up to attend the mass at that church after crossing that path. My father scolded everyone in our household about church attendance. I remembered hearing my father exclaiming one morning that Our house is one-step away from the church and yet no one but Tessie goes to church.

I did not go to church because I wanted to show off, or because of my father’s scolding my siblings, or for him to think of me as religious. I went to church because I felt a desire to be in church. Despite my young age, I thought that was the right thing to do on Sunday mornings and this was my earliest learning about God.

Many of the women in my neighborhood went to this church. In contrast, the men seldom went to Church. I guess it was for them a way to be macho by not going. Once the people were inside the church, we paid attention to whatever the priest wanted us to do: we knelt, stood up, sat down, knelt again, listened to his sermon, and took the Eucharist.

The Holy Communion or Eucharist was allowed for someone only if he or she had confessed his or her sins to the priest that Friday of the week. People approached the altar and knelt down together in a long pew. Then, the priest would come over to each one and with two altar boys assisting by putting a plate under the chin, he would place a host (wafer) on top of our tongues that symbolized the body of Christ. It was said if the host sticks to the palate of your mouth it meant you were sinful. Mine always stuck to my palate, even though I was a little girl.

Chapter II: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Mark 12:30

YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF AN IDOL……

Our church had many statues…in fact, too many. One was the little Jesus called the Santo Nino, a statue of a lady dressed in white with a blue cord belt tied around the waist, the so-called Virgin Mary, and St. Roque, the patron saint of our barrio. There were other statues that I think were maybe Joseph and John and even the other disciples. The statues varied in size and were also dressed in fine clothes and wearing jewelry. I wondered as a child how they were classified to. Were the large statues and those decorated more likely more important than the smaller ones?

Almost all of us in religiously attended church back then had our own individual favorite patron saint. I started to remember when I was in college and went to St. Jude Church every Thursday while other people usually went to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Baclaran, Manila. This church was always filled to capacity, even overflowing out the doors every Wednesday because everyone believed that Our Lady of Perpetual Help was capable of miracles. Others went to different churches to attend the novenas of their patron saints. We did the rosaries requiring us to kneel or bow down and to show our endearment to our patron saint, we would touch the statue with handkerchief.

But the statue was still a statue.

YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME

The Patron Saint of our church in Alabang is St. Roque. My mother once told me a story that when St. Roque became a man, he went out many nights with his friends. One night, he came home very late and his parents were sleeping on mats on the floor because in those days, poor people had no beds. As he entered the house, he accidentally stepped on his mother’s foot. That made him feel disrespectful of his mother so to repent he went to a nearby mountain and cut his own knee as punishment for what he had done. His faithful dog brought him bread and licked his wounds until they healed.

People from our church believed that St. Roque was capable of miracles. So every time sickness spread in the community, there was a nightly procession where the men carried a statue of St. Roque as the women followed with candles in their hands, and others from the community carried torches to light their ways. Everyone chanted and sang the name of St. Roque, petitioning him to heal the sick and drive all sickness away. Children especially joined this procession because it was considered fun to be part of it and stay up late at night.

Later, I went to the capital, Manila, for my high school studies which meant commuting everyday. Alabang was an hour away from Manila by bus. I had to walk about two miles from the bus depot to my school, I recalled. There was a big church of Quiapo, located in the center of Manila that I went to everyday because it was on my way to school. I would pray my rosary while kneeling near the altar like a good Catholic girl. This church was open all day, so people were constantly going in and out after lighting candles. I lit candles also, especially when I had a petition for something I wanted to happen. It was believed that the more candles one lit, the sooner God would answer one’s prayers. There was a charge for these candles, and you were expected to be honest and drop some money in a slot to pay for your candles. I did this because I knew God was watching me…

At the back of the altar was a big human-sized statue that stood nearly six feet tall. Placed in a prone position, the statue was called the The Black Nazarene. It, too, was clothed in a dark maroon, long gown with a golden cord-like belt as a Spanish friar might wear. It was another statue that people rubbed their handkerchiefs on the body while others rubbed the face or even the arms, hands and fingers. As a young woman, I must admit that I was afraid of this particular statue because it had sharp features with deep-set eyes and raised pointy nose. I wouldn’t dare come close to it.

This particular church was filled with so many of these life-sized statues that they could be found in every corner, in every nook and cranny. In front of every statue there a little pew where one could kneel and pray. There were also candles (with the appropriate payment) a worshipper could light as part of the devotion.

RELIGION NOT PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP

In the Philippines we have many various festivities and religion plays a very important part in these celebrations. Every town celebrates its town fiesta in honor of its own patron saint. Everyone is welcome and can eat in everyone else’s home without invitation.

Holy Week in the Philippines is the most colorful of religious event in the country. Our family church was always so busiest during that time. Some of our community who attended read the Passion Book of Jesus the entire day and night without stopping. I must admit I loved to read this Book and the elders relied on me to be available whenever they needed me. Many people were coming to church just to eat and bring home food. They didn’t serve meat then, only fish and vegetables as part of the required fasting and abstinence. Many people were praying their rosaries and while others were doing the station, that is praying to the images of Jesus representing the time He was caught in the Garden