TAKE A STEP OF FAITH AND DON’T LOOK AT WHAT’S IN YOUR HANDS” (Part 1)
When God gives you a vision or gives you direction, pray it through and do not let it go until you see it come to pass. When He gives a word, it comes with all the power to fulfill it, but we must pray it through. He is dropping the seed of His word into our hearts until it grows and bears fruit. Just like when Pastor Domingo Cipriano received God’s word, he held onto it, believed in it, and in the end, he saw it come to pass.
Pastor Domingo Cipriano, IT missionary and IT trainer is currently in Windsor, Ontario Canada together with his family. His journey of faith started in 2017 when he was seeking God for some new possibilities, new challenges, and something far greater than what he is already doing. That’s when God led him to International Teams Philippines, a mission-sending organization.
Pastor Domingo was so encouraged when he attended the IT fellowship and heard the testimonies of IT missionaries. He was even struck to the core upon hearing the message of God through the powerful preaching of Pastor Gani Sison, IT’s Executive Director. One thing that was embedded in his heart were the words, “Take a step of faith and don’t look at what’s in your hands”. He believed that in order for him to experience the extraordinary miracles from God, he should have faith in God and not in the resources he has.
After Pastor Domingo’s Access 1 Training in May 2018, he decided to join the Access 2 Training in Malaysia for ten days. Pastor Domingo learned a lot of things while he was in Malaysia. He learned things about missions, fellowship, discipline, and how to listen keenly to God. As they went up to a prayer mountain, the Lord spoke to him. God showed him the country of Canada while he was praying. At that time, it seemed very unattainable to go to Canada, however, Pastor Domingo was reminded by God not to look at what was in his hands but to take a step of faith. He did not know how it would happen, but he solely put His trust in God.
It was around August when the IT office announced the Bless Canada program. Pastor Domingo’s heart leaped. He felt the excitement in his heart and prayed for God’s instruction. He didn’t have the money to go to Canada and the plane ticket cost around 50,000 pesos. He had no idea where to get the money, but he knew where to put his trust – in God. Therefore, by faith, he signed up for the Bless Canada program and got his name listed among those who wanted to do a short-term mission in Canada. Pastor Domingo and the other IT missionaries submitted their visa applications to the Embassy of Canada and had to wait for the result.
In November 2018, there was an IT East Asia Conference in Taiwan and Pastor Domingo wanted to join. However, his passport was still at the Canadian Embassy for the visa application. He desired to go but more importantly, he wanted to know if it was also God’s will for him to go. In his heart, he prayed, “Lord, if my visa application gets approved then it means I should go to Taiwan”.
Sister Pedma, his wife, went to Taiwan first. To her surprise, she saw Pastor Domingo the following day. He told her what happened and that it was really God’s will and provision for him to join the conference in Taiwan.
The day Sis Pedma left for Taiwan, Pastor Domingo was notified that his visa application was approved! He immediately got his passport back and booked his ticket to Taiwan. Since he had to book the earliest flight possible, it was more expensive than the usual price. He had only 10,000 pesos saved for the Bless Canada program, but he spent most of it to purchase his plane ticket to Taiwan since he believed that it was God’s will for him to go. “I believe that God will make a way, so I took a step of faith,” Pastor Domingo remarked. He risked the 10,000 pesos he had, and he didn’t regret it.
After the IT conference in Taiwan, Pastor Domingo was invited by his friend to preach in the two churches there. Unexpectedly, he received love gifts which were more than the money he used as he went to Taiwan. He received a huge amount of money that he was able to use to go to Canada! With God’s provision, Pastor Domingo was able to go to Canada and experienced the things and miracles which he never thought would have happened in his life! It was truly God who gave him the vision and made it happen.
The story doesn’t end there. . . there’s more! As Pastor Domingo continues to obey the Lord, he and his family received God’s double portion blessings! This is just the beginning of God’s wonderful ways in Pastor Domingo’s life. Only God can take full credit for all the things that happened. It was God alone who made the unattainable attainable. . . the impossible, possible!!!
In order to unlock the “double portion” of blessings God has for you, it’s crucial that you obey Him. Do you want to reap God’s best? Do you want to see Him move in your life as never before? Then begin now to prepare your heart to give whatever He has asked of you.
I’m truly convinced that if you need a miracle breakthrough in your body, your relationship with the Lord, your marriage, your children, your emotions, or even in your finances, then this is your great opportunity to obey God and receive His double portion blessings!
Deuteronomy 16:16
Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed.
(Written by: Venus Jablo)
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