The love of God is not merely worship on Sundays, but the continuous adherence to and application of God's commands and Words in our lives. As a Christian, worshiping God is an easy and joyful experience. What was discussed with us last April 20, 2025 was regarding God's warning to King Solomon that can be found in 1 Kings 9. 

It's true that God always gives us warnings many times whenever we go off track. Before He brings down punishment, He'll remind us several times, and it's up to us whether we listen to His reminders. The tough part for us is that we’re pretty hard-headed and we often choose the path that leads us to trouble before we finally wake up. Before we listen to Him, we usually do all sorts of things and listen to all kinds of people.

There have been many times in my life when I followed my desires before asking for guidance from God. And I can say that all of those led to failures, sadness, and suffering. There were even times when I cried out to God and asked why that happened to me, but I really had no one else to blame but myself because I didn’t listen to Him and chose to follow what I wanted, thinking it would make me happy, but in reality, it just caused me a lot of pain and regret.

Just like what the Lord did with King Solomon, before we do something, the Holy Spirit is already guiding us on what we should do and what the possible consequences of our actions might be. Sometimes we think it’s just us overthinking or being paranoid, but the truth is, most of the time, it’s the Holy Spirit talking to us before we make decisions.

King Solomon also did a lot of things that made him forget about God. He thought that what he was doing would glorify God, but the truth is, it was actually pulling him away from God.

You know, I would like to share what a brotherhood did to us. He has been a Christian longer than us and is one of those who invited us to attend their worship center. His treatment of us was good from the beginning, and it came to a point where he offered us a business opportunity. He said we would handle the financing while he would take care of the operations, with a profit-sharing arrangement of 50-50. We agreed, as he was not a stranger to us, and his wife is also a relative of my husband. My spouse and I prayed for that business venture for a long time. After years, we still had not started it because we were busy with our current jobs. Then, he surprised us by suddenly starting the business without any prior notice, and at that time, my spouse and I did not have any money, which made us feel overwhelmed.

That was super stressful because he gave us so many things to buy, and we didn’t even have any cash on hand at that moment since it was so sudden, yet he had so many demands. My husband and I were stressed for 6 months, and I felt like there was something telling me it wasn’t good, that we should think twice. But I also remembered that we’ve been praying and thinking about this for a long time, so we just went with the flow. It turned out to be a warning from God that it wasn’t the right time yet. And now that we’re in this business and can’t back out, we just keep praying for God’s continuous guidance, help, and provision for us as a couple, in our lives, and in this business we’re navigating.

My husband and I didn't realize that the hardships and doubts we had at first were actually warnings from the Lord that it could lead to our downfall. Because we really did get ripped off by someone we trusted. Even the employees he hired for us deceived us, so we lost a lot, and we’re still paying for it. We entered that business without any debt, but now and even until now, we are still repaying the debts incurred from the losses and theft committed against us by our business partner. He has now established his own business, leaving us in a precarious situation along with outstanding back charges. His actions have harmed us greatly, but God allowed this to happen, so we will place our trust in Him. This was our choice despite His warning, and we must face the consequences while continuously praying for His presence with us.

It's true that God gives reminders before our lives lead to unpleasant situations. 

It's painful to think about it for me and my husband, but it's real that we're still facing the consequences of something we thought would be good for us, but instead brought us hardship. Right now, by God's mercy and grace, we're able to pay our bills and our business is still running. It's nerve-wracking because there are still a lot of payments to be made and employees to pay, but thanks to the Lord for His continuous provision. We may not know what's happening with our former business partner, but he chose to do what he did to us, and like what happened to us, he'll also have to face the consequences of his actions against us.

I also believe that before he carried out the deception against us, he was warned by the Lord regarding what he would do to us, yet he still chose to deceive us, and I know that this was not hidden from God. The reminders coming from Him are sufficient, so I am confident that He will also deliver the justice that is due.

And as for us, we raise our suffering and concerns to the Lord because we know that He alone can help us. Facing the consequences while still standing is proof that God is always with us and He will never abandon us. We must always hope, believe, and trust in His guidance and love.