Philippines in the Balance

                                                             The Philippines in the Balance

An Awakening And  Warning

By Jonas T  Suizo

Leviticus 26 reads like God laying down the ultimate “If you do this, then that happens” contract — blessings for obedience, and curses for rebellion. It’s old-school, no-nonsense covenant talk. And honestly, when you take that chapter and stack it next to the spiritual direction the Philippines is drifting toward, the parallels hit a little too close. It’s like watching someone speed straight into a warning sign that’s been blinking all day, and everyone else just shrugs like, “Eh, traffic lang ‘yan.”

In Scripture, when God chooses a people, it comes with privilege — and pressure. Israel learned this the hard way. “You only have I known… therefore I will punish you” (Amos 3:2). That’s not God being petty; that’s God being consistent. If He calls you family, He expects you to live like one. And when the family keeps messing up, the discipline hits different because the relationship hits different.

Now take that framework and apply it to the Philippines — a nation many believe was marked by prophecy, shaped by spiritual narrative, and set apart with a unique spiritual calling. But let’s be honest: the way the country is moving, it’s giving “Leviticus 26: the remix.” The signs are right there, loud and unsubtle, but a lot of people scroll past them like they're Terms and Conditions.

According to Leviticus 26, God deals with nations in two lanes: goodness for those who walk with Him, and severity for those who trample what is holy. Blessings aren’t vague — peace, fruitfulness, protection. But the warnings? Whew. They escalate like a teacher who’s been ignored one too many times: first a tap on the wrist, then a full-on life lesson you’ll be remembering for decades.

If the Philippines truly carries a spiritual calling, then it also carries accountability. God’s “goodness” isn’t soft — it’s the kind of goodness that cleanses, prunes, exposes, and burns away what destroys a nation. His “severity” isn’t random wrath — it’s covenant consequence. A nation that mocks God’s name, scatters His people, devours His sheep, or makes His laws a joke eventually walks straight into the disciplinary cycle described in Leviticus 26. Not because God enjoys punishing, but because He refuses to watch a chosen people ruin themselves without stepping in.

Right now, the Philippines is walking a razor’s edge. Morally, politically, socially — everything feels like the prelude to something bigger. Like God’s been dropping red flags left and right, and Filipinos are just posting memes about it. The chapter is basically laid open in front of us, but the national attitude is still “Bahala na,” as if spiritual trajectory is optional homework.

But here’s the thing: Leviticus 26 doesn’t end in doom. Even when everything falls apart, God makes room for return. Humility. Restoration. A comeback story. The goodness–severity tension always swings back to mercy — but only for those who choose it.

So at the end of the day, it’s not about fear. It’s about alignment. Whose side are we on — the side of God’s goodness, or the side that feels the weight of His severity? Because whether as a nation, a family, or an individual, God still deals with people the same way He did in Leviticus 26. The path is right in front of us. It’s just a question of whether we’ll actually pay attention before things escalate — again.

 

SERVANTS OF GOD

 THE SERVANTS OF GOD: RIGHTLY DIVIDING AND DRESSING THE GARDEN

By Jonas T.  Suizo

The Word of God is not merely a written record to be recited for knowledge’s sake, but a living and breathing seed meant to be cultivated in the garden of the Lord. From the very beginning, Adam was placed in Eden to “dress it and to keep it,” and so too the servants of God are entrusted with the holy task of tending His garden—the people, the church, the ministry—through the faithful handling of Scripture.

Isaiah reminds us, “For precept must be upon precept, line upon line, here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). This verse shows that the truth of God is not given in a single sweeping statement, but scattered throughout the pages of the Word, requiring careful gathering. The servant of God must learn to splice together these scattered fragments of truth, weaving them like threads into a garment fit for the garden of God.

Paul echoes this same duty when he exhorts, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). To rightly divide is to discern what belongs to which season, to know how to apply the Word with precision, not bluntly or mechanically, but as a gardener trims and nurtures each plant according to its need. A careless hand will destroy the plant; a faithful hand will help it flourish.

But such labor cannot be accomplished by human intellect alone. Man’s study and interpretation, void of the Spirit, becomes lifeless text. It cannot dress nor keep the garden. For, as Jesus taught, “God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Only by the Spirit can the Word breathe. Psalms declares, “The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty” (Psalm 29:4). And again, “The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire” (Psalm 29:7). The servant of God does not speak with borrowed words, but with the Spirit’s fire that makes Scripture alive and fitting for its moment.

Therefore, to keep and dress the garden of God is not to invent doctrines or lean on human commentary, but to let the Spirit teach, counsel, and guide. The true servants pray, seek counsel from the Lord, and wait upon His timing. They understand that the Word is not theirs to control but theirs to carry, as stewards of the mysteries of God.

In the end, the garden thrives not because of the servant’s skill, but because of the Lord’s voice resonating through His Word. The faithful servant merely tends, trims, and waters as God directs. By “here a little and there a little,” by “rightly dividing,” by crafting the Spirit’s utterance into a living voice, the servants of God dress the garden with majesty, ensuring that every plant, every soul, is nurtured unto the glory of the Lord.

 

JESUS WOULD FAIL

                                                                    JESUS WOULD FAIL

By Jonas T.  Suizo

From a human point of view, Jesus would absolutely be tagged as a failure. The metrics people use today—seminary checklists, doctrinal purity tests, and the endless gatekeeping of religious scholars—would never give Him a passing grade. But the God-level perspective? Totally different story. Jesus wasn’t here to impress institutions; He came to fulfill the will and pleasure of God, and that mission was never dependent on human approval. If anything, today’s theological “parameters” would label even Jesus and the early believers as a cult, just as Acts 24:5 records the accusation that He was the “ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.” Back then, the movement wasn’t even officially called Christianity. It was just a small, misunderstood group following a man everyone thought didn’t fit the mold.

Imagine Jesus showing up in our time and saying the same things He said before—claiming sonship, unity with the Father, and divine authority. People already struggle with basic transparency; imagine their reaction if He said, “I and my Father are one,” or openly declared Himself the Son of God as in John 10:36 and John 9:35–37. Seriously, modern society would go feral. Worse, many who consider themselves spiritually knowledgeable would be the first to accuse Him of being the Beast or a false prophet, simply because their entire understanding of prophecy and rapture is built on interpretations that have been recycled for generations. The Pharisees did this already: when Jesus spoke truth, they picked up stones. When He said “Before Abraham was, I am,” they tried to erase Him on the spot. Human tendency hasn’t changed. Tell people something beyond their framework, and they’ll cancel you with fire and passion.

This pattern repeats across Scripture. Everyone born through the will of the flesh—Old Testament or New—fell into the same cycle of rejecting the ones God sent. They persecuted prophets, resisted covenant, denied correction, and clung to their traditions over truth. By the time Jesus walked the earth, Israel had already fallen into a long season “without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law” (2 Chronicles 15:3). And honestly, the same energy is alive today. Religious scholars love flexing wisdom, but without the Spirit, the law, or a true teaching priest, all that learning becomes nothing but noise. People are so quick to slap the word “cult” on any group that doesn’t match their preferred flavor of religion—forgetting that by that same standard, early Christianity would’ve flunked every modern test.

At the core of it, this isn’t about labels or theological turf wars. It’s about how people still judge by the flesh—by emotion, by imagination, by intellect—while ignoring the actual power of God. If Jesus came again by His Spirit to renew hearts, cleanse lives, and write His law inwardly, many would reject Him exactly as the Pharisees did. They’d fail Him on their doctrinal exam and condemn the work of God because it doesn’t look like what they expected. And just like before, the ones truly born of water and Spirit would be the ones persecuted by those born only of the will of man.

Humanity keeps looping the same story because people refuse to humble themselves, to seek God with their whole being, or to let go of their own interpretations. They still err—not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God—and in doing so, they would fail Jesus all over again. But the mission of God has never been dependent on human approval. Even if people misjudge Him, misunderstand Him, or label Him wrongly, He still fulfills the will of the Father. Always has, always will.

 

THE OLD PATH IS NOT OF THE LAW OR LETTER BUT OF THE SPIRIT

 THE OLD PATH IS NOT OF THE LAW OR LETTER BUT OF THE SPIRIT

Jeremiah 6:16 Misinterpretted

By Jonas T.  Suizo

Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

The old path is one of the most misunderstood ideas in Scripture. People love to quote it like it’s some cozy, vintage religious aesthetic, but the real meaning is far from cute. Jesus Himself already warned that many “err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God,” and that’s exactly what happens when this verse gets treated like a slogan instead of a call to surrender. The old path isn’t old because it’s nostalgic — it’s old because it’s rooted in God’s eternal way, the one that existed long before human preferences, traditions, or church styles ever entered the picture. And every time God describes this path, He makes one thing painfully obvious: it’s never convenient to the flesh, never predictable, and never controlled by human expectations.

When Jesus told Peter, “When thou wast young… thou walkedst whither thou wouldest, but when thou art old… another shall carry thee whither thou wouldest not” (John 21:18), He exposed the real nature of God’s way. The old path is a road where your will gets crossed, your desires get denied, and your flesh gets dragged somewhere it wouldn’t take itself. If the journey you’re on always matches your comfort zone, then let’s be honest — that’s probably your own path, not God’s. The way of God has always demanded surrender, not preference.

And to make things even more humbling, the old path is not a route you can predict, chart, or control. Jesus compared life in the Spirit to the wind: it moves where it wants, you hear it, but you don’t get to know where it came from or where it’s going (John 3:8). That’s the uncomfortable truth of the old path — you walk it without a map. You follow God without knowing the itinerary. But even if the route is unclear, the destination is absolutely certain. Jesus promised, “Peace I leave with you… not as the world giveth” (John 14:27). And God assures His people that His thoughts are “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11). In other words, you don’t get to see the twists, but you can trust the ending.

Scripture pushes this idea even further by showing that God’s path is literally invisible to human wisdom. Job said, “There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen” (Job 28:7). Even the sharpest, highest creatures can’t spot it — meaning, this isn’t a path humans can discover on their own. It’s only known if God reveals it. And when He leads, He leads through places that don’t even have paths, just so it’s clear He’s the one doing it. God says, “I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). He even guides the blind “by a way that they knew not” (Isaiah 42:16), proving that what you need is not sight — it’s trust.

So the old path isn’t about going back to some “better era” or recreating what older generations did. It’s not nostalgia. It’s not tradition for tradition’s sake. It’s about returning to the original route God designed, the one no human invented and no human can improve. It’s ancient because God authored it, and it’s new because the Spirit reveals it in every generation. It denies the flesh, humbles human wisdom, removes predictability, and yet guarantees peace at the end.

The old path is not the one you choose. It’s the one God chooses. It’s not the path that makes sense — it’s the path that saves. It caught Job unaware.  And honestly, it’s the only path that doesn’t leave you walking in circles because it has no certain patterns only the WILL and PLEASURE of GOD.

 

RANDOM THOUGHTS PURPOSIVE HEART

                                                      Random Thoughts with a Purposive Heart

by Jonas T. Suizo

There’s something tragic yet common in human nature: people who are not even religious often feel entitled to pry into spiritual matters they neither understand nor have ever experienced. They speak as though they know, and judge as though they see. Yet in truth, their judgment is foolish and their conclusions unjust.

Imagine someone marching into the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI)—the body created by President Marcos Jr. to address corruption in the DPWH—carrying photos and accusations, but no evidence or truth to back them up. What would you call that? Disturbed, impulsive, emotionally unstable. When the spiritual is mixed with the unclean—lust, imagination, and unchecked emotion—the result is chaos.

Why, then, would anyone sacrifice their spiritual youth by choosing to mingle with an unbeliever? Some think they’ll grow stronger in faith by being with someone “intelligent” or “successful” from the world. But that thinking is fatally flawed. God’s thoughts are not man’s thoughts, and His ways are not the world’s ways. The world will always find God’s wisdom foolish—yes, even devilish.

“Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?” — John 8:48

“And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?” — John 10:20

“But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.” — Matthew 12:24

Even the Son of God was accused of being possessed! So what makes us think the world will view godly things with reverence?

Jesus gave us the true test of spiritual reality: “By their fruits ye shall know them.” If a sister in the faith finds herself tangled with a worldly man and shows forth the fruits of the flesh rather than the fruit of the Spirit, then we already know the root of the problem. The issue isn’t the world’s corruption—it’s our compromise.

My counsel is simple: never engage the world unnecessarily unless God Himself commands it. The world has nothing godly to offer, for it lacks three things—the True God, the Law, and the Teaching Priest.

“Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.” — 2 Chronicles 15:3

And to those foolish men who keep meddling and stirring up strife among the faithful, let Gamaliel’s wisdom in the book of Acts speak loud and clear:

“Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought;
But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.” — Acts 5:38–39

That’s the truth of it. Some battles are not ours to fight, and some causes are untouchable because they are of God.

So let the world pry, mock, and meddle. Our task is not to argue but to stand firm—purposive in heart, discerning in spirit, and unmoved by foolish noise.

SEEKING GOD IN CHAOS

 WHERE CAN WE FIND GOD IN TIMES OF CHAOS?

A Biblical Perspective

The timeless inquiry has echoed throughout human history: “If God is benevolent, why does He permit so much evil, suffering, and devastation in the world?” Some even go as far as to reject the existence of God, suggesting that pain contradicts His reality or His love. However, the Scriptures present a sobering yet freeing truth: the suffering in the world stems not from a malicious God, but from humanity's rebellion, decisions, and estrangement from the One who brings tranquility. Below are seven scriptural arguments that directly challenge the mindset that questions, “Where is God?”

Argument 1: Death and suffering are not enjoyable to God

God has a clear heart. He does not take pleasure in suffering or devastation. According to Lamentations 3:33, "for he does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men." Similarly, in Ezekiel 33:11, He declares that He does not rejoice in the demise of the wicked but exhorts everyone to turn from their sins and live. God would exult in disaster if He were malevolent, but the Bible shows otherwise. God wants to be merciful, not to destroy.

Argument 2: The effects of man's sin are felt by him

Nations experience instability not because God commands it, but because sin always finds its way back to the sinner. "Be certain that your transgression will be discovered" (Numbers 32:23). According to Obadiah 1:15, a man's actions will come back to haunt him. In terms of judgment, sin is a seed that constantly produces fruit. It is man's resistance, not God's harshness, that is causing the world to groan in disarray.

Argument 3: The works of the flesh bring destruction

The turmoil we see springs from hearts controlled by lust, hatred, and unbelief. Galatians 5 lists the works of the flesh—adultery, idolatry, wrath, envyings, murders—and warns that those who do such things cannot inherit the kingdom of God. James 2:26 ties it together: just as a body without spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead. When people live without God, fleshly passions steer them into ruin.

Argument 4: Conflict results from man's animosity against God

The carnal mentality is described as "enmity against God" in Romans 8:6–7, and a natural man is unable to receive the things of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14). Paul chastises the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3:3 for being carnal, divided, and envious. James 4:1–3 goes one step further: inward lusts are the root cause of wars and conflicts. Such conflicts are the product of man, not God. To reject God is to choose conflict.

Argument 5: When a man trusts himself, he is sentenced to death.

In 2 Corinthians 1:9, Paul acknowledges that "we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead." When people place their faith in their own flesh, problems arise. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways, according to James 1:8. The results of chaos include pride, desire, envy, arrogance, and unbelief. Man, not God, is the cause of chaos.

Argument 6: God wants to restore, not destroy

God does not strike to destroy, but to heal. Isaiah 19:22 states that the LORD will both strike and heal Egypt. God urges His people to return (Jeremiah 3:22), loves freely (Hosea 14:4), and provides the kingdom with healing (Luke 10:9). Sin is a sign that we need to be healed, as Psalm 41:4 exclaims, "Heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee." God restores; the devil destroys, steals, and kills.

Argument 7: Only in the Spirit of God is there true life.

Everything falls into vanity in the absence of God. "They labor in vain to build the house, except the LORD" (Psalm 127:1). According to Psalm 62:9, "Man in his highest state is lighter than vanity." God, on the other hand, operates by His Spirit rather than human strength (Zechariah 4:6). While worldly grief ends in death, Godly sorrow leads to repentance and life (2 Corinthians 7:10). Man is recreated in the Spirit of God and bears fruit that lasts. There is only destruction outside of God.

Argument #8: Despite God's love for the world, it rejects and hates him

God's love seen in Christ is the strongest evidence that He has never abandoned humanity. The idea that chaos is an indication of God's absence is disproved by John 3:16, which states unequivocally: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Rather, it serves as a reminder that His love endures despite the chaos and wrath in the world.

However, humanity's response—rather than God's love—is the issue. "I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world," Jesus said in John 17:14, anticipating this rejection. Man's revolt has always been characterized by opposition to the light and hatred of the truth. In other words, God's presence is not absent—rather, it is resisted—as John 15:18 affirms: "If the world hates you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you." Though the world frequently favors the darkness, his word illuminates.

So, in a chaotic world, where is God? He has always been there, calling them back, bringing about peace, healing, and salvation. The chaos demonstrates man's rejection of God's presence rather than His absence. God never intended for His creation to die, suffer, or be conceited. Man created them. However, in His kindness, God continues to grant life by Christ. "Where is God?" is not the question, instead, "Will man come back to Him?"

 

ETERNAL WAR: THE WAR FOR PEACE

 ETERNAL WAR: THE WAR FOR PEACE

By: Jonas T Suizo

 

Know that Eternal War is , in truth, a war for peace. This statement sound contradictory at first, yet within the spiritual realm, it reveals a profound truth. The struggle of faith, obedience, and endurance is not a battle for dominance or pride—it is a battle to preserve and manifest the peace of God.

 

In John 16:33, Jesus declared, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” These words  acknowledges the truth in the existence of conflict, yet assures that peace can still be found. The peace of  God is not dependent on circumstances; it exists in spite of tribulation. Peace is a fruit of the spirit and not the absence of war.  It grows from the different substrates of pain and pleasure, of good and evil, and from holy and profane.

 

This distinction becomes even clearer in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” The peace of God is different in essence and origin from the peace the world promises. The world’s peace is built on compromise and comfort which is fragile and temporary. The peace of the world is easily shattered by fear, greed, or uncertainty. God’s peace  is spiritual—it stands firm amid chaos, rooted in divine authority and eternal truth. One must choose between the two, for they cannot coexist in the same heart. The peace of the world demands conformity and capitulation; the peace of God requires surrender.

 

The difficulty of this battle is magnified by the nature of the world itself. Psalm 93:1 declares, “The Lord reigneth… the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.” The world, in its systems and values, is firmly fixed in its rebellion against God. It is not established in the righteousness of faith , but in the righteousness of the law and resistance. This means that the war for divine peace is waged within a world that cannot be moved that refuses to yield. The structures of pride, corruption, and deception remain deeply rooted. Thus, the conflict continues—not because God’s power is weak, but because His truth is unchanging, standing against an unmovable world order that opposes it.

 

This opposition is not neutral; it is personal. Jesus warned in John 15:18–19, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you… because ye are not of the world… therefore the world hateth you.” The world’s hatred of God manifests as hostility toward His people. This is the cost of divine allegiance and service to God. To walk in light is to expose darkness, and darkness despises exposure. The true follower of Christ should never expect to be celebrated by a world that crucified its Savior.

 

The Apostle James then delivers the ultimate warning in James 4:4: “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” These words lay bare the spiritual red line that cannot be crossed. To love the world’s ways, to adopt its standards, or to seek its approval is to place oneself at odds with God. The war for peace is a war of loyalty—between the fleeting peace of worldliness and the eternal peace of God’s presence.

 

In the end, eternal war is not about destruction but of transformation and continuous change. It is the proving ground of peace. God’s peace is not a passive state but a victorious stance—born from conflict, sustained by faith, and perfected through endurance. The world may remain unmoved in its rebellion, but spiritual victory remains unshaken. To fight this war is to choose God’s side in every thought, word, and deed, trusting that His peace is worth every battle fought in faith.

 

Thus, the eternal war continues—not because God desires conflict, but because His people must learn to overcome, just as Christ overcame. The peace of God is not fragile or fleeting; it is eternal, invincible, and already secured for those who remain steadfast in Him. Christ being the example of love and sacrifice.