Two centuries ago, the rumblings of the Philippine Revolution began in the universities and in the Catholic church when a group of Filipino clergy called for equal rights with that of their Spanish counterparts. These young men were inspired by the ideals - especially that of liberty, equality and brotherhood - of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. They wanted freedom from Spain and the right to rule and decide for the Philippines' destiny. The 1896 Revolution gave birth to the Philippine nation. It was a bloody one and not without cost like any other revolution.

Rizal, Bonifacio, Mabini, Aguinaldo and Jacinto, our young Filipino heroes, used their talents, gifts, energy and time to fight for the Philippines. They gave this cause their all. And their only agenda was to see the nation set free from the Spaniards. In that they succeeded but in the more important aspects like freedom from poverty, hunger, corruption and sin, they failed for they forgot one very important thing: freedom for the heart and soul of a nation. A freedom that could not be fought in the physical realm alone but one that should start in a higher sphere, the spiritual realm. This is the area where there is a need for God to invade our history and raise up a generation that this nation has never seen in its the past.

As we study Philippine history today, we see a lot of parallelisms between the 19th century heroes and our present generation. Like them, we are seeing numerous unprecedented advances in technology, education, communications and the economy. The later part of the 19th century likewise saw many changes as the steamship was introduced and the Suez Canal opened making international travel faster and easier. This opened the Philippines to world trade and allowed foreign goods and ideas to come in. Today, the internet has dematerialized borders and distances. Because of this, we are able to see how God is moving not only in the different regions in the Philippines but also around the world. We can easily download sermons from the net from all over the world, read the blogs and articles from men and women of God and watch services and Christian events through Youtube and other video hosting websites. Think about it! Never in history has there been a generation so gifted with so much opportunity and resource to help spread the word of God!

Historical records show us that most of the Katipuneros and Bonifacio's peers were young people under the age of 30. Though the Revolution was marred by factionalism by the haves and have-nots, the idea of a Filipino nation was uppermost in their minds. Statistics today show that the Philippines has a greater percentage of young people and these youth are the ones who are out there crying out for a change in the status quo! There is a deep and resounding cry for change not only inside the Body of Christ but out in the streets, too.

My spiritual father, Pastor Joseph Di Sarno, once told us during a youth conference that, "in the history of the Philippines there has never been a generation like yours." He was describing our generation one that has had an encounter with God, a generation that has seen, felt and experienced the presence of God in such a powerful way. Notice that God is not only sending us His prophets, apostles and teachers from all over the world to speak, encourage and prophesy over us and the Philippines. Yes, the Lord is also raising up His army at this time and you and I are called to be a part of it. We have been called to not only serve in church ministries, graduate and get a job but we are called to change the face of a nation just like Rizal, Bonifacio and the others who have gone before us.

There have been a number of recorded revolutions in our history and we have had three EDSA revolutions to date. Yet there have never really been any real, deep, lasting change. The more important revolution has been left out: a revolution of the people's hearts. We need to have a transformation in the inside first before we can transform our nation! Bill Johnson once said, "...transformed people transforms communities." The difference between the revolutionaries in the past and God's army today is akin to what Will Durant wrote of the difference between Julius Caesar and Jesus Christ. Julius Caesar sought to change men by changing institutions but Jesus Christ changed institutions by changing the hearts of men. His disciples changed the faces of nations and shook communities because they had an encounter with Jesus. They turned the world upside down because their lives were turned upside down, too - in the inside!

God is raising up at this hour an army whose hearts are undivided, who will be skilled in battle formation, who will understand the times and know what to do during the said times or seasons (1 Chronicles 12:32-38). Like David's army, they will have a united heart in lifting only one name above the Philippines, setting aside their personal interests, organizations, churches and agenda. They will only lift up the name of Jesus because they are in love with the King. As one preacher said, "Intimacy will always lead you to war." When you know the heart of the King, you will know and fight for the ones that He loves. You will fight for righteousness, justice and real change in the Philippines because you know that that is what He desires to see in a nation. You will fight and contend for it because He has already declared in Psalm 2:8 that the nations are our inheritance and the ends of the earth our possessions. You will fight because you already know that "it is finished," the victory has been won, and we are fighting from an unseen realm with weapons - that are powerful (a life of sacrifice, prayer and fasting) and not of this world. He is waiting for you and me to go up to His throne room and ask for the ancient blueprints of destiny that He already wrote for the Philippines.

God's eyes are looking to and fro across the earth seeking for hearts that are totally devoted to Him. He longs for a generation that He can pour Himself into so they can go out and free the nations. He is looking for freedom fighters just like the revolutionaries before us. We build on what the generations before us have begun. And yes, our heroes of old set a nation free from a physical colonizer. But our generation today and the one after us will set this nation free from the spiritual shackles and bondages that have enslaved the Philippines for centuries. Now is the time to contend for what is rightfully ours! The Philippines is ours and we have been called to change the face of a nation.

by: yenc

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