Grace Empowerment International Marina-Grace

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HSMxBBrDz/

SpiritFormed Reflections 005
Peace 02: Pray for Peace

Apostle Paul exhorted the Thessalonian church on how to live in order to please God by following his instruction, and he blessed them: “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16, NIV)

I have been a follower of Jesus for more than thirty years. I find that I am very limited and weak in serving the daily needs of people. Recently, one sister complained that I do not have enough love to serve her and meet her needs. This has caused me a lot of stress, and I have no peace in my heart.

In Acts 6:1–4, the Hellenistic Jews complained that the Hebraic Jews overlooked the daily distribution of food for their widows. Therefore, the disciples decided to choose seven men to serve them so that they could concentrate on prayer and the ministry of the word. Thank You, God, for giving them wisdom to make good decisions, prioritize their calling, and share the burden.

Dear God, it is very difficult for me to meet the daily needs of people. I understand my weakness and lack of strength, patience, and love. Please change me and lead me to have a peaceful heart and serve You faithfully. Please give me patience and trust to pray for my brothers and sisters, and give me wisdom and knowledge to write Christian life blogs that bring people closer to You. May Your name be glorified. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Download the FREE, ad-free SpiritFormed Android app from the Google Play Store (English, 中文简体, 中文繁體, Español, ไทย):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.graceempowermentint.spiritformed

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C5CLXUPv9/

SpiritFormed Reflections 004
Peace 01: Overcome the World

In John 16, Jesus told His disciples: “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NIV)

Thank You for the comforting words of Jesus that remind us we will face challenges on earth. However, we can have boldness and hope because our life on earth is temporary. Just like riding a roller coaster, we will reach the terminal very quickly. We will see Jesus greeting us with open arms at the terminal. He will welcome us to live with Him eternally in heaven. There will be no darkness and no more tears in heaven. God will be our light and peace. In heaven, we will enjoy joyful fellowship with our brothers and sisters, living peacefully with God and Jesus. We will hear praises to God everywhere.

Dear God, thank You for Your salvation plan to cleanse our sins through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Now we can come to You directly and call You our Heavenly Father without shame. Thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to comfort us with Your words so that we may have peace and a stable life in You. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Download the FREE, ad-free SpiritFormed Android app from the Google Play Store (English, 中文简体, 中文繁體, Español, ไทย):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.graceempowermentint.spiritformed

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HNMqMMMnY/

SpiritFormed Reflections 002
Love 02: Love is kind

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NIV)

After I retired as a defense business embedded software engineer, I decided to change my career to an Android app developer for my Christian nonprofit organization, Grace Empowerment International. I design and develop the SpiritFormed: Daily Bible Verse Android app to help grow God’s character by sending daily Fruit of the Holy Spirit scriptures to users and allowing them to write and track their reflections and actions.

During my design, development, and integration process, there were a lot of ups and downs working with Google Gemini AI. I needed to learn how to communicate with AI, review the generated source code, and integrate and test the features.

It was not an easy process. I had to go through a lot of trial and error.

Praise the Lord that I have many church brothers and sisters who pray for me every Wednesday night and give me boldness to continue the design and development. Finally, I was able to publish the SpiritFormed app on the Google Play Store after completing the 20-testers closed test on April 14, 2026. Without the kindness and support of my friends, this vision would not have been achieved.

Dear God, thank You for giving me so many kind brothers and sisters to support my journey as a Christian Android app developer. May You receive all the glory. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Download the FREE, ad-free SpiritFormed Android app from the Google Play Store (English, 中文简体, 中文繁體, Español, ไทย):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.graceempowermentint.spiritformed

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1J6ZFC1rmj/

SpiritFormed Reflections 001
Love 01: Love is patient

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NIV)

I am a very impatient person. Whenever I work, I always want to finish early and ahead of schedule. Sometimes, I rush to complete my tasks without thorough consideration for the work itself or for my teammates. Furthermore, my project manager doesn't always appreciate it when I finish too quickly. This is because he then has to find new tasks to assign to me while we wait for the rest of the team to catch up. Ultimately, my impatience creates unnecessary trouble and conflict for the team. I need to ask God to grant me patience so that I can do my work in a way that truly pleases Him.

Prayer:
Dear God, please give me the patience to do my job thoroughly and complete my tasks diligently, so that my whole team can work together in harmony. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Download the FREE, ad-free SpiritFormed Android app from the Google Play Store (English, 中文简体, 中文繁體, Español, ไทย):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.graceempowermentint.spiritformed

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14eRQwePRNb/

Quiet Time with the Lord
165: God Is Faithful

"The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt."
(Deuteronomy 7:7–8, NIV)

God chose the Israelites as His holy people because He kept the promise He made to their ancestors—to lead them out of Egypt to the land He had promised to Abraham after they had lived in slavery for 400 years. Who else would have a memory as faithful as our God’s to keep such a promise? I can’t even remember what I did yesterday!

While we were traveling in Florence, Italy, I thanked God for allowing us to fly from the US to Italy despite an airline pilots’ strike on the same day. We thought we would lose three out of our ten days in Italy completely. Yet God is faithful and kept us in His hand so we could meet our daughter, who was attending an Italian biology conference.

We had lost hope during our discussion with the airline agent, but God provided a way to get us to Florence one hour earlier than planned on that very same day. Praise the Lord for guiding us to focus on His hand, not our circumstances.

Dear God, thank You for being a faithful God and for taking such good care of us. It is not because we are good, but because You are our heavenly Father, and You always act in our best interest for Your glory. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CuVM6Gvfo/

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FAjDEssWM/

Quiet Time with the Lord

169: Seize Mission Opportunities

In Acts 3, Peter and John went to the temple at the time of prayer. They saw a lame man begging for money at the temple gate called Beautiful. They had compassion on him and healed him, so that he could immediately walk, jump, and praise the Lord.

When the people saw this miracle, Peter immediately seized the opportunity to speak about the healing power of Jesus Christ. He pointed out their sin in crucifying Jesus and exhorted them to repent and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

They wanted the people to recognize their sin, repent, and build a relationship with God. This is the only way to receive eternal life and hope. In John 14:6, Jesus explicitly states, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, NIV)

Now, my nonprofit Christian organization, Grace Empowerment International, has officially published the SpiritFormed Android app. It sends daily “Fruit of the Holy Spirit” scripture notifications to users, allowing them to meditate, write private reflections, and create action plans to grow in godly character in Jesus Christ.

The app supports five languages: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, and Thai. We pray that people will cultivate the Fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22–23, WEBUS)

Dear God, please lead people to download and use the SpiritFormed Android app to grow in godly character and build a daily relationship with You. May Your name be glorified in all nations. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

If you have an Android device, I invite you to download the SpiritFormed app using the link below:

[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.graceempowermentint.spiritformed]

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BUVD3EiPU/

Quiet Time with the Lord
163: God Listens to Our Calls

A psalmist said:

“Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the Lord and he answered them. He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them. Lord our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds.” (Psalm 99:6–8, NIV)

God is holy. He created the heavens and the earth, all living things, men and women. He gave us instructions and decrees so that we may follow Him. Yet, He listens to the cries of men and women who believe in Him and answers their prayers. He loves justice and establishes equity on the earth. He is a forgiving God, and He does not punish us according to our sins.

God sent His only begotten Son to die for us and allows us to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior so that we may become His eternal sons and daughters. He forgives our sins whenever we repent, and He gives us the power to change our lives.

Dear God, I praise You because You are holy and just. You have given us the Scriptures to guide us. You understand that we are made from dust and know our weaknesses. You allow Your Holy Spirit to dwell in us and walk with us so that we may follow in the footsteps of Your Son, Jesus Christ. You love us and forgive our sins. May all nations praise Your name on high. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17BtZi5wzH/

It’s official—my new app, SpiritFormed Daily Bible Verse, is now available on the Google Play Store! 🕊️✨

I built SpiritFormed Daily Bible Verse to provide a simple way to read daily scriptures and, more importantly, a private place to journal your
thoughts and reflections. Whether you're looking to stay more consistent in your quiet time or just want to track how you've grown over the year, I hope this app helps.

It’s been a lot of late nights of coding and testing, and I’m so happy to finally share it with you all.

What’s inside:
✅ A new verse to meditate on daily.
✅ A private "Reflection Space" just for your notes.
✅ Reminders to help you stay on track.
✅ Global Access: Fully localized in 5 languages: English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Thai. 🌍

If you have an Android phone, I’d love for you to give it a try!

You can download it here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.graceempowermentint.spiritformed