BREAK or BOUNCE? eBook free copy

B R E A K OR
boUnce?
How to Get Out of Your Rock Bottom
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BO SANCHEZ
National Bestselling Author of Get Ready for More
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Break
or
Bounce? How to Get Out of
Your Rock Bottom
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Bo Sanchez
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National Bestselling Author of Get Ready for More

BREAK or BOUNCE?
How to Get Out of Your Rock Bbottom
ISBN 978-971-007-208-8
Copyright © 2018 by Eugenio R. Sanchez, Jr.
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1153 Quezon City
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, except for brief quotations, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
Cover design by Paolo Galia

Layout by Rey de Guzman
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Table of Contents
Introduction:
God Designed You to Bounce i
Section 1: Three Steps to Overcome Paralysis 1

Chapter 1: Remove Ambivalence 9
Chapter 2: Restore Authority 13
Chapter 3: Repeat Action 15
Section 2: Three Blessings That Crisis Gives You 19

Chapter 4: A Crisis Diagnoses Your Character 23
Chapter 5: A Crisis Develops Your Character 27
Chapter 6: A Crisis Defends Your Character 31
Section 3: Three Things You Need to Accept 35

Chapter 7: Accept Reality 39
Chapter 8: Accept Responsibility 43
Chapter 9: Accept Rescue 47
Section 4: Three Gifts Your Problem Offers You 59 Y

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Chapter 10: Perseverance 65 EE
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Chapter 11: Precision 67
Chapter 12: Prayer 71
Table of Contents
Section 5: Thank God for Closed Doors 77

Chapter 13: To Protect You from What Isn’t Your
Best Blessing 79
Chapter 14: Because We’re Not Yet Ready 81
Chapter 15: Because You Refuse to Open It 85
Section 6: Stay in Your Safe Place 89

Chapter 16: Why People Lack Abundance 93
Chapter 17: How Big Is Your Comfort Zone? 95
Section 7: Receive the Right Burden 99

Chapter 18: God’s Burden Is Light 103
Chapter 19: Increase the Love 105
Section 8: Pass on His Comfort 109

Chapter 20: Rock Bottoms 111
Chapter 21: Get Up, Take Up Your Mat, and Walk 113
Epilogue:
What Kind of Scars Do You Have? 121
About the Author 125 Y

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Break or Bounce? i
Introduction
God Designed You

to Bounce
Have you noticed?
Many of your problems don’t disappear overnight.
Your pimples don’t disappear overnight. Your dandruff

doesn’t disappear overnight. Even your husband doesn’t
disappear overnight (and reappear as Chris Evans).
Here’s the truth: Life isn’t a straight road. It isn’t a smooth

path. In fact, life has many potholes. Small, medium,
large potholes. As well as nuclear-bomb-crater potholes.
And when you fall into one of these gigantic potholes,

you have a choice. You can either break, or you O PY
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bounce. EE
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I’ve got news for you: God designed you to bounce.
ii Introduction
Some people don’t know this. So when they fall, they

break. They stay down. They give up. They throw in the
towel. They quit.
Perhaps life is hard. Perhaps you’re being hit by many

trials. Here’s my message for you: The harder you fall,
the higher you fly.

Dark, Dirty, and Dangerous
One day, as part of investigating various companies in

the stock market, I had to study about gold mines. My
friend told me, “A gold mine has three Ds: It’s dark, dirty,
and dangerous.”
First, it’s dark. You can’t see a thing. He said when you
mine for gold, you go down as much as three thousand
meters deep into the earth. There’s no sunlight down
there. But that’s where you find gold.
Second, it’s dirty. That’s why when you mine for gold,
you won’t look pretty. You won’t look hip. You’ll sweatOP
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like a dog. You’ll smell like a horse. You’ll look likeEE
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But that’s where you find gold.
Break or Bounce? iii
Third, it’s dangerous. He said when you mine for gold,

you may get hurt. You may get burned. You may get sick.
You may even die. But that’s where you find gold.
Your Pothole Is a Gold Mine
I have an announcement to make: If you feel like you’re

in a deep pothole, then I’m sure it’s also dark, dirty, and
dangerous. Then that means it’s not just a pothole. It’s
also a gold mine.
In a gold mine, you’re surrounded by gold. The problem

is that you can’t see the gold because it’s covered by
darkness, dirt, and danger. Do you have a lot of problems
today? The more problems you have, the more gold you
have. Every problem that you have will transform into
gold.
That is why we can say, “All is well.”
All Is Well
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This story happened many years ago in Africa.
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iv Introduction
A king had a friend whom everyone called Sunny because

he had a very sunny outlook in life. No matter what
happened to him, whether good or bad, he’d always say,
“All is well!”
If the sun was too hot, he’d say, “All is well! This sun is a
blessing.” If it rained cats and dogs, cows and carabaos,
he’d still say, “All is well. The rain is a blessing.”
One day, Sunny and the king went hunting. Sunny’s job
was to load the rifle for the monarch. But Sunny loaded
the gun in a wrong way because when he gave it to the
king, it fired by itself and blew off the royal’s thumb.
The king screamed in pain. In his rage, he sent his friend

Sunny to prison.
Many months later, the king was hunting again. He

hunted in a dangerous jungle where cannibals lived.
Unfortunately, the cannibal tribe captured the king,

tied him up, and hung him on a tree. Then they lit a fireOPY
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beneath him. EE
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Break or Bounce? v
That was when one of the cannibals noticed that the king
had a missing thumb. These cannibals had taste: They
didn’t like to eat leftovers. In their minds, someone had
eaten his thumb and didn’t like it, that’s why they didn’t
eat the rest of his body.
So the cannibals released the king and he walked away

unharmed.
As the king returned home, he remembered his friend

Sunny in jail and regretted sending him there.
When he visited his friend in jail, the king told the

story of how having a missing thumb saved him from
the cannibals. He then said to Sunny, “I’m so sorry for
sending you to jail.”
Sunny smiled and said, “All is well! Prison was a

blessing.”
The king asked, “How could you say all is well? You got
stuck here in jail for one year!” PY
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vi Introduction
Sunny said, “If I wasn’t in jail, I would have been hunting

with you today. And I don’t have a missing thumb!”
It’s so difficult to say “All is well ” when trials come upon

our lives. But that’s the truth. No matter what happens,
believe that “all things will work for good for those who
love Him” (Romans 8:28).
Jesus Bounced
I love the Easter story.
On Good Friday, Mary Magdalene fell into a gigantic

pothole. She saw Jesus die—and all her hopes died with
Him. In her mind, even when it was already Sunday, she
still thought it was Friday.
Perhaps you’re like Mary Magdalene. You’re grieving

right now because you lost something. Perhaps you lost
a loved one. Or you lost your health. Or you lost your
job. Or you lost your hope.
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On Easter Sunday, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb E
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grieve. The Bible says, “Now on the first day of the week
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was
Break or Bounce? vii
still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away
from the tomb” (John 20:1).
She went to the tomb because the reason for her grief
was in the tomb. But that was because she thought it
was Friday. She didn’t know it was Sunday. Because on
Sunday, the reason for her grief was gone.
Let me speak to you: Today may be Friday in your life,

but your Sunday is coming. A day will come when you’ll
go to the tomb to grieve as usual, only to find out that the
reason for your grief is gone.
On your Easter, God will remove the reason for your

grief.
What am I saying?
On Easter Sunday, Jesus bounced.
He was supposed to be finished. Dead. Lost. Defeated.

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But Jesus was unbreakable. From the grave, He bounced.
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The Bible says that the same power that caused Him
viii Introduction
to bounce is the same power that is at work in you (see

Romans 8:11). You too can bounce from the grave. You
too can bounce from your defeat. You too can bounce
from your failure.
My dear friend, bounce.
Shout it out: All is well.
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
P.S. Grab three of my best video messages. I selected

them out of the hundreds of talks I’ve given over the past
years. You can also receive my new Soulfood Letters to
inspire you each week and lift your day—all free. How?
Sign up at www.BoSanchez.ph and nourish your soul
every week.
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Break or Bounce? 1
Section
1
Three Steps to
Overcome Paralysis
One day, Jesus saw a paralyzed man lying near the pool
of Bethesda. The guy has been paralyzed for thirty-eight
years. Jesus asked him, “Would you like to get well?”
(Read the full story in John 5:1-9.)
I find that, uh, rather strange.
I wonder why Jesus asked him that question.
The paralyzed man could have answered, “Huh? Is the

sun hot? Is the pope Catholic? Is Bo Sanchez handsome?
Of course, I want to get well! Goodness, are You blind,Y
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Jesus? Isn’t it pretty obvious? Before You were Eborn,
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was already lying here. I’ve been stuck hereFRfor thirty-
eight years. My gosh, why wouldn’t I want to get well?”
2 Section 1 | Three Steps to Overcome Paralysis
But Jesus asked that question because He knew human

nature. Because many suffering people are ambivalent. Torn.
Confused. Conflicted. Double-minded.
In their subconscious, some sick people aren’t sure if they

want to get well. Some poor people aren’t sure that they
want to get rich. Some problematic people aren’t sure
that they want all their problems to be solved.
It’s crazy, but true. How do you know if someone is

ambivalent? If he gives excuses for not doing what he’s
supposed to do.
That’s what the paralyzed guy did. He said, “I can’t,

sir, for I have no one to put me into the pool when the
water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead
of me.” (The people there believed that the pool was
miraculous.)
Believe me, I’ve heard the line “I can’t” many, many

times. I hear it from suffering people who seemingly
want to get out of their suffering—but don’t. After saying PY
“I can’t,” they’ll give their long list of excuses. E CO
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Let me give you one example.
Break or Bounce? 3
“I Can’t Because…”
I’ve talked to many jobless people. Here are actual

statements I heard from them:
• “I can’t find a job because there are so many others
looking for a job.”
• “I can’t find a job because I don’t know anyone.”
• “I can’t find a job because I don’t know how to
make a resume.”
• “I can’t find a job because I have no one to
accompany me.”
• “I can’t find a job because it’s so hot these days and
I’m allergic to the heat.”
• “I can’t find a job because I lost my phone.”
• “I can’t find a job because I don’t have anything
nice to wear.”
I repeat: Excuses are simply signs that they’re ambivalent.

Bottomline, they don’t want a job. At least, they don’t
want a job bad enough.
Here’s what I learned in life: If you want something bad Y

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enough, nothing much can stop you. Not a crowd E other
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job applicants. Not the heat. Not the lack of a companion.
Not the lack of a phone. Not the lack of nice clothes.
Why are people ambivalent?
Two Reasons for Ambivalence
It seems insane when a suffering person is not sure if he

really wants to get out of his suffering.
But there are two real reasons for this ambivalence.
1. Suffering Has Become Your Identity
The man had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. That’s

a pretty long time. He saw himself as a paralyzed man.
That was his label. He couldn’t see himself in any other
way—until Jesus came along.
For many people, their suffering becomes their safe zone.

They’ve gotten used to the pain. And what is familiar is
safe—no matter how painful that situation is.
Author Robin Sharma said, “The most dangerous place

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is your safe zone.” If you want growth in your life, you
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have to get out of your safe zone. Because your safe
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is the place for dead people.
Break or Bounce? 5
At the root of all ambivalence is fear. Specifically, the fear

of the unknown.
No matter how painful suffering is, at least we’re familiar

with it. That suffering has become our identity. And
once there’s an opportunity to get out of suffering, fear
of the unknown grips our heart. The result? We become
ambivalent.
When I converse with the poor in slum areas, I cannot

count the number of times I hear these words: “I’m
poor”; “We’re poor”; “My family is poor.” It’s a common
refrain you’ll hear again and again.
Poverty has become their identity.
Many of them have gotten so used to it, if you give them

an opportunity to leave poverty, something in them will
resist. Because they’re afraid of what will happen to them
if they lose their identity of poverty.
Here’s my big question for you: What problem has Y

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become your identity? The man’s paralysis Ewas E his
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identity. So much so that his mat became his master. His
problem ruled his life. His mat controlled him, not the
other way around.
What is your mat?
Jesus said, “Stand up and pick up your mat.” Don’t let

that problem control you. Take control of your problem!
Take charge of that sickness. Take charge of that debt.
Take charge of that situation. Stand up! (Later in the
book, in another story, we’ll revisit this same line again:
“Rise up, pick up your mat, and walk.”)
Here’s the second reason for ambivalence…
2. Suffering Has Become Your Income
Problems have side benefits. Always.
For the paralyzed man, his paralysis was the reason why
he could earn a living as a beggar. For thirty-eight years,
his paralysis put food on the table. No wonder Jesus
asked him, “Do you want to get well?” In other words,OP
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Jesus was asking, “Hey, buddy, if you get well,Ryou’re
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going to lose your income. You’ll have to change your
career. Are you sure you want this?”
Break or Bounce? 7
This is a fact. We derive all sorts of income from our

problems, not necessarily financial.
I met a woman who was sick with hypertension, diabetes,

allergies, and heart disease. Every year, she’d have a new
sickness. She’s was going to six doctors almost every
week, sometimes two or three times a week, for twelve
long years.
After talking to her, I realized she was such a lonely

person. She had no real family around her. And here’s
my suspicion: she likes getting sick. The only time
someone talks to her, or listens to her, or holds her hand,
or touches her arm, is when she is sick. Her six doctors,
all the nurses, and the clinics’ receptionists have become
her small community.
Believe me, she’ll never get well. Unless she finds an

“income replacement.” (I invited her to join me at our
prayer meeting, The Feast, each week so she’ll have a
new community there.)
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Friend, what income do you get from your suffering?
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Identify your income. Then identify your “income
replacement.” If you don’t, you’ll always have
ambivalence. Fear of the unknown will always hold you

back.
Today, I want to share with you the three steps to get out
of your paralysis or suffering.
Three Things to Do
Are you paralyzed by your problem now?
There’s hope. You can get out of your paralysis. You can
pick up your mat and walk.
Here’s how.
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Break or Bounce? 9
Chapter
1
Step #1:
Remove Ambivalence
Every week at The Feast, I ask people to lift up their list

of dreams written in their Novena to God’s Love booklet.
(We give this novena booklet to all first-timers for free.)
Why do I encourage people to pray for their dreams

daily?
Because abundance is attracted to clarity, not ambivalence.
You need to be very clear with what you want. Let the
question of Jesus reverberate in your heart. He asks you,
“Do you really want to get well? Do you really want toY
get out of your suffering? What do you really want?”C OP
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10 Chapter 1 | Step #1: Remove Ambivalence
Abundance Will Give Her Heart to

Someone Who Really Wants Her
Abundance is like a beautiful woman, waiting for the

right suitor to win her heart.
Mr. Ambivalence shows up at her doorstep but looks

terrible. He’s wearing an old pair of shorts and an ugly
shirt. And he smells. He hasn’t taken a bath for a week.
It’s clear he hasn’t come to court her.
When Lady Abundance opens the door, he looks at her

and says, “Miss, you look interesting. I think I like you.
But I really don’t know. You see, I’m in a complicated
relationship with another girl right now. Her name is
Poverty and she’s a real pain in the neck. But I’m not
ready to give her up just yet.”
What will Lady Abundance do? She’ll say, “Bye!” and

shut the door. She’ll drive him away.
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Then Mr. Clarity arrives. He looks dashing in a tie. HeC OP
smells fresh and has a red rose in his hand. He EE
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her, “People told me you were lovely, but gosh, you take
my breath away. This might be too fast, but I have to tell
Break or Bounce? 11
you what’s in my heart. No, I don’t expect you to answer

me today, or tomorrow, or next week, or next month. It
doesn’t matter. I will wait. But I need to tell you that I
will pursue you with all my heart to the ends of the earth.
And I have to ask this question in Tagalog: “Bangin ka
ba?” (Are you a pit?)
Miss Abundance asks, “Why?”
“Nahuhulog ako sa iyo.” (I’m falling for you.)
Sorry, couldn’t resist being corny. How do you think

Miss Abundance will react? You can bet she’ll be more
attracted to Mr. Clarity than Mr. Ambivalence.
Do you want to get out of your suffering? Do you want

to get out of your paralysis?
Remove ambivalence. Be unstoppable.
And you’ll get out of your suffering.

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Here’s the second step. E E
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Unless you understand that the

location of the power is within
you—you won’t get out of your
suffering.
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Break or Bounce? 13
Chapter
2
Step #2:
Restore Authority
The paralyzed man thought that healing came from the

pool. The superstition was that the first person to jump
into the water when it starts moving would be healed.
So far, for thirty-eight years, he hasn’t been healed. Why?

First of all, no one offers to carry him to the pool. Second, he’s
never the first guy to dive in when the water bubbles up.
But Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and
walk!” In other words, Jesus said, “Forget the pool.
Forget about waiting for someone to carry you to the
water. You don’t need that. Stop waiting. The power isn’tY
in the pool. The power is in you.” C OP
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Let me say that again: The power is in you!
14 Chapter 2 | Step #2: Restore Authority
So many people look for power elsewhere. They believe that

the solution to their problems depends on someone else.
They wait for the government to help them. They wait

for Mommy and Daddy to solve their problems. They
wait for a friend to rescue them. They wait for their boss
to promote them.
But unless you understand that the location of the power

is within you—you won’t get out of your suffering.
In another place, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if anyone

says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’
and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he
says will happen, it will be done for him” (Mark 11:23).
You can change the topography of your situation. God

has given you the authority to command the mountain
of your problems to move.
When you believe that the power is within you, you

become unstoppable. Y
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And finally, the third step to get out of suffering.
Break or Bounce? 15
Chapter
3
Step #3:
Repeat Action

My favorite Psalm says, “Even though I walk through

the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me”
(Psalms 23:4).
Face it. There are many valleys in our lives. There are
many places of suffering. But I love this psalm because it
says that we don’t stay in the valley. We don’t sit in the
valley. We don’t stand in the valley. We don’t sulk in the
valley.
We walk through the valley.
I love the illustration of walking because walkingCisOa PY

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repeated action. Walking is putting one footFRinEfront of
the other foot. If you want to get out of suffering, you
16 Chapter 3 | Step #3: Repeat Action
have to keep on doing the right thing again and again

until you walk out of the valley.
Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Walk.”
For thirty-eight years, this guy has never walked. He was

rusty. I can imagine how clumsy it must have been at the
start.
His toothpick legs were wobbly. Shaky. Unbalanced.

People probably held him up so that he wouldn’t fall.
But he took that first wobbly step. Then he took another
step. And another… until he walked out of his suffering.
To walk out of your suffering, you have to keep on doing

the right thing again and again.
Are you jobless right now? Do the right thing again and
again until you walk out of the valley. Keep developing
yourself. Keep training yourself. Keep applying—to ten
companies, twenty if necessary. Don’t stop. Soon, you’ll
walk out of the valley. Y
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Are you buried in debt? Do the right thing again and
again until you walk out of the valley. Don’t borrow
Break or Bounce? 17
again. Keep paying your debts. Keep living simply. Don’t

stop. Soon, you’ll walk out of the valley.
How Badly Do You Want It?
Let me repeat my big question to you: Are you

unstoppable?
The reason why you don’t have what you say you want
is because you don’t want it bad enough.
You say you want a strong relationship with your kids.

But do you want it bad enough that you’ll do anything
to make it happen? Like spending more time with them?
Like giving up golf, TV, computers, games—so you
could hang out more with your kids? Do you want it bad
enough that you’re willing to humble yourself before
your kids to ask forgiveness from them?
You say you want to become financially free. But do you

want it bad enough? Will you live simply so you can
invest every month? Will you be willing to sell andObePY
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rejected? Will you get training? Will you readRE
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books, attend the right seminars, and seek out the right
mentors?
18 Chapter 3 | Step #3: Repeat Action
You say you want to be healthy. But do you want it bad

enough? Will you do anything to achieve it? For example,
will you eat the best nutritious food? Will you walk every
day?
Remove ambivalence.
Be clear with what you want.
Be unstoppable.
And walk out of the valley.
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Break or Bounce? 19
Section
2
Three Blessings That
Crisis Gives to You
“We can rejoice when we run into problems” (Romans

5:3, TLB). The first time I read this passage, I scratched
my head. Honestly, I don’t exactly rejoice when I run into
problems. I don’t say, “Oh goodie, my kids are sick!” Or
“Yabadabadoo, I just had a car accident!”
But perhaps God isn’t telling me to rejoice because of

the problem. God is telling me to rejoice because of the
purpose of the problem.
I believe problems have many purposes. And I believe

the most important purpose of problems is to shape our
character.
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After forty years of following God, I’ve come to a very
disturbing realization. (Warning: You won’t like what
20 Section 2 | Three Blessings That Crisis Gives to You
I’m going to say.) I’ve come to realize that God values my

character more than my comfort.
Ouch.
God’s First Priority
I wish it ain’t so.
I wish His first priority was my comfort. I wish His first

priority was to solve my problems.
Hey, don’t get me wrong. I believe He cares for you when

you’re sick. He cares for you when you can’t pay your
bills. He cares for you when you’re brokenhearted. He
cares for you when you worry about your future.
All those things are important to Him, but His first

priority is to shape your character.
I understand this. Because I’m a father of two boys. As

their dad, I have a lot of wishes for them. I want them toOP
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be handsome, but that’s already a done deal because EE
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genetics. (Ahem.) I want them to be healthy. I want them
to be wealthy so they can financially help a lot of people.
Break or Bounce? 21
But more than healthy and wealthy, I want them to be

godly. Because if they’re not godly, they won’t be happy.
(I hope you don’t mind, but I think very simply. That’s
why my books are very simple and easy to understand.)
More than anything else, as a father, I want them to be

loving, faithful, humble, honest, and selfless. This is my
first priority.
God is a Father too. I repeat: He values your character

more than your comfort. Your soul more than your body.
Your eternal life more than your physical life.
Because in your death, you’ll leave behind your comfort,

your career, your cars, your clothes, your cash. The only
thing you’ll bring to heaven is your character.
A crisis has three unique effects on your character. They’re

so unique that very few things in this world can do these
three things: A crisis diagnoses your character, develops
your character, and defends your character.
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Let’s dive in. E E
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Break or Bounce? 23
Chapter
4
Blessing 1:
A Crisis Diagnoses
Your Character
You’ll know what kind of character you have, not when

everything is rosy, fine, and dandy. Not when the sun is
shining. Not when all your plans go smoothly. Not when
everyone likes you.
You’ll know what kind of character you have when your

dreams are delayed, when your trials abound, and when
your obstacles multiply.
Let me give you an analogy: Your character is like a tea

bag. PY
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You won’t know if a tea bag is any good just by looking
at it. Or smelling it. Or feeling it in your hand. You’ll only
24 Chapter 4 | Blessing 1: A Crisis Diagnoses Your Character
know if a tea bag is good if you dunk it in hot water. So

let me ask you a question: How do you act when you get
dunked in hot water?
Character is how you behave when life is very far from

how you imagined it to be. Character is how you behave
when everything is totally going wrong and you’re being
attacked by problems at every side.
How do you react when trials come? When people criticize

you? When friends betray you? When others don’t
believe you? When you have no money to pay your
bills? When your kids are going astray? When a family
member has cancer?
Amidst the trials, will you remain faithful?
Will you remain loving?
Will you remain patient?
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Break or Bounce? 25
The Bible says, “When you have many kinds of troubles,

you should be full of joy, because you know that these
troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience”
(James 1:2-3, NCV).
But a crisis doesn’t only diagnose.
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26
Tests are repeated until the

lesson is learned.
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Break or Bounce? 27
Chapter
5
Blessing 2:
A Crisis Develops
Your Character
Imagine Jaime, a four-year-old boy wandering into the

kitchen.
There he sees a frying pan filled with yummy French

fries. As he walks near it, his mother sees him and says,
“Don’t you dare touch that pan. It will burn you!” So the
little boy walks away, pouting that he didn’t get to do
what he wanted to.
The next day, he’s in the kitchen again. And he sees the
frying pan with a new batch of French fries in it. He Y
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smells the delicious aroma of newly cooked potatoes.
E He
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looks around and doesn’t see his mom. In his little mind,
he thinks, “No Mom, no rules!”
28 Chapter 5 | Blessing 2: A Crisis Develops Your Character
He touches the pan and, instantly, the house is filled with

a piercing shriek, “Mommeeeeeeeeee!”
Fast-forward a few minutes later. The mother is holding

her little boy’s hand under running water. He continues
to cry because the burn still stings. And he will never
forget the lesson for the rest of his life.
Trials are like that. They burn. But they burn for a reason:
to teach us lessons we’ll never forget for the rest of our
life. I agree when Proverbs 20:30 says, “Sometimes it
takes a painful situation to make us change our ways.”
Here’s a law of this universe: Tests are repeated until the

lesson is learned.
Little Jaime’s hand will get burned again and again if he

doesn’t learn his lesson. The hot pan doesn’t care how
many little hands it will burn. The hot pan is a relentless,
tireless teacher.
My strong recommendation? Learn the lesson as quickly PY

as you can. When it comes to lessons from trials,EE
CO
be a
sponge. Soak it in. Don’t be headstrong.
FR
Break or Bounce? 29
And there’s even a better way of learning.
Priceless Tip:
Try to Get the Teaching without the Trial
Four-year-old Jaime has a three-year-old sister named

Antonia. Antonia saw her brother cry in pain for thirty
long minutes. She heard the wailing. She saw the red
burn on his little hand. Somehow, she felt the pain he
was feeling.
A few weeks later, Antonia was playing in the neighbor’s

house. She wandered into the kitchen because she
smelled macaroni and cheese. And there it was on a hot
frying pan on top of the kitchen table.
She looked at it and remembered the painful scenes two

weeks ago. She remembered the agony of her brother
Jaime. No matter how delicious it looked, she didn’t
touch it. Instead, she called someone to give her some
macaroni and cheese.
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30 Chapter 5 | Blessing 2: A Crisis Develops Your Character
We need to be as wise as little Antonia. Try to get the

teaching without the trial. All you have to do is to relive
their suffering. To hear their cry. To feel their pain. To
listen to their stories.
I love listening to people’s stories. I love talking to

successful people and asking them, “What made you
successful?” But I also love talking to people who failed
and ask them, “What made you fail?” I learn so much.
Finally, there’s a third thing that a crisis does to your

character.
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Break or Bounce? 31
Chapter
6
Blessing 3:
A Crisis Defends
Your Character
If you’re brave enough, I want you to do a three-phase

experiment at home. (Warning: Be prepared to get wet
and dirty.)
Phase one is simple. First, catch a frog from your

backyard. A real, slimy, green frog.
Second, boil a kettle of water. Once the water hits boiling

point, drop the frog into the kettle.
You’ll observe that the frog will not like what you just Y
COP
did. He won’t be pleased. He’ll jump out of the kettle
RE with
E
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superfrog strength. Because of this traumatic experience,
32 Chapter 6 | Blessing 3: A Crisis Defends Your Character
he may experience a nervous breakdown, but if you

provide adequate psychotherapy, he’ll get over it.
Phase two is more interesting.
First, catch the frog that’s jumping around your kitchen.

Tell him that psychotherapy will have to wait as he is
needed for another experiment.
Next, get another kettle and fill it with tap water. Then
drop the frog into the kettle.
You’ll notice that Mr. Kermit won’t jump out the way it
did in phase one. In fact, you’ll observe that the frog is
relaxed, doing gentle breaststrokes in the water.
Next, place the kettle on your cooking range and start a

low fire with the minimum heat possible.
You’ll observe that the frog won’t even notice he’s back
in the fire. In fact, you made him even more comfortable.
He starts doing backstrokes. If you listen close enough, PY
O
you may hear the frog whistling the tune of “My E EC
Heart
Goes On” by Celine Dion.
FR
Break or Bounce? 33
And soon, it closes its eyes, dozes off, and in a few

minutes—as the water is steaming hot, you realize
that you no longer have to pay for frog psychotherapy
because he’s dead.
Here’s phase three: Throw in some chopped carrots, and

you have something to eat for dinner.
What’s my point?
Sometimes, a crisis is good because it wallops you. It

shocks you. It wakes you up. It burns your hand and you
scream, “Mommeeeeeeeeee!”
But perhaps that’s the point. So that you won’t end up as

dinner soup.
Difficulties Keep You Away from Danger
Honestly, I wish I never went through my problems. I

wish everything went my way.
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But looking back, I thank God for my trials. Because
E I’ve
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noticed that every trial that I went through made me cry
out to God, “Mommeeeeeeeeee!”
34 Chapter 6 | Blessing 3: A Crisis Defends Your Character
When you know that only God can save you, it keeps
you humble. It removes your pride. It pushes you to seek
God.
About problems, the Bible says, “It was the best thing
that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay
attention to your laws” (Psalm 119:71-72).
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Break or Bounce? 35
Section
3
Three Things You Need
to Accept
Accept whatever befalls you,
and in times of humiliation be patient.
(Sirach 2:4)
In other parts of this book, I will tell you to stand up,

get up, rise up, and fight. You will have to desire your
freedom so bad, you’ll do anything and everything to get
out of the problematic situation you’re in.
But in this section, I’ll tell you that there are specific
realities that you need to simply accept.
One day, a young woman—let’s call her Crusilda—

PY
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was in her bedroom, moaning and groaning E
FRabout the
many problems in her life. She said, “Lord, why are my
36 Section 3 | Three Things You Need to Accept
problems like iced tea? They’re bottomless. There’s no

end to them.”
That night, Crusilda lay down on her bed and cried

herself to sleep. That was when she had a dream. She
saw herself walking on an uphill road, carrying a heavy
cross. When she reached a huge building, she knocked
and Saint Peter opened the door.
Crusilda said, “Saint Peter, I don’t like my cross. I hate it.

It’s too heavy. May I have it exchanged?”
“Sure,” Saint Peter said. “Come in.”
When she went through the door, she saw a cavernous

bodega filled with thousands of crosses of various shapes,
sizes, colors, textures. Plain, neon, shocking pink, polka-
dotted, striped. Scented or non-scented. Organic, non-
GMO, hypoallergenic. So she walked around, looking,
searching, touching, trying out this and that cross.
But even after trying out hundreds of crosses, she couldn’t PY

find one that fit her. E CO
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Break or Bounce? 37
When she was about to give up, she saw a cross resting
on the wall and liked the way it looked. She touched it
and liked the way it felt. She tried it on and liked the
way it fit her shoulder. She was so happy. She said, “Saint
Peter, I found the cross that’s just right for me!”
Saint Peter nodded, “Yes, I knew this one was right for
you.”
“Why?” Crusilda asked.
“Because that was your old cross—the same one you

brought in here.”
Here’s God’s message to you today: Most of your pains

don’t come from your cross but from denying your cross.
Fighting your cross. Rejecting your cross. Avoiding your
cross.
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not talking about fatalism.

(If you think that, please reread the previous section.) But
there are some things in life that you cannot control. The Y
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earlier you accept it as reality, the better. EE
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A family member dies.
38 Section 3 | Three Things You Need to Accept
You get a physical handicap.
A relationship breaks apart.
Your company goes under and you lose your job.
There are some things in life that you have no control

over. Accept reality and move on.
I was talking to a girl whose boyfriend left her almost

three years ago. To this day, she is still crying, praying,
hoping, that he’ll come back to her arms. Every day, she’s
in pain. Every day, she’s in this cloud of darkness. She
told me she can’t ride the MRT because that was what
both of them rode every day to work. She can’t eat donuts
because that was his favorite food. She can’t even listen
to the radio—because if their theme song is played, she
would cry buckets of tears.
I told her, “Once, I was stuck in EDSA traffic for four

hours. But you’re not stuck on EDSA. You can move on.”
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If you’re stuck right now, you need to do three things:
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accept reality, accept responsibility, and accept rescue.
Break or Bounce? 39
Chapter
7
Step #1:
Accept Reality
I repeat: I’m not preaching fatalism.
There are two types of crosses. Crosses that come by

chance and crosses that come by choice. If they come by
chance, accept. If they come by choice, act.
If Crosses Come by Chance, Accept
Let me give you another obvious example: aging.
One day, a little girl was on the lap on her grandfather.

While looking at his face and touching his skin, sheY
asked, “Lolo, did God make your face?” C OP
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“Yes, God made my face,” the old man smiled.
40 Chapter 7 | Step #1: Accept Reality
She held her face, touched her smooth skin, and said,
“Did God make my face, Lolo?”
“Yes, God made your face too,” he said.
She smiled. “I think God is getting better in making

faces.”
Once upon a time, your face was smooth. Today, your

face has the road map of the Philippine Islands.
And what is the one common thing among whales,

rhinocerous, tigers, the dodo bird, and your hair? They’re
all endangered species. They will soon to be extinct. My
friend who has a receding hairline said, “I always look at
the bright side. I don’t have less hair. I have more face.”
For many, aging is one of the most difficult crosses a

human being must carry. But you accept your age either
gracefully or grudgingly.
One of the most beautiful sights in the world is someone PY

growing old gracefully. These people are happierEE
CO
than
FR
they’ve ever been before. They laugh more. They worry
less. They forgive more. They love more. And they are
Break or Bounce? 41
free from the opinion of others because they have nothing

to prove.
But there are crosses you don’t just accept.
If Crosses Come from Choice, Act
I met a woman who married a monster.
Almost every week, her husband would beat her up. He

wouldn’t just punch her or slap her or push her. That’s
kindergarten. This monster was so cruel, he would get
a hammer, push her hand on the wall, and hammer her
fingers.
Yet she stayed with this monster for eighteen years.
Why? She didn’t accept reality. She still called him

husband when she should have called him monster.
When friends advised her to leave him, she said, “But
after he beats me up, he asks for forgiveness.”
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She lived in some fantasyland where she believed
E that E
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if she loved him enough, her husband would change.
(When someone is abusing you, you need to love him
42 Chapter 7 | Step #1: Accept Reality
from a distance. I discussed this in my book, How to Deal

with Difficult People.)
If you’re being abused in any way, run away. Hide. Get

out. Honor yourself. If you don’t honor yourself, you
cannot honor anyone—not even God.
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Break or Bounce? 43
Chapter
8
Step #2:
Accept Responsibility
Are you sick right now? Don’t just accept reality. Accept
responsibility too. Don’t just say, “Boohoo is me, I’m sick.
I’m going to die now.”
Ask yourself, “What can I do to reverse this disease?”
For the longest time, doctors said that heart disease is

irreversible. A blocked artery is beyond repair and can
only be fixed with a bypass operation. Enter Dr. Dean
Ornish who invited heart patients who were already
scheduled for surgery to join a thirty-day retreat where
he taught them how to change their lifestyle. ThoseY
P
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guys left his retreat cured. They no longer needed C
EE
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surgery. For the past thirty years, Doctor Ornish
curing people with heart disease by advising them to
44 Chapter 8 | Step #2: Accept Responsibility
change their diet, exercise moderately, practice yoga and

meditation, and build relationships.
Feel What You Feel, But Act What You Know
I always tell people, “Feel what you feel.” If you’re angry,

feel your anger. If you’re sad, feel your sadness. If you’re
worried, feel your worry. Never deny what you feel.
Why? What you feel, you can heal. The reason many people
are stuck is because they deny their feelings.
But feeling what you feel does not mean you act out what
you feel. Accepting your feelings means accepting your
responsibility over those feelings. Feel what you feel, yes,
but act according to what you know is right.
It’s like this mother who was waking up her son, “Felipe,
wake up. It’s Sunday morning. It’s time to go to church
now.”
Felipe said, “Mommy, I am so sleepy. I’m so tired. I don’t

want to get out of bed. Give me three reasons I shouldOP
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get out of bed.” RE
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Break or Bounce? 45
The mother said, “Felipe, first reason, because Sunday is

God’s day. Second reason, because God has to be first in
your life. And third reason, you’re the parish priest.”
Two Sundays ago, I landed in Manila from Dubai at 1

a.m. I slept at 3 a.m. and woke up at 6 a.m. Of course,
I didn’t want to get out bed. After preaching for eleven
days straight in Israel, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, I was bone-
tired. But I had to accept my responsibility as a shepherd.
So I got up and preached. At the backstage, I was still tired
and sleepy. I had to jump up and down like a rabbit—just
to shake off the exhaustion in my body—because people
deserved a preacher that was sort of alive.
Let me give you another story.
You Are Your Choices
A woman asked me to pray over her. She confessed

that she had seven boyfriends one after another—some
single, some married—and all of her relationships were
sexual. She felt like a used, dirty rag.
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46 Chapter 8 | Step #2: Accept Responsibility
When I prayed over her, I told her, “God says you’re very
beautiful.” She broke down, crying nonstop. I allowed
her to cry because I felt they were healing tears that were
washing her soul.
Later, she told me that when she was a child, her father
told her, “You’re ugly.” So all her life, she felt ugly. And
she knew that she jumped from guy to guy because she
was hungry for a father’s love.
But she was tired of what was happening in her life. In

our prayer together, she realized she couldn’t just blame
her father for what was happening to her. Yes, her father
hurt her, but she was hurting herself more. She decided
to accept responsibility for her actions.
Remember: Life is not what happens to you. Life is what you

do to what happens to you.
After our prayer, I felt she was like a new person. Years
later, I met her again. She was still single and happy. She
realized she didn’t need any man in her life to make her PY
happy. E CO
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And finally, the third step.
Break or Bounce? 47
Chapter
9
Step #3:
Accept Rescue
What do you do if you face a battle that, on your own,

you know you cannot win?
Answer: You trust.
I preach a very practical faith. This is what Feasters tell

me: “Bo, The Feast is blessing me because you have a
very practical approach to life. You just don’t tell us to
pray, pray, pray. You tell us to pray and act. Not only that,
you tell us how to act.”
Absolutely. I believe in Saint Benedict’s spirituality, oraY

P
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et labora—pray and work. Many religious people C
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overboard in their faith. They fall into hyperfaith.
48 Chapter 9 | Step #3: Accept Rescue
But what if you’re in a situation where you’ve already

done everything humanly possible? What if you’re in a
situation where you can no longer do anything? Where
you’re totally helpless? Where only a miracle can save
you?
Let me tell you a Bible story. Israel had enemies. One

day, all those enemies—the vast armies of the Moabites
and Ammonites and Edomites and Kryptonites (just
kidding)—gathered around Israel, ready to attack.
Jehoshaphat, the king of Israel, knew they were

outnumbered. He knew they were no match to the armies
assembled around them. Unless, of course, Iron Man and
the Hulk would suddenly appear and fight by their side,
they were doomed. So what did King Jehoshaphat do?
He called on the Greatest Superhero of all. He called the

entire nation to fast and pray.
While praying, one of the prophets announced this

amazing thing: “This is what the Lord says: Do not be PY
afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, E CO
for
E
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the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15,
emphasis added).
Break or Bounce? 49
There are times when we don’t have to fight but follow

Scripture when it says, “Be still and know that I am God”
(Psalms 46:10).
But I want to teach you two steps to win a battle that’s

out of your league. Here’s the first one.
Strategy 1: Shift Your Perspective
When you’re facing an enemy, it’s easy to focus on the

battle. But today, God wants you to shift your perspective
and focus on the Lord of the battle.
Our problem? We think every battle we face is ours. But

in this story, we learn a very important truth: Some of
the battles we face are not ours. Because on our own, we
can’t win. We have no choice but to turn it over to God
and say, “Lord, this is Your problem.”
Let me give you one example.
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I remember a wife who prayed for her husband’s
spiritual conversion. She attended our gatherings but
her husband simply told her, “Sorry, that praise the Lord
thing isn’t for me.”
Man, she did everything to evangelize her husband.

She played worship music at home. She left a pile of my
books on his bedside table. And each morning, when he
sits at the breakfast table and turns over his plate, he sees
Bible verses under it. When he goes to the bathroom in
the morning, he finds words in red lipstick written on
the bathroom mirror: “Repent, the Kingdom of God is at
hand.” (OK, I’m exaggerating. But not that much.)
I told her, “You need to relax. Love your husband and

pray for him. You need to surrender him over to God.
This battle is not yours. This battle is the Lord’s.”
Eleven years later, that husband had a huge crisis, asked

someone to pray for him, walked into a Feast, and today,
he’s a preacher like me. Yes, it took a long time, but it
happened.
This reminds me of Pope Francis’ way of praying. Y

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Break or Bounce? 51
Saint Joseph the Worker Is Sleeping
The Pope says he writes his petitions and puts it under

the feet of the sleeping figure of Saint Joseph the Worker.
Yes, the patron saint of workers is sleeping! In one Bible
story, Joseph was sleeping when an angel spoke to him
in a dream.
Pope Francis said he has a sleeping Saint Joseph on

his desk to remind himself that while he sleeps, God is
blessing the Church.
I can relate. I’m a leader. And as a leader, I sometimes

think everything depends on me—that unless I do
something, nothing will happen.
So every day, many times a day, I like placing my hand

on the feet of the statue of the sleeping Saint Joseph.
Whenever I need peace, I place my hand there and
instantly I relax. Because when I do this, I declare, “While
I sleep, God is solving my problem.”
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Obviously, I’m not recommending laziness or abdicating

one’s responsibilities. But there are just days when you’ve
done all you can do to solve a problem, and what you
need to do is rest. Churning the problem in the worry
machine of your mind over and over again will cause
you to get sick. After doing all you can, say, “While I
sleep, God is solving my problem.”
Strategy 2: Take Your Position
In the story, King Jehoshaphat did a crazy thing. The Bible

says, “After consulting the people, the king appointed
singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord
and praising him for his holy splendor” (2 Chronicles
20:21). Isn’t that nuts? Musicians aren’t trained fighters.
So why put them in front?
Because whoever is in front will dictate the pace of the

entire attack. If the guys in front are fast, the entire army
will be fast. If they’re slow, the entire army will be slow.
And if they praise, the entire army will praise.
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When you’re fighting a battle that you can’t win, E
FR start
E
thanking God. When you do, you’re prophesying your
victory. When you worship, you’re declaring that you’re
Break or Bounce? 53
not just a battle army, you’re a victory procession. You’re

celebrating your future victory.
My First Anawim Miracle
Many years ago, I was standing on the land of Anawim

in Montalban when there was nothing on that five-
hectare property except tall cogon grass. It’s a bit difficult
to picture it that way because today, it’s a complex of
beautiful homes for the abandoned elderly.
But on that historic day, there was only one tiny nipa
hut—four meters by four meters big.
I had this dream. I wanted to build homes for the poorest

of the poor. Without money, I called up a contractor and
told him, “Can you build ten huge bamboo huts for me?”
I knew that bamboo huts were all that we could afford. I

was honest with him. I told him, “Please don’t laugh at
my question. How much money do I have to give you
each week to make it happen?”
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He said, “If you give me P75,000 every Wednesday, I can
build the houses for you.”
Today, P75,000 is small. But this was over twenty years

ago when P75,000 was humongous. My mind could not
wrap around the idea that I had to raise P75,000 each
week—or P300,000 a month!
Those were the days when I knew, “This battle is not

mine. This battle is the Lord’s.” Because I couldn’t do it
on my own.
So I told God, “Lord, this is Your problem, not mine. I’ll

do my part. But You do the rest.”
And by God’s miracle, in the next four months, money

would just come. People would just give. And every
Wednesday, I had P75,000 to give the contractor—until
all those buildings in Anawim were built.
Raise Your Kids Thanking God in Advance
I try to raise my kids well. I spend time with them. I teach

them values. But at the end of the day, all I can do is pray
for them. Honestly, if I don’t surrender my kids to God,OP
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I’ll go crazy. I’ll die of stress. Because there are so EE
FR many
things that I can’t control in their lives.
Break or Bounce? 55
So each night, before they sleep, I pray over them. I lay

my hands on their head and speak God’s blessing. By
placing them every single day under God’s care, I’m
telling myself, “I can only do so much. I can’t control
them, I can’t control their environment, I can’t control
their friends, I can’t control their thoughts. So this battle
is the Lord’s!”
Every day, I thank God in advance for their future

blessings. I pray, “Lord, thank You for blessing my sons
with a powerful mission, a loving family, and profitable
business.”
Get ahead of your problem by putting praise in front.
I Didn’t See God’s Answer

Because I Didn’t Like His Answer
Some years back, we only had one Feast and it was in

Valle Verde Country Club. We had three sessions, and all
sessions were jampacked. Each session had a thousand
people, so we had three thousand people coming. CO
PY
EE
FR
We prayed. Someone already told me that we should

look into the Philippine International Convention Center
(PICC) as our next venue. My problem was that it was
too expensive. At that time, we paid Valle Verde P70,000
per week. PICC was charging us P250,000 a week. How
could we afford that?
So we kept looking for another venue. But after months

of searching, we couldn’t find any. In the meantime, Valle
Verde was bursting at its seams.
Finally, we had no choice. With our knees trembling, we

made the jump to PICC. And we’ve never looked back.
Fast-forward today. From three thousand members,

we’ve grown to fifteen thousand. And because we have
multiple sessions in PICC and occupy a number of rooms
the entire day, we now have to pay one million pesos
every week. But God provides.
Here’s my realization: God already answered my prayer

when we thought of PICC, but I didn’t like His answer. Y
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Perhaps you’re praying for something. And God has
already given you the answer, but because you were
Break or Bounce? 57
expecting something else, you couldn’t see the answer

that was right in front of you.
Thank God I Failed in Business
Many years ago, I wanted to earn more money. I was

getting married soon and I had no money. (Have you
heard of a wedding reception that was potlock? I had
one.)
And in my desperation, I put up all sorts of businesses—I

sold hotdog, engine oil, squid balls, ice cream, herbal
juice, even memorial plans. I remember even trying out
the concert business. We invited foreign artists and big
names. Believe me, I have never lost more money in my
life. Every single one of those businesses failed. During
that time, I felt so betrayed by God. I had to ask Him,
“Lord, aren’t we friends? Why did You allow me to fail?”
But today, I thank God He allowed me to fail. Because

today, my current businesses are ten times bigger than all
those small businesses combined.
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If my earlier businesses didn’t fail, I would still be stuck
in those small businesses, selling hotdog (that I didn’t
eat because I’m semi-vegetarian), engine oil (that I didn’t

know a single thing about), and memorial plans. (When
you sell memorial plans, you can’t tell the customer,
“Free trial for thirty days.”)
Friend, if you’re at rock bottom now, don’t lose hope.

The Bible says, “No testing has overtaken you that is not
common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let
you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing
he will also provide the way out so that you may be able
to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Are you going through a rocky marriage?
Are you buried in debt?
Is your job making you so miserable, you want out?
Are you plagued by addictions?
Today, I pray that you accept your reality, accept your

responsibility, and accept God’s rescue. Y
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Break or Bounce? 59
Section
4
Three Gifts Your Problems
Offer You
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of
many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith
develops perseverance.
(James 1:2-3)
Have you ever taken a test in school?
All my life, I never liked tests because I kept failing in

them.
Whenever I fail in my tests, instantly, I get a label (called

a grade)—very clearly written on my test paper—
sometimes in thick bold red marks, “Fail.” Ouch.
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In school, we were taught to avoid failure like
FRa plague.
But if you look at real life, success can only come from
60 Section 4 | Three Gifts Your Problems Offer You
failing again and again and again. We should never avoid

failure. If you want to succeed, you have to embrace
failure.
Because we homeschool our sons, they take tests in a

very different way. If my boy fails an exam, I don’t grade
him. I just tell him, “You’re getting better. Here’s where
you made a mistake. Here’s how to do it correctly. OK,
take it again.”
When he takes the exam again, and there’s still a

mistake, I just point it out and tell him, “You’re getting
better. Just do it again.” Ultimately, he perfects the exam.
That’s when I grade him and write down in thick bold
red marks, “You’re amazing!” (If you’re interested in
homeschooling, we help parents homeschool their kids.
Go to www.CatholicFilipinoAcademy.com or go to our
FB page, Facebook.com/CatholicFilipinoAcademy.)
Are you failing in an area of your life now? Don’t label

yourself as a failure. You just have to do it again. And
again. And again. Because deep within you, God has PY
already written down in your spirit, “You’re amazing!”
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Don’t give up. Persevere!
Break or Bounce? 61
You’re Getting Better
Before each of my sons turned seven years old, I created

a special ritual of manhood.
One of the problems of modern society is that we have

no rituals of manhood. So you have lots of guys in their
twenties, thirties, and forties who act like twelve-year-
old kids. Their body matured, but their character never
grew up.
What was this manhood ritual? We gathered all the men

of the family to welcome the little guy. We had prayers
and Bible readings. But before the ceremony, I asked him
to do a simple test of courage.
I told my boy, “Son, you’re walking to Lolo’s (grandfather)

house—alone.” He never did that before because he
would always have a companion.
My son was scared, but my wife was even more terrified.

Even if Lolo’s house was only twelve minutes away. And Y
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I couldn’t blame her. I would too if I had her R EE
backstory.
F
And her backstory was gruesome.
When my wife was a small girl, she saw her nine-year-

old brother get hit by a car—and he went to heaven.
So when she heard of my plan to let our six-year-old son

walk alone on the street, she screamed, “Nooooooo!”
But I told her, “Sweetheart, at a certain point, he’s got

to do it. If he won’t do it, when will he learn to cross the
street?”
She said, “When he’s twenty-seven!”
But after much coaxing on my part, she finally agreed

to my plan, but on one condition. She will let our son
walk alone on the street if she first gives him a two-day
orientation seminar on how to cross the street.
The seminar went this way: She said, “Son, before you
cross the street, you stop. You don’t slow down, you
make a full stop. And then you look to your right and
look to your left. After that, does that mean you already
cross the street? Noooooo. You look again to the right and PY
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to the left. After that, does that mean you alreadyEcross
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the street? Noooooo. For the third time, look again to the
Break or Bounce? 63
right and to the left. And when you don’t see a single car
on the road, that’s the time you can cross the street.”
I told her, “Sweetheart, if he follows that rule, he’ll be

seventy-five years old before he can cross the street.”
You might be saying now, “Bo, the test is soooo easy.

Walking alone to his Lolo’s house? Your son is too
sheltered. That’s peanuts for my kid. My six-year-old son
can walk from Makati to Baguio all by himself.” If so,
then choose another manhood test: Let your son walk to
Manila Zoo, jump into the lion’s cage, and with his bare
hands, pull one rotten tooth from the beast’s mouth.
Finally, it was time. I told my son, “Go now to Lolo’s

house.” My wife said, “Not yet!” and hugged him for
two hours, gave him a Bible, a rosary, a compass, a water
bottle, a first-aid kit, a knapsack filled with food good
for three days, a wooden stick to shoo away stray dogs,
lathered him with sunblock lotion, sprayed every square
inch of his body with anti-mosquito repellent, and tucked
in a cell phone in his pocket in case of any emergency. PY
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I told her, “Sweetheart, your son is going to Lolo’s house.
He’s not going to war in Afghanistan.”
But she didn’t hear me. She tearfully hugged him again
for two more hours. And then she turned away and said,
“OK, go now, before I change my mind.”
Before my little boy finally walked off, I saw a flicker of

fear in his eyes. His first steps were tentative. His eyes
darted right and left. And before turning the corner and
disappearing from our sight, he stopped and looked back
home. At that point, I thought he was going to give up. I
thought he would run back home and say he couldn’t do it.
But he turned right and kept walking. Believe me, that

was the longest twelve minutes of our life. And sure
enough, twelve minutes later, my six-year-old arrived in
Lolo’s house.
Perhaps right now, you’re going through your own test.

Perhaps you’re losing hope. You’re wondering whether
you should just give up, throw in the towel, and turn back.
But I urge you—press on. Because you’re getting better.

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If you’re going through a problem today, remember
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each problem contains three special gifts: perseverance,
precision, and prayer.
Break or Bounce? 65
Chapter
10
Gift #1:
Perseverance
The Bible said, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever

you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing
of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2-3). Problems
produce perseverance!
Think about how foolish my whole manhood test was for

my boys. I had a car. I could drive him there. But why let
my son go through that silly test?
Because I had a purpose: maturity. I wanted him to learn

courage, confidence, and perseverance. And perseverance
is essential to maturity. Without perseverance, he won’tY
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be able to achieve anything in life. EE
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66 Chapter 10 | Gift #1: Perseverance
When my son finally returned home, oh, you should

have seen the pride in his face. He was beaming. He was
smiling from ear to ear. Why? Because he had just passed
his manhood test. Overnight, he matured.
Haven’t you noticed? Life is a series of tests too.
Are you going through tests today? Don’t give up. Martin
Luther King Jr. said, “If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t
run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But whatever you do,
you have to keep moving forward.”
God is developing perseverance in you.
And here’s the second gift.
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Break or Bounce? 67
Chapter
11
Gift #2:
Precision
Problems don’t only give you perseverance, they also

give you precision.
How? Every obstacle gives you clarity: Because of the

obstacle, you clarify in your mind whether what you
want is worth fighting for. Without that obstacle, you
would not know what you really, really, really want.
Let me tell you a story.
People only know Kerygma. People don’t know that it

had a predecessor. You see, people only know the big
success, not the failures before the success.
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In 1988, when I was twenty-two years old, I published
an inspirational magazine called Nissi. (Disclosure: It has
68 Chapter 11 | Gift #2: Precision
nothing to do with noodles. The name of the magazine is

a Hebrew word which means victory.)
We printed between five hundred to a thousand copies

each issue. After about six issues, it vanished from the
face of the earth. It was a big flop. Why? We had no
resources. We had no money. And we had no manpower.
I wrote most of the articles, I designed the cover, and I
even drew the horrible illustrations inside. But I learned
a lot through that failure. And though the magazine
folded up, my desire to share God’s love through media
never disappeared.
Two years later, my father, Gene Sanchez, one of the

elders of our tiny spiritual community called Light of
Jesus, said, “Bo, let’s start a magazine.” Pio Español,
another elder, echoed what Dad said, “Yes, Bo, that’s a
good idea. Let us start a magazine.”
In my mind, I thought, “Really? We did that before. It

didn’t work.” I also noticed how they said, “Let’s start….”
Hah! I thought to myself, “That’s easy for you to say. At PY
the end of the day, I’m going to do all the work.” EE
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But I couldn’t resist the idea. I realized that deep within,
Break or Bounce? 69
I really wanted to share God’s love through a magazine.

So a few months later, we launched Kerygma. (Yes, our
names are crazy. This time, Kerygma is a Greek word that
means “proclamation of the Gospel.”) We produced two
thousand copies and gave them away for free. Six issues
later, we ran out of money. At the back of my mind, I
wondered if this was another repeat of Nissi—that it
would vanish again from the face of the earth.
But when we ran out of money, that was the day we

decided to do the unthinkable: to sell the magazine.
Obviously, at the time, that was heresy. All religious
magazines were given away for free. But perhaps that’s
why many of them don’t last.
So we sold it. And people wanted more of it. We sold

two thousand, and then three thousand, and then four
thousand, and then five thousand, and then ten thousand,
and then twenty thousand and then thirty thousand.
Soon, it became the number one inspirational magazine
in the country.
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To this day, almost three decades later, Kerygma
RE is still
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number one and still inspiring the world. From just being
one magazine, it gave birth to seven other magazines,
70 Chapter 11 | Gift #2: Precision
hundreds of books, a radio program, a TV show called

KerygmaTV, an online community called Kerygma Family,
and the biggest conference in the country, Kerygma
Conference.
What do you call that? Perseverance and precision.
By the way…
Where Does Ninety-nine Percent of Success Come From?
When people look at the success of Kerygma, people think

I’m lucky. But people don’t see my failures. I failed so
many times, I can write thirty books just on my failures.
It’s not gift, it’s not talent, it’s not prowess that made
me succeed. It’s dig-your-heels, never-say-die, stubborn
perseverance. I just never gave up.
Here’s a fact: Success is one percent prowess and ninety-

nine percent perseverance. I believe that extraordinary
achievers are just ordinary people who simply didn’t
give up.
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Here’s the third gift of problems.
Break or Bounce? 71
Chapter
12
Gift #3:
Prayer
Because of what you’re going through, you’re more

humble. You’re more teachable. And you’re more
prayerful.
Remember my manhood test with my eldest boy?
I have a confession to make. When my little boy was

twenty meters away, I followed him. Without my boy’s
knowledge, I walked behind him. But so that he wouldn’t
see me, I was like a spy, ducking behind telephone posts,
garbage cans, and potted plants. And during those twelve
minutes, I saw courage grow in his young heart.
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After being afraid in his first few steps, it F RE long
wasn’t
before I saw my him skipping and jumping and singing.
72 Chapter 12 | Gift #3: Prayer
Finally, at the end of the journey, when he saw Lolo’s

house, he ran to the gate with his arms up in the air.
Perhaps right now, you don’t see God because of your

problem. You don’t hear Him. You don’t feel Him. But I
assure you—He’s there. He will never abandon you. He’s
right behind you, protecting you, watching over you,
guiding you, blessing you, speaking to you, equipping
you, and anointing you.
A friend of mine owned a small company. One day, he

discovered that his vice president—someone he trusted
with his life—was stealing from him. It was such a huge
blow, my friend thought the business was all over. He
thought of folding up the company and walking away.
What devastated him was not just the lost funds but the
lost friendship. The betrayal was just too hard to bear.
Over coffee, my friend poured out his heart to me. For

more than an hour, he kept telling me, “Why did God
allow this to happen to me? I feel that He has abandoned
me. I’m a good man. I go to church.” Y
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I told him, “God has not abandoned you. God allowed
this trial not to destroy you but to develop you. God
Break or Bounce? 73
allowed this trial not to put you down but to lift you up.”
I then told him what I’m telling you now: “You’re getting
better.”
Recently, I met him again and he told me, “You know what,
Bo? You were right. God never abandoned me. Actually,
I realized that He allowed that crisis so that I could
reorganize my business. Because of the reorganization,
my business is growing like crazy. We’re launching new
products and new branches at the same time. I actually
want to thank my vice president for stealing from me.”
He started laughing.
Seeing my friend laugh was so refreshing. Because just a

few months ago, he was depressed.
My message? Your past burdens are the raw material

of your future blessings. Your problems today are the
ingredients for your miracles tomorrow.
Conclusion: God Says, ‘I’m Here’

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A mother shared this to me just a few days ago. E
FROne day,
E
her baby fell off a crib and suffered a cracked skull. The
mom was in the doctor’s office, praying for her child,
74 Chapter 12 | Gift #3: Prayer
when she looked at the wall and saw a picture of the

Sacred Heart of Jesus. All of a sudden, it was like she saw
the heart of Jesus beating. It was as if God was telling her,
“Whatever happens, I’m here. Don’t worry.” That photo
of the Sacred Heart was all this mother needed to feel
peace amid that horrifying situation.
And by God’s grace, her baby was healed.
A few days later, she met up with the doctor and told
her story. She said, “Doc, I knew everything was going to
be alright. When I was praying in your office, I saw the
photo of the Sacred Heart hanging on your wall and...”
The doctor was surprised. She said, “Uh, I don’t have a

photo of the Sacred Heart in my office.”
Huh? Where did that photo come from?
That day, she realized that God intervened in her

situation, miraculously produced a photo of the Sacred
Heart from thin air, just to tell her, “I’m here.” Y
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Break or Bounce? 75
Right now, you may be going through a big problem.

Friend, I want you to see the beating heart of God. He
loves you. He loves your family. Surrender the entire
situation into His big hands.
When bad things happen, believe that a good God is still

in charge.
You’re getting better.
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Break or Bounce? 77
Section
5
Thank God for
Closed Doors
I love open doors.
We all do. And we thank God when a door opens. New

breaks. New opportunities. New developments. New
jobs. New businesses. New relationships.
But I believe we don’t thank God enough for closed

doors. Because they too are great blessings.
There are many reasons why doors are closed.
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78
We need to surrender the

specifics and details to God
and ask Him to give us the best
version of the miracle we’re
praying for.
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Break or Bounce? 79
Chapter
13
First Reason:
To Protect You from What
Isn’t Your Best Blessing
Sometimes, doors are closed to protect you from your

second best and your third best and your fourth best.
Because God always wants you to have the best version
of your miracle.
I teach people to pray with specificity. With details.

Because that stirs up our imagination and moves us to
action.
But at the end of the day, we need to surrender the

specifics and details to God and ask Him to give us O PY
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best version of the miracle we’re praying for. REE
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When you’re ready, that door

will open.
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Break or Bounce? 81
Chapter
14
Second Reason:
Because We’re Not Yet
Ready
Sometimes, doors are closed because even though it’s the

best for us, it’s not yet the right time.
One summer, when I was a thin, small, peep squeaky,

sixteen-year-old boy, I placed a backpack over my
shoulder and rode a plane for Israel and Europe. (I won
first prize in a Bible quiz on television—and this was the
prize.)
It was the first time I traveled outside of the Philippines.Y

After moving around Holy Land for ten days, I Ctook OP
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another plane for Rome. And from one trainFto REanother,
82 Chapter 14 | Second Reason: Because We’re Not Yet Ready
I traveled to twenty more cities in Europe: Assisi, Padua,

Paris, Geneva, Brussels, Amsterdam, Frankfurt.
And here’s the thing: For forty-one days, I traveled all

alone.
When I came back, my teacher asked everyone on the

first day of class to share what we did last summer.
One classmate said, “I went to the movies.”
Another said, “I played basketball.”
Another said, “I went to the beach.”
I stood up in front of the class and said, “I walked where

Jesus walked in Jerusalem, visited the pope in the Vatican
in Rome, climbed the Eiffel tower in Paris, walked the
streets of Zurich in Switzerland, traveled to Innsbruck in
Austria, went to Frankfurt in Germany, prayed in Assisi,
Italy….”
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My classmates’ jaws fell to the floor. E E
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Break or Bounce? 83
And then I added the clincher, “And I traveled all alone.”

Now that freaked them out.
They almost pulled their hair and screamed, “That’s

unfair! Your parents allow you to go gallivanting all over
the world alone? My parents don’t even allow me to
cross the street by myself!”
I laughed. But I now understand why my door was open

and their door was closed. Because I was ready and they
were not.
You see, my parents trusted me.
Why? Because when I was twelve years old, I gave my

life to God. When I was thirteen, I was already preaching.
When I was fourteen, I was already doing ministry work
in the slums, going door to door, sharing Jesus to them. I
was already leading Light of Jesus Family. So by the age
of sixteen, I was ready.
My parents knew that. They trusted me because I had Y

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earned their trust. And so my door was open. EE
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84 Chapter 14 | Second Reason: Because We’re Not Yet Ready
Is there a closed door in your life? It may also be possible

that it’s not yet time because you’re not yet ready. That
closed door is saving you from total disaster.
But when you’re ready, that door will open.
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Break or Bounce? 85
Chapter
15
Third Reason:
Because You Refuse
to Open It
I’ve noticed that there are two kinds of closed doors in

life.
First, when the door is locked on the outside. That’s when

you need someone else to unlock it for you. That’s when
you need to wait for a miracle.
But there’s a second kind of closed door: when the door

is locked on the inside. That means that at anytime, you
can actually choose to open the door and start walking
out of that difficult situation.
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But many people don’t. Sometimes it’s because we’ve
become so accustomed to our prison. We’re comfortable
86 Chapter 15 | Third Reason: Because You Refuse to Open It
with our pain and we don’t know any other world. (We’ll
explore this again in the next section.)
But other times, it’s pride. Sometimes, we’ve made

mistakes—and because of those mistakes, we’re caught
in a difficult situation where we think the door is closed.
In truth, the door is locked on the inside. But because of

pride, we hide inside our cell instead of walking out. I
believe that humility is the key that unlocks many doors.
If you say to God, to your family, or to your friends, “I

made a mistake. Help me,” the door opens in front of you
and you can walk out.
Don’t misunderstand me. When the door unlocks, it

doesn’t mean you’re free the next day. Because the
doorway may be a long tunnel and you’ll have to do a lot
of walking out. But at least, you can now unlock the door
and start walking towards your freedom.
I believe humility can set you free. Y

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Do you have a closed door?
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Break or Bounce? 87
Start thanking God. Reflect on the reason it is closed.
And believe that the open door is coming your way.
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Break or Bounce? 89
Section
6
Stay in Your Safe Place
Last December, I woke up and looked for my phone. I

couldn’t find it. I searched for my laptop and I couldn’t
find it either.
That’s nothing new, by the way. I lose a lot of stuff. I tend

to leave my stuff everywhere—in restaurants, taxicabs,
airports, taxicabs, churches, taxicabs. Yes, I have made a
lot of taxi drivers richer.
So I began to ask myself, “Where did I leave my phone

and laptop?”
But a few minutes later, my wife Marowe walked down

the stairs, saying, “I can’t find my phone. And I can’t findY
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my wallet.” EE
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90 Section 6 | Stay in Your Safe Place
That was scary. Because Marowe never forgets anything.

She never forgets our anniversaries and monthsaries.
She remembers the date when we became boyfriend
and girlfriend and when we became engaged. All that
is a blur to me. (If you’re a guy, you can relate.) I only
remember when we got married, and that’s because we
got married on my birthday.
So when she said she couldn’t find her phone and her
wallet, that’s when we realized we were victims of theft.
Someone actually broke into our house and stole our
gadgets and her wallet.
And for the next few days, Marowe felt terrible. Not
because we lost our stuff. But because we lost our safe
place. All of a sudden, Marowe didn’t feel safe in our
home. And home is supposed to be safe.
As human beings, we need a safe place.
In the next few days, we secured our home. How? If you

watched the movie Jurassic Park, do you remember the PY
twenty-five-feet, high-voltage electric wire fence forE CO
the
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T. rex? We installed three rows of 50,000-voltage electric
fences around our house.
Break or Bounce? 91
And have you seen sumo wrestlers on TV? We hired

twenty-four of them to guard our home twenty-four
hours a day.
But here’s what we realized: No matter how much we

secure our house, we will never feel safe unless we trust
in God.
At the end of the day, only God is our ultimate safe place.
Are you going through financial problems and

relationship storms? Go to your safe place.
Are you going through sickness and stress? Go to your

safe place.
Are you going through any kind of crisis in your life? Go

to your safe place.
Are you reaching for your dream and you’ve left your
comfort zone? Are you now in your courage zone and
terrified of the dangers around you? Go to your safeY
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place. EE
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Get out of your comfort zone.
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Break or Bounce? 93
Chapter
16
Why People Lack
Abundance
If you’ve been hearing me preach for some years, you

would have heard me say before, “Growth is only found
outside your comfort zone.” That’s so true.
People complain they lack success. Or abundance. Or

fulfillment. Or peace. Here’s one reason for the lack:
because you like staying in your comfort zone. As long
as you live in your comfort zone, you will always lack
what God wants you to receive.
If you live in your comfort zone, you will never achieve

what God wants you to achieve because you can’t goY
anywhere. C OP
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94 Chapter 16 | Why People Lack Abundance
Do you want to reach your financial goals? Spiritual

goals? Health goals? Family goals? Get out of your comfort
zone.
If your marriage is stuck, do things you’ve never done

before. Court your wife again. Treat her like royalty. Treat
her like she’s the treasure of your heart.
If your finances are stuck, do things you’ve never done

before. Get mentors. Read books. Attend seminars. Be
willing to fail, get rejected, be humiliated—and try again.
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Break or Bounce? 95
Chapter
17
How Big Is Your
Comfort Zone?
If you study people who have achieved their dreams,

they have very big comfort zones. Why? They have this habit
of expanding their comfort zone every day.
What used to be their courage zone becomes their comfort

zone today. What horrified them yesterday excites them
today. What frightened them yesterday entertains them
today. What scared them yesterday serves them today.
What is your safe place? God is my ultimate safe place.

The Bible says, “God is our safe place and our strength”
(Psalms 46:1, NLV). Y
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In 1996, two years before I got married, I Fdecided to
leave my comfort zone of ministry work and enter into
something that was totally foreign to me—business. I
96 Chapter 17 | How Big Is Your Comfort Zone?
was very comfortable in ministry. Up to that point, I had

been in ministry for the past eighteen years.
But I knew nothing about business. It was absolutely

scary—especially when I started failing in them. All in
all, I failed in eighteen businesses.
In all those failures, I asked myself, “Did I really make the

right decision to be an entrepreneur? Perhaps I should
have just remained as a missionary.”
Someone told me, “You can’t lose in a food business.”

Well, I managed to lose seven hundred thousand pesos in
my food business. Someone told me, you can’t lose if you
get a big-name star from the United States and make him
perform in a concert in the Philippines. Well, I managed
to lose three million pesos doing just that.
Someone told me, “You can’t lose if you import products

from China because they’re so cheap.” Well, I managed
to lose P8.7 million in my China importation business.
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Now, I can smile about it. But when it happened, EI Ewas
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scared. I had sleepless nights. I remember tossing and
turning in bed, asking God to rescue me. And in all my
Break or Bounce? 97
fears, there was only one thing that made me sane, only
one thing that prevented me from going crazy: I stayed
in my safe place. His name is Jesus.
In my darkest hour, He kept whispering in my heart,

“Whatever you lost, you’ll earn back sevenfold.” I held
on to that promise. And I never gave up. Proverbs 6:30-
31 says that the thief “must pay sevenfold” for what he
has stolen. Even if no one stole from me, I prayed, “Lord,
because of my business mistakes, I lost money. But I claim
a season of restoration for my life. And in this season of
restoration, I will gain back all that I’ve lost sevenfold.”
When people ask me, “Did you ever attend a business

course?”
I answer, “Yes, I attended the Business School of Failures.

It’s the greatest business school in the world. And the
most expensive one too. The total loss from my twelve
business failures is an insane figure. That was my tuition
fee. And with that costly tuition fee, I’ll be crazy if I
don’t apply all that I learned from the Business School Y
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of Failures.” EE
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And God was true to His promise. Because I learned my
98 Chapter 17 | How Big Is Your Comfort Zone?
painful lessons, my other businesses began to prosper.
God Is Here!
When you’re feeling down, when you feel afraid, when

you feel overcome by worry, sit down, inhale God’s love,
and when you exhale, confess: “God is here.”
Do this ten times. And do this “God is here” exercise ten

times a day.
This will fill your heart with peace.
God is here. He will never leave you.
Stay in your safe place.
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Break or Bounce? 99
Section
7
Receive the Right Burden
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me…
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
(Matthew 11:28-30)
Once upon a time, this passage confused me.
First of all, Jesus says, “Come to me all of you who are

burdened and I’ll give you rest.” I get that. So I’m already
imagining myself giving my burden to Jesus, and He
takes it from me, and I jump up and down because I’m
totally free from any burden. And when I’m about to walk
away as free as a bird, Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon
you…” FYI, that ain’t the thing in the egg. That yoke P isY
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that wooden thingamajig that they put on the E shoulder
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of work animals who plow fields. Work animals! Hello?
100 Section 7 | Receive the Right Burden
A work animal laboring in the field, sweating under the

sun, pulling a plow through the soil—doesn’t look like
rest to me.
And God had to speak to my heart and explain it to me.

He said, “My agenda isn’t to remove your burden. My
agenda is to replace your burden. You don’t go from
heavy burden to zero burden. You go from heavy burden
to light burden.”
And I realized why. When a man is free from any burden,

that’s not rest. That’s death.
May I give you an example?
By God’s mercy, after many years of working on my small

businesses, I’ve a reached a point in my finances where
I can close my businesses, and if I live a simple life, I can
live on the interest of my investments for the rest of my
earthly life. And for the rest of my days, my wife and I
could go hopping from one beach to another, lying down PY
on a soft hammock, sipping a tall glass of fresh orange E CO
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juice complete with a little paper umbrella on top. And
every single day, have a massage on the sands by those
Break or Bounce? 101
ladies carrying a mat, a towel, and a bottle of coconut oil

that makes you smell like bokayo (coconut sweets) after
they massage you.
This month, it’s Boracay. Next month, it’s Bohol. Next

month, it’s Bali. Next month, it’s Batanes. And do you
know what’s next? Boredom.
I’ll be bored to death. A life without burden is boredom.
If you don’t wake up with a burden, a passion, a dream,

a mission, a love—if you don’t care for anything or
anyone—you’re good as dead.
That’s why Jesus said if you want real rest, you’ve got to
get God’s burden. But it’s a different kind of burden.
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102
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Chapter
18
God’s Burden Is Light
I’d like to zero in on Jesus’ words, “My burden is light.”

If you notice, those two words don’t fit each other, much
like “fried ice cream” or “tiny giant” or “ugly Bo.” It just
doesn’t fit.
But that’s exactly what Jesus said: “For My yoke is easy

and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
Question: How can a burden be light?
Let me explain it by way of example.
When Marowe courted me years ago… er, sorry, slip of

the pen. When I courted Marowe, I lived in Cubao and Y
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she lived in the other side of planet Earth—in Parañaque.
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During that ancient time of history, the MRT was still
104 Chapter 18 | God’s Burden Is Light
being built on EDSA and Manila traffic became the

seventh wonder of the world. (Now, it’s just the eighth.)
My mother found out about it and, with tongue in cheek,

said, “Can’t you court someone who lives nearby?”
I chuckled and replied, “Mom, when I selected my future

wife, I didn’t put geographical location as a top criteria. I
don’t mind moving through this giant parking lot called
EDSA for three hours each day for her.”
What do you call that? It was a light burden.
Why? I was in love.
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Chapter
19
Increase the Love
One day, I had the schedule of a madman.
Right after the Sunday Feast in PICC, I drove to the airport.

With nineteen other guys, mostly senior leaders of the
Light of Jesus Family, I attended a leaders conference in
Los Angeles.
I stayed in the United States for four days. Right after the
conference, I hopped on a plane to go back to Manila. I
arrived on Saturday because I had to preach at The Feast
in PICC the next day.
On Monday, with my wife and boys, I drove up to Baguio

for the amazing four-day TrulyRichClub Superconference. Y
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After everything was over, I drove down on Saturday—
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because I had to preach the next day at The Feast PICC.
106 Chapter 19 | Increase the Love
By Monday, I had to fly to Singapore for the Grand

Feast there. By Saturday, I flew back to preach again at
Sunday’s Feast in PICC.
During those three weeks of traveling, I still had weekly

dates with each of my boys, had weekly dates with
my wife, and wrote around twenty-seven articles and
submitted them on schedule.
People ask me, “Bo, don’t you get dizzy with your crazy
schedule? Don’t you get exhausted?”
Honestly, it looks burdensome.
But I had a lot of fun in every one of those days. And

though my body got tired, my spirit was energized.
Every time I woke up, I felt refreshed. Throughout the
day, I was like an ice skater gliding through ice—moving
almost effortlessly. (Note: This isn’t my schedule every
month. If it happened every month, I’d die. But it was
just a short season of traveling—and I could handle a
season.) Y
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Why? Because God’s burden is love.
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If you follow the greatest commandment and love God

with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and if you
love others as you love yourself—you will be burdened.
But it’s a good burden. Tell me, is your marriage a light
burden? Is your parenting a light burden? Is your work
a light burden?
If it is not, increase your love.
Do everything you do because you love God and love

others.
Then your burden will be lighter.
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108
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Section
8
Pass on God’s Comfort
He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort
others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them
the same comfort God has given us.
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
Have you ever experienced God’s comfort?
I have. When I was in my twenties, I fell in love with

a girl who didn’t love me back. I courted her, gave her
chocolates, flowers, and even composed a song for her.
But she rejected me. (One of the greatest mysteries of the
universe: Bakit hindi ako crush ng crush ko?) Rejection is
always painful.
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That night, I cried myself to sleep. And the next day,
while picking up the broken pieces of my heart, I felt God
110 Section 8 | Pass on God’s Comfort
comfort me. I remember Him telling me, “I know your

future. I know what is best for you. Trust Me.”
That happened when I was twenty-five years old. Today,

I thank God she rejected me. Or I wouldn’t have married
Marowe, the girl of my dreams. I can’t imagine my life
without this amazing woman. And I can’t imagine my
life without the two boys she gave me.
So today, when I meet brokenhearted people, I’m able to

pass on the comfort that I received from God. I can now
tell them, “God knows your future. If someone rejects
you, it simply means that person isn’t God’s best for you.
Your best is yet to come.”
Rick Warren said, “God will never waste your wounds.

He will use them to heal others who are going through
the same wounding. By your wounds He will heal many.”
Your highest calling is to be a pipeline of God’s comfort.

When God comforts you, He does so because He wants
you to pass on that same comfort to others. Y
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R to
I urge you—receive all the blessings that God Fwants
give you. Don’t limit God’s abundance. Because that
abundance is not for you. That abundance is for others!
Chapter
20
Rock Bottoms
One day, some men brought their paralyzed friend to

Jesus. The crowd was so thick around Him, they couldn’t
bring him near the Healer. So they went up the roof of
the house, made an opening, and lowered their friend to
Jesus. (See Mark 2:1-12.)
I love that scene. Because there are times when we’re

paralyzed, not physically, but emotionally, mentally,
and spiritually. Our mind is trapped in a fog of
discouragement. And we don’t know what to do.
What do you call these times? Rock bottoms.
During our rock bottoms—when we’re emotionally, Y

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mentally, and spiritually paralyzed—we needEE
friends
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who will carry us to Jesus.
112 Chapter 20 | Rock Bottoms
We need friends who are not just there for the good times
but also for the bad times. We need friends who will go
out of their way, climb walls, dig a hole in the roof, and
do crazy things for you.
Rock bottoms require real buddies. We need loving

friends who will carry us to Jesus.
If you have friends like these, rejoice.
I have such friends in my life and I’m blessed. They’re

more valuable than all the gold in the world.
Who can help you during rock-bottom moments? Friends

who underwent the same pain. God will heal many
through your wounds. (More on this later.)
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Chapter
21
Get Up, Take Up Your Mat,
and Walk
In the story, after Jesus forgives his sins, he tells the

paralyzed man to “Get up, take your mat, and go home”
(Mark 2:11).
Earlier in this book (see page 13), in another miracle story,

I already explored with you this riveting line: Stand up,
pick up your mat, and walk. But to end this book, I wish
to explore this line again. Because it is so powerful. And
also because I want to dive a little deeper into it with you.
Perhaps today, you’re paralyzed in some areas of your

life. Y
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You’re stuck. You’re trapped. And you can’t
move on.
114 Chapter 21 | Get Up, Take Up Your Mat, and Walk
If so, Jesus is telling you what He told that paralyzed

man: Rise, take up your mat, and walk!
Stand Up
First, you need to get up.
In Section 1, I mentioned how our problems can become

our identity, how our suffering can become our safe zone.
When Wives Are Stuck with Abusive Husbands
Two weeks ago, I met a battered wife who gave me all

sorts of excuses why she can’t leave her abusive husband.
Subconsciously, she feels safe in her suffering. She’s been
living with his abuse for years, she knows what happens
when he comes home drunk. She knows she’ll get a
few beatings, he’ll ask for forgiveness, and the charade
goes on. The craziness becomes comfortable. The pain
becomes predictable.
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I remember talking to a man who told me, “I’ve been
trapped in a dead-end job for thirteen years now. I’m
underpaid, unappreciated, and totally unhappy in my

work.”
I asked him, “So have you been looking for another job?”
He shocked me when he said, “Nah, I’m stuck with this

job for the rest of my life. I’ll be miserable here in my
desk until I’m sixty-five.”
Why? Even if it was miserable, at least it was predictable.

Changing jobs would be uncertain, and what is uncertain
is terrifying.
When Girlfriends Are Stuck with Loser Boyfriends
When a woman allows her boyfriend to use her body

even if she doesn’t like him, I know what’s happening:
She feels safe in her suffering. The mat has become
comfortable because she believes that this is what she
deserves.
I met a single woman who complained, “Brother O Bo,

P Y
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my boyfriend and I have been a couple for seven EE
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now. Yet I don’t see him making plans for us. I hear my
biological clock ticking so loudly, I can’t hear anything
else. But whenever I bring up the topic, he avoids it and

walks away. What should I do?”
I asked a very delicate question. “Do you go to bed with

him?”
She looked down and nodded.
I said, “There’s one answer. He already has what he

wants. Why will he hurry marrying you if he already
enjoys the benefits of marrying you?”
Single woman, tell your boyfriend, “Brother Bo says that

from now on, my body is off limits to you until you bring
me to the altar.” (Yes, quote me.)
Once you cut supply, his demand for you will grow.
That’s if he really loves you. (Sadly, some just want the
side benefits.)
Tell him, “From now on, the only thing you can do to my
body is to put a ring around my finger.” Y
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Get up from your mat. Don’t say, “But I’m no longer a
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virgin. It’s no use. I’m dirty now.”
I don’t care if you’ve made many mistakes in the past.

Virginity is essentially spiritual, not physical. Consecrate
your body and soul to God. Claim secondary virginity.
And promise that you won’t give your body except to a
guy who is man enough to marry you.
Get up from your mat.
Rise from your suffering.
Rise from your agony.
Rise from your slavery.
Rise from your mediocrity.
Rise from your debt.
Rise from your job.
Rise from your pain.

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Take Your Mat
If you don’t need your mat anymore, why take it with

you?
Because your mat becomes your ministry. You went

through what you went through for a purpose.
Once upon a time, the mat carried the paralyzed man.

Today, he carries the mat. Once upon a time, the mat
ruled over him. Now, he ruled over the mat.
Why did you end up with an abusive husband? So that

when you get out, you can help other wives who are
being abused.
Why did you end up buried in debt? So that when you

get out, you can help others who are now buried in debt.
Why did you end up broken, depressed, wounded, lost,

confused? So that when God heals you, you can help
those who are also broken, depressed, wounded, lost,OPY
and confused. E EC
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The mat doesn’t only become your ministry, your mat

becomes your message: A message of hope that God can
heal anyone.
The Mat Makes You Grateful and Gracious
Your mat will make you grateful and gracious—grateful

to God for His healing and gracious to others who need
healing.
Even if you’re free from your mat, never forget the pain
of your past. Because it will keep you humble before God
and others. Take your mat and let it be a symbol of what
God has done in your life. And show your mat to others.
Show your scars to others so that they will have hope
that God will heal them too.
God will heal many through your wounds.
Thousands of people have walked up to me, telling me,

“Bo, you changed my life.”
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But how did I change their life? I did it not by R E
F my power
E
but by my weaknesses. I changed their life by sharing not
my victories but my defeats.
I impact people when I share about my porn addiction

that lasted for twenty years. I impact young people when
I tell them I failed in school. I impact entrepreneurs when
I tell them I failed in eighteen businesses.
It’s my wounds that heal people.
My wife suffered three miscarriages. Each miscarriage

devastated her. After her third miscarriage, a friend
asked her, “You must be used to it already?”
My wife almost screamed to her, “How dare you say

that! Every miscarriage is very painful!”
After each miscarriage, she became depressed for six

months. She woke up with this heavy cloud over her.
Everything she ate was tasteless. Life was joyless.
Yet today, because of what she went through, she is

able to comfort and pray for other women who suffer
loss—even without using words. Because she received
God’s comfort, she’s now able to comfort others who go PY
through that same pain. E CO
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Epilogue
What Kind of Scars

Do You Have?
One day, a mother and her little boy went to the farm.
Through the kitchen window, she saw her little boy dive
into the lake behind the house. It was such a glorious
sight, just seeing her son swim through the water.
Suddenly, she screamed in terror. Because on the opposite

direction, something was swimming towards her boy. It
was an alligator!
She ran out to him, all the while shouting on the top of
her lungs, “Get out of the lake! There’s an alligator!”
The little boy saw the oncoming alligator. He turned

PY
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REcould.
around and started swimming back as fast asFhe
122 Epilogue | What Kind of Scars Do You Have?
When he touched land, two things happened at the same

time. The mother grabbed his arms but the alligator sunk
its sharp teeth on his legs. What happened next was a tug
of war between his mother and the beast. The alligator
was very strong, but so was his mother’s love. She simply
wouldn’t let go.
A few minutes later, a man who was driving in his truck

saw what was happening. Moving quickly, he got out of
his truck, grabbed his rifle, and shot the alligator.
A couple of weeks later, the little boy was in the hospital

recuperating from his wounds. A journalist entered his
room, wanting to interview him.
After a few questions, she asked, “Would you mind if we

get a photo of your wounds?”
“Sure,” the little boy said. “I have two wounds. Which

ones do you want to photograph?”
The journalist didn’t understand. “What do you mean?” Y

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The little boy removed his blanket and exposed his scarred
legs. “These are the scars from the alligator’s teeth.” His
legs were covered with ugly puncture wounds.
He then said, “But my other wounds—that’s what I’m

proud of.” He exposed his arms and showed off the
ugly scars of his mother’s fingernails that dug deep into
his skin. “I love these scars because they represent my
mother’s love. The reason I have these scars is because
my mother would not let go of me.”
Friend, if you look into your life, you’ll find that you too
have these scars. They come from God who held on to
you and wouldn’t let go. Were it not for those scars, you
would have been swallowed up by the enemy.
Perhaps you didn’t get that job you prayed for. Perhaps
you didn’t get the guy you wanted. Perhaps you didn’t
get the project you worked for. God sees the future. He
saw that if you got what you wanted, you would be
swallowed up by the enemy. So He pulled you back. You
got hurt. You got denied. You got rejected. Yes, you have
scars—but these are scars of God’s love for you!
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Trials have a way of bringing you closer to God.EE
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Dear friend, bounce from your trials.
124 Epilogue | What Kind of Scars Do You Have?
Use your problems as wings.
Bounce forward.
Bounce Godward!
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
P.S. Grab three of my best video messages. I selected

them out of the hundreds of talks I’ve given over the past
years. You can also receive my new Soulfood Letters to
inspire you each week and lift your day—all free. How?
Sign up at www.BoSanchez.ph and nourish your soul
every week.
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About The Author
In 1980, a fourteen-year-old boy strummed his guitar

and led the first prayer meeting of Light of Jesus Family.
From a small group of thirty people in his parents’
garage, it has now grown into a multiplying movement
around the world. This movement partners with many
ministries, such as Shepherd’s Voice, a media ministry
active in TV, radio, publishing, and online programs that
reach millions. Light of Jesus dreams of building 100,000
Feasts around the world.
Aside from all these, Bo has founded numerous

ministries for the poor, such as Anawim, a
home for the abandoned elderly. He also helps
parents who want to homeschool their kids
through his Catholic Filipino Academy.
He also has a passion for helping people
grow in their financial life through the
TrulyRichClub.
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For more details, go to E E
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www.BoSanchez.ph.
126
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By Joining the
Kerygma Family,
You Will Receive a Mountain
Load of Blessings
for Your Spiritual Life
Here’s what will happen to you when you join the Kerygma
Family:
1. You’ll receive daily Bible reflections for your spiritual
growth.
2. Each month, you’ll get to read an online copy of Kerygma,
the #1 Catholic inspirational magazine in the Philippines.
3. You’ll belong to a borderless, global, nonphysical
community spread all over the world connected through
prayer and the desire for personal growth.
4. You shall have the special privilege of supporting this
expansive work of the Lord (totally optional!), which
includes Anawim, a ministry for the poorest of the poor, the
abandoned elderly; and Shepherd’s Voice, a media ministry
that uses TV, radio, print, and the Internet to broadcast
God’s love to spiritually hungry people worldwide.
5. You and your intentions shall be included in our intercessory
team’s prayers.
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FR
To join the Kerygma Family,
log on to www.kerygmafamily.com
128
WHO ELSE WANTS TO LIVE A
FANTASTIC LIFE?
Thousands of people have transformed
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and inspiring stories contained in this monthly
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Oriented Magazine in the 2011 Catholic Mass
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for the same category in 2012.
Subscribe now and start living a fantastic
life! Get a whole year subscription of 12
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Ordering is easy. Just follow the steps below, or give us a call at
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130
‘The harder I Fall, The higher I Fly.’
Have you failed? Have you fallen on hard times? Are you going through
your toughest struggles? Are you walking through your darkest days?
This amazing book is the answer to your prayers. Because every page
is brimming with powerful encouragement from Bo Sanchez, a leader
whose words—for the past forty years—have changed the lives of
countless people.
In every chapter, he gives you a massive dose of inspiration so you can

keep moving forward—until your storm ends and a new morning rises
in your life.
Through the message you hold in your hands, you’ll receive the power
to use your biggest problems to leapfrog to your biggest victory.
Bo Sanchez is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, and one of the best

communicators in the country. He has written more than fifty bestselling
books and has given talks around the world. He also has founded many
ministries that serve the poorest of the poor. Bo dreams of helping a
million people grow spiritually by building Feasts around the world. He
also dreams of helping good people become financially free through his
TrulyRichClub.
Connect with him through:

www.BoSanchez.ph
Facebook.com/BrotherBoSanchez
Y
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ISBN 978-971-007-208-8
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FR
www.kerygmabooks.com

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B R E A K OR

National Bestselling Author of Get Ready for More

Copyright © 2018 by Eugenio R. Sanchez, Jr.

Address requests for information to:

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

Cover design by Paolo Galia

Section 1: Three Steps to Overcome Paralysis 1

Section 2: Three Blessings That Crisis Gives You 19

Section 3: Three Things You Need to Accept 35

Section 4: Three Gifts Your Problem Offers You 59 Y

Section 5: Thank God for Closed Doors 77

Section 6: Stay in Your Safe Place 89

Section 7: Receive the Right Burden 99

Section 8: Pass on His Comfort 109

About the Author 125 Y

God Designed You

Have you noticed?

Many of your problems don’t disappear overnight.

Your pimples don’t disappear overnight. Your dandruff

Here’s the truth: Life isn’t a straight road. It isn’t a smooth

And when you fall into one of these gigantic potholes,

Some people don’t know this. So when they fall, they

Perhaps life is hard. Perhaps you’re being hit by many

One day, as part of investigating various companies in

Third, it’s dangerous. He said when you mine for gold,

Your Pothole Is a Gold Mine

I have an announcement to make: If you feel like you’re

In a gold mine, you’re surrounded by gold. The problem

That is why we can say, “All is well.”

A king had a friend whom everyone called Sunny because

The king screamed in pain. In his rage, he sent his friend

Many months later, the king was hunting again. He

Unfortunately, the cannibal tribe captured the king,

So the cannibals released the king and he walked away

As the king returned home, he remembered his friend

When he visited his friend in jail, the king told the

Sunny smiled and said, “All is well! Prison was a

Sunny said, “If I wasn’t in jail, I would have been hunting

It’s so difficult to say “All is well ” when trials come upon

I love the Easter story.

On Good Friday, Mary Magdalene fell into a gigantic

Perhaps you’re like Mary Magdalene. You’re grieving

Let me speak to you: Today may be Friday in your life,

On your Easter, God will remove the reason for your

On Easter Sunday, Jesus bounced.

He was supposed to be finished. Dead. Lost. Defeated.

to bounce is the same power that is at work in you (see

My dear friend, bounce.

Shout it out: All is well.

May your dreams come true,

P.S. Grab three of my best video messages. I selected

I find that, uh, rather strange.

I wonder why Jesus asked him that question.

The paralyzed man could have answered, “Huh? Is the

But Jesus asked that question because He knew human

In their subconscious, some sick people aren’t sure if they

It’s crazy, but true. How do you know if someone is

That’s what the paralyzed guy did. He said, “I can’t,

Believe me, I’ve heard the line “I can’t” many, many