In the midst of Grief......

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.” Isaiah 43:2

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How should we deal with grief? Ever since the event of September 11, 2001, the world seems to take a new dangerous turn. Natural disasters alone are enough to keep people running scared. There are more kidnapping than ever before and numerous gun-related shouting. Child abuse does even shock us anymore, it is part of our current event, but how do we deal with all of it? Do we run to the pharmacy for Valium like the world does? Should we sleep through life or should we face our grief head on? A friend told me the other day that he was thinking of moving somewhere safer than here. A place where there will be no hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquake, tsunami, ect. Sounds like heaven! So I told him to sign me up too. The truth is that God is Omniscient, Omnipotent, Beginning and End. He is everywhere at the same time. We cannot escape His presence. He is able to protect us wherever we are. We don’t have to run scared and stay up all night. When dealing with grief, we can still trust God. We can still rely on His peace.

One of the lessons I recently learned is that we have to put the Word of God to good use. It’s nice to read the Word if you like a good story because the Bible got it all (from love and betrayal, to mystery and miracles. But you will get excited about the Word of God when you realize that it’s more than just a collection of stories. It is not only a guideline provided by our heavenly father to carry us through adversity it is also a book of life. The same power that raises Jesus from the dead is available to us. We are children of God. He is in us and us in Him. When dealing with grief we must call on God’s power. Naturally, our flesh cannot take much grief. But greater He who is in you.....

The Word God in the above scripture didn’t say we wouldn’t pass through the waters, but it did promise to be with us when we do. Glory! When you go through the fire, you will not be scorched, so why are you afraid? You already know the outcome. When all is said and done, you are going to be alright. So how do you deal with grief? One well-liked preacher had this to say about it "You do it with courage and faith, holding to God’s promises and by continuing to praise Him through it all. You are not another ordinary, lonely person. You are a special, extraordinary, legitimate son/daughter of the Living God."

Friend, stop trying to believe in God. Take it up to the next level by actually putting your faith in Him. It’s time to stop being a spectator, watching God work wonders in other people lives. It’s time to be part of it all and claim your inheritance. Once you do that, changes will start to take place in your life. I am so excited this morning, are you excited? You and I have nothing to fear. We are never alone. In the middle of a Summer full of bad news God gives us a reason to smile, to hope and to move forward and to continue to trust him.

Love, serve and praise God, trust and rely on in His might with your whole heart. Walk closely with Him in the good times and through your grief. Remember, God will not take your cares away from you. You have to give them to Him. As hard as it is, you are the one responsible to keep your thoughts under control, but you can do it, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” 1 John 4:4

Praise the Lord!

Forgiveness (Part 2)

Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life." Titus 3:7

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When I was a little girl I was stubborn, strong minded to a fault. My mother was a disciplinarian who believes in spanking; needless to say that we had a tumultuous relationship. I was spared only after apologizing and promising not to repeat my mistakes. My first experience with "Grace" was positive. I ask for forgiveness and promise not to repeat a certain negative behavior and my mother would forgive me. Naturally, I was too stubborn and proud to ask for forgiveness and as a result I suffer a lot of unnecessary physical pain, but I knew what I had to do if I did not want to be punished.

Some Christians have trouble comprehending this awesome gift of grace because it seems so simple, just too easy. We live in a society in which everything has a price, and every action has an ulterior motive. It is almost impossible to grasp the concept of grace; I am not sure why, but either by fear or shame many people don't run back to God to confess their failures. The longer they stay away more defeated they become.

One of the privileges of being a Christian is knowing that regardless of our sins God is always waiting to welcome us with open arms. His love for us is beyond measure. He knows all about us, He knows our hearst and minds. I assure you that God is waiting for you right now to confess and repent. "In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace". (Ephesians 1:7)

In return, we have to treat others with compassion. Let's learn to forgive as our Father forgives us. Are you having trouble forgiving people right now? Why don't you give them a call, take the first step in obedience to Our Heavenly Father. See my friend, pleasing God should be your purpose and that is greater than your pride. Pleasing God is after all, God's purpose for the believer.

Friend, let's take a moment to thank God for His Grace.

Let's forgive each other and remember to be a blessing.

Praise the Lord!

Forgiveness.....

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15

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Has anyone ever hurt you so much that no matter how hard you try or pray you just can’t forgive? At one point or another most of us will be hurt, either intentionally or not. The key is to cultivate a forgiving heart. Why is it so important to forgive? Christ commands us to do so. The truth of the situation is that if you don’t forgive, you will not be forgiven. Think about the Lords prayer. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” So what happens if you won’t forgive those trespasses? The Bible has quite a few things to say about forgiveness: Proverbs 20:22, Micah 7:18-19, Matthew 5:24, Mark 11:25 Matthew 5:44-45, Matthew 6:9-15, Matthew 26:28, Luke 6:35-38; 42, Luke 7:47-48, John 20:22-23, Acts 2:38, to mention just a few, but my favorite verse on forgiveness is found Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times”.

Forgiveness is not as hard as we think. We don’t forgive simply because we choose not to, and because we let our pain dictate our behavior when we should let the word of God dictate our way of life. God often gives us choices but  He points us in the right direction by exposing the consequences of each choice. In the case of forgiveness it’s very clear why we should forgive: so He can forgive us. I know what you may be thinking right now… but I can’t forgive, you don’t understand what was said about me or you don’t know what this person has done to me and I am telling you “yes you can”. I know exactly how you feel. I have had wicked people around me as well. I have endured unnecessary heartbreaks as well. Listen,  I was angry for more than half of my existence, that’s a very long time. But I eventually realized that my anger was destroying my joy and keep me separate from God (couldn’t keep it going for long). I remember exactly when I started to get angry, and I remember exactly when God set me free from my bitterness and anger. It is important for Christians to understand that being unable to forgive has a lot to do with resentment/anger and both are from the deceiver, the devil. You have to be very careful not to give the devil a way in. He wants to destroy you and stops at nothing to do so. If it is hard for you to forgive, bring up your concern to the Lord in prayer promptly. Do not hesistate another second. Do not dwell in anything that makes the devil feel s welcome in your life. Choose joy, choose to be free from the devil’stronghold. Choose the blood of Christ, and choose forgiveness.

Perhaps you’ve been rejected or abused. In my case, the intense loneliness in my childhood and extreme anger in my adulthood came directly from the painful/terrible, and devastating  loss of my beloved mother at an early age and my anger came from the fact that I was forced to live with series of difficult stepmothers (lightly put). But now I help people overcome emptiness and loneliness. How is it possible you ask? Through Christ and Christ alone. When I think of what I have lost in my natural life and think of what I have gained in the spiritual through the blood of Christ, it seems unreasonable to dwell on my pain another minute. I had to release my sadness and forgive some people around me. Do I still miss my mother? Every single day, and I can't even begin to tell you how much I really miss her, but she would want me to forgive. She taught me forgiveness and I know that God wants me to cultivate a forgiving heart. Am I angry and bitter about losing her? Not anymore. Not since I understood the power of the blood of Christ. My massive loneliness and deep pain are now replaced by pure joy and a hope of a wonderful future. You can do this as well. Friend, release your anger and pain to God. Forgive those who have hurt you. Remember it is not about them. It’s all about Christ. Consider today, the first day of the rest of your joyful life and the first step in your spiritual growth and healing.

Forgive and be free.

Praise the Lord.

You were Created to Love by Love for God is Love......

                         

"So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27

Have you ever wondered why God created mankind? Many people believe that it is to make His creation perfect, some believe that he created mankind in order to have people to dominate and a few more believe He created humanity to have people who fear Him.

I believe that we are special because we were created to the image of God and the true reason that He created us is to LOVE. He wants us to love Him and to be loved by Him for God is love and He has all this love to share. He creates us to receive His love and to generate love and not to fear because there is no fear in love (1 John 4:18). God could have given His love to any heavenly beings of His choice but He saves all of his love to us "mankind" because we were created to His image; that is how special we are! He created us so He can have fellowship with us as partners (1 John 1:3).

What does it really mean to be created to God's image? It simply means that He created us with the ability to be just like Him. God is the creator, the author and finisher and all things, and like Him we have the ability to accomplish great things, because He loves us so much He made His power available to us.

Love should be coming out of our beings. We should be overpowered by love. God's been trying to keep a LOVING relationship with us since the creation, but again and again we reject His love. He made everything on earth for our enjoyment because He loves us so dearly. It is that deep love that influenced Him to send His son Jesus Christ to die the humiliating death on Calvary in order to restore His love relationship with us but we still resist. We just don't understand how special we really are. Most of us don't even believe that we deserve His love. We go through life looking for love in all the wrong places and find trouble and rejection repeatedly instead.

God wants to give you His love today, can you dare receive it? He is offering you His perfect peace and joy, will you dare accept it? Dare to believe that you are special today. You were created with love and more importantly you were created by love for God is love (1 John 4:8). Don’t give your love to the wrong people; turn your attention to God.

Praise the Lord!

Be Holy!

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter1:15-16

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The word “holy,” “holiness,” comes from a Greek root meaning, “to set apart to God.” It has the same root as the words “saint and sanctify”. The “saint” is a person sets apart for God, enjoying a holy standing before God in Christ Jesus, with the “OBLIGATION” of living a holy life.

How can we be holy when we are all sinners? “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (1 John 1:10). I have come to realize that people misunderstand the call to “holiness”. A holy life is not a life that is perfect nor is it a sin and temptation free life. It is rather a life that continuously tries to deny/resist those temptations and take on personal righteousness.

To be holy is to no longer let sin become a way of life, a stronghold. A saved person strives for perfection through his/her walk with God. A saved person repents as he/she sins. To be holy is to go against human nature; therefore, holiness is not easy but it can be perfected because “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The blood of Christ makes holiness attainable/possible. Our purpose as believers is to progressively (little by little) resemble/become more like God. A person who continues to sin does not know God. He may go to church, pays his tithes but he is not saved. “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.”(1 John 3:9) A believer cannot obliviously go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

How do we break the habits of sin? How can we fight such powerful force? By making a commitment to please God; by making a commitment to honor your Heavenly Father in every thing you do. Renew your heart and mind daily and fill them with God’s living word. You don’t have to make a big announcement to your family and friends. They will notice the change, besides you are not changing for them. You are doing it for the One who sees what is done in secret. (Matthew 6:4).

To sin is to satisfy the flesh, and to respond positively to the sinful needs of the flesh cause death. “For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13). Stop living your old ways, break down the habit of sins and repent. Choose life, eternal life. Be holy, be blessed.

Praise the Lord!

Sexual Immorality 2

We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 1 Corinthians 10:8

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Wisdom is really about understanding that God exists and that He is aware of our daily activities. The fear of the Lord is to be God-conscious and to have knowledge of divine things. Fear of God is not to be terrified of Him; it is to submit to Him and to observe His commandments. Wisdom is to live under the guidance of God and understand what is pleasing and what is not pleasing to Him. Fear in that sense is to have reverence. As a matter of fact, the great news is that the love of God through Christ has the power to cast out fear and set us free. Friend, the word of God in Psalm 147:11 says, the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. Last week study on holiness and part of yesterday lesson taught us that our heavenly father is holy and there is no way He would embrace sexual immorality. God loves us, but hates sins. We live in a society in which the true values are really distorted, inverted and I dare say even perverted and it seems as though people are unable to distinguish right from wrong and don’t good and evil anymore.

Sexual Immorality isn’t only adultery. It also involves fornication, sexual perversions to include homosexuality, yes and even masturbation and immorality of the mind. The question regarding masturbation comes up often at Christian’s conferences and the answer is simple: Sex as described in the Bible is to be with a man and a woman in a marriage setting. Sex seems to be a recreational activity nowadays. God thinks sex is wondrous and fantastic as long as it is in a marriage setting that is. There is an entire book of the Bible that speaks of the joy of sexuality. Sexual intercourse is enjoyable, as God intended and it is the highest expression of intimacy two people can share because it turns them into "one flesh"; consequently, sexual intimacy needs to be shared between two people in a marriage.

Nowadays, the Internet as well as multiple dating Websites have facilitated and taken sexual immorality to a new level.Pornography is rampant and available to our children. Our youth is confused and have no way to turn when they have questions. It is our responsibility (the people of God), to uphold those values and guidelines set by God to avoid pain and suffering resulted from unwanted pregnancies, adultery, STD's, AIDS, and more importantly sexually immorality brings great pleasure to Satan, the enemy. God is not pleased with sexual immorality; in fact, we seem to have received more warning about sexual sin than any other sins. Two cities (Sodom and Gomorrah) were destroyed because of sexual immorality. 1 Corinthians 5:11 instructs us not to associate with people who are immoral. As Christians, we need to remember that God lives in us. We have to be vigilant. We cannot let any sin dwells in us. If sin has taken a hold of you, God is able and willing to give you a new start.

Let us pray: Father how grateful I am for your love. You love me so much that you sent your son to die for me. I realize now that I have sin against my own flesh and against you. Forgive me father. I want to live a life pleasing to you. From now on I want it to be you and I. Help me fight this battle of the flesh. I love you father and thank you for yet another chance. In Jesus holy name I pray. Amen!

Praise the Lord!

Sexual Immorality

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Hebrews 13:4


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Abstinence is God’s only recommendation when it comes to sex outside marriage. Abstinence saves lives, protects babies, control sexually transmitted diseases, abstinence is your spiritual act of worship and honors God. I cannot stress it enough: The Bible recommends total abstinence before marriage. Sex between a husband and his wife is the only form of sexual relations of which God approves. This kind of truth is bound to make some feel uncomfortable; People get uneasy, when you start telling them that adultery, homosexuality, lust and fornication (sex outside marriage) are sinful; therefore, you are not likely to hear it at the local churches. This kind of preaching does not fill arenas and stadium. Parents are also reluctant to speak to children about sexual immorality. The devil convince them that it is too early until one day they realize that it is actually too late.

Sexual immorality is everywhere, both visibly and hidden and the practice and acceptance of homosexuality is so great that heterosexuality seems abnormal. Often times, adults and young adults in conferences around the nations have shared that they find themselves either making excuses or explaining their stands concerning abstinence in order to gain acceptance. The teenager who understands that her/his body is a temple gets alienated but to an extent understandable but adults face the greatest challenges. People (even Christians) find it ridiculous that a 40-year old wants to remain pure. Biblical principles do not apply to healing and prosperity alone. All of God’s commandments are to be respected. You must know the truth about God’s rules regarding sexual immorality. The Christian needs to have knowledge (understanding) of why he/she needs to resist sexual temptation.

Friend, God is holy and he requires His people to be holy. Did you know that the word holy is used about 100 times in the book of Leviticus? Why do you think that is? Nowadays, Christians emphasize the love of God, which is one of God, many attributes but we cannot appreciate His love and goodness until we understand his holiness. God’s holiness is a recurring theme between Exodus 15 and Revelation 15:3-4.

My dear friend, strive for holiness. The good news is you don’t have to do it alone. You have the Holy Spirit as your helper. You can resist sexual temptation. Don’t be a "people pleaser"your goal is to please God. It is better to be alone than to be living in sin. If you deprive yourself of a sinful indulgence God will reward you greatly, but If you insist on sinning you will pay the regrettably painful price of experiencing separation from God.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1

Praise the Lord!

Jesus is Lord!

“The person who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. The person who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:37

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Do you believe in the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Is He your Lord and Savior? If you were in a position to renounce Him to save your life, would you do it?
You have to know without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is the incarnated Son of God. He became flesh and blood, so that through His death, He might destroy the devil and gives life. Friend, when it comes to Christ there should be no questions and nor confusion. You must be absolutely sure that He is indeed Lord. You must love Him not only more than your family but more than your own life. The moment you become Christ’s follower, your old life as you knew it is forever changed. He trades your imperfections, your diseases, and your lacks for physical and emotional wholeness. The promise of eternal life should be enough motivation to choose Him above all. Jesus demand total allegiance (intellectual and emotional) commitment and you know what? He deserves it. Who do you know would give his/her life for you? There are only two ways to be saved: If you live a sinless life (which is impossible and accomplished only by Jesus) or by asking Him (Jesus) to take the payment of your sin for you (which He willingly did on the cross). “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 John 3:16 and John 3:16)

If you have conviction that then move to the next level of commitment in your life that reflects His Lordship. Start confessing that He is Lord. “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) To believe and confess that Jesus is Lord means that you agree with God and consequently will tell others about Him without shame. Would like to have a successful 2008? Start proclaiming the Word to and in the world and declare the Lordship of Christ. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) It is a responsibility that must be taken seriously. Start the New Year right. Rededicate your life to Christ. Submit your relationships, your family and your business to Christ. Embrace your mission and be blessed.

Praise the Lord!

God Provides

Your Loving Father is able and He is willing to take care of you....

And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Matthew 6:30

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The difference between mankind and all of God’s creation is obviously the connection with God. He ordered everything to existence (Gen 1:11), yet with man He made his body from the dust of the earth, but his spirit and soul were immediately from his Creator, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7). The very essence of who we are is part God. He breathed part of Himself into us, the part that gives life because He is the God of the living. He promotes life and not death. “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:32). The God who gives us life also knows how to preserves it while we are here on earth. God is not a father who worries about our soul alone, but of the body also. That fact is made clear in the above scripture. Our creator made 2 interesting points in Matthew 6:25-34. First, he made sure that we know our place in the order of creation (we are number 1-He cares for us way more), and second, He promised to take care of all of our needs.

So why do Christians worry? My pastor’s most quoted verse answer the question perfectly; “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” Hosea 4:6. They don’t know God because He reveals Himself in His Word and unfortunately they don’t read the word. There are some professing Christians who assume the attitude that they have no responsibility in this matter: they say that faith is a supernatural principle, a Divine gift from God; therefore, it is not their fault that they are still struggling with faith. They claim that it is outside their power and province to do anything in order to obtain an increase of it. Consequently they go through an entire life continuously defeated and never experience the victorious power of the Word of God. Such passive way of life is in no way honoring or pleasing to God. The Bible tells us that the way to get more faith is to put to work the measure which we already have and to use the means God has appointed. (HIS WORD). Your duty is to read daily God’s Word, to meditate thereon, and lay the Divine promises on our hearts, to urge our souls to believe, to strive and fight against doubts and distrust. Have you ever noticed how some people never get to read the Bible with us during church services? It doesn’t matter how long the chapter, some people will take the entire time flipping through pages, disturbing those of us who are reading because they don’t know where anything is. They are not familiar with any of the books for the simple fact that they don’t read. If you want to please any one, you need to know their like and dislike, you have to spend time with them. A relationship with God is no less important. You must play your part. You must seek Him and He will embrace you.

The Christian must fight against evil thoughts of lack and complaints and must hold on the Divine promises of God and assure himself (constantly) that the “Lord will provide”.

Get familiar with God by reading His word and you will never have to be anxious another day of your life.

Praise the Lord!

Today is the Best Day of your Life

Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. Always give thanks to God the father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20-21)

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It takes an instant for the situations of our daily life to change. I prefer to enjoy God today, by praising Him, and thanking Him for his grace, his mercy and unconditional and unmistakable love for me while I still can.

Are you one of these people who is waiting until things are going well in "all areas" of your life before you to enjoy your life? News flash: tomorrow may never come for you. Take this moment to thank God for all He's done so far and praise Him in advance for the coming blessings.

Are you one of these people who feel that you have nothing to be thankful for? Thank of salvation. God sent His son Jesus Christ to die for you, a humiliating death, on Calvary in order for you to inherit eternal life. You don't need anything else. Life is the best gift you will ever receive, if you haven't done so yet, pray this prayer now:

Heavenly Father, I refuse to wait until I get good news before I thank you, help me be aware of all my blessings today, before tragedy strikes. You are a wonderful father, the best caretaker I could ask for. I submit my destiny, my will, my entire being to your capable hand today; Do unto me, as you will. I thank you for all my past, present, and future blessings; and I thank you most of all, for sending Christ Jesus to die for the forgiveness of my sins and it is by His Holy name I pray. Amen.

Friend, make it part of your daily routine to praise and thank the Lord for your many blessings, whether you recognize it or not, you are constantly being blessed, protected and loved by God.

Be happy today and always. You are loved.

Praise the Lord!