The Cookie Jar of Clay

Praying Boldly

2012-01-31T22:57:00.001-06:00

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16, KJV)

Prayer is the lifeline of every believer. It allows us to approach the Father's throne of Grace. It allows us to come boldly before Him to plead our case.

Prayer is our way to communicate with God directly and pour out all of our heart before His majesty and sovereignty. It is through praying that we bring Him praise and adoration, worship and thanksgiving as we spend intimate moments with the Lord our Savior.

I have always known that as a child of God I can come boldly with my petitions and lay them down before His feet. I regularly bring requests before Him knowing that He listens to every plea. However, it wasn't until recently that God taught me about a more intimate level of praying and petitioning.

I was reading from the book of Psalm tonight and God reached out to show me and teach me more about praying. You see, for years I have been used to praying and bringing my general petition to God. Yes, I bring my heartaches and my tears, and of course my joys and my victories before Him, but I never really learned how to honestly lay bare my heart before Him. It seems like I wasn't really honest about what I feel in my heart and what thoughts I have running through my mind.

I have come to realize that most of my petitions were somewhat "guarded". I never heard myself cry out to God about something and asking Him to intervene in very specific ways! But when I read the words and the emotions that flow through the Psalms of David, I realized that his heart was totally exposed before the Lord.

He wasn't holding back any requests for vengeance on his enemies, for example. His words weren't sugar-coated to make them sound "safe" and "godly." Some of the words in David's Psalms even sounded like praying a curse over the ones that bothered him! I have to admit, I have never been THAT honest with the Lord.

I admit I used to feel uncomfortable and feel guilty if I find myself or anyone else praying in a manner that would say "let them be condemned!" But that's exactly what David asked from God when he came before him in troublesome times. David, the man after God's own heart, was very honest with the way he felt about his enemies that he was able to write down the transparent, unsugar-coated Psalm 109.

Maybe that was what God acknowledged when He called David as a man after His own heart. David's total honesty and transparency before the Lord allowed his relationship with Him to be more than just the formal God-Man relationship. David's many psalms show the very wonderful, intimate, honest and open relationship he had with His Maker. His words flowed from a heart that knows exactly WHO HE HAS IN HEAVEN! His words were the words of a heart of one who truly comes boldly before the Lord, not thinking about what God might judge him to be, but confident that God understands every single weighty issue brought before His very throne of Grace!

It doesn't necessarily mean that when we are troubled by something or someone that we will go ahead and ask God to send fire and brimstone upon those causing us grief or concern. That is not my point at all. What I learned is the fact that when we do pray, we must realize that coming boldly before the throne of God is an invitation to present our heart's cry with all honesty and transparency. No matter how ridiculous, how stupid, how unrealistic we feel our petitions may be, our hearts should learn to lay EVERYTHING DOWN before the Lord Jesus' feet.

God's will always prevails, and praying honestly doesn't necessarily mean that we get what we want. But it does mean that when we rely FULLY upon the Grace of God, for Him to look upon our circumstances with love and compassion, we know that HE will work out everything for our good in the end. God doesn't want us to hold back anything when we approach His throne of Grace. He wants to have EVERYTHING laid down before His feet. May we not cower and prevent ourselves from turning our relationships with God into the deeper, more intimate one that He so wants us to have with Him!

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

(James 5:13)

Vatican: Setting The Stage for Revelation 13

2012-01-17T00:42:00.000-06:00

I'd like to invite all of you to check out my post in the Now The End Begins Blog. This is one of the times prophecy that is rapidly taking its place on stage so I pray that you will find time to read on it.

How The Vatican Is Paving The Way To A New World Order

And when you are done reading the above article, may I invite you to sit and listen to a fantastic biblical teaching in the video below? Thanks! Y'all have a blessed one.

A Feast That Will Go Down The Fiery "Pit"

2012-01-15T09:31:00.000-06:00

Excerpt from Walking Away from Rome, Chapter 8 - A Mystical Faith:

I watched her kneel, dressed in white all over, in front ofthe altar. Her long, black curls covered most of her shoulders as she bowed andprayed. The adults in the family were told beforehand that she would need topray before the Santo Niño would grant us the dance.

The statue she was invoking that day was a largeimage in the middle of the altar. It was carved out of wood and was formed as alittle child with curly hair. One would immediately notice its dress of whiteand a red velvet cape adorned with gold trimmings. It was the dress of royalty.Golden embroidery was elegantly sewn all over.

Ornate decorations also adorned the statue. A little metal crownwas sitting on its head. Likened to a king’s crown, miniature jewels wereattached to it. A gilded chain was suspended around its neck with a littlependant. A little scepter hung from its right wrist looking like a gold staff,its right hand raised as a gesture of blessing.

There was a little golden ball,the replica of the world, topped with a miniature cross on its left hand. Itsshoes were of shiny metal made to look like little golden boots. Everythingabout the Santo Niño was elegant and very regal.

It was crafted to look that way and was finished off withits own round pedestal. It stood there on the altar with the grandeur of a kingon his throne—bold and requiring honor.

The Santo Niño became one of the well-loved figures in Filipino culture. Its initial arrival on Philippine soil dates back to 1521 when the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan bequeathed the
wooden image to the wife of Rajah Humabon, Cebu’s chieftain, during his arrival. It became an emblem of friendship with and allegiance to Spain, as well as a symbol of the natives’ conversion to
Christianity.

Devotion to the Santo Niño didn’t spread until its re-discovery in 1565 by the mariner, Juan de Camus. He arrived in the Philippines under the second generation of the Spanish colonial campaign of Don Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and he found the image of the unscathed Santo Niño inside a pine box. When Camus presented the image to Legazpi, who was a devotee of the Child Jesus; and to the Augustinian priests, they were so humbled by the significance of the finding, that
they solemnly carried the image in a procession to a tentative chapel. Legazpi later ordered the creation of the Confraternity of the Santo Niño de Cebu and installed a festivity to commemorate the finding of the Holy Image. This celebration survives today, on the Third Sunday of January.

~~~~~~~~~

The Sinulog festival is one of the grandest and most colorful festivals in the Philippines with a very rich history. The main festival is held each year on the third Sunday of January in Cebu City to honor the Santo Niño, or the child Jesus, who used to be the patron saint of the whole province of Cebu (since in the Catholic faith Jesus is not a saint, but God). It is essentially a dance ritual which remembers the Filipino people’s pagan past and their acceptance of Christianity.

The festival features some the country’s most colorful displays of pomp and pageantry: participants garbed in bright-colored costumes dance to the rhythm of drums, trumpets, and native gongs. The streets are usually lined with vendors and pedestrians all wanting to witness the street-dancing. Smaller versions of the festival are also held in various parts of the province, also to celebrate and honor the Santo Niño. There is also a Sinulog sa Kabataan, which is performed by the youths of Cebu a week before the Grand Parade. Source - Sinulog.ph

This festival has become more than a religious commemoration. The entire city of Cebu, Philippines becomes a rich market that brings tourists and natives together in a big shindig. It has become commercialized more than anything as street fairs, sports tournaments, cultural and art shows, as well as the extravagant street parade fill the entire month's schedule of activities.

Although this feast is a celebration of the Roman Catholic statue of the Child Jesus which Roman Catholics venerate, and although the people would shout and cry "PIT SENYOR!" as a chant calling out to the Santo Niño as the Child Jesus, this celebration is an abomination to the One True God of Heaven and Earth.

"Thoushalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thingthat is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or thatis in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself tothem, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visitingthe iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generationof them that hate me..."

(Exodus 20:4-5)

There is no excuse for breaking this commandment, nor will there be an excuse for anyone to be ignorant of the Truth in God's Word. We ought to encounter and embrace what is TRUTH in the Word of God because going against it will have us end up in the fiery pit.

"Turn you not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God."

(Leviticus 19:4)

"'Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God."

(Leviticus 26:1)

"Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven."

(Deuteronomy 4:15-19)

To whom then will you liken God? or what likeness will you compare unto him?

(Isaiah 40:18)

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

(Revelation 21:8)

That is pretty much the only "PIT" that people will cry about in the end.The Word of God is very clear to those who heed it's warning. There should NOT be any kind of image to represent ANYTHING that people should bow down to. God is Spirit and we only should worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (see John 4:24). Anything PAGAN that we try to Christianize is nothing but an old trick that the devil uses to deceive many.

May we be very careful to heed the Word of the Lord God Almighty. No excuses... No buts... No compromises...

I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. (Isaiah 42:8)

Lessons From "Where's My Water?" (Part 2)

2012-01-11T23:52:00.002-06:00

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth (1 John 1:5-6, KJV)

The more levels you complete by getting clean water to Swampy, the more you will encounter difficult obstacles along the way. At some point in time, you will face the possibility of contaminating your clean water if you are not careful.

With one wrong move, your clean water could easily get dirty before it reaches Swampy. It is interesting to see, though, that no matter how continuously flowing the clean water is, it just doesn't make the contaminated water clean. It ALWAYS does the opposite... the clean water always gets dirty instead! You can't pretend it to be clean and allow it to reach Swampy because the alligator will cringe away from it when it flows through the shower head.

When we ponder upon it more deeply, a christian's life will reflect a similar picture. In a way, those who have been made righteous in Christ, cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb, CAN and WILL no longer have anything to do with the filth and contamination of sin in the world! There will be a need for strategies to keep away from anything that could contaminate our lives with sin.

Oftentimes we see professing Christians "talking the talk" and knowing the truths found in the Bible and yet they continue to live in darkness. They continue with habitual sins and are either adamant or totally oblivious to the new life that a new creature in Christ should have.

Many live lives mixing their perceived "Christianity" with the ways of the world! This isn't supposed to be the case for people who have been born again in Christ Jesus! We must, therefore, test ourselves to see if we are truly IN FELLOWSHIP with our Lord and Savior!

The Bible tells us that we LIE if we have convinced ourselves that we have trusted in Christ and yet we continued on with our worldly living! A person who has been made clean and new by the precious Blood of Jesus Christ CAN and WILL NO LONGER continue to live in sin!

Not that one will become sinless. But the Holy Spirit that has been deposited in one's life will now become the guide to which a person will live a life that sins less. We can never become perfect while in this corruptible body, but we can always become more than conquerors and will have the power to RESIST the devil and RESIST sin!

There is no mixing of things. The things of God are righteousness and holiness and it can NEVER be mixed with the bitterness, lasciviousness, immorality and filth of sin in this world.

Do we SAY we "love" Christ?
Do we say we "trust" in Him?
Do we SAY we believe in Him?
Do we Say we are following His footsteps?

It is very critical then that we check and measure ourselves with Scripture's rule. Because, if we say those things and STILL also enjoy drunkenness, or watching TV programs that glorify homosexuality, immorality, debauchery, and filthy language, THEN we are but LYING to ourselves!

Darkness and Light DO NOT MIX! Clean water and contamination DO NOT WORK together! Righteousness in Christ DO NOT MIX with worldliness. Therefore, TEST YOURSELVES!

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

(1 John 2:3-6, KJV)

Lessons From "Where's My Water?" (Part 1)

2011-12-29T07:35:00.001-06:00

Have you played this new and amazingly fun game from Disney? It's an application you can download to your mobile device and use to kill time when you have nothing better to do! (hehe) Surprisingly, this game stayed on top of the Favorite List for 3 weeks since its release around September 2011, even knocking off the Angry Birds from their perch!

My son loves this game as much as I do. He is so into puzzles and strategic games that he's really having a LOT of fun playing with Swampy, the reptilian hero in this particular game. I like the idea that this Disney game is Physics-based, and so I have no problem with my 7-year-old getting hooked on it! (A homeschooling mom's favorite: Work & Play rolled into one! Hehehe...)

Swampy is a pretty interesting alligator, though. You'll find him so different from the rest of his peers. He's actually become an outcast and the ridicule of his "congregation," (Yes, a group of alligators is called just that) because of his un-alligator ways. ;)

Swampy loves to keep himself clean and has good manners, mind you! That is why you will have to find ways for him to get some CLEAN water in the shower because unlike the rest of the alligators around him, he hates contaminated water!

Now I'm sure most of you are scratching your head right now and are probably asking yourself why a christian blogger is now sounding like a techie blogger in her post! Don't worry, I'm not changing my blog's theme nor the heart of my niche. ;)

I just wanted to share the lesson we all reflected upon very early this morning. The kids woke up pretty early (think 4:30!) as their dad prepared for work. Because my son is hooked on "Where's My Water?", he was already fidgeting with my phone at this time... (My 4-year-old daughter and I had our turns, too! Hahaha!)

Then something just hit us when we were about to get back in bed. God somehow used the game to remind us of how magnificent His Grace is in the life of an individual.

The bible tells us this in 2 Corinthians 5:17,

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (KJV)

Now, Swampy somewhat became a picture of that! I told the kiddos that Swampy is just like a person who places their genuine and full trust in the LORD Jesus Christ! We become a new creature in Christ and would no longer behave the way we used to!

The moment an individual places their faith in the COMPLETED WORK OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS, Jesus' blood cleanses our hearts from all unrighteousness and filth of sin (Revelation 7:14), and we become squeaky clean as Swampy!

God's Word reminds us that it is ONLY BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8). No amount of our own good works could ever make us HOLY and RIGHTEOUS before the eyes of God. No matter how much we give to the poor and needy, no matter how nice of a person we are toward others, no matter how many times we piously follow religious rituals and ceremonies, we still stand GUILTY before God for the sins we've committed! Our good works may seem to dust off some cobwebs on the surface and around our hearts, but it can never cleanse the very core of it that is tainted with SIN. (Romans 3:23) The Word of God clearly tells us that our good works are as filthy rags before the eyes of the HOLY and ALMIGHTY GOD! (Isaiah 64:6)

That is why God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins! That HIS righteousness may become OURS the very moment we trust in HIS COMPLETED work on the cross. Through HIM and HIM ALONE will we find the forgiveness of our sins and the ONLY Truth and Way to eternal Life! (see John 3:16, John 14:6, and Romans 3:24-26)

Before the New Year rolls in, try to examine yourself and reflect on the Truths found solely in Scripture. Ask yourself if you've honestly embraced CHRIST JESUS' completed, FINISHED WORK on the Cross. Have you placed your faith in HIS death and resurrection as the ONLY WAY to have eternal LIFE? Maybe today is the day of YOUR Salvation. Encounter God's Truth in His Word.

But if you say you have indeed placed your trust in Christ ALONE, there's more to it than that! We had a few more lessons that God reminded us of as we reflected on Swampy's life. We'll touch that in the next part of this Lessons from "Where's My Water?" series.

Y'all take care always!

Neverthless, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2011-12-23T21:30:00.002-06:00

Everybody would probably agree that this year has brought many turmoil in our lives. From countries being shaken by earthquakes and tsunamis, to cities rattled by protesters, to families devastated by either war, famine, accident, job loss, foreclosures, natural calamities, disease and illness, or the global economic slump.

Not only that, but we also get a dose of agitation from those groups of people who just really love to wage war against Christmas. From the atheists who put up their billboards to mock the Almighty God they so willingly deny, and even to the many christians who are critical about the celebration itself.

There is so much hullabaloo around this particular season, really. From the over-commercialization of it, to the pagan roots of many of the traditions, Christmas has become a fiasco in itself. Many around the world either focus on Santa and his reindeers, or the extravagant and insane holiday shopping and gift-giving.

I understand that today there's a lot of people becoming critical about the Christmas tree and the lights, or the mistletoe and the hollies. Many raise eyebrows at christians celebrating this season in December and many other this and that of the whole Christmas shebang!

What amazes me, though, is that many christians have allowed themselves to become so critically minded about all these Christmas things that they lose focus on what I believe is more important. We raise so many issues that we attempt to slap at people's faces and shove what we perceive is right down other people's throats that we no longer shine forth the good news of Christ's birth and the JOY that His Grace brings!

I honestly don't teach my children the "magic" of Santa nor anything mystical about the Christmas tree in our living room. Nor do we teach them that Christmas is about frantically shopping for presents and having plenty of gifts to open on Christmas Day.

But, we allow them to enjoy the season of remembering the miracle of the birth of our Savior, as well as understand how blessed we are to have the most important gift of eternal life through JESUS CHRIST.

In my own humble opinion, the many things we see and do today should always reflect the love of Christ and that we should seek to bring only HIM all the glory He deserves. It doesn't matter whether others meant the December celebration for evil, or whether they meant it to rob us of God's Truth. GOD will still bring to pass that which is good and that which accomplishes HIS purposes to save souls.

Unless the food on our tables and the decor of our homes are deliberately offered to demons, THEN, I would strongly become very critical about it. BUT if we could only take the Christmas season and make GOD bigger and the center and focus of it all, then whether it be celebrated in December, September, July or August; whether it be celebrated with presents under the tree or not; whether we have abundance to celebrate the day or none at all, the Christmas celebration could and SHOULD be an avenue to show CHRIST's LOVE to a dying, dark and lost world!

I really would prefer we all FOCUS on the NATIVITY rather than the festivity. I'd rather we focus on JESUS' BIRTH rather than focusing on pagan traditions. I'd rather we USE THIS TIME TO GLORIFY GOD by sharing the gospel to the lost, rather than turn unbelievers off by our insensitivity and critical spirits. I'd rather we USE this "IN SEASON" to bring the JOY of the good news of the Savior's birth and the GRACE He freely offers to all who believes, rather than focusing on what others SHOULD be doing and SHOULD NOT be doing.

There are indeed many stark ungodly practices we see around us this Christmas Season and we should be discerning enough to see where our hearts are founded upon as we celebrate the season, but it SHOULD NEVER HINDER A TRUE CHRISTIAN from SHINING Christ's LIGHT, GLORY and TRUTH in the picture! We are planted in an evil and fallen world... may we LET OUR LIGHT SHINE before men, THAT THEY MAY GLORIFY OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN!

We may see heartaches and desperation around us... we may experience difficulties and hopelessness in our lives. We may learn about pagan and unbiblical practices around the Christmas tradition...

but nevertheless, let me wish you and yours

a BLESSED and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The SAVIOR and LORD, JESUS CHRIST,

was, is, and always will be

THE REASON FOR CELEBRATING THIS SEASON.

Choose ye this day, then, who you want to serve, focus on, and glorify during this holiday season!

But as for me and my house, I WILL SERVE, FOCUS, and GLORIFY

the LORD JESUS CHRIST alone!"

"But as for you, you thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive. (Genesis 50:20)

Jonah, Get Off My Boat!

2011-11-28T06:42:00.001-06:00

We all know his story very well and we can read it in his very own 4-chaptered book in the Old Testament section of our Bibles.

Jonah... and Nineveh. Jonah... and the big fish. Yes, we know him so well who was running away from God and got swallowed by a big fish as a consequence to his rebellion. Yes, I'm talking about that Jonah. The Jonah I want to meet one day in heaven and ask about his short-lived adventure in the belly of the fish.

However, this post will not be about Jonah's consequences and how important it is for us to realize that we can NEVER run away from the Creator God Himself! I'm here to post about a different perspective that we often overlook when we ponder upon the life story of the son of Amittai.

Seldom do we look at Jonah's story from another point of view and seldom do we take the focus off of him and that big fish that swallowed him. So for this post, I'd like to readjust the spotlight and focus it instead on the mariners that were with Jonah in the boat that sailed to Tarshish.

Why the mariners, you ask? Well, it's because there's something very important we all must understand about rebellion against God. And no, it has nothing to do with sitting helplessly in the belly of a fish for three days and three nights!

It all started with a simple "No!" answer to God's call. Jonah decided to turn around and walk away from the God He can audibly hear. Jonah decided to close himself up to the calling that God has placed in his life.

He deliberately REFUSED to listen to what God wanted Him to do. And so the little rebellion is now taking place. His father would have smacked him in the head and reminded him of how BIG His God is, hopefully putting back sense in Jonah's decision-making skills, but we wouldn't read that in the story. And so Jonah boarded the ship to Tarshish as he tried to convince himself that he can flee from the presence of the Almighty God.

Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. (Jonah 1: 1-3, KJV)

We all have these moments... deliberate moments of rebellion against God. We all wanted to do it OUR WAY and we oftentimes love to cling to what WE WANT TO DO instead of listen to what GOD wants us to do. And so every so often we are, like Jonah, boarding ships that sail to the other end of the world. And we oftentimes convince ourselves that we can somehow get away from God.

But rebellion against God doesn't really go unpunished and unnoticed. I'd like to focus more on that "unnoticed" part because we all know what consequence or "punishment" we might find ourselves dealing with in our rebellion against the Almighty Father.

Jonah's rebellion didn't only affect himself. The Word of God clearly gives a picture of what we oftentimes get when someone IS deliberately rebelling against God.

But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.5Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten itof them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. (Jonah 1:4-5)

Unfortunately, Jonah wasn't the only one sailing to Tarshish when that mighty tempest hit the ship. He was, in fact, just catching a ride in someone else's boat. These mariners allowed Jonah to ride with them to Tarshish. But take a look at what's going on here.

It was THE MARINERS' SHIP that was on the brink of destruction! And it was THE MARINERS' WARES that were cast forth and sacrificed into the sea! Where was Jonah again? Uhm, the very person who got all of them in trouble had the audacity to go down into the sides of the ship to lay down and be fast asleep. How convenient! Don't you realize that we oftentimes find ourselves doing just that, too, in our rebellion against the LORD?

We oftentimes have the nerve to just sit down and deliberately DO NOTHING about the sin in our lives and we leave things like it is as we continue with our spiritual slumber! We become INSENSITIVE to the chaos that we're causing other people to experience and we grow numb to the consequence of our rebellion against God!

Now, let's shift gears and focus on those poor mariners. Don't we see this happening in our lives sometimes? We allow people to come into our lives only to be included in the consequence of THEIR rebellion against God!

We suddenly experience a mighty tempest and we see our lives being tossed and fro and was like to be broken just because we allowed people into our boats who are actually rebelling against God. We find ourselves LOSING OUR peace and losing a portion of what we have just because we've opened our lives to people that shut their ears on God!

And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. (Jonah 1:7)

Certain evils that are happening in our lives can be a result of other people's rebellion. We should be discerning to know if the troubles we currently face are a consequence to OUR deliberate disobedience or the deliberate disobedience of others around us.

We must examine ourselves and acknowledge and confess our sin if the rebellion is stemming directly from our own hearts. But we must also ask God to intervene if we discern the rebellion to be stemming from others we invite in our lives.

We face many tempests in life, that's for sure, but we ought to be mature enough to discern if OUR own rebellion against God is what's causing it, or if we need to ask God to throw out the rebellious spirits off our boat!

If indeed the rebellion is OUR own doing, we ought to be discerning enough to know WHEN to yield to God's call for obedience and stop causing trouble to others around us. And like Jonah, we ought to come to a point in our lives where we say...

"Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you." (Jonah 1:12)

Dear LORD,

Search me and know my heart and see if there is any rebellion in me that's causing others to experience a tempest in their lives. Forgive me for causing others to sacrifice much and to lose their peace for my sake. I confess my sin of rebellion against you and pray that you will change my heart and heal the wounds that I've caused others around me. May your Spirit deal with me alone and form me into Your likeness more today.

I pray that you restore the Peace in the lives of those I've messed up because of my disobedience to you. And I pray that you protect them from any harm that may arise because of me. Protect them and spare them the consequence of my rebellion against You. I accept responsibility and accountability to the sin I have against You, Lord, and I pray that you will restore my ability to be sensitive to your calling in my life. May you restore my walk with You that I may become a blessing to others instead.

I seek only to glorify Your Name, O LORD. May you empower me with Your Spirit that I may bring You only Honor, Praise, Worship and Thanksgiving in all that I do in this lifetime. Amen.

Thank You, Lord!

2011-11-23T07:48:00.001-06:00

Thankful people do not wait for positive things to happen in their lives. Thankful people do not wait for their finances to be stable in order to BE happy. Thankful people do not wait for their health to be in its best in order to utter a Praise for the Lord. Thankful people do not wait for relationships to be perfect in order to thank the Lord for who He is and what He has, is and will be doing. Thankful people OVERCOME anything that comes their way.

And so, no matter how grim, and difficult, and impossible, and frustrating the situations may be around us, let us learn to give thanks unto the LORD, KNOWING that He who is Sovereign is in control of everything and that He makes ALL THINGS work FOR GOOD for those who love Him and are called unto HIS PURPOSE!

Thanksgiving is almost here and so I want to share these songs to all of you hoping that they will become heartfelt prayers to God. Let us set aside time to Praise HIM, and Thank HIM for all that He has done, all that He is currently doing, and all that He will do in the future! His Name is to be PRAISED now and forever!

I pray that you and yours will have a Blessed Thanksgiving 2011!

The Joy of Being Weak

2011-11-16T06:24:00.001-06:00

Nobody wants to be labeled weak, especially perhaps, when people around us know about our profession of faith in Christ Jesus.

Weakness, in whatever aspect that may be, is usually viewed as a misrepresentation of the faith we have in Christ Jesus. Our shortcomings in the way we handle relationships, money, time and resources oftentimes give us a burdensome weight to carry as we continually think that these moments of lacking better judgment and better control of ourselves only prove our being a people who don't ~~really~~ fully trust and obey God.

I am comforted greatly, though, with the passage of Scripture that God has led me to today. I was quite blown away by the great sovereignty of our Lord as he masterfully coincided the message of two different devotionals I read alongside my Bible. It was a message that is LOUD and CLEAR.

The LORD wants us to find the JOY in our being faulty, imperfect, weak!

Andhe said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is madeperfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in myinfirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ThereforeI take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,in distresses for Christ's sake:

for when I am weak, then am I strong.

(2 Corinthians 12:9-10, KJV)

We all have moments of frailties. We all have seasons when the storm is the only thing we see. We all have those times in our lives when we just can't stand tall and proud because we've become bitter and angry, blew up in a fit, mismanaged our finances, said the wrong words to our spouse, failed to read our Bible and pray, allowed stress to take over our day... again.

When these moments envelope us, our faith gets clouded with doubts of how genuine our walk is with the Lord. But then, when we allow the Word of God to speak louder than the howling winds of our insufficiencies, we will soon realize that God doesn't require us to be super humans!

He doesn't give us a failing grade if we can't immediately get up and dust ourselves off every time we fall. He doesn't want us to become apathetic nor expect us to all of a sudden assume the role of a super man or woman in every adversity in life.

God wants to WORK IN and THROUGH us, and the only way that that becomes possible is when we acknowledge how lacking and how weak we are in certain areas in our lives. It's just like the old cliche, "You can't fill a cup that's already full."

When we come to a point in our lives when we KNOW first hand that we lack the capacity to deal with the things at hand, let us not become proud and appear as if we can handle the situation every time.

Oftentimes, a humble heart is the key to harnessing the POWER of the Almighty God that He has given us through His Spirit. The first step is to ACKNOWLEDGE that we are incapable of handling the situation by ourselves... that oftentimes, we NEED the help of the One who is Greater and Stronger than us.

Have you failed to show love to your spouse... again? Have you burst in anger and failed to control yourself... again? Have you failed to manage your finances well for this month... again? Have you failed to sacrifice a portion of your time to spend reading Scriptures and to pray... again? Have you panicked, become anxious and worried and stressed out about something... again?

Listen, the secret formula is to learn to be JOYFUL in being weak! Let's imitate the apostle Paul who realized that we CAN ALWAYS TAKE PLEASURE in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distress because the truth is by then, God's sufficient GRACE becomes manifest in us.

Let us then come boldly before His throne and acknowledge our sinfulness, our depravity, our insufficiency, our lack of better judgment... and let us ask the LORD to bless and infuse us with HIS STRENGTH to forgive, HIS POWER to resist sin, HIS ABILITY to provide, HIS CAPACITY to persevere, HIS CAPABILITY to LOVE, and HIS GRACE to STAND STILL and STRONG.

The joy of being weak lies within the very fact that God's GRACE is sufficient where our weaknesses lie... for when we are weak, then HE is strong!

The Art of "Christian" Hypocrisy

2011-11-14T05:50:00.001-06:00

I believe we've seen it mastered perfectly in so many "christian" lives today. Christian Hypocrisy is what I want to call it. The Art of professing CHRISTIAN beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not really hold or possess.

The Church today is filled with so many professors of faith in Christ Jesus. People who know that Bible talk pretty well for years and yet doesn't really walk in its Truth. Oftentimes, we see people walking through this life claiming to be living their lives for the Lord and yet showing a life that totally defeats their profession of faith.

We all are guilty of failing in our Christian walk every now and then, but the one truly saved by Christ will have a radically changed life and the Holy Spirit's power within is manifest in the GROWTH of the spirit and the COURAGE to change. I believe no-one who has truly trusted Christ Jesus will continue to live a life that portrays hopelessness... No-one who has truly been born again will continue to live a life that is insensitive to the Holy Spirit's convictions.

Perhaps, it is that favorite sin that each of us want to cling to since walking down that aisle and professing faith in Jesus that makes us master the Art of Christian Hypocrisy. There is that particular sin of harboring bitterness, frustration, anger, lust, pride and self-exaltation in our hearts that make each of us live hypocritical "christian" lives.

I believe the apostle Paul warned the Ephesians (and all of us today) clearly about this particular art of Christian hypocrisy. For he wouldn't have mentioned the following if he hadn't seen many trying to master this particular Art in their lives...

I therefore, the prisoner of theLord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye arecalled, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering,forbearing one another in love;

(Ephesians 4:1, KJV, emphasis added)

That we henceforthbe no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind ofdoctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby theylie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him inall things, which is the head, even Christ: (Ephesians 4: 14-15)

A profession of faith in Christ should come with the accountability of a christian to GROW UP and mature in his/her walk with Jesus. The calling of a Christian life is not just about memorizing verses and familiarizing ourselves with Scripture. It is not about knowing christian hymns and songs, nor is it about knowing the parts of the Bible and where to flip the pages to when the preacher says "Turn to Malachi..." What we all profess to be called for to live is the life of a RENEWED spirit... a RENEWED MIND!

Our profession of faith MUST show the fruit of a life radically changed by the Gospel of Truth... a life that's lived for CHRIST and not for self... a life that's taught by JESUS and changed by His Truth! Listen to what Paul said in Ephesians...

This I say therefore,and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, inthe vanity of their mind, Havingthe understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through theignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Whobeing past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work alluncleanness with greediness.

Butye have not so learned Christ; Ifso be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is inJesus: Thatye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corruptaccording to the deceitful lusts; Andbe renewed in the spirit of your mind; Andthat ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness andtrue holiness. (Ephesians 4:17 – 24)

We oftentimes see professing "Christians" wallow in anger and bitterness, in pride and rebellion, in resentment and regular sinning. Oh, we love that sin that easily entangles us. We love its smell on our souls, we love its chains that bind us. We love its sweet deceiving taste in our mouths.

In God's Name, dear brother and sister, ARE WE NOT TO PUT ON THAT NEW MAN?! Are we not called to a life of righteousness and true HOLINESS?!

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ! There has to be a deliberate decision on our part to PUT OFF ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that is corrupt and not of Christ!!! Jesus sets us free from the bondage of sin because His Holy Spirit gives us the POWER to RESIST the ways of the flesh!!!

IF we profess to have heard from Christ Jesus' TRUTH and are walking in it, then for HIS NAME's SAKE GROW UP!

Why do we continue to live in anger, in bitterness, in contempt, in resentment, in pride, in lust, and in defeat as if we have not been purchased by the very Blood of the Lamb of God Himself!?!

WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD! WAKE UP, O PROFESSING CHRISTian!

Let nocorrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to theuse of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Andgrieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day ofredemption. Letall bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be putaway from you, with all malice: Andbe ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as Godfor Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:29-32)

There is REDEMPTION in Christ! There is POWER in the HOLY SPIRIT! There is DELIVERANCE in the BLOOD OF JESUS!

We know these words very well over the years... it is about time we LIVE IN THEM!

Christ never gave us a Spirit of timidity and fear, but of POWER, right?

Why then do we DELIBERATELY CHOOSE SIN over holiness? DEFEAT over victory? SELF over Christ?!

As obedient children,not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But ashe which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

Becauseit is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. (1 Peter 1: 14-16)

Let us quit playing "church" and BE the Church that God has called us to be... because it doesn't necessarily mean that if at one point in your life you've prayed a prayer and asked Jesus into your heart that you have truly been BORN AGAIN.

Let us ask the LORD to search our hearts today and reveal to us the BLINDNESS therein as well as the vanity of our minds, that we may REPENT and receive His Grace and Mercy, and live lives that genuinely glorify His Mighty Name.

For all the suffering that we have to endure in dying to ourselves daily and living godly lives that profess Christ's power, may we remind ourselves over and over and over again that WORTHY IS THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN to receive ALL glory, honor, worship and praise that our lives could ever give.

The WILL to serve the LORD

2011-09-09T12:52:00.000-05:00

Have you ever put your entire will on the line at any point in time in your life? It is that time when you DELIBERATELY decided to DO something about something. It is that time in your life when you harnessed ALL the energy you have inside you and all the willingness you can ever muster to act on something and actually do something about it.

One of the most favored verses in the Bible is Joshua's call to the Israelites in Joshua 24:15 ... Listen to what he said ...

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood,

or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:

but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

The entire verse is not the one we usually see quoted in plaques, stationeries or mugs on sale in christian stores. It is only the very first and last portions of the verse that most people are familiar with ... "Choose you this day whom ye will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." But they are powerful words, aren't they? Even those who are not bible-believers oftentimes display this verse in their houses.

It is indeed a special verse to live by and today I'd like to share a conviction that God placed in my heart regarding this beautiful verse. Take note of the verbs that Joshua used in his statement. He used the words "choose," "serve" and "will." They all call for a person to make a deliberate decision.

When we choose something, it usually has to come AFTER we've weighed all the pros and cons of it. Our decision of choosing one thing over another usually comes AFTER we've made some educated consideration of the matter in our hands.

To serve is to work for or be a servant to somebody else. This still calls for a decision and the will to act on it. Many of us may think that slaves don't have a CHOICE when it comes to serving their masters, but I believe they do. Even in chains, nobody could really force us to do anything for anyone unless we ALLOW them to do so. We may lose our lives over this, but we do have the choice to WILLINGLY serve or not.

The word "will" is a helping verb and I'd like to share the following list from the Online Dictionary which explains what it means for me in this verse:

1. Used to indicate simple futurity.

- Deliberate choosing and serving the LORD has to be from this day ONWARD.

2. Used to indicate certainty.

- Our decision to choose to follow and serve the LORD has to be certain and without any second

thoughts. It ought to come from a deliberately educated decision.

3. Used to indicate willingness.

- That explains itself, of course. There MUST be a WILLINGNESS in us to WANT to serve and

follow the LORD.

4. Used to indicate intention.

- There has to be that WILLFULNESS again in us to choose to serve the LORD over anything

and anyone else!

5. Used to indicate customary or habitual action.

- And serving the LORD isn't just a one-time decision, it should be a HABITUAL,

CONTINUOUS, FAITHFUL act on our part to serve HIM.

Many try to convince themselves that they are serving the LORD just because they do something in church or are members of this and that in a religious organization. Most of us convince ourselves that we're "serving" because we are busy with religiosity in a spiritual setting. Unfortunately, that isn't what serving the LORD means.

The Hebrew word used for "serve" is עָבַד (abad), which means to be bond-men; to be kept in bondage. Isn't that just amazing? What Joshua was asking the Israelites and all of us today is that we ought to decide IFwe WANT to become enslaved to Christ!

The choice there is to make is this:

Do we DELIBERATELY want to be kept in bondage to Christ as the Master,

or not?

When we DO choose to be so, then it means deliberately choosing to lay down ALL the rights of our SELF and deliberately and willfully follow WHATEVER REQUIREMENT and COMMAND the Master will have to give.

Slavery to Christ Jesus is the BEST thing anyone could ever be in. For those who will become His, He sets FREE. Ironic? Confusing? Well, that's just how the LORD's ways go. The moment we become TOTALLY enslaved to Christ Jesus our LORD, is the moment we actually become TOTALLY FREE!

Have you chosen yet whom you will serve? CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY THEN, for as for ME, I WILL CHOOSE TO SERVE THE LORD!

The B-I-B-L-E

2011-08-02T23:23:00.000-05:00

Perhaps THE MOST controversial book there is in the history of mankind is the book everybody today knows as "The Bible." Amazingly, it remains to be the number one all-time bestseller at 6-Billion copies and counting! This book was also the reason for many a million souls martyred throughout history. Many died upholding the facts that it contains and many were brutally slain for the dedication they've given this one thick compilation of writings. So, there has to come a time in an individual's life that they would have to ask the question as to why this book is so interestingly changing the course of human history.

The most controversial issue there is attached to the Bible is that it claims to be the revelation of God to man. This revelation is claimed to be contained in the sixty-six books compiled and bound altogether to form just one book we now call "The Bible," since it has in reality just One Author--God, with a singular purpose and plan. This revelation develops into one scheme and one scheme only--that is, the redemption of man!

I'd like to share the names that have been given to the sixty-six bound compilation:

(1) The Bible , i.e. The Book , from the Greek "ta biblia," the books. The word is derived from a root designating the inner bark of the linden tree, on which the ancients wrote their books. It is the book as being superior to all other books. But the application of the word BIBLE to the collected books of the Old and New Testaments is not to be traced farther back than the fifth century of our era. (2) The Scriptures , i.e. the writings, as recording what was spoken by God. (3) The Oracles , i.e. the things spoken, because the Bible is what God spoke to man, and hence also called (4) The Word. (5) The Testaments or Covenants , because it is the testimony of God to man, the truths to which God bears witness; and is also the covenant or agreement of God with man for his salvation. (6) The Law , to express that it contains God's commands to men.

(Bible. www.biblos.com, http://topicalbible.org/b/bible.htm; emphasis mine)

Now as mentioned above, the word "Bible" has not been applied to the collection of books of the OT and NT until somewhere in the 4th or 5th century. The Online Etymology Dictionary shows this origin of this word as follows:

The Christian scripture was referred to in Greek as Ta Biblia as early as c.223. Bible replaced O.E. biblioðece (see bibliothek) as the ordinary word for "the Scriptures." Figurative sense of "any authoritative book" is from 1804.

The sixty-six books of the Bible didn't fall down from the sky at one time. Various "inspired" individuals, numbering to about 40 plus, wrote the different books at different timelines that stretched to about 1500 years! The magnificent thing about this fact is that ALL 40+ writers (coming from different cultural, geographical and professional backgrounds), over the span of 1500 years, managed to come up with ONE UNIFIED theme. There is no other book in the history of mankind that has been written in such a way where there is precise unity and cohesiveness all throughout the sixty-six books. The only reason behind this is that these writers were inspired by God Himself, who was the ONLY Author of this entire collection.

Aside from its cohesive theme all throughout, there is one other fact about the Bible that brings its credibility to the utmost level. The Bible as a compilation of historical and philosophical books have specifically prophesied events in human history including that of the life (and death) of the person of Jesus Christ Himself. That itself shows us the supernatural behind the Bible.

The books that belong to the OT (Old Testament) portion of the Bible came from the Hebrew Bible itself, which was the compilation of writings of the revelation of God to the Jews. This has been handed down from Moses to the generations thereafter. It is known as the "Tanakh." The name is an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah ("Teaching", also known as the Five Books of Moses), Nevi'im ("Prophets") and Ketuvim ("Writings")—hence TaNaKh. (Tanakh, Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanakh)

The books of the NT (New Testament) were compiled years after the death of Jesus Christ and his apostles. There were various Councils (an assembly of persons called together for consultation, deliberation, or discussion. Specifically for the christian world, an assembly of church officials and theologians convened for regulating matters of doctrine and discipline) that were convened involving the bishops or overseers of each christian region.

I'd like to share a summary of the birth of the books that became the New Testament of the Bible: (The birth of a New Testament, InTouch Magazine, June 2011 issue)

B.C.

3 Birth of Christ

A.D.

27 Jesus baptized by John the Baptis

28 The Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor

29 John the Baptist beheaded

30 Jesus crucified, buried and ressurrected

- the Ascension

After Pentecost --> Acts 2 tells us that on the day of Pentecost, the power of the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, just as Jesus had promised (Acts 1:8). Anointed by God, Peter preached in Jerusalem that day, and about 3,000 souls repented and were baptized. (2:41) These new devotees of Jesus Christ didn't yet have a New Testament to guide them, so they dedicated themselves to the apostle's oral teaching (2:42). The former disciples relied upon the Septuagint. As the church began to compile sacred texts of its own, it was this translation of Hebrew Scripture that the NT writers would later refer to and quote.

34 The stoning of Stephen, the first deacon appointed by the apostles.

-The conversion of Paul

-The word "Christian" first used in Antioch (Acts 11:26)

37 Paul travels to Jerusalem to meet with Peter

49 The Council of Jerusalem --> In the beginning, members of the church were predominantly Jewish believers. They believed Jesus had fulfilled their traditions, not nullified them, and so continued observing the customs handed down from the time of Moses. But as Gentiles began receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ, new challenges arose about how to order the fledgling church's life: Should the Gentiles have to observe certain Jewish customs, such as circumcision? To discuss what should be done, all of the leaders assembled for the first documented gathering of its kind in church history. This manner of making decisions--church-wide councils--would become a powerful tool as other importantn decisions needed to be made. (Acts 15)

51 Paul writes First epistle to the Thessalonians, the earliest Christian writing to be circulated among believers.

- Second Thessalonians

52 Galatians

55 First Corinthians

56 Second Corinthians

57 Epistle to the Romans

-Paul is arrested in Jerusalem and imprisoned in Caesarea

59 Philippians

-Paul's final missionary journey and voyage to Rome

60 Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon

61 Gospel of Mark

-James

64 First Timothy

- Titus

First Peter

Persecution Begins under Nero --> When a fire swept through Rome in 64 A.D., the enterprising Nero took advantage of popular dislike for Christ's followers and blamed the inferno on Christians. Due to the church's seemingly secretive practices and a misunderstanding on the part of pagan Roman citizens about Communion, it was commonly believed that believers practiced cannibalism, as they ate Jesus' flesh and drank His blood (see John 6). This and other misbeliefs about the church and its practices seemed to justify gruesome brutality toward Christians, who were burned alive, fed to lions and other beasts, beheaded, or crucified--the only limit was the human imagination.

Period of torture and oppression occured during the reign of a number of rulers until the legalization of Christianity under Constantine.

65 Gospel of Matthew

66 Second Timothy

- The Jerusalem church scatters to locations in Decapolis and Antioch because of persecution. (Acts 8)

67 Gospel of Luke

-Hebrews

-Peter crucified upside down by request, feeling unworthy of dying the same posture as the Lord.

-Paul beheaded

68 Book of Acts

-Second Peter

70 The Romans destroy Jerusalem and the Temple

72 Jude

86 Gospel of John

89 First John

-Third John (many scholars believe it this written before 2 John

90 John exiled to Patmos

-Second John

92 The Revelation

100 The death of John, last apostle living

----

By the time all the apostles were dead, the church had devised a way of providing pastoral leadership for believers by assigning a bishop, meaning "overseer," in each city where the church existed. Among the most notable of several men who rose to prominence in the church after Jesus' chosen tweleve departed this life was Polycarp (bishop of Smyrna, whom the apostles taught); Ignatius (bishop of Antioch, who most likely associated with John); and Clement (bishop of Rome, who presumably knew Peter and was possibly made a bishop by the reformer disciple himself.

117 Ignatius of Antioch martyred

312 Constantine, ruler of the Roman Empire, converts to Christianity

313 Edict of Milan grants religious freedom in the Roman Empire and the restitution of property to Christians.

318 Beginning of the Arian controversy--Arius claimed that Jesus Christ wasn't equally God with the Father but was a created being. His heretical beliefs led many Christians astray and provoked adherents on both sides of the controversy to violence.

325 First Council of Nicaea --> Summoned by Constantine, it was convened primarily to resolve the Arian controversy and in so doing preserve the unity of the empire. --> To most bishops, the teachings of Arius were heretical and dangerous to the salvation of souls. In the summer of 325, the bishops of all provinces were summoned to Nicea (now known as İznik, in modern-day Turkey), a place easily accessible to the majority of delegates, particularly those of Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Greece, and Thrace. This was the first general council in the history of the Church since the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem, the Apostolic council having established the conditions upon which Gentiles could join the Church.In the Council of Nicea, "the Church had taken her first great step to define doctrine more precisely in response to a challenge from a heretical theology." --> exceptional authority was also acknowledged for the patriarchs of Antioch, Alexandria and Rome for their respective regions.

337 Constantine dies

363 Council of Laodicea --> The council took place soon after the conclusion of the war between the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire, waged by Emperor Julian. Julian, the last Constantinian emperor, attempted a revival of paganism and resumed discrimination of Christians. The first authoritative list of biblical books in the East was decided.

367 Letter of Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, lists for the first time the entire list of official NT books.

387 Augustine of Hippo converted to Christianity --> the bishop of Hippo who was, in his early years, heavily influenced by Manichaeism and afterward by the Neo-Platonism of Plotinus. His writings were very influential in the development of Western Christianity. He developed his own approach to philosophy and theology, accommodating a variety of methods and different perspectives. He believed that the grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom, and he framed the concepts of original sin and just war.

397 Third Council of Carthage --> with Augustine's strong influence, this council published the authoritative list of biblical books in the West, which included the apocrypha.

405 Jerome translates Christian Bible into Latin, creating the Vulgate--official translation of the West until the Protestant Reformation. He added his personal prefaces to the Apocryphal books referring to them as NOT included in the original Hebrew Bible.

The Roman Catholic Bible contains these apocryphal books and the Roman Catholic Church has considered them canon during the April 8, 1546 A.D Council of Trent. There is much debate about the inclusion of the Apocrypha to the canon of the Bible and the following are the most common arguments AGAINST its canonicity:

They are not, and have never been, in the Jewish canon.

Josephus explicitly excluded them from his list.

Philo (20 B.C.-50 A.D.) neither mentions or quotes them.

They were never quoted or alluded to by Jesus Christ or any of the apostles. The sermons in the Book of Acts, which outline Jewish history, do not included apocryphal events.

Jewish scholars meeting at the Council of Jabneh did not recognize them.

Most Church Fathers in fact rejected them.

None of the Apocrypha claim inspiration or divine authority.

Many of the Apocryphal books contain historical, geographical, and chronological errors.

Many of the Apocryphal books teach heresy, contrary to the Word of God.

Their literary style is legendary and fantasy. Some stories are grotesque and demonic.

They lack the power and distinctive elements of the Word of God.

(Sarjent, Robert J., The Apocrypha. http://watch.pair.com/apocrypha.html)

With all that has transpired in history, we must not neglect the fact that God is sovereign over everything and everyone that is appointed on earth (Daniel 5:21). Everything that happened was God-ordained and even if we see evil in the midst of the church, God will always mean it for good and greater things (Genesis 50:20). Everything will fade away but God's Word will always remain (Isaiah 40:8).

The Bible tells us that God's Word is true (Psalm 119:160) and that it IS Truth (John 17:17). The Word of the Lord endures forever and it is the way in which the gospel will be preached to us! (1 Peter 1:25). Those who are of God's will HEAR His Word and not any other man's words (John 8:47). Therefore, today DO NOT harden your heart for the Word of the LORD is the only Truth there ever will be and it is through HIS WORD that He reveals Himself to us (1 Samuel 3:21).

Winning The Battle of Old, Part 2

2011-07-29T08:52:00.000-05:00

The battle of old started in the Garden of Eden when the evil one attempted to elevate himself to the position of the Most High God. He twisted the Word of God that one eventful day at the garden, and questioned God's good plan for man. And as the tickling ears of the first man and woman inclined into the lies of the devil, they became forever bound into the spiritual slavery of sin and death!

God's most precious creation is forever separated from Him by the taint of sin. There can no longer be any fellowship anymore with man and the Most Holy God, for the LORD God Almighty does not and cannot tolerate sin. His anger was kindled against the filth of sin! And from that day on, man was cast out from the presence of the LORD.

With no way to return to the LORD, man became destined to live a finite life. Death crept into the picture for it was the only thing that a sinful creature deserves. Worst, the physical death wasn't the only thing a person will face in his/her life. For the Most Holy God is also a Righteous Judge and so He had to pass a final judgment upon the soul of the sinner (Hebrews 9:27). This time the punishment is forever, and this time it is final.

What the Righteous Judge had to do with a sinner before Him was to cast him/her away from His presence forever. That sinful soul must be eternally separated from the Holiness of God, away from His rest, from His Peace, from His joy, from His Light, and from His Glory. No other place is devoid of all of God's attributes but the place that was prepared for Satan and his angels--that is, Hell.

But then, God decided to send JESUS CHRIST, His One and Only Son to die on the cross in order to SAVE the enslaved soul. And when the Son of God completed His work on the cross, He died and was buried, and was RAISED AGAIN FROM THE DEAD by God the Father!

He rose from the dead bringing with Him NEW LIFE that He offers to those who believe! Death was defeated! And the Savior has given His message (John 14:6) to those who will HEAR...

"I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE...

He who BELIEVES in ME shall not perish

but will have eternal LIFE!"

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

(Ephesians 6:10-12, KJV)

Believing in the finished work of the Savior takes a lot of courage and FAITH! It takes a deep sense of TRUST in HIM and who HE claims to be. One cannot rely on His work as sufficient to save unless we come to the point of believing in who He really is--the SON OF GOD who takes away the sins of the world, and who came to save those who will believe in HIM!

Thus, the battle we wage in is never against flesh and blood, but against "principalities," which in the original Greek is ἀρχάς, arché, meaning ruler and beginning..."from the beginning." The fight is against the spiritual wickedness and darkness of this world that did not want the Light of God! It was there from the beginning of time...

How do we, who are flesh, wage war with this? By simply going back to the beginning... for everything has already been WON even before the beginning of time...

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace,

which was given us in Christ Jesus

before the world began...

(2 Timothy 1:8-9)

Winning The Battle of Old, Part 1

2011-07-25T23:49:00.001-05:00

There is a battle in the life of every individual, and perhaps the greatest that one will ever wage in is the battle between good and evil. We all are aware that there is a force beyond that which is in ourselves that would have the capacity to control us. This force could either be for good or for evil.

No, I'm not talking about the forces that we see on the big screen TV where red and green glowing swords clash against each other as noble and skillful Jedi battle with the Sith or those of the Dark Forces. Nor am I talking about the battle between the militant forces of two great nations that march on to strike assault at one another. These may be forces in battles, alright, but these are not the kind I am going to blog about.

The battle between good and evil goes more beyond fighting to uphold Justice and Peace. It is more than conquering new land. Its result has a much stronger impact and leaves a much longer lasting impression. In fact, the Bible tells us that it impacts life, but not as we know it, and it leaves an impression that goes beyond human understanding as it lasts for eternity.

Now, we need to put into its proper perspective that which we call "good," and that which we call "evil." Who's who in the picture and when did it began? The answer to these questions will depend on whether or not you believe in God.

With the awesome order in all the complexities of creation, and even of the human body itself, one cannot deny the fact that there is a "Creator" who for sure made all these natural wonders we see in us and around us.

No matter how hard others would try to deny the existence of Him who created us, there's just no sense in beholding the details and beauty before our very eyes, and believe that they all came into existence because of a cosmic burp! The truth of the matter lies in the Word of God. For the Bible tells us that in the beginning GOD created... (Genesis 1:1) He was the source of Life (John 1:4), and thus, creation received His breathe (Genesis 2:7; Genesis 6:17).

Eternity was the only thing that would have existed. In fact, it's what was set in the hearts of God's most precious creation (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The beauty and the wonder of creation would have screamed of the glory and power of its Creator forever and ever!

But, we do read about a scheme, a deception, a cunning plan that managed to change all that. One moment, one lie, one mistake changed the course of time and of life. The first man and woman fell under the spell of one creature who questioned God, and who sought to usurp the authority of the Creator (Isaiah 14:12-14). They listened to his voice resulting in a costly disobedience on their part .

From that moment on, everything went a different route as sin entered the perfect picture. Eternity was taken away from man, and for the first time in creation's history death became a reality (Romans 5:12).

Humankind was enslaved with the lie... enslaved with the nerve to question God... enslaved with the thought of resisting His authority. Chains now bind the neck, wrists and ankles of the human soul, forever dragging it down into the deepest pits of the place prepared primarily for the devil and his angels--Hell! (Matthew 25:41)

As the chains of the devil squeezed tightly into place, man lost his desire for God. Man lost the appetite for God's glory. Man lost the hunger for holiness. Man lost the will to seek after the face of the One who created Him in the beginning. Everyone went their own way, like sheep without a shepherd. Lost, bound and broken the human soul was... (Romans 3:10-18)

But this battle had just begun! The Creator's great love for His precious creation could not be contained ... His great Love and Mercy for the bound and broken slave of sin and death has led Him to devise the only plan that could save humanity ... a plan that involves a once and for all death ... a plan that involves a truly great sacrifice on His part. The plan of salvation that will offer a way to bring back eternal LIFE called for God's great Love to have His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to come down from heaven and become like man, in order that He may be able to carry the burden of the slaves and die for them once and for all. (to be continued...)

When Faith & Works Collide

2011-07-17T23:18:00.003-05:00

I grew up with a Christian faith,

or so I have been told,

and so have spent my living days

following all the things of old.

Tradition has dictated each

and every move I make.

"You have to do this, do that,

follow each step we take."

And so I lived as I've been told,

assuming my life will become pure as gold.

I tried to be a good a person as can be

to make it heaven for all eternity.

I prayed to "holy saints" above,

been told of their help that I'd get a lot of.

I prayed, I fasted, knelt and served,

hoping heaven will be what I'll DESERVE.

And so I lived my life as such,

believing one day my good works will weigh much.

I believed that when God would look at me,

He'll at least be proud and happy as can be.

And then one day came amazing "GRACE,"

I've never met Him like that face-to-face.

He told me "LISTEN! I'm the Word of God...

COME now, you're Mine, you're purchased by My Blood."

"Open up now those eyes to SEE...

EVERYTHING you need you'll find in ME.

I ONLY AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE...

IN ME ENDS ALL OF YOUR STRIFE!"

"YOUR striving, YOUR struggling for heaven's place

is nothing but a VAIN and HOPELESS case.

No-one goes to the Father in heaven BUT BY ME,

that is why I've come to SET YOU FREE!"

I've got my questions raised up in mind,

"But LORD, am I to leave good works behind?

Some are things I've learned from tradition of old!

Turning away from them would be so bold!"

"What will I do without my prayer beads?

What will I be without the ceremonial deeds?

Who will be praying for my poor soul,

if I cease to believe the co-redeemer's role?"

"Lord, I must do something else for me.

Surely it's more than just proclaiming Faith in Thee!

Traditions of old are proofs of what's true,

Didn't the church fathers passed it on from You?"

As I looked into the eyes of Grace

I felt His touch and warm embrace,

"I love YOU, I have died for you.

Let those ears open up to what's True."

"I ONLY AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE...

Do not struggle, there's really no need to fight.

Believe in ME and in Him who sent Me,

And you'll be with Me for all eternity!"

Have Faith in Me and in My words, child

No longer let your thoughts run wild.

My gift of life is for eternity

I PAID THE PRICE and so to you it's FREE.

I paid in full the price to appease the wrath

my Father in heaven prepared for your very path.

You see you're born into the bondage of iniquity

and no amount of YOUR work could ever set you free.

But I and the Father are one, you know.

And because the Father loves you so,

He sent ME to die in your place,

He sent ME to be that amazing Grace.

A gift that is offered ONCE AND FOR ALL,

Come, follow ME... Come heed my call.

I ONLY AM THE SOURCE OF LIFE, THE TRUTH, THE WAY.

LISTEN, LISTEN! TO WHAT I SAY.

"There is only ONE mediator between God and man,

ONE TRUTH prevails even before the world began.

I AM YOUR BEGINNING AND YOUR END,

It is I whom the Father sent."

"When will you put your trust in ME?

and BELIEVE in ALL that I have done for thee?

Traditions are but words of man passed on,

in the end they would all be gone.

MY WORD stands forever and ever,

MY TRUTH is the ONLY answer.

MY GRACE is sufficient to save your soul,

MY POWER will be in control.

And just like that my eyes began to see,

the ONLY TRUTH that's hid from me!

Oh amazing Grace, this I can't hide!

FAITH and WORKS indeed collide.

When He brings life to a deadened soul,

He makes all my brokenness whole.

I could never be saved by MY good works,

But rather, I'm saved by HIM to bear good works.

ONLY HE IS THE WAY, HE IS TRUTH AND LIFE!

I have been made whole SOLELY BY HIS STRIPES!

It is ALL BY HIM and ALL FOR HIM!

My future is no longer dim!

JESUS DIED TO SET ME FREE

from death and the bondage of Religious Slavery.

God sent His Son to die for me,

in order that I will live WITH Him for all eternity.

CAlicaya

07-17-2011

The Chains of (Spiritual) Slavery

2011-07-14T17:18:00.001-05:00

Contrary to what you might think, slavery is still in existence today. There are about 10 - 30 million of slaves in the world at present. Most of these are human beings trafficked into various countries--no country is really immune of this problem.

Victims include men, women and children who are in less developed countries and are economically vulnerable and undocumented. These slaves find themselves in either forced labor, involuntary servitude, or sexual exploitation. Most often, the use of force or coercion is what's keeping a person in bondage.

Although the chains of slavery and human trafficking exploits the body and is indeed repulsive, there is a much deeper form of slavery that is more hideous than what destroys the body. This form of slavery is the worst and most gruesome thing a human being could be bound into.

This type calls for the chains of Spiritual Slavery. Billions of people around the world are in bondage of this kind of slavery. People are bound in spiritual chains that force them to labor for their salvation, to serve other gods apart from the God of the Bible, and prostitute their souls to different practices and ceremonies that glorifies self and a created being rather than God the Creator Himself!

Unlike the slave who knows they were trafficked across international borders and are being abused, the sad thing about being a spiritual slave is that the person is not even aware that they are enslaved and bound in chains. The spiritual slave is blind of his depravity, unaware of the TRUTH of his soul's state and is ignorant of the TRUTH in God's Word. He/she is a hopeless case when freedom is offered because each individual does not believe in the chains that bind them.

The chains of spiritual slavery is masked in the ways of Religion. Religion is defined as a set of beliefs usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. It is man's attempt to reach God, and even man's laboring to appease the reality of God's wrath. It is man's striving to get right with God and man's trying to do God's job!

The chains of religion puts a person in BONDAGE. They will always have this striving to attain perfection or at least be "good enough" in order to please and appease God. They are enslaved with the striving and the attempts at piously and sincerely observing rituals and devotions in order to attain some form of soul cleansing. They are enslaved with the idea of trying their very best to be a good person. But there really is no end to this striving because the only standard called for by God is perfection. No-one will be able to attain that no matter how devoted a person is to the ceremonies and devotions of his or her religion! And because perfection is required, the person who is a spiritual slave is driven by wanting to do more for the sake of their own soul's salvation.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:20-23)

The chains of religion gives a person a sense of PRIDE, SUPERIORITY and an elevated opinion of SELF. The spiritual slave depends on the amount of good works he or she is capable of doing in this lifetime, and eventually gets puffed up with pride when they consider their "religious effort and accomplishment" in this lifetime. In the end, the spiritual slave asks this very question:

"Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" (Matthew 7:22)

You see, it results in a person's elevated opinion of Self. They get puffed up in their minds about their capabilities, their wisdom, their effort, their achievement in terms of religiosity and spirituality in this lifetime. They boast of their own strength, ability and power to accomplish that which was required of them by religion. They trust in their own effort to save themselves by penance, sacrifices, and by how much they've given of their finances, their time in prayer, their power in praying for themselves and others. Their confidence lies in the SELF. And because of that, they are blind to their NEED for a Savior.

We have to come to a point in our lives where we should examine ourselves if we have the chains of religion around our souls. Because unless we acknowledge the fact that we are slaves, we will never come to the point of accepting the offer of FREEDOM IN AND THROUGH JESUS CHRIST the Savior. Unless we accept that we are lost and depraved and hopeless on our own, we will never come to terms with the way of salvation that GOD offered through His One and Only Son.

Lastly, we ought to know that there are no slaves in the kingdom of God. Whoever remains a spiritual slave by the time JESUS CHRIST returns, he/she will face a tragic end to their story as one realizes that those bound with the chains of religion will be cast out in the end...

"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'" (Matthew 7:23)

~~~

(Insights in this post are courtesy of the teachings of Pastor Barry Jeffries of Humble Area's First Baptist Church.)

True or False (Teachers) Part 2

2011-06-21T12:30:00.001-05:00

The last post shared the main Truths of the doctrines of Faith as taught to us by the Word of God. No other Truth stands in this lifetime and there's no way for us to try to go around the Truth of Jesus. It is the only source of Truth and anything above and beyond it is just schemes of the enemy to lure us away from the road that leads us to life.

Since we've seen what those major points are that most "Christian" religions in the world today offer. Let me share a few of the other specifics that will give away a false teaching religion and expose their lies with the Word of God.

1. False teachers devote themselves to demonic practices!

The Bible speaks of false teachers in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and they are described as follows:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars who consciences are seared ... (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

These false teachers devote themselves to following the teachings of demons!!! They are deceived by these demonic spirits and are teaching through lies. They are the ones Jesus described as "blinds leading the blind" and "whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside but are full of dead men's bones and uncleanness. Who are these and what do they follow as doctrines? Please read carefully the following verses ...

Who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:3-5)

We ought to allow the Word of God to open our eyes to see if we are following and believing in the preachings and teachings of those who follow the devil instead of God's Truth. Look carefully in the specific descriptions of them in God's Word.

Forbidding marriage is one of the main doctrines of the Catholic church for its clergy. They call it "the call of Celibacy." They forbid their priests and nuns from getting married. This teaching deceivingly becomes presented as a "holy calling" and is taught as allowing the individual to "focus" their devotion on Christ alone. But there is just no way around God's Word. No matter how holy or spiritual or righteous a practice may appear to be, if it is the abomination that the Word of God teaches about, there is really no excuse for the deceiving teachings of following demonic practices as such.

Another thing mentioned in the Word of God was the requirement to abstain from foods. This is another give-away for the religions that teach the practices of demons instead of Christ Jesus's. We see this often as abstaining from eating meat and certain food groups. The Catholic church orders its faithful to abstain from meat on certain days of the week during Holy Week. Seventh Day Adventism, Islam, and many other religions also require their faithful to abstain from certain foods like pork, shellfish, shrimps, crabs and the like as a general practice of faith. But just like forbidding marriage is a practice of deceitful, demonic spirits, the abstinence from certain foods is counted as part of these practices by demons.

2. False teachers put emphasis on mysticism.

The Bible presents another specific clear picture about false teachers. In Ephesians 2 we see them described as follows:

Let no one disqualify you, insisting on ascetism and worship of angels, going on in details about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. (Ephesians 2:18-19)

Ascetism is the practice mentioned above about abstinence. But many of the false teachers in the world are described in Ephesians to not only dwell in ascetism, but also present a kind of spirituality in the picture of mysticism.

Mysticism is defined as the phenomenon of having a unique experience of communion with God. It is usually presented as a unique spiritual enlightenment or visions. Many religious groups rely mainly on this as a basis for most of their doctrines. We find it practiced in Hinduism; in the practice of Kabbalah within Judaism; Surfism in Islam; Christian Mysticism usually in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, and in Quakers, Anglicans and Episcopalians and Charismatics.

Many of these religions boast of the visions and spiritual experiences that some of its leaders have that eventually lead to the formation of doctrines and teachings for the faithful. These experiences are not only limited to the religious leaders, but the faithful experiences them as well, seemingly adding a "proof" to the various claims they will formulate regarding issues of faith.

Among many others, spiritual mysticism evidences itself in the so-called visions seen by individual faithful and the messages they received from it. Marian visions widely embraced by the Catholic church is one of the biggest deceptions that drive millions into committing to a religious belief that is based on a lie. Many apparitions and spiritual experiences such as idols moving and showing some unique "spiritual" manifestations are among these upheld in mysticism. Some chants and incantations and forms of spiritual experiences of uncontrolled laughter, dancing and/or shaking are other forms of mysticism being boasted by many religious groups.

The Word of God is clear ... these are boasts coming from a mind set on the flesh--a sensuous mind, a mind hostile to God's Truth. These practices DO NOT HOLD fast to JESUS CHRIST, the Head of the church. Furthermore, read carefully what the Bible says about these...

These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and ascetism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgences of the flesh. (Ephesians 2:23)

3. False teachers boast of the wisdom of this world.

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (1 Cor. 1:20)

For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. (Philippians 3:18-19)

This last one gives away the religions of this world who oftentimes boast of their own worldly wisdom. A lot of them rely on the wisdom of the world to back up whatever "revelations" they have for their doctrines and practices. Worldly wisdom like Psychology, Logic, Typology, Neurotheology, Rational Mysticism, and Behavioral Sciences to examine the psychological dimensions of Scripture are among the many wisdom boasted of by various religions. All of which are set on earthly things, and all conclusions they arrive to prove to become foolish in the eyes of God.

The Bible tells us that God's ways are higher than ours. They are beyond the grasp of our feeble, finite human mind. Anyone appearing religious and spiritually discerning enough to conclude that they've finally "understood clearly" what all these hullabaloo about God is, plainly fit into the description of the Word of God--they are enemies of the Cross of Christ Jesus.

Now, with all that is being described in the Bible, we are given the Truths that we must stand on in discerning which teacher is really preaching the Truth in Jesus Christ. The devil's work is to deceive us from the Truth. We need to EMPTY OURSELVES of the many things we've been preset with in order for us to deliberately renew our minds and take every though captive to Christ Jesus and HIM alone who is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE!

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

(2 Corinthians 10:5)

True or False (Teachers) Part 1

2011-06-21T00:58:00.013-05:00

I have a "secret-admirer" ... No, I'm just kidding! Haha ... I have a blog visitor who wanted me to answer a question of why there are so many different religions claiming to be BIBLE (emphasized) Christians and we see them have varying names and doctrines followed. The question was to somehow drive the point that there should only be one true church of God and not have many denominations and the like.

I would not claim to be an expert to answer that question, but I will share what I have learned about "False Doctrines" in this post, hoping and praying that it will shed light to this particular issue and give us the chance to discern wisely if the teachings we are following is that of God or just one of the many false doctrines.

~~~

The world today is loaded with gazillion of religions and philosophies that pose to be a way worthy of following because it will lead to some deliverance and/or peace in the end. Although a lot of religions and philosophical bodies blatantly oppose the Truths of the God of the Bible, many call themselves "Christians" just because they pledge allegiance with the Bible--which Christians consider the Word of God.

We see today a variety of these christian religions and denomination, and their varying doctrines of faith, and we come to wonder, which ones are teaching Truth and which ones are not? The Bible gives us many pictures of the so-called "False Teachers" that we are warned about. From Jesus Christ to the NT writers who echoed His words years later, one particular flag they always raised was the one that warns us of false teachers. They mention about many who would come to entice us of doctrines that our itching ears would want to hear, and they even tell us that many will be deceived to follow them instead of the True Way of Jesus Christ. And so, how are we to identify these false teachers when the Lord tells us they are going to be wolves in sheep's clothing, appearing as angels of light? We will let the Word of God guide us from here...

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)

We will start with the major or PRIMARY PROOFS:

1. False teachers DENY the full divinity and humanity of Christ.

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh... (2 John 1:7)

Many religions, some even claiming to be "Christians," DO NOT acknowledge that Jesus Christ, as God, came in the flesh. One that comes to mind is the Jehovah's Witnesses. But the Word of God teaches us this truth also known as the "Incarnation." The Word of God guides us to this Truth--that those who DENY the Incarnation of Jesus Christ IS False Teaching.

If you are holding on to this belief and religious doctrine, Jesus offers an invitation in His Word ... "RENEW YOUR MIND and Come, FOLLOW ME."

2. False teachers forsake the right way, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor.

If you don't know who Balaam is, you can know more about him in Numbers 22-24. He was a prophet, a diviner who was initially set on obedience to the command of the Lord. When the king of Moab (one of the enemies of Israel) sent men to ask for him to send a curse over Israel, this was his initial reply:

"Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could NOT go beyond the command of the LORD MY GOD to do less or more." (Numbers 22:18, emphasis added)

BUT we eventually see Balaam traveling with the men whom the king Balak sent to fetch him. And three, yes three, times he ATTEMPTED to offer a curse to Israel as he was in the company of the Moabites. Although three times the curses were turned into blessings, we see Balaam compromising and believing that there is something he can do to change God's mind eventually. He never totally believed in his profession of faith in the "Lord his GOD." It sounded like a lip-service to me as we see him still attempt to bring a curse after God told him to leave the Israelites alone.

Balaam's three attempts may not be his biggest mistake yet. In verse 25 of chapter 24 in Numbers, we read that Balaam rose and went back to his place. And Balak also went his way. This prophet, who professed faith in the LORD God, didn't do anything after what happened. He would have known and understood in his last attempt that God curses those who curse against Israel. Now, knowing THAT, he should have done something to the Moabites knowing that they uttered a curse already in their hearts. If he were genuinely obedient to God, he could have asked Him again if there was anything HE wanted to do with the Moabites. But Balaam just walked away from that scene, allowing the king of Moab to walk away as an enemy of Israel, and ultimately an enemy of God.

This paved the way to Israel's whoring with the gods of Moab. The people eventually joined in the sacrifices of the Moabites and they ate and bowed down to their gods. Israel eventually "yoked" himself to Baal, the god of the pagans, the idol god. (see Numbers 25:1-3)

This forsaking of the right way and embracing and incorporating paganism into its so-called Christianity is indeed the foundation of a religion that poses as that of Christ's Truth. The Roman Catholic Church is an example, where most of the rituals and its icons of deity worshiped/venerated in the church budded from the embracing of pagan cultures and "Christianizing" them.

3. False teachers oppose THE Truth.

The Truth is found solely in the Bible. The Word of God IS TRUTH (John 17:17).

The doctrines of Truth are found in the Word of God and whatever teachings are in CONFLICT with the teachings of JESUS, then we will know it is false teaching.

Many other religions claiming to be Christians can easily be identified using this proof as the tool. Doctrines of Mormonism teach of things that are opposed to the Truth, including for example:

Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both.
God used to be a man on another planet. God the Father had a Father. God the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's.
The book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible.
After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god.

The doctrines and teachings of Seventh Day Adventism that are opposed to the Truth, includes for example:

Our sins will ultimately be placed on Satan.
Jesus is Michael the Archangel
The dead do not exist anymore--soul sleep.
The soul is not immortal.
Hell fire isn't for eternity.

The doctrines and teachings of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ that are opposed to the Truth, includes for example:

Jesus was the savior for the Jews and Quiboloy for the Gentiles.
Quiboloy calls himself the Son of God.
Eve had sexual relations with the serpent in the Garden to cause the Fall--Serpent Seed Doctrine.
God's work of salvation was not finished at the cross.
We can only have salvation by acknowledging "Pastor" Quiboloy as the Son of God.

The doctrines and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church that are opposed to the Truth, includes for example:

The sale of indulgences.
Salvation through various sacraments AND Jesus Christ.
Mortal sins and venial sins (major and minor sins).
Infant baptism as a means of rebirth and regeneration.
Doctrine of Purgatory.

The doctrines and teachings of Oneness Pentecostal that are opposed to the Truth, includes for example:

Denial of the doctrine of Trinity.
Jesus is God the Father. Jesus is the Holy Spirit.
Baptism is necessary for salvation.
Speaking in tongues is a necessary requirement to demonstrate that a person has been baptized in the Holy Spirit, and is, therefore, saved.

If you are holding on to this belief and religious doctrine, Jesus offers an invitation in His Word ... "RENEW YOUR MIND and Come, FOLLOW ME."

4. False teachers pervert the grace of God. They LET GO OF FAITH, and believe in doctrines of good works.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8)

We see this as religious doctrines imposed by many of the so-called "Christian" religions. They uphold the doctrine of salvation by Grace + good works.
Take for example the following:

They require abstinence from certain foods (either entirely or on certain days).
They require completion of some religious rituals and ceremonies in order to be saved.

5. False teachers entice by sensual passions of the flesh.

For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error... (2 Peter 2:18)

Greed is one of the primary passions of the flesh that is fed by these false teachers. They entice people toward PROSPERITY.

Their gospel message is not dying to self and following Christ, but enjoying self while compelling Christ to bless.
Professing Christian preachers teach multitudes of followers every Sunday about God's goodness, love and encompassing greatness, and that He wants us to have our "best life now." They preach about the power of the Holy Spirit in a Christian's life allowing one to accomplish ANYTHING we set our minds on. It's a "name it, claim it" fiasco!
These are the likes of Joel Osteen, Joyce & David Meyer, Randy & Paula White, Benny Hinn, Kenneth & Gloria Copeland and Bishop Eddie Long, as well as many, many more.

The Bible, the Word of God is clear about them and their work. We are to be very careful to discern the kind of teaching we are laying our lives down to. The teachings of Jesus Christ offers an abundant life of joy and love, but it also offers persecution, trials and a whole lot of tribulations to refine us and mature us spiritually. Jesus Christ offers THE ONLY WAY to salvation BY FAITH... a FREE GIFT from God the Father. We are only to hear Him call our names and say, "Come! Follow ME"...

Jesus is THE Way, THE Truth & THE Life

2011-06-09T09:10:00.005-05:00

Encountering God's Truth: The Mind of Christ

2011-06-07T10:53:00.002-05:00

The way we think is vitally important in all the things we do in this lifetime. It is significantly important as well during our faith journey with Christ on the narrow road. It is not just a matter of emotions and sentiments that we give our lives to Jesus Christ, but the Bible tells us that it is a matter of the mind as well.

The Word of God is essentially clear when it comes to the way we think things through. It has talked about the wisdom and the way of thinking that this world has in relation to the things of God. Now, our minds are pre-programmed in one way or another. Depending on the culture and the lifestyle of the people in which we were born into, our minds are pre-programmed according to the drive, character, nature and belief of that particular people.

The mind is an important part of our relationship with God since it is one of the arenas mentioned by Jesus to include when we strive to follow the greatest commandment of all:

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. (Mark 12:30)

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The word "mind" in this passage comes from the Greek word διανοίας (dianoias), meaning the mind, disposition, thought. Jesus didn't just include this for the sake of saying it, He made sure that ALL our thoughts are also aligned in worshiping God.

God's Word teaches us that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). And because this is our case, the state of our minds is carnal (not spiritual), and it is of the nature of our flesh--the nature of sin. The problem with that is this:

The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law,

nor can it do so. (Romans 8:7)

Before a person comes into the knowledge of the grace of Jesus Christ and believe in Him and His work on the cross, his or her thoughts remain carnal. And this state of mind leads to death, just as sin that is the nature of the flesh leads to death. (see Romans 8:6)

The Bible is clear that we cannot submit to God's law and His Truth while in this carnal state of mind. We just don't have the capacity to do so no matter how intelligent, learned or wise we consider ourselves to be. The wisdom that we hold on to remains the wisdom of this world until the time we become born again. This is why Jesus clearly states that we MUST be born again. (see John 3) Jesus explains that unless we are born of the Spirit, we cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5). And unless we are born of the Spirit, we can never understand the spiritual truths of God (see 1 Corinthians 2:12).

The mind we have before we come to Christ is sinful. It is hostile to God and can never submit to His Truths. This mind can never fathom the spiritual truths and will consider them foolishness because of this:

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing ... For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (1 Corinthians 1:18-20)

No matter how "wise" we consider ourselves to be in this world, no matter how far we've gone through attaining higher education and the like, the Bible is clear to say that this wisdom leaves us illiterate to the things of God.

How then can we understand the things of God? We only start that journey when we come to Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The gospel of Christ, the word of His cross becomes the power of God to us who are being saved! (1 Corinthians 1:18) When we become born again the moment we surrender everything to Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit as promised (John 14:16).

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

(1 Corinthians 2:14)

Unless we receive the Holy Spirit of God, we can never come to accept and understand the spiritual truths of God. That is why the Bible tells us we will always be HOSTILE to it.

Many of us believe that the Bible contains spiritual truths that are hard to understand. Some of us were even brought up with a mind-setting that made us believe we need higher officials of God who are divinely appointed in order to interpret these spiritual things to us. But this is so contrary to what the Word of God is telling us.

Those who come to Christ for salvation and those who believe in His gospel become born again--born of the Spirit--in that we receive the Holy Spirit in our lives that allows us (individual believers in Christ Jesus and not just presumed divinely inspired and appointed leaders) to understand God's spiritual truths.

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:12-13)

When we come to Christ Jesus to believe in HIM who IS Truth, we become redeemed by Jesus Christ, we live holy lives in and through HIM and we come to clearly understand His Truth, and we boast not of our own wisdom but of HIS WISDOM alone!

And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:30-31)

When we come to the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ and surrender our lives to His lordship, we make a decision to follow HIM.

And when we choose to believe in Jesus Christ alone, we become righteous in God's eyes THROUGH Him, we become sanctified or set apart into holy living THROUGH Him, and we understand the spiritual truths of God as we renew our minds THROUGH Christ Jesus who becomes wisdom for those who believe.

Encountering God's Truth: A Church Built upon THE Rock (revised)

2011-06-05T21:36:00.004-05:00

I am so blessed to have made new friends last week. I had a good discussion over at Facebook with some of them and I'd like to share it with you as well. One friend had a few questions raised and so I shared this Truth with them from the Word of God...

May you find a blessing in here today as well. :)

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I'd be glad to share what I learned from the Word of God with you regarding this matter, to at least make it more "sensible" for you. Please bear with the length of my reply on this. :)

But before I do share what I have (also) learned, may I request that you ask yourself this one question: "What do I want to have more authority in my life right now? The "Word of God" which I profess to pledge allegiance to, or the words of men whom I believe to be founding fathers of the faith?" This question is the grass root level of all questions we could ever ask ourselves. I faced this question myself before, too, so don't think that I am aiming any ammunition at you right now. I'm just sharing what I had been given as well. :)

Now, you must agree that our belief system and the faith we have on something or someone comes solely from the culture we were brought up in. If we had been born into a family in China, we must have also followed the ways of Buddhism; or a family in Saudi Arabia and must have been brought up in the practices of Islam. This faith and belief system we currently follow was inculcated to us throughout the years by family and community. It will be the "Truth" for us because that is what we had perceived from since we were able to understand. I'd like to say that we were more blessed to be brought up in Catholicism because at least we were introduced the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--the God of the Bible.

Okay. If we are to consider the last point, we have to believe that the Bible is authoritative over any other books in the history of mankind. Many other faith systems have their "Holy Books," too, but why pledge allegiance to this particular book called the BIBLE? Because no other book of faith has EVER been written the way it has been. The Bible we have today is a compilation of books penned by more than 40 authors over a period of 1500 years! These various authors interestingly come from various backgrounds and locations. For example: Moses, a prince of Egypt; Isaiah, a prophet of ancient Israel; David, a king; Luke, a physician; Matthew, a tax collector; Peter, a middle-class fisherman; Paul, a pharisee. Despite the various backgrounds and locations of the authors of the books compiled as the Bible and the amazing span of time between their writings, the message is STRONGLY unified all throughout the book.

The only reason why these books have a unified message is the reality that the various writers were "inspired" by just One author--the God of the universe, the Creator of all, the Almighty. This book is in reality the Creator's communication to His created being--man. The Bible has parts that are historical (mainly the OT), poetic (Psalms) and doctrinal (NT).

Now, when we profess to believe in the Bible as THE "Word of God," we now come to know of the BEGINNING and the END. :) For the Bible said, "In the BEGINNING, GOD created ..." The Almighty God created the world for this purpose: that His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, can be clearly seen, being understood through what has been made. (see Romans 1:20) God created everything for HIS glory.

Everything was good when He first created the world (Genesis 1:31). But the Bible tells us that sin entered the world through the disobedience of man. Human kind was supposed to be living in fellowship with God for eternity (see Ecclesiastes 3:11). BUT when sin entered, death entered as well because of sin. (Romans 5:12) Instead of living for all eternity, mankind now has an end and the Bible tells us that after this we face judgment. (see Hebrews 9:27)

And yet, we see the Almighty God working to SAVE His people from this death and sin. For from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation we see God's plan for man's salvation enfold. We are very familiar with John 3:16 that says, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in HIM shall not perish but have eternal life." This was God's plan of salvation. Humankind cannot save itself from the bondage of sin and death. No matter what we do to try to be good before the HOLY God, our good works will never suffice to what HE required to appease His anger toward sin. In fact, the Bible describes our good works as "FILTHY RAGS" before the Holy God. No matter what GOOD a person attempts to do and maintain in this lifetime, it will always come short of the glory of God because all have sinned since the fall of Adam. (Romans 3:23)

Jesus, the Son of God, had to be born of a virgin in order to meet the requirements of saving the human race. He was born of a virgin, Mary, undefiled by the seed of man, thus conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary, being the mother, brings forth the flesh of her flesh making Jesus fully man, as well as fully God. The reason for God to send Jesus this way was because He needed to be like man in order to take our place when He pleads our case to the Father. Human wisdom cannot fathom God's wisdom for doing so, but it is by FAITH that we believe in this.

Jesus and the NT (New Testament) writers left us with the things we needed to know in order to understand God's plan of salvation. They all spoke about Christ Jesus's work on the cross and the power it bestows upon those who believe in it. Romans 10:9 shows us that if we confess with our mouths that Jesus IS Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, then we will be saved. Saved from what? Saved from the wrath of God against sin--against sinners (Psalm 7:11)). No-one is exempted from this wrath for the Bible tells us that there is none righteous, not even one.

Now, when the Bible talks about the "CHURCH," we find the apostle Paul explaining this clearly in the book of Romans that those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who are saved, form one body--the church. (Romans 12:5) We would understand as we read in Paul's letter to the Colossians that BELIEVERS of Jesus are the CHURCH and CHRIST is the HEAD of the CHURCH. (Colossians 1:18)

It is very important at this point that we acknowledge that the original text for the BIble isn't English. They are either Hebrew (mostly for the OT) and Greek (NT). When Jesus talked to Peter in Matthew 16 and told Him that he is "Peter," the original Greek word was Πέτρος (petros) which means "a detached STONE." This was a totally different word from what Jesus said next that He will build His CHURCH upon this "Rock." He used in the original Greek πέτρᾳ (petra), which means a solid MASSIVE ROCK or BOULDER rising up through the earth.

It would be tempting to believe that Peter is a rock upon which Jesus built His church if we stick to this verse, but the Bible had provided us with verses that help clarify these doctrines to us. It is AMAZING how the apostle PETER himself clarified this to us in his epistle. In 1 Peter 2:5 he clearly explained that those who believe in Christ Jesus become living STONES! If we read the entire chapter we can see that all this talk about "stones" and "rocks" were to give a picture to us about how the church is built. JESUS is the foundation--the Cornerstone, the ROCK upon which the church is built. Then individuals who come to believe in the LORD JESUS become living stones that form the "CHURCH."

It is only dangerous for anyone to continue believing that the "church" is built upon Peter--a man. We will be in trouble in the end because Peter himself was corrected by Paul at some point for being a hypocrite (see Galatians 2). Peter is only a mere man like any of us and if indeed the church was built upon him, then we find no hope in this life since Peter also made many mistakes.

It is not upon MAN that the church is built but upon the foundation of JESUS CHRIST alone. :)

As to the question of worshipping the "CREATED," I was pertaining to Mary. She was like any other individual who was created by God and had sin and needed salvation. It is an eye-opener to realize that Mary herself acknowledged this in Luke 1:47 when she said she rejoiced in God her SAVIOR. If she didn't have any sin then she wouldn't have needed a Savior.

I used to believe in all the doctrines of Mariology, but the Word of God is always clear to refute all of it. It was never easy for me, too, and was quite offensive because it presented a Truth that was in contradiction to the truth that I perceived and believed in for so long. But it only takes a step of FAITH to believe in the WORD of GOD, in JESUS CHRIST and Him crucified and in Him who is THE Truth.

This is why Jesus always offered the invitation to "Follow" Him, because we all are taking the same road to destruction since we were born. CHRIST offers THE Way to life as HE is life. There is no-one else who can save.

I pray that these Truths may shed light to your faith journey as they did to mine a few years ago. And I continue to pray that you will not be afraid to embrace God's Truth as you encounter them, for Jesus's words and HIS TRUTH will always prevail as it had been since the beginning of time and as it always will be until the end of time.

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Listening to God's Voice

2011-06-04T11:37:00.002-05:00

Wouldn't it be amazing to be in the boy Samuel's place and hear God's audible voice that one magnificent night in his life? It must have been a glorious thing to spend the rest of the night conversing with God as Samuel learned to listen to HIS voice.

People do not anymore hear an audible voice from God, BUT the great Creator and wonderful Father in heaven still speaks to individuals today. It is such a blessing for people on earth to realize that God had sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to speak to us in these last days (Hebrews 1:2). That Truth in the Bible should be one that we all must consider carefully. For the Bible speaks of Jesus to be the Word of God, and we are so blessed to have His Words recorded down in history through the disciples that walked with Him during His time on earth.

The words and insightful teachings of Jesus are available to all of us today in the "Word of God" (also known as the Bible). This is the primary way that God speaks to us today. If we must learn to listen to God's voice like Samuel did, we ought to understand that it is through Jesus's words that we hear Him speak to us today. And we see Jesus's words recorded in the most important book in human history--the Bible.

If we indeed want to listen to God's voice then we must find time to sit and open up our Bibles to read from it and hear the words of Jesus, our God, as He speaks to us individually. There is nothing more important than to listen to God's message. As Jesus himself said, "My sheep hear my voice." If we belong to his flock, we MUST open the Bible and read it.

There are many other voices around us today that speak of lies and deception. Most of them take our focus away from the Savior. If we want to indeed FOLLOW our Good Shepherd, we MUST learn to listen to HIS voice and His voice alone.

May you and yours be blessed always!

Our HOPE sustained

2011-06-01T07:27:00.000-05:00

Faith will always be paired with a ray of Hope. Anyone of us who will have faith in something or someone will have to always Hope in it as well.

The faith of a believer in Christ Jesus is something that's vital in the christian walk. It's the pre-requisite of a life lived as a follower of the Savior. Believing and having Faith in Jesus Christ saves us from unrighteousness as well as God's wrath. And it is this Faith that gives us the Hope of our salvation and eternal security in the arms of our loving Savior.

But many of the devil's schemes against the believer is aimed at the very foundation of faith. For the enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy whatever HOPE there is for us in this life. The devil prowls to devour us as he attempts to ravage the faith we have for a life lived with Jesus in eternity.

The enemy aimed it's full ammunition at me the moment my book project became published online. The devil's arrows of discouragement and oppression came flying from left and right in order to bring down the faith I have in the work God has called me to do.

But I was encouraged by a verse I read in Romans 15:13 today. It reminds me of a God who never forsakes us nor leaves us to fend for ourselves. This is what it promises to all who believe ...

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that

by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

I am reminded today that the life of a believer in Christ Jesus will always be filled with trouble, but the Word of God said that HE delivers us from them all. With that in mind, we are encouraged that our walk through this life may be difficult but we can be filled (and truly have) all JOY and all PEACE in our believing in Jesus' promises because it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we will abound in Hope.

When we feel weak amidst the oppression of the enemy, we have a Comforter and a Sustainer that God placed in us that we may continue on with our striving for HIS cause and HIS glory. And that no matter what goes on in and around us, we have our great and mighty and strong and faithful God who increases our Faith and allow Hope to abound in order that we will have pure JOY and pure PEACE in HIM who strengthens us, allowing us to walk by Faith and not by sight.

All blessing and honor and glory and power be unto the God of our salvation, now and forever!

Walking Away from Rome

2011-05-24T11:27:00.002-05:00

Please allow me to share to all of you a book project that I am currently working on. The message of this book was given to me as a burden for sharing God's Truth in Scriptures.

A lot of us want to be in line with the Truth. Nobody wants to settle for anything less than that. But how does one know if the belief system that we live by holds the genuine Truth and is not just a truth that we perceive it to be?

The Bible tells us this in 2 Timothy 3:16:

All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching,

for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness ...

The Bible is inspired by God Himself. It was God's Spirit that inspired its writing. The author of the Bible is the author of life itself! If we are to look for the absolute Truth and the genuine Truth, let us turn to the Bible as the inspired Word of God. Jesus Himself confirmed that the God's Word is the absolute and genuine truth for all of us to consider ...

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:17)

Walking Away from Rome was written for the very purpose of sharing to you a devout Catholic's encounter with God's Truth and to share the heartfelt reasons of why the author was compelled to walk away from the belief system that had been a part of her life for 25 years.

The book will initially be available as an online ebook and will also be available for Amazon Kindle users.

The message of the book is one that NEEDS to be heard by Catholics, Christians and non-believers alike.

Visit us at Facebook and like our page (or like it directly from this blog) for a chance to get a free copy of the ebook! See you there!

Holy Week Special (Part 4): Do You Really Believe in Jesus?

2011-04-23T13:06:00.001-05:00

Perhaps the most taken for granted fact in a christian's life is one's belief in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Many of us acknowledge the reality of knowing there is a Sovereign God in heaven and many of us profess to believe in Jesus Christ, the only Son of the Father, who was sent to die for us. Ask a professing christian you meet on the street if they believe in Jesus Christ, and you will not find a single one who will say "NO."

Many know about Jesus. Even non-believers hate His name. Many of us know His story from what we sporadically read in the Bible or in christian storybooks somewhere. The life of Jesus offers hope for those who are lost. Although, that part of the story even gets so misunderstood at times. Often we think of Him as a God who is so loving and gracious that He came to save us from all our misery. Part of it is true, but we usually tend to hold on to the part where we make Him our imaginary heavenly vending machine!

It seems like most of us who acknowledge that we believe in Jesus, believe only in His ability to help us in our times of need. We believe in Him because we cling to the idea that there is a God upstairs who loves us to pieces and will take very good care of us while we're living on this earth. We believe in His awesome power to heal, to bless, to give, to provide, to lift up, to make life here on earth easier and better. We believe in His abounding love, and magnify His mercy and grace in the midst of life's passions turned mishaps.

Yes, we believe in Jesus who died on the cross to save us, but save us from what? From our difficulties? From financial hardship? From our diseases and disorders? From broken relationships? From loneliness? From trouble? From disasters and maybe from death? If we really consider it carefully, we believe in Jesus Christ mostly because we believe He can provide us with the things we need to enjoy life here on earth - abundance, protection, good health, healthy relationships, good life, happiness, prosperity. We cling to the gospel of "Living Our Best Life Now!"

Many times during the ministry of Jesus here on earth we hear Him say "Believe in Me," or "Believe Me." Believing in His words and in what He preached may sound so easy to do for most of us, but it's not until we come face to face with what it is really that He wants us to believe in that we find it difficult to do so.

Jesus clearly states in John 14:1,

"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me." (NASB)

The Bible also tells us this in John 14:6,

"Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life;

no one comes to the Father but through Me."(NASB)

Jesus established His authority as He said those words to us. He is the way, the truth, and the life! There's is no other way to God the Father but through HIM. This truth may easily be acknowledged by most of us, but we simply take it for granted. How? Because many of us also believe that if we can be good enough, we can eventually come to the Father. Many still believe that someone else can help us pray our way to heaven. Many still call on the intercession of another name believing that they can help us get to heaven someday.

We say we believe in Jesus and that He is what He said He is - the Way, the Truth, and the Life - but we blindly continue with the stupor of calling on someone else's name to help us find the right way to get right with God. We pray for so and so's intercession for our souls. We call for this and that to help save us. We fall on our knees and cry out to this and that to help pray for us. We call on the name of so and so to save us.

Jesus invites us... "Believe in Me"... but the reality of it isn't really easy for most of us...

"Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10-12)

There's no other name that we can call, pray, and invoke to pray for us, let alone save us! If we want to consider intercession by anybody, let the Word of God show us this truth...

"In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:26-27)

Our needs, our weaknesses, our salvation, our help, our everything relies only in God and God alone... in God the Father's mercy, in God the Son's sacrifice, in God the Spirit's intercession.

Let's carefully consider that and test our hearts... do we REALLY believe in Him?

Believing in Jesus and Him being the only Way and the Truth could be very difficult for a lot of people. If we believe that He is the Way and He is the Truth, then His way is the only way to go. Jesus speaks of a difficult truth that could make a lot of us angry and resistant, but I'd like to share this truth today...

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”" (John 3:1-8)

Jesus himself told us about a needed new birth. He tells us this because...

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)

Many of us will resist that truth, and this is why Jesus challenges us to "BELIEVE in Him"...

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13)

“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

When we profess that we believe in Jesus Christ and in His words, we ought to take great consideration of this profession. It comes with a great requirement of FAITH! Not everyone will find Jesus' truth easy to accept, but that is not new for there were many who resisted Him during His time, too.

Before we can ever believe in anything or anybody's word, we ought to get to know them first, right? This is why we ought to open up our Bibles and read God's Word because it will point us to Jesus and to His Truth... He himself tells us this is John 5:46-47...

"For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"

My dearest, it is but time for us to stop swaying with the stupor that the prince of this world has led us to. We have been blinded for far too long...

"Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

God reveals Himself to us in His Word. He has spoken to us at present through his Son, and we should learn to listen to HIM and HIM ALONE! No other authority must be greater in our lives than that of Jesus Christ - The Word of God!

This year's Holy week reminds us of God's work for humankind's salvation. If we profess to believe in Him and His Son, Jesus Christ, then we ought to see the fruit of it in our life. The Word of God presents that we would KNOW if we are of God because of the evidence in our life. As in any legal case, only the evidence counts to prove that something is real. When we profess to believe in Jesus Christ, let us then examine ourselves to see if that fact is real in our lives.