Hated For The LIGHT

I felt I needed to break my long silence. I've dropped off of the blogosphere for a while now and haven't really gotten the chance to write down the lessons that the good Lord is allowing me to see.

Tonight is going to be different because I strongly believe it is time for me to get back to writing. I've been hiding in the dark for a long time now and I don't like it. It made me feel sick that I've only placed the Light of Christ in the cupboard of my life this past year.

I haven't finished my series on Mary as the mother of God, but I will have to do that some other day. Tonight, I am compelled to write about the way the world deals with the Light of Christ that is in every redeemed believer.

The Bible tells us in John chapter 3 verses 19-21 the following:

"19And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." 

When God sent His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, He brought LIGHT into this dark and fallen world. That light paves the way to the narrow path that leads to life everlasting. However, we know clearly that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 8:28) and this is why the world LOVED DARKNESS rather than light. The world's deeds are evil and the Light of Christ exposes just that.

One of the lingering questions I have from some of my Christian sisters is the question why a certain person in their life continues to hate them no matter what they do. It doesn't really matter if they show grace for every moment, or try to live peaceful lives, there are certain people in their lives that writhe at the idea of having them around! It's quite disturbing even in some of their marriages where the husband is a professing christian and remains just that--"professing."

It's never easy for a bible-believing, God-fearing woman to live with a man who isn't really saved, and continually finds fault in her. I've seen my female Christian friends brokenhearted for YEARS because of the fact that their husbands act more like an enemy than a spouse.

It's the way the world acts around believers. Just as Jesus Christ explained that the world WILL hate His followers, you see those who are of the world feel all the anger and turbulent emotions inside that are simply bitterness and hatred toward Christians. Why such hostility? Because, the Light of Christ could actually HURT them. 


Have you ever noticed that when you stay inside a very dark room and your eyes have accommodated to the darkness long enough that when someone flicks a bright light ON it will make you quickly squint? It's because the brightness will hurt our eyes once we are too accustomed to the dark.

When direct or reflected light, like sunlight reflecting off of snow, gets to a certain intensity (4,000lumens or so), our eyes cannot absorb all of the light. We squint because the glare causes actual discomfort!

That's basically what happens in the spiritual realm when the Light of Christ shines brightly from the life of a believer. Those who belong to the darkness of this world, who are very accustomed to the ways of darkness and sin, will find the brightness of Christ offensive. They simply love darkness and will hate you for bringing the light of Christ with you!

Every sin is usually done in darkness... done in hiding, and the world loves it that way. John chapter 3 tells us that those who love sin REFUSE to come to the Light! They simply refuse to get themselves accustomed to brightness and they refuse to learn to LOVE the Light. 

That, dear friends, simply amazes me, because by nature we are all sinners and love every dark nook and cranny of this world. We love sin and we hate the light and could NEVER naturally come to that Light by our own will. It is but the GRACE of God that one gets drawn to that Light of Christ.

I love how verse 21 of John chapter 3 said that those that "doeth truth cometh to the light." "DOETH" in this particular verse is ποιέω (poieō) which means to perform, to do, to act. And "TRUTH" is ἀλήθεια (alētheia) which means what is true in any matter of consideration. This same word matches that of the Truth spoken of by Jesus in John 17:17 when He prayed to the Father...

"Santify them through thy TRUTH: THY WORD IS TRUTH."

 When Jesus prayed this prayer for His disciples and the rest of the people who will come to Trust His Name for salvation, He was asking the Father to set apart a people using God's Word which He himself established as (the) Truth. It is that which is TRUE in ANY MATTER OF CONSIDERATION!

Those in darkness who will receive the Grace of God will eventually be set apart from the rest of the world of darkness. Only then can one person learn to love the Light of Christ Jesus. Only then will His light become MAGNIFICENT instead of appalling. 

One thing that is clear to me, though, is the fact that God has made available the TOOL for anyone to find that Grace. That tool is God's WORD which is the ultimate source of Truth in this life. 

Anyone in the dark who will open up God's Word and soak upon it WILL FIND THAT GRACE THAT WILL LEAD THEM FROM DARKNESS TO CHRIST'S LIGHT!

Anyone who does not love God's Word will find Christ's light in every believer disturbing. They will squint, they will squirm, they will complain because they do to want to be subjected to that brightness. 

Got someone you know who loves the darkness and finds Christ's light in you offensive? Pray for them and share God's Word. It is only through that tool that a mind that loves darkness be cleansed and renewed to move toward the Light the shines on the narrow path that leads to eternal life.

Be encouraged, beloved! God bless your journey with strength and perseverance for His glory!

MARY: The Mother of Jesus or The Mother of God? (Part 1)

Billions around the world today profess faith in Jesus the Nazarene who is believed to be the Son of God. Many know that He was prophesied to be born of a virgin in Bethlehem and will be crucified, died, buried and resurrected. His glorious gospel or message of HOPE and redemption for mankind is a reality that is readily available to anyone who will believe in Him.

Jesus is addressed "Lord and Savior" by any professing Christian in the world today. Anyone who is brought up in the Christian faith know that Jesus is Lord and the Savior of the world from sin and death. 

However, there is a very interesting twist in the development of "modern christianity"  that led to the belief that Mary, Jesus Christ's mother, has also officially become the "mother of God" because Jesus is also God.

This was the teaching that I grew up with while holding on to Catholicism. Majority in the catholic world have a special devotion to Mary as the mother of God since the Roman Church established this particular dogma of Mary, Mother of God.

According to CatholicDoors.com, "

Church Tradition reveals to us that the faithful of the Catholic Church, from the days of its birth, have always believed that Mary was the Mother of God. Because of this belief that existed during the first centuries of the Church, the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus (431 A.D) proclaimed the dogma of Mary, Mother of God."

Although traditions are a part of the life we live while on this earth, I strongly believe that there is a need for us to search Scripture and study directly from God's Word in order to TEST and PROVE if the traditions handed down to us are really in-line with God's Truth.

So, what is really the TRUTH about Mary's role and title in life? It is imperative that we will find the answer to the question, "Is MARY the Mother of God?"

Worship, Honor & Glory to Mary

Growing up in a Catholic culture, I have always been taught that the role Mary plays in the Catholic Church is very special. She is esteemed as one who is able to hear the prayers of many catholic faithful. She is honored, adored, revered, venerated (or worshipped) as the Queen of Heaven because the Roman Catholic Church has also taught that she was assumed to heaven and was crowned to be the queen of heaven alongside her Son and God the Father. There are devotions to the Mary of the Catholic Church and these devotions are vast and vary widely within the Church's faithful. 

The myriad of prayers offered to Mary by the Catholic faithful is evidence of the deep veneration, honor and glory given to her as the "Mother of God". Her role has been elevated to not only being the mother of Jesus on earth, but she has also now become the mother of God Almighty. Her deification in the Catholic realm is something that most catholics do not really ponder about. It seems to be natural and a given for anyone born into a Catholic family to be brought up believing that Mary CAN and indeed hear the prayers of billions across the world and that she can help the many souls who run to her for assistance. 

Many catholics do not see anything wrong with praying to her as someone who is able to answer prayers of billions of souls across the world. I know that first-hand as I once was a Catholic myself. The upbringing of a person in a catholic culture allows one to embrace fully what the Catholic church teaches about Mary. She is easily loved by billions of souls as their Co-Mediatrix and the Mother of their God.

A careful look into these beliefs, though, must lead us to seek for more answers if one would want to be fully standing on God's TRUTH and not just handed-down traditions. For example, many catholics do not really think twice about Mary's ability to hear ALL of the prayers sent by billions of people across the globe. If she does, there is only one way she can do so... be as OMNIPRESENT & OMNISCIENT as God Himself! But catholics refuse to believe that Mary has been deified by the church. There is still that place of shadows where things aren't really as clear as they should be for everyone to understand and that they will leave it as it is and take whatever the Magisterium of the Roman Church teaches as Truth.

But does the Mary of the Bible really deserve the honor, glory and worship that the Catholic church gives to her? Is she really the Mother of God who is now a co-mediator, able to hear every prayer and help every soul in need who calls to her? Must we really hold her up as the "Queen of Heaven," the "most gracious Mother of God"?

Let us dive into God's Word for the answers...

I. The explanation of the Catholic Church

If we look at this explanation from this angle alone, we can indeed see the seemingly logical flow which will result to the conclusion that Mary is the "Mother of God". According to the Catholic church, since Mary is the mother of Jesus and Jesus is truly God, then Mary is the mother of God.

Although we see scriptures here to supposedly support the three arguments that will conclude to Mary being the mother of God, we MUST test it against God's Word and see if these were really so.

Let's search and study God's Word for this, shall we?


#1 Mary, the mother of Jesus

There's never a question that the young virgin named Mary was the one chosen by God to be the vessel for His only begotten Son. Years before this event even took place, prophets of old had already prophesied of the virgin birth of the One who will save His people from sin and death.

The gospels were clear that it was Mary, the descendant of David from Nathan's lineage (see Luke 3) who was the one chosen by God Almighty to be the vessel of His incarnate Word. His eternal plan for the salvation and redemption of humankind was fulfilled in the virgin birth of Jesus through Mary.

It doesn't take a scientist for us to acknowledge that any woman who carries a baby inside her womb for nine months and gives birth to that baby is the biological MOTHER of that child. A MOTHER can also be a mother through adoption, but Mary's motherhood came by the work of God through her. She was and is the mother of the mortal and fully human Jesus that she carried for nine months in her womb, as well as gave birth physically. 

Have you ever asked why Jesus had to be born of a VIRGIN birth? Well, because humanity has already fallen since Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and sin and death entered the world through one man (Romans 5:12). Many stumble upon the truth of Jesus the Son of God becoming fully human because of this particular truth, that ALL have sinned. How can a HOLY, HOLY, HOLY God be born of sinful flesh? 

There is honesty in that question because Scripture tells us that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)! Since God's Word is truth (John 17:17), then Mary and Joseph were sinners as well. 

They both were under the same curse that the ENTIRE HUMAN RACE was under after the fall. ALL, EVERYBODY, EACH HUMAN BEING fell short of the glory of God because of sin.

Mary was very much aware of her own sinful nature, and it is because of this that she acknowledged how GREAT & MIGHTY a work GOD is going to do through her when the angel Gabriel told her of God's will. Her own words show us what she understood to be TRUTH in her life...

46And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

48For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

49For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

(Luke 1, KJV)

Mary responded to her cousin Elizabeth with a very REVEALING STATEMENT that God was and REMAINS her SAVIOR. The word "Saviour" in its original form literally means "a deliverer." This truth must resonate in us because sin and death is a reality for ALL OF US, including Mary's, and she acknowledged God to be her SAVIOUR, because she KNOWS and understands that she needs REDEMPTION from the wages of SIN which is death.

She has understood that it was God's sovereign Grace to look upon HER despite her "low estate" and to do great things through her. She described herself as having a "LOW ESTATE," which is the greatest evidence of how she understood her fallen state. 

The term "low estate" that Mary used was actually ταπείνωσις, εως, ἡ (tapeinósis), which literally means inner lowliness describing the person who depends on the Lord rather than self. It is spiritual abasement or "humiliation". Metaphorically, it lead her to perceive and lament her (moral) littleness and guilt. Mary was greatly humbled by the fact that even with her  fallen state, God chose her to be the vessel of God's fulfillment of prophecy!

Mary was a virgin who never had a sexual relationship with a man before. She asked the same question when she replied to Gabriel, "How can this be?" But let's take a look at the angel Gabriel's response to her...

"And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35)

It is very interesting to see that the angel Gabriel explained to Mary how it will become possible that she will bear a child WITHOUT any sexual relationship with a man (because human nature calls for BOTH a man and a woman to be united physically in the sexual act in order to procreate)... and so he said, "the POWER of the HIGHEST shall OVERSHADOW THEE."

It is not based on biblical truth that the Holy Spirit had to go through a form of physical/biological union with the virgin Mary in order to have "made" the baby Jesus. This is a heresy that is taught by some religion today! 

Scripture tells us that it is through the POWER of God Most High that shall "OVERSHADOW" Mary that will bring forth the possibility of the Son of God to be placed in her womb. I love to do root word studies and just to share with you... "overshadow" here in the root word means 'to envelope'. Scholars present that this overshadowing "brings about God's deliberate wisdom into the scene. It is the immutable aspect of God's plan – purposefully arranging all physical circumstances, which guarantees every scene of life works to His eternal purpose. It is "God's immutable will for physical circumstances.""

Now, as the angel Gabriel explained to Mary, God's sovereign POWER is going to be what makes God's plan possible. Because of the virgin birth, Jesus Christ never had the taint or curse of SIN in him (Hebrews 4:15) as he wasn't born out of the sexual union of a man and a woman. Is there any passage in Scripture that can show us of what God has done in Mary's womb? Well, there is a very beautiful truth written in Hebrews 10... 

1For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again madeof sins every year. 4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

5Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

6In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

7Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) 

to do thy will, O God.

If Jesus was formed from the biology of Mary, the flesh of Mary is under the curse of sin and so Jesus would have been born in sin as well. But this wasn't the case as we see here. In verse 5, Jesus said that God has PREPARED A BODY for Him and that He came to do the will of God.

Is it possible that when the power of God most High overshadowed Mary, He arranged for a body to be formed in the womb of a virgin? It is untainted by the curse of sin because it was not created out of the biological make-up of Mary and Joseph! Read Luke 1:35 again, and you will see that the angel Gabriel even described the baby as "THAT HOLY THING which shall be born..." 

Remember, that Scripture tells us THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO NOT ONE (Romans 3:10). This is because of the sin that entered through one man. But the body of the baby in Mary's womb, the angel Gabriel described as a "HOLY THING." Why? Because it never had the unrighteousness that ran through all of mankind. The flesh which bears flesh is carnal and is destined for death. 

The body that God prepared for the Lord Jesus was formed NOT out of the biological processes that occur when an ovum is fertilized by a male sperm, but it is out of the POWER and OVERSHADOWING OF GOD ON HIGH! Impossible, you say? Well, the angel Gabriel said it once to a perplexed young virgin who asked, "How can that be?"... and he told her... "With God nothing is impossible." (Luke 1:37)

It is undeniable that Mary is the mother of Jesus, who is the baby that was in her womb. It was through her that the virgin birth became fulfilled. Her faith made her obey and walk on even when her eyes cannot see the possibility of the message of Gabriel in the human realm! Her response testifies of her humble obedience to the sovereign power and might of the God Almighty, and her utmost joy to have found favor in the eyes of her God.

Now Mary carried the baby Jesus in her womb for 9 months and gave birth to him physically. Does this officially make her the mother of GOD? We will continue to seek for God's Truth from His Word in the next part of this series on MARY: The Mother of Jesus or The Mother of God?

Who Is Your Teacher?

I have recently come to a point in life where the Word of God is again magnified much more than I had allowed it to be in my personal Christian walk. So much of my Christianity and the doctrines of faith that I have come to uphold were taught of me by preachers and bible teachers who I was given the privilege to sit under their teachings.

I always thank the Lord for the bulk of godly men who are preaching from the Word and are preaching the true biblical gospel message of Christ. They all were used by God greatly to help me mature in my walk. 

However, there was one truth that I had overlooked all these years that I've been professing to be a follower of Christ. I have not taken heed of the admonition of the apostles Paul and John to test everything against Scripture and to search Scripture to see if these things taught to me were really so.

All the years that I lived my Christian life, I've never come to a daily practice of TESTING everything against the Word of God. I've been accustomed to sit under a preaching and take things hook, line and sinker! I was always confidently convinced that unless it was really an obviously false gospel (like the one coming from a Word of Faith teacher or a Prosperity Gospel preacher), the teachings of most pastors will always bring an uncorrupted message. 

The gospel message is the most critical message a person should get unadulterated! I strongly believe now that it is for one's GENUINE salvation that one should HEAR from the Truth in God's Word in order to have faith on the Grace that is freely given to us through Christ Jesus. The journey with the Lord begins with this crucial message of Hope. But not all of Christianity today preach about the TRUE message of the gospel. 

Having been exposed to Christianity through an evangelical community in the past, my mind has always been made up that those who pray the sinner's prayer attained the Grace and salvation that is in Christ. It wasn't until God was maturing me in my walk with Him that He showed me the errors of that practice, and I came to realize that it was opposed to what the Word of God calls sinners to do--to repentance. I had a false profession in the past but God led me from that erroneous path into the path of Truth in Repentance.

Majority of western Christianity today has accepted this easy belief system where a person can say a sinner's prayer during a pastor's altar call and will then be welcomed into the "family of God." There was no call to repentance, to turning away from sin, to counting the cost of following Christ! Everything was fire insurance... trying to make you believe that one is going to heaven because one has uttered the prayer and that nothing can ever separate the person from God's love now that he/she is "saved"... not considering the fact that so many professing Christians today show NO SIGN of regeneration at all!!! So many STILL love this world that God has supposedly taken them out of!

Yet, it wasn't just the easy altar call... it wasn't just the Sinner's prayer that God brought me to see the error. Time after time God brings me to a point in my life when He magnifies His Word so much that I can't help but see the error in whatever counterfeit or erroneous "christian" belief I've held on to. 

Lately, He's done it again. God has challenged the view of end-time events that I've always been taught and I've always accepted to be true. It is a pivotal moment because the change of view that He's allowed me to have led me to truly COUNT THE COST of following the Lord Jesus! It has allowed me to have my profession of faith in check, as well as keep me standing strong in the Faith with which I have.

Let me share this passage in Scripture...

26These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. (1 John 2:26-27, KJB)

God has clearly said in His Word that we have this anointing in us that teaches us ALL things and IS TRUTH, and is no lie. Every true believer and follower of Christ receives the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon his/her salvation which leads one into all truths. We are sealed by His Spirit and this anointing is what will TEACH US of all things. God said that in the new covenant HE will teach us His precepts... and that we will no longer have the need for another man to teach us because GOD will be our teacher!

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)

Oh, how we've neglected this Word from the Lord today! So many out there... and God's Word calls them "seducers"... are out to convince you that you STILL need someone to teach you about things and that you STILL need to have someone help you to understand the bigger picture! Many in Christianity today are TOTALLY DEPENDENT on the teachings of another mortal being! 

We have become a people that so easily and eagerly follow whatever teacher that would present themselves to be WISE and REALLY KNOWLEDGEABLE of the things written down in God's Word. Many today simply open their Bibles on Sundays during the reading of God's Word for that day and for the rest of the week leave the Holy Writ to gather dust at one corner in the house!

HOW can GOD teach us if we never even bother to SIT DOWN BEFORE HIM AND LEARN FROM HIS TRUTH IN HIS WORD? We have been listening to SEDUCERS all this time and have taken all of their teachings hook, line and sinker!!!

I would encourage everyone to sit down and spend time studying Scripture. I would encourage us to RETURN TO THE TRUTH IN GOD'S WORD AND LEARN FROM HIM and not from somebody else. These are critical times we are living in and Jesus warns of a great "falling away" of many. He spoke of the love of many growing cold and brethren betraying one another because of becoming OFFENDED.

I will soon post about my change of view on End-time events and I pray that you will sit with the King himself and allow the anointing in you to teach you of all things. HE WILL TEACH YOU IF YOU LET HIM. HE WILL SHOW YOU IF YOU WILL NOT COME FILLED BY THE TEACHINGS OF SEDUCING SPIRITS. He will teach you into ALL TRUTH!

The Proud and the Humble at Heart

Pride of Self

Pride is perhaps the most important issue that all of us should overcome in this life. The Bible tells us that God opposes the proud (James 4:6)! So, we must understand that there is something we need to do with the pride in our hearts in order to be right with God.

Pride is defined by Bing.com as the feeling of superiority and the satisfaction with self. We have to understand that this definition is TRUE for what every person has in his and her heart. No matter how much we try to deny it or sugar coat it, Pride is something that is a part of the human nature.

Most people would probably deny that they have any pride in their hearts because most of us view being PROUD as an act of "boasting." However, if we look at the above definition of the word "Pride," we ought to realize that it doesn't necessarily mean the act of "boasting" as boasting is to speak with excessive pride.

The mere act of being satisfied with ourselves is Pride itself! The idea that we are satisfied with where we are in life right now and what we have done so far is quite a dangerous thing to have. Being satisfied with the life we have here and now, without thinking of eternal consequences is a dangerous thing. Being satisfied with our efforts at religiosity and piety is a very dangerous thing to have in this life as this satisfaction leads us away from realizing our great NEED for Christ. And the very fact that we are satisfied with our SELF and NOT with CHRIST, is a grave danger for our soul.

Pride before the fall

The Bible talks a LOT about the proud. There isn't anything good that comes with it. Every verse in Scripture that points out Pride is pretty much telling us that it leads to destruction in the end.

"A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit." (Proverbs 29:23, KJV)

"The pride of your heart has deceived you..." (Obadiah 1:3)

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." 

(Proverbs 16:18)

Pride leads to nothing but destruction. How so? Because pride deceives us into believing the lie of SELF-SUFFICIENCY. 

Pride allows us to believe in OUR abilities, in OUR good works, in OUR religiosity, in OUR achievements and in the power of SELF. Pride blinds us from the truth of our depravity and the truth of our great need for a Savior. Pride also hinders us from actively seeking Christ because anything we do that shows our acknowledging Christ's superiority will be a sign of inferiority--the exact opposite of the mind setting of the Proud.

God is opposed to the proud because it denies the Grace that He so freely gave through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. God is opposed to the proud because it denies the TRUTH found in His Word that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He is opposed to the proud because it denies that JESUS CHRIST is the ONLY Way, Truth and Life any person can have in this life. 

Destruction awaits the proud of heart because the Bible tells us that the wages of our sin is DEATH. This death is not just the physical death we all are destined to face, but also the spiritual death that sends a soul into eternal torment in the lake of fire, separated from the Grace and Holiness of God.

Many today would rather cling to the pride of life rather than humble themselves before the throne of Grace. Why? Because the proud harbors the fear of man in their hearts. 

Contrary to the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, the fear of Man brings a snare to one's life (Prov. 29:25). It allows one to cling tightly to the idea of superiority and self-satisfaction which gives one the fear of rejection by other people. It breeds the fear of ridicule from others who are also self-sufficiently proud. 

The mind-set of the proud makes him or her think about other people's opinions more than what the Truth in the Word of God says. 

"What will others say about me?" 

"What will they think of me if I follow Christ?" 

These are the constant thoughts of those chained down by Pride.

The proud has the world revolving around THEM. They would always have the world for their audience and refuse to SUBMIT to the most important audience of ONE who is before the throne. Many would rather cling to what family, friends and society would dictate today, rather than HEED what the Word of God says.

Humility & Healing

The human nature is broken. It is in our carnality that sin abounds and death reigns. But there is healing available for those who are WILLING to accept the cure in CHRIST JESUS. He himself said, "Ye MUST be born again."

Humility takes A LOT of courage. It takes a LOT of courage to be humble enough to accept the fact that we are LOST and UTTERLY DEPRAVED apart from the Grace of God in Christ Jesus. Humility calls for courage to run AGAINST the flow. Humility calls for the courage to stand up when everyone else remains seated. Humility calls for the courage to come forward FOR CHRIST, when the rest of the world mock and scoff at the sideline. 

The woman in Mark chapter 5 who suffered from a bleeding disorder for years laid down her defenses and touched the hem of Jesus' clothes just so she can be healed. When Jesus asked who touched Him, she mustered all the courage to come forward from amidst the crowd and fell down before Him. She became the center of attention, but it didn't matter to her. She could become the subject of mockery and scoffing for as a woman she was NOT supposed to touch Jesus in the first place, but she risked all that knowing that HEALING can only come from CHRIST.

HUMILITY brings us to the throne of Grace... to that point in time when we accept our depravity apart from Christ. Humility brings us to that place of obedience where we submit ourselves to the FULL Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Is Pride keeping you from running to the throne of Christ's Grace today? Is Pride deceiving you greatly into thinking you can work your own salvation? Is Pride deceiving you into believing the lies that God's Word cannot be the absolute Truth?

Humble yourselves before the LORD JESUS, beloved... this is the way that God accepts...

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." (Psalm 51:17, KJV)

He does not oppose the humble at heart, but rather gives them the Grace they need for the moment. Are you afraid to come to Christ because of what others might say? Are you afraid to come forward during a church fellowship to acknowledge your need for Christ because of what you think others may think? Destroy that Pride in your heart, dear one... before it destroys you in the end.

:) Here's a bumper sticker to remind us all that...

New Year's Recipe to SUCCESS!

New Year Resolutions
Aaah... it's a new year again. 2012 has gone by in a flash and we're now starting fresh with 2013. But then again, are we really?

Studies have found out that people set a LOT of goals around the New Year's celebration and many still stick to the practice of making a New Year's resolution. In fact, a study shows that 40 to 45 percent of American adults make one or more resolutions each year. 

Well, it's no wonder that notes to self for the fresh year will (again) be posted up on a wall or the fridge. We all get excited as we set out anew with our personal goals. The list can range from diet and exercise, to financial strategies, to keeping life simple and resolutions to a happier lifestyle.

Made to be broken
Whatever it is that we put in our list, New Year resolutions will always affect the way we live in the first couple of months of the year. Yep! You read that right. Just the first couple months. You see, studies also show that just like many promises, most of these resolutions are actually made to be broken. We all start strong but pretty much wane along the way. Research has it that people spend six to eight weeks on average before giving up on their resolutions!

I've come across an article that tried to explain why we fail greatly at keeping with our New Year's resolutions. Interestingly, the writer presents the evidence to be this:

This is the scientific explanation for why most people who make New Year's resolutions don't succeed, in a nutshell: the brain wasn't designed to do so. Apparently, we are hard-wired to resist change; it is built into our human nature. The harsh truth is that everything inside you will fight improvement; that is our physical, biological make-up.

So, with all that scientific reasoning of why we fail to keep our resolutions, what was the article author's final conclusion? He said, 

So why are we so bad at keeping New Year's resolutions? Part of it is human nature, but I'm convinced that the other part of it is that we experience resolutions as a kind of wishing. We have a daydream of what we desire to be in the future, and we hope, rather than will, that we get there. The difference is that the former requires a genie; the other requires that we stop looking for a magic carpet, find a map, and start walking to our destination.

Ingredients: A will and a roadmap!
I agree with the article's author. Most of us remain daydreamers of the good life and are merely wishful thinkers of the better life we all wanted to achieve. We simply lack the WILL to "get there."

Now, don't get me wrong. There are a LOT of people out there who are very good at keeping their goals and achieving what they want to have and be in life. A closer look in their lives, though, would reveal that they are successful because of the two ingredients mentioned--WILL and some sort of MAP!

Let's take a closer look into those main ingredients to success, shall we?

The BEST roadmap to life

If we really would sit and ponder about our resolutions we'd soon realize that each of them has something to do with improving the life we have HERE ON EARTH. We all want the better and happier life while on THIS SIDE of eternity. Yet, we all know that our pursuit of happiness and success here on earth is spiced up with all matters of troubles and tribulations. So, is there any hope for us at all to really attain that happiness we all constantly pursue? 

Well, let me share to you the BEST map for it all...

"1My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

2For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

3Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; 

write them upon the table of thine heart:

4So shalt thou find favour and good understanding 

in the sight of God and man.

5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; 

and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

7Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

8It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

9Honour the LORD with thy substance, 

and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

10So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

(Proverbs 3:1-10, KJV)

It doesn't take a scientist to figure that out. God's Words are simple and easy to understand. They are very easy to follow, too... BUT, (let's put the but here...) there's the second ingredient that is a requirement for success. The WILL to follow the roadmap laid out before us.

The WILL of the matter...

The question then boils down to this:

Are YOU willing to SUBMIT to God and do things HIS WAY 

when it comes to the pursuit of happiness and success?

The result will depend on your honest answer to that question. The roadmap is there, and all you need is your UTMOST WILLINGNESS to submit to His ways. Are YOU up for it? Remember, it ain't that easy because you aren't really WIRED for change and submission to authority.

Want some helpful hints for this new year's road to success? Here they are:

"The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (Romans 8:7)

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. " (1 Corinthians 2:14)

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:6)

"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)

And here are some helpful hints that will make the success go beyond this short-lived life on earth... here's to make it last for ALL ETERNITY...

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

" If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." 

(Matthew 19:21)

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." 

(Matthew 6:19-21)

Want to get to where you want to be this New Year 2013 and beyond? 
God's Word gives us the roadmap! Do you have the WILL to follow Him?