Pinapagana ng Blogger.
RSS
Container Icon

THE HEALING LOVE OF GOD




Today I want to start off with a question. Have you ever experienced pain or hurt in your life that you can really say that it is so unbearable that no one can ever say that they know what you’ve been through? It can be emotional, physical, mental pain or a life threatening illness. But pain in life is inevitable. We should accept this fact. All of us have through pain one way or the other. Did you know that from all the pain that you have been through there is a deep seated root cause? It is one  of the most awful experience that a person can experience. This is what we call REJECTION. This is very painful because all of us want to be accepted. We could never underestimate the potential damage of rejection in a person’s life. This could damage a person’s life. It is said in Proverbs 16:13, A broken heart crushes the spirit. A person who has undergone pain is experiencing shame, depression, discouragement and giving up easily. Believe it or not, rejection is so potent that is like a poison.

At early stage where a child is still in his mother’s womb, he can already feel rejected. I would like to speak to all the parents to be careful in the way we talk or say a word to our child, even in the womb, because this can impact their whole being as they grow up. Be aware of the hurtful words or things you do to your child because we will never know how these can affect him as a person. For instance, the father was expecting a baby boy but then the ultrasound shows a girl. The father would be disappointed. But little did the father know that his child felt rejected at that moment. More, so when the baby is born. When the parent realize that the baby does not look like mother or the baby has a big nose and anything that the family did not expect. As parents, we should be careful not to let our children rejected by letting them feel that their sibling is daddy’s girl or mommy’s boy. This will make the other siblings feel rejected or inferior.
This will greatly affect how they will look at themselves in the future. In our growing up years, we may fail to realize this fact but somehow or the other we have experienced rejection in our lives that impacted the way we feel about ourselves. It will also affect our attitude, the way we look at life and the way we decide. People can feel so much stress when they are rejected. This can also lead to broken relationships. Rejection can also make you rebellious.
 
All of us feel pain or hurt in our lives but there is one powerful truth. Even if you gather all the negative thoughts and feeling of rejection in the world it will be all melted by the love of God, the healing love of God. You can never really  be free from pain until you know this freeing revelation that only GOD can heal and touch your rejected and broken heart. No medicine, advice and counseling can ever heal. Only the love of God can heal the pain.
 
There are many characters in the Bible who feel seriously rejected and all of them had this amazing transformation the moment they encounter God’s love. The first example is the Samaritan woman who is fetching water in John chapter 4. She is disliked by the people around her, that is why she is fetching water at high noon where the sun is at its hottest. But when she had an encounter with Jesus she felt that she is accepted by the way she is. Jesus accepted her as she was. From then on she has become the servant of the Lord. Another one is named Zaccheus, a tax collector. When Jesus saw him, He accepted him and Zaccheus felt the love and acceptance of God right there and then. He repented and changed and committed his life for the LORD. The next example is the Adulterous woman. The people want to throw stones at her. Jesus came to her rescue and asked her accusers to throw the first rock, that is  if the have not sinned at all. One by one her accusers flee. Jesus had touched this woman’s life and He told her that she is not condemned so He asked her to sin no more. The last one is Bartimaeus, the blind man. He was shouting Jesus’ name and asked for healing. But the people around him commanded him to keep quiet. Still, Bartimaeus shouted for Jesus’ help. But he was heard by Jesus and accepted him for who he is and he was  healed.

With God all things are possible. God can touch you wherever you are if you just have this willing and open heart for Him. Only the healing love of God can cure your deepest hurt, pain and suffering. No one knows our pain better than our God who formed us with His own image and likeness. God knows the times when you are crying yourself to sleep or when you are crying and hurting  feeling that you are alone. All the more God feels your pain. He knows our pain. He even feels our pain but on top of it all, only God can heal our hurts and pain. If we could just open our heart and pour out ourselves to the Lord and allow Him to heal us fully, then we can experience the magnificent healing of God’s Love.    
  

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

What Does the Bible Say About Ghosts?


 

Are There Really Ghosts in the Bible?

"Do you believe in ghosts?"
Most of us heard that question when we were children, especially around Halloween, but as adults we don't give it much thought.
Are there ghosts in the Bible? The term itself appears, but what it means can be confusing. In this brief study, we'll look at what the Bible says about ghosts, and what conclusions we can draw from our Christian beliefs.

Ghosts in the Bible: When Jesus Looked Like a Ghost

Jesus' disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, but he was not with them. Matthew tells us what happened:

Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."(Matthew 14:25-27, NIV)
Mark and Luke report the same incident. The gospel writers give no explanation of the word ghost. It's interesting to note that the King James Version of the Bible, published in 1611, uses the term "spirit" in this passage, but when the New King James Version came out in 1982, it translated the term back to "ghost." Most other later translations, including the NIV, ESV, NASB, Amplified, Message, and Good News use the word ghost in this verse.

After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples. Again they were terrified:
They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." (Luke 24:37-39, NIV)
Jesus did not believe in ghosts; he knew the truth, but his superstitious apostles had bought into that folk tale. When they encountered something they couldn't understand, they immediately assumed it was a ghost.
The matter is further blurred when, in some older translations, "ghost" is used instead of "spirit." The King James Version refers to the Holy Ghost, and in John 19:30 says,
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
 
The New King James Version translates ghost to spirit, including all references to the Holy Spirit.

Ghosts in the Bible: Samuel, a Ghost, or Something Else?

Something ghostly did turn up in an incident described in 1 Samuel 28:7-20. King Saul was preparing to do battle against the Philistines, but the LORD had departed from him. Saul wanted to get a prediction on the outcome of the battle, so he consulted a medium, the witch of Endor. He ordered her to call up the spirit of Samuel the prophet.
A "ghostly figure" of an old man appeared, and the medium was startled. The figure scolded Saul, then told him he would not only lose the battle, but also his life and the lives of his sons.
Scholars are split over what the apparition was. Some say it was a demon, a fallen angel, impersonating Samuel. They note that it came up out of the earth instead of down from heaven, and that Saul did not actually look at it. Saul had his face to the ground. Other experts feel God intervened and did cause Samuel's spirit to manifest itself to Saul.

To put the ghost controversy in perspective, it's important to understand the Bible's teaching on life after death. Scripture says when people die, their spirit and soul immediately go to heaven or hell. We do not wander about the earth:

Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8, NLT) So-called ghosts are demons posing as dead people. Satan and his followers are liars, intent on spreading confusion, fear, and distrust of God. If they can convince mediums, like the woman at Endor, that they actually communicate with the dead, those demons can lure many away from the true God: ...in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. (2 Corinthians 2:11, NIV)

The Bible tells us that a spiritual realm does exist, invisible to human eyes. It is populated by God and his angels, Satan, and his fallen angels, or demons. Despite the claims of unbelievers, there are no ghosts wandering about the earth. The spirits of deceased humans inhabit one of two places: heaven or hell.




Source: http://christianity.about.com
            Author: Jack Zavada

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

THIS IS LOVE

What to tell the world about God’s Love

Let me start this talk about the life of an author, evangelist and a preacher by the person of D.I. Moody. This man I am talking about  is happen to be a man of God. Some of us may wonder as to why God has used him mightyly. The answer is, because he is a person  who is fully surrendered to the Lord. He has compassion to save the lost. He also has the entire freedom from the love of money, which enables him to  love the people and let them know they need God. Then a realization came into me, that if a church loves, then it is powerful. We all should thank God for the music, preaching, for the blessings and everything. But we must all keep in mind that without love we cannot do anything at all. You can easily forgive if you when you are overflowing with the love of God.When you easily forgive you become much happier.

Today let me give you an idea about the 3 characteristics of God’s Love.

11.       God’s Love is Faithful
Let me tell you this, whatever your situation is, the Lord loves you still. The bible says in Isaiah 54:10 (ERV) “ the mountains may disappear, and the hills may become dust, but  my faithful love will never leave you. I will make peace with you, and it will never end.” The Lord who loves you said this. In our journey as christians there will come a point in our live wherein we just feel coldness, as if God’s warmth is absent. In these times, we must have to turn back to God instead of going away from Him. If you know how faithful God’s love is, you need not suffer anymore.

Even if you feel like everyone around you hates you, just remember this beautiful truth, that tha love of God for you is forever faithful. “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and conmfort me.” Psalm 23:4 (NLT). From there I will give back her vineyards to her, and turn the “Valley of Trouble” in to an “Opportunity for Hope”. There she will sing as she did when she was young, when she came up from the land of Egypt. Hosea 2:15 (NET)

22.       God’s Love conquers
We are all victorious! Romans 8:35-37 (NLT) states, Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s Love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? As the scriptures say, “ for your sake we are killedevery day; we are being slaughtered like sheep,. No despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 36-37.

In this verse, Paul the aplostle, is telling us that we should not be shaken. Because in his life no matter how hard his troubles were, he stands firm for he knows that the love of God conquers it all. Revelation 1:5 (ERV) says, and from Jesus Christ. Jesus is the faithful witness. He is first among all who will be raised from death. He is the ruler of the kings of the earth. 1 John 4:18 (NLT) states, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows, that we have not fully experienced His perfect Love.

33.       God’s Love is for All
We are all included in God’s Love, no one is exempted. Psalm 145:9 (NLT) says, “The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all His creation. Knowing this we should be confident that te Lord our God loves us no matter what. Even if you are or you have been a drug addict, liar, gambler, robber, and wretched, still the Lord loves us equally the same. All we have to do is to learn to depend on His Love.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

THE POWER TO BLESS




Did you know that God blessed each of us with power? And this is the power to bless. To bless is God’s business. And God is looking for business partner. He wants to have you as His partner in blessing others. The reason why god is blessing us is for us to be a channel of blessing to others. And whoever it is you bless, God will also bless them.

In the Bible there is a commandment for us to bless. It is stated in the Bible, Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it! No misfortune is in His plan for Jacob; no trouble is in store for Israel. For the Lord their God is with them; He has been proclaimed their king. Numbers 23:20-21 (NLT). It clearly stated that we should bless not curse. And whenever the Lord blesses, it is irrevocable, unstoppable and not even hell can take it away from you. This is the power of truth that we have because we know God.

But even if we know these for a fact, we have the tendency to still curse and say bad words. In Proverbs 18:21 it is said, “ Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And those who love it will eat its fruit.”
We have the power to bless indeed but how can we practice it and apply it in our daily lives? Let me give you three ways on how you can apply your power to bless. You can bless others through:

11.       WORDS
We should use our words to give encouragement and uplifting words. Use our words to give appreciations to the people around us. To appreciate this better, let me site a short story of a duke.  The duke once had a dream that all his teeth fell off. Bothered by his peculiar dream, he demanded that someone must interpret it for him. So there came a scholar and boldly  told the duke about his interpretation. The scholar said that all of his relative will die and he will left alone. Horrified  by the thought of it, the duke ordered his guards to kill the scholar. Knowing what had happened, the people did not want to even try to interpret the dream. One day a common man was brave enough to try. The duke took the chance and listened to the interpretation. The man said it like this, “Duke, you will have the longest life among your relatives that is why you will be the last one to die. The duke was very happy and accepted the man’s interpretation of his dream.

In the story, it is clearly portrayed that we can say something in different ways. It might have the same meaning but the choices of words are very important to establish a good conclusion. We have the ability to complain, to curse, or say negative things but let us keep in mind that we have also the power to bless using our words.

22.       ACTIONS
We can also bless others through our act of giving. We can be a blessing by simply being present in someone’s situation. Like visiting a sick friend in the hospital, giving gestures of approval is also powerful to communicate what we feel towards others. Sometimes, we don’t even have to say a word, just our actions, gestures and presence are enough to bless others.

33.       FACE
God created us to be able to say what we feel through our facial expressions. Our facial expressions could be a blessing or a curse. Giving someone a happy face, lighten up their feelings. A smiley face can brighten up your day. God makes our faces creatively expressive so that we can use it to bless others. Let us always use our words, actions and face to bless not to curse.
Let me proceed in giving you three things that you can bless or curse.

11.       PEOPLE
Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. Luke 6:28 (NLT). You just have to know that you have the power to bless. We are commanded to  bless those who curse us. It is stated in Romans 12:14 (NLT), “Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.”

22.       SITUATION
Whatever our situation is, it’s up to us to either bless or curse it. Believe it or not, you can use your words to change your situation instead of complaining “why me?” or “why am I in this situation?”, you should say, “Thank you Lord for entrusting me this kind of situation and for your confidence in me that I can be able to surpass this circumstance. Thank you Lord.”

33.       NEEDS
We have the power to bless or curse our needs. Whatever that need may be, may it be spiritual, financial, or relational, just bless it and the Lord will bless it for you.
In life we have choices. It’s up to us to curse and be miserable or to use our power to bless and always be in God’s abiding presence.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

BLESSED OF THE LORD




Do you believe that you are blessed by God? It is very important to know that we are blessed by God, we are being blessed by God, and we will be blessed by God. Jeremiah 17:7 clearly defines what blessed means.  Being blessed is for those who put their trust and confidence in God. Sometimes even if we are already believers, we fail to put our trust and confidence solely to the Lord. Now, ask yourself to whom are you putting your trust to? In your business, bank book, or relationship? The Bible tells us that those who put their trust and confidence in the Lord are the ones who are truly blessed. They are like trees planted along the river bank and they do not worry in the year of drought. Their leaves remain green and they continue to bear fruit.

It is hard to look for something you do not know. Recognize the characteristic of someone that do not have the blessings of God. One is being quick tempered. If you have already experienced the blessings of the Lord, you will not be hot headed; rather you will be warm-hearted and cool headed. Negativity is also a characteristics of people who do not have the blessings of the God. They always look at the negative side of the people and life. If you are blessed, you won’t bother looking for the negative aspect of the things around you anymore. You will just see all the goodness in your situation and in the people around you.

Here are three manifestation of somebody who is blessed.


1. FRESH ALWAYS
Did you know that God does not give leftover blessings? The Bible tells us that the grace and mercy of God are fresh and new every morning. Our God is a God of freshness.

As I was reading the Bible, I noticed that there are a lot of verses that compare believers to plants like these:

They are like trees planted along the river bank, bearing fruits each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
                                                -Psalm 1:3 (NLT)

For they are transplanted the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still bear fruit; they will still remain vital and green.
-Psalm 92:13-14 (NLT)
Sometimes it is sad to see that we immerse ourselves in different things that take away our focus from God. There is the television, internet, modern gadgets and so much more that snatches our attention and consumes our time and effort. And we wonder why we are feeling dry or depressed. The Bible tells us that those who focus themselves in the Lord and those who immerse themselves in prayer are like the trees planted along the river bank wherein they will never be dry but remain healthy, green and bear fruits.
When you know you are blessed you won’t have to say a word. People around you will just  notice it because it is all over you. A person that is blessed by God is always fresh.


 2. FEARS NOTHING
When God blesses, it is irrevocable. You can stand out against anything because you know that the Lord has blessed you.. if our God is for us the what can stand against us? A person that God blessed fears nothing. Such people will not be overcome by evil.

Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear for bad news; they confidently trust in the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly.
                -Psalm 112:6-8

The greatest blessing that we could have in life is the love and favor of the Lord. We have to understand that being blessed by God should always reflect courage in our lives. Danger may be real but fear is a choice.

3    3. FRUITFULNESS
People who are blessed need not boast about it. They bear fruits and others witness that truth in their lives. For they are transplanted in the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will produce fruit; they will still remain vital and green.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS