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What Does the Bible Say About Ghosts?

11:31 PM |


 

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

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THIS IS LOVE

12:30 AM |

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.

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THE POWER TO BLESS

4:49 AM |




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.

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BLESSED OF THE LORD

11:36 PM |




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.

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BREAKTHROUGH BLESSING

11:10 PM |




Good luck is an expression we often hear other say whenever we have an important event in our lives. We hear them say, “Good luck on your first job interview” or “Good luck on your examination.” But we fail to realize that there is a much bigger word in the Bible, far better than good luck, and this is the word BLESSED. We need to focus our thinking in appreciating the blessings of the Lord more and more in our lives. We should be aware that our best effort, best talent, best strategy and best work are all nothing and useless without the Lord’s blessing. It is very important that we be grateful for the Lord’s blessing.

You may have all the money in the world, expensive cars, lots and houses, and all the material possessions any human can wish for but nevertheless you will still feel empty and lonely inside. But the good news is that God is offering a solution for your loneliness and emptiness. He is giving you the BLESSED FACTOR.

God’s Blessing is the reflection of His incredible love for His creations. Love always desires to bless the object of his affection. God wants to love us and bless us above all else.

Genesis 1:22 (NIV) God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”

In this verse God blessed the creatures of the sea, what more the object of His love which is YOU! God wants to bless us tremendously so that we could bless others. When it comes to blessings we should not keep it to ourselves. Blessings are meant to be shared. God is blessing you to bless others. He wants you to be His partner to bless and show is love to your neighbor, family and even a stranger. Blessed factor is living your life under the blessings of God.
Today,  I would just want to amend and give conviction to the BLESSED FACTORsubject. And in line with this we are going to talk about a topic called BREAKTHROUGH BLESSING.
Breakthrough simply means unblocking, unlocking and releasing the blessing of God. Just like a dam, full of water, opens its gates to let the water flow to the crops of the soil, God wants us to experience His blessings to the fullest, may it be material, spiritual or emotional. God’s blessing can change a person’s life. It can revive a church. And it can also transform a city or even a nation. The big question is, why are some people not experiencing the full potential of God’s blessing? 

In this note let me cover two points, just two points on how to unblock, unlock and release the full potential of God’s Blessing.
1.  

           INTENSE
Sometime God searches for people who are intense. Let us take a look at this passage in the Bible.

   -1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (NIV)

 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the Lord of Israel, “Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

We can see here that Jabez is going through a lot in this passage. Amazingly, people who are going through so much pain tend to pray intensely to the LORD. Jabez accepts a fact that without god’s blessing he cannot live. He did not take God’s blessing for granted. What he did was acknowledge it and asked God for it. Intense prayers, not just shallow prayers, are the ones God answers. As for me what I discovered is that every time your prayeris intense where your whole being is focused and involved, it changes you! And for me that is the big blessing indeed. You will become a changed person.

         CONSISTENT
When we say consistent it means that it is unchanging, continuous, reliable, truthful and conformable. Being true to what you say you will do also means you are being consistent. But the challenge really is, how to be consistent in applying God’s Word into our daily lives.
–Joshua 6:1-6 (NIV)
Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and      no one come in . 2 then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams‘ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets, 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.“ 6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven  priests carry trumpets in front of it “
At first we might think that nothing really is happening. But at the end God‘s promise will prevail. In life we have to learn to rely on God’s promise. We should also be consistent in reading and applying God’s word in our lives. God is so consistent that whatever He promises He will certainly do. Just keep on blessing, continue to bless until you get your break through blessing.

Let me end this with this short story from the Bible.

2Kings 5:10-14 (NIV)
10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” 11 But Naaman went away angry and said, ”I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage .13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed‘!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
   

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