God can still heal your sickness

Posted by Mike Lopez under Faith and Religion
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Aug 2004
30
06:09am


Are you sick? Do you have “ordinary” sickness? Or perhaps something worst like cancer? I just want to tell you one important thing: GOD CAN STILL HEAL YOUR SICKNESS. Here is a story from CBN.com that proves just that.

If you also know someone who needs God’s healing, then click the “E-mail this” link at the end of this article and send it to that person.

http://www.cbn.com/living/amazingstories/healing-marleneklepees.asp

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. - Isaiah 53:5

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. - 1 Peter 2:24



Learning to accept someone’s personality

Posted by Mike Lopez under Faith and Religion
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Aug 2004
29
11:33pm
I recently came to realize how much I’ve learned in accepting other people’s personalities. I used to be the type of guy who wants everybody to think like me - especially those who are with me in the house - more specifically my wife. I used to say, “Look at me, I’m happy because I do this and this and this…. You should be like me.” But then I grew spiritually and learned to accept people for as long as sin is not involved. In other words, I can learn to accept the criminal but not the crime because the crime is evil but the criminal is just the victim.

That’s why Jesus died for man - to save man and to overcome sin. Well, I guess I should just follow my Lord’s footsteps. But how did I learn about it?

First, I learned to accept that all men were created by God. Next, realizing that God is perfect, I came to understand that all of His creation - especially man - was crafted carefully by this perfect God. I find my self saying the Psalmist’s words, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” (Psalm 139:14). And if I was ferafully and wonderfully made, then so are other people. In doing this, I learned that by accepting other people’s personalities - no matter who they are - is analogous to giving respect to God. Ridiculing some other man’s personality is just like saying, “Mom, your soup tastes bad.” Wouldn’t that hurt?

What now? Well, I’m still in the process of learning and I’m decided to reach perfection - of course by the overflowing grace of my Creator.

God bless you all!


Five Ways God Uses Problems

Posted by Mike Lopez under Faith and Religion
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Aug 2004
29
08:43pm
By David Langerfeld

The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you - depending on how you respond to them. Unfortunately, most people fail to see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. They react foolishly and resent their problems rather than pausing to consider what benefit they might bring. Here are five ways God wants to use the problems in your life:

1. God uses problems to DIRECT you. Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get your attention? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

2. God uses problems to INSPECT you. People are like tea bags… if you want to know what’s inside them, just drop them into hot ever water! Has God tested your faith with a problem? What do problems reveal about you? “When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience.” James 1:2-3

3. God uses problems to CORRECT you. Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It’s likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something by losing it. “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” Psalm 119:72

4. God uses problems to PROTECT you. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. Last year a friend was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem - but it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later when management’s actions were eventually discovered. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” Genesis 50:20

5. God uses problems to PERFECT you. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you’re going to take with you into eternity. “We can rejoice when we run into problems… they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.” Romans 5:3-4

Here’s the point: God is at work in your life - even when you don’t recognize it or understand it. But it’s so much easier when you surrender to his plan for your life.

Thanks to my friend PV Beley for sharing with me this article. God bless you friend.


Lord, save me!!!

Posted by Mike Lopez under Faith and Religion
1 Comment
Aug 2004
27
12:10am
Let’s me start an imaginary scenario. Imagine, that you’re in a park, talking with your friend about life when all of a sudden, a bus runs out of control and heads straight towards you. In a split-second, you realize, this is it - there’s no way to run - and BANG! The bus hits you and you were thrown 20 yards away, dead. Morbid? Yes. Reality? Maybe. All people will die sooner or later. The question is, will you go to heaven? Or will you go to hell?

The next scene starts like this. You see yourself standing before the judgement throne of God. A loud voice - one that sounds like thunder - speaks, “Why should I let you in to my kingdom?” You struggle for an answer and came up with nothing. But you have to give an answer and so you say, “I go to church, I help the poor, I pray, I love my family, and so on and so forth.” Then God replies grimly, “throw this soul to hell.” With a flash, you see yourself amidst the flames of hell. You hear other souls shouting in pain, asking for mercy, begging for water but there was none. You hear many of them gnashing their teeth and wishing themselves to die but they won’t die - they can’t. They’re already dead.

Slowly, you feel the heat of burning sulfur. You smell a rotten scent in the air. You start seeing worms crawling up you. You then start hearing yourself shouting the same words that you heard the first time you entered hell. Oh yes, there’s no way out. If only you knew what to do before you died.

Now, is this reality? Maybe… Snap out of it and read this carefully.

All men have sinned and you cannot wash away your sins by doing good deeds. Because of that, all men will go to hell. Why? Because God is JUST. He judges accordingly every evil thing that we did. Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” That includes you, your priest, your pastor, your parents, your spouse, your kids, and me. Furthermore, the bible says in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death.” At this point, the bible is not referring to physical death for that is 100% certain unless God intervenes otherwise. Mostly, when the bible speaks of death - it speaks of hell. But if all have sinned, then who will go to heaven? Honestly, none is worthy and that’s why God deviced a divine plan for our salvation all the way from the beginning.

This plan involves His only begotten Son - Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ took the form of man to fulfill one important purpose - to die for the sins of men. He took all the punishment that we were suppose to take. He suffered the pains and anguish of death. Jesus Christ - the immortal Son of God - chose to leave immortality behind just to save you and me. And believe me. He didn’t suffer a simple death. He suffered a very brutal death - murdered to death as a criminal. Why? Because He loves you. For every stripe that the whip gave Him, He was thinking of you. For every drop of blood that went out of Him, He was praying for you. For every step He took on His way to calvary, He was concerned for you. For every pound of weight of the cross that He had to carry, He was helping you. For every nail that went through His hands and feet, He was looking at you. Yes, He was looking at you with all that He is. He endured everything because of you. He was at the brink of backing out but He considered to obey the Father’s will because that’s what’s best for you and me. Imagine such unfailing LOVE.

However, the beauty of this is that Jesus didn’t remain dead. He rose again from the dead! This happened to testify to the world that His sacrifice for our sins was acceptable to God and that it is the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins. This is where my hope rests.

So what now? You have two options. Either hell or heaven. Which one? Just in case you want to go to hell, then you can stop reading here and continue living a life of sin. If you choose to go to heaven, then here’s how.

God made it simple - so simple that even a child can understand it. It’s called the “born again” experience. When Nicodemus asked Jesus about salvation, Jesus replied in John 3:3, “Unless a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” As you see, “born again” is not a religion but rather an experience. So how can one be born again? John 3:3 explains it as, “Unless a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” John 3:16 simplifies it by saying, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” The keyword here is believe. I’m not referring to believe as in believing in a story. Rather, I’m referring to believing with all your heart. As in putting your hope and faith on it.

Are you ready? Do you want to go to heaven? Really? If so, pray this simple prayer with all your heart. Say it as if it’s your own prayer.

Lord Jesus, I believe that You are the Son of God. I believe that You are God. I believe that You came to earth and took the form of man to die for my sins. I believe that only You can save me from eternal punishment. I believe that Your sacrifice for my sins is enough to save me from my sins. I believe that You died for me and that You rose again from the dead as a testimony to all that You are the only way to heaven. There is no other way besides You. I believe in You. Please forgive me for all the sins I made. Please cleanse me by your blood from all the impurities I have. I invite you to come into my heart. I openly accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Rule over me, Lord Jesus. Take control of my life. Lord, I Love You. Thank you very much. Amen.

Now, if you prayed this prayer with all your heart then you have already received God’s promise of living eternity with Him. No longer will you have to fear death because from now on, death is no more than a transition to a better life with our Creator. You have been born again. You are a new creation. Your old self is gone. God has made all things new for you. And all I can say is, Congratulations! Welcome to the family of the Living God! You are God’s new baby. You now have all the right to call God your Father!

Remember this, no one can grab you from the loving hands of God. From now on, go ahead and ask God to provide for your needs and you will be amazed at His ways. You will see your work / business prosper. You will see your family become happier as you tell them about this experience that you just had. You will see things in a new light. Everything will just be better.

What next? I suggest that you read the bible everyday. A good start will be the book of John in the New Testament. Better yet, you can start with Matthew (also in the New Testament) and read all the way to John. Read it carefully and understand it. Ask God to help you understand. You will find out that everything I told you in this story is biblically supported.

Lastly, if you chose to give your life to God, then please drop me an email at mike@sydel.net so I can pray for you and your spiritual growth. No commitments to me, just to God. God bless you!


Hypocrites!!!

Posted by Mike Lopez under Faith and Religion
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Aug 2004
26
11:49pm
No, I’m not calling you a hypocrite. But perhaps we can check ourselves if we are one by reading this.

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” - Matthew 15:7-9

Let us take a moment to ponder the words mentioned in the verse above.

Are we the type of people who call Jesus “Lord” and yet disobey His teachings? Do we deny being thieves and use pirated CDs / DVDs (Audio, Video, Software) ourselves? Do we “give our lives to the Lord” and yet can’t manage to turn off our cellphones during worship services? Are we the “salt” of the earth - the kind that melts during rainy season? Are we the light of the world and yet live in darkness? Let us check ourselves.

Do we lift up our hands in worship and use the same hand to hurt someone else? Do we use our eyes to read the bible and use the same to look at pornography? Do we use our lips and tongue to sing praises to God and yet use the same to slander other people and hurt their feelings? Do we use our feet to walk to church and yet use the same to go to pubs and beerhouses? Tell me.

Are we like the Pharisees who give tithes of all things and yet forsake proper judgement, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23)? Do we believe that God created the heavens and the earth and yet cannot believe that He can provide our daily needs? Do we confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord and yet forsake His ways of loving others? Check your hearts.

There are many other things that I can say but I guess you already got my point. Are you a hypocrite or not? Tell me… No, rather, tell God.


Believe it or not

Posted by Mike Lopez under Faith and Religion
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Aug 2004
26
03:49am
By: Bro. Dudie Salvador
(IRM Paradise Midweek Service - August 11, 2004)

Text : Genesis 3:1-17
Theme : What is the root of our disobedience?

If you read a warning sign on a bottle of an unknown liquid which reads “Poison: Don’t Drink,” will you still drink it?

Adam and Even had been forewarned by God Himself against partaking of the forbidden fruit. They were told that they will surely die if they eat it. Alas, they still ate it. Why?

ADAM SAID: “The woman…. you gave….” (v12)
In Genesis 2:23, Adam acknowledged the woman God gave him as “flesh of my flesh.” In Genesis 3:12, Adam accused the woman as “thorn in my flesh.” Instead of admitting his own quilt, Adam blamed Eve for being a bad influence to him.

The influence of evil men may cause us to disobey God but it will not exonerate us from our own guilt. Oftentimes, pointing an accusing finger to someone else is our subtle way of hiding our own offense.

EVE SAID: “The serpent deceived me….” (v13)
In Genesis 3:3, Eve told the serpent what God said to them. In 3:13, she told God what the serpent had said and made her to believe. Just like Adam, Eve did not admit her own disobedience but instead tagged the serpent as the real culprit.

Our disobedience may be a result of our deception by the enemy. But then our being deceived only proves not our innocence but our thoughtlessness and gullibility.

GOD SAID: “Because you have listened….” (v17)
Eve listened to the serpent’s lie and believed it. Adam listened to Eve and believed her. Eve believed the serpent instead of God. Adam believed his wife instead of God. Adam and Eve disobeyed God because they did not believe Him.

So, what is the root of our disobedience? Unbelief! We disobey God when we refuse to believe Him and choose to believe other voices.

We either believe God or do not believe Him at all. If we don’t, that is where our downfall begins. Believe Him now or else….


Scars in Life

Posted by Mike Lopez under Faith and Religion
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Aug 2004
19
06:56am
Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother in the house was looking out the window saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two.

The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn’t let go.”

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He’s been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you.

You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemies waiting to attack.

That’s when the tug-of-war begins - and if you have the scars of His love on your arms be very, very grateful. He did not and will not ever let you go.

Please pass this on to those you love. God has blessed you, so that you can be a blessing to others. You just never know where a person is in his/her life and what they are going through. Never judge another persons scars, because you don’t know how they got them. Also, it is so important that we are not selfish to receive the blessings of these messages without forwarding them to someone else. Right now, someone needs to know that God loves them, and you love them too ~~~~ enough to not let them go.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm. . . . As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

– Audrey Hepburn


Iraq - Very interesting - Did you know?

Posted by Mike Lopez under Faith and Religion
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Aug 2004
19
06:53am
1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq.

2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq, was the cradle of civilization!

3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.

4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.

5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!

6. Isaac’s wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq.

7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.

8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.

9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel.

10. Amos cried out in Iraq!

11. Babylon, which is in Iraq, destroyed Jerusalem.

12. Daniel was in the lion’s den in Iraq!

13. The three Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (Jesus had been in Iraq also as the fourth person in the fiery furnace!)

14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the “writing on the wall” in Iraq.

15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq.

16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.

17. The wise men were from Iraq.

18. Peter preached in Iraq.

19. The “Empire of Man” described in Revelation is called Babylon,which was a city in Iraq!

And you have probably seen this one. Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name Iraq, means country with deep roots.

Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible.

No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated it than Iraq.


Empty Worship Jars?

Posted by Mike Lopez under Faith and Religion
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Aug 2004
18
03:06am
By: John Fischer

A Samaritan woman came to the well of Jacob as she always did, with an empty jar. As always, she would draw water, fill her jar full and carry it on her head back to the village of Sychar. When it was empty, she would return and do it all over again.

But this time would be different. This time she would meet Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, and He would make her a strange offer. He would offer to give her water such that she would never thirst again, because His water would be like a perpetual spring welling up within her unto eternal life.

Sometimes I think we are like that woman, hauling our empty worship jars to church so we can get filled up for another week. We come to church expecting a worship experience that is to our liking. In some cases we have chosen our church for this. We rely on the church to provide the music and the setting that will satisfy our thirsty souls that have become dry and parched from being so long in a godless world.

But it is pointless to go through this futile routine when none of it is necessary. We have, in us, the same perpetual spring Jesus was offering the woman, welling up unto eternal life. We received it by faith when we believed. With it, we can worship God wherever we are, whenever we want. We dont need music in order to worship; we dont need a church service in order to worship; we dont need a worship leader to lead us in worship. We dont have to wait for church in order to worship.

The church has gotten so good at worship these days; its easy to think we cant worship without it. Worship has turned into something that we go to. We go to a place where worship happens. We come to rely on certain elements being in place before worship can take place. Doesnt this sound a little like the woman coming to the well to fill up her empty jar?

Harold Best has said that we dont go to church to worship; we go to church because we are worshipers. That would mean we were worshiping already. We worship when we bring God pleasure and we can do that at work, at play, in the car, at the beach, doing the chores. We can drink from the well of Christs presence inside our hearts and bring significance to anything we are doing.

Practice drawing on the well inside you today. Worship God today by focusing on Him in the middle of everything else. And when you go to church this week, go as a worshiper, carrying the joy of a satisfied soul right into the presence of God and other believers. And dont wait for worship to happen to you; make it happen. Youve got the well inside you. Drink up..


In every situation, there are always two stories–the story you see and the story God sees.

Posted by Mike Lopez under Faith and Religion
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Aug 2004
18
03:02am
Sometimes life seems to be taking us down a huge detour and everything looks like it’s not going our way. In those situations, our life and our story seems to be a disaster.

This is exactly what happened to Joseph, whose story is found in Genesis 37-50. Joseph’s brothers jealously hated him and sold him into slavery. Joseph was wrongfully put in prison for raping Potifer’s wife, when really he refused to compromise his integrity by sleeping with her. Then, Joseph helped get the chief cupbearer out of jail; however, when the cupbearer had an opportunity to return the favor and get Joseph out of jail, the man forgot about Joseph. Joseph ended up spending thirteen years in jail for something he didn’t do.

At this point Joseph’s story was going haywire, but God’s story was right on track. That’s because God had an amazing plan for Joseph’s life; God was going to use Joseph to save Egypt and the surrounding lands for seven years of devastating famine. What looked to Joseph like a huge detour was really a great plan of God to provide food for countless people, including the very brothers that had sold Joseph into slavery.

At the end of this, Joseph realized that God had a bigger plan for his life, and after his brothers come to him for food, he tells them: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).

All along, God’s story was right on track.

This same principle is also true in the life of Jesus. To the disciples, it looked as those Jesus would be a great king who would rule Israel and return the nation to greatness. They hailed him as a great leader. So, when Jesus was being crucified, the story they saw looked like a major train wreck — this great leader whom they had followed for the past three years was suddenly dead. However, God’s story was at its peak — God was in the process of connecting humanity to himself.

There’s what you see and what God sees.

When your life seems to be a major disaster; know that God has bigger plans to use your life for great things. The story you see may not reflect the long-term story God has planned. Therefore, trust God, knowing that he will works for good in all circumstances (Romans 8:28).