Tag: Christian Faith

Be in Your Room with the Door Shut and Pray to the Lord Wholeheartedly

Be in Your Room with the Door Shut and Pray to the Lord Wholeheartedly

carlocarrasco

Praying to the Lord is truly sacred and honorable. Prayer is an extension of having faith in the Lord and maintaining the personal relationship with Him. That being said, prayer is more than just a form of communication with Him…it is your personal time together with the Lord and it should never be disregarded nor compromised!

I pray every day and I always pray to God wholeheartedly in the privacy of my room here at home with the door closed and locked (which I normally do) for it is clearly written in Matthew 6:6-8 in the Holy Bible. Knowing that idolatry is truly unholy, there are no images, no statues, no statuettes and no relics in my room that detract me from the Lord. Definitely there is no display of religion as well! What I always have with me is the Holy Bible (the Word of God) and when I pray, I reach out to Him wholeheartedly and acknowledge the presence of the Lord who is also watching me and listening to me. Praying in tongues to Him is also part of the process. These I urge you, my readers, to be aware of and you are always free to decide when to pray to Him in your respective rooms and available time. When you pray to God, you must do it in an honest and sincere manner.

Right now, we can examine the holy scripture of Matthew 6:6-8 in the New King James Version of the Holy Bible. These are words of Lord Jesus and are part of the Model Prayer He taught long ago.

“But when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees you in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”

Matthew 6:6-8 (NKJV)

Lord Jesus’ words are very clear when it comes to praying to God with the right place (note: physical location) that ensures you have a controlled local surrounding that is not only completely private but protects you from disturbances from outside. The secret place referred to in verse 6 is none other than our hearts where the Holy Spirit dwells in since the day we got born again. Our hearts are also where our believing happens.  As such, the secret place is not to be confused with the closed room we pray in.

The Lord is pleased when you prepare yourself to reach out to Him. This includes making time for Him, isolating yourself to be with Him and prioritizing your relationship with Him. As such, these actions are ways of honoring God. While it is true that we, His children, must converge as a spiritual family to worship Him as His church on Sundays, each of us (as individuals) still must prepare ourselves to be with Him more personally (individually) and privately. In other words, praying to the Lord should not be limited at all. Believe in Him and pray to Him, and He will reward you in return. Also remember that when you have fellowship with God, always be ready to quickly listen to Him, go where He tells you to go to, speak His Word to others when He orders you to do, and accomplish whatever He tells you to do. He is our Heavenly Father and with the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we will be blessed, guided and protected always. As such, always treasure your time with the Lord.

In verse 7, the vain repetitions done by the others (the heathen) Lord Jesus referred to are the empty babblings and long prayers that confuse meaningless verbosity with piety. To put things in perspective, Lord Jesus actually teaches that we must always have focused prayers that truly acknowledge God’s needed reign in every facet of life and society. As His children, we are not supposed to pray like the others who do not truly know the Lord. Those others are wasting their lives with their belief that God will hear them only because of their repetitions and excessive words used in praying to Him. I should also state that praying in tongues (which means praying in the Spirit to Him) is itself a method that also prevents vain repetitions.

Moving on to verse 8, Lord Jesus said that we should not be like them. Praying to the Lord should always be by faith and by heart. It’s not supposed to be hypocritical and pretentious. To put things in perspective with regards to biblical times, Lord Jesus wanted to free people from the pretentious practices of piety of the Pharisees.

For additional faith-based learning you might seek, posted below are the Passion Translation and the New Living Translation of Matthew 6:6-8.

“But whenever you pray, go into your innermost chamber and be alone with Father God praying to him in secret. And your Father, who sees all you do, will reward you openly. When you pray, there is no need to repeat empty phrases, praying like those who don’t know God for they expect God to hear them because of their many words. There is no need to imitate them, since your Father already knows what you need before you ask him.”

Matthew 6:6-8 (TPT)

“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”

Matthew 6:6-8 (NLT)

As it is clear in Christianity, faith is really done by the heart, not the brain. When we pray to God, it is by heart and not by rituals and certainly not by traditions. Prayer itself is an attitude of the heart! Whenever we look up to Him, we do it wholeheartedly and sincerely! And when we deepen our personal relationship with Him by means of prayer, we must have a private place to have fellowship with Him. This is why as a spiritual family, we gather together as one church on worshiping Him on Sundays and during prayer group sessions or bible studies. Between Sunday worship services and the mentioned activities, we have opportunities to individually have fellowship with Him. This means only you and the Lord having precious time together in private! Remember, the secret place is your heart where the Holy Spirit dwells.

Now that this bible lesson is done, I would like to reach out to the lost and the unsaved people reading this. You can save yourselves by submitting to the Lord willingly. No force and no coercion here. You have time and freedom to decide. For those who have decided to get born again now, please read the instructions below and follow the prayer that I learned from our pastor.

Are you ready? Firstly, open your heart to the Lord and pray this simple prayer in sincerity from your heart:

Dear God,

I believe that Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty of my sins. I believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that He is alive! Right now, I call on the name of Jesus. Jesus, come into my heart. I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me by the power of Your blood. Thank You for saving me and giving me eternal life! Help me now to follow Your plan for my life. Amen.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God! You have received Holy Spirit in your heart! This is easily your greatest decision ever made and also the greatest miracle of your life. Always praise, thank and honor the Lord. No more darkness in your life caused by politics, radicalism, toxicity, rebellion, religion, unbelief, evil, idolatry, traditions and rituals! Leave behind the darkness of your life and don’t look back to it. With Lord Jesus, you are already moving forward! You also have a personal relationship with God, a relationship that is strictly off-limits to others (even to your household members or biological family members).

With your new life realized, make an effort to acquire a copy of the Holy Bible (New King James Version is recommended), study it and apply its lessons into your life no matter what situation you are in right now. I also recommend you to join a church of born-again Christians near you and find your place in the spiritual family (God’s family). Worship the Lord together with them and always remember that faith, not religion, is essential in your personal relationship with God.

The Holy Bible is the ultimate authority and nothing else comes close. Remember always that Lord Jesus did not die on the cross to start religion. He died to redeem us all and showed that we must be led by faith in Him, faith in the Holy Spirit and faith in God the Heavenly Father. He rose from the dead and made His earthly presence felt once more to those who believed in Him. Since then, Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven and He promised to return in the future.

In ending this, here are some Christian worship videos for you to enjoy and praise the Lord with. Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! 

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Realizing the good life from the Lord

Realizing the good life from the Lord

carlocarrasco

We all want the good life. In fact, we need the good life! As we live in the flesh in the middle of a very screwed-up world that has long been ravaged by Satan, it is clear that without God, without the Holy Spirit and without Lord Jesus, we cannot survive both physically and spiritually. Unbelief misled many people to believe they can survive and prosper on their own but ultimately, they end up being unhappy, lost and unsaved spiritually. For its part, religion (along with its traditions, rituals and idolatry) misled people into believing they are Christians when in fact they end up wasting their lives following a whole bunch of rules from many man-made doctrines (described as blessed sacraments) which ultimately keep them away from the Lord. Religion also misled people into believing the falsehood that being religious, idolatrous, traditional and ritual-oriented is the same as being faithful to the Lord.  

As Christians led by faith, we all had to go through the process of conversion (getting born again in accordance to what Lord Jesus stated in John 3: 3), studying and living the Word of God (the Holy Bible), submitting to Him and establishing personal relationships with Him. We are His creations and there really is no other way apart from living in holiness and doing our responsibilities as Christians, as citizens of God’s Kingdom and as His children.

The Lord will not abandon us (refer to Jeremiah 29: 11) and He knows well we need to have a good life. We are His children after all. To live the Christian life here on Earth does not necessarily mean living an easy life but being blessed, guided, directed and protected by Him. It naturally means not suffering the emptiness, the sadness and hardship of the lost and unsaved people around us. They need help and saving. They don’t realize it but they need to know the Lord and start having faith in Him.

As I mentioned some time ago, the Lord blesses the faithful abundantly. God is our source and His promises of prosperity are true and He always keeps His promises (refer to Genesis 39: 2-6, Psalm 1: 1-3, Hebrews 6: 10-12, Deuteronomy 8: 18, Jeremiah 17: 7, Genesis 13: 2, Leviticus 26: 3-5, Psalm 35: 27 and Psalm 37: 3-11). As faithful children of the Lord, we can enjoy riches and luxuries and never feel ashamed nor worried as we know that the blessings came from the Lord who worked legally through the existing financial systems of this screwed-up world we live in. In short, God always finds a way and His timing always makes sense. We need to be patient with Him and still believe in His works to bless us no matter how bad or how good our situation is.

Of course, as blessed children of His, we must never ever let riches and abundance separate us from Him. God, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit must always be prioritized. The Lord is our source and therefore we would not be enjoying the blessings without Him. As such, we must never ever fall into the temptation of covetousness which leads to greed. To be covetous means to obsessively acquire wealth and things that ultimately will not satisfy the lust of acquiring more than what is realistically needed. Covetousness also means the corruption of the soul and getting separated from the Lord. Earthly things that are acquired without prioritizing the Lord are clearly not blessings from Him. Learn from the following holy scriptures below…

He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he loves abundance, with increase. This is also vanity

Ecclesiastes 5: 10 (NKJV)

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, not covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6: 9-10 (NKJV)

Speaking to the people, Jesus continued, “Be alert and guard your heart from greed and always wishing for what you don’t have. For your life can never be measured by the amount of things you possess.”

Luke 12: 15 (TPT)

“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Acts 20: 35 (NKJV)

As you can see, it is written in the Holy Bible that covetousness and greed are destructive. Becoming materialistic is bad! To be dominated by covetousness and greed means giving in to the love for wealth and material things which also means cutting yourself away from God, our ultimate creator and source! Lord Jesus’ words about guarding our hearts from greed clearly shows that we should not only be mindful of what is happening but always resist the temptation of acquiring too much and going beyond our needs. There are many people around us who believe in the falsehood that acquiring too much and obsessing for more all the time is part of the good life the Lord has in store for them. That is simply distorted and untrue! There are truly limits on what we need and how much in blessings we can receive. The abundant blessings we receive from God is great enough, and we certainly should not become covetous. God truly does NOT want us Christians to live in poverty (a curse from Satan) and He surely wants us to be disciplined with the way we live, the way we use His blessings and the like.

How to keep ourselves in check and be more responsible with the abundant blessings we receive from the Lord? You can start with tithing, the guaranteed giving back of 10% of your income to Him through your local church. Next, you can be a blessing to others by cheerfully giving something (in cash or in kind) to someone you are willing to share the Lord’s blessings with. If you know a fellow Christian at church trying to raise money for a planned bible-led outreach, then you have the opportunity to donate to that person so he or she can succeed in preaching the Word of God and saving lost souls. Cheerfully giving back to the Lord and blessing others are effective ways to prevent yourself from becoming selfish, greedy and covetous. Lord Jesus’ own words that it is more blessed to give than to receive is in reference to our time as well as our money, and that supporting the weak (the less fortunate) is something He desires for us to do for it is His nature to give. When we become blessings to others, we do it cheerfully and do it in accordance to the character of Lord Jesus. These ways are truly part of the good life from the Lord.

Of course, in opposite to the covetous and the greedy, there is a bunch of people out there who cannot help but be extremely obsessed with anti-materialism. These are lost and unsaved souls who do more than just tell you to avoid being materialistic. They will express their wrongful beliefs that money is the root of all evil (note: money itself is actually neutral and is a useful tool in receiving blessings from the Lord), that you are not meant to prosper (note: this puts them at odds with God and they don’t realize it), and that the only people to support (by means of donation) in the entire world are the impoverished (note: God’s provision is NOT exclusive to the impoverished).

I even encountered one of these anti-materialism fanatics. She is so obsessed with her wrongful beliefs, she seems willing to someday leave her children with not much left to survive with only because she believes money is cursed and wealth is immoral. She also made clear her personal beliefs that prosperity from God is not true and that poverty is not a curse. She does not know the truth written in the Holy Bible. This is the result of her living a life dominated by religion, idols, traditions, wrongful theology and rituals. As such, these lost souls and unsaved souls blinded by anti-materialism obsessions need saving and they need to be prayed for.

As such, being blessed by the Lord and being disciplined (rejecting fully covetousness greed) and being responsible (having our needs met and being able to give back to Him and bless others we could) with what we received are part of the good life from Him.

More on the good life from God, it is undeniably true that Lord Jesus offers us peace and joy that the world itself cannot match nor replicate. Pay close attention to His words in the following bible scriptures below.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

John 14: 27 (NKJV)

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

John 15: 11 (NKJV)

John 14: 27 is about the ultimate form of peace that only Lord Jesus can give to those who truly believe in Him. By comparison, worldly peace made by governments, or a truce between rival factions, or special agreements made between powerful groups are all temporary, ultimately fragile and each are bound to break down in due time (which can lead to another bout of fighting, even wars). With Lord Jesus’ peace, you can be assured that the said peace is eternal and will never get corrupted. This is why we should not let our hearts be burdened with pain, worry and doubts under Him.

As for John 15: 11, it emphasizes that our joy becomes full through experiencing Jesus’ own joy within us. To be full of happiness, hope and rest with Him is easily connected with His telling us not to have troubled hearts.

Being born again, we Christians must always keep the Holy Spirit in our hearts and eternally be faithful to the Lord, living by His Word (the Holy Bible). What we study in the Holy Bible, we apply the lessons in our lives.

By comparison, a person who does not have the Holy Spirit in his heart is very vulnerable to temptation and evil. Satan knows this and he knows that for as long as people do not believe in the Lord or are living with religion (along with idolatry, traditions, wrongful theology and rituals) that prevent them from achieving true faith in God, they are easy to be manipulated to serve his evil purposes. The enemy knows how to cause chaos around people and then reach inside the lost and unsaved souls to bring out more wickedness. Satan obviously does not want people to know the Lord and he manipulates them to suffer and live the painful life instead of having a blessed, good life from God. Take a close look at the following bible verses below…

“Evil originates from inside a person. Coming out of a human heart are evil schemes, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, treachery, debauchery, jealousy, slander, arrogance, and recklessness. All these corrupt things emerge from within and constantly pollute a person.”

Mark 7: 21-23 (TPT)

What is the cause of your conflicts and quarrels with each other? Doesn’t the battle begin inside of you as you fight to have your own way and fulfill your own desires? You jealously want what others have so you begin to see yourself as better than others. You scheme with envy and harm others to selfishly obtain what you crave—that’s why you quarrel and fight. And all the time you don’t obtain what you want because you won’t ask God for it!

James 4: 1-2 (TPT)

A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy. But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow!

John 10: 10 (TPT)

As you can see in the above scriptures, having the Holy Spirit in our hearts and dedicating ourselves to the Lord are truly essential. Without the Holy Spirit in us, we would have been very vulnerable to the temptations and manipulations of the enemy. Satan rules over people who are not edified under the Lord and it is easy for him to manipulate the unsaved person into giving in to wickedness, temptations, strife, violence, greed, immorality and destruction to name some. To put things in perspective, Satan gained dominion when Adam rebelled against God and, as written in the Holy Bible, this led to a downward spiral for humanity. Committing sinful and unrighteous acts became too common among people before the Great Flood happened.

Before gaining the Holy Spirit in our hearts upon getting born again, our hearts contained no holiness. We were vulnerable to wickedness, to the impulse and lust of the flesh, and we were too easy to be manipulated by Satan to commit sin. Now that we know the truth in the Holy Bible and we know better, we Christians can defeat Satan by having strong faith in the Lord and doing His Word in our lives. Strong faith and being a doer of God’s Word are essential for us to gain the good life from Him. Always remember that Lord Jesus is the definitive Savior of us all and He always restores believers who previously suffered from the darkness caused by the enemy!

Now pay close attention to the following holy scriptures below…

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3: 3 (NKJV)

“Don’t keep hoarding for yourselves earthly treasures that can be stolen by thieves. Material wealth eventually rusts, decays, and loses its value. Instead, stockpile heavenly treasures for yourselves that cannot be stolen and will never rust, decay, or lose their value.”

Matthew 6: 19-20 (TPT)

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Matthew 6: 31-33 (NKJV)

About the above scriptures, let me declare to you – my readers and fellow faithful Christians – that becoming born again is truly the greatest miracle that happened in my life. In my old life, I gone through decades of pointless religion and even several years of being faithless. I responded to the Lord’s call when my dearest friend in life invited me to her church, and then weeks later I accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. What He stated in John 3: 3 is undeniably true! My life has turned around for the better and I now know my true purpose under the Lord.

Matthew 6: 19-20 confirms the existence of wealth in the kingdom of God which we, His children, will inherit. What blessings we receive from the Lord while living in the flesh here on Earth are not only temporary but are just a fraction of kingdom wealth. Kingdom wealth is so much greater than all of the wealth of this screwed-up world. As such, Matthew 6: 31-33 confirms that the Lord is watching us all the time and He definitely knows our needs and in due time, He will keep blessing us. That being said, the very least we Christians must do is seek God’s kingdom and achieve holiness under Him. Pursue God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and then the good life He planned for us filled with peace, prosperity, stability and happiness will manifest.

At this point, I would like to reach out to the lost and the unsaved people reading this. You can save yourselves by submitting to the Lord willingly. No force and no coercion here. You have time and freedom to decide. For those who have decided to get born again now, please read the instructions and follow the prayer that I learned from our pastor.

Are you ready? Firstly, open your heart to the Lord and pray this simple prayer in sincerity from your heart:

Dear God,

I believe that Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty of my sins. I believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that He is alive! Right now, I call on the name of Jesus. Jesus, come into my heart. I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me by the power of Your blood. Thank You for saving me and giving me eternal life! Help me now to follow Your plan for my life. Amen.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God! You have received Holy Spirit in your heart! This is easily your greatest decision ever made and also the greatest miracle of your life. Always praise, thank and honor the Lord. No more darkness in your life caused by politics, radicalism, toxicity, rebellion, religion, unbelief, evil, idolatry, traditions and rituals! Leave behind the darkness of your life and don’t look back to it. With Lord Jesus, you are already moving forward! You also have a personal relationship with God, a relationship that is strictly off-limits to others (even to your household members or biological family members).

With your new life realized, make an effort to acquire a copy of the Holy Bible (New King James Version is recommended), study it and apply its lessons into your life no matter what situation you are in right now. I also recommend you to join a church of born-again Christians near you and find your place in the spiritual family (God’s family).  Worship the Lord together with them and always remember that faith, not religion, is essential in your personal relationship with God.

The Holy Bible is the ultimate authority and nothing else comes close. Remember always that Lord Jesus did not die on the cross to start religion. He died to redeem us all and showed that we must be led by faith in Him, faith in the Holy Spirit and faith in God the Heavenly Father. He rose from the dead and made His earthly presence felt once more to those who believed in Him. Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven and He promised to return in the future.

In ending this, here are some Christian worship YouTube videos for you to enjoy and praise the Lord with. Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! 

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Christian Music Appreciation: Yahweh Oh

Christian Music Appreciation: Yahweh Oh

carlocarrasco

Hey everyone! Welcome back to this newest edition of my ongoing Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series. I should state that Christian music that strongly lead people to our Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus (our Lord and Savior) and the Holy Spirit is truly essential given the fact that we – His children – live in a world that is truly divided and screwed-up. No matter what happens, we must never, ever lose faith in the Lord. Always remain faithful and live up to the responsibilities and the tasks He assigned us with.

More on Christian music, some of my favorite praise-and-worship songs include You Are Holy,  How I Praise, Happy Day, Because of Who You Are, I Need You More, and King of Kings. Each song is truly holy as I analyzed their respective lyrics and discovered their connections with the truth emphasized in the Holy Bible. Those songs were also written by composers who were anointed by the Lord.

Now I can say that there is another praise-and-worship song that I’ve been listening to a lot in recent times for it truly is great and really holy. That song is called Yahweh Oh, an original worship song of the mega church Church of God, World Missions Philippines. Written by Notnot Maranan, Yahweh Oh was performed by COG Worship during the September 20, 2020 Sunday worship service of the said church at their venue in Dasmariñas City, Cavite Province, here in the Philippines. COG Worship, by the way, is also responsible for Go Beyond. Also take time out to visit their FB page at https://www.facebook.com/cogworship. To see the said performance of Yahweh Oh, watch the short clip below and enjoy.

As seen in the above short clip, COG Worship’s musicians were truly anointed by the Lord as their performance of Yahweh Oh was very lively and powerful. So powerful, it can stir any Christian’s heart to pursue the Lord and have unwavering faith in Him! The performance has to be seen as a whole! I really love the song and COG Worship’s performance, both of which fulfilled what was written in Psalm 68: 4 in the Holy Bible! That being said, below are the lyrics (note: UPDATED April 21, 2021)

Yahweh oh oh oh

Yahweh oh oh oh

Yahweh oh oh oh

Whoa (Sing it!)

–

Yahweh oh oh oh

Yahweh oh oh oh

Yahweh oh oh oh

Whoa (Yahweh!)

–

Yahweh!

Yahweh!

Almighty God

We want to praise You

For all the things You’ve done

–

For us

You’ve shed Your blood

To take away all our sins and shame

–

To You be all the glory

And the praise

–

We raise our hands

And shout Your Name!

–

Yahweh oh oh oh

Great are You Lord

Yahweh oh oh oh

Yahweh oh oh oh

Great are You Lord

–

Yahweh oh oh oh

Great are You Lord

Yahweh oh oh oh

Yahweh oh oh oh

Great are You Lord (Yahweh!)

–

Unfailing God

We want to thank You

For Your unending love

–

For us

Your promises

They come alive more and more

In our lives

–

To You be all the glory

And the praise

–

We raise our hands

And shout Your name!

–

Yahweh oh oh oh

Great are You Lord

Yahweh oh oh oh

Yahweh oh oh oh

Great are You Lord

–

Yahweh oh oh oh

Great are You Lord

Yahweh oh oh oh

Yahweh oh oh oh

Great are You Lord

–

We will worship

‘Til tomorrow comes

Forever we’ll sing our praises to You

–

In Your presence

You have changed our lives

Now we’re ready to go  

–

Yahweh oh oh oh

Great are You Lord

Yahweh Yo Oh Oh

Great are You Lord

Whoa Whoa

–

Before analyzing the holiness of the lyrics, let me start with emphasizing Yahweh which is the Hebrew name of God our Heavenly Father in the Holy Bible. Yahweh is not only the most well-known name for God in the Old Testament, it also shows His covenant lordship over Israel. In Exodus 3: 14 (New King James Version), God told Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He also told him that he shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”

Right there, God revealed His divine name and declared His character and attributes, reinforcing that the issue is not who Moses is, but rather who is with him. This name is related to the Hebrew verb meaning “to be,” and therefore, the absolute existence of the Heavenly Father is implied. As such, we the faithful Christians must always be mindful the Lord is always with us and watching us over.

God then told Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.” (Exodus 3: 15 NKJV).

For lyrics analysis, we start with: Great are You Lord. God’s greatness is undeniably true and there are many verses in the Holy Bible that confirm it. Below are a few to pay attention to. Believe in His greatness, you will.

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.

Psalm 145: 3 (NKJV)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3: 16 (NKJV)

For You Lord, are good, and ready to forgive. And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

Psalm 86: 5 (NKJV)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 1: 5 (NKJV)

Next lyrics for analyzing are: We want to praise You, For all the things You’ve done. For us, You’ve shed Your blood, To take away all our sins and shame. As Christians, it is essential to worship our Lord who is the ultimate creator. He created us not to be lost in this divided world and certainly not to be evil. We were created to be holy, to worship Him, serve Him, and deepen our personal relationship with Him. Becoming born again (which involves deciding to submit yourself to the Lord, confessing your sins directly to Him, dedicating yourself to Him, being guided by His Word and living with His holiness) is inevitable to everyone who walks here on earth for it is written in the Holy Bible. By getting saved, we receive the Holy Spirit in our hearts and become new creations under the Lord. As Christians, we should ALWAYS  worship Him, thank Him, honor Him and follow His instructions. This is why we have Sundays that should be dedicated to the Lord. Learn from the holy scriptures below.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3: 3 (NKJV)

Sing to the LORD, all the earth; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and gladness are in His place. Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, and the let the earth be glad; and let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”

1 Chronicles 16: 23-31 (NKJV)

We lift up our hearts and hands To God in heaven.

Lamentations 3: 41 (NKJV)

Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new creation. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.

2 Corinthians 5: 17 (TPT)

Next lines for analyzing: To You be all the glory, And the praise, We raise our hands, And shout Your name! As children of God, we have responsibilities related to faith. Faith in our Lord requires more than just dedication…it has to be very strong and maintained as such eternally. Apart from worshipping Him, we should also study His Word and do what we learned. Be doers of the Word of God, eternally! God always keeps His promises to the faithful, and He truly rewards the faithful abundantly. In return to His love, blessings and constant care for us, we give Him all the glory and our praise. We should also do our part in spreading God’s Word to others by preaching, praying and help save the lost and unsaved souls so they can return to Him (by deciding on their own to get born again). Help them truly know Lord Jesus and help them learn why He is the definitive Mediator between us and God in Heaven. Learn from the holy scriptures below.

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures all generations.

Psalm 100: 1-5 (NKJV)

For God is one, and there is one Mediator between God and the sons of men—the true man, Jesus, the Anointed One.

1 Timothy 2: 5 (TPT)

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the LORD.

Psalm 134: 2 (NKJV)

And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: “For He is good, For His Mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, and because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

Ezra 3: 11 (NKJV)

Let them give Yahweh the glorious praise he deserves and declare his praise in the islands!

Isaiah 42: 12 (TPT)

Now here are the last lines from the lyrics for analysis: In Your presence, You have changed our lives, Now we’re ready to go. Those lines strongly resonate with me, especially the part emphasizing the change that the Lord made. It reminds me that my getting saved (becoming born again) is undoubtedly the single greatest miracle in my entire life. To the newcomers reading this, I lived through decades of religion and about a decade of unbeliefbefore getting born again and my dearest friend in life became the Lord’s holy instrument in saving my soul. Since getting saved, several positive changes followed in my life along with the blessings and I am no longer lonely now that I am part of a spiritual family. I do confirm that change in my life under the Lord has been very tremendous and it was only a few years ago I got born again. As such, the lines In Your presence, You have changed our lives, Now we’re ready to go always connected me to the song. Truly Yahweh Oh was written by someone anointed by the Lord.

So there you have it! Yahweh Oh is indeed a great and very holy worship song. By default, it is an upbeat song meant to energize anyone who is faithful to the Lord and, in my honest opinion, it is comparable with other energetic worship songs like How I Praise and So Good (both from Planetshakers). It was written to lift up the hearts of the faithful to keep on pursuing Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God. It is also a great motivator for Christians to keep on preaching and reaching out to the billions of lost souls and unsaved souls all over the world. As for you reading this, I highly recommend listening to Yahweh Oh right now! One more holy scripture for you before closing…

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

1 Peter 2: 9-10 (NKJV)

In closing this CMA piece, posted below is (UPDATED April 21, 2021) the official music video of Yahweh Oh (produced by COG Worship) for your viewing and faith. Also included below a raw video of a rehearsal by some people of Church of God – Cabuyao with the blessed song performed by their band. As you enjoy these videos, always remember to raise your hands, shout His name and always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Christian Music Appreciation: All Things

Christian Music Appreciation: All Things

carlocarrasco

God truly knows the best for us and He knows when to act when we the faithful and the righteous make errors or go the wrong way. As clearly stated in Hebrews 13:5-6, Deuteronomy 31:6 and Psalm 55:22, the Lord will never abandon us, He will never forsake us because He loves us. The Lord is our redeemer, reformer, protector, provider and our Eternal Father.

Truly the Lord knows how and when to work on all things for our good…each and every one of us. This brings me to the next worship song for this latest edition of my Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series…All Things.

All Things was done by Covenant Worship and it was part of their 2017 album Sand and Stars. The song itself is beautiful and also ideal to stir up the hearts of Christians praying to the Lord during Sunday worship service. It is also ideal for other church activities that will involve the use of music.

That being said, below are the lyrics of the worship song All Things, followed by an analysis of its relevance with the Holy Bible.

This heavy load

Was never mine to bear

So I cast my cares upon You Lord

This weary road

I’ve traveled for so long

Would You take my hand and lead me on

–

You are working all things for my good

You are working all things for my good

When I cannot see it

God, I still believe it

You are working all things for my good

–

When troubles come

And nights are filled with tears

I will fix my eyes upon the One

Whose perfect love has conquered every fear

Hold me in Your everlasting arms

–

I see it breaking

On the horizon

The dark of night

Giving way to the dawn

The day is coming

And hope is rising

Your joy will be my strength

Your joy will be my song

–

I know You’re working

I know You’re working

In all things, in all things

To begin with, the following lyrics – This heavy load, Was never mine to bear, So I cast my cares upon You Lord, This weary road, I’ve traveled for so long, Would You take my hand and lead me on – means that under the Lord, we are taken cared of and even though we each have our own challenges and responsibilities as a result of our respective circumstances, we Christians are still part of His family and kingdom. Being a child of God does not necessarily mean to have an easy life while living in the flesh. No matter what happens, we Christians must never lose faith in Him. If you are troubled, come to Lord Jesus and believe in Him always. Truly as Christians, there is no reason for us to worry or to live in pain because the Lord is our protector, provider, savior! As such, the mentioned lyrics point to the following holy scriptures for relevance.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV)

Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4:6-7 (TPT)

The next lines to examine are as follows: You are working all things for my good, When I cannot see it God, I still believe it, You are working all things for my good. To begin with, we are all creations of God and before we were even created, He made plans for each and every one of us. As such, we must live with His Word (the Holy Bible) and apply His lessons into our lives no matter how complicated living in the flesh in the middle of our screwed-up world is. We must never lose faith in Him. We have to keep trusting Him, honoring Him, praising Him and thanking Him! Whatever plans God made for us – good plans and lots of hope – we must keep believing in those plans even though it has yet to manifest. Never lose patience because God keeps His promises always, and when the time comes, the manifestation of His plans will be greater than you can imagine. As such, the most fitting holy scripture for the above lyrics is presented below…

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

The next lines to examine are as follows: When troubles come, And nights are filled with tears, I will fix my eyes upon the One, Whose perfect love has conquered every fear, Hold me in Your everlasting arms. As it is clear that the Lord will NEVER abandon us nor forsake us faithful Christians, keep believing that the Lord always works to spare the faithful from trouble and danger. As seen around the world, there are mobs causing trouble, terrorists attacking people and places, criminals victimizing the innocent, people living in deep poverty and the like. Trouble, danger, wickedness, fear, hatred, destruction, evil, poverty, curses and senseless deaths around the world are all works of Satan who was granted dominion by Adam very long ago. It was Lord Jesus who redeemed the world and defeated Satan, and this is proof of God’s plan for His faithful children to be freed from the curse (of Adam’s rebellion) and live on to be faithful to Him. Do not forget that God will punish severely those who persecute His children. Truly God hates injustice and wickedness! The above lyrics can be pointed to the following holy scriptures below.

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV)

But the LORD is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NKJV)

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Romans 12:19 (NKJV)

The next lines to examine are as follows: I see it breaking, On the horizon, The dark of night, Giving way to the dawn, The day is coming, And hope is rising. Lesson? The Lord truly loves us and He will always be our provider, our protector, our Father, and lead the way for breakthroughs for as long as we are faithful to Him and live by His Word. Under the Lord, we the faithful and righteous children of His will be blessed, be defended, be guided, be prosperous and be filled with His peace. Any trouble happening in your life right now is only temporary and the darkness will be overwhelmed by His light in due time. If you are living in darkness (of religion or unbelief, idols, traditions and rituals) then it you can decide to get born again and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  Refer to the following holy scriptures below…

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 (NKJV)

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3 (NKJV)

“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJV)

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.”

Jeremiah 17:7 (NKJV)

So there you have it! All Things is truly a very holy worship song, and I highly recommend it be played by your church musicians. It will help lift your church members’ on reaching up to the Lord during worship service.

In concluding this CMA article, embedded below are YouTube videos of All Things in the forms of a lyric video from Integrity Music, a live worship by David and Nicole Binion, and a short video I personally recorded during a Sunday worship service at our local church. Enjoy these videos and remember that the Lord is not only watching us all but also working and taking care of us. The Lord is truly working on all things for our good! Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Never be obsessed with anti-materialism

Never be obsessed with anti-materialism

carlocarrasco

There is no denying the truth that God rewards His faithful children abundantly. That being said, it is understood that faithful Christians who enjoy prosperity under Him have disciplined themselves and avoided committing sin, specifically covetousness which itself leads to greed, the corruption of the soul and wickedness.

Covetousness is specifically mentioned in the Holy Bible. Refer to the scripture below. These are words of Lord Jesus.

And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Luke 12:15 (NKJV)

What Luke 12: 15 makes clear is that we Christians must always prioritize the Lord for He is the source. The economy is not our source, God is our source! The money you received did not provide itself, God provided it and He is still our source! The nice property and supply of essential goods you have now came from the Lord who worked His way through the existing economic systems to bless you. Prosperity in Christianity is real! Learn from the scripture below.

The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and all the blessings of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

Genesis 39:2-6 (NKJV)

As emphasized in the above scripture about Joseph (who was sold to slavery by his brothers), it is clear that prosperity in Christianity is real. As long as we remain faithful to the Lord while keeping ourselves free from covetousness, greed and wickedness, we can always enjoy riches, comfort, favor and luxuries that He blesses us with. It is okay to be rich for as long as you are faithful to Him eternally. With God’s blessings, you are not only rich but also protected, favored and taken cared of. This is one specific truth of Christianity that a lot of people out there cannot understand. 

In this ravaged and divided world we live in, there are countless lost and unsaved souls everywhere. Among them are some people who are obsessed with anti-materialism. To make things clear, the anti-materialism mindset is the extremism some people have with economic materialism, specifically their extreme opposition towards the attitude of getting too attached with the importance of money as well as the uncontrolled desire of possessing a lot of material things. As it is already written in the Holy Bible that Lord Jesus told us to beware of covetousness and that it is truly impossible to worship both the Lord and mammon. The Lord made clear that it is He, NOT material wealth and certainly NOT sin, that we should always put first. As such, the anti-materialism mindset itself is unnecessary and defeated, even though its purpose was to fight materialism. For any faithful, careful and bible-following Christian, being materialistic definitely does NOT go together with being blessed by the Lord.

To make my point, here are my observations about the anti-materialism believers: they believe money itself is always evil; they believe that people are not supposed to prosper; and they believe that the only people to support (by means of donation) in the entire world are the impoverished (the poor).

Clearly things need to be explained here. Firstly, money itself is NOT evil at all. Money is actually neutral and it is a tool that we can use to pay our bills, to acquire things, make investments, to tithe to the church, pay for the education of children and help others via donation to name some. What is evil is the love of money which leads to covetousness, greed and wickedness. The truth below…

Loving money is the first step toward all kinds of trouble. Some people run after it so much that they have given up their faith. Craving more money pushes them away from the faith into error, compounding misery in their lives!

1 Timothy 6:10 (TPT)

As such, when we prosper under the Lord, we should never prioritize money over the Lord. We certainly do not want to step into all kinds of trouble! Being receivers of His provision, we definitely should never abuse the blessings He gave us. The anti-materialism believers simply failed to understand the truth.

Secondly, it is wrong to believe that people are not supposed to prosper. As already mentioned above, prosperity under the Lord is real and those who continue to be blessed a lot by Him are those who proved to be faithful and have avoided covetousness and wickedness. It seems to me that the anti-materialism believers are obsessed with the endless debates about income inequality highlighted by their political idols and they seem to want to literally merge the impoverished class, the middle class and the upper class into one social class of forced equality. I also noticed that the anti-materialism believers are leaning towards socialism, Communism and Marxism, and they don’t seem to realize it. Unsurprisingly, those believers showed signs of opposition towards capitalism.

More importantly, the anti-materialism believers’ views that people are not supposed to prosper is very wrong, and it shows they don’t realize that God is the source, God is the provider and He blesses the faithful abundantly. It should also be noted that the Lord’s reward for the faithful is much greater than any other reward from others! The following holy scriptures below explain why…

Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do.

2 Corinthians 9:8 (TPT)

The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.

Proverbs 10:22 (NKJV)

What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor it is the gift of God. I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it. And nothing can be taking from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him. That which is has already been, and what is to be has already been; And God required an account of what is past.

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 (NKJV)

For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:10-12 (NKJV)

Whether you eat or drink, live your life in a way that glorifies and honors God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (TPT)

Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord himself and not merely for others. For we know that we will receive a reward, an inheritance from the Lord, as we serve the Lord Yahweh, the Anointed One!

Colossians 3:23-24 (TPT)

Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, You should be happy, and it shall be well with you.

Psalm 128:1-2 (NKJV)

For when we were with you we instructed you with these words: “Anyone who does not want to work for a living should go hungry.” Now, we hear rumors that some of you are being lazy and neglecting to work—that these people are not busy but busybodies! So with the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, we order them to go back to work in an orderly fashion and exhort them to earn their own living.

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 (TPT)

Jesus said: And behold, I am coming quickly and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work.

Revelations 22:12 (NKJV)

See? The Lord’s promise of prosperity is real and His reward for the faithful who labored, we avoided sin, who practiced discipline, who proved to be responsible and performed under His command has always been real! Truly nobody has authority to dictate life and prevent people from prospering!

When it comes to material wealth and capital gains accumulated here on Earth, the Lord rewards the faithful through the existing financial and economic systems because He is a just God. If God wants to bless you with profit and provision, He will do it the legal way and through the financial systems we have. More notably, there is also Kingdom Wealth…wealth in the Kingdom of God so much greater and unlimited compared to the wealth in this divided world we live in.

On the aspect of laboring and serving the Lord, faithful Christians are meant to be rewarded abundantly and accordingly by Him. This means that if your work for Him is great as you run your business, He will reward you in due time with a large amount of profit that you can use to grow your business, pay your obligations, pay your employees’ salaries, etc. Very clearly, the anti-materialism believers cannot justify imposing limits on the amount of blessings from the Lord.

Thirdly, it is wrong for the anti-materialism believers to declare that only those living in poverty deserve donations or handouts. For one thing, God’s provision is NOT limited only to those living in poverty. Poverty, by the way, is never part of God’s plan for His children. Poverty is wrong and it is something Satan wants to trap people with so they will remain lost and unsaved as souls. Poverty itself became essential for those who got trapped by religion and unbelief, and this makes them live life with a distorted view about who should receive financial or material assistance or blessings.

In order to receive provision from the Lord, one must have faith (not religion, not idolatry, not tradition and not rituals) in Him. Also it is part of Christianity to be a blessing to others (giving to others cheerfully) regardless of their background, their social class, their occupation, etc. Any faithful and blessed Christian has freedom to decide to share his or her blessing to others in some way or another, and the giving should be done not by obligation but from the heart and with decision. Remember the God is always seeing us on what we do with the blessings He gave us. You want to contribute money to charity, or help a friend dealing with a financial problem, or give money to a Christian ministry so it can continue to preach God’s Word to others? You are free to choose and decide what to give, how much to give, when to give and who to give. The Lord Himself will never forget to bless you in return for blessing others. The Lord loves cheerful givers! Learn from the following scriptures below…

But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Hebrews 13:16 (NKJV)

Those who live to bless others will have blessings heaped upon them, and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings will be saturated with favor. People will curse the businessman with no ethics, but the one with a social conscience receives praise from all.

Proverbs 11:25-26 (TPT)

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NKJV)

God loves a cheerful giver! God loves it when His blessed faithful children give to others cheerfully. Just a day after I turned forty-three, I cheerfully gave extra funds (sourced from the earnings of a successful freelance project I completed for a client which was God’s blessing) to our church not on a Sunday but on a Friday. In recent times, I gave to help a brand-new Christian ministry grow as well as to a local motorcycle federation that continually gives back to the less fortunate. I also gave to help church friends who have been trying to raise money for a long trip home. Being a blessing to others is essential, and sharing should definitely not be limited to just one specific group or social class. In fact, being a blessing to others is a practice of generosity and this helps us Christians prevent ourselves from falling into covetousness, greed and wickedness. By being good and obedient to Him, Christians who get blessed can continue to receive His prosperity without ever becoming materialistic! Why the anti-materialism believers and the self-declared pro-poor believers don’t realize this is mind-boggling.

So why is it that there are believers of the anti-materialism extremism around us? Quite obviously, there are sinister forces that continue to poison people’s minds such as Communism, Marxism, socialism, unbelief, secularism and religion (with its idols, traditions and rituals). There are also those who think they are Christian but they do not study the Holy Bible and don’t apply its countless lessons into their lives, instead they end up following man-made rules (written by people who did not write the Holy Bible) which they perceive to be holy sacraments or holy doctrines (that contain derivative and/or distorted interpretations of the Holy Bible’s lessons). There are also those who have been indoctrinated into believing that money is the root of all evil (it is not!) and that capitalism destroys humanity. They don’t seem to realize that God is always watching us and there simply is no hiding from Him.

So what can we the faithful Christians do? We can start by praying for the anti-materialism believers and ask our Lord to enlighten them so they will realize what they believed or have done is wrong, and that they will have opportunities to change themselves for the better – by making the decision to stop moving and turn to the Lord, repent to Him and submit themselves to Him and accept Jesus as their Lord and savior. The anti-materialism believers still have time to decide to save themselves spiritually and we can help them in peaceful ways.

At this point, I would like to reach out to the lost and the unsaved people reading this. You can save yourselves by submitting to the Lord willingly. No force and no coercion here. You have time and freedom to decide. For those who have decided to get born again now, please read the instructions and follow the prayer that I learned from our pastor.

Are you ready? Firstly, open your heart to the Lord and pray this simple prayer in sincerity from your heart:

Dear God,

I believe that Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty of my sins. I believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that He is alive! Right now, I call on the name of Jesus. Jesus, come into my heart. I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me by the power of Your blood. Thank You for saving me and giving me eternal life! Help me now to follow Your plan for my life. Amen.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God. You have received Holy Spirit in your heart! This is easily your greatest decision ever made and also the greatest miracle of your life. Always praise, thank and honor the Lord. No more darkness in your life caused by politics, radicalism, toxicity, rebellion, religion, unbelief, evil, idolatry, traditions and rituals! Leave behind the darkness of your life and don’t look back to it. With Lord Jesus, you are already moving forward! You also have a personal relationship with God, a relationship that is strictly off-limits to others (even to your household members or biological family members).

With your new life realized, make an effort to acquire a copy of the Holy Bible (New King James Version is recommended), study it and apply its lessons into your life no matter what situation you are in right now. I also recommend you to join a church of born-again Christians near you and find your place in the spiritual family (God’s family).  Worship the Lord together with them and always remember that faith, not religion, is essential in your personal relationship with God.

The Holy Bible – the Word of God – is the ultimate authority to follow. Remember always that Lord Jesus did not die on the cross to start religion. He died to redeem us all and showed that we must be led by faith in Him, faith in the Holy Spirit and faith in God the Heavenly Father. You need an encounter with God!

In ending this, here are some Christian worship YouTube videos for you to enjoy and praise the Lord with. Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! 

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

The Lord is always watching us

The Lord is always watching us

carlocarrasco

The Lord is always watching us and there is simply no hiding from Him. What ever happens around the world, He sees them clearly. There is no doubt about that.

According to a news report by CBN News (with details sourced from KOIN News), the radical activists burned copies of the Holy Bible and an American flag in front of a federal courthouse in the city of Portland, Oregon, in the United States. While the protest movement involved with rioting and looting has lasted for months in America mainly due to the tragic death of George Floyd, the burning of the Bible is clearly very wrong and sinful.

That being said, it is unwise and wrongful for anyone to do the same thing committed by the radical activists. Burning the Bible is precisely what Satan wants to happen because he knows that when people know God through His Word, the evil one will be defeated.

Be assured that the Lord saw what the radical activists did in Portland, He saw the persecution towards Christians, He knows Christians got murdered, and He knows about the protesters’ invasion into a neighborhood.  Be assured that the Lord saw those acts of disobedience and wickedness!

Be assured that He will definitely punish the disobedient and the wicked in due time. When the Lord punishes, the punishment can NEVER be avoided!

Let’s take a close look at key segments of Chapter 28 of the Book of Deuteronomy regarding disobedience.

“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.”

Deuteronomy 28: 15-16 (NKJV)

As seen in the above holy scripture, God is watching each and every one of us. While those who are faithful will be blessed, protected and loved by Him, those who are disobedient or rebellious or simply evil will be punished!

To all the protesters, all the rioters, all the looters, all the crooks, all the radical activists, all the terrorists and anarchists reading this, take note of the words from the above scripture: Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.

Now we continue with Deuteronomy below…

“Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit for your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doing which you have forsaken Me. The LORD will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess. The LORD will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew they shall pursue you until you perish. And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The LORD will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heave it shall come down on you until you are destroyed. The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth. Your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and no one shall frighten them away.”

Deuteronomy 28: 17-26 (NKJV)

To all the protesters, all the rioters, all the looters, all the crooks, all the radical activists, all the terrorists and anarchists reading this…Deuteronomy 28: 17-26 makes it very clear that if you keep on committing evil and disobedience, you will not only be punished by the Lord for sure but you will suffer very severely. You guys think that radical rebellion and disrupting societies will make your world better? Wrong! You guys believe that defunding the police will make society secure and stable? Wrong! You guys believe that rebellion is the answer to everything? Absolutely wrong!

You are only digging deep holes for yourselves, holes that you will have trouble climbing out of later. Even if you managed to climb out of the holes, your suffering will only keep lasting for as long as you keep on being wicked and disobedient. You may not realize it now but the undeniable truth is that God created you and it is your destiny to realize your true purpose under Him, a destiny that you failed to realize because you limited yourself to your own understanding and because you got carried away by evil influences. You really need to study the Holy Bible (God’s Word) to start your path to become good and reformed under the Lord.

If you insist with sticking with disobedience and wickedness, then you will keep on suffering as revealed more in the Book of Deuteronomy…

“The LORD will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart. And you shall grope at noonday, as a blind man gropes in darkness; you shall not prosper in your ways; you shall only be oppressed and plundered continually, and no one shall save you.”

Deuteronomy 28: 28-29 (NKJV)

To all the protesters, all the rioters, all the looters, all the crooks, all the radical activists, all the terrorists and anarchists reading this…you joined rebellious movements and allowed yourselves to be manipulated by your political/social/radical idols? You practice idolatry? That is sinful! Who exactly are your idols right now? Has it occurred to you that your political/social/radical idols are serving Satan and they lied to you and manipulated you to be evil? Has it occurred to you that idolatry is exactly what Satan wants you to do to prevent you from realizing God is your true creator? Did your political/social/radical idol influence you to burn copies of the Holy Bible? You keep on being idolatrous, you will only keep suffering and you will never inherit the kingdom of God. Learn from the following scriptures below.

Absolutely not! However, I am implying that when an unbeliever offers a sacrifice to an idol, it is not offered to the true God but to a demon. I don’t want you to be participants with demons!

1 Corinthians 10: 20 (TPT)

Surely you must know that people who practice evil cannot possess God’s kingdom realm. Stop being deceived! People who continue to engage in sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, sexual perversion, homosexuality, fraud, greed, drunkenness, verbal abuse, or extortion—these will not inherit God’s kingdom realm.

1 Corinthians 6: 9-10 (TPT)

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they went to burn incense and to serve other gods whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers. However I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying ‘Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate!’ But they did not listen tor incline to their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods. So My fury and My anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as it is this day.”

Jeremiah 44: 2-6 (NKJV)

More on the issue of disobedience and rebellion against authorities, the Holy Bible is clear about people’s relationship with civil authorities. Let me share to you that disobedience is simply wrong and God is always watching! If you are always rebelling and being disobedient, have you ever thought about having a clean conscience and being a good citizen? If not, the holy scripture below will enlighten you.

Every person must submit to and support the authorities over him. For there can be no authority in the universe except by God’s appointment, which means that every authority that exists has been instituted by God. So to resist authority is to resist the divine order of God, which results in severe consequences. For civil authorities don’t intimidate those who are doing good, but those who are doing evil. So do what is right and you’ll never need to fear those in authority. They will commend you for your good citizenship. Those in authority are God’s servants for the good of society. But if you break the law, you have reason to be alarmed, for they are God’s agents of punishment to bring criminals to justice. Why do you think they carry weapons? You are compelled to obey them, not just to avoid punishment, but because you want to live with a clean conscience.

Romans 13: 1-5 (TPT)

To all the protesters, all the rioters, all the looters, all the crooks, all the radical activists, all the terrorists and anarchists reading this…you surely spent a lot of your energy and time believing in the falsehood that looting, rioting and destroying businesses and properties are just ways of reforming society. Wrong! You seriously believe it is right to harm people who don’t share your radical views? Very wrong! You seriously believe it is right to bring down crosses because of your distorted views about racism? Very wrong! What you have committed (and keep on committing) is wicked and unjust! You are trapped by evil and the spirit of rebellion! You should learn that Adam’s rebellion towards God is the root cause of the chaos in this screwed-up world we live in and God sent His Son Jesus to redeem the world. Be assured that the Lord will punish those who stay wicked as well as those who keep on committing injustice! Read the scriptures below…

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the despicable, the murderers, the perverts, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all deceivers, they will find their place in the lake of fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Revelation 21: 8 (TPT)

Lovers of God hate what is phony and false, but the wicked are full of shame and behave shamefully. Righteousness is like a shield of protection, guarding those who keep their integrity, but sin is the downfall of the wicked.

Proverbs 13: 5-6 (TPT)

There are six evils God truly hates and a seventh that is an abomination to him: Putting others down while considering yourself superior, spreading lies and rumors, spilling the blood of the innocent, plotting evil in your heart toward another, gloating over doing what’s plainly wrong, spouting lies in false testimony, and stirring up strife between friends. These are entirely despicable to God!

Proverbs 6: 16-19 (TPT)

Now the LORD gave me knowledge of it, and I know it; for You showed me their doings. But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”

But, O LORD of hosts, You who judge righteously, Testing the mind and the heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You I have revealed my cause.

Jeremiah 11: 18-20 (NKJV)

Very clear is the truth in the Holy Bible that God will punish the wicked and the disobedient. Those who decide to stay wicked and disobedient are destined to be punished by Him very severely.

There is good news however…it is not too late to save yourselves in front of the Lord who Himself is just, gentle, forgiving and caring. Let me reach out to those who have been wicked and disobedient reading this…you can still save yourselves not within the screwed-up world we live in but in the presence of God. It is only through the Lord you can become Christian, get reformed and experience peace. Learn from the words of Lord Jesus Himself below.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3: 3 (NKJV)

“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Mark 16: 16-18 (NKJV)

“I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!”

John 14: 27 (TPT)

How? Firstly, you have to stop being wicked and disobedient. Next, you must open your heart to the Lord. Next, you confess your sins straight to Him. Finally, you must submit to Him by getting born again and become Christian (a Child of God and a believe of Jesus). To be clear, you are not being forced here. Nobody is forcing you to submit to the Lord. The decision is all up to you.

As for the others reading this, if you have made your final decision to get born again, we can do it right here, right now!

Are you ready? Firstly, open your heart to the Lord and pray this simple prayer in sincerity from your heart:

Dear God,

I believe that Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty of my sins. I believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that He is alive! Right now, I call on the name of Jesus. Jesus, come into my heart. I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me by the power of Your blood. Thank You for saving me and giving me eternal life! Help me now to follow Your plan for my life. Amen.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God as the Holy Spirit is in you! This is easily your greatest decision ever made and also the greatest miracle of your life. Always praise, thank and honor the Lord. No more darkness in your life caused by politics, radicalism, toxicity, rebellion, religion, unbelief, evil, idolatry, traditions and rituals! Leave behind the darkness of your life and don’t look back to it. With Lord Jesus, you are already moving forward!

With your new life realized, make an effort to acquire a copy of the Holy Bible (New King James Version is recommended), study it and apply its lessons into your life no matter what situation you are in right now. I also recommend you to join a church of born-again Christians near you and find your place in the spiritual family. Worship the Lord together with them and remember that each of you has a personal relationship with Him. Understand that your personal relationship with God is strictly off-limits to everyone, even to your biological family. Always remember that faith, not religion, is essential in your personal relationship with God. Take note that the Lord blesses the faithful abundantly.

The Holy Bible – the Word of God – is the ultimately authority to follow. God’s Word is essential, sacraments and radicalism are not! Remember always that Lord Jesus did not die on the cross to start religion. He died to redeem us all and showed that we must be led by faith in Him, faith in the Holy Spirit and faith in God the Heavenly Father.

In ending this, here are some Christian worship YouTube videos for you to enjoy and praise the Lord with. Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! 

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved  and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Christian Music Appreciation: Because of Who You Are

Christian Music Appreciation: Because of Who You Are

carlocarrasco

Hey everyone! Welcome to the latest edition of the Christian Music Appreciation (CMA) series. Today I’m about to review another Christian worship song – Because of Who You Are.

Before reviewing, let me start that I’ve been following the Sunday worship sessions of EpicLife Church most of which were led by pastor Martha Munizzi whom I admire and followed. For the newcomers reading this, Martha Munizzi is an acclaimed music minister and a prominent figure of Christianity having led worship many times, sang a lot of songs leading people to the Lord, and became a speaker across the United States. She and her family – her husband Dan, son Nathan and daughters Danielle and Nicol – established EpicLife Church on January 2014 in the city of Winter Park, Florida.

Here’s the story behind EpicLife Church as published on its official website:

After 12 years of traveling in full time ministry, we felt called by God to establish a place where those seeking fulfillment in life feel like they belong. We set out to launch EpicLife Church in January 2014. we have a heart for those who have never set foot in church or maybe for those who have been hurt by church in the past. We desire to see you fall in love with Jesus, his church, and his people. we believe you belong in the local church. EpicLife church is a place where you can know god, find freedom, discover your purpose, and make a difference.

Going back to pastor Martha, she wrote and performed a whole lot of Christian songs. The one song of hers that I always love listening to is Because of Who You Are, which she wrote with her husband. The song was released many years ago on Martha’s album Say The Name. To this day, a lot of people claimed that Because of Who You Are is their favorite among Martha Munizzi’s songs. That song also helped the pastor earn two Dove Award nominations for Contemporary Gospel Recorded.

Now we can start looking at the lyrics of Because of Who You Are.

Because of who You are, I give You glory.

Because of who You are, I give You praise.

Because of who You are, I will lift my voice and say

Lord, I worship You because of who You are.

Lord, I worship You because of who You are.

–

Jehovah Jireh, my provider.

Jehovah Nissi, Lord, You reign in victory.

Jehovah Shalom, my Prince of Peace

And I worship You because of who You are.

–

Because of who You are, I give You glory.

Because of who You are, I give You praise.

Because of who You are, I will lift my voice and say

Lord, I worship You because of who You are.

Lord, I worship You because of who You are.

–

Jehovah Jireh, my provider.

Jehovah Nissi, Lord, You reign in victory.

Jehovah Shalom, my Prince of Peace

And I worship You because of who You are.

–

Jehovah Jireh, my provider.

Jehovah Nissi, Lord, You reign in victory.

Jehovah Shalom, my Prince of Peace…

–

And I worship You

Worship You, worship You

Yeah, yeah.

–

And I worship You

Worship You, worship You

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

–

I worship You because You’re holy, holy.

I worship You because holy is who You are.

I worship You because You’re worthy, worthy.

I worship You because worthy is who You are.

I worship You because You’re mighty, mighty.

I worship You because mighty is who You are.

Worship You, worship You.

(And I worship You because of who)

Lord, I worship You because of who You are.

Lord, I worship You because of who You are.

The first part to analyze here are the following lines: Because of who You are, I give You glory. Because of who You are, I give You praise. Because of who You are, I will lift my voice and say Lord, I worship You because of who You are. Worship is clearly emphasized in those lines and it is no surprise at all that we as the creations of God are destined to praise Him, thank Him and honor Him eternally for He created us and the world we live in. This truth led me to post below the following scriptures from the Holy Bible that relate easily with the posted lines from the lyrics.

For love is supreme and must flow through each of these virtues. Love becomes the mark of true maturity. Let your heart be always guided by the peace of the Anointed One, who called you to peace as part of his one body. And always be thankful. Let the word of Christ live in you richly, flooding you with all wisdom. Apply the Scriptures as you teach and instruct one another with the Psalms, and with festive praises, and with prophetic songs given to you spontaneously by the Spirit, so sing to God with all your hearts! Let every activity of your lives and every word that comes from your lips be drenched with the beauty of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. And bring your constant praise to God the Father because of what Christ has done for you!

Colossians 3: 14-17 (TPT)

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving! Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God. And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand.

Psalm 95: 1-7 (NKJV)

Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Psalm 29: 2 (NKJV)

The next lines to examine are as follows: Jehovah Jireh, my provider. Jehovah Nissi, Lord, You reign in victory. Jehovah Shalom, my Prince of Peace. Jehovah Jireh is the reference to God who is our eternal source and the main provider. Our Heavenly Father makes the provision when He sees the need, and He clearly is aware of our needs. Let’s take a look at the scripture below recalling the time when Abraham’s faith was tested by God who ordered him to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering on one of the mountains in Moriah.

But the Angel of the LORD called to Him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.”

And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”

Genesis 22: 11-14 (NKJV)

As our source and provider (Jehovah Jireh), God saved the promised son Isaac from being a sacrifice and He preserved His promise to make him a great nation. The Lord also acted faithfully in response to the faith Abraham had in His provision. Furthermore, there is an additional reference in Hebrews 11: 17-19. As such, we Christians must always remember that it is not the economy that is our source for it is only the Lord who is our definite source.

Moving forward, Jehovah Nissi refers to the Lord as the banner and Moses’ acknowledgment of God’s presence. The specific scripture below.

And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner;

Exodus 17: 15 (NKJV)

To put things in perspective, a banner is the pole-like standard beneath which armies or communities rallied. When the banner is lifted up, it calls the people together to meet, or to follow instructions or to unite to battle. With regards to the altar established by Moses, it is his recognition of God’s presence as well as the way to honor Him as the giver of the victory over the Amalekites. As such, the Jehovah Nissi reference in the song correctly acknowledges the victory that the Children of God can always look forward to for as long as they faithfully follow Him and maintain personal relationships with Him.

The other reference from the song, Jehovah Shalom, relates to one of several names for God in connection to peace. The first to use the reference was Gideon who witnessed the appearance of an angel of the Lord. Holy scripture below…

So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Judges 6: 24 (NKJV)

“I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!”

John 14: 27 (TPT)

The-LORD-Is-Peace literally means Yahweh Shalom. With regards to Gideon, he gained a new sense of security in his relationship with God and is effectively expressed by the word shalom, meaning peace, wholeness, security, friendship and prosperity. Speaking of peace, Lord Jesus Himself made clear that peace from Him is perfect and He left it as a gift to those who believe in Him. The reference of Jehovah Shalom in the song makes perfect sense for us Christians.

The next line from the lyrics: I worship You because You’re holy, holy. God, who is all-powerful, just, gentle and loving, is undeniably holy. He loves us so much, He sent to us His begotten Son Lord Jesus to redeem humanity. Below are the following scriptures (a few of many, take note) that confirm His holiness.

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”

Leviticus 19: 1-2 (NKJV)

Instead, shape your lives to become like the Holy One who called you. For Scripture says: “You are to be holy, because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1: 15-16 (TPT)

And one called out to another, saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, Commander of Angel Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

Isaiah 6: 3 (TPT)

For I am the LORD your God. You shall consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.

Leviticus 11: 44-47 (NKJV)

The last line from the lyrics to analyze is this: I worship You because You’re worthy, worthy. That line strongly relates to the following scriptures below…

You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.

Revelations 4: 11 (NKJV)

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.

Psalm 145: 3 (NKJV)

So there you have it! Because of Who You Are is indeed a very holy song. It was written by pastor Martha Munizzi and her husband with direct influences from the Holy Bible which itself is the ultimate authority of Christianity for it is the Word of God. There is no denying that the Munizzis were anointed to compose the song and make an impact on leading people to the Lord and helping them deepen their faith in Him.

Apart from being holy, Because of Who You Are is also a very beautiful song to listen to and it is easily a very worthy song to play to fellow Christians during Sunday worship church services. Ask yourself: have your church musicians played Because of Who You Are on Sundays lately?

In ending this CMA, embedded below is the YouTube video of Because of Who You Are. Listen to it, enjoy it and always praise and honor the Lord. Let pastor Martha (whose voice is always beautiful) and the song lead you to Him.

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved  and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Never let toxic people drag you away from Lord Jesus, help them get saved peacefully

Never let toxic people drag you away from Lord Jesus, help them get saved peacefully

carlocarrasco

Not only is our world so screwed up, people have been very divided for a great number of reasons. One of the many factors that divide people is toxicity which is related to what we refer to as toxic people. To put things in perspective, a toxic person is someone who has a very negative and self-entitlement disorder outlook in life. These are individuals who see themselves as superior over others, and they feel happy when they see others suffering or losing.

Since there are indeed many toxic people around us, it is essential for us Christians to always be on guard and maintain consistent strong faith in the Lord no matter what. We are born again and since we already received the Holy Spirit as well as the love and forgiveness of Lord Jesus, we must not be offended whenever we encounter toxic people. We also have the Holy Bible (God’s Word) to refer to for guidance and communication with God. In short, we Christians should never lose hope, never panic and never ;et toxic people drag us away from the Lord. Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus!

To be clear, toxic people are quite varied in society. There are these self-proclaimed social justice warriors (SJWs) who go to the extremes to win their own visions of justice. There are these protest movements who allowed themselves to be used by hidden, sinister people (who fund them or promised them some rewards), and when they go out protesting they pretend to be victims or pretend to be fighting for the right causes.

There are also toxic people who are not parts of movements but rather living individually mixing with normal people and eventually their actions later reveal their toxic mindset. There are also toxic individuals who engage in publishing print media or website news (even without having any knowledge/experience of writing, editing and publishing) and harm the minds of innocent people by spreading fake news, distorted views, playing politics, doing transactional journalism and putting down others (while putting themselves up above them).

And then there are toxic people who are trapped by religion, idolatry, traditions, rituals and unbelief. Let me stress here that being religious is not the same as being faithful to the Lord, and living as a non-believer only leads to frustration and emptiness.

It is understandable that many of these toxic people (knowingly or unknowingly) are pawns of Satan who clearly enjoys dividing the world and making sure people do not get to deeply know God, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Satan really does not want people to become Christians (believers and followers of Lord Jesus) and he wants to make sure that they will not become faithful to the Lord. As such, Satan loves using the combination of religion, unbelief, idolatry, tradition and rituals to keep people lost and unsaved spiritually.

As more people are divided, it becomes easier for Satan to spread evil just as many toxic people (the devil’s pawns) spread their negativity to others. As Christians, we must always maintain a strong defense mentally and spiritually. Here’s a holy scripture below.

So stop fooling yourselves! Evil companions will corrupt good morals and character.

1 Corinthians 15: 33 (TPT)

In 1 Corinthians 15: 33, the apostle Paul used words (a quote actually) to encourage believers to stay away from those who deny the resurrection of Lord Jesus. With regards to toxic people around us, the scripture is a strong reminder that we the Children of God must always be able to defend ourselves, never let ourselves get misled and always maintain strong faith (enough to overwhelm whatever negativity toxic people throw at us to bring us down). Never forget that for as long as we remain faithful to God, He will never abandon us nor forsake us. There is no good reason why we should be offended by toxic people. Keep the faith strong always!

Apart from being strong and protected, we Christians are not supposed to judge others even though toxic people judge us and make persistent moves to provoke us into fighting and judging them. That only leads to chaos! Revenge and retaliation are certainly not Christian values. Learn from the holy scripture below.

Refuse to be a critic full of bias toward others, and judgment will not be passed on you. For you’ll be judged by the same standard that you’ve used to judge others. The measurement you use on them will be used on you. Why would you focus on the flaw in someone else’s life and yet fail to notice the glaring flaws of your own?

Matthew 7: 1-3 (TPT)

Let me explain this stage by stage. Verse 1 of Matthew Chapter 7 is about God’s judgment being implied by passive verbs. Verse 2 relates to Romans 2: 1 which is about judging others and then doing the same things they do. Verse 3 is a key question that you can ask to yourself and pause to reflect deeply, and be able to realize that all people living in the flesh are flawed.

Instead of judging others, we Christians must humble ourselves first to God. Learn from the following holy scriptures.

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

James 4: 6 (NKJV)

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7: 14 (NKJV)

With the love of Lord Jesus, we must not be offended whenever we encounter toxic people. Emotional and spiritual maturity are determined with how we Christians treat others who mistreat us. In this screwed-up world we live in, people have a tendency to compete with each other for jobs, money, opportunities, love and the like. The competition mindset is so common, people end up thinking life is a battle that must be won individually, and this further adds to the division Satan enjoys over the people. As Christians, we need to be always strong in faith in the Lord and obediently serve Him and perform whatever He commands us to do. We are tasked to spread His Word to others by preaching in varied ways. As confident, strong and protected Children of God, we need to realize that there are certain battles against evil that only God is capable of fighting in.

With regards to toxic people, we can engage with them peacefully and never in a combative way. Help enlighten toxic people with the Word of God and invite them to get to know the Lord. Toxic people don’t realize it yet but they are spiritually lost and unsaved. They need Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They need to know that they can stop being toxic people and stop living directionless lives by submitting themselves to the Lord, confessing their sins to Him and get born again. What Lord Jesus declared in John 3: 3 is undeniably true – they need to be born again in order to see God’s kingdom. They need to realize they must establish personal relationships with God. It is not too late for toxic people to get saved and they themselves can decide to submit themselves to God.

On engaging with toxic people as well as other lost souls and unsaved souls, learn from the holy scripture below.

Don’t you know that when you allow even a little lie into your heart, it can permeate your entire belief system?

Deep in my heart I have faith that the Lord Jesus the Anointed One, who lives in you, will bring you back around to the truth. And I’m convinced that those who agitate you, whoever they think they are, will be brought under God’s judgment!

Dear friends, why do you think the religious system persecutes me? Is it because I preach the message of being circumcised and keeping all the laws of Judaism? Not at all! Is there no longer any offense over the cross? To tell you the truth, I am so disgusted with all your agitators—I wish they would go even further and cut off their legalistic influence from your lives! 

Beloved ones, God has called us to live a life of freedom in the Holy Spirit. But don’t view this wonderful freedom as an opportunity to set up a base of operations in the natural realm. Freedom means that we become so completely free of self-indulgence that we become servants of one another, expressing love in all we do.

For love completes the laws of God. All of the law can be summarized in one grand statement:

“Demonstrate love to your neighbor, even as you care for and love yourself.”

But if you continue to criticize and come against each other over minor issues, you’re acting like wild beasts trying to destroy one another!

Galatians 5: 9-15 (TPT)

Finally, help the toxic people, the lost souls and unsaved souls learn that genuine piece is from Lord Jesus. They only need to get born again to obtain peace and be reformed for good by Him. Here are the final scriptures for this article.

“I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!”

John 14: 27 (TPT)

“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Mark 16: 16-18 (NKJV)

From this point on, I’d like to reach out the toxic people, the lost souls and unsaved souls reading this. It is never too late to get saved by Lord Jesus, and all you need to do is make the decision to be saved.

If you have decided to get saved, then pray this simple prayer in sincerity from your heart:

Dear God,

I believe that Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty of my sins. I believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that He is alive! Right now, I call on the name of Jesus. Jesus, come into my heart. I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me by the power of Your blood. Thank You for saving me and giving me eternal life! Help me now to follow Your plan for my life. Amen.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God! This is easily your greatest decision ever made and also the greatest miracle of your life. Always praise, thank and honor the Lord. No more darkness in your life caused by toxicity, religion, unbelief, evil, idolatry, traditions and rituals!

With your new life realized, make an effort to acquire a copy of the Holy Bible (New King James Version is recommended), study it and apply its lessons into your life no matter what situation you are in right now. I also recommend you to join a church of born-again Christians near you and find your place in the spiritual family. Worship the Lord together with them and remember that each of you has a personal relationship with Him. Understand that your personal relationship with God is strictly off-limits to everyone, even to your biological family. Always remember that faith, not religion, is essential in your personal relationship with God.

The Holy Bible – the Word of God – is the ultimately authority to follow. God’s Word is essential, sacraments are not! Purgatory is a lie, idolatry is unholy and penance is not truly a part of Christianity. Always remember that you are a saved soul and your sins have been forgiven. You are now a Child of God free from the chains and darkness of your old life.

In ending this, here are some Christian worship YouTube videos for you to enjoy and connect to the Lord with.

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved  and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Be the Fearless and Aggressive Church of Lord Jesus!

Be the Fearless and Aggressive Church of Lord Jesus!

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We are Christians living with strong faith in the Lord. The day each of us got born again and willingly accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we truly became children of God and we each live with holiness while deepening our respective personal relationship with Him.

We Christians pray in tongues, we tithe, we study God’s Word (the Holy Bible) and apply its lessons into our lives no matter how screwed up the world we live in is. We Christians don’t need religion at all and we reject idolatry, religious traditions and religious rituals. We also are defiant towards unbelief and whatever tricks Satan tries to bring us down with. As believers of Jesus, we already have His victory and not even Satan can defeat us. We are led by the Holy Spirit which we received in our hearts when we got saved.

We are the Body of the Christ. We Christians are the church who follow Jesus! As such, it is only expected that each and every one us be fearless and aggressive under Christ.

To be fearless and aggressive as Christians were key lessons from pastors I learned from. As such, let me share to you how we the Body of Christ can keep on being strong under Lord Jesus starting with being a fearless church and as a fearless Christian. Heed the words of Jesus Himself.

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 14:1 (NKJV)

Don’t worry or surrender to your fear. For you’ve believed in God, now trust and believe in me also.

John 14:1 (TPT)

“If you love Me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

John 14:15-17 (NKJV)

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace, I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

John 14:26-27 (NKJV)

The above scriptures from the different parts of Chapter 14 of the Book of John emphasize Jesus talking about the promise of the Holy Spirit. For that alone, there really is no reason for us believers to fear at all. We only need to fear the Lord because that is essential to gaining wisdom from Him. Other than that, for as long as we stay faithful, we don’t need to fear even the most unpredictable turnout of events in this screwed up world we live in such as poverty, crime, unemployment, terrorism, violence, corruption, idol worship, atheism, religion, uncontrolled emotions, panicking, temptations and the like. Because with the Holy Spirit we are not only protected but also guided and the Lord is watching us from high above. He will not abandon us nor let evil take us away from Him. The words of Jesus in John 14 are not only still strongly relevant but are indeed living words for us to follow! Jesus, who died on the cross, came back to life, spent time with people and ascended to Heaven with the promise to return, is clearly alive!

We children of God are no longer living in sin because, clearly, Jesus redeemed us all from the darkness that started with Adam’s rebellion towards God. We are not only saved by Him but we are also new creations under Him. We Christians really have to be fearless and we are citizens of God’s kingdom! To learn more about who we are in Christ, let’s move on to the next holy scriptures.

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His might power,

Ephesians 1:17-19 (NKJV)

I pray that the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would impart to you the riches of the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of revelation[a] to know him through your deepening intimacy with him. I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling—that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones! I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you! This is the mighty power,

Ephesians 1:17-19 (TPT)

And now we, his church, are his body on the earth and that which fills him who is being filled by it!

Ephesians 1:23 (TPT)

See? We really have reasons to be the fearless church of Jesus. By having faith, we will experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power not occasionally, not sometimes but continually! As Christians driven by faith (not religion), we are indeed God’s special people (refer to 1 Peter 2:9) and there definitely should be no room for us to fear. God’s guidance and enlightenment for us are already tremendous making fear irrelevant! No fear, no panicking, no trembling and no doubting! We the fearless church of Christ can move forward with holiness and defeat Satan again and again!

To put things in perspective, after getting born again and growing with the Holy Spirit in our hearts, the Lord, who made plans for each of us since before birth, really planned for us Christians to be joined together as His Body and we the members are meant to be strong, fearless and aggressive! Believe not in your feelings, not in fear but in the Holy Spirit and remember that God and Lord Jesus are watching us. Remember also Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for humanity.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

1 Peter 3:18 (NKJV)

Suffering affects everyone. There is no doubt about that. Jesus suffered tremendously so that we will all be saved and pave the way for us into God’s kingdom. It takes faith, not religion, in the Lord for salvation to be realized. We Christians should always remember that our existence is clearly not limited to living in the flesh but also in the spiritual realm. As saved souls, we will go straight to Heaven once we die in the flesh here on Earth. We will go straight to God’s kingdom and take our respective places in it. There is no such thing as purgatory, an ancient deception of religious and evil nature! Purgatory is a lie created by the enemy who clearly influenced religious teachings and religious traditionalists which resulted distorted teachings of Christianity (by religion-driven people and institutions). We Christians have the Word of God (the Holy Bible) as the definitive and ultimate reference of faith! Upon death in this world, we the children of God will go straight to Him in His kingdom! There is nothing to fear!

Let’s move on.

And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 2:4 (NKJV)

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV)

With the Holy Spirit in us, God made a way for us to know Him and His presence. We Christians get to know Him as individual members and as a church gathered together. Even when we have nobody around us, we Christians are never really alone because we have a living personal relationship with God. We can communicate with God privately when alone and the effective way to do it is to be in our respective rooms with the door shut and pray to Him (refer to Matthew 6: 6). We have access to Him! Again, there is no room for fear nor despair here. With God, nothing is impossible and this leads me to the next holy scripture.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

2 Corinthians 4:7 (NKJV)

Treasure refers to the knowledge of God in the face of Christ. Earthen vessels are weak and breakable. The above scripture emphasizes how weak we are living in the flesh and yet we can live spiritually strong under the Lord. See the paradox? As our pastor taught us, we can only live in the flesh up to one hundred and twenty years maximum. Of course, being children of God living here on Earth, we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts and we really have missions to live in holiness, spread God’s Word and save the many billions of unsaved and lost souls before we expire and go to Heaven to join Him. Remember, with God, nothing is impossible and our being fragile as fleshly beings here on Earth should never be taken as a hindrance nor should we let it prevent us from being the fearless church of Lord Jesus!

Now that being fearless Christians has been discussed a lot already, we can move on with discussing being aggressive Christians! Let’s start with the armor God provides us in the next holy scripture.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Ephesians 6:11-13 (NKJV)

With God’s armor provided, we are already protected in the fight against evil. As members of the Body of Christ, we have the means to move forward strongly, defeat Satan and saved the many unsaved souls. Take note that in the above scripture, our battle is spiritual and not physical. We should always be able to discern between the spiritual struggle and the personal, the political and the social difficulties. We should focus on defeating Satan and his force of evil, not human adversaries. That means being aggressive with our prayers, and becoming established prayer warriors of Lord Jesus! We have the spiritual resources, the authority of Christ over evil and the Lord’s will to display His wisdom through the church (that means us Christians). No place for fear here and we have a lot of reasons to be aggressive as Christians!

Next scripture…

The LORD shall go forth like a might man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies.

Isaiah 42:13 (NKJV)

Isaiah 42:13 emphasizes that we the Children of God already have a leader (the Lord Himself) to follow as well as strength to rely on so that we can strive forward. That being said, we really have to be aggressive with our prayers, our faith and spirituality since we also have the Holy Spirit in us. There is simply no room for weakness nor fear for Christians. This should also serve as a reminder, especially to the new Christians (and the souls that need to be saved) reading this, that we Christians need to be edified. Edification itself requires aggressiveness with our faith and dedication under the Lord. Apart from studying the Holy Bible and praying in your room with the door shut, you can also do other things to strengthen yourself spiritually like praying in tongues while walking around the block or around your house.

To be aggressive with our Christianity is not a seasonal thing but rather a truly, more regular thing in our lives under the watch of God. Be a prayer warrior, a Holy Bible-oriented Christian, a preacher, a tither, a helper and spread goodness to save the unsaved souls for the rest of your life in the flesh while waiting for the return of Lord Jesus. Be a doer of the Word of God! Now on to the next verse.

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

Colossians 4:2 (NKJV)

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, be a prayer warrior with God’s Word as your definitive reference and your heart remaining open always to the Lord. We need to pray daily and this includes praying in tongues (for enlightenment read the first ten chapters of the Book of Acts in the Holy Bible). Don’t waste your time and energy on repetitive prayers (read Lord Jesus’ own words in Matthew 6:7-8) and remember the Model Prayer from Lord Jesus. Don’t give up praying to the Lord no matter what the situation is around you. Be aggressive with prayer! Be a prayerful Christian who is truly connected with the Lord! On to the next verse…

Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Genesis 1:26 (NKJV)

Those were powerful words from God Himself, declared before Adam rebelled against Him (which was preceded by Satan as a serpent tempting Eve). Right from the start, God made tremendous plans for us – His creations – to populate the Earth and have His authority to rule over the creatures. Thousands of years after Adam’s rebellion, Jesus came and sacrificed Himself to redeem humanity and restore mankind to fulfill God’s plan. As Christians who got born again and saved, we are God’s children and He wants us to save the lost and unsaved souls around us using His Word. Being a fearless and aggressive church is in accordance to God’s plan.

Once your goodness and holiness have been noticed by others, they will have the opportunities to pause, reflect and eventually decide to be saved without any force imposed on them. Heed the words of Lord Jesus in the following scripture…

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16 (NKJV)

To be fearless and aggressive as Christians is inevitable. We are the children of God and we are the church of Lord Jesus. We are the Body of Christ and under His holiness, we have common purposes to live up to even as each of us maintains (and deepens) our respective personal relationship with God.

Go to work with the Holy Spirit! Be led by the Holy Spirit! Defy darkness, unbelief, religion, idols, relics, images, traditions and rituals. Move forward as a fearless, confident and aggressive Christian! Force is not necessary, but the Word of God is essential to shed light on the world that has long been darkened by Satan. We the children of God have the means to defeat Satan again and saved the unsaved souls! We the children of God have the Lord’s authority!

Now, I’d like to reach out to the lost souls and the unsaved souls reading this. Please read closely and open your hearts.

If you seek salvation now, learn that the first step is to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Never be fooled into believing that your past defined you and your future. With Jesus, you will become a child of God and a whole new creation complete with your sins from the past washed away! You will become a true Christian with a holy purpose!

Once you are ready, pray this simple prayer (I learned from my pastor) in sincerity from your heart:

Dear God,

I believe that Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty of my sins. I believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that He is alive! Right now I call on the name of Jesus. Jesus, come into my heart. I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me by the power of Your blood. Thank You for saving me and giving me eternal life! Help me now to follow Your plan for my life. Amen.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God! Praise the Lord and always be faithful to Him! No more darkness in your life caused by unbelief or religion (and the idolatry, images, traditions and rituals that come with it). Your new life has begun and you are now a member of the Body of Christ. Now find a Christian church in your local community to connect with.

In ending this, here are some videos of Christian worship music for you to enjoy and praise the Lord with.

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. Sharing this Christian piece means spreading the good news of the Lord to others. It can help you save the unsaved and the lost souls out there.

If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/

Never Let Your Feelings Weaken Your Faith in The Lord

Never Let Your Feelings Weaken Your Faith in The Lord

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It is simply too easy for us people to let our feelings dominate us and lead ourselves to undesirable outcomes in life. There are times that we make decisions not based on faith but based on how we feel at the moment. Even worse, is carrying wrongful feelings for long even to the point of putting ourselves in a crisis.

To get to the point, feelings are part of our living in the flesh but as Christians who got born again and accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, we must always remind ourselves and even orient the unsaved souls the truth that faith in God is much more essential than feelings. Let’s start with a bible verse.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

Proverbs 3:5 (NKJV)

The verse above is about moving by faith, not by feelings and not by the limitations of our perception and understanding.  When you trust the Lord, you do it wholeheartedly and not because you relied on the inaccurate indications of your feelings deep inside. You should not rely on your feelings to do something with your faith. Remember that God’s kingdom is not of this world we live in which is full of unfortunate events or things that move people’s perception and feelings almost all the time.

Let me cite an example here. Imagine yourself anticipating a blockbuster movie you waited months for and already you secured in advance a ticket for a specific time slot for opening day. Suddenly, as your drive on the way to the movie theater, you received a call from a family member who needs you to go to the bank to do a very essential transaction which ultimately prevents you from watch that movie. The natural effects of such a scenario are disappointment, anger and, worse, resentment. In other words, negative feelings fill your heart which should never be because you already have the Holy Spirit in your heart. You should always be led by the Holy Spirit, not your feelings.

In the Kingdom of God as well as in the Body of Christ (we Christians are the church), we are supposed to be pure in heart and be living with the holiness of the Lord. Feelings, whether negative or positive, are not essential and they are never meant to be utilized as indicators on how we live, what we do and what we think of. As Christians, we are supposed to be more reasonable and be wiser under the watch of the Lord. Always remember that while you can hide your feelings from people, you can never ever hide those feelings from God. Remember that whatever feelings we have here on Earth are meaningless in the spiritual realm.

Let’s examine some notable examples of life that cause people to feel (and then giving in to those feelings) while they live in the flesh.

First example is unbelief. You see those secularists or atheists who speak out loud on TV or on social media? They often reject God and deny His existence. They believe that humans can exist, remain moral and prosper without God, without faith (or religion as they often call it) and without discipline. Those secularists and atheists can easily offend the feelings of a Christian at first. However, any anointed and mature Christian would always know to prioritize God and maintain faith in Him instead of giving in to feeling offended or feeling weakened by those who have no faith. Remember this always and go around telling your fellow Christians to never give in to their feelings and never ever let unbelief dominate them. Remind them of being faithful to the Lord. Remind them that they already have the victory of the Lord over Satan. Let’s read the following scripture from the Holy Bible.

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

John 16:33 (NKJV)

Wow! Those were powerful words from Lord Jesus Himself! He achieved a major victory that nobody else could ever match – redeeming the whole world by sacrificing Himself, then returned to enlighten more with holiness before ascending to Heaven! Jesus holiness is very real and there truly is a God who created us, accepted us as His children when we got born again and blessed us since. The truth of Christianity shows that there is no good reason at all as to why we Christians should surrender to our feelings and allow the non-believers to drag us down to their level. We Christians are not only believers but are also citizens of God’s Kingdom complete with armor, weapons and other spiritual means that with Him, we are more than conquerors. Moving on, let’s read the next holy scripture.

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

2 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV)

2 Corinthians 2:14 is another clear example as to why we the faithful are living in victory. Unbelief combined with feelings are actually a weak combination and we Christians are never meant to allow ourselves to be defeated by them. We are spiritually stronger under God. Always remember that!

Secularists and atheists are more likely to manipulate other people (those with weaker faith or even none at all) through their feelings and then trap them into accepting unbelief. This is sad but not hopeless for us Christians. We can unite and pray to the Lord that unbelief will be overwhelmed and then time will come that the secularists and atheists will realize the errors of their ways and soon will decide willingly to apologize to the Lord and submit to Him peacefully. We can also pray for the victims as well as all the unsaved and lost souls who embraced unbelief. Remember that unbelief is a weapon of the ever-stubborn loser Satan. We can always defeat Satan by remaining strongly faithful with God and preach His Word to this screwed-up world we live in.

The next example that spark feelings in people is religion which is often confused with faith. To put it in simple terms, religion is a deeply flawed approach of worshipping the Lord as it involves a lot of man-written rules, sacraments and a bunch of other stuff that are not really holy. Having gone through a past life of religion (followed by a short life of unbelief) myself, I confirm the truth that religion is frustrating (this is the most notable feeling) and is actually a hindrance to achieving truth faith in the Lord.

Religion involves idolatry (worshiping people, images and man-made items) which is very wrong as confirmed by the following holy scripture.

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NKJV)

Think about the sin of idolatry carefully. You worship a person, that makes you unrighteous. You pray to a statue or statuette, that makes you unrighteous. You pray to a painting or a relic, that makes you unrighteous. You keep on practicing idolatry, it will impact you to developing a whole bunch of unnecessary feelings deep inside you which will give you a false perception of faith in the Lord (which you are not really achieving). In religion, idolatry is also a tradition falsely believed to be holy. Be aware that idolatry itself makes religion unholy and our Heavenly Father is a jealous God. Even Satan uses religion and idolatry is a useful tool for him to prevent people from being with God. Learn from the following scriptures.

You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image – any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Exodus 20:3-6 (NKJV)

Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 19:4 (NKJV)

Apart from idolatry, religion also comes with its own traditions that were not made by God’s chosen people who wrote the Holy Bible. Such traditions trap people and make them more emotional and prone to being dictated by their feelings. This alone should be of deep concern for anyone seeking the Lord. In my old life, I practiced religious traditions of visiting seven churches of religion, praying with repetitive prayers, praying with a relic that was never holy, submitting to a religious hierarchy that has a history of abuse and corruption for centuries, praying to man-made objects, forcefully getting pushed to participate in a religion-driven brainwashing event called family encounter (now a tradition for a certain group religious people here in the Philippines), participating in a religion-based youth movement (also a tradition for the above-mentioned group of people) and the like. So I went through all of that in my old life and ultimately I really never got connected with the Lord, nor was I ever able to discover the ways to establishing a true personal relationship with Him.

Religion and its traditions, rituals, idolatry and culture of forceful imposition deeply frustrated me. This is the ultimate feeling I had long ago. Because religion was hollow, mean and so frustrating to me, I rejected religion and, incidentally, I got myself separated from the Lord which is why there was a period of almost ten years in which I lived a non-believer. I even became antagonistic towards the Lord and Christianity as whole. All that time before, I did not realize that faith and religion are not one and the same. I also had not discovered back then that it was possible to be with God without religion.

And then, when I was a little over forty-years-old, something wonderful and holy happened. My dearest friend in life invited me to her church to attend a holy seminar. I attended with her and the many church members (the Body of Christ) present, just behaving myself since I was still a non-believer. I was still living in darkness (which started since my old life with religion). After attending that event, meeting the pastor and brought home with me a holy bible that was given to me, I saw the light again and eventually I willingly got born again. I became a new creation, a true Christian and a child of God. The darkness of religion and unbelief that overwhelmed me ended and I have no desire to go back to my old life ever again.

Since then, I attended Sunday worship regularly and also participated in bible study sessions and holy seminars to grow spiritually and deepen my established personal relationship with God. Along the way, I learned from our pastor that our faith in the Lord should never be dominated nor affected by our feelings which is the precise topic of this article. To end this part, religion is truly frustrating and unnecessary. Being religious is not the same as being faithful with the Lord.

Another factor that sparks feelings in us is Satan. The enemy knows well that feelings, emotions and sentimentalism are effective weapons for him to dumb us Christians down, and worse, overwhelm people who are not aware of their true purpose under God. The enemy would not hesitate to use a person or an event to arouse our feelings inside to keep us distracted from being focused Christians. Satan is also known to spread temptation which itself sparks feelings.

Take for example, an earthquake rocks and heavily damages a major city causing a lot of deaths, injuries and property damage. That tragedy gets magnified by the morally bankrupt cable TV news organizations which only cause viewers around the world to feel sad, sorry, fearful and even defeated. Such tragedies that spark tons of feelings to weaken people delight Satan. We as children of God should never ever allow our feelings nor our perception of magnified tragedies overwhelm our faith in the Lord. We the Christians have been redeemed by Jesus long ago and it is our mission to always remain focused and very strong with faith in Him. We the children of God are not mere followers but we are special and we have a much greater purpose in the spiritual realm even though we are still living in the flesh on this world that Satan had screwed-up long ago. Learn from the following scripture.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Ephesians 6:10-20 (NKJV)

Those were such powerful words! More than that, Ephesians 6: 10-20 confirms the truth that we the faithful should always be strong in the Lord and with Him, we have the means to overcome Satan and all other forces of evil. That also includes completely defying the feelings we have while living in the flesh. That being said, we the children of God have no reason to be fearful at all. We only fear the Lord because it leads to wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), strong confidence (Proverbs 14:26) and opposing evil (Proverbs 8:13).

Satan is not as powerful as most people think. He is simply a loser who just refuses to stop and will continue to exploit the weak to screw up many people and spread chaos worldwide. War, famine, riots and pandemics are such examples of global tragedies with people falling for Satan’s tricks and failing to keep strong faith in God.

We the children of God know much better. Therefore, Satan’s strategy of using chaos (being magnified by the global news media giants), fear and negative vibes to bring us down through our feelings can be deflected for as long as we continue to be strong with God. It is a matter of being faithful over being full of feelings.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying feelings are totally useless. As God’s children living in the flesh here on Earth, it is okay to have feelings like the happiness that comes with being with the family or a special someone, the deep satisfaction we have inside as we enjoy the prosperity and protection God blessed us with, etc.

We can live with feelings but we always prioritize our faith in the Lord eternally. We can keep on living with feelings but we must not be led by them because we were created by God to be led by the Holy Spirit.  We were not created to be religious but to be faithful Christians.

Now let me reach out to the unsaved souls and the lost souls among you, my readers…

If you seek salvation now, learn that the first step is to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Never be fooled into believing that your past defined you and your future. With Jesus, you will become a child of God and a whole new creation complete with your sins from the past washed away! You will become a true Christian with a holy purpose!

Once you are ready, pray this simple prayer (I learned from my pastor) in sincerity from your heart:

Dear God,

I believe that Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty of my sins. I believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that He is alive! Right now I call on the name of Jesus. Jesus, come into my heart. I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me by the power of Your blood. Thank You for saving me and giving me eternal life! Help me now to follow Your plan for my life. Amen.

Congratulations! You are now a child of God! Praise the Lord and always be faithful to Him! No more darkness in your life caused by unbelief or religion (and the idolatry, traditions and rituals that come with it). Your new life has begun!

Always study the Holy Bible, apply its lessons into your life and pray in tongues regularly to Him. The Holy Spirit is in you and you are now a new creation! You can also start your spiritual growth immediately under the eyes of the Lord! Today is a happy day for you!

In ending this piece, feel free to enjoy these Christian praise-and-worship YouTube videos. Hallelujah!!!

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