IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

We have all learned what the kingdom is in our childhood social studies classes. A kingdom is a domain with a king as its ruler, hence the compound word king-dom. In this Monarchy type of government, the king’s (or queen’s) word becomes the law upon which the kingdom is founded. The people are subjects that submit to the irrefutable word of the king. Therefore, the Kingdom of God is the system of God’s government based on His laws and the Kingdom of Heaven is where that government is in authority.

So, on Earth, the Kingdom of Heaven is wherever people have become citizens of God’s government, and have submitted to His laws.
It is essential that believers come to understand that Christ came to establish a government because our understanding greatly effects how we live. Since believers are citizens of the Kingdom of God rather than members of a religious organization, we have “rights” when we live rightly- or righteously

In fact, many of those rights are listed in the bible. God made a covenant with His people and described a life of great abundance and victory that they would experience if they would diligently obey Him (and His commandments).

God always intended for mankind to dwell with Him eternally (John 10:27-28), experiencing life as a citizen of His kingdom while on earth. He prepared a body to come into the world to redeem His people and salvage His kingdom through the person of Jesus Christ came bearing a government and teaching about a kingdom not a religion (Matthew 4:17; ). God’s people are to function as not only priests, but also as senators, ambassadors, citizens, and more in order to advance Heaven’s government on earth while awaiting the return of our King.

Therefore, if this is the message that Christ preached, as His disciples we are to learn this message and teach it to others. 



FACES OF GOD

The face of an individual is oftentimes a good reflection of his personality. Hunger, anger, happiness, acceptance and disapproval, can all be read on the face. Facial expressions so many times tell us whether we are loved or unloved, accepted or disapproved. The dimension with which God has resolved to relate with this generation is through His two faces.

When God created the world and man, He made a garden and wanted man to live in pleasure but later man had to stay out of the garden out of his own doing, thus man became a wanderer. The link of fellowship, friendship, fatherhood between God and man was broken and since them, men had wandered in despair, rejection and hopelessness, looking desperately for the missing link.

God in His mercy considered the misery and needless toil of man and decided to show His first face, which is all that is needed to give the all-needed link much sought. He showed GRACE. Grace is the countenance of the first face of God. It is defined, “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. The law cannot give salvation because it is weak, imperfect, fault-laden, costly and limited. (Hebrews chapters 7, 8 & 9; Romans 8:3). The prophets also came; great were their exploits but they were grossly incapable to restore man back to God. The grace which this face of God radiates supersedes and nullifies the works of the law which were unable to safe.

John 1:14 writes, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, writes, “for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Jesus brought grace – a boundless, unique, cheap and accessible offer that redeems from the consciousness of sin. The grace of God is the dimension for this moment. The offer is running after you and beckoning for your embrace. You are implored to receive this salvation that Jesus brought through grace so that you can have access back to God and eventually be a partaker of eternal life with God.

Friend, why will you be adamant to this call to salvation and freedom? All that sin has got is a sting that wants to make you sink and stink. Why then are you still committed to a sinful life? Grace is made available, why not embrace this offer? Don’t allow God’s efforts on your life to be in.

There is a fact that should be appreciated, the period of grace has an expiry and thereafter, the whole world will be made to see expression of the second face of God and its attendant expression. This is the face of JUDGEMENT. Revelation 20:11 writes, “And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away; and there was found no place for them”. Paul said “knowing the terror of God, we persuade men” 2Cor. 5:11. Please be persuaded. Don’t wait to see this horrible and terrible face of God.

A related story was told of a young man sometimes ago who had a very nasty road traffic accident. It was so fatal and people passed him by without thinking of rescuing him. His hope of survival was so slim but a man came on board and defied all odds. He helped this victim, carried him to a specialist hospital for tertiary treatment and paid all his hospital bills. He ensured this victim fully recovered. After he was discharged and fit again, he mixed up with morally bankrupt people who engaged in all forms of vices.


One day, this gang went on a robbery operation which was very violent and wasteful. They were caught and arraigned in court. The sitting judge was the man who rescued this young man and upon sighting him, this young man was happy concluding that at least the man would grant him freedom because of the familiarity. To his amazement, the judge convicted him and sentenced him to death. While passing his judgments, the young man begged this judge to remember the encounter he had earlier with him and how he was instrumental to his sustenance then.
The judge said, “then, I was your savior, saved you and rescued you from death, but now I am acting as your judge. Grace saved you then and since you do not want to stay alive, you are doomed in judgment. Jesus is likened to the judge who paid the debts of our sins, when the period of grace expires, Jesus will stand as a righteous judge. Then, sinners will taste the fury of God’s wrath, they will see the face of an angry God in judgment.

Friend, don’t wait to see God’s face in judgment. Salvation is free but you have to accept it. Embrace the free gift of God flowing now through grace and you will book for yourself an eternity with God. God bless you as you decide for the Lord.





As Our World Changes – We Must Also Change!


The Big Change.

Well who really knows? Some of us think we know, some of us are terrified, and then some of us don’t know what to think or feel so we turn a blind eye? What do you think?

Well Here Is My Humble Opinion!

There has to be a dramatic change to our earth, the repairs that are needed are beyond us now. There also has to be a dramatic change for humans if we are to survive as we have also lost control over our way of living! Wars, crime, destruction and pain is not how we should live! The powers that be will take on the task, mother earth will cleanse and heal herself and we humans will adapt to the evolution. I am amazed at all the predictions that were made so many moon’s ago!

Time To Grow!

At the risk of sounding cliché, a spiritual awakening is upon us. And it is calling us to grow and move forward, it is pushing us and guiding us! It is almost as if the higher power is fed up of waiting for us to get the message, we are a sad lot, we take so much for granted, mostly our own lives and our own power! We must change!

I realize this may sound a little fluffy to a lot of people, but it is time to get real, We’re at a huge turning point. Everything is changing and at an alarming rate!

Personal Growth!

Personal growth, and spiritual movement has been sweeping the globe for years now, and I think most of us have had a glimpse of it and even flirted with the ideas for a while. Some of us even experienced the light for brief time and felt the beauty. Somehow we can’t hold on to it because we have to get on with life.
The thing is though, this life is no longer serving us, it is time for our evolution!

For years I myself did not like talking this way for fear of ridicule, but we are here now, and we will have to face the change!

No Big Deal!

Well in actual fact it is a big deal, a mighty great whopping deal! We will live in total beauty and harmony! That is what we are being prepared for! There will be no pain and suffering, just a beautiful life!

Ok, I can hear you! Look you don’t have to listen to me, just open your eyes and look around you, read about it, open your heart and feel it! Learn all you can, you owe it to you!

Educate and prepare yourself for change!

Learn to adapt now, prepare yourself for our change, learn to live in peace and harmony! We owe it to ourselves to live this way, we have taken to long to grow, it is now forced upon us! My Success to you, to all you deserve and desire!










PRINCIPLES OF FAITH

There are two principles of faith which are of great importance and which should guide our lives.

Faith Is The Byword For Those Who Watch. What this means is that we need to be people who constantly watch in faith. We watch both for where and when the Lord is active in our lives and the world around us; but also for where he could be brought into a situation through our prayer of faith.
This general attitude can and should be regarded as a way of life: we are always being, not merely aware of God, but of where he is active and where he could be active if we intervened in prayer for his action.

For, in the latter respect, Jesus told us:
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Now, it would surely have been superfluous for him to have said this if God always supplies what is needed anyway, without his being asked. The unavoidable implication of what he says here is surely that there are, in fact, many things which we do not receive simply because we do not ask for them.

Hence our lives should be expressed through a repeated asking, seeking and knocking. This is not to be implemented in a selfish seeking for one's own advantage, but through a constant watching in our lives at the events around us, and which occur in the world, for those opportunities through which God can intervene as a consequence of our acts and prayers of faith.

Sometimes these may concern things which do affect us personally and directly; at other times they will relate to world events in which we are not directly involved but which we do need to pray for in faith. So faith becomes the byword for Christians, the thing which, along with love, is our distinguishing characteristic.

This may seem quite different from the first principle but is, in fact, highly complimentary to it. The poor in spirit are such because they know their absolute reliance on God for all things -- and that reliance is a continual act of faith. Indeed, this can be seen as an essential underpinning for the first principle. One of the main reasons why some Christians are not people of an active and daily expressed life of faith is because, although they may acknowledge it in principle, they lack the realization of their utter dependency on God for all things.

Our objective is to make every aspect of our life subject to faith. Even when we pray, we should not do so without asking the Holy Spirit to be our Pray-er. (see my book "The Keys To How To Pray" on the Christian word web site given below). When asked about it, almost any knowledgeable Christian will affirm the role of the Spirit in this respect. But how often do we form and structure our prayer our selves?. Yet this is a practice which separates the faithful Christian from the less faithful Christian. Truly this is where our life of faith should start. But it should not end there. Indeed, if i sit down to write an article like this without asking for the Spirit's guidance and inspiration, what good is that?

Let us begin our life of faith with and in prayer. Paul advises us that it is the Holy Spirit who does our praying, not us. For example, Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:18 that we should pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. So however we are praying and whatever we are praying for, we are doing it in faith and therefore relying on the Holy Spirit to accomplish what we cannot.





THE SECRET OF A THANKFUL HEART

So many times a door in life closes and we become angry, cursing our fate. We lose a job, our girlfriend or boyfriend leaves us, our house is virtually destroyed in a storm and we have to move. To The famous Roman orator, Cicero, who lived in the First Century, A. D., had this to say about attitude, "A thankful heart is not only the greatest Virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues."

At first glance, this is a puzzling little saying, but since Cicero is probably one of the world's first motivational speakers, perhaps it is worth taking seriously. Still, we must ask, what is a thankful heart- especially in a world where hearts are so easily broken, where calamity and disappointment for so many, lurks behind every corner and where life seems so easily to dispense failure and dissatisfaction and heartbreak?

It would seem that a thankful heart is possessed by a man or a woman who habitually looks at the world with a feeling of thanksgiving or gratitude despite what other people might think of the world about them. To obtain a thankful heart, one must either be slightly insane, given the nature of things- or have adopted an attitude of thankfulness, despite the normal course of things- for some over-riding reason. Cicero must; of course, being talking about someone who holds the latter opinion for he also says that a thankful heart is "the parent of all other virtues."

Some say that the Law of Attraction operates by sending back to you whatever you send out to the universe. It would seem that it would best to be sending out thoughts from a heart disciplined to look at the good side of things. In other words; look at life by seeking the invisible opportunity in difficulties, seize the possibilities for growth in adversity, and to look at life's situations from the standpoint of a thankful heart. For most, the habitual response to those situations is purely negative. But to others, who know the secret, there is always the possibility of a hidden advantage.

What could that be like? Well, obviously, if you lose your job, you could get a better job, one that you would never thought of looking for. If you lose a boyfriend or have a divorce, there could be something in store from you. Things that seem bad are not always the worst possible things.

Therefore, at the very least, when something unexpected happens, you can realize that you are stepping into the unknown. But, is there a way you can step into these unknown and perhaps seemingly dangerous waters- and still put your best foot forward? Perhaps, you can use the healing and strengthening power of gratitude. Gratitude is not just an emotion, but a power, a power that empowers you to move forward.

What should we be grateful for? Yes, we should be grateful for our jobs, our homes, our cars, our financial rewards-but, principally, we should be thankful for our friends and families, for the loving relationships that nurture and sustain us everyday. But, instead, of letting our gratitude be like the backdrop of painting, a colorful but distant background to the events and drama in our lives.

But how do we do this???By daily, hourly, minute by minute, thanking God for the many wonderful things in our lives. In a recent video called The Secret, the movie focuses on the Law of Attraction, what it describes as the universe's natural and lawful tendency to return back to us what is given it. So, if you give gratitude to the universe- gratitude for the abundance, love, happiness and peace in your life, for the manifold blessings you have-even if those seem somehow hiding under a shadow- the universe will return the attitude by bringing abundance, love, happiness and peace into your life. Sometimes it happens in a very surprising way.

The real secret, however; is to be thankful for your all the wonderful things you have in your life and to always seek the hidden advantage in the events that surround you. Dare to dream and make those dreams into your reality through your actions and thoughts








BELIEVE AND ACHIEVE:

Don't we all want to be successful? In life? As a person? In your career, job, business?

The fundamental law of human achievement is the law of belief. It suggests that you always behave in a manner consistent with your beliefs. If you believe you are a Roman Catholic, then you are. If you believe you are a Buddhist, you are. If you believe you can ride a bicycle, then you can ride a bicycle. Even if you can't ride a bicycle as long as you believe you can, but if not then you will persist in failing until you can actually ride. Unfortunately, once you decide you can't ride a bicycle, then you can't. Even though we are all capable of riding a bicycle, once you believe you can't, you can't.

You then suffer from the self-limiting belief that you just cannot do it. Your belief is not based on fact it is just a belief. Even though our self-limiting beliefs are not based on fact, we always behave in a manner consistent with our beliefs. If you believe you can drive a car, be creative, set goals, implement a successful life strategy, or marketing strategy, sell well, negotiate, be a leader, understand the financial implications, manage your time well, etc., then you can master all these skills.

Even if at the present time you have not mastered these skills, as long as you believe you are excellent, then you will make the necessary efforts. You will set goals, design a personal development plan, and set personal and family goals and resolve to pay the necessary price.

Another vitally important aspect of the law of belief is that you can believe anything that you want to believe. You can believe that you are brilliant at marketing, selling, finance, relationships and time management. You can believe that you are successful in business. You can believe that you are a millionaire. As long as you truly believe, then you will hang on to that belief, despite setbacks, until your beliefs become your reality. Without a doubt, your beliefs are your reality.

Make a decision to adopt beliefs which are consistent with achieving your goals. All successful people have beliefs consistent with what they want to achieve. Join them! Make a decision to change your beliefs. The beliefs you hold at the moment are largely responsible for the position you hold at the moment. If you change your beliefs, then you change your reality. Changing your beliefs about yourself means changing your self-concept. Your self-concept is your bundle of beliefs about yourself. Make a decision to adopt the self-concept which is consistent with achieving your goals. We get our beliefs from our culture and what other people tell us. When we are little our most significant others tell us things which describe us. If the parent tells the child he is useless he will grow up believing it and manifesting that uselessness in his life. If the daughter was told she is beautiful and sings like an angel, she will grow up believing it whether it is true or not.

Everything starts with ideas or thoughts. Thoughts and ideas become feelings which eventually become beliefs. Your beliefs have a powerful effect on your expectations. Your expectations have a powerful effect on your attitude. If you believe you are destined to become successful then this has a strong effect on your expectations which in turn become very positive. Your positive expectations are translated into a very positive attitude. Your attitude is the major determinant of your success in achieving your goals.

Everything comes back to beliefs. Successful people have the beliefs of successful people; unsuccessful people have the beliefs of unsuccessful people. Make a decision to adopt the beliefs consistent with being successful. Make a decision to shake off self-limiting beliefs and negative emotions. This drains energy and is time wasting. Replace them with positive beliefs and positive emotions. Start now! And belief in yourself!










THE VALUE OF GIFTS

People use a number of different criteria when mentally evaluating a particular gift they have received.

There is monetary value, usefulness, thoughtfulness and emotional attachment.

The monetary value is the obvious element and has the most direct link to the overall value. If my wife asks for a specific birthday present that costs thousands of dollars, it has a high monetary value, it's probably useful, there has been zero thought put into by myself and it's all rather emotionally detached. (Other than the fact that satisfying my wife's desires is my reason for living of course.) Conversely if my young daughter spends all her money on a cheap screwdriver set that will last a month after Father's Day, it has low monetary value, it's pretty useless but she the fact really thought about it means it has a very high emotional value to me; and I'd probably cherish it for years (but never use it).

Usefulness isn't just about practical things like tools, car accessories etc.. Ugly jewelry isn't very useful, but a beautiful necklace is. Gift cards are the most useful but are viewed by the majority as being a "cop out". This is probably a bit unfair if you're trying to buy a gift for a distant uncle you know nothing about. A good idea when giving a gift card is to suggest something to buy with it. Perhaps something you like at that store or something you'd like to try. The recipient can take that into account and (probably) buy what they want, but at least you have demonstrated that you have put some thought into it.

Thoughtfulness is actually a subset of the emotional attachment but is an important element that the receiver and onlookers use to evaluate a gift. No matter how much thought you've put into it, if they don't think you have, then it will be a disappointment to them in some way. Spending lots of money on something can offset this, but it is still perceived that you have treated it as a chore. When giving a gift try to explain why you chose that particular thing. Sometimes, of course, they just don't like it, but that shouldn't be viewed as a failure.

The best gift is one that makes a person really happy. This can be done in the ways described above, but to get that special thing can really resonate. You really need to know the person, whether it's a spouse, partner, child or parent and ACTUALLY put a lot of thought into it. Whether it's a specially painted picture of your car by your daughter or that signed Hank Aaron baseball you never, ever thought you would get, you really feel you have got the best present ever and that really does make the giver happy too.

So, is it the thought that counts? Yes, of course it is, if you have actually thought about it and demonstrate that to the recipient.






THE NOAH’S ARK


“So God said to Noah, ‘I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18 inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks’” (Genesis 6:13-16).

In Genesis chapters 6-9 we read about the global flood and the ark Noah is instructed to build by God in order to save his family (he, his wife, his three sons, and their wives) and pairs of every kind of animal.

How gullible must one be to believe pairs of animals just “showed up” to march onto the ark? Can you really believe a pair of polar bears walked all the way from the North Pole to somewhere in the Middle East to board an ark? How about penguins? Or kangaroos?

The Bible does not explain to us how this was accomplished, but if we believe in a God who created our world, it is not too hard to believe this same God could also make the boarding of the ark happen.

The amazing evidence from Noah’s account, however, is the ark itself. What did it look like? Genesis records specific dimensions as well as detailed instructions on how the ark should be built. This is not merely a little rowboat. Nor did it look like ships of those days. You do not have to be an expert on “Bronze Age boat building” to realize that marine vessels in those days were likely quite small, not able to carry large loads or many passengers. Likely they were not seaworthy enough to cross large bodies of water. In the New Testament people must have faced the same nautical problems encountered by those in Noah’s day. We read about the challenges they met daily while fishing on the Lake of Galilee, and how Paul was shipwrecked in a great storm.

In 1992, archaeologists in Dover, England, unearthed remains of a large wooden boat thought to be 3,550 years old (which would date it near the time of Moses). This boat is called the Dover boat. Its size is estimated at 15-18 meters (50-60 feet) long (only about half to two-thirds of the boat has been retrieved), and 2.4 meters (8 feet) wide. It could have crossed the channel, carrying supplies, livestock, and passengers, propelled likely by at least 18 paddlers.

This would have been a fairly large boat for the Bronze Age. Compare this to the ark. The ark was 450 feet long (as much as nine times the length of the Dover boat) and 75 feet wide (again, more than nine times wider). That makes the square footage of the ark about 85 times larger! Plus, the Dover boat is just an open row boat. In contrast the ark is 45 feet (3 decks) high – a veritable monster compared to the Dover boat!

The dimensions of the ark make it actually resemble – a modern container ship.

Shaped like a rectangular box with a 6-to-1 (450 feet to 75 feet) dimensional ratio, the ark would have had excellent stability. The normal length-to-width ratio of ancient ships was 10 to 1. However, Noah used the same proportions as we now use in modern ship construction. An interesting parallel to the size of the Ark can be seen in the well-known Titanic.

Taking the ark’s dimensions and using “a sheep” as an average animal, Dr. John Whitcomb and Dr. Henry Morris calculated the ark could have contained as many as 130,500 animals. They estimate the total number at about 17,600 (3,500 mammals, 8,600 birds, 5,500 reptiles & amphibians). They conclude the ark would be filled only to perhaps 27% of its available space.

Obviously many disagree with their calculations, but it is beyond dispute that the ark was large, especially for its time, and its dimensions and ratio’s are remarkably consistent with modern day shipbuilding. Certainly it displayed a technical expertise not known in the days of either Noah or Moses.

Moses lived most of his life in the desert. Likely the only ships he had seen were the small boats that travelled the Nile. How did he know these dimensions? How could a man of the sand conceive of a container ship? And how could he know the preferred ratio of length, width, and height of such a vessel?

It is because Moses listened.... when GOD talked to him.







REAP THE HARVEST OF WHAT YOU HAVE SOWN

Revenge, the desire to hurt others who have hurt us, only bears bitter fruit. It hurts those whom we have inflicted our wrath upon. And it hurts us, because no single act in the universe goes unrewarded. From that singular act, our own consciousness is wounded by the expression of our animalism.

Nations pride themselves on the swiftness of their retribution but inevitably collapse in on themselves because the seeds of discontent that they sow, hurts all of life. Rome, the greatest civilization that the world had ever known, built on the finest arts and sciences known to the ancient world, the epitome of legal and architectural order, collapsed from within, destroyed by its own impulse to use its mighty force to strike out and subdue.

Today our world is dying because of this impulse to strike out.

We are destroying each other at an alarming rate, both individually and collectively.

And even the earth itself, is collapsing at a faster rate than we can repair. Scientists now estimate that by the year 2050, we will have exhausted the earth of all its natural resources.

The science that we celebrate, the genius of our efforts, are wasted on destructive uses. Instead of using the power of the nucleus to build great civilizations we are busy using it to stockade bombs.

Billions of dollars that could be used to heal the broken places on our planet are used to send people to horrific deaths.

When we seek to hurt life, we hurt ourselves, for we are life.

Revenge it is said is a dish best served cold; but whether it is served with cold deliberation or hot reaction, it is a dish in whose very preparation we imbue a poison that will return to destroy us.

The greatest illusion is this: that we can hurt and not be hurt, that we can wound another and remain unscathed. When we inflict harm upon another, we inflict harm upon ourselves. What goes around comes around. A rudimentary study of history will prove this.

When we love, we reach out to align with life, to nurture and make others better, and in that act, we redeem ourselves from our own past follies.

This love is a precious act. It is our extension of spiritual power in the world. It is a moment of sympathy and support that we have for life. When you bend down and help a child tie its shoelaces, you are tying up all the knots of the world. When you listen in silence and understand another's intention, you are spreading the meme of empathy through all of time and space, for thoughts are cosmic waves that do not know any barriers.

As we extend love to others, it comes back to us.

Yet we cannot love others unless we love ourselves as well.

We cannot live without making mistakes of judgment and do things that we will later regret, because we are naive and do foolish things out of that naivety. But we do grow, and looking back at the harm we have invoked, we feel grief. Our act of love, then, is to forgive ourselves. Yet instead of taking this simple act, we damn ourselves repeatedly, and in this way, we still hurt life, because we are life.

When we feel the urge to strike out, we must remember how it feels to have the wound inflicted upon our own flesh, because everything returns to the author of a deed.

Help always, hurt never. Do this and your life will be a blessing to the world and you must reap the harvest from what you have sown.





Live your lives with love and faith in your hearts!!!

Men and women are created in the glory of God. We are made in His image and after His likeness. All of us, no exceptions; so whether we feel like it or not, whether we believe in God or not, we are still created for His glory. Yet we don't all live our lives for the purpose we were created for, do we? So many women throughout history have lived lives seeking selfish gain, and sought to bring glory and honor only to themselves. The carnage of our selfish lives is recorded in history. The power that women possess is unprecedented. Take a quick walk through the bible and see what I mean.

It was through Mary that our Lord and Savior was birthed into the world from heaven. It was Mary of Magdalene that attended to Jesus needs, helped in ministry, and was the first to see Jesus after He rose from the grave. Women are powerful.

All of these women were regulators. They rose above the sin condition of their time and birthed, saved, delivered, established, and developed the nation of God's people. They stood tall against the present darkness of the enemy's rule and fought for the truth of God's authority. So many countless others, recorded in the bible an untold, have regulated the agenda of hell and conquered the kingdoms of the devil to the glory of God. This is what we are called to be; Regulators.

It's a shame that the world is currently a place of darkness. When Adam sinned, the enemy to up rulership over the world. Of course, God is still Lord of all but if you want to know why sin, crime, and destruction are so common among us it's because we forfeited our position of power to the devil when we sinned. "In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience." (Ephesians 2:2) The enemy took over through humanity's sin and he established his kingdom upon the earth and that system is what we are still under.

Yet God has all power and has already taken the sting of death away from the devil and we now have the power to walk above this present darkness and worldly system through faith in Jesus Christ. This means that in Jesus we have the power to reject temptations, bad habits, lust in our flesh, compromise, and mental bondages. We can walk on top of the devil's system and be conquerors over the enemy and the world in our life. When Jesus enters our life He fills us with light, life, and talents with which He wants us to use to glorify Him and win other people to Him.

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:13-14, 16
God calls us to emulate our salvation through our very lifestyle. There should be something distinctively different about the lifestyle of the Christian than that of a non-believer. This is why it's not good for Christians to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or consume other worldly pleasures simply because we can do it so long as we don't over-indulge. Sure you may be able to have a casual drink and not get drunk, but that alcoholic who needs God will see you and see no difference between his lifestyle and yours. The world should see a difference in the homes of Christians. It hurts to know that the divorce rate is so high even among Christians. Non-believers can't be inspired by Christians who don't have peace, love, and joy in their homes.
We can't get caught up into gossip, bound by addictions, or harbor bitterness within our hearts. We have to allow the power of God to work in and through us to live differently than other people. We have a higher calling and a holy mission as Christians. This has got to saturate everything from whatwe believe in our heart to the way we walk out our lives. When we operate in godly love we testify of God's presence more than just protesting it. Giving a lonely person a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on shows godly love. Giving someone with a broken down car on the side of the road a helping hand shows God's love. When people are rejected by society and we speak to them about the solution God gives to their problems we become a great witness. Our light must shine through our works. Just like all of these women I mentioned to the godly women of today, Jesus wants to use you to combat hell and establish His kingdom in the earth.

This has to be your focus, your mission, and your motivation to get out of bed each morning. Jesus answered the present needs of people. When the crowd of 5,000 were hungry, He fed them before He spoke to them. Jesus healed people. This was significant because during the first century, sickness and disease was rampant. His healing ministry made Him extremely relevant to the present needs of the people. Yet still His greatest work was redeeming man back to God through the sinless death of the Son of God. He was birthed in obscurity yet changed the entire world past, present, and future. He was a regulator. Like a thermostat, He set the tone, He set the temperature, He set the pace for humanity to walk in. And He said that the works He did weren't anything compared to the works we can do!

He said that we were the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The only reason the earth isn't consumed in sin and totally self destructed is because of us. We are the only reason God doesn't spew the world out of His mouth and send fire down on the whole earth. God told Abraham that if he could just find 50 righteous men in Sodom He would let the place survive. Abraham couldn't and God burned the whole place down: men, women, and children. The women of God must represent God completely. Each one of you has a crucial role in the plan of God.

Godly women can affect change in the world based on spiritual values. And, we can change the world if we just roll up our sleeves and start fighting the fight of faith. We must let God's glory be seen through the integrity and excellence with which we do our business and serve in our vocation.

Wherever we go and whatever we do, we must be regulators. God's trumpet has sounded, the curse of sin has been broken, the Angel of God sends out a war cry. Stand! We can't get caught up into the things of the world but we must challenge the world's system to rise to God's standard by the way we live, work, and treat other people. We have to be about winning souls to Jesus. We should be about our Father's business as a young Jesus said He was. We are the defenders of the faith. We are the fishers of men. We are the agents of God sent to change the world and tell the message of Jesus salvation. We can deliver a world of slaves like Moses did or establish God's kingdom like David did. We have the power within us.
Sister in Christ, you are regulators, and the world is in need of your ministry. You see the effect of what great women did in the bible as well as the destruction that corrupt women did.

So I can CALL on all the women, live your lives with love and faith in your hearts!!!














LIFE IS GOOD!

We, as human beings, are suffering uselessly. We are walking around protecting, struggling and trying to force life. We are hurt and offended by someone's crooked face. We are wasting so much time and energy worrying about other's approval or disapproval, scheming and manipulating and doing everything we can possibly think of to make everything go our way, so we can feel O.K. about ourselves. It is a recipe for failure and unhappiness and unless we learn a new way, we will continue to suffer. Aren't you tired of it? Haven't you suffered enough? Unfortunately, people still live in hell, they live in misery, with problems up one side and down the other and I can hear them say, "Life is good? Are you kidding? Get a grip!"

I want to wrap my arms around them and say, "No, really, there is another way. It will not be easy to remember, but there is something else going on if you can look hard enough, long enough and deeply enough. You, too, will see it, you will feel it and you will know without a shadow of a doubt, that the you, that IS you, is more than anything you could have ever imagined." Our journey is to remember, and, the remembering is good, oh, so good.

This is bigger than being a little positive now and again; this is about living in a completely different paradigm. It is living in the stream of blessing, harmony and flow. Who wouldn't want that? However, most will never do the inner work, most will never take that much responsibility for their life, for they would rather blame someone else and believe only in what they see as truth. We either wake up to the fact that we have something to do with creating our reality or we can continue to live in hell. It is that simple.

Well, that is not for me. Not that I haven't lived in hell and in limbo and everywhere in between. I have done my share of struggling and crying and have spent plenty of time "in the closet". What? You don't know what "in the closet" is? Ask my sisters, or your sisters, or your mother, or your father's mother; they will know. It is when you cannot take another minute of life. The closet is the darkest place in the house, and no one can find you. Yes, I can share my pain with you, but what is more important is how to transform our pain, take the gift, rise above it and begin to live the good life. Life is good when we are seeing it right. Life is good, even if it looks bad. Life is good regardless of what is going on right now. Life is good because you say so. And, if you say so, the Universe simply knows "Yes". Your curriculum is your life.

Your participation is not optional. The degree of your suffering is.






A CHOICE FOR HEAVEN?

Where is our true home? What is our true home?

In spiritual terms the idea of home suggests Heaven. In addition, this suggests certain traits and characteristics that belong to people or beings that would live in Heaven. What choices would they make?

People can become absorbed in achieving, being or gaining 'something' in this world. Often they set out to 'make something' of themselves. They make this 'something' against a backdrop of standards and values programmed by their family, culture and the world they find themselves in.

So, how do they know these standards and values will create true happiness? Usually they don't know; they assume they know or they resign to not knowing what seems best to for them.

How often have you questioned yourself about the choices you make?
What standards and values do you use to choose what is best?
Do you choose that which pleases you the most?
How big a percentage does self-interest play in your choices?
How often do you consider the interests of the group you are in (humanity for example)?
Have you decided (yet) if you are worthy of experiencing fulfilling results?
Do you seek standing or comfort in the choices you make?
Do you play the odds and choose what looks like the best option?
How clever are we?

How do we know what is best for us? Is it arrogance to assume we know what is best when there is so much we do not know? Arrogance can be useful, but not as a way of life. Clearly God would direct us to adopt two core values to guide us in our choice-making: love and truth. Would God operate with anything less?

What would God ask us to do; given the limited extent of what we can know -- as opposed to what we think we know?

What can we do?

The following points represent an approach to living on Earth that aligns with life in Heaven.

1. Ask God (the great unknown beyond our immediate awareness) for clear guidance. Belief in God is not a requirement; openness to the possibility of God is.

2. Examine honestly our circumstances and make choices aligned with what truth we can identify. Honest examination includes our own responses to what is going on.

3. Become skilled at identifying what the truth is, rather than religiously sticking with our opinions of what is truth. (This can include asking God to help us and show us the truth.)

4. In the spirit of a loving God, add love to the truth we find. Why? Because love is a force: it has impact. The impact of unconditional love is something that has to be experienced for its value to be understood. It is a choice: is your life richer with or without love?

5. Become adept at adding love - without some condition having to be fulfilled.

In the language of LOVE, we become one with the DIVINE.






OPEN LETTER TO MY SOUL
What now, my friend?

You've come this far. Behind you, your victories have piled up. You did all those things that you once thought that you could not do. You found courage in the most intimidating of circumstances. And you found friends and encouragement in the most unlikely of places. You've built what could not be built and you've traveled roads reserved only for you.

Treachery, humiliation, betrayal and defeat have dogged your path... but today--you're still a warrior, still walking your path, and still noble to your creed.

Your adventures have taken you far. They've shaped and reshaped you over the long years. Sometimes it even seems that you've had many incarnations in your singular life.

But still, but still...

It's waiting for you...that one special thing that you must do to become who you really feel you are inside.

I know it's been difficult, and you're weary.

But still, but still...

Don't you see...it's there, deep inside of you, in the center of your feelings, in the heart of your heart. It's a small thing, a flicker of a hope, a tendril of desire. But it's you, and it wants to come into the world and be recognized.

I know you've done well. Your inner demons, for the most part, have been subdued. And the world that you've made around you and the relationships that you've forged and the career that you've molded and the learning that you've mastered make you much better than you've ever been before...but still, but still....

Perhaps you think it doesn't matter and that you don't have to liberate this secret dream that you've nourished in your heart despite all the logic for it existing.

Perhaps you think that the world doesn't really need it anyway.

But if you don't do it...and if you don't make it happen...and if you don't wake up today and seize the moment...something will always be missing.

The world needs your dream. You need your dream. Don't let it slip away.

A whole chain of universal causation is waiting to unfold...but cannot, because you keep this secret hope locked so deep inside, so tightly sealed from the light of your own acknowledgement that sometimes you can even fool yourself into believing that it's not there.

But in the still small hours of the night, when all your distractions have fallen asleep...you'll find it waiting for you, as discontent as a child calling for its mother.

How long can you keep denying the power within?

The climate will never be hospitable. Your friends will never understand. And your resources will never be adequate. Yet, somehow, these are the most dangerous of dreams.

Listen...

Once upon a time, Mahatma Gandhi, surrounded by the might of the British Empire, dared to dream of freedom.

Once upon a time, Martin Luther King, surrounded by historically-embedded racism, dared to dream of the equality of all beings regardless of their complexion.

And once upon a time, Nelson Mandela, sick and imprisoned, surrounded by nothing but oppression, dared to dream of a different world.

You, too, have greatness inside of you.

There is something inside you that is so magnificent that if you were to let it out, the entire world would stop and stare in awe. And from that moment on, everything would be different, the broad river of history, itself, would be altered and even the consciousness of humankind would be shifted.

How big is your dream? How magnificent is your soul?

Before you go to bed tonight, ask yourself this question:

What can one person do to change the world and make it better for all human kind?

How much longer will you endure the petty and the mundane? Is your dream worth so little to you that you would rather squander your whole life away rather than finding a way to make it happen? A magnificent soul is never intimidated by consensus reality. The world needs your gift. Will you deny it?








Kindness - A Strategy For A Happy Life

All our thoughts and feelings as we go through our day are recorded for us by the heavens and then played back to us as an experience on the screen of time-space.

Because we have long since forgotten what we thought or felt about anything, when the playback unrolls it takes us by surprise, and since we are more prone to negative views on things, as our urge to fix things is usually stronger than our urge to heal them, the playback usually sets us off on another cycle of gloom and doom.

Of course in our more sunny moods and times of awareness, we determine to set things up right the next time, but as our mind speeds up with the roll of urgent events, we fall back into unawareness and create more mishap.

In general, then, the better strategy is to assume an attitude of helpfulness, both to ourselves and others, a kindness and tolerance in our view, a forgiving and giving in our actions, and a sense of poise and ease in our delivery of any dialogue.

When Albert Schweitzer wanted people to understand this value of cooperation and harmony he would tell this story:

"A flock of wild geese had settled to rest on a pond. One of the flock had been captured by a gardener, who had clipped its wings before releasing it. When the geese started to resume their flight, this one tried frantically, but vainly, to lift itself into the air.

"The others, observing his struggles, flew about in obvious efforts to encourage him; but it was no use.
Thereupon, the entire flock settled back on the pond and waited, even though the urge to go on was strong within them. For several days they waited until the damaged feathers had grown sufficiently to permit the goose to fly.

"Meanwhile, the unethical gardener, having been converted by the ethical geese, gladly watched them as they finally rose together and all resumed their long flight."

We can learn much from this story, for it is not only about the ethics of kindness amongst the geese, but also how they were in relationship with life itself even when misfortune struck. The lesson was not for the geese but for the gardener.

Through our conduct, we can establish the same rapport with the universe that the geese enjoyed and that made them whole despite an unexpected adversity.

Our most important relationship, then, is with the universe for it gives us our reality, the unfolding movie of our lives. But this relationship is an indirect one for we are dealing with an invisible current that shapes our destiny from day to day by how we think and feel.

While at certain peak states of awareness we may be able to control our thoughts and feelings about things, the general tone of life is not conducive to such heightened perception, and a better general strategy for staying on good terms with the universe is by exercising the view held by the geese, a sense of love and tolerance, acceptance and patience.

Life is short but it is also a long flight and we enjoy it most when we are in the company of a universe that buoys our every effort with benediction, heals our wounds when we should fall, and leads us to higher and higher comprehension of the mystery of sentience; but to get to this place, we need to be the embodiment of benediction ourselves.

The purpose of all virtue is not to win accolades or fulfill some creed taught in some group?it is, more than anything else, a way for us to find rhythm, harmony, and peace as we walk towards the twilight of our days, preparing for journeys beyond the body; for everything, even life itself, is always a preparation for something greater.










"Whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."

Basically, before saying those words, Jesus started to share with His disciples, that He was to suffer from elders and chief priests, and to be killed and raised again the third day. Peter started to say something like "O Lord, be merciful to yourself, don't let this happen to you", And then Jesus said that, in order for a man go after Jesus, the man shall deny himself, take up his cross, and follow him "Today, people in our country don't like commitments! They would rather have relationships all their life, than to get married. Based on the words that Jesus said, Jesus is not looking for FANS, instead He is looking for fully committed FOLLOWERS! What is the difference between a FAN and a FOLLOWER! Well, a FAN is just a person, who is enthusiastic about an interest. It is a crowd of folks, like an assembly or congregation. A FOLLOWER, on the other hand - is the person, who is fully committed to follow someone in his footsteps.

A fan can be enthusiastic from the audience. A follower on the other hand, is someone, who is willing to follow someone's footsteps. There are VERY FEW FOLLOWERS. For instance, if someone decides to become a basketball player, and they go to college to learn it. And they go through all those practice sessions, just like the Kings Do, that means - He is a follower.

Well, there are a couple of things, that must be done, in order for Jesus to consider you His follower! First a follower is the person, who denies himself/herself. All of us have our own goals, desires, and wants. A follower, is the person, who denies his goals, his desires, his wants, his priorities - for the benefit of GOD'S Goals, God's desires, God's wants and God's priorities. Just like Jesus did, when He denied himself, and went to the cross, same thing with us. No, we don't have to die on the cross, like Jesus did, but we do have to deny ourselves, our wants, our priorities, for the sake of God,




Dealing with Hurtful Words

James chapter one says, Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.

An inherent tendency to walk on the wild side brought with it several run-ins in my life. After run-ins with the law, run-ins with misery, run-ins with alcohol abuse, I finally had a run-in into the loving arms of Jesus.

A radical change in my heart brought about radical changes in my life. Good-time Charlie's heart had undergone a circumcision and I was no longer known for being the life of the party. There was a period of time where unproductive and even detrimental relationships had to be put aside in order to lay a solid foundation in my life with God.

When is my past ever going to be the past? I cried out to the Lord, one day. But, I knew in my heart a clean break with the past was necessary.

The further and closer one walks with God, the further away the past becomes.

The lull of a light conversation naturally caused my guard to go down as I was speaking to a close relative on the phone. Suddenly, out of nowhere, came yet one more tongue-lashing concerning my changed life. Who knows, perhaps they would have been more accepting if I'd chosen a career in prostitution and drug sales.

You're nothing but a wall flower with no friends, was one of the statements that stuck in my heart the most. Hanging up the phone, sobbing and at my wits end, I stood in my room and cried out to God, What am I going to do?

That day the Lord visited me in my distress. By the Holy Spirit, He spoke words of comfort and encouragement to me. He said, you need to see yourself as I see you. In Me, you are a new creature, the old things have passed away-behold, all things have become new. It needs to be that when words like that come to you, it will be as ridiculous as if someone would tell you that you have big purple ears and a nose like an elephant.

You can laugh at that because you know it's not true, since you looked in the mirror this morning and saw what you really look like. It's the same way when you look in My Word, as you read you will see a reflection of the new creature that you are.

The truths i learn everyday literally changed my outlook. Moreover, discouraging statements no longer had the same sting. With my shield of faith in place, critical words lost their venom!





"OPEN YOUR HEART TO GOD"

If you are not convincingly aware of the existence of God in your life, you are obviously blocked off from having a conscious contact with Him in some way. Do not despair. This is a common problem and I'd guess that 95 percent of all humans suffer from this God blockage problem, whether they are aware of it or not. It is the things that make us human gone awry that causes this blockage from God. However, we can correct these problems and open ourselves up to a full knowledge of God's existence and the ability to put His will for us into full operation in our lives.

One of the beauties of having a working relationship with God is the benefit of His freely given guidance on all aspects of our lives. This problem of being blocked from God's guidance obviously leads to a whole host of problems in life. As I already mentioned, it is our out of control human problems that create these serious and life numbing blockages. They invariably involve something you are doing wrong in your life and will not face up to, or correct.

Take a serious and dead honest look at your life. This introspective process, if you are honest about it, will give you some strong clues about what you need to work on in order to develop a working relationship with God. For example, do you have a bad habit or addiction that controls your life? Do you harbor grudges against others that you will not forgive them for? Are there personal relationships in your life that are way out of whack that you will not give up or change? Have you caused another person some sort of damage and not made restitution? Is there some sort of fear in your life that controls you that cannot seem to break free of?

Or, have you clearly gotten a sense from God that you should be doing something and you refuse to do it?

Reviewing these areas of your life will give you some great clues to the problems that block you from God. Correcting them will put you on the road to a totally changed life.

Knowing God exists is a bit like knowing the wind exists. You cannot see the wind but you can feel it and see its interaction with things in the world around you. The same is true with knowing God. You cannot see Him but can feel His presence without any doubt. When blocked from God it is much like trying to feel the wind, or see its effects, while sealed up in an underground bunker. You are totally blocked off from it and have no idea if the wind is blowing or not. The same is true when blocked from God. You are immersed in a life of grudges, fears, obsessions, false ego and selfishness, which prevents you from feeling God.

Having a working relationship with a loving God who will direct your life towards success in everything you touch is open to anyone, regardless of your personal or religious beliefs. It is not about religion, is about you and your God - period! This is a simple process. In fact it's so simple it escapes the majority of people trying to live and function in the world today where personal gain seems to be the thrust of life.














"POWER OF THE SPIRIT!"

It is not a question about if the Spirit is moving, it is a question about if you are wiling to be moved by the power of the spirit, the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of Christ Jesus is here and Jesus is saying that the Holy Spirit is our guide and comforter and then we will receive supernatural power through His Spirit, the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit will give us power when we need it, but we ought to live a life close to Him and in His presence, in the presence of God. We have to practice the presence of God in our daily lives. It is not only a one time experience, but a daily life with Jesus in His presence.

When we practice the presence of Jesus is in our lives we will see changes occur and everyday miracles start to happen. God is calling you, not to live a mediocre life, but a life where you will use your full potential to His glory. When we live in the presence of the Holy Spirit something happens with us and with people and the world around us.

Practicing the presence of God is very powerful and uplifting! You can take some key Bible scriptures from the bible and memorize them and pray them out loud with all your heart. In this way, you speak the divine, inspired word of God into your life with your own mouth! Pray over these or just a single Bible scripture during the whole day. The bible says we should be praying in the Spirit all day. Another way to practice the presence of Jesus is to play some good worship on your sound system and worship and pray at the same time. It might seem odd to you but it is just as strong as when you are at a worship concert! Give your self 100% into the presence of the Holy Spirit and you will see His mighty power move! 2 Corinthians 3:18

Your life can be empowered by the most awesome holy presence in the world. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ is Holy and God is calling us to be Holy and live a life in Holiness. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we have to keep our psychical bodies clean for us to receive in full what God has for us.

No one is Holy, only God is Holy, but he sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for all our sins. He was resurrected three days after by the power of the Spirit. Jesus has all the power to set you free and forgive all of your sins and make you clean everyday. Ask Jesus to cleanse you everyday with His powerful saving and healing blood. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you up with His presence everyday.

You can be a healing tool for Christ if you believe. God is calling you to spread the fire of the Gospel no matter your past or what you think about yourself or what you think other people think about you!









"CREATE YOUR BEAUTIFUL STORY"

Many thinkers and writers, both past and present, have described human beings in this world as actors and actresses on a big stage, this life, to one great play. Ask yourself, what role are you playing? Who's writing your script? Are you acting out your own story? Or are you simply going through the motions in someone else's play?

We each have a set of ideas or beliefs about ourselves that define us as a central character in a "story" that we're living out. All of the elements of the story have been passed down as part of our culture or upbringing, taught or ingrained, or simply fabricated in our own minds. We then go about enacting our stories as if they were true.

The thing is, most of us don't even realize that we're enacting a story, much less someone else's story. Because of this, we're completely at the mercy of the story and its writer, how it unfolds, how we react to certain events, and the eventual course our life takes.

If we don't take the time to construct our own story, we'll continue enacting our current one, even if it isn't working for us and even if someone else is holding the pen, or typing the keys. So how can you discover the story you're enacting and decide if it's time to create your own spin-off? Here are some pointers:

1. Assume you are in fact enacting a story. Uncover the elements of your story. Be a detective, hunting for clues. Look at all your behaviors and describe them piece by piece, until the "whole" story emerges.

2. Assess your story. Are you happy with it? What would you change, remove, or add to this story to make it more satisfying? Re-write your story - become the author of the grandest story you can envision - a story that truly inspires.

3. Share your new story with important people in your life. Talk about your specific role in the story and why it appeals to you. The more you talk about your new story, the more it will become a part of you.

4. Commit to living your new role in some way. Make at least one change that is in alignment with the new story.
Finally, explore how your new story fits into the bigger story of your family, organization, corporation, country, and the world.

What contribution can your new individual story make to the bigger story?

Remember, you are the author and you can write your own story any way you wish.
And lastly, your time is limited. So do not waste it. Spend it wisely. Spend it with God in your life!




A CHOICE TO BE HAPPY...

The only way to live a happy, prosperous, successful and fulfilling life is to learn to express the love that is within you. When you meet yourself, others, and the life that you express with love, then you will change everything for the better.

Who you are is an incarnation of love because what you seek, above all else, is to be well, safe, and happy; and that is what love provides, an assurance and promise of well-being.

The absence of love, the varying degrees of hatred, create conditions of distress that destroy the cells of the body and ruin the structure of a life, causing only illness, aging, stress, and destruction.

The human condition as we know it, in all its distressing dilemmas, is made possible only because of this denial of love. Apathy, grief, fear, lust, anger, and pride which lead to poverty, illness, and loneliness all arise out of a denial of the love that is your very nature.

Love does not have to be invented. It is fully manifested in a new born. However, with social conditioning, it gets covered up quickly, as the little person is consistently denied assurances of well-being. Criticism, punishment, expressions of coercion, cause love to hide, become distorted, and retreat from full expression.

Even when avatars come to teach love, pointing out that your real nature is only love, they are met with various levels of resistance. Those who oppose them have a lust for power because they mistakenly believe that only force creates favorable conditions.

Yet if you look at the history of this world, you will always see that force only destroys, both the enforcer and the enforced. It does not replace what love does; it does not assure well-being.

All the disasters in our own lives and the world as a whole is a result of this substitution of force for love. We force ourselves, we force others, and we create institutions that assure the expression of force.

Yet force does not create safety, and enforced compliance does not create a better world.

Ironically, it is very simple to change everything to start working for you. In all cases where you want to apply force, apply love.

Within a week, your life will be much better. Within a year, you will not even be able to recognize your life.

As you learn to be more loving, you will not only affect your own life, but the lives of all those whom you touch. They will, then, pass on your blessing to others.
You will literally be changing the world; not by doing anything special, but just by being more yourself, the self that is naturally kind, loving, and nurturing.

A return to love is the answer to discover the life that you really want to live.

Love, like sunshine, can light up all the dark places in your life and heal the wounds of the world.

We are all in this life together, all hoping for some miracle that will right wrongs and make the crooked places straight; but the power that we seek to do good is our own lovingness. All we have to do to change everything for the better is gradually build up our courage to express it.

The great wisdom of life will not be discovered by your mind but by your heart. You, in your own divine splendor, are the light of the world, the promise of hope, and the assurance of better things for all beings everywhere.

If you ask for the happiness, prosperity, success, and fulfillment of the world, this is what will come back to visit you in your quiet hours. At every moment you have the choice to turn the mundane into the magical.






THE SPIRITUAL PATH

For many years of my life, I thought the spiritual path had something to do with following one of the major world religions or pursuing an Eastern practice. I even thought it had something to do with morality and ethics.

Today my comprehension of the spiritual path has changed completely. Instead of the complexity of any of the disciplines to becoming a good person, I have found that the path is simple. In fact, some of the greatest atheists have followed it better than many theists. An example that comes to mind is the famous British Philosopher Bertrand Russell, who lived an impeccable life of wisdom, compassion, and grace..

"Do untoothers as you would have them do unto you." That is the spiritual path. Everything else--all the theology, philosophy, and practices--lead you to that singular ideal.

Physically, do you like to be murdered, wounded, beaten, or raped? Emotionally, do you like to be humiliated, disenfranchised, betrayed, abandoned, disrespected, alienated, and cast aside? Mentally, do you like to be cheated, swindled, lied to, vilified or misinformed?

Of course not. In fact, your whole body just cringes at the thought of such mishap.

Yet, this is what we do to others. If we are truly savage, we abuse others physically. If a little more sophisticated, we abuse others mentally and emotionally.

And in this process we abuse ourselves.

In actuality, there is no enemy, for we are all connected at the collective unconscious, and the misperception that "they" are different from "us" has been the historical cause of most human suffering. Often this abuse is perpetuated from the collective rules referred to as ethics and morality. What is ethical and moral isdefined by who is making up the rules.

Yet the bell that tolls for another, also tolls for thee.

Why do we act in a way that injures others?

It is because we feel a deep void inside of us and we lash out like a wounded animal. We relate to the world from the wounds of apathy, grief, fear, lust, anger, and pride. By striking out, however, we only deepen our own anguish. Although we are only trying to survive, we achieve only more peril.

A spiritual person, however, comes from acompletely different perspective. He or she is motivated by feelings of courage, acceptance, and peace. What does the spiritual path have to do with good psychology? Everything. A sound mind in a sound body. Can the spiritual path be defined in an even simpler way? Yes. It can be defined as love.

When you love, love, love--you'll be happy, healthy, wealthy, and wise.

The opposite of grief, misery, and unending travail is the spiritual path. While many disciplines may lead to it, the heart will show you the way. Once we shed our habitual narcissism, then the way to courage, acceptance, and peace becomes possible.





THE SECRET OF A THANKFUL HEART

So many times a door in life closes and we become angry, cursing our fate. We lose a job, our girlfriend or boyfriend leaves us, our house is virtually destroyed in a storm and we have to move. To The famous Roman orator, Cicero, who lived in the First Century, A. D., had this to say about attitude, "A thankful heart is not only the greatest Virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues."

At first glance, this is a puzzling little saying, but sinceCicero is probably one of the world's first motivational speakers, perhaps it is worth taking seriously. Still, we must ask, what is a thankful heart- especially in a world where hearts are so easily broken, where calamity and disappointment for so many, lurks behind every corner and where life seems so easily to dispense failure and dissatisfaction and heartbreak?

It would seem that a thankful heart is possessed by a man or a woman who habitually looks at the world with a feeling of thanksgiving orgratitude despite what other people might think of the world about them. To obtain a thankful heart, one must either be slightly insane, given the nature of things- or have adopted an attitude of thankfulness, despite the normal course of things- for some over-riding reason. Cicero must; of course, being talking about someone who holds the latter opinion for he also says that a thankful heart is "the parent of all other virtues."

Some say that the Law ofAttraction operates by sending back to you whatever you send out to the universe. It would seem that it would best to be sending out thoughts from a heart disciplined to look at the good side of things. In other words; look at life by seeking the invisible opportunity in difficulties, seize the possibilities for growth in adversity, and to look at life's situations from the standpoint of a thankful heart. For most, the habitual response to those situations is purely negative. But to others, who know the secret, there is always the possibility of a hidden advantage.

What could that be like? Well, obviously, if you lose your job, you could get a better job, one that you would never thought of looking for. If you lose a boyfriend or have a divorce, there could be something in store from you.Things that seem bad are not always the worst possible things. Sometimes they are just a way of the universe opening up new possibilities for you to enjoy.

Therefore, at the very least, when something unexpected happens, you can realize that you are stepping into the unknown. But, is there a way you can step into these unknown and perhaps seemingly dangerous waters- and still put your best foot forward? Perhaps, you can use the healing and strengthening power of gratitude. Gratitude is not just an emotion, but a power, a power that empowers you to move forward.

What should we be grateful for? Yes, we should be grateful for our jobs, our homes, our cars, our financial rewards-but, principally, we should be thankful for our friends and families, for the loving relationships that nurture and sustain us everyday. But, instead, of letting our gratitude be like the backdrop of painting, a colorful but distant background to theevents and drama in our lives.

But how do we do this???By daily, hourly, minute by minute, thanking God for the many wonderful things in our lives. In a recent video called The Secret, the movie focuses on the Law of Attraction, what it describes as the universe's natural and lawful tendency to return back to us what is given it. So, if you give gratitude to the universe- gratitude for the abundance, love, happiness and peace in your life, for the manifold blessings you have-even if those seem somehow hiding under a shadow- the universe will return the attitude by bringing abundance, love, happiness and peace into your life. Sometimes it happens in a very surprising way.

The real secret, however; is to be thankful for your all the wonderful things you have in your life and to always seek the hidden advantage in the events that surround you. Dare to dream and make those dreams into your reality through your actions and thoughts





QUALITIES PRODUCED THROUGH THE TRIALS BY FIRE

Have you been through some rough times and you're looking for some answers for what good could possibly come out of all your trouble? Well if you know that there is some work that needs to be done on your character, then God may be allowing your trouble so that He can further develop your character. There are two specific areas that I feel many people need help from God in developing that, if not developed, will prevent them from experiencing God's Promised Land that He wants us to walk in.

God wanted to work in the lives of the Israelites to produce sanctification and humility. He wants to produce the same things in our lives. God knows what we need to become in order for Him to use us for His great purposes. Humility and a pure heart are two of the central characteristics of those who have done great things for God throughout the bible and still today.

"By humility and fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life." Proverbs 22:4. The Lord can only do great things in the lives of sanctified people. If you're not a humble person then you will abuse people and fight against God for your own personal will.

Cleanse your hearts from Sin. God allows us to be fruitless and deal with the consequences of our own sin in order to let us truly feel the effects of sin. If God didn't let us bear some of the pain of our sins then we would continue in it longer because we would still be enjoying the shallow benefits without understanding the death trap that we're ultimately walking in. God is so great that He would rather us suffer more now so He can bless us more later, than for us to continue in our sin and experience the full measure of eternal suffering associated with sin. Only as we allow the Word of God to cleanse our hearts, minds, and daily lives will we become vessels that are worthy of bearing His glory and gifts in our lives.

Develop Humility. God can only cleanse our hearts and renew His Spirit in us as we humble ourselves to His will. Humility is one of the most powerful weapons of fruitfulness that I've ever seen. Humility simply allows God to do His will in our lives without resistance and complaint. Humility keeps us away from pride. Humility keeps a person grounded. "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 14: 11

We as Christians must stand in humility and honesty. We must not seek people's approval but God's. Be encouraged because of your trials knowing that God wants to make you better so that He can truly bring you into your Promised Land of purpose.







CARRYING YOUR BURDENS


How heavy are the burdens you're carrying? Are you weighed down with a load of guilt, financial woes, an abusive spouse, or the death of a child? Jesus says: "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

That almost sounds like a nice cliche?, eh? You may be thinking: "Yeah right! You don't know the problems I've got!" I do know where you're coming from. In fact I used to have a mental picture of oxen with heavy wooden yokes strapped across their necks attached to iron shackles, pulling heavy machinery. Even a light yoke seems like a heavy contraption! Slaves burdened with yokes were forced into heavy labor, directed where to go, and kept on a tight rein by their masters.

Then I had a revelation! My all-time favorite scripture verse is: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil. 4: 13) I placed my stake on that verse, spoke it every day, and during my walks he would give Jesus all his burdens. So simple! I had the faith to believe that God would solve everything, some time. However, I had trouble handing my problems over to him, saying, "Jesus, here is my burden. Would you please carry it, as you promised you would?"

The proof is in the pudding, they say, right? But how about the problems? Did they go away? I discovered that God is the God of plenty and that He is never late! A lot of the time we were barely hanging on by the skin of our teeth up until the last moment. But...God!

Yes, His yoke is not a heavy cross to bear. His yoke simply means that whatever you need to go through, no matter how extreme. If you lift it up to Him saying: "Lord, I don't know the answer. I can't bear this any longer," then you will also discover that His Grace is sufficient for you as His strength is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9) When you are weak, He is strong. When you let go and let God, you open the door to miracles and wonderful testimonies of His goodness in your life.

Take off your heavy burdens. Let Him take care of them for you. It's His Promise, and He never fails! "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Be Involved...

TRUE HAPPINESS...