Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Our Thanksgiving

I didn't know my wife was putting this video together
over the last few days... I hope you enjoy it. Gratitude
is one of the keys to happiness.

P.S. You might be tempted to get the idea from this
video that we've been so lucky and only good things have
happened to us... That's not it. It's that we choose to
leave the bad stuff out and only really remember the
good. (Ok, enough keys for today.)

P.P.S. Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

7 Things to Remember in December

If you're not careful, December can be a disastrous month for you. Emotions, debts, family problems, depression... Here are 7 tips how you can make the most out of the last month of the year and start the New Year better off than most people.



Got more ideas of your own? Post your comments below.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Two common mistakes people make



Many do not get results from their faith because of one of these two common mistakes:

1. He thinks he is not worthy because he's so bad a sinner. He believes he does not deserve God's blessings because he's done so much wrong, he thinks his faith is too small, and so on. He puts himself DOWN before God.

2. He thinks he is so holy, so righteous, full of merit for being hardworking, honest, dedicated, kind, etc — that he thinks he will be blessed because he's earned it. He thinks a lot of himself before God.

The problem is that God does not operate on either of these terms. He's been known to bless prostitutes, murderers, and thieves. He's also seemed indifferent to the suffering of many righteous, pious people.

Why?

The only thing that matters to God on the issue of blessing someone is if that person has acted his faith. If he believed and acted upon that belief, he gets blessed. If he did not believe, all he can do is suck his thumb.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Can you love someone but not like them?

What to do about people who are hard to live with? How can you deal with people who don't like you and treat you badly? What if they are your in-laws?

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

How God Speaks to You



On November 4th 1995, Yigal Amir, an Israeli and devout Jewish law student, assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin because, he claimed, God told him to do it. In May 2003, Deanna Laney, a 38-year-old Texan mother of three, ‘devoted wife and choir member in her church’, killed her two sons aged 6 and 8, and bashed the skull of her 14-month-old baby. After doing it, she phoned the police and said calmly ‘I have just killed my children. God told me to do it.’

When I hear stories like that I can only think that either God has gone mad or I am worshipping a very different God from the one these people do.

The two examples above are perhaps a bit extreme but they do illustrate what can happen when people do not recognize the voice of God. Every day, people around the world make wrong decisions based on the belief that God is telling them to do it. How many, for instance, have gotten married thinking the person was “God’s choice” for them, only to realize later they made a big mistake?

Truth: Who doesn’t want to hear God speak to them?

But how does God speak to us? Can we know when He speaks? How can we be more sensitive to hear His voice? Can the devil speak to us and pass off as God? Let’s explore the issues around this subject.

I would say that 99% of what God wants to say to us is written in the Bible. And the remaining 1% includes different ways He may use to draw our attention back again to the 99% that He already explained in His Word.

In other words: It is extremely important that you do not deviate from God’s Word when seeking guidance from God for your life. To look for dreams, visions, signs, prophecies or any other kind of special revelation will probably lead you to the wrong place. Some of the most confused Christians I have ever met were deep into this kind of belief. That’s because the devil uses these things to speak to people and pass off as God.

God has repeatedly said that His Word will never change. He is committed to it. He is not like politicians who promise and don’t do it. Neither does He have a memory problem to forget what He said. So there is no other word, advice or revelation that can be safer, surer, or more reliable than the Word of God itself. You are safe if you stick to it.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3.16,17

Having said that, it is important that you take the Scriptures as a whole, bringing every verse you read into context. Loose verses of the Bible can be easily misinterpreted and lead you to disastrous consequences. God has given us faith and intelligence to be used together to our benefit. If you use your faith alone, you will become a fanatic. If you use your intelligence alone, you will become a stupid unbeliever.

God speaks to you through His inspired Word. Therefore, read your Bible and meditate on it. Make time to hear God more, and He will speak to you more. It’s amazing how much you can benefit by cutting down a little on watching TV, listening to music and reading the papers, and instead using that time to spend with the Word of God. Try it.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Do you have them?

Monday, November 02, 2009

One step forward, two steps back

The process of changing your life is not without its bumps on the road. Do you find yourself making progress and then falling down again? Do you sometimes feel you'll never change?


Wednesday, October 28, 2009

3 Things You Need to Know About Paranormal Activity




The movie “Paranormal Activity” has not only drawn crowds to theaters around the world, but it has also brought up the question, “Is paranormal activity real? Does it really happen? How does one deal with it?

So here’s what you need to know about the paranormal.

First, a definition – what does the word ‘paranormal’ mean? Paranormal is a term used to describe any activity or phenomena that cannot be scientifically explained. The world we know, the physical world can be considered the ‘normal’ – it’s the world we understand, see, feel, and touch, where things happen as expected.

The ‘para-normal’ refers to a world next to ours, or just above, or beyond – a world that cannot be explained and is not subject to the rules of our world. And because it’s hard to explain or understand, there’s a lot of ignorance about it.

There are basically three things you need to know about the paranormal.

1. Paranormal Activity IS REAL – People who don’t believe in the paranormal or dismiss it as superstition are usually people who have never experienced it. But try and tell that to those who HAVE! Try and tell someone who wakes up in the morning with marks and bruises in their body from something that happened to them during the night! Go tell someone that sees objects move by themselves in the house or hears someone call their name loud and clear when no one is there! It doesn’t matter if someone says it’s not real – for those to whom it happens, paranormal experiences are VERY REAL.

2. Paranormal Activity IS DEMONIC – In other words, it’s not the spirit of your dead grandmother or some lost soul who’s coming back to haunt you or is trying to communicate with you. Demons are a spiritual force that can affect people in the physical world and one of the ways they do that is through paranormal activity. Most of the stuff you saw in the movie – except for the Hollywood special effects – are things that demons can do to people in real life. In my work I have dealt with countless cases of people who are attacked during their sleep, who sense a real, negative presence around them, who hear voices, and whose lives were ruined by demonic attacks. And I’m talking about perfectly normal people, who had jobs, families, an education, and yet all they knew was useless against those attacks. It’s very important you know that demonic forces are what is actually behind the paranormal.

3. There’s Only ONE WAY of Stopping Paranormal Activity – There’s a lot of non-sense around when it comes to driving out demons. You hear about exorcisms, demonologists, Ouija boards, calling in a priest who needs to get authorization from the Vatican to carry out an exorcism and things like that – none of which can effectively deal with the paranormal. The ONLY WAY I know to deal with demonic attacks effectively is found in the book of Mark 16.17, where Jesus said: “In my Name they will cast out demons.” (And while you’re at it, take a look also in Luke 19.10.) In other words, in the spiritual realm, there’s only ONE NAME that demons respect.

If you have been experiencing the paranormal; if you feel you’re under some demonic attack of any kind, the best thing you can do is find someone who truly KNOWS the Lord Jesus, who is committed to Him – not a religious person or just anyone waving the Bible at you – someone who really has a relationship with God, who is not afraid of demons and therefore in HIS NAME has authority over them. A true Christian will not have any trouble helping you and showing how to stop these attacks permanently.

At our church we offer this service free of charge to people who really want spiritual help. Send me an email if you like and we’ll put in you touch with someone who can really help you.


P.S. This message is also available on video.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Distorted Thinking

Monday, October 05, 2009

Start Making Your Life Better RIGHT NOW

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Either Do or Don't Do — There Is No 'TRY'