Praise God constantly 🙌

I praise you Jesus for your love which makes me free, happy, loving and loved.

Holy Trinity I praise, thank and trust you for peace and vengeance as I am not afraid to let go of my past. I let not my heart be troubled and lean not on my own understanding and for this I praise God. I always succeed because I reject all evil works of Satan and all devilry. Amen

Can You Identify With These Excerpts...?

...From The Writings of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Men who try to do the will of God know him in a way that those who neglect this practice never do.
Jesus said:
1. I do the will of the father to show the world I love the father.
2. If you love me keep my commandments.
3. You are my friends, if you do the things I command you.
4. He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me.
5. He that loves me shall be loved by my father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him.

Chains

2 Peter 2:4  For [···]God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Acts 2:27

Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

There is a saint in hell who was taken as a prisoner of Satan when she had danced with the devil on earth as a child, thinking it was harmless entertainment.  Little did she realize that the devil could capture the souls of saints and banish them to hell as part of his lifelong earthly battle with God. Would the king of all good angels take a flight into hell and save her or would a sleeping saint rise and come to her rescue?

Praises To The Holy Trinity

Thank you Lord Almighty Heavenly father for the peace and worthiness of answering my prayer and for providing all my needs because all good things in my life come from you. This through Jesus your beloved son. Amen.

Matthew 10:11-15

And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.

And when ye come into an house, salute it.

And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.

  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

In the name of the Lord, we are conquerers and champions.

Romans 8:38-39  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord

Day 3 - Our Lady, Undoer of Knots Novena 2018 - Novena Prayers - Catholic Devotion

Day 3 - Our Lady, Undoer of Knots Novena 2018 - Novena Prayers - Catholic Devotion

Do we live for ourselves or for others?

I read the following Mother Teresa quote today: "A life not lived for others is not a life," and it immediately brought to mind the following bible verse: John 15:13 
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

How many of us can identify with
giving our all to a friend especially when they are at their spiritual neediest. Do we ever put ourselves last and put them first? Can we even put ourselves in their shoes, to help them live their best life? In a world of envy, greed, self gratification and keeping-up-with-Joneses we are all too familiar with selfish acts. Too many Christians are cloistered in their faith. They go to church and pray for the whole world but do little in their acts and deeds to greatly help a friend. I have heard many a Christian say that we're just passing through this world and we should expect persecution. Very few talk about living their Christian lives for others.

If you have lived even a fraction of your life for others like Mother Teresa did then you truly are a blessed person. If you have laid down your life for a friend like Jesus did for all of us, then may you be forever blessed by God. Please share your story in the comments section.

God is our rock and my fortress

Psalms 31:3  For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.

Question: Can another living person's spirit enter your body? For example a man finds himself thinking thoughts and doing actions which he is aware are not  his inintrinsically. Not only this, but he can identify the people in his life with a similar affliction. He has prayed about this. Any suggestions?

Answered by Lana:
What you are describing sounds like dissociation.  People dissociate when they feel they are outside of themselves watching the action like a spectator.  They may feel that they are experiencing it from another person`s point of view.  From a psychological perspective, dissociation has various forms and symptoms.  It can range in severity from daydreaming to complete memory loss for periods of time.  Dissociation is usually considered a form of coping or defense mechanism when a person is under stress, conflict, or trauma. 

From a biblical perspective, there is no way that we can enter another person`s body or mind.  God has not given us the ability to read minds or experience things from another spirit.  People who claim to be clairvoyant are not channeling anything unless it is from a demonic spirit.  There are no human spirits or angels who indwell in us.  The Bible says that when a person is saved that the Holy Spirit of Jesus is indwelling inside that person.  The Bible does reference several incidents of demons indwelling people and it is not a good thing (https://www.gotquestions.org/demon-possession.html).  

For Christians experiencing dissociative disorders or symptoms, it is best to seek treatment or counseling if this is a persistent condition over time.  Sometimes it is caused by drug use (even if it is prior the drug can have lasting effects).  Dissociation is something we do to avoid dealing with reality.  Training our minds to perceive and think rightly is critical to understanding the truth.  It is best that we all learn to perceive and process reality correctly so we can choose the best response. 

Here is an example of how dissociation can happen and why it needs to be corrected.  A mother is abused by her mother.  This cycle has happened for several generations.  One of the mothers begins to abuse her own daughter.  While it is happening, she sees herself watching the event, like she is experiencing it when she was in the daughter role, outside of herself.  She knows she doesn`t want to treat her daughter that way, but the dysfunction is ingrained in her and needs to be dealt with.  Rather than simply experiencing it, the mother must learn to empathize with her own daughter so that she can understand how to respond properly to her in the future.  She must give her daughter what she never had by learning new ways to think about her child, her role as a mother, and herself as a child abuse victim.  She can then see how her actions can be changed.  Dissociation is a symptom of her abuse as a child, but it is not a solution to change the dysfunction.  It is not a spiritual gift from God.  It is a dysfunctional perception caused by trauma. 

The Lord wants us to train our minds to know the truth and respond correctly to life using that truth.  Our minds are flawed just like the rest of our body.  We study the Bible to change our thinking so we can know what the true reality really is.  Then we can respond like Christ would.  

Speechless

1 Peter 4:12-15  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

I keep smiling

John 16:33 King James Version (KJV)

33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

I continue to take courage and to be of cheer. This is difficult being unemployed with no income but I carry on. 😀

Anxiety be gone

I suffer from anxiety. This may sound like an exaggeration because we all come across anxieties in our daily lives, whether it be from work related stresses, family related, socially related, economically related or even spiritually related. If therefore, anxieties are a normal part of the human condition, how does it result in suffering? The suffering comes in the form of physical pain, this could be a migraine or muscle pain, upset stomach and wretching and even painful body chills. I used to take medications for my anxiety attacks but the side effects caused me further anxieties and frustrations. I therefore turned to more natural alternatives such as aromatherapy, massages and stretching exercises as well as a tea and water regiment.

I found these alternatives more relaxing and more effective than prescription medications. Spiritual meditations and deep breathing exercises help immensely. The biggest challenge I face now is acceptance from those around me that this is part of who I am. It's a challenge because they are uneducated about the subject and not necessarily sincerely open to new ways of interacting with people that are different from them. The bible says

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 4:6-7

Thank you God

Thank you God for rest and for waking me up this Sunday morning. I trust you in all things and yes it is frightening and it feels like I am losing my mind. However, I praise you for delivering me from danger while I wait on you.  I pray that as your will is done in my life, that you give me eyes to see like you see, ears to hear like you hear, that the words I speak are your words and that my actions reflect your glory. Let your will be done in the lives of my family, friends, acquaintances and enemies; because it is in knowing the futility of the will of man compared to your will heavenly father, that I have come to fear you and love you even more. Protect my loved ones from the wickedness and evil of spiritual snares as they wait on you. Amen

"The eye of the Lord is on those that fear him, he delivers them from danger and keeps them alive." 

Waiting on God

This came in handy today in the name of patience while I am waiting on God.
https://usstobierre.wordpress.com

Heart: The courage and will to live

2 Timothy 1:7

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 

King James Version (KJV)

The Power of Love:

Take courage that God wills it

Take courage that gratitude expresses it

Take courage that redemption preserves it

Take courage in enduring pain for it

Take courage in refusing pleasure for it 

Have You Ever Renounced God?

Job2:9 Then said his wife unto him, “Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die!"

Have you ever been in such despair and suffering that you renounced the very existence of God and all God's doctrines? Of course many Christians have! Meaning, surely you have said things like :

God does not exist.

God is fake.

The bible is fake.

I came to a point where I renounced  God, the idea of Adam and Eve, angels, prophets and the Holy Bible itself which includes therefore Jesus and his teachings, Satan and the Holy Spirit. My soul was in pain, my heart was in pain, my mind was in pain. But how could this be when I loved God with all my heart, mind and soul? Does loving God mean excruciating pain? It made no sense to me, that kind of debilitating 💘 and so I renounced it. If you can identify, please leave a comment below.

How the Punishment dished out by Satan led me to Salvation

1 Corinthians 5:5
To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

When I read this verse, I immediately developed a humility towards God that I did not even think was possible. A light went on in my head as I had an aha moment, realizing that I too went through such a thing, where I was delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh...a kind of spiritual horror.

Have you ever felt like you were in hell by request of a higher power, and not by your own deliberate choice?

Well, when I landed in St.Lucia three years ago I knew that was the case. I was greeted by an evil presence, foreign to me since the last time I lived there as a teenager. This presence stayed with me as I went about settling into a different life and culture from what I was used to in the United States. I did all the standard things such as finding a place to live, seeking employment, socializing, networking, shopping and so on. In everything I did I literally felt the presence of the devil. It got to the point where I felt imprisoned. All pleasures suddenly felt like horrors, like I was doing something very wrong. I started asking myself if I was breaking God’s laws just by living.

At one point, my heart stopped and my life was resuscitated for what was further punishment, with a glimmer of hope.

All kinds of temptations came my way but I refused to give into them except for the occasional gluttony which I used to suppress sexual desires. Then I started attending church services where I felt at times like the devil incarnate but continually resisting evil. On two occasions, I was sprinkled with holy water and it was like I jumped out of my skin. I sought guidance from church elders and religious counselors and discovered prayer. I started praying, at first a couple times a day, but that only made my strife worse. Eventually I was spending most of my day in prayer and reading the Holy Bible. Sleepless nights were also spent in prayer. I got an insight from my readings about speaking in tongues. I tried it, after which I had fewer sleepless nights.

Many of my prayers started  turning to praises to God and thanksgiving to the heavenly hosts of angels and saints as it dawned on me during self-reflection that most of what I called normal based on the culture I was raised in was quite damning to my soul and destructive to my overall well-being, despite the cultural normalcy that I had attached to them, both from home life and social life. Then came the rejection from turning my back on the norms of my upbringing. I made choices and choices were forced upon me which led to a sort of spiritual cleansing. Imagine having to throw out most of what you think is normal and right! Talk about being born-again? At least, that’s how I can describe it because I had that aha moment.  I found myself facing poverty, homelessness, losing friends and loved ones all from having acknowledged through my own experiences that God loves me and that Jesus his son, surely died for my salvation from sin. In the same process I am gaining new connections with other born-again people.  

Satan was used in my life to chastise and punish all those worldly things and to opened my eyes to the love and saving grace of Jesus so that the holy spirit is my guide now and not my sins, which I didn't know were sins until I was saved. A cruel and horrific way to get on the road to salvation but so it was. If you can identify with this message please feel free to leave a comment below.

I Shall Not Want Because I Let God

I shall not want

To ask or receive

To come or go

To eat or drink

To swim or fly

To give or take

To seek or find

To be noticed or ignored

To love or to be loved

I shall not want for myself

I shall not want from others

I came up with this mantra based on the Psalm of David below. It was at at a time in my life when I felt stuck, and it expressed for me an absolute dependence on God to put me in a place of freedom. Have you ever felt so stuck, that you let go and let God? During that time I had a couple of vivid dreams. In one, I was pulled out by my left hand from a volcanic, fiery red furnace. In an other I succumbed to the ocean and I was drowning with no struggle, when I was saved by a boat with two occupants, the elderly captain who placed a dry towel on my wet shoulders and an lithe rastaman who was in a separate cabin. In the third vivid dream, I was part of a ritualistic ceremony in a cemetery where naked familiars were giving blood sacrifices over my body in the wet dirt.

As scary as these dreams were, I continue to let go and let God, the master creator. The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want.

If you can identify with this mantra or my dreams, feel free to leave a comment.

Psalms 23:1-6  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

Me Unedited: Who Am I?

MY FREE WRITING  SELF-REFLECTION 

God is good. God is great. I am poor in spirit. I lower my eyes in my wretchedness. I try to find peace with God on a daily basis. This is sometimes very painful. I do not believe personally that it should be painful because Jesus Christ son of the living God has mercy by having conquered the world for my salvation. Yet it is so.

It makes me wonder therefore why there is pain when I love the living God with all my mind, heart and soul. I take comfort in the bible knowledge that all believers worldwide suffer a similar affliction because it is written that we are persecuted worldwide. I take comfort also in what I have coined The Beatitudes Attitude where Jesus son of the living God said blessed are the poor in spirit. I strive for this happiness because I believe that it leads to eternal life.

The pain is sometimes mind-boggling and makes me aware of the cruelty in the world such that sometimes one almost forgets the fruits of the spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and the caveats of all caveats self-control. Most days I fight for self-control. This afflicts me and leaves me poor in spirit and I am also poor in the world since I have no income or employment. This makes me sad that such things exist in modern times where it seems that the whole world runs on money.

I try daily to focus not on money but on the love of the living God in my life and the lives of other poor people. The living God is our heavenly father whose will on earth is done as it is in heaven. It takes a lot of faith to believe and live the prayer from Jesus : “ Our Father who art in heaven: hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our DAILY bread AND forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. Lead us, NOT into temptation, but deliver us from evil in our day.”

Jesus has given us this faith by coming into the world and declaring God his heavenly father as also our heavenly father. I believe that the amount of courage it took for him to live in the world with his sights on heaven cannot be fathomed by me or the limited human mind. Not only did he have to live as a man, the type of man he came to take to heaven; but he also had to die, and resurrect AND ascend into heaven with witnesses of all the above events. He could have come as a rich, wealthy man along the lines of the great wealth of the old testament but instead he came as a pauper in the world but rich in godliness and godly assuredness: which is to say, holy righteousness.

In as much as I am not holy, I know that my lack of holiness does not deny my entry into heaven. I pray that every man, woman and child in the world gets to experience Jesus in their life as it is written in the Holy Bible.

The bible is called holy not because the men who wrote it are holy but because the words are holy, that is, of God; for no man is holy, not even the Pope of the Vatican. Then”Holy” is the Holy Spirit which Jesus left with us since Jesus himself wrote none of the biblical scrolls.

We must love our worldly friends, acquaintances, and worldly enemies because they are not the ones whom we battle. The battle is between the Holy Spirit and the evil spirits. We ourselves have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, the evil spirits do not know what it is or understand it. This brings affliction in my belief. The world is so plagued by evil spirits that calling upon the Holy Spirit to help you causes you pain. God does not allow us to suffer in vain; for as much as we are persecuted for forsaking evil, we are rewarded in heaven a hundredfold. This is a fact despite all illusions to the contrary. Evil spirits cannot win over the Holy Spirit. This is impossible.

I therefore take great courage and comfort from the Holy Spirit and from the knowledge of Jesus and the army of angels, heavenly hosts, good spirits that he presides over in his father’s kingdom; a kingdom which he promises has a room or home for me, for us, if we follow him. How does one follow Jesus?

A popular concept among modern people is “ what would Jesus do?” I believe that this is a lofty unreachable goal, for we cannot do what Jesus did for obvious reasons. So, how do I follow Jesus? I make choices based on free will and self-control regardless of the evil spirits roaming the world. The free will is the will of God on earth, as it is in heaven. I seek first the kingdom of heaven. Once that is done, all things are given by God in the name of Jesus his son, in due season. Jesus told us to ask God his father for anything in his name, and it will be given us. How I have asked! Sometimes I feel like all I do is ask; so where is the manifestation of those things that I asked for, being granted?

1. Peace of mind in my love of God with all my heart, mind and soul
2. Peace of mind that I have honored my earthly father and mother
3. Peace of mind that my past sins of fraud, theft, greed, coveting, excess spending, excess partying, excess fornication and promiscuity, self-abuse, murderous thoughts, highness and pride: are forgiven, because I asked in the name of Jesus for them to be forgiven.
4. Peace of mind that I avoid the effects of further sin.

It seems therefore that my kingdom of heaven is peace of mind, and the devil knows this and tries to take it away. I was told once to ignore the devil. It makes intrinsic sense now because if I respect God in the kingdom of heaven, the devil must be avoided. The devil was thrown out into the world and the depths of the world, so certainly the devil cannot still be in the kingdom of heaven or part of my heavenly inheritance. Jesus spoke with the devil during his temptations because he is the son of the living God and now that I am writing this, I see that we do not have to do any such thing for him to go away.

It is important to reiterate that people themselves are not devils, and so we love everyone and focus on Godly spirits and the kingdom of heaven. In loving everyone, we are commanded also to love our neighbor as Jesus loves us; which leads us to believe that everyone is not our neighbor; so as much as I love everyone, I believe that my neighbors are predetermined by Jesus who has prepared a place for me, and them in heaven, his father’s kingdom. My only job on earth is to merit eternal life by seeking first the kingdom of God. Ultimately I follow Jesus by seeking the kingdom of our heavenly father God, all while keeping their

commandments and statutes. Amen.

Did my dad give me a serpent or a fish?

Deuteronomy 5:16  Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

This is one of my favorite commandments because by following its statutes not only did I complete a Bachelor's and two Masters degrees but my carnal urges and desired were destroyed as written in 1 Corinthians 5:5

"To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."

Consider the statute ' honor thy father'; I grew up with an alcoholic father, who made both education and socialization priorities in his life. When I left his house I also embodied those things, including alcoholism. Although I obtained a decent academic education it came at a great cost to my moral well being. Because of a naive and narrow-minded viewpoint at the time of what it meant 'honoring father', I went through boughts of carnal sin including promiscuity, homosexuality, gluttony, fornication, and carnal knowledge that no one should be exposed to. These behaviors literally delivered me into the snares of Satan for punishment and chastising such that they are no longer part of my make up. I almost lost my soul in the process but I had such faith in God and his command to honor my parents that I called upon the Holy Spirit and did not remain ensnared. As a result of this carnal cleansing my spirit is more wholesome and god-loving. I also have a great respect for God and his mysterious ways. Thank you for reading. If you can identify, please leave your comments below.

http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

Humble Does Not Mean Weak

When I read the following bible verses they seemed at first brutal and scathing to me, but upon reflection of my own situation I see that it is so.

Matthew 10:34-38  

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=kjvstudybible.bible.kjv.bibleverses.bibleoffline

God is a jealous God and in turn His only begotten son Jesus has those same qualities. In my life I have noticed that as a person who believes that Jesus is my Savior and Redeemer, I must put Jesus above all family members and friends and suffer the resulting persecution with grace. This is my cross. It takes courage which I did not even know I had but which Jesus granted us by carrying his own cross with strength and world-overcoming fervor. This takes humility because as the Son of God he could have destroyed his persecutors but in his humility and meekness in the world he demonstrated the strength of God. If you can identify please leave a comment. Thanks for reading.