Baptism

Luke 3:21-22

New International Version (NIV)

The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus

 ²¹ When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Many Christians are out there that have not been baptized or have been baptized but it was not done performed in the name of Jesus.

I have yet to be baptized-but not anymore, the Spoken Word Church is having a baptism this Sunday for those who haven’t been baptized. I use to think that it was just an optional thing to do if you felt like it or something that was only done when you are a baby.

In bible study we discussed the importance of getting baptized-that it’s not an option to get baptized, you have to!

As long as you are a believer in Jesus Christ it is important to get baptized as Jesus was baptized by water to.

To be baptized to me, is to be renewed and purified by the water and spirit. I had never realized how many scriptures there are in reference to baptism, not just by the Holy Spirit but by water.

I’m excited to get baptized and don’t have any doubts about it.

If you haven’t been baptized by water and are not sure about doing it, do some research in your bible and ask your Pastor about it. There are too many scriptures for it to ever doubt about doing it.Baotism

Provision

Philippians 4:19

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

In a time of lack in the world, we have to exercise this scripture more than most others. After years of living like there isn’t a possibility of there being little to none left has brought us to this point.

Many people are struggling to make ends meet on a regular basis.

It has been quite the opposite for my mother and I, when we were the ones that had to skimp on things and live from paycheck to paycheck without much excess. But because of Philippians 4:19 we have not been without for quite some time now. 

Scripture only works on your behalf if you apply it!

Don’t think just because you are a believer and that you have a bible that you are automatically covered in all these critical areas. You have to read it, believe it and apply it to your life in order for it to work for you.

God won’t intervene if you don’t let Him and because you are a son/daughter of God, you have no excuse for not taking the initiative and look up His word to see what you need to get things done in your life.

He is more than capable to provide us with all that we need and more…just ask! Never think that you aren’t worth  the time or resources, if you didn’t matter to Him he wouldn’t have ever given us His one and only sinless son to die for you!

Power of Hate

The power that hate holds is catastrophic!

If you think about it, experiencing a hate for something or someone has become so natural that we think of it as a normal emotion to have when we are wronged or dealing with someone who’s different in some way from you.

Hate is the four letter word that we let slide….

1 John 3:15

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

To think that to hate someone is the same as being a murder.

Your hate-just like unforgiveness- can bind the person you hate as well as yourself, therefore you block blessings and allow foul spirits to enter your life. After those doors have been opened through that simple “emotion” it allows circumstances and shortcomings to happen more frequently, things start to not go right, friends aren’t as supportive as they used to be, and so on. Every experience that a person goes through by those open doors, are different- Satan prefers to catch you in areas he knows you are weak in or what pushes you “buttons”.

If you think about it, most murders committed aren’t committed by people who love and respect the victim with every fiber of their being….

Pray the hate away! It sounds silly, but it works. Anytime you think about something hateful or just negative-shut it down! Practice switching your focus to something positive.

Mark 22:13-14

Matthew 22:13-14

New International Version (NIV)

   ¹³ “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

   ¹⁴ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

A harsh reality is that not everyone will go to heaven. 

An even harsher reality is that not all of those who claim to be believers will be in the Kingdom of God. Some people think all you need to do is accept God then it ends there. You have to grow as a believer and build up your faith and get into a church that follows the bible and is not caught up in doctrine and to share the word of God the best way you can…learn to let the Holy Spirit have his way and win souls for the Kingdom.

Our only job on this earth is not to just accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, but to do His will and make a difference in people’s lives.

You never know what God has planned for you until you get connected to Him in a deeper way and get connected with other like-minded people. We all have someone that we are meant to be in contact with at some point or another to help in their souls being saved, whether it is you who leads them through the prayer of salvation or you just simply showing the love of God to them when they were in a low state.

Mark 11:25

Mark 11:25-26

New International Version (NIV)

²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” 

A reason as to why something you pray for does not come to fruition is because of unforgiveness.

It can be so easy to caught up in unforgiveness and hold a grudge against someone. High School alone can create a list of people who you don’t like and wish would disappear.

A lot of people carry around a strong dislike for someone whether it is a family member who treated you wrong or still treats you wrong or a co-worker or boss that makes things hard for you or treat you as less than. All it takes is an act that was done towards you or behind your back to open up a door of unforgiveness.

This is the easiest way to get strong believers tangled up in their walk with God. The truth is that you can’t go very far with God when you are walking in unforgiveness. It doesn’t take something dramatic to happen to you for you to be considered “walking in unforgiveness”, it can simply be an issue of a friend saying something that hurt your feelings and you get upset with them and start to think of them negatively.

God can’t bless you if you are “secretly” or outwardly at odds with your friend, for example.

Forgive! If there is anyone whom you feel did you wrong in any kind of way, just forgive them! Don’t let your anger, hate or frustration for someone hold back your growth and having your prayers answered.

 How can he forgive your sins if you are in unforgiveness?

God Is Faithful

Like many people, my faith was tested.

Boy, do I hate those tests, but I feel stronger after every test.

1 Corinthians 1:9

“ ⁹God is faithful….”

I had a 1993 Nissan Maxima, it was my very first car and I loved it. It was a sign of some sort of independence, even though I was never the type to just go off and travel. In the last couple of years the Nissan started to accumulate expensive repair costs and times when it would just shut off on mornings when you would least expect it to.

Finally it came down to a beautiful sunny morning-getting ready to head out to class for my midterm while feeling sick due to a head cold that I caught from my mother….and my car starts, but something was weird-sure enough, the car just shut off and no matter how many times I would start it and press on the accelerator it would eventually shut off after a minute or two!

I was soo tired and felt soo lousy that I couldn’t even pretend to cry out of frustration. The only thing on my mind at that very moment was “I need to get to school!! My test is in 40 minutes!”

After I had tried getting my car to act properly, I immediately called my Stepdad who usually works in Emeryville, which can take up to 2 hours to home from, was actually working out of the local office that day which was only 15 minutes away! What were the chances?!...But God!

He came home and gave me his car so I could rush to class and get home when I’m done.  By the time I got to the school campus and into a parking spot, I realized that I don’t have my parking permit that is affixed to my Nissan’s window…. I panicked for a moment and then realized that we have parking permit meters where we can pay for a permit for the day which of course had a fee that was much higher than it has ever been and only took paper bills and not change….I almost never carry any cash on me ever since I got a bank account and credit card….but God! That day I had some cash on me that was left over from some of my birthday money that my stepmother had given me.

I rushed to class and by the time I got my exam in my hand all I could think about is my car, my headache, sleeping and not failing the class.

To make a LONG story short, I had to find a new car during a time when I was physically weak and did not have the money in the bank that I had planned on having when I would eventually get a new car.

But God!!

I found a car that same day, my parents put down the down payment and got a great car payment that I can comfortably afford!

Glory to God!

Dream On

Have you ever had a dream that felt so real that you wake up feeling like you experienced everything in your dream in real life? Were the colors are so vivid and the sounds were crystal clear?

I can tell you easily that I have experienced MANY of those type dreams.

Of course we all have some of those "random" ridiculous dreams that we "know" are nonsense and most likely linked to something we watched earlier on t.v. or at the movies....

I'm talking about those dreams that make you feel like you have to share what you saw and experienced with somebody because you believe there is a deeper meaning than what you can comprehend.

Too many friends dismiss each other's dreams, not realizing that there could have been a warning, a message, or even an answer to a question that someone may have. You never know if God is trying tell you something through your dream.

Why would God send messages through dreams?

When we are active and going through our day to day lives, we get use to our routine and automatically block out different things and run on autopilot.All of this causes us to miss out on signs and warnings that we need to heed.When we are asleep our minds are still active, but without those day time and night time activities over stimulating our minds. God can now "download" our dreams; since we are visual beings-quick to believe something that we can see and perceive.Being able to see what we need to avoid or what will happen in the future is an amazing gift that God has given us-He uses so many outlets to reach out to us and protect us that we really don't have any reason to be surprised by anything.

Dreams and visions can come at anytime-when you have backslid or haven't been in church or reading your bible as much or ever! Yet He still tries to communicate with us.

There are times when you don't quite understand what it is that you dreamt, share your dream with others, with your pastor, a friend who you know is saved and will listen to you, or best yet, pray about it and ask God to reveal to you what your dream meant.

    FYI The reason why I said to tell your dream to a friend/someone that is saved is because they can and should be able to have a broader outlook which can help you from a biblical standpoint.

It is also important to keep a notepad and paper nearby if you can't get on your computer quick enough, to document your dream while it's still fresh in your head.

Be prepared for an increase in dreams and visions, the bible states that His people will have visions and dreams in the last days.....