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God Speaks His Word by Prophet G. Craige Lewis

1 Peter 2:2 - ’As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,
that ye may grow thereby:’
We need the bible! There is so much hype going around in the body of Christ about this book and that book until people are putting just as much stake into Christian books than they are the bible and that is not wise. Of course there are good Christian books on the market that help us, but nothing can take the place of the Word of God. You need it to grow and it doesn’t take a man to always break it down for you. There is truth in the bible that everyone can live by and there are translations of the bible that everyone can understand plainly. The bible is not being pushed because it’s not as profitable to sell as a man’s book is, so we are starting to hear less about the bible and more about men and their accomplishments. But the fact still remains that if you plan to really grow, you must grow by reading the Word. This is why so many Christians are immature and babes forever. They think they know, but they really don’t because they do not read the Word. Or, they read it but it doesn’t take root because they follow their own way instead of following what the Lord says. And you can always tell a Christian that doesn’t spend anytime in the Word. They begin to tell you how God “told them this” or “said that” to them. Then they start going back on what they said God said and changing their minds about it after if fails or doesn’t work out for them. That’s because God speaks through his Word and what he says can be referenced in the Word. Even when he speaks to mature believers through his Spirit it will always line up with scripture and never contradict it.
The bible is one of the hardest books in the world to consistently read but not because it can’t be understood. It’s hard to read because the devil doesn’t want you to read it! It’s hard sometimes to find time to do it, and it takes perseverance to get disciplined enough to stick to a reading pattern. But the devil is behind it all! The devil knows the power of the word and he knows that you will grow if you read it, so he starts speaking into your mind, saying good things at first, to make you think it’s God. He wants you to feel like you are hearing the voice of God in the beginning so you will never have a need for the word! It’s a trick! Then he starts using that same voice to lead you astray eventually. Many times by causing you to follow crooked ministries and greedy television evangelists, the enemy will begin to make you dependent upon man to be God’s voice for you and at that point, there is no need for the bible at all! But God said, “my sheep know my voice.” Well, they know it because it will line up with his Word. The Word of God is your milk to grow. Without it, you will never be mature enough in Christ to hear him speaking and you definitely won’t be able to know who’s really saying what God said.
Suggested Reading: Gen 1 – Rev 22
©2012 G. Craige Works All Rights Reserved                           http://www.exministries.com
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Jesus Tu Fiel Amigo

Son muchos los errores que he cometido en esta vida y sobran los episodios bochornosos de los cuales he sido partícipe. Las batallas han sido violentas y muy sangrientas. Tengo heridas que las sufrí por causa de la vida misma y otras que las he sufrido debido a mi negligencia espiritual. He dado tantas vueltas, he entrado en tantos laberintos, cortado camino por callejones, veredas estrechas y otras muy anchas. He tomado izquierdas en lugares en donde debí haber tomado derechas y he visto sendas que han amenazado mi vida misma. He disfrutado de la majestuosa hermosura de los montes, mas he experimentado el calor escarnecedor del azote desértico en donde solo Dios me proveyó. Muchas veces me adelanté a lo que Dios quería; otras confundí su voz y muchas otras ignoré las señales de peligro y corrí a hacer lo que mi alma quería. Por todo he pagado dolorosas consecuencias.

 

Cuarenta y tres años de vida, ya el próximo mes cuarenta y cuatro; muchas lesiones aprendidas y tantas otras que todavía no aprendo. Ya casi quince años de caminar con Cristo y cuantas veces ya le he fallado. ¿Qué será de mí? ¿Qué ha sido de mi vida? Soy como una ola solitaria en el mar, como un soplido en medio del huracán, como el polvo y como la neblina de mañana. Mis días están ya contados; ¿Qué haré con los días que me faltan?

 

En todo he aprendido que el Señor Jesús ha sido mi mejor amigo; que nunca me abandonó, aún cuando fueron mis propias faltas. Su amor manifestado en su poderosa amistad ha dado fuerza a mis huesos y le ha retornado la vida a mi alma. En el libro de Juan 15:15 leemos lo siguiente:

 

 “Ya no los llamaré siervos, porque el siervo no sabe lo que hace su señor; yo los he llamado amigos, porque todas las cosas que oí de mi Padre, se las he dado a conocer a ustedes.”

 

            No se hoy lo que confrontas, cuál es tu dolor y que es lo que provoca tus lágrimas, pero conozco a un hombre que es fiel y quien, sin lugar a dudas, es tu mejor amigo. Jesucristo espera por ti; no te hablo de una Iglesia o denominación, mas te hablo de un Cristo que quiere ayudarte y quiere verte prosperar en la vida. Dale hoy tu corazón y no temas. Toma unos minutos y disfruta de esta poderosa canción interpretada por Marcos Barrientos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2hn7aXYUdM

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Finding God in the Midst of Life

We wake up tired in the morning; went to bed late last night, we drive to work and oh my Lord…so much to do! The phone is ringing, one more client to take care of. Voices all around us; this one is talking about this one, the other one is responding, the jokes are dirty, the laughter is filled with seduction, the conversations are empty. Oh, but it’s now 3PM, I am tired, can’t wait to go home! Finally, I am home; children must be reminded again of their homework, dinner needs to be prepared, must make a run to Wal-Mart as my daughter waited until the last minute to tell me about this project in school. My son has a football game tonight at 7PM, I must get all these things done now…etc. Back from my son’s game; getting children ready for bed; finally everybody is in bed and I am the only one awake; did I pay that bill? The mind is consumed with concerns; will I have enough to pay the rent this month? I turn the TV on; TBN has another preacher talking about money, and so I switch channels and must make a decision: Jay Leno or David Letterman? Or maybe I can check my e-mails, my Facebook and my Twitter account. I am tired, but want to spend some quiet time with myself, but I can’t take it anymore, I must go to sleep. In the process, I did not spend even one minute in prayer and have not opened my Bible since Sunday. Sound familiar?

 

The devil is doing a great job in keeping people busy. Our day dances between four things:

 

  1. Work
  2. Self-Entertainment (Internet, Facebook, e-mails, etc)
  3. Family responsibilities
  4. And at times, the desire to run from it all

 

The reality is that as long as we keep these kinds of routines we will always be tired with very little opportunity to grow in Christ. Matthew 11:28-30 tells us:

 

“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 is light.” (KJV)

 

These verses are directly speaking to us; we are the people that are “labour and are heavy laden.” The first thing that it tells us is to “Come to Him.” Going after God must be intentional; we can’t wait until we feel like it or for some kind of supernatural slap in the face. We must make up our minds to go after God.

The second thing that we see here is that we must be willing to exchange the yoke that we currently have and replace it for the one that Jesus has for us. Jesus gives us an invitation to “Take His yoke”; His yoke or way of life is available for God’s people.

 

Third we have an invitation to learn from Jesus; that speaks to me about a process. This is not going to happen overnight. The missing ingredient in order to be able to live the life that Jesus has for us is humility: Jesus tells us: “…learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart…”

 

As we purposely go after God through prayer, the reading of His Word, coming together in devotional times with our families, church activities, Godly fellowship, etc. we will be able to find physical and mental rest. In all we must remember that Jesus is telling us that His “yoke is easy, and His burden is light.” Beloved, I am afraid that we are complicating our relationship with Jesus. To establish a relationship with Christ is the easiest thing in the world; however, it’s the very thing that the enemy and our flesh will fight the most. The relationship itself is not difficult. It is in the “I love you Lord” in the middle of the day; it is in keeping our meditation on Him; it’s in listening to His voice and the reading of His Word that we find constant opposition. Beloved, prayer is not only about talking to God, it’s about listening. As far as I am concerned, the most important thing in prayer is not what I have to say, but what my Daddy has to say.

 

The promise is that you will carry a burden that is light. Personally, I believe that this does not mean that we will do less or be less productive; to the contrary, this means that we will do much more because it will be Jesus doing it through us without our interruptions, but with our cooperation!

 

So, that morning on your way to work open your heart to the voice of God, get a hold of that Bible verse at work; you don’t have to read the whole Bible in one year, is about intimacy, it is about studying, not just reading; in the midst of the mess of the day, listen…He is speaking!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Declarado Libre de Tu Excremento

¡Qué mucho cansa el excremento! Lo mismo ayer, lo mismo hoy y posiblemente lo mismo mañana. Cansado, hay veces, me siento de la crueldad de esta vida; de los que se hacen llamar mis hermanos mas continuamente apuñalan mis espaldas con sus palabras repletas de crueldad, de odio y quizás hasta de estúpidas envidias.

 

No soy lo que mis enemigos dicen que soy, soy aún mucho peor. Tampoco soy lo que mis amigos han dibujado sobre mí. No soy el perfecto dibujo que nunca ha fallado. Mis debilidades han sido muchas más que mis victorias.

 

Soy realmente lo que pienso en los adentros de mi mente, en ese lugar en donde solo Dios escucha y solo Dios ve. Soy un mendigo y un esclavo de la misericordia de Dios.  Soy simplemente uno que como tú, necesita cambio; uno que como tú, necesita a Cristo desesperadamente cada segundo de mi vida. Soy literalmente, un soplo de vida que hoy existe y mañana su nombre es escrito en una piedra de algún cementerio.

 

Te pido perdón por ofenderte y mil veces me arrepiento de mis pecados. ¿Hasta cuándo me va vas a condenar? ¿Cuándo podré ser declarado libre de la cárcel de mis errores pasados? Toda esta defecación ya mi alma ha hastiado. Hacia adelante debo seguir; hacia adelante buscando conocer más y más a mi Cristo; hacia adelante con el llamado que Dios me ha dado, hacia adelante y aún dispuesto a dar mi vida; pues el Evangelio así lo demanda.

 

Hoy he decidió amarte, hoy he decidido perdonarte por las cadenas que has amarrado en mi vida; pues aún cuando me quieres preso, de tu excremento hoy soy declarado libre.

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Fellowship VS Networking

It is sad to say but most of what our Church leaders call fellowship today is really networking.

 

  • Fellowship: “A sharing of common interests, goals, experiences, or views.”

 

  • Networking: “The process or practice of building up or maintaining informal relationships, especially with people whose friendship could bring advantages such as job or business opportunities.”

 

The key word in the basic definition of Fellowship is “Sharing”; the key word in Networking is “Advantages”.

 

When we fellowship we come together as equals; no agenda, no ego and no pretends. When we come together to do our networking is all about self-promotion; we no longer see people as people, but we now look at what they have to offer to help us expand our business.

 

Fellowship is from the heart, networking is cold! Fellowship takes place in our homes over a homemade meal; networking takes place in a room or restaurant and keeps us away from getting too personal. Fellowship is transparent, networking is all about appearance. Fellowship is personal, networking is impersonal.  Fellowship is about who I am in Christ; networking is about what do you do for a living and how much influence can I get by establishing a “relationship” with you.

 

Fellowship looks at what we can do to help others, networking looks at what you can do to help me. Fellowship celebrates others victories and weeps when others are in sorrow, networking envies what other’s have and does not make enough emotional attachment to even consider a prayer for those that have fallen. Networking is about members, fellowship is about disciples. Networking is a filthy secular approach that is rapidly infiltrating Christianity; fellowship is the real Biblical deal!

 

Fellowship is what I am hungry for, networking is what I am sick of!

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Un Verdadero Amigo (Ministro Charles Couret)

Amistad en sentido estricto: es la relación entre dos personas en que hay estrecha comunicación, afecto, intimidad, respeto y ayuda.

No es lo mismo “amigotes” y amigos.
Amigotes: son los que se juntan para pasarla bien, divertirse, hacer bromas, etc.
Amigos: son los que se juntan porque se necesitan para realizarse como personas. Se preocupan por los otros, están abiertos a los demás, se ayudan, se ponen metas nobles, etc.

(Roberto Carlos)
Tú eres mi hermano del alma realmente el amigo
que en todo camino y jornada estás siempre conmigo
aunque eres un hombre aún tienes alma de niño
aquél que me da su amistad, su respeto y cariño.
Recuerdo que juntos pasamos muy duros momentos
y tú no cambiaste por fuertes que fueran los vientos
es tu corazón una casa de puertas abiertas
tú eres realmente el más cierto en horas inciertas.

En ciertos momentos difíciles que hay en la vida
buscamos a quien nos ayude a encontrar la salida
y aquellas palabras de fuerza y de fe que me has dado
me da la certeza que siempre estuviste a mi lado.
Tú eres mi amigo del alma en toda jornada
sonrisa y abrazo recibo a cada llegada
me dices verdades tan grandes con frases abiertas
Tú eres realmente el más cierto en horas inciertas.

No preciso ni decir todo esto que te digo
pero es bueno así sentir que eres tú mi gran amigo.
No preciso ni decir todo esto que te digo
pero es bueno así sentir que yo tengo un gran amigo.

Les Deseo a Todos un Feliz Dia de la amistad.
Charles
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Reflection After Whitney Houston’s Death!

I am so sad for the death of Whitney Houston; there is no doubt that no other female singer has touched my heart with her voice as much as Whitney. Truly, gone too soon!

We can talk about her drug abuse, her terrible marriage with Bobby Brown, etc; but who are we? For what? The reality is that when I see the tragic ending of people like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and now Whitney I reflect on what happens to us when we surrender to the desires of our flesh and the lies of the devil. That is why the Bible calls the devil “The Enemy.” Here I see this beautiful, talented and powerful woman, whose life seemed to have ended under water in a bathtub. I can’t hold back my tears!

I did see the video of her last performance as she sang “Jesus Love Me.” Musically, not a good performance, but I pray that was a revelation; the amazing realization that God indeed loves us. It is my hope that before Whitney left us she had time to be reconciled with the Lord and that at this very moment she finds herself singing before our Heavenly Father. At the end of the day, when we take that final breath, all that will truly matter is what we did with Jesus who gave His life for us!  Beloved, there are only two destinations when we die: Heaven or Hell and only through Jesus Christ and Christ alone can we enter God’s Kingdom. For the Bible tells us in Luke 9:25

“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”

 

Our final destination has nothing to do with what church we go to, our denomination, if we are Catholics, Baptist, Pentecostals, what position we hold, what we have, don’t have, what we do or not do, etc…It is through Jesus that we can be saved. John 3:16 tells us:

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

 

If God is touching your heart right now you have the chance to be saved. In Romans 10:9-10 the Bible gives us how to be saved:

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Now, the key is not to repeat this prayer that I am about to give you, the key for your salvation is to believe in Jesus Christ and not only to believe, but to trust Him and not only to trust, but to manifest your trust in Him by changing the way you talk and the things you confess. If from now on you are willing to confess Jesus as King of your life for the rest of your days and if right now you trust God with all of your heart no matter what, then today is your day of salvation. With these thoughts in mind, read this prayer out loud:

“Jesus, I give you my life! Today I believe that you died on the cross for me and that the Father raised you up on the third day. Today I believe that you are siting at the right hand of the Father and that you are my Savior. I believe in you Jesus, I give you my heart, take my life, transform me, fill me with your Holy Spirit, be the leader of my life and guide me in the ways that pleases You. Come into my heart, renew my mind and make me a Born Again Believer. Give me hunger, thirst, passion and understanding of your Word. Make me a faithful man/woman and teach me how to pray. Take all of me; I am yours now, I no longer belong to the devil, but I belong to you. From this day on I give you all of my talents; use them for the service of your people and for your glory. In Jesus name…Amen!”

 

If you believe this prayer, you are saved! Please e-mail us at angelcasiano@aol.com so that we can tell you what to do next. Welcome to the family of God! God bless you!

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Coming Out of the Sunday Morning Prison

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. John 3:23 NKJV

 

            I do realize that this word that the Lord gave me today may be offensive for some; I struggled some with the idea of publishing this article; but I believe that for those that are hungry for God and are placed in leadership position, this article could be a liberating one.

 

            God is not looking for Doctors in Theology; God is looking for worshippers. There is absolutely nothing more important in our lives than to worship God and worship God alone for the Bible tells us in Exodus 34:14 “for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” Even as worship is indeed a lifestyle. Make no mistake about it, worship requires expression; worship requires action; worship requires that we express our love for God out loud, worship requires that we sing to him, jump for him, dance for him and shout for him. Worship requires that we let go of our prideful dignified ways and weep, laugh and cry out before HIM who is worthy. Beloved, David danced before the Lord in his underwear; in Second Samuel 6:14-16 we read:

“Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.”

See, when we worship God, our little external images must come off. David was a King, but as he danced before the Lord he was just like a little kid excited to see daddy. Notice how Michal, Saul’s daughter and one of David’s wife despised him in her heart. Second Samuel 6:20-23 tells us:

“Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” “So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord.And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.” Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.”

            You can also see in verse 23 that Michal had no children symbolizing how fruitless our lives become when we refuse to worship the Lord with all of our might. We hold back so much when it comes to God, but who holds us back when our favorite team scores? Who holds us back when our children give a great performance whether in arts or sports? Who holds us back when our favorite singer hits those high notes in that particular song we love? Who holds us back when we are after the woman we love as we chase her down with flowers, romantic letters, sweet words and gifts? Can you see the picture here? How much more should we go after God in radical expression of worship? Let the religious continue to be religious; let the Michals of this world despise us, but we must worship God with uncompromised passion.

It is sad to me when in our church services we place the preaching of the Word as the main event. I have news for you; if you are approaching God’s Word as a book to simply acquire knowledge you are violating the first commandment which is to love God above all things. The Word of God is a love letter that ought to radically generate a greater love and appreciation for our Heavenly Father. When we come together as a church Body, we first come to worship Who the Word is and not just the knowledge of the Word.

I am, by no means, taking away the important of the reading and study of God’s Word or suggesting that we do away without preaching and teaching the Bible, I am, however, desperately trying to express that we must change the emphasis.  I have seen many men and women of God with great knowledge of God’s Word, but with little or no expression of worship to God. They act in our services as if they are above everybody else; they act as if it is childless to worship God; they look over their little notes during worship, they look around, look at their watches, you never see a tear come out of their eyes or even the lifting of their hands for Jesus. I am grateful for the example of David who was a King established by God and anointed by Samuel as so. How amazing it would be the day that our Presidents stops trying to act so dignify and abandon themselves in God’s presence with no fear.

I will go as far as saying that the reason many church folks are not growing is because they have not opened their eyes to realize the freedom they have in Jesus to worship. It is sad to say, but many of our worship services are teaching our little ones to place God in a box called religion. We want God to move, we want God to manifest His power, but we want to continue following the same script Sunday after Sunday. It is truly time for freedom; it is time for us to stop the concerts and it is time for us to let the new song find herself among us. It is time for us as Pastors and leaders to get out of the way and let God touch His people directly. First King 8:10-11 tells us:

“10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.”

Notice that when the glory of God filled the place “…the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud.” This is symbolic of the fact that when God is in the house He does not need our help to minister to His own people. Through worship God wants to minister to His people without our help, after all the Bible tells us, “But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel”. (Psalm 22: NKJV)

 We like to call our Sunday morning gathering “Worship Service”, but that is in fact the least that we do in such gathering. The two songs and an offering, one more song and the sermon formula most desperately go; that is not worship, but a prearrange mini-concert. Beloved we must come out of the Sunday morning prison; we must fight for our freedom to worship God. It can no longer be tolerated! We must stop limiting the Holy Spirit flow and allow God to move freely in the heart of His people. We must let God use us as He pleases and humbly realize that He does not need us and that there are times…many times, when He wants to do His thing without us.

 

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Rick Santorum; Is He Really the One For Us Christians?

What I respect the most about Rick Santorum is that he is who he says he is. He is a conservative, who has a conservative record, who is campaigning as a conservative and is not ashamed or moved by what the establishment wants. I am not looking for a perfect candidate, it does not exist! However, you look at Obama and he is dangerously liberal, but he runs as Christian. Romney is all over the place; he is running as a conservative, but his record positions him closer to the left. Newt sounds conservative, but he also has a record that many times does not match what he is saying now. I feel that Ron Paul is also honest in his believes. Perry, Cain and the others were not ready to be President, period.

If America wants style and to keep the extreme left alive, they can keep Obama. If America wants a rich white man, Romney is your man. If America wants to show how sick they are of the Government, no doubt that Paul is the way to go. If America wants someone who sounds smart, there is no candidate smarter than Newt. If America wants a conservative, currently Santorum is your only choice. In Santorum, we have a man that is not charismatic, a man that is not a great speaker, a man with no money to compete against Romney, but a man that is not ashamed of what he stands for. Santorum seems to be the closest candidate to our Christian values, but is he a true born-again Christian? Is he the one or shall we wait for another?