Dizzy cockroaches

For every single servant of God in the Bible, faith was a part of their obedience, and obedience was a part of their faith.
In the past, much like in the present, those who are disobedient do not have God's Spirit. They have faith for certain things, but not the faith to obey.

Disobedient believers, like rebellious unbelievers, give little thought to God’s judgment. Deep down they think that God’s infinite love makes Him incapable of casting anyone into the Lake of Fire. This causes them to relax, both in faith and in obedience to His Word.

They have forgotten that disobedience is an act of rebellion. And for that precise reason, the Lord God did not spare Lucifer and the other rebellious angels, nor did He spare mankind during the time of Noah, let alone the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. Why then would He spare you when you act just like them?

They also forget that He is Justice. Though He loves all sinners, He still hates sin.

Any and all kinds of sin are a form of injustice.

There's no hope of having a working relationship between justice and injustice, just as there is no relationship between light and darkness.

A disobedient person may be faithful to the doctrines of the church, to the pastor, in their tithes and offerings, but if he does not obey the Word of God, he is still rebellious.

For this reason, he does not have an anointing, does not have spiritual authority over evil, does not have spiritual vision and worse of all, he is not sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Like a senseless cockroach, he is always going back and forth. He is not definite about his faith. He resists the sacrifice of his personal wishes and desires to obey the One he calls Lord.

To his followers, the Lord Jesus clearly said:

"...Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5.20

Who were the scribes and Pharisees?

They were the religious hypocrites of Jesus’ day.

What is their fate and that of others who act like them?

“Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?" Matthew 23.33

King David is an excellent example of how faith and obedience must work together. His example also serves as an illustration of the drastic consequences of disobedience.

Hermes’ comment in this blog (Portuguese) about the Truth Test video, shows a lack of anointing. It also serves as an example of the absence of the Holy Spirit.

By: Hermes 24 February 2012 at 06:16

Bishop I was talking to a customer who claims to be a pastor and was boasting about how he had preached in many evangelical churches. I asked him how he was able to do it and how he found the inspirations to make those services. He said he had attended the UCKG for 15 years and had learned to make services by watching you, Bishop. So I asked him another question: What church does the Bishop attend in order to have this great spiritual vision? Then he said: The Bishop has the HOLY SPIRIT TO LEAD HIM.

Birthrights of the Firstborn

Mankind is the masterpiece of God’s creation. Adam was guaranteed to have the right to God’s authority over the earth. He was His firstborn, the prince of God on earth. Genesis 1.26

However, he lost his status as the prince of God when he disobeyed the Creator. And to make things worse, he handed the dominion to satan on a silver platter.

This transfer of powers initiated the reign of the kingdom of darkness and injustice, which caused great chaos upon planet earth. Up until this point, the devil went to and fro on the earth, but he didn’t have any authority over it.

Chaos ruled until the days of Noah, when the Lord decided to wipe out the entire human race and start all over again.

Noah was chosen to replace Adam and his dominion of the Earth. Righteousness, integrity and faithfulness to God elected him as a seed for a new civilization.
Shem, Noah’s firstborn son, did not seem to follow in his father's footsteps. And again, the corruption of mankind gave place to justice. However, a covenant between God and Noah ensured the survival of the planet.

And instead of setting up His Kingdom on Earth beginning with a living soul, with an Adamic nature, He decided to do it with a life-giving Spirit, which has a spiritual nature. This is, in creations born of water and the Spirit, through faith in Jesus Christ, His Firstborn.

Therefore, He had to create a civilization that was separated from the others, who would be faithful to Him, a pure race, who was godly, to give birth to His Son. After all, He couldn’t possibly be born into a pagan family.

And from the lineage of Shem, Noah’s firstborn son, God found Abraham.

Abraham’s calling made him a prince of God on earth. Genesis 23.6

God’s divine plan for Abraham was to have him form a chosen race, His exclusive property. These people, who were separated from everyone else on Earth, would form a nation of priests to serve the Almighty, to which would be born God’s Firstborn: Jesus. I Peter 2:9

Righteousness, mercy and faith elected Abraham to receive the fullness of the God’s authority on earth. The same which had been given to Adam and Noah.

In the law of primogeniture, the firstborn son inherits his father's authority over the family. He becomes the leader, taking the highest position of authority in their clan. The mother and the other family members must obey and respect him.

Just like in the past, pacts made between the Creator and His creations influenced the traditions of marriage, the same happens today, when the firstborn son traditionally carries on the responsibility of managing his father's business.

However, through a spiritual point of view, the blessing of the firstborn goes far beyond material responsibilities. This has to do with God’s authority on earth, which isn’t only given to His firstborn son, but to all those who are born of water and the Holy Spirit. Every legitimate child of God carries a birthright. They are His prince or princess on earth. They are given His authority over all things.

God sees those who are born of the Spirit, whether man or woman, as though they were angels, without gender, color, age, race or social class. They're all alike. This is why they are principalities, princes or messengers of the Eternal on earth.

Abraham understood this. That’s why he was careful not to allow his son to marry a pagan girl, because that would corrupt the Divine inheritance, like his ancestors Adam and Shem.
And isn’t that what happens in a royal family?

Normally, the heir to the throne is not allowed to marry a commoner.

When God the Father sent His Firstborn into the world, He established the Kingdom of God through Him. No longer would His Kingdom be on earth, instead it would now be within those who sacrifice the kingdom of this world for the Kingdom of God. Luke 17.21

Through Jesus, everyone that is sealed with the Holy Spirit becomes God’s firstborn on earth. In other words, they become a representative of the Eternal in this world. They are given His authority over principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual forces of evil.

The Kingdom of God was inaugurated by the Lord Jesus when he wiped out the sins of those who obey him, and disarmed the principalities and powers of this world on Calvary.

For that reason, the Holy Spirit says:
"...Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” Colossians 2.14-15

Jesus said, "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you." Matthew 12.28. In other words, once the principalities of this world have been overcome, the person’s heart becomes clean and ready to inaugurate the kingdom of God.

Just a Speak

This person went to the doctor because she had an irritation in her right eye. She presumed it was just a speck. She had been cleaning out some cabinets in the basement and they were full of dust, mold and many old things.
The doctor agreed. He said that a ‘little speck’ must have fallen into her eye and prescribed antihistamine eye drops to soothe the irritation...

A couple of days later, the discomfort worsened and her eye was still swollen, so she decided to get a second opinion from another doctor. This doctor decided to remove the 'little speck'. This is a protozoan Toxoplasma Gondii egg, a coccidian that causes toxoplasmosis, commonly found in the peritoneal fluid of rats. It can also be found in cats and undercooked pork meat, and could easily blind the bearer of the 'little speck’.

Whenever you’re in doubt, seek the opinion of another doctor. Never wait to see what happens, you may not always have enough time. And be careful; don’t rub your eyes with your hands if they are not properly washed. Germs, viruses and bacteria cannot be seen with the naked eye. That’s right, be alert!

Evil spirits cannot be seen with the naked eye either, nor with any other device, for that matter.
They are spiritual entities who work day and night to kill, steal and destroy mankind.
Only after you’ve had a true encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ will you be able to identify and expel them.
Now, take a look at the ‘little speck’ below.

Don’t forget to share this with others. It is very important!!!

Another warning:
ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS THOROUGHLY!

Last Sunday (19th February) was a blessing. Pastor Almiro spoke about 1 Samuel 11. When the men of Jabesh wanted to make a covenant with the Nahash the Ammonite and he told them for him to make a covenant with them on the condition of putting out all their right eyes! Because they did not have the Spirit of God they began to weep. But when the Spirit of God came upon Saul and he heard this news his anger was greatly aroused (Vs 6); he was REVOLTED against that situation! Many people when facing problems they begin to weep instead of being REVOLTED against the situation and take a step of faith to wipe out the problems that they are facing in their lives. That's why the need of having the Holy Spirit in your life. However, a total surrender to Him is needed. Don't miss the Spiritual Therapy on Sunday at 10am at the Cenacle of the Holy Spirit, 1 Kijabe Street, Former Globe Cinema next to Globe Roundabout, Nairobi.

WHAT IS YOUR SOUL'S DESTINATION?

WHAT IS YOUR SOUL'S DESTINATION?

"So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried". (Luke 16:22)

The text of Jesus about the rich man and Lazarus reveals truths of the afterlife. We highlight the above verse to focus on the conduction of his soul by angels to Abraham's bosom.

Let us understand better what Jesus said;

Why the Lord Jesus highlights the fact of, after death, the beggar was taken by angels to Abraham's bosom?

First of all, it's clear that the death of the body does not means the death of the soul, the soul remains alive as it was living previously in the body. later on, Abraham says that Lazarus is comforted. Think, how can a dead person be comforted?

Therefore, we understand that life still continues after death;

Secondly, the soul immediately leaves the body after death. The angels of the Lord took Lazarus's soul to Abraham's bosom;

Thirdly, when the soul leaves the body, it does not roams freely like many people think, it would probably contradict the idea of those who were saved having their names written in the book of life, it does makes sense to have your name written in the book of life and your soul after death would roam everywhere in the universe.

It would also contradict the word of God when it says; "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment"… (Hebrews 9:27)

As long as the final judgment does not happens, where would stay the souls of the saved ones, and the lost ones? we will discuss it ahead. But I'm sure about a thing, when the soul leaves it's body it has no freedom to roam wherever it wants, so true that if it could really happen, why the soul of the rich man did not run away from hell?

Before everyone's death, there are angels or demons awaiting for people's soul to be released from their bodies. There is no dispute between angels and demons for that soul, why not? because after death the soul already has it's master, and who is the master of that soul? obviously the one whom the person served in life.

The moment the person dies, the messengers of her master are waiting to take (her) or (his) soul to it's destination.

The dispute for our soul between God and satan occurs only during our life time, as long as we live in this world there is a battle, by one side, the Lord Jesus and His servants fighting to save us through His words of truth, by the other side, satan and his angels trying to take to hell.

Each one of us have the right to choose who is going to be our master, whether it is God or satan, it only depends of you choice, and if you say neither of them, surely satan will be the one.

Therefore after death nothing can be done for our soul. Say a prayer, sacrifices, mass in the church, it won't change the destination of our soul.

Check out in the bible that Lazarus's souls was taken. It wasn't roaming alone to Abraham's bosom. How about the soul of the rich man "The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades…" (Luke 16:23).

What happened to the soul of the rich man after his death? Did his soul roam to hell? off course not!

The same way Lazarus was taken to Abraham's bosom by God's angels, the rich man was taken by satan's angels to hell. The master of lazarus's soul (God) took care of his soul taking it to his dwelling place (Heaven) for all the eternity, while the rich man's master also took care of him taking his soul to Hades, which is (Hell).

God Bless You All.

Forced by circumstances

Forced by circumstances, Esau exchanged his rights as the firstborn and prince –replacing his father, Isaac– for a piece of bread and some lentil stew. He trusted in his strength and hunting skills. And because he disregarded God’s gift, he and his descendants were cursed.

Forced by circumstances, Sarah urged her husband Abram to sleep with her servant and have a son, which was normal at that time. Later, after constantly being humiliated, Sarah had to kick out her servant, along with her son Ishmael. The Arab lineage –the enemies of Israel– began with him. They are rich in wealth, but poor of knowledge about the God of Israel.

Forced by circumstances, Saul disobeyed the Lord and sinfully offered burnt offerings.
"And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." I Samuel 13.13-14

Forced by circumstances, "Marta was distracted with much serving and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’ And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10.40-42

Forced by circumstances, Judas Iscariot accepted the offer of the chief priests and elders, betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver and then hung himself. Matthew 27.5

Forced by circumstances, Ananias and Sapphira kept part of the money they received from selling a property they had previously donated to the church. They both died on the same day because they attempted to deceive the Holy Spirit. Acts 5.1
You should ask yourself:

What circumstances have forced me to go against my faith, peace of mind and principles, causing me to abandon my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
Family? ........................... Money?
Marriage? ..................... Social Life?
Love Life? ......................... Entertainment?
Sex? ............................. Success?
Fame? ............................. Friendships?

Answer yourself: Is it worth it?

Courage and Obedience

God’s legitimate children are elected to be His princes on earth. Each one of them carries the authority to be His ambassador.

"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made ​​us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..." Ephesians 2.4-6

Through the fullness of the Holy Spirit, the children of God are King Jesus’ princes. They have been chosen to do His will, according to His instructions, wherever they may be.

However, they must have the courage to obey.

What happens when an ambassador disobeys his governor’s orders? He is immediately stripped of his authority and it is given to someone else.
The same goes for those who oppose the will of God. They are considered rebellious and immediately removed.

Regardless of whether or not they were filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied when they were called. We have Saul as an example of this.
Disobedience leads to the removal of the person’s spiritual authority.

You must understand the following:

Disobeying the Lord means that you have stopped following Him, you have abandoned Him.

Obedience to the Lord means that you obey His will. This requires sacrifice, because in order for a servant to do His will, he must deny his own will.

This is why Jesus said: "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." Mark 8.34

No doubt that it is much easier to do your own will, leave the cross on the ground and not follow Him.

But ...

What good is it to have faith to conquer the world and not have faith to obey the Word of God?

I have asked the Lord for two things:  show me Your will and give me the courage to obey it.

Time is...

Time is...

What did you fight today?

What did you fight today?

Then Achish would say, “Where have you made a raid today?” And David would say, “Against the southern area of Judah, or against the southern area of the Jerahmeelites, or against the southern area of the Kenites.” 1 Samuel 27.10

There was a time in David's life when every day was a day of war. It became such a routine that when he came home each evening, people would ask him, "So, whom did you fight today?"

That's a good story and a useful question to keep us motivated. We all need to fight our daily battles and answer at the end of each day: "Whom/what did I fight today?"

If we didn't fight, we couldn't possibly have won anything. A day of victory can only follow a day of fighting. 

So, what did you fight today?

The Heir and the slave

Anxiety is a spiritual epidemic. It destroys any act of faith, drains the person’s physical and spiritual energy and pollutes everyone who is around the victim.

Often, this curse is born from an innocent — yet senseless — little question. It accidentally on purpose spreads when someone asks:

– Hi! How are you? How is everything?

This is the start of an anemic conversation.

– So, what’s up? Do you have a boyfriend? When are you getting married?

Many who have failed at love are used to contaminate others with their frustrations.
Their objective has nothing to do with their friend’s well-being. What they really want is to open up that almost healed wound, bring back the desire to accomplish something that no longer occupied their thoughts and take away any peace of mind they’ve achieved by faith so far.

It is pure evil.

That’s right. Just like this example, many other kinds of insinuations are made with the intention of causing anxiety.

The Lord Jesus did not suggest we disregard our anxieties, but He advised us about them with the following commandment: "Be anxious for nothing" (Matthew 6:25; Philippians 4:6)

In order to neutralize the spirit of anxiety, you should know that God does not give His children what they want; He gives them what they need.

Why would you give a child a motorcycle, when he doesn’t even know how to ride a bicycle? Only an irresponsible person would do that!

Forget, run away from and resist your anxieties and God will give you everything that you are ready to receive and much more.

Meditate on this verse:

"Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father." (Galatians 4:1,2)

Pride goes before destruction...

Pride goes before destruction...

...and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18. Or how The Message puts it: First pride, then the crash. The bigger the ego, the harder the fall.

At the very root of all the other sins people commit is pride. 

• It doesn't let people see their own mistakes
• It makes them resistant to change
• It makes them stubborn
• It gives them an inflated view of themselves
• It destroys relationships
• It makes people think they're better than others
• It leads them to think they know everything, "Who is so-and-so to teach me anything?"
• It drives them to loneliness
• It results in their ultimate fall
• It leads them to the its source: Lucifer.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11.29

Pride may be leading you to your destruction and fall right now. Wake up.

Israel | Jerusalem | Filmed in Imax 3D.

Jerusalem in 3D

Stunningly beautiful footage of Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

Do yourself a favor: Pour a cup of tea or your favorite drink, take seven minutes of your time, sit back, and watch this in full screen.

I insist: in full screen, please.

Enjoy.

Do you want to be happy?

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law, and his law he meditates day and night.”
(Psalm 1:1,2)
 

Beautiful psalm isn’t it? But do you know what it means in practice? Let’s see…
Happy is the one who doesn’t walk with those who don’t fear God.
Happy is the one who doesn’t even stay in the path of those who live in sin.
Happy is the one who does not get involved with those who mock their faith.
Happy is the one who has pleasure in reading and listening to the Word of God day and night.
Do I need to be more specific than this? If you want to be a happy person, practice this.

The Holy Spirit is given by measure?

Why haven’t most Christians received the Holy Spirit, if He has already been sent?
What has stopped you from being sealed with the Holy Spirit?

Is it your lack of faith? Of merit? A complete surrender?
There are many reasons.
I believe the biggest obstacle that has prevented the Holy Spirit from pouring down upon the life of many has been their lack of a total commitment.
Receiving Him means you receive His Fullness or Plenitude.
Those who are willing to receive Him must be willing to sacrifice their life.
It is God’s All for your all.
Unfortunately, not everyone is truly willing to give up their life or their sins.
They might accept Jesus as their Savior, but they do not want Him as their Lord.
They want to enjoy a life without restrictions, without any serious commitments to anyone. Not even Jesus.

We can’t tell who someone really is by what they show us on the outside, but the Holy Spirit looks deep inside.
This intimate encounter will reveal the absence of the Spirit of God in the person’s life.
He pretends that Jesus is the Lord and Savior of his life.
He pretends to be faithful to Him. He pretends to be spiritual. He pretends to seek Him. He pretends to be of God. He pretends, pretends and pretends...
Years go by and he keeps pretending.
There is a saying used by politicians that goes: I’ll pretend like I’m going to keep my word and you pretend to believe me. And we each help ourselves the best way we can.
Of course the Spirit of God does not pretend to believe in someone’s surrender. But, because He knows what is truly deep within that person, He is saddened.
On the other hand, the devil enjoys it.
And his life will indefinitely remain tied-up.
He will attend church meetings, be a tither, make vows, pray, cry out to God, but will continue refusing to give up the liberty to sin.
Jesus said: "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides in Him." John 3.36

Note: In the Bible, the word believe means unconditional surrender of the body, soul and spirit.

Internet Lies

Hoax is the name given to false information received by e-mail, social networking sites and other websites in general, whose content —in addition to the well-known "chain mail"—consists of emotional or religious appeals, alleged charity campaigns, humanitarian and rescue movements, or even fake internet virus warnings of a non-existent threat (Source: Wikipedia).

Hoax means imposture or fraud.

The Roman clergy have a group of "experts" in producing hoaxes, that is, in spreading lies and fantasies on the internet, trying to tarnish the image of those who oppose their interests.

What’s sad is that many believe in the horrible things that are spread by hoaxes. Take a look at the following two examples:

1st LIE: EX-BISHOP SERGIO VON HELDER HOAX

An excellent example of a "Catholic hoax" is the one about former Bishop Sergio Von Helder.
This internet rumor asks if it’s true that the pastor who kicked the image of Aparecida do Norte had an accident and had his leg amputated.

This rumor was created to convince people that the image of Aparecida punished its aggressor. It was invented and spread by the Roman clergy as if it were true.

But, did you know that this rumor started because of a story that was published by a Catholic magazine?
The man responsible for the publication, a monk from a monastery in Rio de Janeiro, admitted to lying.

"Everyone always asks us the same question, and Catholics say that if the Universal Church didn’t deny it, then it must be true," said the monk.

But the one who started the rumor was the Catholic Church!

A few years ago, a widely circulated magazine published an article on the subject. Here's an excerpt:

The monk, Sir Stephen Bettencourt, who published the article in his magazine, admits that he did not confirm the story with Von Helder. "I read about it on a website and decided to publish it, therefore, it was not Von Helder that actually told me what happened. However, until now, the Universal Church has not made any comments denying what was written in the article."

And that’s not it: the rumor gained even more momentum when a Catholic TV program, which is part of the same media outlet as the monk’s magazine, broadcast the story as if it had actually occurred.

ANSWER:

Ex-Bishop Sergio Von Helder is no longer part of the ministry of the UCKG because of a matter of faith. He was in perfect health, at least while he was with us. He is now self-employed, lives in the U.S. and NEVER HAD HIS LEG AMPUTATED.

Do you see how the CATHOLIC CLERGY, along with others, CREATED A HOAX TO REVIVE THE CREDIBILITY of an image they believe in?

In the same way, IN ORDER TO CONTINUE FOOLING THE UNWARY, from time to time, THEY CREATE NEW LIES ABOUT ME.

Take a look at the one below.

2nd LIE: THE MANSION HOAX

I insist on publishing the full story for anyone interested in knowing the details of this rumor.

DO YOU KNOW WHO BOUGHT THIS HOUSE? Keep reading and you'll understand...

The name of this mansion is Villa Castillo—Caribbean and it was sold at an auction by Sotheby's for €42,578,200.00.

Let's take a look:

ANSWER:

The rumor that has circulated on the internet says that this is "Bishop Edir Macedo’s home in the Caribbean."
To help you think, I’m going to ask you the following questions:

1 - Why don’t they show where my name appears on the property records?
Simply because it is not there. Anyone can get pictures of mansions, castles and idyllic islands from the internet and say I bought them.
If I had really bought the mansion above, don’t you think every media outlet would be broadcasting the story? Every TV station, radio station, newspaper, magazine and website that hates us would have made this their top story.

2 - Why don’t they do it?
Because they don’t have any evidence to prove it. This is nothing more than a cowardly defamation campaign.

3 - But, after all, why would they be interested in my alleged billion dollar purchases?
There is only one reason: To cause the members of the UCKG to doubt my character as a servant of God.

FINAL NOTE:

Many of those who I have fought with all of my strength, so that they may come to know the truth, might not fully know it yet because of my limited communication resources. But everyone knows my life very well.

The book "The Bishop" talks about my life in detail. Only one thing has changed. When it was written, I had an apartment. Today, because of a vow I made with God, I no longer own that apartment.

Those who believe these words, amen.
Those who do not believe can be sure that I will not force you to do so.

Knocking your brain out

Knocking your brain out

The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be. – Jeremiah 17.9,10 (MSG)

There's a constant war between your heart and your mind; your feelings and your reason; your emotions and your intelligence.

Although the above illustration is quite funny, it could mislead you because it suggests that the heart is stronger than the mind. That's only true when you let it happen. In reality, your mind is way, way more powerful than your heart.

But which one will win?

The one that you use more often. As with any muscle, it gets stronger with use. Use your heart, your emotions, your feelings more often, and they'll be stronger. Use your mind, your reason, your intelligence more often, and they'll prevail.

Bishop,

I am currently the pastor of the Church in Ouagadougou, which is the capital of Burkina Faso, in Africa. The Church was inaugurated on July 24, 2011. A week later, the mayor personally came to the Church to tell me that the Muslim merchants were complaining about the church speakers being too loud and how it bothered them. So, I took down some speakers.

A month later, the Muslims came back threatening to burn the Church and kidnap my son. We informed the authorities about the threats and the Muslims said it was because our services coincided with theirs. So, I changed our schedule around.

On December 31, 2011, we made t-shirts with the words "Stop suffering" and "EURD" (Eglise Universelle du Royaume de Dieu, which is UCKG in French) written on them, which we were going to use to evangelize. On January 6, 2012, the police commander called me to the station and said that the Muslims were planning an attack on the Church because of the t-shirts.

While I was at the police station, my phone rang and I was informed that the Muslims had invaded the Church and beat up some church members and my wife, who was counseling a youth when this happened. She was severely beaten and had to be taken to the hospital by the firefighters because she lost consciousness.

They set fire to the chairs and the Church flag. Once again, we informed the authorities about the incident, which they considered an act of cruelty. Meanwhile, the Muslims urged the authorities to close all of the Churches in the country. However, they didn’t accept their "request" and warned them that next time this happened they would close their churches and stores instead.

Unsatisfied and angry with this decision, they left the police station determined to burn down the Universal Church. So, they went directly to our temple and stood in front of the Church.

I think that after last year’s rebellion, the government is afraid of the people. They asked us to return to the Church, but without any police protection. We currently have 400 members and to keep them out of danger, we were forced to rent a conference room in a hotel.

I spoke to Bishop Ferraz, who is responsible for the evangelistic work of the UCKG in the Ivory Coast, and he suggested that we move the Church somewhere else, but I asked to remain there because everything would certainly calm down. However, after seeing the current situation, I agreed to move to another location.

I wasn’t able to inform you about this situation before because of my wife’s health, since I had to take her to the hospital on a daily basis.

Issia Karaboué, who is a pastor in the Ivory Coast, was born into a Muslim family, but converted to Christianity in Brazil.

What do you want?

What do you want?

I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is that I can't find anybody who can tell me what they want. – Mark Twain

One reason God gave us faith was to decide for ourselves what we want. We see this when we look at the way Jesus dealt with people who came to Him for help. He would not just go ahead and start meeting that person's every need. He certainly knew that the blind needed to see, the cripple needed their legs strong again, the hungry needed food. But what would He do when they came to Him? He would ask them:

What do you want me to do for you?

In telling Him what they wanted, they were forced to define one request, and have the faith to ask for it. 

Too many people live uneventful lives, always indecisive about what they will or will not do, because they don't use this power that God has given them. They're always asking around for people's opinions, watching what others are doing before they decide what to do, analyzing and pondering and analyzing some more — and never taking any action. They are suffering from indecision. 

Friend, what do you want? 

Answer that question in regards to every area of your life. Write it down. Tell it to God. 

He's looking for people who can tell Him that.

My 25 doubts

I doubt that someone...

I doubt that someone who is possessed by the Spirit of God is indecisive, unsure, or faltering;

I doubt that he doubts he is of God;
I doubt that he is hesitant;
I doubt that he is weak in the faith;
I doubt that he is unwilling to sacrifice;
I doubt that he is a coward;
I doubt that he is fearful;
I doubt that he sits on the fence;
I doubt that he falters between two opinions;
I doubt that he will fall away from the faith;
I doubt that he feels faith;
I doubt that he doesn’t know what he wants;
I doubt that he likes double-minded women;
I doubt that she likes double-minded men;
I doubt that they will get along with double-minded people;
I doubt that he will commit suicide;
I doubt that he will be discouraged because of a loss;
I doubt that he will be swayed by other people’s opinions;
I doubt that he is overly sensitive;
I doubt that he is a prisoner of his emotions;
I doubt that he is shy;
I doubt that he has complexes;
I doubt that he is weak;
I doubt that he is foolish;
I doubt that he is not objective, decisive and transparent when it comes to his faith.

No one was born proud

No one was born proud

The proud man can learn humility, but he will be proud of it. — Mignon McLaughlin

It’s very hard to help a proud person. His pride won’t let him recognize he needs help, let alone receive it. Is there any hope for such person? Sometimes I wonder.

On the other hand, I don't think proud people became proud by choice. I can’t imagine they decided one day, “You know what, I’m going to be proud from now on.” So, pride got into them, without them even realizing it. How?

I don’t have the answer. But I think one answer is that they fell in love with themselves. Somehow, they began to admire their qualities way above other people’s, to the point of despising everyone else.

Don’t get me wrong: everyone needs a good dose of self-love. That’s good and it’s healthy. But proud people take that too far.

I believe it’s not by chance that God requires people to love Him above self:

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. Luke 14.26

The only safety we have against pride is to love God above everything, everyone, and above self.

Therefore, it’s impossible for a person to know God and be proud.

Tied-up Faith

One of the biggest challenges to Christian faith is indecisiveness.
An indecisive person never knows what they want. They have no goals, no vision, no understanding of God's will for their life. And that's because they have a faltering personality. They are uncertain about everything they do. They are unable to firmly say, “Yes” or “No”.

How can God use someone that is indecisive?
Someone who is like the waves of the sea, indefinitely moving forward and backwards.

Jesus’ followers must to live from faith to faith.
However, the undecided or wavering live from one indecision to the next, even when it comes to making small decision like what clothes or shoes to wear.

Having Jesus as your Savior does not cancel out this kind of behavior. Many times, it may even get in the way because you feel like things will eventually change on their own. You end up waiting for Divine magic.

This type of Christian, consciously or unconsciously, becomes Satan’s ally by helping him harvest those who have a sincere faith. Because they pass along their indecisiveness, fear, insecurity and weakness to others.
This is why few conquer by faith, and many fall away from the Christian faith.

James considers this kind of person to be “a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” James 1.8
“…and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4.8

A double-minded person is someone who pretends and has mixed feelings, but ends up doing whatever suits them better.

What good is it to believe in the Word of God, in the Lord Jesus and not be decisive about defining your faith?

What good is it to believe in God, and not make that belief clear, objective and incisive to the world and to hell?

Try looking for someone in the Bible that was used by the Holy Spirit and had an indecisive personality and faith?

Through Paul, God Himself said:
“One person esteems on day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.” Romans 14.5

And you, my dear friend, what is your faith?
Until when are you going to falter between two opinions?