Prayer of the righteous

Who wants answered prayers?

Proverbs 15:29
"The LORD is far from the wicked but He hears the prayer of the righteous."

James 5:16
"...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

1 Peter 3:12
"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

I've researched for the meaning of righteous. One of the meanings is "Godlike." How do we become righteous?


Galatians 5:1-26
1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

2Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

7You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? 8That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. 9"A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." 10I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. 11Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. 12As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature[a]; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."[b] 15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Life by the Spirit
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

It says in verse 6, "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." Define LOVE.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8
1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails...


Blessed are the righteous for their prayers are heard by our Father. Don't you want to be one of them?

Find God's purpose for you

Life is not about getting rich with money but knowing God's very purpose in your life. Why? Sadly, more than 50% of the world's population do not know their real purpose in life. They feel lost. They feel empty. They feel lonely.

I WAS one of those. Are you asking me why I used "was?" Because God's grace and unconditional love has shown me what His real purpose in my life is. Amazingly, I was about to fall into the ditch but He was faithful enough to catch me. Don't you want to be used by God? You can be used in the very simplest ways. He has written your name in the palm of His hands. He has a purpose for you. He even knows the name of each star in the sky. Great joy in store for you. Multitude of blessings not sins.

Happiness is not measured on how much money you have. Why? Money can certainly buy all the riches in the world. But, ask yourself, can money buy the riches in heaven? Money can never buy real happiness. Only God can give you that. What should we do to be happy? Find your purpose but not just any purpose. GOD'S PURPOSE. How do we find God's purpose for us? Humble yourself to God. Confess your sins and repent. Why? Jesus died for you. Isn't that reason enough? Sin is the only barrier that stops us from being happy. God does not only give happiness but also joy.

When we touch other people's lives and please God alone, that leads us to the very purpose of God for us. Can the riches in the world ever satisfy you? Or does God make you contented enough to say that happiness is seeing people accept Christ? Jesus made the biggest sacrifice ever. What is that? HIS VERY LIFE! Can you ever die with so much suffering just for the sake of others? Well, you do not have to worry about that coz Jesus already did that for all of us. So, what littlest sacrifice can you give to Jesus?

5 Lessons Learned

1.) Honor your parents.

Romans 13:1-2
"1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."

2.) Never rebuke a baby Christian or a long term Christian unless you know him/her personally and watched him/her grow in Christ.

"It takes grace to give Godly correction; it takes greater grace to receive it." -David H. Roper

When others give us compliments,
They are so easy to believe;
And though it's wise to take rebukes,
We find them harder to receive. -Sper

3.) Humility

"Say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -Pastor Windsor Cabrera

"Not a word to anyone." -Facing the Giants

Keep to yourselves what you do for God and for others.

Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

4.) Be faithful in small things.

~If you can't be faithful in small things, how can the Father trust you with bigger things?

5.) Rejoice over little things.

~Count amazing blessings from God and testify of His glory in your life. Do it with so much humility. Encourage others of how God is awesome in your life and He is in other people's lives.

Ask for God's wisdom to reveal these things to you in a way to grow in God and be yoked with believers.

True Love

God loved us first. (1 John 4:19)

God created everything before He created man. Why? Because He wants to supply all that the man needs. Man failed and disobeyed God. Original sin. What's next? God gave His only begotten Son. What do you call that? Unconditional Love.

All of us did not instantly love God. We may have Christian parents when we were born but it takes years for us to recognize the love we have for God. In short, love is a process for us. It takes time. Did you even tell God that you fell in love with Him or you're falling in love with Him? Certainly not. But we surely say that we are in love with Him. Why? Coz it's a process. Just like for people, true love does not say, "I am falling in love with you" or "I have fallen in love with you." Why? Because if you fall IN love, expect that you will fall OUT of love. People who fall in love are people who rush to feel good. It is a repetitive process of dating - fall in love then fall out of love. As simple as that. Real love does not fall out of love.

2 John 1:6
"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you WALK IN LOVE."

Love is a long process. Unless you can say that you have checked all that are in the list in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, then you can say that it is true love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails..."

You can never say you have found love unless you have all these. Apparently, God really loves us. It will take us forever learning how to really love someone. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Let Him influence you on how to show and share true love.

Examine yourself first before saying, "I love you" to someone. Love is such a deep word. Love is when you will never feel that you have fallen for someone. It is when you know that you are walking in love with someone and growing in love and that your deeds say more than your words. Love is when you desire for the good and Godly things that please God alone. Love is when you respect the other person too much to not say "I love you" too quickly. Why? Because you care a lot for the other person. Love knows how to wait for the right time. God is love. Love has its own perfect timing. Trust God. Never settle for anything less than what He has promised you. He only wants the best for His children. May you be surrounded with God's unfailing love. God bless you! P.U.S.H.

Humility above all things

"Do you wish people to think well of you? Don't speak well of yourself." ~Blaise Pascal

How can people see the Christ in you if you always make yourself known? If your only satisfaction is to glorify God then wouldn't it be possible to stop glorifying yourself too?

We feel good when we gain attention but do we win souls when we make ourselves famous or be recognized by men of what we do? The only important thing is to be recognized by God, right? Why boast of what you do for God?

"Say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -Pastor Windsor Cabrera (a simple quote on humility)

Hypocrites shout out to the world what they do so they can be glorified. Who wants to be called a hypocrite? Do you?

Liars

Sometimes we couldn't help but think of people lying to us. It's just annoying. But the Bible says,

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NIV version)
"It always protects, always TRUSTS, always hopes, always perseveres."

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT version)
"Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NASB version)
"bears all things, BELIEVES all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

always trusts..never loses faith..believes all things

Whenever you think that someone is lying to you, screw that thought! It is not your problem anyway. It's the problem of the person lying to you. He/she shall not be in peace if he continues to lie to you. Plus, always remember this verse...

Romans 2:1
"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things."



For the faithful and the righteous, do not worry about liars coz God will protect you from them. It is His battle not ours. God bless you all! Peace be upon all of you!

The TRUTH will always prevail. Sins have consequences. Lying is a sin.

Desires

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." ~Psalm 37:4

Don't stop dreaming or desiring coz...

"For it is I (God) who gave you those desires." ~Philippians 2:13 (Father's love letter version)

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him." ~Philippians 2:13 (NLT Version)

"God is working in you. He wants your plans and your acts to be in keeping with His good purpose." ~Philippians 2:13 (New International Reader's Version)

We all have dreams..the question is..are they in line with God's dreams for our lives?

As the first above stated verse commands, "Delight yourself in the Lord..." meaning be contented with God alone and take joy in Him. Delight, in the dictionary, has synonyms such as contentment, joy, happiness, satisfaction, gladness, ecstasy and gratification. "Delight yourself in the Lord..." doesn't have exemptions. It doesn't say delight yourself in the Lord and money or delight yourself in the Lord and sex or delight yourself in the Lord and your bf/gf. It clearly states to just merely "Delight yourself in the Lord..." and what? He promises us something, right? It says, "...and He will give you the desires of your heart." If you are contented in God alone, everything will follow (true love, real friendship, money, sex and so much more). Sex is sacred and a gift from God. Sex is different from lust. I won't dig into that though as it is not my topic. hahaha! So there are no exceptions. It says "...desires of your heart." All of your desires!

BUT...the next verse (Philippians 2:13) would support it. FLL version says, God gave us those desires meaning He puts them in you and He knows what to do with them. Those desires will either fail you to learn and mature spiritually or flourish you to glorify God alone. Both outcomes are only for God's glory. Why only for God's glory? Why not for our own happiness or selfish ambitions? Well, the NLT and NIR versions would clarify that. God is working in you. Not for you to be famous or be lifted up in the earth. It apparently says, "...giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him." meaning those desires and power is for Him to be pleased. You might think our God is selfish. Well, don't start thinking about that coz the NIR version says, "...He wants your plans and your acts to be in keeping with His good purpose." meaning He has a good purpose for our lives. It doesn't say bad. It says "good." Understand? Say it with me. Good! hahaha! He has plans and a purpose for our lives. Aren't you thrilled with that? It excites me! The KING of the whole universe has a GOOD purpose for all of us. Yay! Rejoice in that! Of course, for all these to happen, He needs your desires to be in line with His desires for you. All you need to do is wait, listen and obey.

I therefore conclude that we should delight in our Lord and He will give us the desires of our hearts because those desires are for His pleasure that we may receive His good purpose in our lives. Don't be afraid. He knows your future and He only wants what's BEST for you...BUT...what do you have to do first? "DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD!"

Preparing for your future spouse

In order to be given the most wonderful blessing of all, you have to be able to develop the following that will be listed below. You ask what that blessing is? Marriage. A lifetime partner given by God.

1.) Friendship - we can be friends to many but we can be intimate to very few and that includes a special someone. Quality not quantity. Friendship is the solid foundation of every relationship. Friendship means accepting every good and bad qualities of the person. Nourish and develop the good. Rebuke gently the bad. Be there and never give up. That's what real friendship means. Talk about anything under the sun. Be each other's mirrors. Complement each other. Never expect anything unless to be yourself. For you to gain real friends, you have to be one.

2.) Respect - respect is only gained when you give it. Respect each other's differences. Never scream or swear at each other. Never tell lies. Be gentle to speak. Never state past relationships with that special person. Past is past. There's always a new beginning. Ask before you assume.

3.) Patience - wait..wait..wait! Need I say more? hahaha! Wait for the right time. There's always a time for everything as it is written in Ecclesiastes. God is a God of perfect timing.

4.) Security - make the other person feel secure. Give out little surprises. Be loyal to just one person. Trust each other. Do not expect too much but give what you can to make him/her feel special. Share moments that you will unlikely spend with anyone such as read the Bible together, pray together, pray for each other, inspire each other through the Scriptures and be accountable to each other's spiritual growth. Remind each other of God's love and grace. Make God the Owner and Holder of that relationship.

5.) Contentment - be contented in God more than anyone/anything else. If God sees that contentment you have in Him, it is just then He will give you the gift of a lifetime partner.


May you all find that special someone. A real friend. A lifetime partner. God bless you!


GOLDEN RULE: "Do not do unto others what you don't want others do unto you."


1 Corinthians 13:4-8,13

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails... 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

We have an amazing GOD!

First testimony, my internet should be gone by March 10 but then, for some reason, I still have it until now. And now I'm actually blogging His goodness. I use the internet for my sermons and more Christian articles to read and help encourage others too. Without the internet, I wouldn't have met someone really special. A real friend.

Second testimony, my lower back has been aching so my mom suggested that I go to my gynecologist to check if I have a Urinary Tract Infection. I waited in line at the clinic for more than 3 hours. After waiting, my gyne told me that I am negative of UTI and that my mattress is free from whatever illness. Plus, to top it off, my gyne didn't ask me to pay anymore. How great is our God!!!

Third testimony, I love trials now. Just that. hehehe!

God bless everyone! He is pouring out blessings so be able to catch them with two hands. Be sure that you're not holding anything coz if you are, you might miss the blessings He has in store for you coz you're so busy holding onto something that is not from Him. Let it go. Be contented in God alone. He is enough. More than enough.

How can i keep from singing?

Life is beautiful

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." ~Genesis 1:1

Imagine. Visualize. Amazing, huh?

This is a beautiful day. All days are. No such thing as an ugly day. Learn to appreciate the nature around you. You'll see that life is beautiful. Not because of the people around you but because of the GOD who created them.

Life is not about being surrounded by too many friends but by surrounding people with your friendship. Life is not about the friends I have but by the GOD I have. Isn't it awesome to know that we have a faithful GOD even if we aren't?

From now on, I want to be able to have the impression on others that I was never unhappy with my life. You asked why? Because our GOD is great and HE completes us.

I would have never seen this beauty if I have committed suicide but not that I've considered it. I've thought of it. But I've found new life. Do you want yours too? Look up!

What this world needs by Casting Crowns

Song lyrics | What This World Needs lyrics

Friendship

One of the best things in life is when you appreciate the people who appreciate your existence in their lives. You can't buy real friendship. It is good to know that some people give so much significance in our lives whenever they make us feel that we aren't alone because of their loyalty for whatever circumstances. I couldn't thank my faithful friends enough. God has been so good to me for such friends. God is good when friends come and go. He is always good whatever circumstance may come. Thank a friend today for the love given to you wholeheartedly.