Matthew 6:1-34 (About Giving, Praying, Fasting & The Treasures In Heaven)

Giving to the Needy

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.

Prayer

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. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling* like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us today our daily bread.

12Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.^a’

14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Fasting

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.

Treasures in Heaven

19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Do Not Worry

25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life^b?


28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


*babbling - Uttering incoherently or meaninglessly repetitious manner.

At The Threshold

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive..." - 2 Timothy 3:1,2

Historical accounts would tell, today marks the first time New York City - the mega city that it is -is closed for a reason - a hurricane - unprecedented in magnitude that is expected to wreak havoc on the city. Airports have been shutdown,  public transit system halted, businesses that make the city the world's financial capital spontaneously stopped operation, and regrettably, the US Open which I have been earnestly waiting to watch live on television, understandably had to bow down to Irene the hurricane. Sixty five million people are said to be  living on the harm's way, with an unprecedented massive evacuation that has been taking place already.

While Irene is on the threshold of North Carolina for her pummeling spree all over East Coast of the Atlantic, Mina on the other hand has already started her orgy of destruction on Northern Luzon. Landslides that caused deaths this early has been reported already and the death toll of course is expected to rise.

Yesterday,  Al Jazeera was beaming graphic images from Tripoli with the city literally chokes on stench coming from dead bodies that litter around the city. Dead bodies on top of another become a mundane scenario that serves as backdrop for fleeing little children gripping the hands of their parents in search for refuge as the city has turned into an apocalyptic war zone. Even a dying boy who lies unattended in a hospital bed for lack of medics and equipments, proudly displays a V-sign. Several other injured from the battle have managed to drag themselves into hospital corridors as blood splatter all over the aisle until they reached a doctor-less emergency room till rigor mortis set in their bodies.

In Syria, tens if not scores are reported to be dead everyday due to a government-sanctioned killings of civilian protesters to who have grown weary of a corrupt and repressive government of Bashar Assad. Hundreds of thousands have already been displaced to the neighboring Turkey in the north, some, even old men die of their injuries upon reaching the border as government soldiers go on their shooting spree of the fleeing civilians. Assad would not back down from his murderous rampage of the civilian population he labels as terrorists.

Just weeks ago, rioting took place in the cities of England where young men went on looting businesses and setting fire to establishments and offices, passersby even robbed and mugged for no reason at all. What makes it incomprehensible is that, this normally does not happen in rich and highly-civilized countries like the UK. No matter what prompted this unheard of violence, no rationale can ever justify this reprehensible act that has put the country's reputation in murky water. It was just that simple, thousands of rioters felt obligated to join the bandwagon of violence forgetting their basic humanity attributed with reason.

At the Horn of Africa, where aid agencies astoundingly announced that famine brought about by drought could cause millions of deaths especially children, aids of food and medicines are being routinely ransacked and plundered by Muslim militias so that they themselves benefit from them and the needy goes on to die from deprivation. International agencies feel crippled and helpless knowing that very little aid reaches the needy because of these Muslim militias that feel empowered and divinely ordained to rob at gunpoint the very basic needs intended for the needy.

Yesterday, Al Qaeda militants had bombed the UN building in Abuja, Nigeria initially killing 18 people. All fatalities were civilians who had spent most of their lives helping other people in need. UN Sec. Gen Ban Ki Moon said, the building housed 26 different aid agencies tasked to distribute aids and medicines to the unfortunate people of the continent. They just died that easy. 

A day before yesterday, 53 people were killed in a casino in the city of Monterrey in Mexico, when drug syndicates set fire to the building where the victims were trapped and  burned alive. The president of Mexico has decreed  four days of mourning for the victims. So many lives lost inexplicably when evil doers are on the prowl.

At a glance of the news, our reaction comes naturally - to cringe for wasted lives due to violence birthed by man's lost of rationality. But somehow we feel immune to the things that have become a way of life for  most of us. Hardly these things strike a surprise. Maybe this is how our planet concurs to Darwin's "survival of the fittest" theory. Certainly, these do not stop us to go on with our lives, and understandably, some would even trivialize these as much as we treat it like things of the ordinary. But what if these were the precursor of greater/terrible things to come? What if these were warnings that we failed to heed?

From nature's fury to man-made disasters, every phenomenon seems to be an indicator that the world has reached  greater lengths ominously forewarned in the Bible. In Ephesians 6:12, the apostle Paul says that this world is ruled by wicked spiritual forces, they are the rulers of this dark age. And yes, many would scoff at the truth, just like in the days of Noah. But the Bible clearly warns, " But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." (2Timothy 3:1-5)

Matthew 24: 3-14

As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, "Tell us when will this happen, and what sign will there be of your coming, and of the end of the age?" Jesus said to them in reply, "See that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, "I am the Messiah," and they will deceive many. You will hear of wars and report of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes from place to place. All these are the beginning of the labor pains. Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and deceive many; and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.

Angelica Elizabeth Zambrano Mora: 23 Horas Muerta/ Dead 23 Hours (Video)

For a period of 23 hours, a young Ecuadorian girl named Angelica was shown the Kingdoms of Heaven and Hell and the return of Christ. She witnessed Jesus weeping as He was looking at the multitudes of souls lost forever, a world that has rejected Him, a Church that is mostly unprepared for Him, a people that had stopped witnessing to the lost and an entertainment industry that lures even the children to satan. She witnessed many of our esteemed cultural icons suffering in the pit; singers, entertainers and even a popular pope.

Angelica was also shown how the KIngdom of Heaven is all wonderfully prepared and ready, an unimaginable glorious place, where no evil exists. Though Jesus is coming back for the holy people and many of God's children will NOT be ready on that day and will be left behind in a world that will fall apart.

Read the story of Angelica Elizabeth Zambrano Mora on Divine Revelation.

Perry Stone Sermon: The Rapture - A Revelation Of The Great Assembly

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Ephesians 6: 10-17 (The Whole Armor Of God)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers , against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit* on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

*Mystery Weapon (The Spear)

Galatians 5: 19-25 The Fruits Of The Holy Spirit

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;  idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions  and 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. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

John Hagee Sermon: Seven Kinds Of People God Can Not Save (Audio/ Video)

Audio Only

Provebs 1:33

"But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."

John hagee Sermon: anti-Christ/ Revelation

1 John 2:15-17 (Do Not Love The Things In The World)

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life -- is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Matthew 16:26 (What Profit is it...)

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? ~ Matthew 16:26

Malachi 3:8-10 - Tithes and Offerings

"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse - the whole nation of you - because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there maybe food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD almighty, "and see if I will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessings that you will not have room enough for it.

Dr.Ergun Caner: A Turkish Muslim Who Became A Christian

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

John Hagee Sermon: 10 Signs That We Are the Final Generation

1 John 4: 1-6 ( How to Discern the Spirit of God from the Spirit of the Enemy)

The True Spirit and the False Spirit.

My dear friends, do not believe all who claim to have the Spirit, but test them to find out if the spirit they have comes from God. For many false prophets have gone out everywhere. This is how you will be able to know whether it is God's Spirit: anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came as a human being has the Spirit who comes from God. But anyone who denies this about Jesus does not have the Spirit from God. The spirit that he has is from the Enemy of Christ; you heard that it would come, and now it is here in the world already.

But you belong to God, my children, and have defeated the false prophets, because the Spirit who is in you is more powerful than the spirit in those who belong to the world. Those false prophets speak about matters of the world, and the world listens to them because they belong to the world. But we belong to God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever does not belong to God does not listen to us. This, then, is how we can tell the difference between the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

John Hagee Sermon: The Coming New World Order

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Hebrew 13:5-6

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

"I Look To You" (Live) by Whitney & Kim

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

The Gospel According To Oprah

I was a fan of The Oprah Show and Oprah Winfrey, until a friend of mine told me of an old Oprah Winfrey Show video clip where she was having a 'religious arguments' (as she calls it) with a woman in the audience, about a little more than an hour ago. There's also this article that he found on the same site about Oprah and this new age religion, The article is called the 'Gospel According to Oprah'. I was so shocked to learn about her not truly believing in Jesus Christ. Her knowledge of Jesus and His purpose are so twisted. She even thinks that "God" is jealous of her. Jealous of what? Her wealth and popularity that The God himself gave her?

She believes that the only reason why Jesus came is to show us Christ's consciousness and she also believes that there are multiple ways to get to heaven, not just through Jesus or Christianity; so I was thinking, where did she get that, from a bubble of many colors? How about the Bible? She just totally disregarded what's written in the bible about Jesus and His teachings. If she only reads her bible, she'll learn how much God loves us. She's just following all those things that are running inside her brain. The bible says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5)." Oh Oprah, you had a chance to use your God-given popularity and wealth to get lots of people to know Jesus Christ, but instead you let yourself be used to send millions to hell. I'm totally disappointed on you Oprah. Goodbye.

"There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved." ~ Act 4:12

Psalms 27:10 (Abandoned)

"My father and mother may abandon me, but the Lord will take care of me."

Joyce Meyer: It's Time To Get Serious!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

The Kathy Griffin's "Suck It Jesus" Joke At The Emmys 2007 (Video)

I just can't believe the video I watched on You Tube the other night of  Kathy Griffin givving her acceptance speech at the Emmy awards 2007. This was the first time I've seen or heard about this video, even if it was 4 years ago. (wow, probably I haven't been paying much attention to the news during that time). 

This video shocked me so much. It really did. It was so disturbing to me that I have to write a short post here on my blog about it, just to let others know how I feel about it. The way she talks about Jesus like He's a nobody just breaks my heart. And what's worst are those people who I saw in the video laughing with her. She didn't just offend Jesus, but also a lot of peace-loving Christian people around the world who love Him. What she said was not a joke. I mean, she can joke about other people, about a certain thing, an animal or even a cactus for all I care, but not Jesus.

Here's her blasphemous acceptance speech:

"Now, a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. He didn't help me a bit. If it was up to him,  Cesar Millan would be up here with that damn dog. So all I can say is suck it, Jesus, this award is my god now!" 

Kathy Griffin, if you wanted to poke fun at anything, then this one is nothing but a blasphemy of the highest order of the Son of God who nonetheless is willing to forgive you. You might have not realized that the air you breathe is something you should thank Jesus for. And if ever you told it to someone like the prophet of the Other religion, you probably would have not come out alive of the auditorium. But because Jesus is all about love and forgiveness, you had the most plausible excuse to trample on the name that is above every name. It's not too late Kathy Griffin, the love of Christ abounds for those who seek Him. The grace of God still extends to anyone that seeks Him even at some point in your life, you tell Him that He sucks. He still loves you and wished that you avail of His salvation even if that Savior had less to do with your award that has become your god. Jesus loves you Kathy Griffin!

Psalms 23 - (The Lord Is My Shepherd, KJB)

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