Regocijaré en el Señor - Rejoicing in the Lord

Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

        This is a very important verse in the life of a Christian. We all go through difficult times and testings. We must do all that is humanly possible, and leave the impossible in the hands of God!
        Our moments of tests can be: when we are out of work, when we have financial problems, our partner leaves us, one our children is rebellious, we have a huge homework load, problems with a teacher or professor, overdue bills, problems at work, problems with a neighbor or problems with employees, co-worker, church peers etc. There will always be a difficult time.
        As human beings we must do what is physical and humanly possible to seek a solution to the test that we are facing. Examples of some things that we can do: continue to pray and reading the Bible, wake up earlier if needed, meet our day to day chores, help those who need us, do everything within our reach joyfully, but always remember that God and has absolute certainty and that he always has control. 
        Although we may be in tests and passing through difficult times we must be confident and joyful in God, this is what makes us different form non-believers.

Verses I like and that contribute to being rejoiced and having confidence in God:

Psalm 20:7-8 
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. 

Psalm 27:3  
Though an army besieges me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

Bible text of Jesus' words:
Matthew 5:12 NIV
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Trust in the Lord always and keep your faith, for the solutions come from God in his time and not ours. I apreciate your visit to this blog and so does the Lord! 
May the Lord bless you today and always. 
******En Español******* 

Habacuc 3:17-18 
Aunque la higuera no dé renuevos, ni haya frutos en las vides; aunque falle la cosecha del olivo, y los campos no produzcan alimentos; aunque en el aprisco no haya ovejas, ni ganado alguno en los establos; aun así, yo me regocijaré en el Señor, ¡me alegraré en Dios, mi libertador!

         Este versículo es muy importante en la vida de un Cristiano. Todos pasamos por pruebas y momentos difíciles. Debemos de hacer todo lo que humanamente es posible, y lo imposible dejarlo en las manos de Dios!
         Nuestros momentos de pruebas pueden ser: cuando estamos sin trabajo, problemas de finanzas, se nos enferma un ser querido, nuestra pareja se nos va, un hijo esta rebelde, tenemos muchas carga de tareas escolares, el profesor no nos comprende, cuentas (bills) atrasadas, problemas en el trabajo, problemas con el vecino o problemas con los empleados etc. Siempre habrá un momento difícil.
        Como seres humanos debemos de hacer lo que física y humanamente es posible para buscarle solución a la prueba que estamos enfrentando. Ejemplos de que debemos de hacer: seguir orando y leyendo la Biblia, levantarnos mas temprano si es necesario, cumplir con nuestro trabajo y los que haceres de el día a día, ayudar a los que nos necesitan, hacer todo lo posible a tu alcance GOZOSOS, pero sobre todo seguir agrandando a Dios y tener absoluta seguridad de que Dios siempre tiene el control. 
       Aunque estamos en pruebas y pasando momentos difíciles debemos de estar gozosos y confiado en Dios por que esto es lo que nos hace diferentes  de los no creyentes. 

Versículos que me gustan y que aportan a regocijarse y tener confianza en Dios:

Salmos 20:7
Éstos confían en sus carros de guerra, aquéllos confían en sus corceles,
pero nosotros confiamos en el nombre del Señor nuestro Dios.
Ellos son vencidos y caen, pero nosotros nos levantaremos y permanecemos en pie.

Salmos 27:3-5 
Aun cuando un ejército me asedie, no temerá mi corazón;
aun cuando una guerra estalle contra mí, yo mantendré la confianza.

Versículos dicho por Jesus:
Mateo 5:12 
Alégrense y llénense de júbilo, porque les espera una gran recompensa en el cielo. Así también persiguieron a los profetas que los precedieron a ustedes.

Confía en el Señor siempre y mantén tu fe firme, porque las soluciones vienen de Dios en su tiempo y no en el nuestro. Yo aprecio su visita a este blog y el Señor también! Que Dios te bendiga hoy y siempre.

La Protección Divina y Temor de Dios / Divine Protecion and The Fear of the Lord


 "El ángel de Dios acampa alrededor de los que le temen,
Y los defiende." Salmos 34:7

Que alentador es este verso. No solo nos dice que el ángel de Dios esta a nuestro lado, sino que nos DEFIENDE! Que bueno es saber que Dios esta con nosotros y que nos ayuda.
¿Pero sabemos que quiere decir "El Temor a Dios Padre"?
El temer a Dios, no es el miedo común que sentimos en el día a día. No es la clase de miedo que nos da cuando le tememos a la altura, o a algo en particular. El temor de Dios, es tratar de que todos nuestros actos sean de bien y que le agraden a Dios. Una persona en juicio normal sabe dentro de su corazón o mente cuando algo es bien o mal. Para un creyente el temor es reverencia a Dios. Pero cuando tenemos dudas no tendremos que ir lejos o buscar a nadie en particular, porque todo lo que debemos saber se encuentra en la Biblia. La Biblia declara, “El principio de la sabiduría es el temor de Jehová...” Proverbios 1:7. Cuando uno sabe que es lo que le agrada a Dios, uno tiene temor de hacer lo que no es correcto, por lo cual nuestra sabiduría se ira aumentando. Es increíble pero cierto, hay cosas que yo pensaba que eran correctas, o que no tenían nada de malo, pero al leer la palabra aprendí que hay costumbres hechas por hombres que no le agradan a Dios. Si nos ponemos a ver todas las cosas que hacemos a diario, y nos preguntamos: ¿Esto me acerca o me aleja más de Dios? Veremos que muchas cosas no son necesarias o correctas. Olvídate de los ojos de los demás, haz lo que a los ojos de nuestro Dios le agrade porque Él si que conoce tu corazón y sabe lo que está en tu mente. ¡Los que le temen, tendrán quien lo acompañe y defienda siempre! No lo digo yo sino la Biblia.

"El ángel de Dios acampa alrededor de los que le temen,
Y los defiende." Salmos 34:7
Sabiendo esto, ¿porqué no hacer un compromiso con Dios? Un compromiso de vivir en santidad, un pacto de querer ser agradable a Él, con manos limpias y corazón puro! De ser así tendremos un defensor divino a nuestro lado.
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The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Psalm 34:7
How encouraging is this verse. It not only tells us that the Angel of God is on our side, but that he advocates for us! How great it is to know that God is with us and help us. But do we know what is meant by "fear the Lord"? To fear God, is not the common fear we feel on a daily basis. It isn't the fear you feel when you are afraid of heights or fear something in particular. To fear God, is to try hard to make sure all of our actions are good and that they please God. Any person in their right mind will know within his heart or mind when something is good or bad. For a believer fear of God is awe. When we have doubts we do not have to go far or find anyone in particular, because everything that we need to know is in the Bible. The Bible declares, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge." Proverbs 1: 7. When one has knowledge of what pleases God, one has fear of doing what is not correct, by that our wisdom is increases. It's unbelievable but true, there were many things that I thought were correct or that there was nothing wrong by doing them, but by reading the Bible I learned that they were all customs made by men and disliked by God. What if we start to question all the things we do on a daily basis, is this bringing me closer to or further away from God? We will see that many things are not necessary or correct. Forget the eyes of the others, make, do and live at the grace of God's eyes. He knows what is in your heart and in your mind. For those who fear him, they will have an angel accompanying and defending them always! I do not say this, but the Bible does.
"The Angel of Lord encamps around of those who fear him, and defends them." Psalms 34: 7.
Knowing this, why not make a commitment to God? Let's make a pact with God, to live in Holiness, to walk in his grace, with clean hands and a pure heart! If so we will have a divine defender beside us always.

La Gracia de Dios / God's Grace

La gracia de Dios es un don gratuito concedido por Dios para ayudar al hombre a cumplir los mandamientos y salvarse!

God's grace is a gratuitous gift given by God to help man obey the commandments and be saved!






How to Study The Word of God (Bible) ?


In this post I want to share a little of how to study God's Word? There are many places where we can practice biblical studies like our Sundays visits at church, Bible study classes, church groups and friend reunions, but what happens when we are alone, away on holiday or we live very far from our nearest Church? The word of God is what should guide a Christian, our instruction manual for living in God's grace. What I want to share today is how I learned to study the Bible. I am not an expert but I try as much as possible for letting myself be guided by the word. I hope it helps.

1. Read the entire chapter or verse that you want to study.

2. Keep a logbook to jot down the verse or content that has touched your heart the most and meditate it.

3. Talk to God about what you learned and then share it with someone. This helps us to memorize it and at the same time we help others to learn about the word.

The Bible has references that are at the bottom or side of the page. These verses are a chain of the passage you have already read.

Another way to learn more about the Bible is through the Bible’s Concordances. Here we can search for any word and thoroughly study about that particular term. Example: Forgive forgiveness in this section you can find everything that is written on forgiveness or forgive.

Make it a custom to study a little every day of the word, if daily is too much for you right now, start slowly. Start with 3 times a week and then add more days.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

 
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The True Religion


Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:27

Nobody is perfect, but we can try to please God with our actions and by making the correct decisions in life.


Sometimes we have to sacrifice our own economy to help others who need more than us . We sometimes may not be able to imagine through what difficult situations another person may be going through, because we believe these terrible things only happen in movies. I believe that God would like for us to live according to his teachings and be imitators of him instead of arguing about which religion we belong to, or which one is the best and perfect one. We already know the teachings Jesus left his people. Therefore we should act always please of Lord and live each day as if it was our last.

Note: this post has been edited. 2/20/11
 
 That you for visiting this blog may the Lord bless you,

Bible Facts

In order to study God's Word more efficiently, we need to know a little more about this special book. 


In this post you will find references that will help you to distinguish what type of Bible you have, if the Greek or the Hebrew version, how many books does the Bible have, how it is divided and what are the Deuterocanonical books.

The Bible consists of 66 books and it is divided into two parts: Old Testament and the New Testament. Each is a complement in itself, but one can’t understand the one without the other. There are 39 books in the Old Testament  and 27 books in the New Testament. There are also 9 books in the Deuterocanonicals.

Deuterocanonical Books:
Tobit, Judith, 1 Maccabees, Esther, 2 Maccabees, Ecclesiastical, Wisdom, Baruch and Daniel.

These books are called Deuterocanonical or "the second canon", they are not found in the Hebrew Bible as established by the Jewish rabbis in the 1st century of the Christian Era, but they do form part of the Greek version called the Septuagint (LXX), probably made from the year 250 b.c. This was the version used originally by Greek-speaking Jews and by early Christians. 

The inclusion of the Deuterocanonical books inside of the Old Testament has been under discussion since very ancient times. We have seen that finally the Jews chose to exclude them. Some churches haves done the same or have not granted the authority as to the other books, and prefer to give the name of apocryphal, Word originally means "hidden", perhaps to indicate not allocated to the general reading. The Roman Catholic Church and some Eastern Churches receive it as part of the Scriptures and some denominations Protestants recognize as helpful books for private reading but do not consider them as the basis of doctrine.

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 
2 Peter 1:20-21

I hope this is of great help to you, and if there anything you would like to add or correct please feel free to do so. I am also learning with all of you.

God Bless,

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The Word of God

WHY SHOULD I STUDY IT? 

En Español.

The law of the Lord is perfect, it's a reviving breath. The mandate of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are sure and altogether are fair.

You'll find in Psalm 19:7-9:
  • The Bible is the word of God to man. 
  • It is alive and active. 
  • It is useful for teaching, reproof, to correct, to teach in justice. 
  • Brings physical and spiritual health, and progress. 

HOW was the BIBLE given to us ?

From childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate equipped for every good work.

You'll find in 2 Timothy 3: 15-17:
  • The Bible was written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 
  • Through ineffable revelation. 
  • By means of fallible man during a period of 1600 years. 
  • The Holy Spirit was the divine, author using more than 40 human writers. 39 writers were
    Jews and one Gentile (Lucas). Chronicles 28: 11-13 and 19.

There is evidence of the Bible itself, that testifies of its divine origin. Its unity demonstrates that the
Bible is actually the word of God is. Even though in reality are sixty-six individual books on three continents, in three different languages in a period of 1,600 years by around 40 authors, the Bible remains as a unified book from beginning to end without contradiction. This book is unique in contrast to other books, and that itself is evidence of the divine word, that originated while God moved men so that his words themselves were recorded.

Another internal evidence indicating that the Bible is really the word of God is seen in detailed prophecies. The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies detailed, relating to the future of particular countries including Israel, to the future of certain cities, the future of humanity and the coming of one which would be the Messiah, the savior of not only Israel but all who believe in him. Unlike the prophecies found in other religious books, or those provided by Nostradamus, the biblical prophecies are extremely detailed and have never failed to become a reality. The third evidence is that unlike any other book ever written, the Bible has a single authority. This authority and power are better seen so many lives have been transformed to read the Bible. Drug addicts have been cured through homosexuals have been released for it, abandoned and lazy have been transformed by it, criminals have been reformed, sinners are reproved and hatred has become love by reading it read. The Bible has a dynamic and transforming power which is possible only because it is the true Word of God.

I wanted to share with you what I have learned about the Bible so far and I hope it would be of great blessings to you.  

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His Will

 
By trusting in God, we accept the blessings that awaits for us.


God has prepared a feast of divine blessings and wonderful to enrich our souls. Sometimes, we may hesitate to accept what God has prepared for us. Probably because we let our limited judgment prevents us from recognizing the  blessings. When we let God bless us, we can realize that the divine pattern for our life is aligned with the wishes of our own heart. With confidence, let’s not deny the blessings of God. Being open to a constant plenitude of good, sometimes expected and sometimes pleasantly surprising. With enthusiasm we should let God guide us. Without limiting our thoughts of how big can the blessings be, opening our arms to his gifts.
 
"Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." - Matthew 6: 10


Work

  “In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple ….he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.” - 2 Chronicles 31:21


 We must work in harmony, truth and love. The perfection and welfare laws that govern the healthy functioning of our minds and bodies also govern our finances and our jobs. 

"Where I work, I move in the company of harmony, truth, and love. The abundant provisions of God is expected to be well used by me with useful and meaningful purposes.”

Planning and constructive actions are doors for positive results. The energy, enthusiasm and imagination are the standards of our work. We should find abundant and receptive areas where we could use our creativity and talents. Directed by compassion, faith and love, we should calmly go through changing times. Incorporating into our work and our moments of activities the governing and guiding principles of God

Steps to Follow (Successful and Healthy Marriage IV)

 Let’s remember and practice the following steps for at least one month: 
 
If you want pray everyday great, but never miss two days in a row without praying and following these steps in faith. 


1. Pray for yourself, for health of the heart and health of memories. Take ten or fifteen minutes in the day in prayer until you remember everything since you were a child, what you did, etc. until the actual day. You will have a close experience with God, after doing this, pray for different areas in your life: your relationship with your parents, siblings, partner, since the day you married. Ask the Holy Spirit to delete any event or unpleasant memories you may have. 

2. You are going to pray for your partner, so that the Kingdom of God may come to him/ her, so that they become a person that practices the will of God, who lives in the reality and knows Jesus Christ as a Savior.

3. Pray for your partners commercial activities so that God blesses them in their work, and may be prospered. Pray first for him/ her, for their business, and the Kingdom of God, but above all, pray so that God may be the truth of his/ her life. Pray to your heavenly father with confidence. 

4. Pray together with your partner. Especially men, who are eager to have their wives, pray with them. First pray a little on your own, then asked the Lord to prepare your partners heart. Do not let days go by without practicing these steps. Do not waste your time talking to friends that can make you lose sleep and peace. Enjoy your time and pray with your partner. What some “friends” do is take away your peace, even some christian people, can make you lose time. Tell your partner, "Come, let's pray ten minutes, we will pray for your business or work, Holy Father, in Jesus' name (putting your hand on his/ her forehead), Lord, your kingdom come to this mind. Father, bless his / her job, business etc. Then you will begin to see one miracle after another. In sickness, also go ahead and pray with him / her.

-My husband asks me to read the Bible and to explain a little of what I have read, this way when he leaves the house he goes filled with the Holy Spirit. I believe your partner will enjoy this and will be happy to be so closed to the Lord together with you.As time passes, you can change these steps according to your needs and growth in faith. May the Lord continue blessing you in the love of Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit.

A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love. Proverbs 5:19

Part I - III of this series:

Breaking the Chains of Grudge (Successful and Healthy Marriage II)



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Marriage Unity (Successful and Healthy Marriage III)

Union en Matrimonio What about your marriage is it as one flesh, or is there a division? 

What do you think that helps couples to be as one flesh?
"A man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife and the two shall become one flesh, but unfortunately today not there are many homes that are one flesh, but rather several packages of flesh. Each one goes by their own way, two fleshes, two individual persons full of carnality and in that way, there can’t be any victory. 

God wants to unite with one purpose, one goal, that God can shine through a marriage, and for the couple to be a good testimony. 

My husband and I always make the decisions together. No matter how simple the decision may be, we take into account what each other thinks or may want. We have presented our lives together in prayer, and that has united our dreams, goals, thoughts and day to day living. 

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and they will become one flesh” Genesis 2:24
 
Part I and II of this series:

Successful and Healthy Marriage I (Pray and Forgive)
Breaking the Chains of Grudge (Successful and Healthy Marriage II)
 

Breaking the Chains of Grudge (Successful and Healthy Marriage II)

In the previous post I wrote about sanctifying God in our hearts and about the most powerful weapon that we as Christians have: Pray and forgiveness. 


As a spouse will receive offenses from our partners. You are going to be offended in one or another thing and by daily contact, differences, disagreements, etc. There are offences, that a woman will hurt easier than men, and this is because their soul’s virtues are not the main virtues of a man’s. Due to their psychological constitution women will be offended much easier. Every day when you pray, forgive your partner. 

When you pray in this form: "Lord, I forgive trespasses of my husband/ wife" You stop there and the Holy Spirit will pass a film of all the time that you have offended or have been offended, when you both were newly in love and you’ll begin to cry, and to realize what you had saved inside. Forgive: "forgive man their trespasses". 

You must first break this chain in heaven with God to break the Satanic accusation – tell God, Lord I offended my husband - in this, this and this.... erase all this it in the heaven, so that the devil won't have authority over you and when he comes in plan to defeat you and your marriage, you will be able to prove that you don't have a grudge. When you pray in that feeling and in that alignment, God will be pleased with you, in your role as a spouse. You will be a virtuous spouse, full of peace, your mind will be full of lucidity every day, allowing you to be able to carry out your ministry as a husband or wife, which is not easy, but with God's guidance you can have a healthy marriage.

Part I of this series:  Successful and Healthy Marriage I (Pray and Forgive)



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Successful and Healthy Marriage (Pray and Forgive)

Have you stop to wonder why there are so many divorces nowadays?

En español.

No one wants to be committed and couples do not want to go through the trouble of working things out just because nowadays you shouldn’t put up with anything! In my case I got married at an early age and although I now think I acted impulsively and without a need to do so, I realize that God had it all planned for it to be that way.

Today for the glory of God I have 19 years and a half of married. The road has not been easy and never has lacked times in test. My husband and I love each other more than when we were first married and this is because God gives you love towards your partner, the kind you can not imagine and you will always be one in love like the first day. For this it is essential first to put God as the center of your family and second to learn to pray. Today I will give my first tip to have a healthy and successful marriage. Without Christ we can not be a good wife or husband.

If you decide you want Jesus to be the one who governs and bless your marriage, you need to commit to two things: pray and forgive. The Our Father, is our prayer guide see: Matthew 6: 7-15 - "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

When you sanctify God’s name, ask for his kingdom come and pray for forgiveness of your sins and your partners sins you will feel much better and will be at peace. A peaceful person is a happy person, and when you’re happy you are of blessings to your family. This should be done every day. Prayer and forgiveness is the foundation of Christ. The Christian who does not pray does not walk with God and the Christian who doesn’t forgive, the devil tricks them and takes advantage over him. I will continue to share what I have learned from book that has helped me a great deal: "The man of truth (El Varon de Verdad)" written by evangelical pastor Lucas Rojas, who I miss dearly since he past on Oct 2008, but his teachings still live in my heart.

Part II of this post: Breaking the Chains of Grudge (Successful and Healthy Marriage II)