“But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
(Deuteronomy 4:29)

God gives comfort and peace to those who seek Him.
Only He can give it to us, not any form of addiction or personal idol.
So many people go out day by day living in their own comforts, seeking it in the least of places and miss the picture of God, who is the only one who brings it to us.
We must seek and pray and ask God.
Prayer is the upmost important thing we must do.
How can you expect to be comforted by God if you don't seek Him, if you don't spend time with Him? If your Bible just sits on a table or a shelf to collect dust.
I challenge you, pray, spend time with God, and then He will give you the desires of your heart, not the other way around!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead [men's] bones and all uncleanness.
(Matthew 23:25-27)

Last week, I took a group of kids in my work to do community service at one of the cemeteries here in Las Cruces, it is actually one of the uglier ones in town (more like ghetto) and many are of people whose families just left there to get dirty...but some of those tombs are very well and elaborately decorated, with all kinds of adornments and things that remind them of the person, when he/she was alive. This painted a picture in my head...not that there is anything wrong with wanting to keep the place where a loved one's body rests eternally, but what is the point on doing it such an elaborate way?

As I saw many of those "nicer" tombs, I thought of the reality inside of them, a grotesque and rotten body, just a body, no life in it, but on the outside it was very nicely decorated for it to be in display to everyone who walked by.

I think in many cases, our walk is the same way, we like to adorn ourselves with nice titles and good deeds and basically put up a "goody-goody" face, when in reality, inside our spirit is rotten. Many people walk around daily, professing to be Christians, telling people of how good they are, how they feed and clothe the poor, but their lives are lies. I have met many Christians like that through out my whole life, many people are experts in deceiving others into thinking they are so holy and righteous, when their life proves the opposite.

In this passage, Jesus is addressing the Pharisees who publicly make themselves seem so holy and close to God, when in reality it is a lie and mere traditions, claiming to know God without truly knowing God.

Even I, when I first started walking with the Lord, around the time I was 18 or 19, was nothing more than a white washed tomb, I kept returning to repentance every time salvation was preached at church, I had no growth, it was mostly talk and I deceived many into thinking that I was this "Holier than thou" person. I kept "rededicating" my life to God every time I had the opportunity, even fearing for my salvation and questioning if I was truly saved every now and then.

But as my walk progressed and I started maturing in Christ, I realized that it wasn't about my good deeds, or how much my mouth spoke, it was about what was truly in my heart, it was about my walk with Jesus, rather than what I told people my walk was, it was about the fruits that blossomed, rather than how much I helped others. Jesus changed this wretched man that I was and turned him into someone who really desires to follow Him, in spirit and in truth, not just in words or appearances.

Another verse I recently read on the same lines:

'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with [their] lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching [as] doctrines the commandments of men.'
(Matthew 15:8-9)

This verse touches what I was just saying, it is easy for us to tell people how good we are, how strong we are, and how great our lives seem to go. I read once in a book about a Christian man that would perfectly know the "Christian lingo" and even addressed people as "brother______ or sister_______", but in reality lived a double life, in public he seemed like this man who had discovered the secret to a perfect and holy life, but at home was a sad man, alcoholic and a wife beater. His life became exposed eventually to his church and he struggled to justify his actions. Friends and family deserted him and he realized he needed to stop living that double life, and be true about his walk with Christ.

Sometimes, it takes me some time to gain trust when I meet new people, I might act friendly at first, but sometimes some people have this "spark" in me that makes me doubt them, sadly this happens specially with new Christians I meet. I have a good reason for that since I have been played in the past by people, another part is just my personality. I often wonder if they feel the same way about me.

One thing I do know, it is one thing to say we are Christians and another to truly act as Christians, not just around other Christians, but around worldly people as well. God can even see us in the times when we fall.

I am far from being perfect and will never claim to be, I am a work in progress, and I have my whole rest of my life ahead of me to continue to be molded and sculpted...until the very end.

"Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD.
(Amos 8:11)

 I recently heard this verse quoted in a teaching series on DVD (about teaching, which was very interesting), and it called my attention to think about how hungry people are for God's world.

In today's modern world, and specially here in the United States, everything has become globalized, from restaurants, to movies, everything. We have more access than in any other time in history to just about everything. The Word of God is no exception (although it is limited in many countries around the world), we have several Bible translations, countless number of style of teachings and many, many resources...yet so many Christians fall short in truly being hungry and thirsty for the Word of God.

In this teaching I was watching, the Pastor made a point when he said how he had been teaching many years in America, and towards the end of his teaching, he would notice people getting impatient, looking at the clock, moving around and basically being ready to leave after nearly 45 minutes of teaching. He also traveled to other countries in Asia in which he noticed the opposite, he even recounts of one occasion in which he was done after teaching for nearly an hour and the people kept asking him for more, they hadn't had enough. They were hungry and thirsty for God's Word in ways that the people back in his home church, were not even close to.

Why is it that we take the richness of the Word of God so for granted sometimes? In my own walk with the Lord, I have had very different seasons. I have had seasons in which I just can't get enough of God's Word, when I just want to indulge my Bible all day and it doesn't seem to be enough; and there are other times in which I take the Word for granted, in which I can let my Bible just sit on my coffee table for days at a time. I have been very convicted recently about that, specially since I am serving at my church, I know that I can't let my walk get flaky...yet, it happens.

So, I have decided this, if I start seeing hints of my hunger and thirst for the Word dry out, I must re-quench it, and never allow for it to run out. Its a challenge, as I am so easily distracted by daily routines and things I need to do. But the question I often ask myself is "How can I not want to spend time with my Maker, with the One who gave me my Salvation and changed my life forever?"

You know what I am saying?

I think of the woman in the well, when she encountered Jesus:

Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."
(John 4:10-15)

Lord, I never want to be thirsty again, I want you to quench me with the never-ending water that will only satisfy my thirst!

I love how God gives us these reminders every now and then, when we need them the most. As I have expressed in previous entries, I am entering a new chapter in my life, one that I am jumping into with great excitement...and at the same time a certain level of fear. I had become very comfortable running the Usher and Hospitality Ministry at my church, and now that God has pulled me out of there (more like I made the decision, based on what He had been tugging my heart with), I am moving on. I am currently doing the announcements at church, which my pastor believes will make me more comfortable teaching in front of people some day. Some people have given me very good compliments about how I have done it, and even though it is mostly just reading out of a piece of paper, it is big step for me, one that I was up to a certain point very afraid of taking and if all goes well and is in God's will I will be teaching the young adults/ college study in the fall in a larger scale, and I can not do it alone.

In fact, I dare not to do it alone...only with God I can do it, He gives me strength, and that comes from fellowship with Him. How can I even try to accomplish anything on my own?!

So I leave you today with a challenge:

GET IN THE WORD.

STUDY THE WORD.

EAT AND DRINK THE WORD, UNTIL YOU CAN'T ANYMORE!

(I am purposely omitting  names in this)

Recently, I had a disagreement with a friend who has seem to start walking the wrong turn in his Christian life, he claims to have found this "true Gospel" and that pretty much everyone but him and this other internet preacher he met on facebook, and a few others, seem to have discovered.

From the first time he approached me with this "true" Gospel, I knew it was not the truth, my biggest hint was that he got it from some guy he met on facebook that runs a "I hate all churches, all Christians are wrong" type website. His aproach is that we are to be perfect, and as Christians we can't sin anymore, and if we do, God can not forgive us and basically is saying we can go to hell if we sin.

That is what his so called "true" Gospel is all about, on top of that he has twisted it all because he believes that anyone who disagrees with him are wicked, deceivers and are not trully saved.

The biggest problem is that he is leaving the GRACE part out of AMAZING GRACE, leaving that and God's mercy, love and forgiveness.

He uses verses that speak about God hating sin (which is true), and twisting them to God hates us if we sin, he believes that ALL churches are teaching the "false" Gospel, telling people they can go ahead and sin, that God doesn't care if you continue sinning. He has some good points, but more of it is sin and condemnation towards others in order not to see his own sins.

I have never been a big fan of confronting people, I don't like conflict and I don't like to be hated, but this time I couldn't keep quiet. This guy has had problems with the law, spent quite some time in prison and has basically lived a life of fear and doubt (among other things that for respect, I will not mention) and since day one that he stepped foot into our church and into people's lives, everyone has loved him, cared for him and tried to help him, but instead he has decided to turn his back, insult and cast judgement among everyone who ever tried to do something nice for him. Is this how people are when you help them? Not always, but it is sad because personally, I have invested a lot of time in him and then all the sudden one day he calls me up and starts telling me that he feels sorry for me, I'm probably going to go to hell because I deceive people, am wicked and I am probably not even saved! I was so upset when he told me that.

The truth is that Satan lies to people, showing them the best lie is the closest to the truth, and that is what happened.

Please keep this friend of mine in prayer, as any attempt that anyone has tried to make contact with him, he just ignores and the worse part is that he tried to convince others, and in the process was rejected, so now his chain of hating people has grown.

I usually don't like using this blog to vent my frustrations, but I still feel sad and dissapointed about how much this friend changed, and how he has been so deceived into this whole cult-like way of thinking. I could go into more detail, but I won't.

38,000...

different denominations....

...in the world!!!

This is an estimate of course, but I heard this today and found it amazing! So many I probably have never heard of!

When we think of denominations, we think of the ones we know (Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Methodist...I can't even think of the rest "local" US ones), and how many people wonder, which one is the true one? which one is the right to go?

The truth is that there is no answer, in every denomination there are many churches that deceive people and teach different Gospels and pick and choose what they want from the Bible or make it sound how they think is right.

So I have come up with a simple solution for those who are church-shopping:

1. Find a church that teaches the Bible, from the Bible, and that the teachings are Bible-based.


2. Find a church that outreaches to the community.


3. Find a church where there is accountability and "in-reach" within the church (outreach is important, but many churches focus on others, rather than their own people).


4. Find a church in which you can relate to the people, pastor, elders, etc. Preferibly look into being discipled by someone who knows more than you do (I have been discipled by my pastor for almost 4 years now and I can see I don't know where I would be now if he hadn't taken me under his wing).


5. Find a church in which there is a passion for God and the things of God, not a place in which people go to get their "brownie points" with God for the week, but where there is true fellowship and true love. In which you can congregate with the people and have strong fellowship.


6. Last, but not least, find a church where you can grow, spiritually in your walk with Jesus Christ. Many people go to churches only to be "pew potatoes" or only for a season and when they see hints of growth, they go somewhere else. The most important aspect of our Christian walk is not to be stagnant and comfortable, but to constantly grow. Nobody in this life will ever know everything and growth is important. In this same point, it is important to use our gifts and talents that God gave us, not for our own benefit, but for God's glory.




Expanding on that last point, we all have been given gifts, some have what the world considers "better" gifts than others, but remember, we are all equal in the eyes of God. I see many young Christians that I have met (and I am not talking about age, but of spiritual maturity), that are eager to be pastors and then get bummed when they realize that is not their calling, that was where I was at one point of my walk. Now, I have seen other doors open and I know that I am called to ministry, but my heart has changed to being a servant of God.

Here are some verses to back all this up:

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also [is] Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.
(1 Corinthians 12:12-14)

And He put all [things] under His feet, and gave Him [to be] head over all [things] to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1:22-23

Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
1 Timothy 14:6

Also, out of all these denominations, as I have said, many are not true, not God-seeking and fearing and in past experiences I have been to some of those churches (I will expand on this topic in another post):

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
(2 Timothy 4:2)

That is it for now, I just thought that number was an interesting factoid to share.

So it has been over a week since my visit to the Las Cruces Bulletin to drop off the press release/ ad about Jam Fest that will be happening at my church this weekend, and even after being encouraged by the Advertisement Consultant that I spoke too, I had not found the courage to sit down in front of my computer and email the people she had suggested me to contact about possible working with them.

There were a few reasons why I hadn't done it yet:

1. I wanted to spend some time praying and seeking the Lord and make sure that it is in His will.
2. Fear of stepping up and leaving my comfort zone.
3. Actually # 2 sums it all very nicely.

I have working at my current job for over 3 years now, and it has become a sort of very comfortable/ safety zone when it comes to work and getting money to pay for the bills, but after that initial meeting, I have been having this strange feeling that maybe it is time to prepare to move on with my career and actually focus more on it.

There have been a few changes in my life over the course of these past few month, with some new opportunities for growth at my church and now this possible next step in my personal/ work life...I know God has something very big and I don't know what the outcome will be from all this, specially work.

I am taking a big chance on this that I have been afraid to take for a while, but honestly, I feel like it has been more the enemy attacking my weaknesses, since he knows them very well. I know that it doesn't hurt to apply and that was the resolution I came to today, I will apply and leave it all in God's hands.

Rejoice in the Lord always.
I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all.
The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
(Philippians 4:4-8)

What an awesome passage!

I have been approached by people in a few ocassions and asked "how can Christians seem so at peace, even in the midst of hard times?"

The truth, is that we don't and can't do it on our own, it is Christ who lives in us that allows to look through the trials in our lives and gives peace and comfort in our heart.

REJOICE...I WILL SAY IT AGAIN: REJOICE!!

I remember the days in which I hated reading (when I was in middle and high school specifically) because they always involved a book report or a presentation to follow the book I usually didn't care about or liked, but once I got past the highschool era of my life and stepped into adulthood, that changed.

Actually, I would say it was more than the stepping into adulthood that changed what I thought about reading, it was my stepping into my walk with Christ, which started not much after I finished highschool (but that will be a story for another day, another blog post).

Now I really enjoy reading, I can take in a book and be glued to it for hours, specially Christian books, and to be more specific, books that talk about aspects of Christianity and the character of God.

I recently picked up "The Grand Weaver" that my pastor brought back from a conference, and I have to say, it is an amazing book! Ravi Zacharias is a good teacher, I have heard some of his stuff on the radio and he always has some good stuff to share with the world.

"The Grand Weaver" touches on the question:

Why has God made it so difficult to believe in Him? If I love somebody and infinite power, I would use that power to show myself more obviously. Why has God made it so difficult to see His presence and his plan?

I have pondered on the same thing more than a few times in my life, whenever things don't go the way we consider "the right way", we tend to question what in the world God is doing. Why can't He just make life easy and fun? Why is it that it seems so impossible to get through life, once you decide to follow Christ? Why are there so many challenges, trials and tribulations?

All of these questions are analyzed, in the light of the Scriptures in this book, and I have to say that so far it has been a great read.

I am not done with the book yet, that is why I am not going in great detail, but maybe once I am done with it, I will write something about it. All I can say is that so far, I have got a lot of insight on how my problems and difficulties are the channels that God uses to grow me and mature me as a Christian and cause me to seek Him more.

In the past, whenever a trial would arise, I would inmediately turn to friends, my mind, or other things, but as I have grown and continued maturing as a Christian (and I use the word "continued" because I believe that we never stop growing and maturing), I have realized that yes, it is good to look for direction from friends, pastors and mentors, but they don't always have the answer and God always does. Sometimes, in all my frustrations, I find more peace in breathing deeply and just pouring it all out to God, He is the Comforter, and the one who is in CONTROL of everything that happens in our lives. As His plan starts unfolding in your life, you will see that it will not always be an easy ride, sometimes we hit curves, get in wrecks or accidents, but it is those moments that form our character and grow us closer to the Lord God Almighty.

I definitely recommend this book to all those who are walking with Christ, it is a good refresher/ reminder of God having a higher purpose in our life and that everything happens for a reason.