Are you sure of what you are doing?

Being sure that you are where you should be is vitally important. When we talk about important decisions in life, if you are not sure that you are marrying the right person, that you are studying the right thing, that you are accepting the right job, that you are moving to the right place, etc., sooner or later that insecurity will bring you problems.

That insecurity will be transformed into indecisions, worries, stress, problems with people close to you, one bad decision after another; at best you'll live dissatisfied with your life, and at worst, it'll become a spiral of problems after problems that will lead you to an unsustainable life.

The Bible teaches us in Romans 14 that there are different matters in which some think one way and others another way, and it concludes by saying "blessed is the man that not condemns himself in what he approves" (Rom. 14:22) and "everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23). What's the key? It's in verse 5, "you must be fully convinced in your own mind" (paraphrased).

In other words, for those matters that the Bible doesn't say what is right and what is wrong, YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DECIDE WHETHER IT IS RIGHT OR IT IS WRONG! You are the one who makes it succeed or fail! With the conviction within you that you are doing the right thing will come an inner tenacity that will make you not give up despite the obstacles. In the same way, the doubt and insecurity within you that you are not doing the right thing will make you unstable in all your ways and you will find reasons to quit all the time.

I year and a month ago, I migrated with my family here to the United Stated, with the firm conviction that it was our heavenly Father who called us, opened the doors for us, who goes before us to prepare our way and who has resolved to bless us to be a blessing to many. Not only my wife and I are convinced of this, but so are our sons, and we are grateful for the open doors that He has shown us so far and excited for what He has in store for us. We do not focus on the problems that come up, but we overcome them together. Those problems are not our focus. What He has done, is doing and will do is our focus! It is not difficult for us not to give up, that is not even an option. On the contrary, we are expecting for what is to come! That's how it is when you have an inner conviction that you are where you need to be!

Happy independence day to all my American friends, peruamerican friends and to all those who live this country!

On your way to Fulfill the Vision God gave you

You, that have received a vision from God, can learn a great deal from Joseph's testimony so you won't commit the same mistakes he did, because if Joseph would've known a series of elements proper to the vision that comes from God, surely he would've saved himself many bad moments.

WHEN the vision was going to be fulfilled
Joseph didn't know when God planned his vision to be fulfilled. By the excitement shown when he told his brothers about the vision (Genesis 37:5-11), surely Joseph thought that it'd be fulfilled within few days, maybe weeks, but it wasn't, because his vision was fulfilled 20 years after he received it!

Have you received a vision from your heavenly Father that hasn't been fulfilled yet? Wait for it, because though it tarries, it will surely come! (Habakkuk 2:3) It doesn't matter if you received it many years ago, your Father was faithful in putting that vision in your heart and will be faithful in fulfilling it! Remember, He is the Author and the Finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2).

WHERE the Vision was going to be fulfilled
Joseph didn't know neither where the vision was going to be fulfilled. Surely he thought that it was going to be fulfilled right there where he was in Canaan, but it wasn't; it was fulfilled in Egypt, a different land, with a different culture, beliefs, costumes and language.

Unless that you have sensed that your Father spoke to you about a specific place, I recommend you to not assume that you know the place where the vision will be fulfilled, because if you're assuming a place that He never told you, you might be feeling frustrated for not being in that place or maybe you're making wrong decisions taking as reference a wrong place.

HOW the Vision was going to be fulfilled
Definitely Joseph thought that his family was going to say "amen!" to his vision and immediately they were going to bow down before him to fulfill the vision. It didn't happen like that. Joseph's imprudence combined to his brother's hate resulted a very sad way for Joseph. But remember this: The things that happen to you do not determine if your vision will fulfill or not. Your decisions do.

Are many things happening to you that make you think that they're taking you away from what your heavenly Father has for you? Well, if you get to think that you're getting away from your vision, then you are; but if you keep being faithful to Jesus, keep walking one step at the time, keep serving others, keep taking the best you can the opportunities that come along the way, let me tell you that you haven't moved away from fulfilling with what your heavenly Father has for you. You're in the right path. Keep it up! The fulfilling of your vision is getting nearer!

Remember that your heavenly Father gave the vision TO YOU. He neither gave it to anybody else nor to the devil. You are the only owner of your vision! Therefore, NOBODY has the power to move you away from it. The only person with the power to move you away from your vision is you.

The WHY of the Vision
Maybe the most important part that Joseph failed to understand was the reason of God's vision. When he saw in his dreams that the sheaves and the stars bowed down before him (Genesis 37:5-11), Joseph thought that his family would serve him, but God's intention was exactly the opposite: Joseph was going to serve his family by providing them food so they won't starve to death.

This principle works for ALL the visions from your heavenly Father. In other words, if the ultimate purpose of the vision is not to serve others, that vision didn't come from God. You are confusing a personal desire with a God's vision. Remember this: God didn't call you to be served by others, looked by others, applauded by others, praised by others, admired by others. He didn't call you to use others to fulfill your vision. Your heavenly Father called you to serve, look after, lift up, help and add value to others.

It doesn't matter what God has called you to, God called you to serve.

It doesn't matter in what position you are, if you're a leader or not, if you're the head or not, if you're known or not, if you have years serving or if you just started, it doesn't matter what you're doing, the ultimate purpose of the vision you received from God is to serve others. So, if you are serving others, you are on your way to fulfill your vision.

That's why Joseph never strayed from the way to fulfill his vision, because he served whatever the situation he was in: he served others as slave, he served others as prisoner and he served others as prime minister of Egypt.

NOTE: Joseph's brothers didn't reject God's vision, what they rejected was Joseph's presentation of it. Why would Joseph's brothers be against someone who'd save them! But Joseph didn't present himself like that, but like one that they had to serve. When people rightly understand the why of God's vision, almost always they'll receive it with open arms. People reject God normally because we, Christians, do not represent Him correctly. Our Father knows that the best way to win people's heart is by serving them, meeting their needs, showing them love, and the vision He gave you is not the exception. When you truly understand the heart of your vision, people will receive it.

The RANGE of the Vision
The vision Joseph received was only one little part of what God had for him, because God showed him when he was 17 that he'd serve his family, but ended serving all the nations of that region affected by the famine. The total range, that's to say, how many people he actually helped and its transcendental impact, Joseph never knew.

Do you believe that the vision that's in your heart is everything that your heavenly Father has for you? If you think so, you're wrong. That's only a part of a gigantic whole. Your Father has much more than He showed you, much more impact to others than what you think, much more touched lives than what you believe. Only in Heaven we'll actually know of the truly range of the vision that our heavenly Father gave us.

I hope this blessed you!

Prayer III: Call Him Father!

The first word a child normally says is either "dad" or mom". I say that my boys said "dad" first and my wife says they said "mom" first. We'll know the truth in heaven! When they said to me "dad" for the first time, my heart rejoiced in a way it's never rejoiced before. Even though I'm also a writer, boss, leader, pastor, I'm not interested that they call me so. I want them to call me "daddy" for the rest of my life!

I think that our heavenly Father desires the same!

When Jesus came and prayed to God calling Him Father, and every time He talked to others about God, always referring Him as Father, this was something revolutionary and even blasphemous for many Jews (John 10:36), but not for His disciples. Maybe at first they felt a little uncomfortable, but when they saw the fruits of His life, they got convinced that Jesus knew what He was saying. That's why that they approached to Him once to ask Him to teach them to pray. Jesus agreed to do it, and THE VERY FIRST THING HE TAUGHT THEM WAS TO ADDRESS HIM AS "FATHER"!

"Lord, teach us to pray. Jesus said to them: When you pray, say this: FATHER" (Luke 11:1-2)

We have learnt wrong. We got used to address to our heavenly Father by His many titles, but not for the one He Himself urged us to use! (Galatians 4:6). The Holy Spirit inside you is not bearing witness that you are His creation, His servant, His property. Though we're all of that and more, He is bearing witness that we are His children! (Romans 8:16).

Just like that it wouldn't be normal that a little kid call his dad: "Oh great CEO!", "Powerful boss!", "Majestic Businessman!", it's not normal that we, HIS CHIDREN, don't see Him as FATHER above any other of His titles. Just like the correct thing would be that a child proudly says: "My dad is the boss of that great company!", the correct thing would be that we boast saying: "My Father is the Creator of the Universe, the Powerful Savior, the Redeemer of my soul, the Almighty!"

The Law made the Israelites don't see God as their Father, but Jesus got us close to the Father, made us His children, now we're part of His family! When you learn to call God "Father" from the bottom of your heart, I guarantee you that your prayer life, and because of that, your life, will change.

Hope it helps!

Christmas: The answer in form of a seed

What would you like to receive as an answer of your prayer if you're going through a serious illness? Well, I want a miracle!, that in a blink of an eye I may be healed! I think that's what you'd like to receive if you're as the rest of us, isn't it? But, what is what we normally receive? A process, a seed that we have to cultivate, something little that we have to take care of little by little.

The same happen if, for instance, you're going through a crisis in your marriage. All would want that, all of a sudden, everything may be solved, and already a the dream marriage. But, what is what we normally receive as an answer of our prayer? A process, a seed that has to be cultivated, something little that has to be taken care so it may grow little by little.

Being free from an addiction, from debts, having your family problems solve, etc., are normally prayers that our Heavenly Father answers but little by little, using the little we have in our hands, taking us through a process holding our hands, being faithful in little and receiving more every time, from glory to glory and from victory to victory.

What did our Father to save all humanity? Did He send Superman, Goku, Iroman, or an angel? No, He didn't. Our Father sent a baby. He was the Savior of the world but in form of a child. He was a seed that had to grow and go through a process. Our Savior was faithful in little and received more, and then He kept being faithful even to death and inherited eternal glory.

Maybe you are going through a difficult time in some area of your life and are praying for an answer. You know something, it's for sure that your Heavenly Father has already started to answer you, but because of that answer has "form of a baby", probably you didn't realize it, and maybe you're getting despaired and thinking that He hasn't heard you, but it wasn't so.

Open your eyes and see! Surely your answer is already around you! Quit waiting for that "miracle" and, rather, look for the seed of that miracle. Learn to find the extraordinary among the ordinary.

Do you believe that our Heavenly Father JUST STARTS doing something about your problem in the moment when you asks Him for help? In other words, if you don't ask for help, He didn't start doing something about it. Well, if you believed so, you are wrong! He already did something even since before the foundation of the earth, the way is already paved, NOTHING surprised Him! So, ask Him for help so you can see what He is doing, and wisdom and strength so you can go through this process toward your victory.

I hope this helped you =)

Please, pray with me for my country Peru

Father, bless my Peru. I pray for your unmerited favor over this land, over each Peruvian, but specially, over each of your sons and daughters that in these moments are lifting their faces to You with faith that they may receive the help that they need to go through this time of uncertainty and disappointment.

Give us the strength so we may decide to quit putting our trust and expectancy on our governors and authorities, and to start putting it on You alone, as always should have been. We take responsibility of being disappointment, because we are aware that disappointment comes when we received less than we expected, and we recognize that it was our mistake to expect from them what we always had to expect from You. We decide to put our trust no longer on a man or woman, but only on You.

We decide that peace, joy, the opportunities, the hope for a good future and the certainty that the best is yet to come, we no longer expect them from our authorities, but from You. You're our joy and peace! You open the door for us for the opportunities that we need! We believe that with You, nothing is never lost, but everything is getting better every time, from glory to glory, from victory to victory! We believe that with the little that we're able to give to You, You're able to do much!

We pray that You may turn into something good all this time of instability. You didn't send this evil of corruption, but we know that with You all things work together for good. We pray so that all of us may learn our lesson and take with responsibility and seriousness the next times that we'll have to go to vote to elect our authorities, not by only getting well informed, but also by asking You for wisdom to elect wisely.

We pray so that corruption may completely fall, that the light may illuminate in the darkness so that those selfish acts that have been done secretly to rob everybody's resources, might be exposed. We ask You that that won't happen again, that might be angels protecting what belongs to all Peruvians, that corrupters may be discovered and stopped before they fulfill their plans to steal. We pray that fear invades their hearts so they won't dare to take for themselves what belongs to all of us, that they might be unease until they desist to do those misdeeds, that their consciences won't le them be in peace, so that they decide stop their wickedness.

Heavenly Father, we ask You to put in our governors the conscience that the office they're on is holy because is designed to serve millions of people. We ask that they may realize the fact that their decisions affect so many people it's a privilege that not many people have. We pray for the conviction of being there to serve may be very real in them and that they may take it with responsibility, honesty, sacrifice and dedication. Bless them with the wisdom they need in every step they take. Bless their families and personal lives, and let them know that You rewarded them for their service.

Father, we decide to quit complaining, but to take responsibility from where we are. As your children, we decide to pray for them so that You may cover them constantly from all temptation and that they may be filled with guidance to execute their office with excellence. Speak to us Father, tell us the ways to contribute to form a better Peru, that we may not expect to receive a better Peru, but being, from now on, builders of it.

Thanks because we know that You hears us, that You're with us and that You will never leave us, and because of it, we know that we are going to go through this We will be in the other side, and we'll be stronger, wiser, better persons, better Peruvians and better Christians.

Amen.

Learn to prevent

We learnt to prevent the hard way. I think it happens the same to most people. It was when somebody hit my car (as you may know, you never hit your car, somebody always hits yours course!), and repairing it cost me almost 700 dollars (in Peru, that's is a lot of money). I needed my car, so I had to pay it. It was then that my friend Pedro told me that I would have payed only 150 dollars if I had an insurance. Then he added: "Sadly, most Peruvians don't have a culture of prevention."

It happened the same thing when my first son was born. That Cesarean cost us almost 2500 dollars! (I have nightmares till now!). But we learnt the lesson, because the Cesarean of our second son costs us only 250 dollars because we got a health insurance. We also got a car insurance, which saved us many times!

It's true that sometimes we don't use the insurances, but looking at the big picture, it results much more cheaper to have an insurance than not to have it, not mentioning the peace it brings you. Now we want to obtain an earthquake insurance.

Don't worry that I don't want to sell you any insurance. I just want you to think that it's better safe than sorry.

In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus talks about two people, one prudent and one fool. The prudent built his house on the rock because he thought that it'd rain and that there would be a big torment. In the other hand, the foolish one most surely thought: "Oh, come on! Do you really think that there will be such a big torment that it would destroy my house! Here, on the sand, it's ok to build!" But we know that the ruin of the foolish person was great.

This passage of Matthew perfectly applies to the situation of floods and inundation that we lived in Peru early in the year. How much hurt and loss we would have averted if we had prevented! Our next door country Ecuador gave us a big lesson in that regard. They were the prudent and we the foolish.

Accidents, sicknesses or any other bad thing can happen to anybody. The thing is to be ready for when they happen. I encourage you to pray, to ask God for wisdom, to ask other people for advice, get informed!, and make better decisions to prevent bad things that may happen to you.

Proverbs 22:3

"A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple passes on and are punished"

Do I have to tell sinners their sins?

It's so common to hear that we HAVE to denounce people's sins, and the main reason they say is because Jesus did so. Well, let's see what Jesus did.

Jesus and adulteress woman (John 8:1-11)
- Did Jesus tell the woman "sinner" or "adulteress"? No, He didn't.
- What did Jesus tell her? "Then neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more".
- Who told her "sinner" or "adulteress"? The pharisees.

Jesus and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)
Zacchaeus was a thief (he charged more taxes to people than he should).
- Did Jesus tell "sinner" or "thief" to Zacchaeus? No, He didn't.
- What did Jesus say? "Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide in your house." In other words, Jesus self-invited to sleep over Zacchaeus's.
- Who used to tell him "sinner" or "thief"? The Jews. In fact, they were surprised that Jesus wanted to sleep over Zacchaeus's house.

Jesus and Matthew (Matthew 9:9-13 and Luke 5:27-31)
Matthew (also known as Levi), was a thief (charged more taxes than he should).
- Did Jesus tell "sinner" or "thief" to Matthew? No, He didn't.
- What did Jesus do? He invited Matthew to follow Him, and he ended up being one of the 12 apostles (Matthew 10:1-4).

Jesus and the publicans and sinners (Matthew 9:9-13 and Luke 5:27-31)
Matthew had prepared a banquet for Jesus, in which many publican and sinners assisted as well (a publican was a tax collators, that's to say, a thief).
- Did Jesus tell "sinner" or "thief" to any of them? No, He didn't. Not even to one of them.
- The surprised pharisees asked Jesus's disciples why their Master eat with sinners.

Jesus and the Samaritan woman (John 4:1-42)
- Did Jesus tell the woman "sinner" or "adulteress"? No, He did not.
- Who told the woman "sinner" or "adulteress"? Most likely, most of the people did, because there was a reason for her to go to the well for water at midday (the hottest moment of the day), when normally everybody went to the well early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the weather already cooled down. That's to say, the woman wanted to go to the well when she knew there was nobody there, so nobody bothers her.
- What Jesus did was bringing up the issue of her disordered life by asking for her husband, and if we have a look to the context, we can understand that Jesus did it, not to condemn her, but to show her the need in her that He wanted to meet when He was talking about the living water, but since she wasn't understanding Jesus, He was a little clearer asking her directly about her husband. If she had understood that the living water was just an illustration, He most surely hadn't asked her about her husband.

Jesus and the woman of the expensive perfume (Luke 7:36-50)

We don't know in what sin she was involved, but it's supposed that she was a prostitute.
- Did Jesus tell the woman "sinner"? No, He didn't.
- What did Jesus do? He accepted her offering and then forgave her sins.
- Who told her "sinner"? Simon the Pharisee.

Jesus and the paralyzed man (Mark 2:1-12)
- Did Jesus tell the paralyzed man "sinner"? No, He did not.
- What did Jesus do? He forgave his sins and then healed him.

Jesus and the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:24-34)
- Did Jesus tell the woman "unclean"? No, He didn't.
- What did He do? He healed her.

Jesus and Peter, James and John (Luke 5:1-12)
- Did Jesus tell them "sinners"? No, He didn't, but it seems that they expected Him to tell them so, surely because other others told them so.
- It's interesting to see how in this case and Matthew's, Jesus didn't make them to go first through a "purification" or "preparation" time in order to serve with Him. To the ones that supposedly were more qualified, Jesus didn't call.

And I still don't mention Bartimaeus the blind man, the leper man, Jairus the principal of the synagogue, the prodigal son and, in fact, EVERYBODY that went to Jesus, because we know that EVERYBODY were sinners. There is NO EVEN ONE RECORD that Jesus told someone "sinner". NOT EVEN ONE.

On the contrary, there was one occasion that Jesus did use strong words: with the hypocrite pharisees (Matthew 23). In other words, Jesus only condemns hypocrisy. All of us were sinners saved by grace. Don't think about you more than that.

So, do I have to tell sinners their sins?
- If you are going to do it just because it is bad and it must be said, then don't do it. As we saw, not even Jesus did it. Besides, if you're going to do it with that attitude, the only thing you'll get is to raise walls of separation.
- But if you are going to do it because you have a sincere desire of helping them because you know that if they continue in that way, they will suffer, besides, you know that person, go ahead and tell it to him/her.
- If you don't know that person, I don't recommend you to do it, unless you feel that God is guiding you to do it (in this case, I recommend you to ask for confirmation to other leaders of your church, specially if the issue is something very grave).

"For God did not send His Son to world to condemn the world,

but that the world through Him might be saved"

John 3:17

I really hope this helped you!

Halloween (ENGLISH version)

October 31st is just around the corner and many churches are already preparing activities to give a different options from "celebrating witches." In the other hand, there is a group of christians that do not agree with this.

In this post I want to answer a few arguments that I heard from some people about why is wrong to give an optional activity on Halloween.

Argument 1
In Halloween, demons (witches, sorceress, etc.) are being celebrated and human sacrifices are made. As christians, we should not participate of this.

Answer: We are not celebrating demons.
I personal think that that answer should be enough, but let's answer a little more. We are being light in the middle of darkness. We don't find in the Bible that we should hide when darkness arises. We find actually the opposite! (Matthew 5:15). If October 31st is such a demoniac day, we should all the more reason be a light and celebrate good even more.

Argument 2
If you aren't celebrating demons, why then you guys disguise?

Answer: Just because we are disguising does not mean we are celebrating demons. 
The devil didn't buy the patent over disguising 😀. Disguising is not anti-biblical neither synonymous of praising demons. Our heavenly Father will not say: "Oh no, my son has disguised, now he is worshipping the devil." That way of thinking is incorrect.

Argument 3
If you aren't celebrating demons, why then you have to do it coincidentally on October 31st?

Answer: Because we are giving a different option on that day.
The goal is to be a light on that day giving a different option to people. If we do it on a different day, what's the point?

Argument 4
The Bible says that we have to abstain from all appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Celebrating October 31st with disguises, has appearance of evil (Halloween), therefore, we should abstain from it.

Answer: Paul didn't mean that we have to abstain from all what appear to be evil, but that we have to abstain from all form where evil appears. The fact we offer a different option to people for Halloween is not evil, on the contrary, we are being light in the middle of darkness.

Argument 5
The Bible says in Deuteronomy 18:9-14 that we don't have to do the same abominations that are practiced in the land we live in.

Answer: We are not copying their abominations. The fact of thinking that is, honestly, ridiculous.

Argument 6
Halloween has a pagan origin, therefore, when we celebrate it, we actually celebrate its original purpose.

Answer: I actually don't understand how they get to that conclusion. No, just because it has a pagan origin doesn't mean that we are celebrating its original pagan purpose when we make an optional activity for Halloween. This is wrong, it doesn't make any sense.
The Jehovah Witnesses, following that same reasoning, don't celebrate any birthday, just because birthdays were celebrated in the Bible only for two people, which were pagans.
In the Bible we actually find cases that shows the opposite of this reasoning. For example, the sword with which Goliath was going to kill David has a pagan origin, its original purpose was to kill Israelites, but David used it for a different purpose when he took it a beheaded Goliath with it.

Argument 7
But I saw this well known pastor that didn't disguise his children of an angel or some biblical character, but of demons and witches. Therefore, they are worshipping demons!

Answer: Thinking that the fact that this well known pastor has disguised his children on October 31st with demon and witch customs is a more than enough proof to demonstrate that they are worshipping demons, I think, it's very exaggerated, specially when that well known pastor has an IMPECCABLE testimony as much in his ministry as in his family.
If this is wrong for you, pray for them, instead sharing it everywhere (specially in the social media) as if what you suppose was a verified truth. Do not devalue all their ministerial and familiar testimony for what you think is something wrong.

Argument 8
A costume party is a worldly method, a non-biblical activity. We don't have to copy the world. We have to be different from the world. We have to be Salt and Light.

Answer: the Bible doesn't teach to be different from the world concerning methods, styles or fashions, as long as these aren't inmoral or sinful.

What the Bible does teach is not to love the world (1 John 2:15-16) or not to be friends with the world (James 4:3-5), which means not to live for oneself. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (this is from 1 John 2:15-16) and living for one's own pleasures (this is from James 4:3-5) is the world's self-centered life style from which our Father prompts us not to follow. Having a costume party on October 31st is not being self-centered, but it is applying an idea, a method, a way that nowadays is working. If later on it stops working, it'll be no longer applied.

If we want to be different from the world, if we want to be the Salt and the Light of the world, then we should love each other more, serve each other more, live for each other more, do more good deeds. This is the way for people to realize that we are Jesus's disciples (John 13:35) and they'll glorify our heavenly Father (Matthew 5:13-15).

Do not judge others
If you don't agree with this way of being light, don't judge those that do agree telling them light or licentiousness christians. On the other hand, if you do agree with this way of being light on Halloween, don't judge those to judge you telling them religious people, legalistic, you guys lack grace, etc. WE ALL ARE ONE FAMILY, CHILDREN OF THE SAME FATHER!

Do not attack
If even in the case you are not agree after reading this explanation, there's no problem with that. There are people that go further saying that such church was, actually, a satanic cult, and that by doing this on Halloween, they are revealing their real motivations. Why to think in this extreme way? EVEN in the case that we are mistaken about this way of being light on October 31st, why to attack? Wouldn't be more christian to pray for us instead of thinking that in order to show our true demoniac purpose on Halloween, we invest many years on building a reputation by preaching to save people, teaching marriages, pray for thousands of prayer requests, etc.? Do you really think we have done all of that (and much much more) in order to win people's trust so that we can deceive them on Halloween?!

PD: If somebody give me a reason that hasn't been already explained of either why we should or why we shouldn't celebrate an optional activity on Halloween, I'll try to add it in this post. Thanks!

Hope it helps!

Gadol's Nugget: His main problem

Gadol, the main character of my novel, went through many terrible hardships, but he didn't realize that his main problem was found in his mind. That, in the long run, would be the main cause of the suffering he would go through.

Gadol is like many of us. Everybody has to face many problem, but the main problem is not found in the problem itself, but in how we handle our problem. Our attitude when we face our problems determines if we prolong the problem or if we find an answer.

How are you facing your current situation? Remember that complaining, lamenting, blaming others, etc., DO NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM, on the contrary, IT MAKES IT BIGGER. But if you take responsibility (even though it hasn't been your fault), ask for advices, seek help, make plans, etc., sooner or latter that problem will be something of your past, and you will be coming through strengthened rather than destroyed.

Hope it helps!

Do not generalize people

"All Peruvians are the same." No, they don't.

"All Americans are the same." No, they don't.

"All politicians are the same." No, they don't.

"All Chileans are the same." No, they don't.

"All christians are the same." No, they don't.

"All Russians are the same." No, they don't. 

"Rich people, poor people, black people, Chinese people, are all the same." No, they don't.

"Saying that all people are the same is just a desperate answer of the one with no arguments, of the weak and insecure", says God to Ratla in the novel "Gadol Searching for the Truth - The Downfall" (soon available in English).

Nowadays, because of Chile's disqualification of the Football Soccer World Cup, you can read all kind of commentaries generalizing an entire country just because of the arrogance showed by many of its futbol soccer players. Good people paying the sins of others. And this is just one example of what happen in the world.

You can find as many good things as bad things in everywhere. The perfect culture does not exists. My pastor, Robert Barriger, usually says: "If you find the perfect church, get out of there because you will ruin it." Well, I think I can say the same about any culture: "If you find the perfect culture, get out of there because you will ruin it".

I am pretty sure that in your country there are more that one person making a bad reputation of the rest of you, of which you say: "why they don't just leave the country!", "because of him, I am sure everybody is thinking that all of us are the same." If you don't like when others do that with your country, why are you going to do the same to the rest? You should practice, rather, what Jesus taught us: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (Matthew 7:12).

Next time you see that somebody different from you as to nationality, creed, race, economic status, gender, etc., say or do something bad, please, do not generalize saying that everybody that lives in that particular country, everybody that professes that same creed, everybody of that same race, etc., are the same, because they are not. Get the habit of not generalizing people. Spend a little more time specifying who are the ones that did or said that bad thing, and you will see that doing this, you will be contributing to have a less-hate and more-accepting society.

Hope it helps!

Believe that you'll take it, and it'll come

Mark 11:24 says that all we ask in prayer, if we believe that we'll receive it, it will come to us. But the word that it's been translated "receive", in greek means "take". Then, Mark 11:24 should say: "Therefore, I tell you that everything you ask in prayer, believe that you will take it, and it will come."

What Jesus was teaching is when you pray, you must believe that you can take what you're asking for, and it will come to you, that's to say, you will have it.

1. "Everything you ask in prayer". In other words, you must pray! When you pray, when you are in the presence of your heavenly Father, your faith is lifted up. Your faith will not be lifted up if you just complain, worry, or think all the time about how impossible is to have that what you wish. Your faith will grow in the presence of your Father and feeding yourself with His Word!

2. "Believe." You decide to believe in God. Of course, it is easier if your faith just naturally grows because you are filling yourself with His Word and practicing His Presence all the time, but there will be times when you just have to BELIEVE NOW. In Mark 5, Jesus said to the principal of the synagogue when he received the bad news of his daughter's dead: "Fear not, just believe." His natural reaction was fearing, but Jesus told him, in other words: "Decide to believe".

3. "That you will take it." Does this imply a little of work from you? Yes, it does! But this work is not for you to be worthy of what you are asking for, but for taking what you already receive by faith when you prayed. Big difference!
The former is through the Law, the latter through faith.
The former would be thanks to your merits, the latter is thanks Jesus's merits.
With the former you'll be worried and stressed, with the latter you'll be in peace, because even though you will go to take what it's yours, you'll know that it is yours thanks to Jesus.
With the former you'll find yourself struggling for your victory, with the latter you'd fight from Jesus's victory.

Once I heard by the radio that a person won a car. The presenter called the winner, who lived outside Lima, to tell him to come the capital to receive his prize. The winner had to go to take what's his. He didn't come to fight for his prize, but just come to take it. His journey to Lima wasn't stressful and full of uncertainty, but full of expectation, excitement and peace. That's the way it should be when we take what we ask for believing we have already received it!

If you are asking for something in prayer to you heavenly Father who loves you, believe that He's already given it to you thanks to Jesus's sacrifice, and you'll see how that confidence of going and taking what's yours will increase inside of you, knowing, besides, that your Father is with you!

Do problems strengthen you?

I personally think that problems don't strengthen you, and in this post I want to explain why.

If problems strengthened people, all of us that go through problems would be strengthened because of them. But, as you already may know, it doesn't happen that all the time. In fact, in most cases it happens exactly the opposite: people end up stressed, worried, depressed, etc.

"But I know this guy that came out strengthened out a big problem", you might think. It is a mistake to make general rules from particular cases, even if there are many cases of the same point. I could also say: "But I know this guy that came out completely devastated out a big problem", and we can fall into an endless argumentation to know who is right, when the error resides in miss-focussing the reasoning.

"The problem by itself does not destroy you nor lift you up, it just reveals what is inside of you" (Dr Edwin Louis Cole). Your decisions are based on what is inside of you.
- If you've been filling yourself up with negativism, laziness, lack of preparation, bad examples, etc., it is almost for sure that when you go through a trial you will get discouraged, frustrated, full of fear, or something similar.
- But if you've been filling yourself up with positivism, discipline, preparation, good examples, etc., it's almost for sure that when you go through a problem you will not quit, you will look for good advices, you will feel challenged, or something similar.

The problem just REVEALED what there was inside of you.

You allow what enter inside of you.

As christian, I am not agree to those that say things like: "God made me go through this problem in order for me to learn this." They think that it was God the one that made them go through a problem so that they may learn something from it or they may be strengthened by it. Biblically speaking, God does not send problems to anybody. They are already there: sometimes other people cause them, sometimes we ourselves cause them and sometimes they are there because we just allowed them to be there. What your heavenly Father does, instead, is to help you to prevent them or to get you out of them.

"Ok., God didn't send me that problem neither made me go through it, but He did use it so that His Word may be applied." Not true either. God doesn't use problems so that you may apply His Word. On the contrary, He has prepared you before hand with His Word and His presence. These two, His Word and His presence, are the only two ways in the Bible that our Father uses to teach us something.

You can be taught by your Heavenly Father directly or indirectly. It is directly when you yourself are studying the Bible, reading books, listening to teachings, and also seeking His Presence, and it's indirectly when you're being influenced by other source: a friend, a relative, a testimony, etc., which it is just the Word of God made flesh in other person, the Word in action, the Word working, but it's still the Word of God.

"He trains my hands for battle" (Psalm 18:34). Your heavenly Father is the one that gets you ready for battle, He is not the one that prepares the battle. Many battles in the Old Testament were already there; fighting them was inevitable to take to promise land. That's to say, if you want to take your promise land, battles will be inevitable, they weren't send by you heavenly Father; they were already there. But your Father will help you to overcome them!

Other people say: "If you ask God for patience, He sends you a problem so that you may obtain patience." Do problems produce patience? No, they don't! Problems do not produce anything at all, neither good things nor bad things. That patience inside of you came by other good things you were filling yourself up with in the past.

It is because of this reasoning that many people thank God for problems, others aren't determined to get out of their problems because they believe they're fulfilling a God's purpose, others are waiting for God's time to get themselves out of them, etc. A wrong believe produces a wrong behavior.

"God didn't send me problems, but He did allowed them for some reason. We must trust Him!" In order for you to trust your heavenly Father, you have to base on what His Word says. Do you find Biblical base that supports that? I'm not talking about two or three verses, but supported teaching from the beginning to the end of the Bible. You know what, you won't find it. Therefore, I recommend you to not believe it. It's not enough that you have heard it from your favorite preachers. You have to see it yourself that is supported by the Bible.

It is different to say that God turns something bad that happen to you into something good from saying that He sent that bad thing and then He turned into something good.

If you decide to believe that your heavenly Father didn't send you the problem you are going through, but He did allow it for some reason which you can't understand now, but you will later, then you will be accepting that problem in your life instead of fighting it. Remember this: God does not give you weapons so that you fight the enemies He sends you nor the ones He allows. Someone may think: Wouldn't be much better that He just doesn't send any problem in the first place!

If you're going to a problem, you have to know that your heavenly Father did not send it; instead, He will strengthen you, help you and guide you to come through victoriously from it. Do not say again: "If it hasn't been for this problem, I wouldn't obtained that blessing." Rather you say: "If it hasn't been that my Heavenly Father helped me in the middle of that problem, I wouldn't obtained that blessing."

I hope it helped you!