Month: December 2020

Death Inside of Us

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We can be physically killed in many ways. According to the World Heath Organization, the number one cause of death is heart disease, but what about what kills us on the inside? What kills our spirit/soul?

There are many testimonies out there from people who were dead for a period of time and came back to life. They’ve have commonly said that the worst part of hell wasn’t the heat of the fire, the horrendous stench or the constant screaming, but was the eternal separation from God.

The book of Isaiah 59:2, says “… your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”

Sometimes we feel like we’re living hell on earth. There are cities, neighborhoods or indoor spaces that can feel hellish. Some of us have a strong sense of what has happened in a space when we walk into it or can feel a dark presence close by. Some of us have walked into places that feel like the devils party & also walked into places that feel like heaven on earth with angels all around.

There is that spirit within us that’s screaming for a touch of heaven, a moment with our Heavenly Father and being at peace in His arms of unconditional love. Some have been corrupted in a state of innocence and carry false guilt throughout life. There’s that association of heaven in all of us that can become buried or suppressed to avoid the recall of trauma. There’s also the actions that we may take that can be sinful because of the UN-fulfillment of our spirit, leaving us feeling all the more empty and the continual sin grows the hole in our soul. Then we become immune to our sin, no longer seeing the stain on our dirt-covered robe and the more sin, the further apart we get from the unconditional love from above. We separate ourselves unknowingly or unconsciously.

However, the Father above is always waiting for the prodigal son/daughter to come home. The big lie is, is that you can never go back. God has already paved a way back home through the cross. The story of the prodigal son reflects this going back to Him.

Luke 15:18-24 NKJV
[18] I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, [19] and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”‘ [20] “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. [21] And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ [22] “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. [23] And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; [24] for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

The story of the prodigal son illustrates the love, forgiveness and mercy God has for us. He awaits our return to Him. Just like the laws and rules of this country, there are such as heaven, but the punishment for our sins has already been paid for with what Jesus took on the cross. Upon believing and confessing, we can receive grace and once again be reunited with Him, feeling spiritually fulfilled once again. It’s one thing to feed our flesh, but feeding our spirit is only through our connection with God.

Matthew 4:4 says, “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” It is our relationship with God, the speaking to, listening and having faith in Him that keeps us alive on the inside.

I pray that the gift that God brought into this world 2000 years ago to show us how much He loves us will be clear and evident for all & they will feel His peace, joy and love this week regardless of any hard circumstances. I pray that they will hear God’s voice in their heart, heal and turn into His path, that they will know without question, with full truth and confidence that God loves them unconditionally, they are never alone, You are with them and always waiting for them to reach out to you.

Remembering the birth of our Savior from 2000+ years ago. Merry Christmas!

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Hard Times for Preparation

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I try to recall the times I felt like life was beating me up, when times got so tough I’d try to not allow myself to stay beat down and now just getting off another roller-coaster. With Christ, I can lift up my hands and know that He has me grounded.

When times get tough, I try to remember that it’s just an obstacle course. There’s falling on your face and being humiliated and sometimes emotionally crushing, but the hand that pulls me out of it is the saying, “God is good all the time.”

If I had to climb a 70 foot mountain, days later, a 30 foot mountain would not be a big deal. I have to remember that God’s love is also allowing us to go through hardships, only to make us better fighters, being able to take on harder circumstances thrown at us.

The Bible says in Philippians 1:6 NKJV
[6] “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”

As sometimes we may walk away from where the Lord leads because we may feel we can’t, unable or may not identify ourselves with it, but to remember that there’s one that knows us more than we know ourselves, our creator. As a way to prepare you for the blessing He has for you, sometimes it requires hardship. Then & years later looking back and saying, “I get it.”

Beyond the Stars

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It has been a few months thinking about getting a telescope and other astrophotography equipment only to spend hours looking and taking photos of the stars, but I would have to go far out to see anything.

The last time I spent hours looking and taking pictures of the night sky was during my first visit to my parents house in Hawaii. Each house in the neighborhood is almost 100 feet apart from the next and 3000 feet above sea level. The first time I arrived to their house when the car lights went out, I looked up and saw colors that I’ve never seen before in the night sky. I have been to places with little light pollution where the stars were so easy to see, but I never been at a time and place where the belt of the Milky Way was so clear. I spent hours and days sitting outside on the deck at night while my parents slept. Some nights my Mom would catch me outside.

When I look at the stars, my thoughts are beyond just science and life outside of this planet, but God’s hand of creation. I cannot look at the stars without thinking about Him. What’s more amazing is how this big God loves us all and reached out to us through Jesus.

Genesis 1:1-5 NKJV
[1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [2] The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. [3] Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. [4] And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. [5] God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

I think about how He set everything in place and how He knows us and thinks about all of us.

Psalm 139:17-18 NKJV
[17] How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! [18] If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.

I think about how big His love is when He sent His Son, Jesus to come to earth and reunited us with our Creator.

John 1:1-3 NKJV
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.