With all the different churches out there that believe in God, Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit, why do they all have different formats? It can be quite confusing. Are they catering to certain individuals or are they trying to have a better format then another church?

I always thought church was supposed to be a place that you go to to worship God and fellowship with others. Helping each other out, whether they may have a question about the Lord or spiritual matters.

Make sure you find out what kind of church you are attending. Check the Pastor out to see if he is spiritual or not. See if he uses the bible to preach from. Is he a prosperity preacher? Does the church always ask for money? Does the church entertain you? Do they preach TRUTH?

Good luck and May God lead you to the right church.

Preachers and Teachers Need To Be Tested

One that does call them self a "Christian" could cause others to bash the Christian religion if they don't behave like one.

I have seen too many people calling themselves Christians only to turn around and show hate towards someone by calling them names or bashing their beliefs.

If we are going to follow Jesus Christ, then we need to act like He did when He was here by "Loving One Another" and understand that there are people who haven't surrendered their heart to Jesus yet. Have some compassion for others and pray for everyone. God reads the hearts of all men and women.

What are Your Christian Beliefs?

There are many factors that can cause a person to relapse which could be by means of, emotional, psychological, physical and environmental characteristics. Self-awareness is one of the key strategies that you can use to keep yourself from a relapse. Learning about what triggers you to want to use are the things that need to be changed.

Some of the things that could trigger a relapse are, anger, self-pity, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, fantasizing about some of the good times you had when you were using, peer pressure, family and/or friends that use, hard day at work, a sudden trauma, mental disorders, cravings, your environment and there are others that you can think about. You need to learn what your triggers are and develop coping skills that will help you deal with them and how to avoid triggers that could cause you to relapse.

One of the best places to learn is at AA/NA meetings. There you have many different people to talk to that all share one thing in common, substance abuse. You can ask people how they deal with situations, get ideas on how to cope with them and learn about what caused others to relapse.

One strategy that helps, especially if you haven't been clean for that long is to go to as many meetings as you can, at least one a day. Get involved by joining a homegroup, find a "good" sponsor, build up a strong support group, get plenty of telephone numbers so have someone to talk to.

You can also visit a treatment center and talk to them about getting into a group where you can learn coping skills and relapse prevention techniques. If finances are a problem, look for a place that offers free services. Anything that you can do to make changes, to learn about yourself and what you may need to change about yourself, your lifestyle, friends, your environment and so on will have a positive affect on you staying clean and sober.

If anyone has any relapse prevention strategies that you would like to share here, please do. Your contribution will be greatly appreciated. If it helps just one person, then your effort was well worth it. 

Thank You and God Bless You.

Thought Process | Temptation | Negative Thoughts

Matthew 7:12, 'So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.'

How you look at others or what you think of them is basically how you are going to treat them. Some of us pre-judge others before we even get to know them. How we see others are the kind of people that live with. If we see people as mean, rotten, corrupt, nasty, disrespectful and so on, then we never see the good in others. But if we see people as kind, considerate, nice, helpful, happy and so on, then we will never see the bad in people. 

You have to ask yourself, 'What kind of people do I have in my daily life? What type of people that I perceive are affecting my daily life?' The type of people that you see can either fill your day with joy, happiness, stress free and so on, on the other hand, you could have a day that is filled with misery, stress, and may cause things to go wrong through the day.

It is one thing to treat people in a kind way, but it also takes seeing others as good people. It's not about how they act towards you, but it's about you bringing out the goodness in others. You never know what another person is going through. They might only need a smile from you to brighten their day. 

Have a Great Day!

Love One Another

So where is the Ark of the Covenant? Revelation 11:19, 'Then the sanctuary of God in heaven opened, and the Ark of the Covenant could be seen inside it.' God seems to have the Ark of the Covenant in heaven with Him. You can't blame Him, man is too rebellious and corrupt to be trusted with such power.

Romans 1:18-25, ‘The anger of God is being revealed from heaven against all the impiety and depravity of men who keep truth imprisoned in their wickedness. For what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them since God himself has made it plain.

Through the Holy Spirit we are restored to paradise and led back to the Kingdom of heaven, and adopted as children of God. Also, given confidence to call God "Father" and to share in Christ's grace and rightly called children of light and given a share in eternal glory. Call on Jesus Christ to lead you the way to receiving the Holy Spirit.

Seek The Holy Spirit for Guidance

What is so valuable in this world that we have to attach our hearts to and possibly lose our souls in the process? The things of this world and what they bring like, happiness, joy, excitement, security and so on are only temporary. Think about it, when something makes you happy, how long does it last? Not long does it?

God, unlike the world can give us true peace and happiness, along with freedom from the bondages of this world that will last forever. What are your hearts attached to? Why not attach your heart to God and receive the wonderful gifts and blessings He has waiting for you? 

Materialism Is An Unhealthy Practice For Your Soul

May God Bless You

If someone is serious about quitting an addiction, then they must completely Surrender. They must acknowledge the fact that they have a problem with: "Fill in the Blank" . One must ditch their pride and humble them self. It's all about committing yourself to do whatever it takes to recover from addiction. If you can do this, then your chances of relapsing are much less.

There are 10 Principles here in video form: RU Principles They can help you. Take a look at their website as well: Reformers Unanimous

RU Help line: If you are in need of help with your addiction please call our helpline at: 866.733.6768

Good Luck and God Bless

Luke 16:13, 'No servant can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second, or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.' 

We can't fill our heart with the love of God and the love of the things of this world. Our hearts need to be filled to be filled with either love for God or love for the things of this world. When we invest our love in God, we will be blessed with joy, happiness, peace, freedom and eternal life. If we direct our love for the things of this world like, materialism and money and all the other perishable, temporary things of this world, we don't get anything in return, maybe temporary happiness. Then we're off seeking more temporary happiness.

Working for our salvation is serious business because it can bring us eternal life with God. Working for the things that are temporary will only keep us disconnected from God and our salvation can be in jeopardy. Work for the things you need like, salvation, food, clothing and shelter. 

Luke 16:14,15, 'The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and laughed at him. He said to them, 'You are the very ones who pass yourselves off as virtuous in people's sight, but God knows your hearts. For what is thought highly of by man is loathsome in the sight of God.' Impress people with your love for God and for your fellowman, not with the things of this passing world. Store up your treasures in heaven.'

God Bless You

Materialism – Treasures Of The Heart