When I was not yet a born again Christian, I was fascinated then with the New Age group doctrines especially on affirmations. I believed then, as I still believe now, that the secret to do miraculous things was to unlock the powers of the subconscious mind. The only difference between my beliefs then and now was the very person that was elevated into the position of power. In my beliefs then, the I or ego was the center of my existence and all powers emanated from within. Whereas now, God is the center of my existence and all powers emanate from Him. Oh yes, I believed then that there was a God but everything was achieved through personal efforts and achievements. Some examples of my personal affirmations then were:
1. What the mind can conceived, man can achieved.
2. My mind and body are perfect. The forces of aging have no power over me. I am ageless. I am the master of my soul.
3. I am the captain of my ship, I am the master of my soul.
When I became born again in the year 2000, I discarded all the learning I gained from a lifetime of studies and search for the truth and just concentrated on the Bible and other Christian books. I enrolled in an International Bible College and immersed myself into the doctrines of the Christian beliefs. I now realize that I got more miracles in holding on to the promises of God than in those fine sounding affirmations that elevated only the self instead of God. Now, God is the center of my life and everything in it revolves around Him. Instead of affirmations, I hold on to the many promises of God to tide me over in these perilous times. I live and die by the grace of God. ALL WHO CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.
Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Affirmations, New Age Group, Doctrines, Born Again Christian, Subconcious Mind, Beliefs, Ego, Center of My Existence, Promises of God, Lifetime of Studies, Search For Truth, International Bible College, Word of God, Gospel, Holy Bible
Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Spiritual/Inspirational/Motivational
13 comments:
You're an inspiration kuya Mel. You did everything to please God and I am sure you will be rewarded for it.
I strive for the perfect faith that you have for Him and I do commend you for that. I am still working to be perfect in His eyes. All that matters right now is that He knows I am trying...
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Abbeymae
Subject you describe definitely is not easy. I think that I understand your thought.
In many matters of faith there are some subtle differences, which apparently mean nothing ... but? ...
the question is ... Who is our God? ... sometimes we can not notice a difference between God ... and... god/idol.
It is good that you have the courage to write what the heart tells you.
In matters of faith I must admit that I still have some "doubts".
I like your declaration:
"Now, God is the center of my existence and all powers emanate from Him".
It is the quintessence of True Faith.
Thank you Mel
and God bless you and your job!
Hi Kathy,
We can never attain perfection here on earth for we are just finite beings. If we strive for that, we will only be disappointed. What we must do is to embrace the Lord and let His perfection be our perfection, His strength be our strength, His holiness and righteousness be our holiness and righteousness and His power be our power. In other words, it is Him living in us that will attain all these things and He alone is glorified and not us. Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." We are all works in progress and one day we will be transformed from glory to glory through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thanks for your visit and meaningful comments. God bless you all always.
Hi Krystyna,
Yes, my declarations come from God's words as enunciated in the Bible. There was a time when I synthesized all beliefs believing that all streams lead to the same ocean. But what I saw was just polytheism, idol worship, ego worship and all kinds of isms. I was also studying the Bible then together with my quest for truth but later on I realized that I cannot hold on to both of them. I have to discard one for the other.
Holding on to our Christian beliefs is a matter of faith. If we exercise reason and intellect alone, then we will be like the others who doubt everything even the word of God. God alone gives the wisdom to fathom the things of God and if doubts still linger in our minds then we have not yet fully disconnected ourselves from the allures of the world. "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong" 1Corinthians 1:27)The Lord did not choose the intellectuals and philosophers, the Pharisees and doctors of laws of His days. He chose ignorant fishermen and ordinary people to reveal the simple truth of His Gospel message of salvation. People cannot accept the plain truth because of pride and they choose the intellectual way to their own doom. "Without faith, it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6a). As I said, I will live and die by the grace of God. Sorry, what I wrote was for every body and was not in any way written to criticize you. I respect all your views in life. Thanks for your visit and inspired comments my friend. God bless you always.
Thank you Mel!
Talking about "doubts" I mean "religious doctrine".
God bless you and your Family!
Hi Krystyna,
You don 't have to explain Krystyna. I never doubted your faith. The commentary was for everybody and not for anyone. Thanks again for the explanation. God bless you always.
your affirmations then are as same as the japanese beliefs, well most of them, including my hubby at ako din. I believe in God and I have faith in him, pero I guess madali pala ako maimpluwensya.. Thanks to your blog and inspiring posts because Im really learning a lot. Siguro kailangan ko pa patibayin or mas lalo bigyan pansin ang aking spiritual life. I hope when Im ready, its not yet too late.
again, thanks for this post po =) happy weekends
Hi Bambie dear,
Ang pagkakaiba lang talaga ay kung sino ang itinataas. Sa mga affirmations na yan kasi, tinuturuan tayong maging self reliant at mag rely sa sarili nating lakas at karunungan, samantalang ang mga Bible verses ay tinuturuan tayong manangan sa Diyos sa lahat nang ating pangngailangan. Wala pang taong makapagsasabi na siya'y nabuhay na naging ganap siya sa sarili niyang lakas. Habang nagsisikap ang taong maabot ang sukdulan nang kanyang kaganapan ay paulit ulit lamang siyang nabibigo sapagkat tayo'y mga nilalang lamang na nilalang nang Diyos upang Siya ay mahalin at pagsilbihan. At Siya ang magpo provide nang lahat nang ating pangangailangan. Pipiliin lamang natin ang tunay na panuntunan sa buhay- mabuhay para sa sarili o para sa Diyos. Salamat sa dalaw at komento. God bless you all always. BTW, thank you rin pala sa Japanese calendar na kasama nang pinadala mong card. Cute na cute duon ang bunso ko at binigay ko sa kanya, lol.
Hi Mel,
My sincere thanks to you for the kind words. It's good hearing something again from blogging friends. It really feels like I am talking to a sibling. BTW, my younger brother passed away after Ondoy (colon cancer)I am sure you will include him in your prayers in much the same way you are praying for me and my family. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
God Bless You too.
Hi Lotus Flower,
Actually I am subscribed to your email feeds but probably your postings are far and few in between. Anyway, I really commiserate with your losses during typhoon Ondoy as well as the untimely death of your brother. May you find peace and solace after those burdensome trials. You will always have a friend and brother here who will never get tired of praying for all your needs. Just give me a comment and I will always do so. Thanks for your visit and heartfelt comments. God bless you always.
I also beleive that everything happens because we made it happen. God is just there to guide us through his words. But sometimes, humans are so stubborn to follow the wrong path. God bless Mel... I've been so busy last week. dami kong na miss dito
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Hi Tey,
Yes, as they say in the vernacular, nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa. People sometimes work and work without consulting God first and when they fail, they heap all the blame on God. Thanks for your visit and comments. God bless you always.
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