This is the product of my fertile thoughts. I am recreating them here and am sharing them with you, dear bloggers, for whatever benefits, if any, you could derive from them. I wish you could be more open and share with me your comments and suggestions so that I can improve on my blog. Thank you, God bless and have a nice day. Mel Avila Alarilla
BANISH THOSE DRAGONS FROM YOUR MIND Do you have dragons in your mind that bedevils you? Do you have dragons that cause untold miseries in your lives? You have to identify these dragons and banish them away from your mind before they can cause irreparable damages and havoc to your life. Let us identify these dragons and what damages they have inflicted in our lives.
1. The Dragon of Bitterness- Have you been hurt before? Were you a victim of betrayal or backstabbing by your most trusted friend? Were you deserted by a loved one? Whatever pains these people may have caused you, this may leave a lingering spirit of bitterness in your heart. This will act like acid scarring your very soul and will cause you untold sufferings and sleepless nights. Learn to forgive and forget and banish this powerful dragon from your life. Then move on to a higher plane of existence and a more meaningful life.
2. The Dragon of Doubt and Fear - This dragon has caused many failures and sufferings in our lives. It prevented us from attaining our full potentials in life. Banish it from your life and see how the angel of success will replace it and assure victory in your life.
3. The Dragon of Covetousness - We covet what we do not have and so we hate the people who have it all. Banish this dragon from your life before you commit a crime against your fellowmen.
4. The Dragon of Arrogance and Pride - Pride caused the downfall of Lucifer from heaven. Pride caused the defeat of so many men. Banish this dragon from your mind and learn to be humble.
5. The Dragon of Lust - This dragon has caused many defeats and downfall to so many people- from Samson to Napoleon Bonaparte. Lust for anything is sinful. This dragon must be banished from your mind.
6. The Dragon of Avarice and Greed - Man is never satisfied. He wants more and more of everything. Let us banish this dragon from our mind and learn to live a simple and contented life.
There are so many other dragons that bedevil man's life. The important thing is, we identify them all and banish them from our minds. In their place, let us think of all the positive things that the Holy Spirit bring- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. We are the products of our thoughts. So let us think only pure, positive and pleasant thoughts and reap a life of success, joy, peace and contentment. NEVER LET THE DRAGON ENTER YOUR MIND.
Tags: Dragons, Bitterness, Doubt and Fear, Covetousness, Arrogance and Pride, Lust, Avarice and Greed, Fruit of the Holy Spirit
"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
by Ernest Hemingway For Whom The Bells Toll
Just recently, one of the most popular action star in the Philippines died at the young age of 56 after battling cancer for two years. Previous to that, the King of Philippine movies died of cerebral stroke even though he was at the pink of his health. The list could go on and on. People with debilitating and dreaded diseases surviving their sicknesses and incredibly living on for an indefinite number of years while people who seemed to be relatively healthy, falling on the wayside.
Only God knows who will go and who will stay. The bells will toll for those they are intended to be tolled for. No amount of money or riches can buy an indefinite extension of one's life. Money may buy human organs to replace malfunctioning ones, but this will only add a few years to the buyer's life. In the end, he has to face the music and go with the ebb and flow of life. For what has been written and destined will be accomplished according to His divine plan. We can only bow our heads and accede to the fact that "for whom the bells toll, it tolls for thee." ARE WE PREPARED TO MEET OUR CREATOR?
Tags: Death, For Whom The Bells Toll, Ernest Hemingway, Uncertainty of Life, Inevitability of Death
FEAR OF THE LORD Proverbs said, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." When I was just a new Christian, I often shun away from this verse because fear has a negative connotation to me. I would reason out that I loved God more than I feared Him and that perfect love cast away all fears. But as I grew and matured as a Christian, this phrase assumed a new and different meaning to me. Why would the author of Proverbs associate the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom? Seen in the light of John 3:16 ("For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.") which showed the incomparable love of God for all men, I began to understand and appreciate that verse.
Fear of the Lord means fear of offending Him who has given the most precious possession He has to save all mankind. And to do the one thing that He abhors most, and that is- sinning, is really unthinkable. When we realize all the wonderful things He has given us- from birth to eternal life, to countless blessings- there is a reverential fear and awe of Him and the desire to please Him and do His will. Fear of the Lord then simply means to live in order to please God and give glory to His name. Fear of the Lord means to avoid the one thing that will separate us from Him, and that has always been sin.
So as we fear the Lord and avoid incurring His wrath through sinning, we reap the incalculable harvests of blessings and graces that He so abundantly bestow to those who fear Him and obey His will. Did He not promise in Matthew 6:33 that, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Truly, it is wisdom to choose the path of grace, salvation, blessings and fellowship with God and our fellow brethren and the joy and glory of eternal life with the Lord. SHALL WE START TO FEAR THE LORD?
Tags: Fear of the Lord, God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Righteousness, Salvation, Grace
I AM MY BROTHER'S KEEPER Cain committed the world's first murder by killing his brother Abel. When God confronted Cain about his brother's whereabout, he gave this classic remark, "Why, am I my brothers's keeper?" Throughout all the ages, man carried this same cavalier attitude towards his fellowmen. He always turned a blind eye on the sufferings of others and we could almost surmise that in his mind, he always carry the same answer that Cain gave to God- "Why, am I my brother's keeper?"
Now, is the time to reverse this decadent attitude of man towards his fellowmen. Instead, let us show our concern and care for the least of our brethren by declaring these words:
Yes, I am my brother's keeper. His pain is my pain. His joy is my joy. His sorrow is my sorrow. His happiness is my happiness. His hunger is my hunger. His deprivation is my deprivation. His ignorance is my ignorance. His poverty is my poverty. His sickness is my sickness. His struggles are my struggles. His loneliness is my loneliness. His isolation is my isolation. His imprisonment is my imprisonment. His tortures are my tortures. His agonies are my agonies. His search for truth is my search for truth. His cry for freedom is my cry for freedom. His quest for salvation is my quest for salvation.
I cannot just sit here and mind my own business oblivious to what's happening to my brother. I cannot keep a blind eye to his cry for deliverance. I will make a commitment right here and now that henceforth, I will be my brother's keeper and I will do everything in my power to help him in every way I can. So help me God. Signed this day and attested by me.
Please copy this manifesto and affix your signature, and post or send it to your friends. Send me a copy of your post or email so I can consolidate the complete manifesto. Thank you so much. God bless us all.
Tags: We Are The World, I Am My Brother's Keeper, Universal Brotherhood, Love, Peace, Joy
I want to share with you, my dear readers, this beautiful love song that haunted me throughout my life. Its lyrics and melody epitomize the whole of me and my romantic inclinations. I was born a romantic person and I will die one. Hear this musical video and I'm sure you'll also fall in love with the song. I included the lyrics of the song here for your better appreciation and enjoyment. Sit back, just relax and enjoy the beauty of this love song.
Distant Shores by Chad and Jeremy
Sweet soft summer nights The dancing shadows in the starry nights You came for me to follow As we kissed on the distant shores.
Long quiet hours of play Songs of tomorrow sung yesterday Love came for me to follow As we kissed on the distant shores
Refrain Cathedral bells and children playing Raindrops fall as if they're saying: Quiet thoughts of you caressed my time.
The dream of summer's gone Whispered memories as the nights grow long Love came for me to follow As we kissed on the distant shores.
Distant Shores by Chad and Jeremy
Tags: Distant Shores, Chad and Jeremy, Memories, Love, Summer Song, Romantic
ARE YOU A WORRY WART? Are you a worry wart? If so, you are in deep trouble. Worrying leads to so many diseases like hypertension, ulcer, obesity, anorexia nervosa, sleeplessness, tension reactions, restlessness, loss of appetite, neuralgia, and so many other diseases. It attacks the brain and nerve functions of the body. Excessive worrying can also lead to severe nervous breakdown and weakening of the immune system. At the back of worrying is the fear and dread of something awful that is forthcoming. It is like the proverbial sword of Damocles hanging in the air over our heads.
The antidote to worrying is complete trust in God and in His inherent goodness. Those whose trust in God is intact and solid never worry because they believe in His promise that He will never leave them nor forsake them. Even in the direst situations, when everything seems impossible and we feel the whole weight of the world crushing down upon us, we just have to surrender all our cares and troubles to the Lord and He will lead us to the way of deliverance we never imagined before. Have we not overcome all the severest trials in the past when we put our trust in Him? Surely, He will do it again and give us the peace of mind we so long for. Those whose hearts do not rest on the Lord have only themselves to blame if worrying becomes their normal fare. As it is, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD.
Tags: Worry Wart, Nervousness, Anxiety, Dread, Hypertension, Obesity, Anorexia Nervosa, Sleeplessness, All Things Are Possible With God
VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH Have you been through the valley of the shadow of death? If so, what was your experience there? I have been through that valley so many times before that I lost count of them. My first experience there was when I was a little child barely six years old. I was pulling a toy cart at the backyard of my grandma in a faraway province where my mother was born. I never saw that old well since I was pulling my toy cart and was walking backwards. The next thing I knew was that I was falling inside that old scary well. It was an eerie experience as though I was transported to another world. All that I could remember was that scenes from my life flashed through the screen of my mind. I was lucky that it was summer during that time and the water level of the well was only chest deep. I became an instant celebrity in that quaint town when I was pulled out to safety still clutching my rubber slippers.
My next near death experiences occurred when I was already an adult. I have been with hypertension for more than twenty years now. I am also suffering from type 2 diabetes. I have congenital scoliosis (bone deformity) on my lower back. I also have acute hernia and prostate gland problem and an enlarge thyroid gland. I have been on the verge of near strokes so many times that I lost count of them. There were times when I thought death was already imminent. I had all the classic symptoms of full blown strokes except the actual stroke itself. Through all those near death experiences, I never panicked but I just relaxed and left my fate to my faithful God. I was never afraid to die because I knew I would be with Him when I do. For more than twenty years now, He has kept me alive to bear witness to His faithfulness to those who really trust and believe in Him. MAY HIS NAME BE GLORIFIED FOREVERMORE.
Tags: Near Death Experiences, Valley of The Shadow of Death, God's Grace and Faithfulness, Trust in His Unfailing Love
"Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 4:7b)
DO YOU NEED HELP? ARE YOU IN THE DARK? CAN'T FIND YOUR WAY AROUND? NEED A FRIEND WHO WILL STICK WITH YOU THROUGH THICK OR THIN OR WHEN EVERYBDOY ELSE HAS DESERTED YOU?
