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
Have you been unfairly and savagely criticized by others and your first reaction was to tear the person apart by venomous words pouring out of your mouth or pen? How many times have we reacted immediately to a disparaging remarks and dished out our own missile to our enemy? After that what happened? We did not only give the offending party justification for his unfair accusations but we overdo the reaction and feel guilty as hell afterwards. And that will be the start of a cold war between you and your detractor.
James said in James 3: 6, "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." We must control the urge to speak out or write when we are angry, for we are ruled by unbridled emotions at that moment. Better to keep silent and put the offending party off guard. Imagine his consternation to elicit a different reaction from you. Silence speaks louder than so many hollow words. It speaks volumes of what could have been and is the best reaction to a savage attack. Instead of counter attacking, we just stand our ground without necessarily capitulating. The attacker is then exposed with all the negative implications of his actions. He is exposed as an impulsive person who shoots first then ask questions later. And believe you me, he will realize that he has placed his foot on his mouth and will feel terrible about it. So instead of engaging your enemy in a war of words, why not give him a dose of your eloquence of silence?
Notice: This article was not written to spite any person living or dead. Any similarity of this article to a factual experience in life is purely coincidental and means no harm to anyone. I apologize to anybody who might feel alluded to by this article. I love you all with the love of the Lord. God bless you all.
What kind of a person are you, proactive or reactive? Your answer to this question may unravel so much of your personality that may still be unknown to you. There are advantages and disadvantages on either side. A proactive person is normally a task oriented person. He is, more often than not, a perfectionist who takes pride in his work. He anticipates problems and devise ways to solve them long before they arise. He is the doer, the innovator, the trailblazer. He loves to take risks and will not hesitate to take chances on an unclear situation. But the greater the risk, the bigger the loss if the project fails.
The reactive person is normally a procrastinator. He dislike to take risk, that is why he, more often than not, just reacts to situations in his life. He is fearful of the unknown and would wait to see things settle clearly before he makes any decision especially major ones. He is a person who loves to find ways and means to evade or at least procrastinate doing a task at hand. He just do what is expected from him, no more no less. And if he can skirt doing a task, he will be more than glad to escape from it.
If we will compare these two types of personalities to chess players, the proactive person is the attacking player, full of derring do and innovative moves. He would analyze all the counter moves of his opponent and will find ways to thwart them. The reactive person is like a defensive type of a chess player who will just defend every attack delivered by the attacking player. NOW WHICH TYPE OF PERSON ARE YOU?
I have often wondered why God has allowed to make you suffer that much and inspite of that, you remain so true to Him, faithful up to the end. You make your life a shining testimony of how a sickly woman, with an equally sickly mother and brother living all by themselves in Canada, can carry on with your collective lives. How your body, wracked with lupus, fibromyalgia and that dreaded nerve disease they call suicide syndrome because majority of its sufferers tend to commit suicide because of the excruciating pain it brought to them, have been able to bear them all? It made me wonder how God can tolerate such suffering from a kindhearted soul who, inspite of your physical and financial woes, could still help others like me with the outstanding testimonials of your life in the love of the Lord.
But you are not alone. I am also suffering like you. My body is also wracked with all diseases and pains that I seemed to live just by faith alone. When I think of sis Emmyrose of Just Let Go, I know that there are countless Christians suffering terrible trials in their lives but still faithfully holding on to God's promises. All of us have our own "thorn in the flesh" just like Paul. God is also saying, "My grace is sufficient for you." For when we are weak then we are strong in the strength of ourGod. Often, people like Euroyankand Vest, good and honorable people themselves, have often asked me how I carry on with my faith and not with the wisdom of the world. This is our collective answer, as this was also the answer of the thousands of early Christians who were martyred in the early days of the church for professing their faith. WE ARE HOLDING ON TO THE PROMISE OF THE LORD THAT WHEN WE MEET HIM FACE TO FACE, HE WILL WIPE EVERY TEAR FROM OUR EYES AND HE WILL WELCOME US TO HIS HEAVENLY DWELLING WITH THE WORDS, "WELCOME MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANTS TO THE DWELLING OF MY FATHER AND YOUR FATHER."
The reason why our resolve to withstand temptations and the allures of the flesh always fails is because we identify with the wrong self. We always identify with our physical, emotional or mental bodies that is why we succumb to the overpowering onslaught of temptations. We say we are angry or we are sad when in fact it is our emotional body who is angry or sad. Or we say we feel weak or sick when in fact it is our physical body who feels this way. Or we are easily offended when others criticize us when it is our mental body and our pride that are offended. We are prisoners of our own cravings, desires and covetousness for things that seem good to the senses and the mind. We always desire things and we consummate these desires in our imaginations. Sometimes these imaginations become virtual obsessions which may lead to uncontrollable immoral or even criminal acts.
What the Bible means when it says that man was created in the image and likeness of God was that man as spirit is similar to God. Remember God is Spirit and if man was likened to God, the likeness is with man as spirit and not man as physical, emotional or mental bodies. The physical bodies that we so pamper now will someday rot and decay after we die. Not so with our spirit. It will soar to greater heights, to the dimension it is intended to dwell on after our physical death.
When the Lord returns and all creatures living and dead are called forth to account for what they did while still alive, the bodies that will resurrect will be glorified bodies who will no longer be limited by time and space. Those who have accepted Christ as Lord and savior and have walked faithfully in the will of God will be rewarded with eternal life in the presence of the Lord. Those who rejected Christ (or who have not accepted Him) and who lived sinful and unrepentant lives will be condemned to eternal death together with Satan and his cohorts. It is for us to choose whom we will serve- Jesus Christ or the lord of the world-Satan.
Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, True Self, Spirit, Physical Body, Emotional Body, Mental Body, Temptations, Allures of the Flesh, Resurrection, Glorified Body, Lord and Savior, Sinful Unrepentant Lives, Lord of the World
God promised to those who will obey Him and walk in His ways, divine providence for all their needs despite prevailing conditions in the world. In times of drought and famine, the children of God shall be satisfied. Nothing is impossible with God for those who believe in Him. Even in the desert, God provided manna to the Jews. When God, through the prophet Elijah, closed the heavens and it did not rain for two years, God sustained Elijah through a raven that brought him food every day.
Amidst all the belt tightening and the panic being exhibited by most people of the world, the children of God should relax and do their daily chores in all equanimity and peace, knowing that God will sustain them in all their needs. This is the time to increase living faith as opposed to the fears and anxieties of the men of the world. Many big companies and the economies of the most powerful nations of the world have come crashing down. God has promised that it is He who decrees who should rise and and who should fall. The wise men of the world, the economic wizards, the all powerful tycoons have all come crashing down to earth. Where is the boast of man that "he is the captain of his ship and the master of his soul?" Man is helpless when God ordains. But thanks God, the children of God are shielded from the tribulations of the world."Seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)
Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Depression, Economic Collapse, Wall St., Children of God, Wise Men of the World, Economic Wizards, Powerful Business Tycoons, Kingdom of God, Divine Providence, God's Righteousness, Tribulation
Our bodies communicate with us in so many ways, but oftentimes, we never listen to them. If we will only make it a habit to listen carefully to what they are saying, then we can save ourselves from lots of troubles. For example, our bodies communicate to us when we are hungry or when we are already full. But no, we let ourselves go hungry when we are so busy and try to push the feeling of hunger out of our mind's perception. The result, sooner or later, we develop ulcers. Or our bodies tell us that we are already full and fully satisfied, but no, our mind still wants to gorge on the delectable fares on the dining table. And the result? Sooner or later, we develop unwanted fats that can lead to full blown obesity.
Pains, fevers, dizziness, neuralgia, and other bodily symptoms are the ways our bodies communicate with us. We must be very sensitive to their messages if we want to live a fully healthy and longer lives. A nagging pain in the neck and at the napes could mean a high blood pressure. This could be accompanied by dizziness and a feeling of nausea.
For most part of my life, I have not been to doctors. They only make me more sick and panicky. I just listened to my body talks and I responded to them accordingly. Of course, I am not recommending what I am doing to others. I can do this because I live by faith and not by sight (senses). My complete trust and confidence in the goodness of God and His faithfulness to His promises plus the unmistakable language of my body have kept me relatively healthy and alive all these years although I was diagnosed to have life threatening diseases a long time ago. When your body talks, please listen it attentively, then do whatever necessary things you have to do and live a relatively healthy and trouble free life.
Tags: Health, Body Talk, Symptoms, Life, Longevity, Freedom from Pain, Neuralgia, Dizziness, Sensible Diet, Exercise, Clean Living, Healthy Lifestyle, Wellness, Live By Faith, God's Promises, Long Life
St. Bernadette of Lourdes (Close Up Photo of Exhumed Body)
She Was Placed At A Glass Casket For Public Viewing
The Last Photo Of St. Bernadette Before Burial
Actual Video of Her Body By A Pilgrim At Lourdes
The other night, I just saw on TV the most mesmerizing sight I ever beheld in my entire life. There in the National Geographic documentary, I saw the miracle of the incorruptible body of St. Bernadette of Lourdes. Scientists in various parts of the world are baffled by this most strange and unique phenomena. When St. Bernadette died, her body was not mummified, yet when her body was exhumed several decades later, church and medical authorities found it to be perfectly intact and had no visible signs of decomposition. The body was exhumed twice more, the last at 1925 when her body was finally brought to a church for public showing. Written below is an excerpt of the life of St. Bernadette culled from Wikipedia.
"Saint Bernadette (born Marie-Bernarde Soubirous, January 7, 1844- April 16, 1879) was a miner's daughter from the town of Lourdes in Southern France. From February 11, to July 16, 1858, she reported eighteen apparitions of "a Lady." Despite initial skepticism from the Roman Catholic Church, these claims were eventually declared to be worthy of belief after a canonical investigation, and the apparition is known as Our Lady of Lourdes. After her death, Bernadette's body reportedly remained incorrupt, and the shrine at Lourdes went on to become a major site for pilgrimage, attracting millions of Catholics each year. On December 8, 1933, she was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church, her Feast Day is celebrated on April 16."
In my heart I know that the Lord has granted a great miracle to arouse the faith of people around the world and to show His great love and care for this little girl who had been faithful to Him. He showed the world the future of His children when their corruptible bodies will be transformed into incorruptible and glorious bodies to meet Jesus Christ in His second coming.
Partly Sourced at WIKIPEDIA and Youtube
Tags: St. Bernadette of Lourdes, Incorruptible Body, God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, France, Exhumation, Miracle, Glorious Body, Pilgrims, Faith, Faithfulness, Saint, Canonization, Roman Catholic Church, Second Coming, Wikipedia, Youtube, Amazon.com, National Geographic
"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?
