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
As we partake of the sumptuous dinner on our table, as we exchange gifts and greetings with friends and loved ones, as we celebrate the yuletide holiday in some winter resort, as we make merry during this holiday season, let us pause for a moment to remember the Christmas Story. That Mary and Joseph had nowhere to spend their day while Mary was on the threshold of labor pains; that they were forced to stay in a humble stable and there on the manger, the new born Baby Jesus was lain; that angels heralded the triumphant birth of the Messiah-Son of God; that shepherds were the first to witness the Babe in the manger; and that three wise kings from the East visited the new born King to pay homage and obeisance and to present costly gifts.
The story still continues to this very day. As we partake of the sumptuous meal on our dinner table, millions are starving with nary a food to eat. As we exchange gifts and pleasantries with our loved ones, millions have no place to sleep nor clothes to wear. As we go to our favorite malls to shop and to our favorite winter resorts to enjoy the best of the holiday season, millions are shivering in fear and despair as the sounds of war reverberate in their ears. As we do our things on Christmas, let us pause for a moment to pray for the less privileged of our brothers. The Christmas Story has not ended, it has begun again in our hearts.
What Child Is This - Mercy Me
Tags: God , Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Christmas, Christmas Story, Nativity, What Child Is This, Emmanuel, Manger, Bethlehem, Israel, Joy To The World, Peace, Freedom, Prosperity, Love, Righteousness, Salvation, Eternal Life, Baby Jesus, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Born Again, Word of God, Holy Bible
I could never understand then why the Lord took me out from a flourishing ministry of teaching salvation seminar, part of our Divided Bible Seminars, at a local church of the biggest Christian church in our country. I also handled Bible Studies at the houses of cell groups. But the Lord took me out from all these and placed me in a ministry involving the internet. I started then groping for light in the darkness of the cyber world. I felt then that the entire system was evil, full of sin and self exaltation, ranging from outright pornography to vain people whose only concern were to strut their own greatness in the internet. I turned to counseling to the sector which I felt needed them most- the sicked people of the cyber world. And I got nothing but tongue lashing and ridicule from most of them. I continued to persevere even when it seemed that my whole efforts were going down the drain. It was really a thankless job. And slowly but surely, I found a niche in the blog world.
KNOW YOUR ENEMY As we go through this battlefield of life, we must know our adversary- our enemy. He is our accuser, the deceiver, the tempter, the beguiler, the father of all lies and he masquerades as an angel of light. He was once an angel, the highest ever created by God in the highest rank and order of seraphim. He was the most beautiful creation of God, exuding beauty and intelligence far beyond those achieved by any creature of God. In fact, he was the contemporary and intimate friend of Jesus Christ. But he was deceived by his own beauty and intelligence. He loved himself so much that he began to adore himself. He began to hate God and rebel against God to become God himself. He was able to deceive 1/3 of the angelic host and they battled against the remaining faithful angels of God. God's faithful angels were led by a lowly archangel by the name of Michael. Archangels and angels are among the lowest ranked angels among God's angelic host. And to show the awesome power of God against the rebellious group, Michael and his faithful angels defeated them. They were cast off from heaven and were thrown down to the earth and the seas. They were frothing and seething with anger and revenge by seeking to enslave mankind whom they envied because mankind still had the chance for redemption if they are washed by the blood of the Lamb. They enslaved the elementals of the earth, the seas and underneath the earth to do their biddings and to oppress mankind. They have manipulated the minds of men so that men will set themselves up against God just like what they did before in heaven. They became the beguiling pied pipers of this world, enticing men to follow their hypnotic tune down the road to destruction and doom. His name? Satan. "All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Enemy, Accuser, Deceiver, Tempter, Beguiler, Father of All Lies, Masquerades As Angel of Light, Seraphim, Highest Order of Angels, Most Beautiful Creation of God, Most Intelligent Creature, Self Adoration, Rebel Against God, Deceived 1/3 of Angelic Host, Archangel, Michael, Cast Off From Heaven, Thrown Down To Earth, Anger, Revenge, Envied Mankind, Save By The Blood of The Lamb, Elementals, Pied Pipers, Hypnotic Tune, Road To Destruction and Doom, Salvation By Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Eternal Life, Word of God, Holy Bible
There is one all important and lingering question that most men refuse to answer or cannot answer. And that question is, if you die right at this very moment, do you know where you are going to? Most people would just shrug their shoulders and say I don't know. Others would simply and nonchalantly say, I don't care. Not so with real born again Christians. They will tell you with a straight face that they will go to heaven. It is not a question of self righteousness or plain braggadocio. It is merely an assurance on the promise of God that those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior shall merit eternal life. And they believe the word of God and His promises. But where does born again Christians base their confidence on God's promises? The following verses give that assurance:
1. John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." 2. Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." 3. Romans 10:9 - "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." 4. Acts 4:12 - "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." 5. Acts 16:31 - "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved- you and your household." 6. Romans 10:13 - "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
I can go on and on citing similar verses but what I am emphasizing is that, we can never be saved by good works alone without Jesus Christ. Anything- offering, sacrifice or good works offered to the Father not in the name of Jesus Christ, will just be an offering in vain and not accepted by the Father. For there is only one way and key to heaven and He is Jesus Christ. "Jesus answered, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Assurance, Lingering Question, Where Shall We Go After Death, Born Again Christians, Heaven, Promise of God, Eternal Life, John 3:16, Wages of Sin, Gift of God, Confession, Jesus Is Lord, Salvation, Name, Name of The Lord, Good Works, Jesus Is The Only Way, Word of God, Holy Bible
God is faithful. He was, He is and He will always be faithful, for that is His very nature. Unlike man who is largely undependable, God is always dependable for He never change. We appreciate God's faithfulness in His promises. We are all powerless against the wiles, the lies and the supernatural powers of the enemy except for the word of God. God's words have the power to disarm all the powers, lies and cunning of the enemy. To show to the world and to man that God's words are the most effective tool against the enemy, even Jesus Christ Himself used God's words to disarm the devil in the temptation at the desert. God's words have the same power and efficacy as God Himself. This is revealed in the Book of John when it began with the words, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). It continued with, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
God never goes back from His promises. His promises become supernatural and powerful if we accept them with full faith, trust and confidence. God said that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can command the mountain to cast itself to the sea and it will obey. Even if the physical reality is overwhelmingly against the realization of God's promise, it shall come to pass if we believe in it wholeheartedly and persist in it with the patience of the cascading waves that pound the shores. All our sicknesses have been healed through the wounds and stripes borne by Jesus Christ prior to the cross. We only have to claim the healing with living faith and full trust and healing can be ours for the taking. We can rest in the faithfulness of God when He said, "Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved." TO GOD BE THE GLORY.
Tags: God , Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Faithful, Nature, Man, Undependable, Always Dependable, Powerless, Wiles, Lies, Supernatural Powers, Enemy, Disarm, Temptation, Book of John, Full Faith, Trust, Confidence, Mustard Seed, Patience, Persistence, Sicknesses, Healing, Wounds and Stripes of Jesus, Cross, Name of The Lord, God's Glory, Word of God, Holy Bible
Deceptions. Lies. False sense of security. Hollow philosophies that teach man made tenets in life. We see people blinded by the great pied piper following the enchanting music but to where? To their own doom. God created the universe and man with very simple rules but men chose to disobey God and do things their own way. And now that the world is in shambles, precipitating nearer and nearer to its self imposed doom, men are still deceived and they swallow the grand deceptions because they want to follow their own ways rather than the ways of God. And what is the way of God? God created the whole universe and termed it good. Man was the pinnacle of God's creation because he was created in the image and likeness of God. And God termed the creation of man as good. He instructed man to subjugate the earth and become the steward of God's bountiful provisions for man. But man chose to disobey God. He was cursed and driven out of paradise. And the race of man was never the same again. Man, after Eden, was born in a state of depravity. Even when God sent His only begotten Son to save perishing mankind, most men choose to follow their own ways because they refuse to humble themselves and follow God's ways. And now we see a world full of deceptions and lies. And what are some of these deceptions and lies?
1. That the very purpose of man's life is the pursuit of happiness; 2. That anything that seems good and pleasurable for man should be pursued unimpeded; 3. That there is a continuum of life so why bother with this present life; 4. That man must achieve the pinnacle of success no matter what the cost may be and no matter who gets hurt; 5. Let us eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.
Many are deceived by moral sounding philosophies like love, god, universal brotherhood, light, existentialism, gnosticism, etc. And some fanatical beliefs even teach their adherents that they will go straight to paradise if they die in the battlefield fighting for their beliefs. So we see the spectacle of fanatical people sharing death with their victims due to explosives attached to their bodies. But what is the truth really? It is in God's words. And God's words are faithful and true. And God never lies.
Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Deceptions, Lies, False Sense of Security, Hollow Philosophies, Man Made Tenets, Pied Piper, Doom, Man's Ways, God's Ways, Pinnacle of God's Creation, Image and Likeness of God, Stewards, Divine Providence, Paradise, State of Depravity, Only Begotten Son, Perishing Humanity, Pursuit of Happiness, Continuum of Life, Pinnacle of Success, Fanatical Beliefs, God is Faithful, God Never Lies.
Picture of my family taken three years ago before my wife went to the US
My Picture (All our pictures were lost in the flood)
My Wife and I (Taken Ten Years Ago)
My Youngest Daughter Heidi (Taken Three Years Ago)
My Youngest Son Meldrick (Taken Four Years Ago)
I Call Her Princess Heidi
Princess Heidi At A Younger Age
She looks like a boy here, lol
Another boyish picture
She's still a baby here at a previous house
To those who still do not know me, I am telling my short story not to glorify myself, but to glorify Him who has given me miracles after miracles so that others may know and appreciate Him more through my story.
More than three years ago, before my wife went to the US to work, I was scheduled for three major operations that were so immediately necessary. But I had to give them up because I already used forty thousand pesos of the eighty thousand pesos medical insurance coverage from my wife after so many laboratory and check up charges. My wife had to resign and give up her insurance card so she can proceed to the US. I was then scheduled for immediate operation for acute hernia and prostate gland, for acute scoliosis of my lower back and inflamed thyroid gland. Previous to that, I had been through the portals of death so many times because of hypertension and diabetes that I already lost count. And through all these years, God graciously extended my life until now. I no longer see doctors since I do not have the means and they are just so appalled by my serious conditions. I just take my maintenance medicines for hypertension and diabetes. I could say that my life is just being sustained by the grace of God that every morning when I wake up, I thank him for the grace of life. I became the father and mother of my children and have gone through so many crises in life but through it all, God has been so graceful and merciful to me. More than a year ago, our house was inundated by chest deep flood waters and we barely escaped with our lives. But we lost half of our possessions. A year ago, I experienced the most severe pain and trauma of my life when my whole lower body became so painful that I almost committed suicide but could not because of the fear of the Lord and my wholehearted trust in Him. Three days after, I miraculously stood up with no pain at all. I could probably write a whole book to cite miracles after miracles in my life but all I can say is that, He is a faithful God who never leave me nor forsake me. And I totally surrendered my life to Him and live only to please Him and give glory to His name. May His name be praised forevermore.
For a more encouraging and inspirational stories of sheer courage, unflinching faith in God and the indomitable spirit of bravery in facing the extreme pains and traumas in her body because of lupus, fibromyalgia, vertigo and other chronic illnesses, may I refer you to the blog of my dear spiritual sister in suffering - Bluebirdy of Life- 4 Hours At A Time".
Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, My Life Story, Glory of God, Major Operations, Medical Insurance, Acute Hernia, Prostate Gland, Scoliosis, Inflamed Thyroid Gland, Hypertension, Diabetes, Portals of Death, Grace of God, Crises in Life, Suicide, Miracles After Miracles, Faithful God, Praise God, Bluebirdy, Sheila, Life- 4 Hours At A Time, Sister in Suffering
"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?
