LOVE.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient and is kind; love does does not envy; love does not parade itself, it is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek it's own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13. Love is really not that complicated if you follow it God's way. The verse says Love is patient and is kind. what it doesn't say is if you feel like, love is patient and is kind. You see throughout these verses, it's telling you what love is. And if you notice they are all actions and have nothing to do with feelings, actually the feelings come after the action if you can grasp this. The way God tell us to love, is in this manner. Giving 100% and not the world's 50/50 which is love with conditions. God's love is without conditions. Loving believe it or not, even when you don't feel like it. But you must be a believer in Christ to achieve this. you won't do it perfectly but will eventually do it genuinely. Without Christ love is the opposite of what we read here. It becomes selfish, thinking whats in it for me and me and me. And when we love God's way, we should never ask for nothing in return. Giving always. Always depending on God for what we need in our lives. When we depend on each other, we will always end up disappointed. But remember it's not easy loving God's way if you don't have Jesus in your heart. All things are possible with God. And God is love.      

Words Of Hope For The Hopeless.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". Jeremiah 29:11. God has a plan for us and it's a great plan because He is a great God. Plans to give you prosperity. It could be monetary, but I really think it's mostly prosperity of your mind body and soul.  He will give you hope and a future, a reason to live if we just believe in Jesus and trust Him as our Lord and Savior. When I first heard this verse it was in 1987, when I had just started attending church, it was a Spanish bible believing church. It was given to me by a brother written on a track. My life at that time was a real mess. In the infancy of my Illness and in the process of divorce. But there was something else going on at that time which no one knew about. And it was happening not because of the divorce but there was a growing seed in my mind for some time already and I felt my life had no meaning, it was worthless and not worth living. I had been contemplating on the real possibility of suicide. I was determined and was going to go through it. It was just a matter of time before it was going to happened. But when I read that verse that day, it changed my life forever. Because for some reason, call it truth, I believed what the verse said and I said to myself, God has a plan for me? I am worthless despised by the world, I am crazy, I'm mentally Ill. How can God use me. But I still believed the verse and to this day I do. We are worthless in the eyes of Satan but by no means in the eyes of Jesus our Lord. And the Bible says, 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. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before Him. 1Corinthians 1:27-29. We must believe His word, we are not worthless by no means. The doctors say some of us hear voices. But the voice or thought that tells you to kill yourself or others is most definitely not God Speaking to you. NEVER, NEVER follow that voice or thought. For starters we are not in our right mind if we have those thoughts and we must immediately seek professional help. God is the answer for everything in life. He knows especially how the human mind functions to it's best ability. He created the human being. And on top of it, He also created doctors and medicine. So trust in the Lord and listen to your doctor and/or counselor. May God bless you.  

What do we do at the end of our rope.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7. Sometimes we are overcome by situations that try to bring us down. Our heart beat increases and we begin to panic and sin begins to maybe be a reality in the near future. We try many ways to get out of the stressful situation and fix the problem ourselves. But in most cases like these, when we cannot do anything about the situation and arrive at the end of our rope, there is something we can do. I have been in these situations many a times. First I have to make sure my medication is right and maybe see my doctor if the situation is overwhelming. If the medication is right, what I do is I give my anxiety to God first, I tell Him exactly what is bothering me in detail. Sometimes though in doing this we give Him the anxiety and we take it back. You have to keep giving Him the anxiety until you see you have given it completely to Him. Then after that, just start to give Him thanks over and over. What will probably happen then is He will reveal to you why you should be thankful, He will give you an insight with incredible peace behind it. While you give thanks you will probably see He has been fixing something in you too. You will lose your pain in the mist of your genuine praise and you will lose sight of your selfish needs. Wait on the lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your hearts; wait I say, on the Lord! Psalms 27:14. In all this we must remember that the Lord will answer us and save us from our anxieties. But sometimes we must wait. He will say yes, no or wait. but in all cases we must be strong and wait on the Lord. Wait, wait on the Lord!  

Are you saved ?

Jesus answered and said to him,"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3. Are you born again? Are you saved? Are you sure you know where you are going when you die? You must be born again to know. When you are born again and receive Jesus Christ into your heart. you will go to heaven the day you die, no matter what happens. Because it does not depend on what you do, to go to heaven, and you cannot lose your salvation once you have it. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9. And Romans 10:9 says, That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
So if you believe in your heart in Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, you will be saved and when you die you will go to heaven. 1 John 5:13 says," These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of god." I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in 1980, and my life changed dramatically. Your life will change too if you do the same thing genuinely with you heart. And you will not be the same ever, especially because you will want the change and not because someone is telling you to change. You will have a purpose and a reason to live and move forward with your life. The Lord will also give you a future and a plan specifically for you, cause he knows what is best for you and what will move you to do your best and to bring you all His goodness and abundant life that He has to offer to all that believe. But it's a step you have to decide and make on your own. So if you do want to be saved, I can help you by you, saying a simple prayer with me. I will not save you but I will help you with this prayer and all you have to do is make it your own. Say Lord Jesus I believe you are Lord over all and are God. I believe that God raised you from the dead. I also believe that I am a sinner and fall short from perfection. Forgive me of my sins, Transform my life, from now on I want to follow you all the days my life, save me, guide me, and live in me, as I receive you now my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
So if you prayed that prayer and meant it with all of your heart, you are saved and now are a child of God. Congratulations! Now, what you want to do next is make sure you join a Bible believing church, pray, read and study your Bible every day, practicing what you learn diligently and fellowship with other believers and you will grow spiritually. Remember always trust Him and always be in contact and listen always to your doctor and /or counselor. God loves you and will never, ever leave you. May God bless you always.

Forgive your parents.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13,14. And also, And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32. I use to think, why did my friends do this to me, why did my family do this to me or even why did my parents do this to me. God does or allows things in our life, And I don't have all the answers, only God does. But when we hold grudges for some of the things our parents have done to us, we have to understand that they are or were not perfect. Though God can and will turn the bad into good, our parents did the best they could with the tools they had, in most cases I think. Like a mechanic for instance, If he only had a screwdriver and a pair of pliers to fix a car, he will not be able to do the job right and on top of that, he will cause a lot of damage, because he will try to fix everything with those two tools, when special tools and so many other tools will do the job better and are needed for certain parts of the car. In some repairs if you use the wrong tool you can cause damage to the part, scratch it, deform it or even break it. In the same way our parents and even us, have little or many tools to run and walk through this life on earth. We try to do many things and tasks with the little we know. And some of the things we do, like using the wrong tool, will sometimes cause damage and problems uncalled for. God forgave us many things and many ugly things, if we are really honest with ourselves and realize the truth. How can you judge and hold someone accountable for not having the right tool for the job. Now I am talking about forgiving your parents for doing the best they could with the tools they had. We all fall short and are not perfect. Only God is perfect and even God will not give us sometimes what we really deserve. If we are Christians, I think, it is our duty to forgive and move forward and learn from our parent's mistakes, not condemning them and be examples of the correct behavior in love. So follow God with all you have and He will give you the tools you need for your life and the plan He has for you.

What do you put into your mind?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8. What we put or what we allow or entertain in our mind sometimes is not what God would want us to think. Sure the evil one will tempt us, but do we go along with him or do we resist the temptation. What do we put into our minds? It's very important that our thoughts are centered on godly things. Meditation on scripture, involved in church, reading and studying the bible, fellowship with other Christians and so forth . Your intimate friends should be Christians and those that are not believers you should be trying to win over to Christ. Our mind controls our body, so it is very important what we put in and do with our minds. Protect it with all you got, and the best way to protect it is with Jesus in the center of your life. Our own ways are sometimes incorrect. We are not perfect and should always think that anything we do that is great or worth while in God's eyes, you can be sure God did it. When we do the things of God, you can be sure that you are on the right path. Don't always look at the other persons faults which are getting your attention, but ask God what are you trying to tell me with this problem, what do you maybe want me to change in my life. And don't always blame the evil one for everything, remember God is in control and He does or allows anything He wants to happen. God will tell you the answer, but if He doesn't, remember God has a master plan for your life, trust Him with all your life. Also remember that wherever God guides, He provides and it must be biblical. Trust not on your own understanding unless it is what God would do. Use your Christian counselors and/or advisers. Healing will come though all this, and make you more stable. God is all about bringing together, putting together. He will make your dreams come true, because he knows what makes us alive.

The old has gone, the new has come.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
2 Corinthians 5:17. Everything has it's time, and everything is in God's time, because He is in control of everything, or else He would not be God. In my life, suffering with my mental illness was not easy but after over thirty years of dealing with this, and reaching the end of my rope many times, I've always had to do what God was trying to show me to do in the end. Which was to obey Him at all cost. Even in deep fear, anxiety, or in any problem that might overwhelm me. Now to be realistic, we are human and God will forgive our sins always but sins have consequences and sometimes very serious. The Bible says we were created though Him and for Him, Colossians 1:16 but how long do we have to go on with our own thoughts and our own silly opinions about life and dwelling on poor little old me, until we finally realize that it's all about Jesus and not about me. Let me repeat it again, EVERYTHING is all about Jesus and not about me. The sooner we realize this fact, the quicker we will heal in many areas, while under our doctors care also, of course. The first thing we must know is, are we truly saved. If you are not sure, then we must seek out and make sure. John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not parish but have everlasting life. Believe in Him it says. Also, it says in Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. You see once we believe, and know we are saved, we will receive the Holy Spirit. Once saved, it says in 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. You see if we are saved, we have the power, and in God's time, to have a sound mind. I did not say this, God said this in His word and what God says, God will do. So believe in Him today and make Him the center of your life, don't dwell on your past failures and receive His blessings.   

Who gave you that ability?

When I first became ill I did not have much of an interest in the arts, like music, painting, writing and things along that line. But one day I started writing poems and it helped me tremendously. I then continued, and I found that it helped me see what I was feeling and see what was going on in my mind. Even though some of the things I wrote at that time I think were silly, it still helped me and I was able to speak to my doctor better and express my thoughts to him and in turn, help him in prescribing my medicine much more accurately. It's important that your doctor and/or counselors know everything and that you communicate your thoughts and feelings the best possible way you can. So as time went by and I craved on this creative energy, I then picked up a guitar and with my words I started to write songs. This became so encouraging to me because the music felt like medicine that was nourishing my mind and soul. But I did not stop there, I also started to draw and paint. Now I am not saying that these artistic things that I was doing were good, but it surely made me feel good and satisfied in a very deep way. So since I never experienced this before, I then began to research this new phenomenon that was occurring in my life. I latter learned that there were many people in world that were famous and not famous, that were very creative, and had problems with mental illnesses. This blew my mind because I could not explain the reason why this happens. Now I think not all mentally ill people are creative. But it's still a mystery to me. I know God gives us gifts and talents, but to me all of this creative energy stuff, I am still learning about. But the reason I am writing about this, is to encourage and guide. Use your gifts and talents for God, who gave them to you. The moment I started to use my gifts and talents for God, there was a much more meaning to what I was doing, and it held a greater purpose in my life.  1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. Also, Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. But always be careful of what you create and think and do. Run it all through the filter of the Bible, do it all for the Lord. Show your friends your work, the ones you trust, and especially your mature brothers and/or sisters in the Lord. Remember we are not always right, no matter who we are. And just because maybe, we create something great, remember who gave us the ability. Jesus.