THE FAITH OF A PROPHET

-Marco Andrino

After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:
“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you. Think about this: Take John the Baptist to represent our faith, since after all he is the messenger sent to prepare the way for Jesus and our faith if the vehicle through with the message of Christ goes out to the world. When they went out to the wilderness they didn't see a reed swayed by the wind, in other words they didn't go find someone whose faith was shaped by external circumstances or social pressures. And they didn't find someone dressed in fine clothes, for our faith is not based on external adornments, or consumed with the things that are of value to the world. What they found was a man who was unshakable and uncompromising, a wild man who was so magnetic that people left the comfort of their town to venture into the wilderness to see him. What does our faith look like? To answer that we must first clarify what our faith is in.
What does faith look like when it’s in something temporal, like career, family, money, etc? The story of Job gives us a clear picture of the fleeting nature of all things of the world. Putting your faith in them is like hammering a stake into sand. They are unreliable by their very nature because they are subject to outside variables which can destroy them. This faith will look like the reed in the wind.
What does faith look like when it’s in our knowledge and understanding, abilities or talents? I am the master of my own destiny, the captain of my own ship. Through my own strength, skill, and knowledge I will work my way to heaven. Take a lesson from King Nebuchadnezzar, who was contemplating how great he was when God struck him down and left him eating grass like an ox. He lost his sanity until he repented of his pride and humbled himself to God. You see, this faith is also like a reed in the wind.
What does faith look like when it’s in our faith? By this I mean, our religious traditions, like our church services, discipleship partners, d-times, bible talks, sharing of our faith, the Sunday sermon, the church leadership, and our Sunday attendance. This kind of faith is the most dangerous because it has the appearance of Godliness, but is not God. Consider this analogy: to combat a strong virus, we inject ourselves with a weak version of the same virus. This creates antibodies which will immunize us from both the weak and the strong. When we replace the true God for a weak semblance of Him, we run the danger of numbing ourselves to both the weak version and the true God.
Consider the words of Christ in Matthew 7:22-23: Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
This too is like a reed in the wind.
*******
So what does faith look like when it’s in Christ? For this we should first describe who Christ is:
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus calls himself the way, meaning the way to the father, which is the only way that matters. Just like when we stand before God in Judgment there will only be one evaluation: “were we Disciples of Christ?” so here on earth there is only one way that matters, the way of Christ. The path he has laid, and the life he has called us to.
He is also the truth, and truth by its very nature is not subject to change. It’s immovable. Like anchoring your tent stake to an iron ring, you can have full confidence in it. Christ is truth because Christ is God, never changing, and always victorious, all powerful, all knowing, and all loving. Who can stand against the Lord?
Christ is also the life. He can say this because he is the essence of life and the creator of all life. Separation from God is death. This is why all men instinctively fear death, because we are created in the image of God and God is life.
This type of faith is the faith of a prophet. This is the faith that makes those around us stop and take notice. In the words of King David in Psalm 18:

28 You, LORD, keep my lamp
burning; my God turns my darkness
into light.
29 With your help I can
advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is
flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the
LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms
me with strength and keeps my way secure.
33 He makes my feet like the
feet of a deer; he causes me to
stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for
battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You make your saving help
my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help
has made me
great.
36 You provide a broad path
for my feet, so that my ankles do not give
way.

Only a faith in Christ can produce this! Only the great Lion of Judah can turn us into mighty warriors.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all our brothers and sisters and specially to all the Christians that live in the Middle Eastern Countries.

FELIZ NAVIDAD

Felíz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo a todos nuestros hermanos y hermanas cristianos y en especial a todos los que viven en El Medio Oriente.

SO YOU ARE MOVING TO ARIZONA WITH YOUR PETS.....

If you have decided to move to Arizona or are a winter visitor, Welcome. You have made a good choice. You will enjoy this beautiful state and so will your pets: however, there are some things you need to know. Some of the tips will apply to all newcomer, while others will apply just to some, depending where you come from or where you settle in .
While you look for a house, you may want to board your pets so it is wise to look for a clean, well-kept, and well-run boarding kennel.You may want to visit several before deciding. Friends and acquaintances may be able to recommend a good one.
When you arrive at your destination, you should try to select a veterinary practice as soon as possible. Take your pets for a visit to get to know the veterinarian and his staff and to open a file on your pets BEFORE an emergency arises.
Your pets' vaccinations should be up-to-date or they should be given boosters as soon as possible. While your pets travel to Arizona, they should be comfortable and watered and fed regularly. Do not turn them loose for a while. They may become confused and try to return to where they came from or they may wander into the desert and get lost. This precaution applies particularly to cats.
If you are going to live in the Phoenix Valley or in Tucson, remember that the summer temperatures may climb over 100-115 degrees F. It is not unusual for a dog or suffer from heat exhaustion or sun stroke if he over exerts himself.
Rattle and other kinds of snakes, scorpion, poisonous toads, as well as other small critters can be a menace to your pets. In some areas coyotes, javelinas, bob cats and even mountain lions may be a threat to your small dogs and cats as well as hawks, large owls and ravens, particularly at night.
Foxtails, a very common weed in Arizona, can get into your pets' ears, nose, eyes, and toes and cause serious infection. This annoying weed is a problem in the spring and summer months.
Fleas are not very common in the Valley because of the dryness but ticks are very common and can cause a lot of problems for your pets also.
If you are going to live in a dusty area or if your dogs like to dig, the spores of the fungus that causes Valley Fever are rather common in the soil.
Does all this sound frightening to you? It really is not. We are just trying to make you aware of what "might" happen. The vast majority of pets live happily and healthy in Arizona. It only emphasizes the importance of becoming acquainted with your veterinarian. He will be the best source of advice about the situation in your area, particularly if he already has a file on each of your pets.

What’s Holding Americans Back? by Gerald Celente

What’s Holding Americans Back? by Gerald Celente

LA GRAN MENTIRA

El socialismo y todas sus facetas como el comunismo, fabianismo, nazismo, facismo, etc., es un sistema político atéo que engaña a la gente y a naciones con la falsa promesa de mejorar y sacar de la pobreza a los desposeídos y lo único que persigue es hacer a todos miserables esclavos, desposeídos de toda libertad, propiedad y derechos humanos bajo la total tiranía y despotismo de un enorme, ineficiente, corrupto y cruel gobierno con la excepción de un pequeño círculo de sus dirigentes del partido los que viven con lujos y riqueza ilimitada, al mismo tiempo que los recursos naturales de los paises son saqueados por las diabólicas fuerzas que los financéan, dirigen y respaldan. Para ambos, sus financiadores y los socialistas, el valor de la vida de la person no es mas que la de una cucaracha. Lo único que les concierne es su avaricia, su voracidad de poder y el dominio del mundo.

THE GREATEST LIE

Socialism and all its different faces, communism, fabianism, facism, nazism and others, is an unbiblical as well as ungodly system that fools people and whole nations with the false promise of uplifting the poor. Instead it makes everybody poor and miserable with absolutely no rights or property for anyone under the despotism of an omnipotent, huge, inefficient, corrupt and cruel government.
Except for the small circle at the top of the government who become very rich, at the same time the resources of the country are ransacked by the evil forces that finance and promote the system. To these people the life and well being of the ordinary citizen has no more value than that of a cockroach. All they are interested in and concerned with is greed, power and domination of the world