Friday, December 23, 2011

The Fast of Daniel- Day Nine

Original Post by Bishop Macedo

Those who are born of the Spirit, single and free of any romantic relationship, have an advantage over those who are tied to feelings of the heart.
I say this from experience.

When I was around 20 years old, I remember clearly that I had more time to read the Bible, pray and worship my Lord. I would go into my room, lock the door and there in that room, develop my communion with Him.
On one Saturday night as I was reading about David and Goliath, a verse caught my eye and filled me with inexpressible joy. David was sent by his father to take provisions to his brothers and to find out how they were. Arriving there, he spoke to his brothers, and before they could answer he heard the threatening cries of a man of the Philistine army.
Morning and evening for forty days, Goliath challenged anyone from Israel to come out and fight him.
“And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.”
But David, an inexperienced young man that was unable to serve in the army in any capacity, was not intimidated by the size of that man, who was almost 9 feet tall, or by his specialized armour. Filled with a living faith in the God of his fathers, the young shepherd became indignant at his threat and said:
“For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” I Samuel 17.26
There are no words to describe the happiness and boundless joy that filled my being.
Forty-five years have now passed but I still remember this as if it were yesterday. It seemed like the Spirit of God was calling me to stand up to Babylon (religion) and its servants, and the sewer networks (media).
David killed Goliath and cut off his head. But the spirits, of both Goliath and of the Philistines, continue on earth and threaten the armies of the Living God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel.
IIn response, the Spirit of God through the UCKG, has raised up people from the four corners of the earth with the same spirit as David to confront the “Philistine-Romans”.
Goliath is the sewer network that works for the Roman army (media and religion).
Those who have ears to hear: listen, understand, be sealed with the Spirit of God and consider yourselves called up for war.
Those who believe in the God of David, come along with us.
Those who don’t, continue to stay connected to the sewer network and feed on its excrement.
God bless those who believe.

The fast of Daniel- Day Eight

Original Post by Bishop Macedo

Have you ever seen how a soldier is trained in the army? Far more than their body, their mind is trained to control their emotions. This is because they have to be prepared to kill the enemy without mercy if and when they go to war. Soldiers are trained to destroy the enemies of their home country.
Still, their training is not the best.
When it comes to a special forces squad, a maximum of five out of a hundred applicants are chosen. Their training is extremely harsh and severe. Their mind is trained to make them almost indifferent to physical pain. Imagine their insensitivity to emotions!
If a soldier is not able to overcome his emotions and weaknesses, how will he confront and defeat the enemy? If he cannot win his own internal battles, how will he win his external battles?
For me, the philosophy of a special forces squad is not to die fighting, but to win fighting.
The Kingdom of God is no different. All who are born of the Holy Spirit are part of the Special Forces Squad of Heaven. No child of God is weaker than another. They all have the same Godly DNA, the same Spirit, the same power...
Isn’t this what we believe, that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind? 2 Timothy 1.7
Of course, not everyone is willing to risk his life to protect his faith. It was this way in the past, it is this way in the present and will continue to be this way in the future.
But there are some who stand out. They don’t think twice before sacrificing their lives for what they believe.
Take the Gadites who helped David as an example. The Bible says that they were men of valour, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains… The least was over a hundred men, and the greatest was over a thousand. I Chronicles 12:1-14
God did not withhold His power from the faithful in the past, nor does He in the present. He has equipped His children in such a way that the enemies of the cross have no chance of prevailing.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments… 2 Corinthians 10.4
Those who are born of the Spirit of God never lose. What appear to be losses, failures, frustrations and disappointments are nothing more than training for the Special Forces Squad of the Spirit of God.
All things work together for their good! All things...
When they win, they rejoice in the victory. Hallelujah!
When they lose they cry, mourn and groan—but only for a while.
Later on, they discover that they have gained. And then, it’s all celebration!
Death, demons, hell, the devil and all his children will tremble with rage when they see us happily, joyfully and glowingly facing the hardships of life.
The children of Cain are dying of envy because of us. Who ordered them not to make the sacrifices of the children of Abel?
LOL!
Win or lose, those who are born of God always win!

The Fast of Daniel- Day Seven

Original Post by Bishop Macedo

Due to human nature’s hypersensitivity to emotions it is difficult to deny the desires of the flesh.
The conflict between spirit and flesh has claimed lives... even worse, lives lost for all eternity.

How many love relationships have ended in death? …in suicide? How many lives? Why?
Simply because sensitive people yield to the whims of their feelings. They become hostages to the voice of their desperately wicked, deceitful heart. Its hold is so strong that they do not even stop to reason for a moment.
They think that their moments of deep anguish will never end. They think that a lost “love” signals the end of their lives.
But since time is the master of reason, in time they will realise how foolish they were; they were troubled and lost precious time.
While they were melting in tears, the devil couldn’t stop laughing...
Consequently, the great need to have Adam’s nature transformed into a Godly nature, from a living soul to a life-giving spirit, from emotion to reason, from born of the flesh to born of the Spirit.
In this way, Christians will no longer be at a disadvantage in the battle against Satan, or against sin. Because the devil is spirit, he takes advantage of those who live in the flesh. But when Christians are spirit, and even better, when they are spirit and have the DNA of the Holy Spirit, then it’s over for the devil and for all of hell.
There is not even the slightest chance of losing. Those who are born of the Spirit are destined to overcome all things! They overcome the devil, love life problems, addictions, pride, sin and the world. In other words they overcome everything because they are children of God and have His power within them.
It is exactly what the apostle Paul teaches:
For whatever is born of God (is spirit) overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1John 5.4
We know that whoever is born of God (is spirit) does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.1john5.18
This is like totally awesome, as surfers would say...

Friday, December 16, 2011

The Fast of Daniel- Day six

Day 6-
December 16, 2011

Day six, day six. Today is Day six. Today is the end of my 6th quarter. Finals are done and our "holiday break" begins. The fast of Daniel continues. I have already seen a change in myself. It's crazy what a little more focus and surrender can do. Everyone begins the temporary feeling of giving, peace, and joy. I say temporary because for some reason the world shifts in December. All of a sudden it's all beautiful, everyone puts on an appearance of harmony and peace. It's only in December. Only in the season. I don't understand why it can't be always. Anyway everyone is preparing to give gifts, receive gifts. As for me I'm going to continue to fast, surrender my ego and gonna spend this "holiday season" sacrificing. I've come to realize that nothing else matters, everything in this word will be gone when we die. It's not gonna matter if we were "cool", which party we attended, how many friends we had, who we dated, or anything. What we did in this life will determine where we go in the afterlife. And that's what I am investing in right now, there's no way I can lose in doing this. God is with me, the Holy Spirit is in me and my choices will reflect what the Holy Spirit wants me to do. I've learned so much these past six days. All the messages have been eye-opening. I know that no-one is perfect and that I might have been doing some things wrong, but it is never too late to start over. Today's message was about the Seven Spirits:
"The prophecy: The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. Isaiah 11:2"
 The Holy Spirit is one Spirit, of course, yet within that One spirit is seven virtues. Those who are possessed with the Holy Spirit have these virtues, just as Jesus did, so that we could face every single one of our problems and overcome all of our problems. 
God is amazing and would never let anything that comes against us be stronger than us. Something to keep in mind is that you are stronger than your temptations. Only when you are with God, even if you are just beginning to want to be with God, you can overcome your temptations if you decide you don't want to fall.


It's crazy when you turn your back on this World. Today I was in Santa Ana, CA at the college I am attending. It's winter, therefore there's crazy weather. As you can see the wind was blowing at 3mph, it doesn't seem that bad when you walk the same direction the wind is blowing. The wind itself gives you a push. The problem is when you turn and walk the opposite direction, the wind pushes you back and it becomes more difficult to walk towards it. I thought today, that is exactly what happens in this world. As youths we naturally want to be "in". We want to go with the flow. We want to do what everyone else is doing so that we wont be left out, and yes, it comes naturally. You are considered "normal" when you go the same direction as the wind of this World. When we decide to "walk" the opposite direction of this world, it becomes difficult. It seems like the wind blows harder in order for you to be pushed back, in order for you to turn back around and go with the flow. Every one sees you as a "Jesus Freak". No one ever wants to talk to you. If they do, it's to influence you to fall in sin. People always give me a "weirdo" look when I say I don't party, I don't drink, I don't smoke weed, I don't cuss, I don't do anything considered "normal". What I know though is that all that sin will take you to suffering, to losing, and even worse to hell. What I know and choose to do is worth more than anything, it will not pass. 

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Matthew 24:35)


I'm Just a Girl.



The Fast of Daniel- Day Five

Day 5
December 15, 2011

I was not able to write yesterday because I was so busy. But here's my reflection of yesterdays message (Bishop Macedo's Blog)
 Two kinds of offerings indeed. There are people who never want to turn to God because they are completely aware that if they do they will need to sacrifice something. They know that what they'll sacrifice is what they like. It could be addictions, sin, their own will, etc. It's the fact that they're not ready to give it up that they wont go that extra mile to find happiness. What they are unaware of is that when they choose to not sacrifice to God, they are choosing to sacrifice for the devil. When I see people whose lives are in the devils hands, they are destroyed, they have no strength, they don't see life as people with God do. The tight situations they are in force them to do sacrifices that they wouldn't want to do if they didn't have to.

I heard a story not too long ago in one of our services. It was about choices. More specifically It was about choosing God:

There was a standing on a wall. On one side of the wall was God, along with His angels. On the other side was Satan, along with his angels. On God's side was God and the angels calling the man, telling him to choose Him. Telling him that it was the best choice. On the other side was Satan and his angels, only staring at him and smiling. They didn't speak, nor did they make any offers. All they did was stand there, stare and Smile. The man on the wall grew confused. So he asked Satan, "Why aren't you trying to get me to choose your side? Aren't you concerned that I wont choose you?"  Satan smiled and answered "I don't need to try, you turn to me the moment you don't choose Him."

If you want to turn to God yet don't decide you basically turn to Satan. The moment you grow indecisive is the moment Satan finds a way into your life.  Make a choice. Choose God.

Just a Girl :)

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The Fast of Daniel- Day Four

Day 4
December 14, 2011
(From "Born of the Holy Spirit and baptism in the Holy Spirit" Bishop Macedo Blog )
 "...First, lead those who have a sincere heart to the new birth.
That is, being born of the Holy Spirit."
"...Second, lead those who have already been born of God to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit."

Today's message was pretty clear. You have to have a clean heart in order to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. First you have to be forgiven, and make it clear to God that you are 100% willing to do anything to receive the baptism with the Holy spirit, you are first born of God. Only after that will you be eligible to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit. I am going strong. It is the fourth day already. I feel great! I don't even miss anything in the media. Well maybe I do, but it is worth every second. Still in finals. Today I had my College Algebra Final. Blahhh. I feel good :)

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The Fast of Daniel- Day Three

Day 3
December 13, 2011
Well today was a good day. I got up half an hour early, read Bishops message for today. You know it just got me thinking more than usual today. That's why it's sooo hard to tell when someone is actually in faith when you see them at church because they appear to be one thing but when you see them around their friends or you check out their facebook they seem like they have their backs completely turnes to God. What's the point? Why not just be your real self everywhere. You're only deceiving yourself. God knows everything. I just hope I never turn like that. God please help me on this road.
Bisho Macedo Blog- Day 3: http://www.bispomacedo.com.br/en/2011/12/13/god%E2%80%99s-character/

Just a girl.

Monday, December 12, 2011

The Fast of Daniel -Day Two

Day 2
December 12, 2011

Today has been a challenge! It's finals week! Well today I had some free time in front of a computer. What I usually do in my free time on a computer is log on to Facebook, Tumblr, and listen to music on Pandora. Today was different. I went on to IURDTV.COM and watched the show. I also checked out Obispo Macedo's Blog. God has truly been speaking to me. I mean He always has a way of speaking to me when I read the Bible or attend a service somewhere but It's crazy how different I feel. When I pray to Him It's different. It's only the second day. I feel like I'm not missing out on anything. I feel like I'm closer to Him and that He is a part of me. What I read on Bishop Macedo's blog today was really deep. I read both today's message and Yesterdays. I have to have a clear mind to focus on only God. I have to do what Jesus did. Give up everything to be stronger Spiritually. I know that this renewal will be stronger than ever. I know that God is going to be with me but most importantly that I am going to remain baptized by the Holy Spirit.
I'm just a girl. :)

The Fast of Daniel- Day One

Day one-
Sunday December 11, 2011.
What better day than Sunday to begin a life changing Journey. Sunday is the Lord's day. Always. Never will I prefer to do anything on a Sunday than spend it serving God with all that I can give. I'm going to be honest, It's been really hard dropping all that I am used to do in December and just focus on the Holy Spirit. Yeah it's not super difficult but it's a change. December is usually a month of family, giving, receiving and vacation. This year it's a month of sacrifice. The difference I see this year is quite clear. Usually we give gifts and receive them, this year I am still giving and receiving, but I am giving God MY EVERYTHING and in exchange God is going to give me His Spirit! What some people don't understand that when you are baptized by the Holy Spirit you depend completely on God and that means you need Him every minute of every hour, of every day. There's basically nothing you'd rather have than His Spirit. I know that these 21 days will be a sacrifice but I will enter 2012 a brand new person and in His Presence.
 Keeping myself focused on God.

http://www.bispomacedo.com.br/en/2011/12/11/the-fast-of-daniel%E2%80%94day-one/

Just a Girl :)