Tag Archives: Faith

by | September 18, 2012 · 9:21 am

Faith plays such a important part

Hagia Sophia ; Empress Zoë mosaic : Christ Pan...

Faith, Why is it so important? Does Faith really make a difference in getting prayers answered and does it help one through their daily lives? Well faith is defined as belief or trust in something, so having faith is to trust in God and also believing in him and his promises. How I understand it is that faith plays such an important part in enriching our lives and getting prayers answered is that by believing and putting our trust in God we open up the door for God to work in our lives. Of course God can help us with or without faith involved but I believe he wishes for us to come to him trustingly and in full belief so that we can have a personal relationship with him. The more we trust and believe in God the more we seem to be able to see his works around us and also the more our eyes are open to the gifts he has already laid around us that we have overlooked or could not see before.

I believe he answers all our prayers, just sometimes we are too blind or deaf to see or hear his answers. Then there are times his silence or inaction is the answer to the prayer.  The thing we must remember is God will give us all that we need if we ask, but he is rarely concerned with our unnecessary wants or desires. He desires the happiness of his children and the upkeep of the physical, mental and spiritual health of his children. He wants all of us to love one another unconditionally, to be as the children of God he designed us to be.  He put the challenges of different colors, languages, culture and even religious beliefs between us in order to teach us how to love one another in an unconditional manner. Without challenges for the human spirit there is no growth or change, he wishes for us to grow both mentally and spiritually. One of the biggest challenges I believe God set before his children is dealing with the Ego or the self, he teaches us that we should be submissive to his will and we have the natural desire to be selfish which makes that a great challenge for us to overcome.

Ray Barbier

 

A few Bible Verses about Faith

Matthew 17:20

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. “

Matthew 21:21

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.

1 Peter 1:5-9

who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,  for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Corinthians 13:2

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

 

Ephesians 2:8

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–

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by | August 30, 2012 · 8:35 am

All of the Bible and the Whole Message

65242I have noticed in my lifetime that there are several ways to preach or spread the gospel. One is the hell and damnation style, this is where your main focus is to scare the living daylights out of the listeners by focusing on the wages of sin. Then there is the Good news style where you preach mostly on the salvation through Christ and the grace he has given us all. There is also a newer one that is all prosperity, unfortunately I have noticed some of the prosperity preachers prospering way too much off their ministry. There is also the Faith focused style as well, Faith is an important part of being a Christian so it is another good choice. Personally I prefer the Good news style though they all serve their purposes, probably a mix of all the styles would be the best way to preach. If you stick to one extreme or another you may leave the congregation with only half of what they need to be a good Christian. There is probably many other styles of preaching / teaching the gospel I haven’t covered or seen as of yet. I just believe we should teach all of the bible and the whole message and not just parts. Well this is just my humble opinion take it for what it is…

 Through Christ we have salvation, through faith we have hope.

Ray Barbier

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by | August 15, 2012 · 2:36 am

Doubt is the opposite of Faith

 

“Blessed are those who have not seen,but  yet believed”  - John 20:29

                Many have come to my life and challenged my faith, particularly intellectual ones. I heard their inquiries and I understand them. No question about that.

We believers have one thing in common – FAITH. We can never explain it by words nor describe it. It is beyond words. To describe it with mere adjectives are an understatement. I believe to fully understand Faith is to experience and encounter it.

I respect those who are still challenging my beliefs. I don’t find them as ridiculous or wicked. It just that as human by nature, we usually have lots of questions on our mind – that sometimes evidence and even explanation wouldn’t suit our satisfaction.  But of course, at the end of the day, finding the right answer is the most important.

As what others say, don’t give up, until you find the right one.

My explanation of course wouldn’t satisfy or mollify your confusion or doubt. But at least, I write what my heart really wanted to say. I’m not as intelligent as you are, but I have one thing I’ll be proud of beyond forever – My Faith.

God bless everyone :)

This is just Mr. C.S. Lewis’ perception. I understand everyone’s side. :)

 

 

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by | August 3, 2012 · 5:50 am

Thank you God

026Thank you God for another wonderful day of life, thank you for yet another chance for me to be redeemed and saved from my weak flesh. Give me the strength to overcome temptation and guide me away from that which will tempt me.  Give me the wisdom to understand which things I can change and which ones I can not. Bless me with the knowledge of what your will is and the strength to do your bidding. Bless my friends and bless my enemies two-fold and teach me patience with both. Help me to forgive others and help me learn to forgive myself. Forgive me for I have sinned and show me the path you have set for me to walk. Teach me how to have unconditional love, compassion and the understanding needed to apply them in everyday life. Please strengthen my faith so I can make it through this day without worry, fear or anger. Thank you God for listening to my prayers and for giving me this new day to better myself and the world I live in. Thank you God for everything and everyone you have blessed me with in my life.

Amen

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by | July 24, 2012 · 9:40 pm

Faith and Hope are our greatest weapons

009 In life we face many temptations and many self-created demons. We may fall from time to time but it doesn’t mean all is lost if we fall. It means we need to get back up on our feet, dust ourselves off, repent and keep on moving. The devil tries to make us believe there is no hope and no reason to carry on. He wants us to feel hopeless and wants us to abandon our walk in faith. He will try every way he can to weaken our faith in God and in our selves. He knows faith and hope are our greatest weapons against him and temptations. He wants us to forget that god gave us power, hope and a sound mind so he can easily deceive us and lead us astray from God and the plans he has for us.

faith

It seems the devil knows human nature and how to use it against us, he loves it when a sin is done by so many for so long it becomes accepted and eventually seen as normal by society. It has happened many times in the past and still happens today, a sinful act done by so many so often in society it becomes accepted as okay and sometimes even embraced or celebrated. Now with all the forms of entertainment and communications in this modern world, there are so many avenues we can be exposed to the immorality of this world. The more we are exposed the more we seem to tolerate if not accept the immorality we see. So we need to be vigilant and strong in our beliefs and careful of what we allow to influence us in life.

We must walk in faith and not by sight, we must resist temptation and do the best we can to live morally. We should embrace hope and pray daily both for the giving of thanks and for the strength to resist temptation and avoid deception. We should pray that we can understand and do the will of God each day. Most of all we should pray for forgiveness of our sins and for the sins of others.

Though some battles I do lose in life I continue to walk in faith knowing the war had already been won through the blood of Jesus.
Ray Barbier

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by | July 19, 2012 · 4:24 am

Giving In Faith

Holy Spirit painting

When we give a gift, or an offering…..we should give in faith. Whatever, the gift may be…such as money, or a service of help, we should always give, with the belief, that what we give will be used as it should be. There have been times, when i have given the gift of money, in faith, only to find that the money was not used as it was supposed to be used. I try to be careful, and pray about giving to a cause, or where I feel there is a need. It really is very important, to pray over everything that you do, including giving money, or supporting a cause. It is always best to find out all that you can, before promising a gift. If it is a true cause, or need…..the Spirit of the Lord, will put it upon you to act, or to move forward faithfully, to see that the need is met.

Giving, and helping….may not always be appreciated, or may not go as we would like for it to, but if we give, out of love and faith, we will receive a blessing. God will reward our efforts if we trust, believe, and have faith.

God loves a cheerful giver, so always have gladness in your heart when you give!

Cathy Ann Adams

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by | July 5, 2012 · 9:29 am

Be thankful for your blessings and gifts

03.365 (02.08.2009) Faith

Why do we tend to judge others who are either different from us or those we consider a threat ? It seems we like to judge those we inherently fear, fear leads us to judging harshly and to wish ill will on those we don’t understand or feel are some kind of threat to ourselves. I guess it is some kind of built in psychological defense mechanism in most humans. I have caught myself falling to the fear a many of times in my life though as I grow older I am learning there is nothing to fear but fear itself is a phrase that rings true.  Fear kills imagination, compassion, understanding and keeps one from having a sound mind. Fear causes confusion and makes it almost impossible to make decisions logically and/or correctly. It keeps us from loving others unconditionally and makes it near to impossible to forgive others as well. Fear is the seed for many emotions and feelings that are harmful to your health and that can hinder ones happiness. Paranoia, anger and depression are some of the fruits of fear, They are great destroyers of ones sound mind and they truly are suppressors of happiness.

The real challenge is learning to master fear and avoid letting fear become your master. Faith in God, Faith in yourself and accepting you do not have control over every aspect of your life helps in keeping fear at bay. Meditation is a good way to focus the mind and keep it calm enough to face fear down and put it back in its place. Prayer is very good at strengthening ones resolve against fear for it helps fuel the faith within you and faith is one of the biggest destroyers of fear. Hope which is faiths greatest partner also is good at repelling fear and gives one the power to continue forward on the path of life. God doesn’t want his children to live their lives in fear, He gave us power, a spirit of hope and a sound mind. Fear was put in humans to give them a chance of survival during times of threat. Fight or flight response is what fear was meant to be, not a constant companion of a person through every day of their lives. A flash in the pan when needed and then it fades quickly so we can continue living. Fear also is meant as a reminder to not repeat mistakes that were painful or that caused bodily harm. Once you burn yourself with a open flame you get a tiny piece of fear embedded in your brain to remind you not to allow an open flame to touch your body again. This kind of fear is a helpful fear but it isn’t one that is present all the time, it only comes out when you are faced with an open flame.

Sometimes our logical mind overrides fear when it sees the fear is unwarranted or is a roadblock to something that we desire or truly need. Well that means we can train our minds to override fear when we choose for it to do so. This is what is considered mastering fear and when we allow fear to run unchecked we allow fear to be our master. Through faith, hope and prayer we can take control of our fear and be freed from its grips through the grace and will of God. God gave us the power to overcome fear and many other enemies of happiness and of our faith. Prayer helps us unlock that power through faith in God and the blessings he has given us. Man has a power that can do almost anything and that power was a gift from God, we must always remember where our gifts and blessings originate from. Our tendency to be arrogant and believe all we can do comes from our own self is one of our greatest downfalls. God gave us life and all that we have and will have within that life. This includes any of the many abilities we have within our life and all of the achievements we are blessed to have. Be thankful for your blessings and gifts and always praise the one true source God for all of them.

God is the source of all that we have, have done, will do and will obtain in the future. He gave us power, a spirit of hope and a sound mind. He even gave us his only begotten son so that we can be forgiven and have a chance at being with him in heaven.

Ray Barbier

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by | June 28, 2012 · 5:53 pm

God reaches out to you in every way possible

bnf0422There are many times in your life you may think all is lost and there is no one to turn to. There are times when you feel you’ve lost all faith in God and yourself, that there is nothing left within you to keep you carrying on. But still within, you hear a voice crying dot give up and you have a feeling it will get better or at least you have a spark of hope that wont let you go. That voice, that spark of hope is God trying to get through to you, he is trying to get you to open your eyes to the hope and faith still deep within you. Sometimes the voice may not come from within you but out of a mouth of a friend, family member and a lot of the times a stranger. God reaches out to you in every way possible because he doesn’t want to lose you, for to god we are all special and loved.

bnf0424If you just hang in there a little longer and let go of the fear that grips your heat you will see the faith you thought was weakened and or lost. It was in you the whole time and you will also see that you were never alone during the whole ordeal, We all go through times of doubt, weak faith and times we believe we’ve lost our faith. It is part of living in this world and a part of life’s many lessons. God gave us friends, spouses and family to accompany us through life and be there to help us when we fall. They act as messengers, helpers and teachers in our life and they bring into our lives what God knows we need.

Walk in faith , Live with a spirit of Hope and not with a spirit of fear.
Ray Barbier

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by | June 23, 2012 · 12:11 pm

We must put faith in the spirit God gave us.

p10131Insecurity, something most of us face in one way or another. Some have insecurities about their relationships or their own body image. Some have insecurities about their social status and or their jobs. Regardless of what kind of insecurity you face it is a roadblock to happiness and a successful life. Insecurity is just a form of fear, a fear of failure or a fear of being less than you need/want to be. Fear is something we must learn to overcome and master for it can rule your life and keep you in an unhappy state. It is very hard to live a life full of fear and/or insecurities. Acceptance, Faith, Hope and self-discipline are the direct enemies of both fear and insecurities.  The best route to overcoming both insecurity and fear is to learn how to embrace hope, learn to have faith in God as well as yourself and to practice self-discipline. God gives us a spirit of hope and power not of fear, the world lies to us and convinces us we have no hope and we can not conquer fear. We must put faith in the spirit God gave us and not put in the lies of our world we live in. To be honest I think we put too much value on some pretty petty and materialistic ideals, to own all the riches of this world may give you temporary gratification but nothing in this world is permanent so there is no real worth to anything in this world but for what God gives us. The love, Peace of mind and happiness God gives us will be with us for eternity and the things of this world will turn to dust in the end.

God gives us the power,a sound mind and most of all a spirit of hope.
Ray Barbier

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by | June 12, 2012 · 6:41 am

Fear is a direct enemy of Faith

Scared child

Fear is a direct enemy of Faith, When we give into fear we give up on our faith and that even opens us up for more fear to come in. Fear increases the production of adrenalin in our bodies which creates higher blood pressure which can damage blood vessels and much more. A mind full of fear is one that will never be a sound mind. Fear has its place and its purpose in our lives but it is not supposed to be a every day thing. It is supposed to protect us from an immediate threat to our lives and not to rule our mindset constantly. God gave us power, faith and a sound mind and the world feeds us fear which can destroy the body, our faith and definitely mess up a sound mind. Faith can overcome fear and a sound mind can conquer fear as well and this is part of the power god gave us all.

 

Live a life of Faith and there is no room for fear to get in.
Ray Barbier

 

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