The Gospel For Kids - Christian Video

This video tells of God's plan for our lives in a "non-christian" way. www.mooreschapel.org & www.imb.org

WITHOUT HIS FATHER’S BLESSINGS

Do you know that your child's future is influenced by the praises that you give today? We must learn to give our blessing to our family today because blessings don't penetrate sealed coffins. I want to start with this sad story but it has a great message for all.

Len Downs was a confident, successful manager of a chain of restaurant. He has put all his time in his business that he had no time to bless his children. That day the confidence was gone. He was in the funeral of his 26 –year- old son who died due to the overdose of drugs. When the last hymn has been sung, he gradually began to drift up to the casket to say his final farewell. He looked down into the casket with tears streaming down from his face. He then blurted out, "Forgive me son for . . . ." Len broke down unable to get the remaining words out.

He turned and made his way back to his seat, found a piece of paper and began to scribble a message. When Len was finished he carefully folded the paper and made his way back to his dead son. Sobbing, Len took the paper and stuffed it into Ben's suit pocket behind the silk handkerchief. After one final look Len returned to his seat, the coffin was closed. Another son went to his grave without his father's blessing.

I don't think a son should go to his grave without hearing his father bless him, do you? We don’t want that to happen. I don't think that a father should be left with only one option, a hastily scribbled note stuffed in his dead son’s suit pocket.

I believe that the GREATEST gift that a father could give to his children and to his family for that matter is his BLESSINGS. But I am not just talking to fathers, but to all the mothers and children as well for we must learn to give our blessings now to our entire family for tomorrow may be too late.

OVERCOME YOUR DISCOURAGEMENT

OVERCOME YOUR DISCOURAGEMENT

I put in long hours in my work and at the end of the day, I cannot understand it, but I feel lonely and empty. Each day, as I face difficult decisions, and when I have time to reflect, I am discouraged.

I don’t know about you, but I believe that everyone gets discouraged in one way or another. Would you agree if I say that, “No one is immune to this.” Most people are not aware of it that discouragement is one of the most obnoxious diseases in our society. Everybody can catch it. In fact, you and I can catch it more than once. It is extremely transmittable and it spreads with no trouble and quickly to others near you. But it can be cured also.

There are two reasons why discouragement comes to each of us.

First, you get EXHAUSTED. We simply get tired working long hours in our office or business just making it happen. We thought that the more we work, the more we become successful. It does not necessarily follow. The more we toil, the more we get exhausted. The more we get exhausted, the more we are prone to discouragement. Remember that we are only human beings. We wear out easily. We cannot burn the candle at both ends.

What is the solution? It may be that you don’t have to change anything at all. You just need a good and well- deserved vacation! RELAX. Take a rest. Leave your job for a while. Sometimes the most important thing you can do for the day is go to bed and SLEEP. And after you have been refreshed, you can come back to your work with a renewed heart, mind and body. You will then discover that you will be more productive than before.

Second, you get DISTURBED. Some people are easily disturbed by a “clutter” in their desk. A clutter can be anything that is a condition of disorderliness or untidiness. Papers or documents can be a clutter if not in their proper places. Do you have a clutter in the office or at home? Have you noticed that anytime you start doing something new, the trash starts piling up and you get frustrated? If you don’t clean it out periodically, it’s going to stop your progress. You can’t avoid it, so you need to learn to tidy your desk. You need to learn to dispose of it quickly so you don’t lose focus on your most pressing work that day.

In conclusion, you can overcome discouragement in your life. Instead of exhaustion, learn to rest. When you are disturbed, organize your priority. Discouragement can be defeated. All we have to do is the determination to fight it out completely and it shall be gone. What do you think?

Isaiah 25:4 “You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.”

Lastly, I believe that one of the reasons why discouragements come in to most people is due to the daily routine schedule that they have. They are bored doing the same things over and over again. If you have a computer, why don’t’ you try to work at home? Yes, there are plenty of scams out there, but mind you, not all home businesses are scams. There are also many legitimate online businesses that can help us to earn considerable amount of money if you only know the right one. I have made a lot of research on these and I believe that the best so far is the SFI Marketing Group. They have been in the business for many years and their affiliates are in the millions all over the world. Why don’t you try this one? For more information, log on at

https://www.moreinfo247.com/9238591/SIM

LET GO OF THOSE HURTS AND PAINS

Many times, when we experience failures in the past, we seem to hold on to it tightly. We cling on to these memories. We tend to grasp these in our hands. We cannot forget. We always remember and play back over and over again in our memory recall those unforgettable incidents that have happened many years ago. We remember how people mocked and laughed at us. We remember how we have been humiliated. We remember how we have been disgraced. We remember the blow and the pain in our hearts. Because of such bad memories, we are unable to go on. We cannot move forward. We are not healed emotionally. We are not healed physically. We could not recover. We have put ourselves in prison of our own making. We remain on our mat still knocked out cold and unable to stand just like the paralytic.

Jesus is looking at us today. Jesus wants us to let go. He wants us to stand up. We must be released from those hurts. We must be set free from those pains. We must be unleashed from those failures. He said to you and to me: “GET UP.” Get up O sister! Get up O father! Get up O mother. Get up O sons. Jesus says to you and me: GET UP!

When you get up and let go of those hurts and pains, it means that you and I must learn to face those past problems squarely and deal with them properly. Put them in your back. These are but records of your history. The past is past and you could not bring them back. You must not resurrect them to life. It might be alive in your memory but not in reality.

Therefore, we must get rid of our victim mentality. We are NOT victims; we are victors in Christ. We are NOT victims; we are more than conquerors in Christ. Therefore, we must get up and get going. We must go beyond our limited thinking of the past. We must get out of that regular routine and get our dream back again. Let us remember that God can do what man cannot do in us. Therefore He tells to every one of us, “GET UP!”

These are the same words that God spoke to Joshua before they entered the Promised Land. Moses was no longer with them. Joshua was now the new leader. He has a big task ahead of him. God said to Joshua: “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this?” (Josh. 7:10 –Living Translation). The Israelites had just been defeated by the enemy in battle. They were outmaneuvered. They were humiliated. Their confidence had vanished. They fell flat in their face. This was after the great victory when the walls of Jericho had fallen.

Joshua still remembers the time when he was in his horse jubilant for the victory. They just blew the trumpet and the walls of Jericho had fallen. Amazing. They were so confident that they could conquer that next little town called Ai. But no! They were wrong. They were mistaken. They could not understand it. Now, they were beaten terribly and their self-esteem had been crushed. Joshua was lying on his face and nursing his wounds. He was discouraged. He was wallowing in self-pity. He could not stand up. What face will he show to those people? How can he lead again with this condition?

But God told Joshua, “GET UP.” Bet strong. Take courage. Believe God for better things. God is able. God is all that we need. God can heal our hurts. God can heal our pains. God can heal our sorrows. God can transform our lives. Get up and trust God. He is your only Hope. He is your shield. Commit your life to Jesus and you will be healed.

GET UP!

Mark 2:11 (NIV) “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

In our text for today, we find JESUS CHRIST in a large house teaching the people about the kingdom of God. We find Him emphasizing about God’s authority to heal. He was encouraging people to trust God. He wanted to give them new expectation and confidence in life. He wanted to bring them closer to God. However, he had difficulty getting through to their hearts because there were some Pharisees present at that time that came not to learn but to criticize him. Their hearts were not teachable. Their hearts were bitter. They were jealous of Jesus’ popularity.

When suddenly, four men brought down a paralytic from the roof of the house. Jesus was disrupted in his teaching, but he did not mind. He knew that this was important. Every disruption in life has a purpose. Every disruption in life is an opportunity to learn. Every disruption in life is a good break to gain new knowledge from a different perspective. He realized that this man needed help. This can be an object lesson to teach them a lesson of the heart.

And so, looking closely at the man, Jesus knew that the paralytic has been invalid for many years. He could not stand. He could not walk. He was so dependent to the four men for help. Many times he tried to stand up but probably he failed. He failed several times. Because of this, he did not try again. He lost all hope. He lost all faith. He lost his self-esteem. He thought that this is what life is all about. There is nothing more that he could do. He does not want to exert any more effort to improve himself because he does not want to fail again.

After all, he has become so comfortable lying in his own bed that he thought that this is his destiny. He thought that his end was near. It was like the sunset in his life. There was gloom and doom in the horizon. But you and I know that this is not what life is all about. There is beauty in the sunset. After the sunset comes the sunrise. There is much more to life than just lying in bed and being dependent to others for help. There is much more to life than being bitter to your present situation. This man must stand up and overcome his failures of the past. That is why Jesus looked at the man and said in the hearing of them all, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” (vs. 11).

Jesus told him to stand up. He wanted him to build his faith back in his heart. He wanted him to believe God for big things ahead. He wanted him to go beyond his limited thinking of the past. He wanted him to set his eyes on the supernatural God. To keep a positive faith. That he will never give up. That ultimately, God will give him a fresh new start in life even if he failed several times in the past.

Jesus is speaking the same message to each one of us. Probably you had been like the paralytic for so long. You might be lying there in your bed of depression for so long. You might have been raised in an unhealthy family environment. You might have experienced the pains of rejection. You have lost your self-esteem. You blamed the past for your bad attitudes. You blamed the past for your poor choices. You blamed the past for your hot temper. But Jesus is saying to each of us: “GET UP. Take up your mat and go home.”

THE POWER OF FAITH

2 Kings 6:17 (NIV); “And Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

When the servant saw the enemy with horses and chariots surrounding the city, he was afraid. He was discouraged. He felt the spirit of defeat come upon him. He felt that there was no way out. He felt that they were already trapped. He was willing to give up easily. Sometimes, you say the same thing: “I lack faith. I am discouraged. I am lonely. I am miserable. I am down. I have failed in the past. I have hit bottom. I have made a mess of my life.”

But look at Elisha. He was different. He was not fearful. He was not afraid. He was calm. He was composed. He was expectant for a great miracle from God. He was looking beyond with the eyes of faith. He believed that God would work among them and He did. In fact, he said to his servant in verse 16, “Don’t be afraid because those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” What a confidence! That is the power of faith at work.

This is what we should claim in our lives. We must believe by faith. We must develop a fresh vision. We must fill our minds with thoughts of hope, faith and victory. We must look at life with enthusiasm. We must never give up in spite of our difficulties. Just like what the title of the book by Joel Osteen says: “We must live our best life now.”

Looking closely, Elisha and his servant had a different perspective on life from each other. Even if they are both looking from the same position but sees different objects of faith. One has the eyes of faith in operation while the other has not. Elisha can see farther in the horizon while his servant’s eyesight was very limited. Elisha saw the angels ready to defend them but the servant saw the enemies ready to kill them. Elisha saw the solution, but the servant saw the problem. Elisha saw the victory, while his servant saw their defeat.

No wonder, it brought about a different emotional response from each: one faith, the other fear. One doubt; the other confidence. Then Elisha prayed a prayer to God that his servant’s eyes will be opened so that together they would look from the same level of faith. He wanted his servant’s faith to grow further, deeper and beyond the present situation. And this is my prayer for all of today. That we will all believe for more of God’s power in operation in our lives. That we will all think and experience better things ahead. Elisha’s prayer was answered. (I wonder if my prayer will also be answered). His servant’s eyes were opened. He was able to see the armies of God. The miracle was now in operation for both.

And just like Elisha, he too was able to see the hills full of horses and chariots of fire ready to protect them. He now sees the angels encamping around them. He now sees the great possibilities instead of the limitations. He now sees God’s deliverance rather than the impending danger. He now sees the solution instead of the problems. And so are you if you will believe by faith. Your spiritual horizon will be broadened. Your hope would come back. Discouragement and fear will vanish. You will now have a better outlook in life than before because faith has taken root within your heart. That is what the power of positive faith is all about. That is what God can do to each one of us who believe.

MANAGING OUR DEBT

“Owe no man anything.” Rom. 13:8

The dictionary defines debt as: “Money or property which one person is obligated to pay to another.” Debt includes money owed to credit cards companies, bank loans, money borrowed from relatives, the home mortgage and past due medical bills. Bills that come due, such as the monthly electric bills, are not considered debt if they are paid on time.

Debt can extract a great physical toll in our lives if we do not handle it well. It can actually increase stress, which contributes to metal, physical and emotional fatigue. Debt is not good for our health. Many people raise their life-style through debt, only to discover that the burden of debt actually controls their own lifestyle. We can be slaves of debt if we are not careful.

As Christians, we must learn to manage our debt well. Our text above says that, we must not owe anything to anybody. That means, as much as possible, we must not be in debt or we must avoid debt.

The above topic and many more regarding financial management were discussed in our small group Bible study last November 17, 2005 (Thursday) at the house of Elma Legaspi at 9745 Kester Ave., North Hills, CA. Those present were: Manny and Hanzel, Jigs and Prency, Elma, Cherry, Michael, Winnie, George, Jessie A., Raffy, Paul, O.G., Love H. and Rodel A.

Our next topic will center upon investment. All these are aimed to transform our character and learn financial integrity.

No small group meeting on December due to the Christmas season. Next meeting will be on January 5, 2006 (Thursday) at the house of Rodel Amante, 18701 Parthenia St., # 3, Northridge, CA, 91324. God bless.