Coincidence....I Believe Not!

I always think that things happen for a reason, and that God ordains things to happen for His purpose. I’ve seen many circumstances in my Christian life how God worked and used anything and everything to make His plans come to pass.

Last August, God once again did what He is good in doing — create circumstances (or we may think it’s a coincidence, but we know that with God, there’s no such thing as a coincidence).

Here on my blogsite, I get to connect with like-minded Christians, people I know personally and people I just get to meet online. Receiving comments from them makes my day. I always make it a point to respond right away.

One day, I checked my weblog and saw a message from a US-based Christian organization called MEANS in one of my comments boxes (that was about the time my site just transferred from the free WordPress platform to this hosted one). The commenter asked me to e-mail her as she was interested to know more about my work here in Ukraine. She happened to be surfing on the Net that day, and stumbled upon my blogsite.

And so, I e-mailed MEANS and thanked them for reading my blog. I asked them what they wanted to know about my missions work here in Ukraine. We exchanged mails, and at some point, Pastor Chuck Quinley vouched for me and the work being done here.

Now, I’m in partnership with the organization. God is using MEANS to channel His blessings to me and my work here. Through this organization, I’ve “met” prayer partners and financial supporters.

MEANS supports missionaries by mobilizing individuals and groups to act and support its partner missionaries. It publishes and circulates monthly newsletters featuring stories of missionaries; stories that often touch the readers’ heart.

I got featured in their monthly newsletter last January. As a result, I received a lot of reader feedback, which truly amazed me in more ways than one. Truly, God uses His resources and His people to further the Great Commission in countries like Ukraine. The involvement of these ordinary people blesses my heart no end.

Indeed, God can and will use anything and everything to fulfill His plans to make the Good News known to the lost. We just have to step in faith and go through doors He has opened for us to fulfill our calling. I’m so blessed MEANS has chosen me to partner with them. I know and believe that God puts His people together to be able to do the things that He wants us to do.

God never calls us to do something for Him without giving us what we need. All of us has something that we can use to obey God, and whatever or whenever we need something to continue the works, be assured that God knows that even before we know we would be needing it. He always provides for our needs. We only need to obey.

Just Some Random Thoughts...

Emotional Fears...

I am sure most of us, if not all, experienced emotional fears in some point in our lives or our walk with Christ. But the question is, how did you deal with your emotional fears?

Most people will try to avoid facing head ons their emotional fears, the mere thought of doing so terrifies them and put them instead to a passivity. But knowing it and knowing it's there to deal with and not doing anything about it is just prolonging the task, and in doing so, making us feel more inadequate to do anything.

To the point we ended up with all these negative emotions added to the ones that we are trying to avoid dealing with. The fact is, we really, we can't do it on our own. We need the strength emotionally and spiritually from above to cope with it, not to mention physically (as some gets really physically sick just thinking about it).

I think that, we should learn to process our emotional fears and analyze them for what it really is. Why we avoid facing or dealing with it? Some emotional fears are just really "thoughts" that are conceived and been nurtured in our minds for a long time to the point that we believe in it, and the fear took it's territory in our minds and hearts. That it paralyzes us sometimes (if not always) to do anything about it. I beleive that is why, as Paul said, we have to renew our minds. As the mind is the battle ground that Satan always target to start his schemes to put doubt in ourselves or in God.

People try to do it on their own as they seem confident to do so, but most of the time they ended up with bruises, beaten down emotionally, spiritually and physically (getting sick). And when that moment of feeling defeat, then most of the time (if not always) people that are discouraged, depressed, and all other negative emotions that comes within them, brings them to isolate themselves from others. And that's what the enemy wants us to do, to isolate ourselves from others so that the enemy is free to beat us more with negative thoughts and emotions.

Emotional fears (i.e. fear to get hurt, to fall inlove, to let go, etc.) are fears that we can really deal with head ons if we just process them and find out where those fears come from and start working from there. Some of those fears we experienced from past and some of those fears are just thoughts and second hand informations.

There is always a risk of getting hurt. John Christopher said "you have to have been a have-been, before being a has-been. which is way better than being a never-been." We can never really know how it is if we never been there. I am not saying that we have to go through to the pain or fear. What i am saying is that, if we have to go through it, we just have to ask God to help us to go through it. Learn from it, and share the wisdom and things that we learned from going through it.

I always believe that most of the times the negative things that comes into our lives really help us to be a better person and it helps to build our character in the process. I see it as an opportunity to grow and develop my character. Most of the things that we been through in life, (especially hard ones) are the ones that push us out from comfort zone and in the process, helps us discover things that we will not discover if we stayed in our comfort zone.

The Difference between a Job and a Ministry is...

One day Napoleon got wounded by a bullet so he allowed himslef to undergo surgery in order to extricate the bullet in his chest. Now the doctor operating has operated France's emperor while he's awake, so while operating Napoleon noticed that the doctor may have widened the wound dangerously near his heart, so the emperor said with an authoritative voice to him: "Be careful. A little deeper and you will strike my heart and (find) the emperor is there." "When God measures a man, He puts a tape around his heart not his head." 2 Chr. 25:2 says - " And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart." The Difference between a Job and a Ministry is... - If you do it because no one else will, it's a job - If you're doing it to serve the Lord, it's a ministry - If you do it just enough to get by, it's a job - If you do it to the best of your ability, it's a ministry - If you quit because someone else criticized you, it was a job - If you keep serving, it's a ministry - If you quit because no one praised you, it was a job - If you do it because it needs to be done, its a ministry - It is hard to get excited about a job - It is almost impossible not to get excited about a ministry - Average churches are filled with many people doing many jobs - Great churches are filled with people who are involved in ministry - If your concern is just success, it's a job - If your concern is faithfullness to God, it's a ministry - People may say, "Well done," when you do your job - The Lord will say, "Well done," when you finish your course (complete your ministry

very interesting indeed!

got this from one of my friends that posted it on the bulletin and i just want to share it as well...

Read down to the very bottom, you don't want to miss this!

VERY INTERESTING -

1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq.

2. Mesopotamia, which is now Iraq , was the cradle of civilization!

3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.

4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.

5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq!

6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor, which is in Iraq!

7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.

8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.

9. Assyria, which is in Iraq, conquered the ten tribes of Israel.

10. Amos cried out in Iraq!

11. Babylon, which is in Iraq, destroyed Jerusalem.

12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq !

13. The three Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq (Jesus had been in Iraq also as the fourth person in the fiery furnace!)

14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon, saw the "writing on the wall" in Iraq .

15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into Iraq.

16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.

17. The wise men were from Iraq.

18. Peter preached in Iraq.

19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is called Babylon , which was a city in Iraq!

And you have probably seen this one. Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar , and Mesopotamia. The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers . The name Iraq means country with deep roots.

Indeed Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very significant country in the Bible.

No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated it than Iraq.

And also... This is something to think about! Since America is typically represented by an eagle, Saddam should have read up on his Muslim passages...

The following verse is from the Koran, (the Islamic Bible)

Koran (9:11) - For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace.

(Note the verse number!) Hmmmmmmm?! God Bless you all - Amen !

transferring new weblog site...

hi everyone!:)...just want to share the new weblog link....slowly transferring the http://www.saritaladios.wordpress.com to new link which is: http://saritaladios.com this will be the new link...sorry for the hassle, trying to improve the weblog by putting video clips and be more viewer friendly...hopefully!:)

a miracle inside you....

i just want to share this beautiful article that i got in my inbox....we all have miracles inside us that needs to get out...let's release it and be a channel of God's blessings to the people that needed the touch of God's love, care and healing...

A Miracle Inside You
"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."
(Zechariah 4:6)
_____

I (Kenneth Copeland) remember the first time I went with the Oral
Roberts crusade team to a healing meeting. I was a student and a member
of his aircraft crew. I had been a believer a little over four years and
knew so little about the things of God, especially meetings like these.
However, I was part of the team and eager to learn.

I followed the team inside this huge auditorium. It was filled with sick
people. The place smelled, it was so full of disease. Just walking in
there sent chills of fear up my spine.

I turned around and headed for the side door as fast as I could, talking
to God under my breath. "Listen, I don't belong here," I told Him. "I'm
getting on a Greyhound bus and heading home right now. They can get that
airplane home without me."

Once I was outside the door, I started talking louder. Then suddenly, I
froze. My feet wouldn't move. I knew it was God who'd stopped me
because, inside, I was still on my way to the bus station. But outside,
I was stuck to the sidewalk.

I looked up and hollered, "Turn me loose!" But I couldn't move.

Desperately, I prayed, "Please, let me go! I don't have anything for
those people."

That's when God spoke back to me. Every cell in me heard it. He said, "I
KNOW you don't have anything to give them. But I DO and that's why I
baptized you in My Spirit."

My feet suddenly turned loose and I knew I had a choice. One was life
and one was death. So I turned around and went back.

I was ready to run. But God stopped me. He knew HE was in me, and if I'd
just stay and stir up what was in me, miracles would happen--and they
did.

You have that same miracle-working God inside of you. And there are
people all around you who need Him. So quit waiting to feel like you
have the power to do it and get out there. Once you do, you'll discover
that the power you've been waiting on has been right there inside you
all the time waiting on you!

Kenneth Copeland Ministries
Fort Worth, TX 76192-0001

Kirk Cameron...found God

"I was rich, I was young, I was famous, I could do anything I wanted with whomever I wanted." - Kirk Cameron

BELLFLOWER, California - At the height of his Hollywood success, former "Growing Pains" sitcom star Kirk Cameron started worrying about something his money couldn't buy: salvation.

He had more than just legions of fanatic fans. He also had stalkers and kidnapping threats, and was sometimes driven to the set in a bulletproof car. It got him thinking about his own mortality. He had it all, but still felt empty.

"I was raised not going to church. We never prayed — didn't know how. Are you supposed to close your eyes, keep them open? Look up? Look down? Get on my knees? What do I do?"

Cameron started reading the bible and going to church. He became a Christian, but says his transition had some growing pains of its own.

On the set of his hit show, the easy-going prankster became detached and sullen. Once close to the other cast members, he pulled away from them all — except his co-star and fellow Christian, Chelsea Noble, whom he married in 1991.

He also started taking issue with some of the show's writing. One script called for his TV mom to have a nightmare in which Cameron's character, Mike Seaver, wakes up next to a beautiful girl and says, "Hey, babe. Good morning. By the way, what's your name again?"

Cameron balked, pushing for the writers to change the scene. They refused. Cameron says he wasn't trying to push his religious views on the show. He just didn't want to compromise his newfound moral principles.

When the series was cancelled after a long and successful run, he continued acting, but began taking roles on low-budget Christian films, most notably the rapture-based "Left Behind" series based on the best-selling books.

A few years later, after reading one of his books, he met New Zealander Ray Comfort, a former surf shop owner-turned-roving preacher.

They teamed up to form Way of the Master Ministries.

Comfort says his ministry was already taking off, but the partnership with Cameron was like putting it on steroids.

Cameron says his priorities are very clear: "God, family, career — in that order."

To learn more about Kirk Cameron's testimony go to this link: http://potw.news.yahoo.com/s/potw/41/converting-kirk-cameron

By KEVIN SITES, TUE MAY 29, 1:47 PM PDT

waiting...

david knew from experience what it meant to wait for the Lord. he had been anointed king at age 16 but didn't become kind until he was 30. during the interim, he was chased through the wilderness by jealous king Saul. david had to wait on God for the fulfillment of his promise to reign. later, after becoming king, he was chased by his rebellious son, Absalom.

waiting for God is not easy. often it seems that He isn't answering our prayers or doesn't understand the urgency of our situation. that kind of thinking implies that God is not in control or is not fair. but God is worth waiting for. Lamentations 3:24-26 calls us to hope in and wait for the Lord because often God uses times of waiting to refresh, renew, and teach us. make good use of your waiting times by discovering what God may be trying to teach you in them.

isolation...pain...needs...

many have had the sad experience of being abandoned by father or mother. broken homes, differences of belief, addiction to drugs or alcohol, even psychological isolation can leave children crippled by this loss. even as adults, the pain may linger. God can take that place in our life, fill that void, and heal that hurt. He can direct us to adults who may take the role of father or mother for us. His love is sufficient for all our needs.

fear...

fear is a dark shadow that envelops us and ultimately imprisons us within ourselves. each of us has been a prisoner of fear at one time or another - fear of rejection, misunderstanding, uncertainty, sickness, or even death. but we can conquer fear by using the bright liberating light of the Lord, who brings salvation. if we want to dispel the darkness of fear, let us remember with the psalmist that "the Lord is my light and my salvation."

Lord challenges Job... again

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. Are you going to discredit my justice and condemn me so you can say you are right? Are you strong as God, and can you thunder withe a voice like his? All right then, put on your robes of state, your majesty and splendor. Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. Humiliate the proud with a glance; walk on the wicked where they stand. Bury them in the dust. Imprison them in the world of the dead. Then even I would praise you, for your own strength would save you.

"Take a look at the mighty hippopotamus. I made it, just as i made you. It eats grass like an ox. See its powerful loins and the muscles of its belly. Its tails is as straight as a cedar. The sinews of its thighs are tightly knit together. Its bones are tubes of bronze. Its limbs are bars of iron. It is a prime example of God's amazing handiwork. Only its Creator can threaten it. The mountains offer it their best food, where all the wild animals play. It lies down under the lotus plants, hidden by the reeds. The lotus plants give it shade among the willows beside the stream. It is not disturbed by raging rivers, not even when the swelling Jordan rushes down upon it. No one can catch it off guard or put a ring in its nose and lead it away.

source: Job 40

honesty....integrity...

if ever two powerful forces were needed to preserve us along life's way, they are integrity and honesty. the psalmist asks for these to protect him step by step (Psalm 25:21). honesty -makes us learn God's requirements and strive to fulfill them. integrity - being what we say we are - keeps us from claiming to be honest while living as if we do not know God. honesty says, "this is the Shepherd's way." and integrity says "i will walk consistently in it."

be in the dark...

should we stay away from unbelievers? no, although there are some places christians should avoid. Jesus demonstrated that we must go among unbelievers to help them. but there is a different between being with unbelievers and being one of them. trying to be one of them harms our witness for God. ask yourself about the people you enjoy. if i am with them often, will i become less obedient to God in outlook or action? if the answer is yes, carefully monitor how you spend your time with these people and what effect it has on you.

right way please...

we are bombarded today with relentless appeals to go in various directions. television advertising alone places hundreds of options before us, in addition to appeals made by political parties, cults, false religions, and dozens of other groups. numerous organizations, including christian organizations, seek to motivate us to support a cause. add to that the dozens of decisions we must make concerning our job, our family, our money, and our society, and we become desperate for someone to show us the right way. if you find yourself pulled in several directions, remember that God teaches the humble his way.