I was thinking on what to post today, and as I read some stuff many things came to mind, I wrote some stuff and erased some stuff...long story short....the less the better, so this is what's in my heart right now:
"To love God is the greatest of virtues; to be loved by God is the greatest of blessings." - Unknown

God Bless you, Luke.

Just before I go to sleep, I have this...humn...tendency or perhaps...habit, of reading the Bible or a book (mostly, My Utmost for his highest), or listening to Gospel,CCM and sometimes even Hymns; I strongly believe that whatever goes in your mind when you go to sleep...is what you wake up thinking about (or at least that's what works for me). Today, it was no different...so this is what I'm going to sleep meditating on and hopefully wake up thinking about:


"We have the idea that we can dedicate our gifts to God. However, you cannot dedicate what is not yours. There is actually only one thing you can dedicate to God, and that is your right to yourself " by Oswald Chambers

How Great thou art

Life's been pretty busy, thanks to Jesus Christ my Lord and I can't stress how much I'm nothing...but through Christ...I can do it all; I haven't really updated the blog, but as I was working today...and this song came up (How Great thou art) and even though i grew up listening to hymns...It still amazes me how the Lord still touches us through the most habitual things...it's amazing that the One that has created everything...has time...full time to take care of us and so, I really wanna be that full time project on his hands...How Great thou art, How Great thou art! ...God Bless, L.

My Assurance...

My assurance is to be built upon God’s assurance to me. God says, "I will never leave you," so that then I "may boldly say, ’The Lord is my helper; I will not fear’ " ( Hebrews 13:5-6 ). In other words, I will not be obsessed with apprehension By Oswald Chambers

Faith & Faithfulness Quotes

We could go to Bible and find many verses on a particular subject,but I decided to do a little search and find quotes, opinions and points of view on things me and you would or in some cases would not, have a hard time expressing...my subject of choice in this case was Faith and/or Faithfulness...so, I thought it would be cool to post some here, I hope you enjoy it! (By the way if you do, let me know...I'll probably post some quotes on different topics every once in a while):

Quotes

"Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible."

- Corrie Ten Boom

"I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done." Hudson Taylor

"Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your changing moods."- C.S Lewis

"Without Christ, not one step; with Him, anywhere!" - David Livingstone

"When you have no helpers, see your helpers in God. When you have many helpers, see God in all your helpers. When you have nothing but God, see all in God. When you have everything, see God in everything. Under all conditions, stay thy heart only on the Lord."- Charles Spurgeon

God Bless...L.

You are my eyes when i can not see...

Needful Hands", such a touching song. It's indescribable sometimes, but if I pressure myself enough to explain...I have to say that songs like this one, have taken a total and very different meaning in my life. A beautiful meaning I should say; Before everything was very theorical now it's extremelly literal; It's amazing how God can take something that's so broken and little by little build it up to something that by itself is still nothing, but by Grace and mercy, everything...
"You are my eyes when I can not see...You are my voice, see, sing through me, You are my strength, in weakness be...Holy"
God Bless. L. (Philippians 4:13)

Good Times...Bad Times...Great Times...It is all well...

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,It is well,
with my soul,It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet,
though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well, with my soul,It is well,
with my soul,It is well, it is well, with my soul.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound,
and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well, with my soul,It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

"By the test of common sense, Jesus Christ’s statements may seem mad, but when you test them by the trial of faith, your findings will fill your spirit with the awesome fact that they are the very words of God" Oswald Chambers

...You're all over me

Sometimes you hear a song way too many times and you tend to forget the true meaning of the words behind it, cliche no? However, let's use this song as an example, take 30 seconds of your day and just meditate on it:

Inside outside, under my skin
Never ending love I don’t know where it begins?
I don’t know where it ends, I don’t know how high
I don’t know how deep, I don’t know how wide
Outside inside around the world
Never ending love envelops me like a cloud
I feel you in front, I feel you behind
I feel you up above, And I feel you at the side

And you, you’re all over me, you’re all over me
Your banner is over me, I give it all ‘cos

You still captivate me, fascinate me
You still captivate me, saturate me

Inside outside, pulling me in
No matter where I run I know you’ll never give in
I see you in the storm, I see you in a kiss
I’ve been around the world and never found a love like this

You’re all over me, you’re all over me
You’re everything I want to be
I’m all over you, you’re everything I want to see
You’re all over me

You, still captivate me, fascinate me
You still captivate me, saturate me
You still captivate me, liberate me
You still captivate me


So...what do you think?
I tell you what I think...let this song be my prayer...for as long as I live! God Bless,L.

CAMPAIGN TO END CONSUMER CHRISTIANITY

This is one of not only the coolest sites I've seen recently, but also one of the coolest concepts that someone had the guts to come up with.
See it for yourself and tell me if you agree with their points:

http://stopconsuming.org/STOPcampaign.html

WHAT IS TOTAL DEPENDENCE?

I read something this week on "Relevant Magazine" that in my opinion simplified and put into words what total dependance is; I've been receiving many emails and comments on this blog...can't wait to hear what your opinion is on this one. God Bless, L.


"...He was right. I should be totally used to the role of being completely dependant, but I’m not. Too often, I forget that nothing I do—not my Bible studies, not my singing on Sunday mornings and not my positions of leadership—made the rescue of my soul possible. Nothing that I do in service to God changes the fact that I do not deserve this abundant life He has given me. There is nothing I can do or have done that changes the fact that I am a sinner who deserves death. Yet, Christ has chosen to redeem me and speaks on my behalf to the Father. This is complete dependence. It is a role I should know, because I’ve been filling it for my entire life." - by Audrey Ferguson

if you want to read the complete story click on the link below:
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god_article.php?id=7360

But...But..

Our thinking about prayer, whether right or wrong, is based on our own mental conception of it. The correct concept is to think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood from our hearts. Our blood flows and our breathing continues "without ceasing"; we are not even conscious of it, but it never stops. And we are not always conscious of Jesus keeping us in perfect oneness with God, but if we are obeying Him, He always is. Prayer is not an exercise, it is the life of the saint. Beware of anything that stops the offering up of prayer. "Pray without ceasing . . ."— maintain the childlike habit of offering up prayer in your heart to God all the time.

Jesus never mentioned unanswered prayer. He had the unlimited certainty of knowing that prayer is always answered. Do we have through the Spirit of God that inexpressible certainty that Jesus had about prayer, or do we think of the times when it seemed that God did not answer our prayer? Jesus said, ". . . everyone who asks receives . . ." ( Matthew 7:8 ). Yet we say, "But . . . , but . . . ." God answers prayer in the best way— not just sometimes, but every time. However, the evidence of the answer in the area we want it may not always immediately follow. Do we expect God to answer prayer?


The danger we have is that we want to water down what Jesus said to make it mean something that aligns with our common sense. But if it were only common sense, what He said would not even be worthwhile. The things Jesus taught about prayer are supernatural truths He reveals to us.-- No author assigned in CUT

from "My Utmost for his Highest" by Oswald Chambers

Our Rights Vs God's Choice for us = ????

As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God, fascinating and physically gratifying possibilities will open up before you. These things are yours by right, but if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God make your choice for you. God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the appropriate thing to consider, if you were not living the life of faith. But if you are, you will joyfully waive your right and allow God to make your choice for you. This is the discipline God uses to transform the natural into the spiritual through obedience to His voice.


Whenever our right becomes the guiding factor of our lives, it dulls our spiritual insight. The greatest enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but good choices which are not quite good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best. In this passage, it would seem that the wisest thing in the world for Abram to do would be to choose. It was his right, and the people around him would consider him to be a fool for not choosing.


Many of us do not continue to grow spiritually because we prefer to choose on the basis of our rights, instead of relying on God to make the choice for us. We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has its eyes focused on God. And God says to us, as He did to Abram, ". . . walk before Me. . ." ( Genesis 17:1 ).-- No author assigned in CUT

Cego de Jerico - RODOX

Another song that has so much meaning to me, Rodox is the Hardcore band that Rodolfo Abrantes (Lead singer of one of Brazil's most Famous Rock Bands "Raimundos")started when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. I heard this song so many times and decided to translate parts in the lyric that really caught my attention (and my heart.):

"I've felt the touch from the hands of someone that was alwyas there..."

"I saw Kings falling before a name and it's by love that I exist today, I'm reborn in Christ another blind man in Jericho"

"I know you heard me, when I got on my knees and asked for forgiveness and said goodbye to the sad man."

and its by LOVE that I exist, today Reborn in Christ...another blind man in Jericho...

God Bless! L.

From The Inside Out

What was so "Corny" one day, now is what I believe in; What I had no time for, Now is what I make time for...it's a priority. "Little Wise Boy" is dead...A New me was born not too long ago, Salvation is only the opening to a new life, yet I cherish with all that I am! I thought I'd lose my freedom making this decision...yet, I had no idea of what freedom was...trust me, I had the priviledge of being born in a "Christian Home" yet, had no idea of what I was really missing; Everything is secondary, I'm seeking his kingdom first and everything else should be added; "...In My Heart and My Soul, I Give you control...Consume from the Inside Out Lord"

"From The Inside Out"

A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out

The Sin of Self Pity...

I've been Looking for words to express my feelings on the subject, actually I've been gathering thoughts for a while; My Best friend (Who's not a Christ Follower yet) always says: "Everybody Jumps on the chance to be a Victim...why? Because it's easier". I have to agree with him, and it amazes me to see how many people have learned the "art of Self Pityness" (is there such a word?)
Well...let me cut short and just say that I've found once again in the words of Oswald Chambers, a very clear explanation; Tell me what you think...God Bless. L (Listening to "Take it All" by Hillsong United)


We are made "partakers of the divine nature," receiving and sharing God’s own nature through His promises. Then we have to work that divine nature into our human nature by developing godly habits. The first habit to develop is the habit of recognizing God’s provision for us. We say, however, "Oh, I can’t afford it." One of the worst lies is wrapped up in that statement. We talk as if our heavenly Father has cut us off without a penny! We think it is a sign of true humility to say at the end of the day, "Well, I just barely got by today, but it was a severe struggle." And yet all of Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will reach to the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will only obey Him. Does it really matter that our circumstances are difficult? Why shouldn’t they be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we remove God’s riches from our lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it removes God from the throne of our lives, replacing Him with our own self-interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain, and we simply become spiritual sponges— always absorbing, never giving, and never being satisfied. And there is nothing lovely or generous about our lives.


Before God becomes satisfied with us, He will take everything of our so-called wealth, until we learn that He is our Source; as the psalmist said, "All my springs are in You" (Psalm 87:7 ). If the majesty, grace, and power of God are not being exhibited in us, God holds us responsible. "God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you . . . may have an abundance . . ." ( 2 Corinthians 9:8 )— then learn to lavish the grace of God on others, generously giving of yourself. Be marked and identified with God’s nature, and His blessing will flow through you all the time

By Oswald Chambers (My Utmost For HIS Highest)

Best Christian Video I've ever watched! Oh Boy...I love Pop Culture!

Oh My...I'm so in love with this video! Who produced this? Kubrick? Honestly...is there a better way to spread the word to a "Tv on the Radio meets Stereolab" music listner, Bape rockin', Tea Drinker, Movie and Pop Culture Aficionado??? Ok...if this video doesn't fascinates you...tell me what does? God Bless! L.

Rejoicing through Hard Times...

God's been talking to me in many different ways, like he always does; And my prayer has been that the Lord gives me sharp ears to listen to what He's saying.

Within this past 6 months, God's been telling me to rejoice through hard times, even though I sincerely have had the best six months of my life...God's made me whole once again and I honestly feel just like the Psalmist described on Psalm 91:1 :

" He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty"

This past week, The Lord spoke loudly and clear once again...and last night the perfection of his plan was shown by something I read on my daily devotional "My Utmost for his Highest".

Firstly, I'd like to post one of my favorite Bible verses and from the bottom of my heart...I hope it touches you as much as it touched me.

In him, Now and Forever...(listening to "We Fall Down" by Donnie McClurkin)

L.

Romans 5 3-4

3 And not only so, but we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness;
4 and stedfastness, approvedness; and approvedness, hope

We have to develop godly habits to express what God’s grace has done in us. It is not just a question of being saved from hell, but of being saved so that "the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body."

And it is adversity that makes us exhibit His life in our mortal flesh. Is my life exhibiting the essence of the sweetness of the Son of God, or just the basic irritation of "myself" that I would have apart from Him? The only thing that will enable me to enjoy adversity is the acute sense of eagerness of allowing the life of the Son of God to evidence itself in me.

No matter how difficult something may be, I must say, "Lord, I am delighted to obey You in this." Instantly, the Son of God will move to the forefront of my life, and will manifest in my body that which glorifies Him.
You must not debate. The moment you obey the light of God, His Son shines through you in that very adversity; but if you debate with God, you grieve His Spirit (see Ephesians 4:30 ). You must keep yourself in the proper condition to allow the life of the Son of God to be manifested in you, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way to self-pity. Our circumstances are the means God uses to exhibit just how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure His Son is. Discovering a new way of manifesting the Son of God should make our heart beat with renewed excitement. It is one thing to choose adversity, and quite another to enter into adversity through the orchestrating of our circumstances by God’s sovereignty. And if God puts you into adversity, He is adequately sufficient to "supply all your need" ( Philippians 4:19 ).
Keep your soul properly conditioned to manifest the life of the Son of God. Never live on your memories of past experiences, but let the Word of God always be living and active in you.--

By Oswald Chambers

How Big is your love for me...

Hey...It's me.
You know, I haven't really written any comments down (besides little "explanations" on my point of view about the videos) on this site (blog).
Mainly, because...I lived a life that was very much egocentric; and my ideas, thoughts, conversation and whatever else...definitely reflected that.
When I decided to create this blog, which i had no intentions of doing...All I had in my mind was:
"I could care less about anything, as long as I reflect through this blog Who I'm really living for."
Today, I once again experienced how "sweet it is to be loved by you".
Maybe it was because my two and a half year old niece (whom I hadn't seen in 6 months) still remembered my name...
Maybe because my sister is graduating later on today and I see the wonders God has prepared for those who really walk in his path through her life...
Maybe because I drove eight hours straight listening to nothing but some old school Brazilian Christian Songs and truly felt the meanings of the words...along with my mom and her best friend Valda.
Maybe it was because I was surrounded by people that I love and that truly loves me...what a beautiful feeling!!!
Last but not least...by the miracles I can see God operating in each and every single detail...If "Perfection is in the details"...God is definitely spoiling me.
It's 2:08 am...I got to get up early tomorrow, but I couldn't wait to get home to share my happiness and whatever is inside of me right this moment ...so, I ask you? How big is his love for me? Giving his son to die on the cross was the fulfillment but also seems like just the beginning of experiencing a feeling mere words can't describe...ok, let me try...salvation, happiness, joy, grace,mercy...ok, let's stop here. The list could go on forever...and I gotta wake up tomorrow to go to my sisters graduation.
Just wanted to share this moment with you...
In him,
L.
ps*(typing straight from Evelyn's Dorm)