MEMORIAL DAY FOR THE BELIEVER

Memorial Day is one day of the year when we actually focus on death, as we remember our loved ones who have passed away -- particularly those who served our country and died in defense of our country. Memorial Day should be to each of us a very sacred holiday.

For the believer, the Bible makes it clear that death has lost its sting -- I Corinthians 15:54-56. I explained to my grandsons recently that when a bee stings a person, its stinger is left in the person it stings, and the bee is thereafter harmless. The Apostle Paul is telling us that in similar fashion, the sting of death, which is sin, was left in the Person of Christ on the Cross of Calvary. Death, therefore, has no more power. It is harmless to the Christian. For the believer, death is simply a passage from here to there!

Jesus Christ has completely defeated death and conquered both death and hell through his resurrection from the grave. Death is still an enemy to us. Death interrupts our lives, disrupts our homes and takes loved ones from us. Death invades our lives and terrorizes us -- to some extent. But for the Christian, it is only a temporary disruption. We shall all meet again on the other side.

WALKING BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT

By Irving Serrano

In today's world. We have so many blessings, to many to mention all.. Such as wireless cell phones, buses, trains and automobiles. We step out to work, or handle our responsibilities. We go about our daily lives as it were a race.Many times their are people that will not move, unless they have an item that they have become dependent on. A vehicle, cell phone, Ipod, or even money. All these things are most necessary, I agree, but every day we feel the wind, we see its effects, and no one ever doubts it exist. Our Bible tells us that Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ( Hebrews 11:1). For many, the substance of things hoped for is found in their dreams. Not the bad dreams, but the good dreams. Hope has its roots in faith, and as our life is to be of growing in faith, it would seem that we should also be growing in hope. However, that does not seem to be our experience, the passing of time seems to bring with it a growing skepticism. The Bible teaches us that not all 'sence exspriances' are of Divine origin; rather God allows satanic deceptions to delude those"who did not believe the truth". The Apostle Paul, is a good illustration of this principle of faith. As He says; I have learned to be content in what ever circumstance I am, because;" I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me". (Philippians 4:11b, 13). As Parents, we teach our children to have hope. We also teach them to have faith. It can trouble a child, if we show them that we have no hope. There was a story of a Father, coming home during a hard economic times. It seemed as nothing was going in his favor. As this Man sat down for dinner, he made a statement as to how he was loosing hope, and his dreams were slipping away. After his dinner, he went to his chair and slipped into a nap. When he awoke, his child was standing over him with a butter fly net. As the man focused his eyes, he asked his child; what are you doing? His child responded with a smile; 'I was catching your dreams, so you wouldn`t loose hope'. We walk by faith not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith is a powerful thing. Faith is also a gift from God. God gives us faith that can change our lives. God gives us faith that makes us a new creation.God works faith through His word. And as certainly as God called us to follow Jesus Christ our Savior, so God has also called us to grow in faith. May God, bless you. Love always, Irving Serrano.

LET GOD FIGHT YOUR BATTLE!!!

Exodus 14:13-14 (New International Version, ©2011)

13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

1. Wrestle in Prayer

2 Chronicles 20:1-4 (New International Version, ©2011

2 Chronicles 20

Jehoshaphat Defeats Moab and Ammon

1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites[a] came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom,[b] from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). 3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.In the verse above, King Jehoshaphat was in a dilemma because he had to opponents. He didn't know what to do so he went and asked God on what to do. He proclaimed a fast. And look, at verse 4, it says THE PEOPLE OF JUDAH. That means every person in Judah, from the adults to the children. Everyone came from every town in Judah just to seek him and bring glory to his name. It's because they knew that there is power in prayer and a united prayer is more powerful. Just imagine, they traveled all that way just to have a massive fasting and prayer event.

And after you've prayed so much, you need to

2. Wait for a WORD

I think everyone knows that before you could do something, you need to have a permission from your parents specially if you're a kid or a permission from someone who is above you or maybe someone who has more authority than you. And we should also ask God first before we act. We need to wait for his word so that we will know that it is his will for us to proceed.

Getting a word from God isn't that hard. You just need to have a frequent devotion time with him and eventually you will hear him speak to you. There are three(3) types of answer that God will tell you

a. YES - you are ready

b. NO - you can't do this yet

c. WAIT - I have something greater to give to you

Getting a word from God is pretty much like getting the blessings from your Father. Having blessings is much more "cooler" and far more greater than anything in the world

And finally, you must

3. Worship until you win!

I'd like to tell you a story about a young man who received a letter that stated: "I am gonna be visiting you on Sunday and I'll be staying for three days." Well, of course he already knew who was arriving at his house and it was Jesus Christ. After reading the letter, the man eagerly rushed to prepare the most beautiful room in his house with the most expensive thing and everything and bought a lot of food from the market. Then, Jesus Christ came on the appointed day and he was welcomed. While Jesus and the man were eating, something or someone was banging the front door. So the man went and checked who was it, surprisingly, it was a demon and the man desperately tried to close the door as fast as he can and the demon went away. He went back to eating and Jesus asked, "Is there trouble?". The man answered, "No". The next day, the same thing happened again, but this time there were 8 demons. This time, it was harder to close the door but the man managed to close it. Then the next day, same thing happened all over again, but this time there weren't 8, 9, 10 but an army of demons came at the door. The man was already tired to open the door. So this time, it was Jesus Christ who opened it. As he was opening the door, he saw the demon and asked, "Yes? What do you need from this house?". Then demon answered in a frightening voice, "O-Oh nothing, we just had the wrong house.". After that day, the demons never came back to that house ever again.If you remembered the first verse, Moses said to the Israelites:

"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today."We shouldn't be afraid to do the tasks that God wants us to do. Because if we do the tasks and bring glory to him,

"The LORD will fight for you"If you can't fight anymore, just ask God and he will fight for you. What we need to do is to just stand firm in our faith and worship him with all we've got. The battle is already over because God already took care of it even before you asked for his help.

GOD WILL PREVAIL!!!

By Irving Serrano

All throughout life's History we read and understand that Man, has always struggled with the reality of Good versus Evil. In ancient times people would tell stories, to share truths, and to entertain. Ultimately passing on real lessons on life, and the consequences of proper decision making. In today's society; we have the ability to watch television, search the Internet etc. There is no myth to any question. Man has resorted to rather classify a question, or subject into a category. Be it reality, or fiction. Books are written, and are also classified; novels, short stories, Great adventures, etc. Some people would just rather push aside a reality, as an untruth simply thinking that what they are facing will just go away. If this were true society would have never evolved into what it is today. We live in a world where there are Laws, governmental bodies, that establish these laws. Elected officials, right up to a President. Never the less, we all deal with the reality of what we categorize as ' Poetic Justice'. Almost every episode in the Twilight -Zone, features poetic justice, usually due to an ironic twist. In our daily lives we often feel we have two little people on our shoulders. One tells you to do something, that you already feel its wrong to do. The other suggests, or points out the difference as to why not to do just that. We can call this; dealing with our concience. In the Bible, Paul said the good that I should do, I do not. And the bad that I know I shouldn't`t do. This I do. (Romans 7) He later goes on to answer His own question, by thanking God, as He establishes how God paid the price, so that he could live and overcome the challenges he faced. In the book of Job, we can see numerous encounters of Good, versus evil. But in all circumstances, we can understand that 'Good', is always there till evil appears and tries to overcome. This is also true in our everyday lives. We deal with what we call protocol, in our jobs. We live dealing with the consequences of our very own decision making. And through these consequences we establish a history we can not deny. There is a very real battle in our midst. God, came and gave Himself so that you may live. Satan, on the other hand wants to destroy you. ( Jeremiah 17:9) we read;" The heart is devious above all else, it is perverse-- who can understand it"? Evil confronts us on a daily basis, it lurks all around us, at all times. Evil is also in the hearts and minds of governments, thus making it difficult for some people to pray in public. Much less to walk a christian life. We must let God, take us by the hand, as we fight the evil that tries to destroy us. For just as we know that God is all powerful. These apocalyptic manifestations we see in today's world, are nothing more than the eternal conflict between God and satan, good and evil. A struggle that in the end, will be controlled by God's Omnipotence.

 May God bless you. Love always,

 Irving Serrano.

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WHAT A MOTHER MEANS TO ME

By Irving Serrano

Undeniably everyone was born of a Mother. All throughout the world, when children cry out at night, rest assure that a Mother moves swiftly to comfort that child. When we were born. The first warm body we felt, was that of our Mothers. And though our eyes had yet to focus, Our Mothers eyes would never stray from us. We might have not known what was being said to us, but we took comfort in the voice we heard. Even Jesus Christ, had a Mother. As Children, we are so dependent of our Mothers. They were always there to bathe, dress and feed us. In many cases; we learned our first prayer, from our Mothers. The Bible tells us; ' Honour thy Father and thy Mother, that your days be long upon the land which the Lord your God, is giving you'. (Exodus 20:12) Our Mothers love is unconditional. Just like Christ, love for us is unconditional. Many of us have Mothers who pray. These mothers teach us; that thru Jesus Christ, we can do all things. King Solomon, wrote; 'My Son, hear the instruction of your Father, and do not forsake the law of your Mother. (Proverbs 1:8) I remember as an adult I visited my Mothers room, and sitting on Her bed; I felt a secure comfort zone. No different than the secure feeling I had as a child, on my Mothers bed. Many of us were blessed to have Christian Parents. Parents who showed us to be civil with one another. Mothers who counseled us, cheered for us, and also rebuked us when it was necessary. Yet Her love for us never grew faint. These Mothers who stayed awake thru many nights, praying for our safe return as adolescents, yet their love for us never weakened. These Mothers raised us to know and understand that there is a living God. Those of us who no longer have our Mothers, with us, can take comfort in knowing that these Mothers are with our Lord. And we can take great pride in knowing that we have the ability, and the privilege of praying to the God, from our Parents. The years go by, our parents grow older and leave this earth. We must take refuge in Gods word, and assume the responsibility of being Parents ourselves. Undeniably; you love your Children. Show them the way, for when they get old; these things will never be forgotten. God bless.

 Love always, Irving Serrano.

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BECAUSE OF PRAYER

 By Irving Serrano

I am pleased to share a small story with you. Though it was many years ago as a child I remember my parents would go into the living-room,and pray. With them would be my Aunt,and sometimes other elders from the Church. Despite the fact that they always prayed when they first woke up every morning, then again before going to bed in the evening. They still would get together and pray once or twice a week. Many times I would here them praying for my Brothers and Sisters, all other Family members as well. As I grew older there was a time that I went astray; meaning 'I had stopped  praying'. It wasn`t long before I stopped hanging out with my Brothers. I had a whole new crowed to hang with. I hit the streets and felt no one could tell me anything. One day I came home while my parents were in prayer; this I have seen many times. As I quietly moved through the living room. No one knew I was there. I heard my Mom, switch her prayer from one of my Brothers to me. What caught my attention was that all along she was praying with a normal voice, but when she mentioned my name; she started crying. She pleaded to God to touch my heart, to cover me with His blood, and not let me perish in my foolishness,etc. I have to admit, I felt the spirit of conviction. I felt so bad I felt responsible for making my Mom cry. I was old enough to know right from wrong, I also knew what I needed to do. I went and found myself a quiet place, I knelt down and asked God to forgive me for anything and everything I`v done. I also asked God, to comfort my Mom. And give Her piece of mind, and not worry for me. Throughout the years I have participated in many of those prayer circles. And I`v learned that a parent never let their guard down when it comes to prayer. Today I am a Father of five, I have three Granddaughters, and one Grandson. I have truly been blessed. And I can say that I have always gotten what Iv asked for thru prayer. I still follow that method of my parents. I wake every morning in Prayer, likewise when I'm going to bed. And its a real joy when I'm asked to join any group in prayer. I know that I am a living today, because of the power of prayer. I urge you today, take out a moment and re-new your relation with Christ. The enemy will even try to make you feel unworthy of prayer. Never surrender to the enemies lies. Christ wants you to come to Him, the way you are. If God wants a change in you, He will make the move in you. The most important decision you can make in your life is to accept Jesus, as your Lord and Savior. All it takes is a little prayer. God bless you. Love always, Irving Serrano