the power of vision.. part IV

“embrace change”

Matthew 18:3

“I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Romans 8:28

“All we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose.”

The sun. One of the many splendors that God created. It rises through the darkness and shines throughout the land and sets after a long day. The sun can mark a transition point in our lives.

Let’s start with the sunset. The light fades into darkness and this could reflect how we turned away from God and lived in the darkness of the world and valued whatever it gave us more than the Word. Then over time, we realize how dull and boring the world can be, and with a breakthrough and change of life, darkness falls and the sun rises. We rise to a new day and lifestyle.

As we transition from the point in our lives where we were distant from God and our vision seemed either irrelevant or nonexistent to getting to know Him better, we must become and remain moldable. Let our hearts be molded into His word. God is the potter and we are His clay and if we are to achieve greatness, we must live (to the best of our ability) as Jesus did. When we embrace change, God reveals himself to us and makes the vision for our lives more apparent.

Jesus Loves You

bill 444..

Leviticus 18:22

“do not lie with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.”

I do not hate nor dislike homosexual people, however, I stand firmly by my convictions. The Bible calls us to love all people. It is simply that I don’t agree will Bill 444 and the idea of same sex marriages.

As a Christian, I must lift my voice and press that homosexuality is against the Bible and that if this bill is passed, it will forever change our home. If it is passed, it is written to obey the law of the land and that is something that we will have to do. The best we can do is pray and reach our hand out to the lost and through transformation, hope that homosexuality that they struggle can be broken in Jesus name.

Please take some time to read the article in the link below and see how same sex marriages has damaged society in Massachusetts. This isn’t the Hawaii that I want for my children.

http://www.massresistance.org/docs/marriage/effects_of_ssm.html

Jesus Loves You

the power of vision.. part III

photo: Chris Laporga Photography

You decide what fruit you are

Psalm 1:1-4

“Blessed is the man who does now walk in the counsel of the wicked.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.”

Matthew 12:33

“Today is the day to stop thinking you are the victim. If your tree is producing crab apples, then change it. Jesus said “either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruits bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.”

It doesn’t matter what kind of life you have lived because you are in control of your destiny. If you have lived even the most sinful life, doubted and didn’t believe in God, you can change your ways.

Like it says in Matthew 12, even if your fruit has been bad until now, TODAY you can make a decision to change it for the better good. You can breakthrough with God in whatever kind of lifestyle, situation, problems you are in right now. The only thing stopping us is continuing to live a life of sin and a lack of vision.

1. God has a vision for each and every one of us, without one, we will perish

2. Our vision is our future

3. We can change any negative vision or lifestyle into a positive one

Jesus Loves You

a declaration..

Jeremiah 29:13

“you will seek me and find me when you seek me with ALL your heart.”

Above all, I live for Your glory.

I choose to follow You will all my heart.

I choose to follow You in all areas of my life. Not just the areas I want.

With the peace of God in my heart, I release you..

the power of vision.. part II

People can be categorized into 4 vision levels

wanderers: they never see their vision or know what to do

followers: they see their vision, but never pursue it on their own

achievers: people who see their vision and  pursue it

leaders: people who see their vision, pursue it and help others see it

Psalms 37:4

“delight yourself in the ways of the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

1 Corinthians 2:16

“we have the mind of Christ and do hold the thoughts of His heart.”

We must believe that God has a plan for us and walk in faith and patience that we’ll achieve that plan one day. Even if you think you are the most distant person from God and have spent your life living in sin, God has a plan for you but it’s not so apparent because His plan for you has been separated by sin. If we choose and continue to seek God with ALL of our heart, He will reveal for righteous purpose for us in life and also give us the desires of our heart. In the verse in 1 Corinthians, the “thoughts of His heart refers to His purpose for us.”

Now, let’s go over “the desires of our hearts.”  The desires that you have in your heart, like what you want in your future husband/wife will change as you grow in your relationship with Christ. Before I knew God, I wanted the hottest girl out there. You know, the bombshell, all about looks…my very own Jessica Alba. Now, my desires are much different. Yes, looks and attractiveness do matter. But honestly, the thing that makes me go “ohh damn” about a woman is to see how fired up for God she is. This may sound crazy to those of you that don’t yet understand, but I want her to encourage me, read and pray with me, and help me grow in my relationship with Him and not hinder it.

God has shown me parts of the vision He has for in the future, short term and long. As I and you continue to seek Him and glorify Him in doing so, the greater the reward will be.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given unto you. Never lose faith in anything peeps, for God is always besides us.

Jesus Loves You

the power of vision.. part I

In this series, we look at God’s vision for us and how living a life without vision will take you down the wrong path.

What is Vision?

Job 32:8
“but there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the almighty gives him understanding.”


Jeremiah 29:11
“for i know the plans i have for you, plans to proper you and not to harm you, but to give you hope and a future.”

Vision is the ability to see God’s presence, perceive his power, and focus on His plan for us despite obstacles and mountains that may seem immovable. It is the unformed bridge from the present to the future that leads you from where you are now to where God knows you need to be.

Vision is given to us by the Holy Spirit and is a mental picture of the future state. When we see the vision God has for us, we encounter a desired future state and motivates us to achieve them. God has a plan for everyone. No matter the past, you can change whatever ways you lived into new ones. Starting a New beginning with Jesus as the number one priority in your life. Whatever hardships or immovable mountains that are in your life, remember, that with Jesus, all things are possible.

Jesus Loves You

valentine’s day edition..

i wrote this this past weekend and wanted to reiterate on the importance of not settling..

in the wake of Valentine’s Day, many people feel obligated to find someone to be their valentine or depressed because they don’t have someone in their life.

this is an encouragement for those people to remain strong and not settle during this “lover’s holiday”

“don’t settle for cupid’s chokehold”

when it comes to valentine’s day, most guys don’t feel the need to celebrate it like women do except for those in relationships. i hope in their case, they better not forget. if they do, they are in trouble with a capital  “T.”

most guys, how do i say, think everyday is their valentine’s play day because their focus seems always about women, checking the “hotties” out and trying to “get some.” well here is how we “men” should treat women…

1 John 4:7
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”

1 Tim. 5:1-2
“Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”

God calls us not to respect “chicks” “hotties” “pieces of meat” or any other name you may have for them but as our sisters in Christ.
Don’t play games with women because you are in the game and you just “want some.” treat them with respect and equality because God created them and us in His image.
if you have problems with women and never understood why you aren’t getting the girl you deserve, perhaps it is because you are looking in the wrong places. instead of finding them at clubs, parties, etc. why don’t you focus on God and follow because the Bible says that if you trust the Lord with all your heart, He will give you the desires of your heart.

so, think twice next time you lust because Jesus knows your heart’s intentions.

For those of you struggling with singleness and are ever so tempted to get into a relationship you know you shouldn’t get into, check this..

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 5

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.. a time to embrace and a time to refrain,  a time to search and a time to give up.”

Song of Solomon 2:7

“Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”

Remember this. The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing. Before engaging into a relationship to satisfy any voids in your heart, always think about what your intentions and motives are. If you are not ready and it is not your season for a relationship, don’t rush into it because these quick, temporary relationships never last.

If you think you’ve found “the one” for you, the best thing to do is wait, build up that friendship and allow God to continue to work in the both of you. Also, during this period, make God the focus of your lives and not each other. Why? If you allow God to be first in your life and set up a solid foundation, you can help each other overcome any obstacle the world throws at you. Charm is deceitful, beauty is fleeing, but the word of God is forever.

Jesus Loves You

my mission verses..

1 John 4: 7-“let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

2 Corinthians 4:15 –^“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

the origins..

Joshua De Gracia

..of Know God. Know Love. No God. No Love. came after a friendly game of golf.  as i saw my friends beginning their relationship with Christ, the subject of devotions came up. they told me that they had problems with what to read in the Bible and what to pray for. i then asked them “if i write a few verses down and explain it, would you do that for your devotions?” they agreed and this was the beginning of Know God. Know Love. instead of emailing it to them, i originally posted the bulletins on myspace. soon, people began to read them and i saw it as a way of reaching out to others and showing them that Christian or not, we go through the same trials, but if we have God in our lives, it is that much easier.

I do this not for to show how godly i am (because i am still a major work in progress), but to glorify God and share my testimony in hope of impacting peoples’ lives.

In our lives, we need less of us and more of God.. If you have any questions about a particular subject or post, please let me know.

Jesus loves you