THE SECRETS OF LOVING LIFE

I want to this share the following verses that has big impact to MyLifeStory...

The apostle Paul, writing to the church at Ephesus, laid down some very good guidelines for husbands and wives. To the men he said, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her." (Ephesians 5:25). To the women he said, "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:22) That kind of relationship brings about a lack of tension in marriage.
The husband should be willing to sacrifice himself for the wife's good. If he loves her enough that he is willing to give himself for her, even as Jesus did for the church, then the wife will be willing to submit to his leadership. She will know that he is always looking out for her good and always willing to put her interests ahead of his.
By the same token, a wife has the ability to make her husband the head of the household by urging him to take his proper role as priest in the home. She should encourage him to seek God, to find out what God is telling the family to do. She can build her husband up and, by being willing to submit, give him a sense of responsibility so that he will assume his proper role.
The one who always insists on "rights" will destroy the marriage relationship. If the husband says to the wife, "You much obey me because the Bible says so," he is going to alienate her. At the same time, the wife who refuses to submit to the husband and fights him all the time will make him apprehensive about following the Lord. He will start thinking, "What if I get a message from God? All I am going to get is opposition from my wife, so I might as well just follow my own desires and let her follow hers." Such attitudes will pull couples apart, whereas God's standards should draw them together.
The husband who departs from God's laws, and insists that his wife do the same thing, has lost his mandate of authority. God did not give the husband a mandate to break His law, to abuse his wife, to become involved in bizarre sex practices, or to lead his wife into stealing or lying or cheating or drunkenness. But as long as the husband is following the mandate of the Lord, the wife should submit to his leadership, even though she may disagree with it.
God's standard is true, yet in many marriages, the wife is more able than her husband. Regretfully, a woman with great abilities sometimes marries a man who does not have much ability. This wife must resist the temptation to dominate her husband. Her husband will sometimes make decisions that the wife feels are wrong. She must either gently persuade her husband that he is wrong, or else pray that God will change her husband's mind. A woman has voluntarily surrendered a portion of her autonomy to her husband when she marries. She must trust God that His way will work out. However, a husband who wants his wife to deny God, to engage in group sex, or to commit an act that is obviously against God's law has lost his authority. The wife's first allegiance is to Jesus Christ and she must follow Him. She cannot submit to what is unlawful or unnatural.
It is important to remember that husbands and wives are partners. Someone has rightly pointed out that woman was taken from the side of man, not from his head or foot. She is not to dominate her husband, nor is she to be supine and let him walk over her as if she were a doormat. A husband and wife are to be partners in life and are to share a living relationship that acknowledges that the man is the head of the family as long as he is submitted to Christ.

THE LAW OF GOD

Do not commit murder.

The first murderer was Cain who killed his brother Abel. Perhaps Cain thought no one saw what happened, but God did. He said to Cain, "Why have you done this terrible thing? Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground, like a voice calling for revenge" (Genesis 4:10). Murder is a sin with chain reactions--it hurts the families and friends of both the murderer and he who was murdered. It is also a grave offense against God who made man in His own image.

Do not commit adultery.

Adultery is the sin of breaking the marriage vow by having sexual relations with someone other than the marriage partner. Hebrews 13:4 says, "Marriage is to be honored by all, and husbands and wives must be faithful to each other. God will judge those who are immoral and those who commit adultery."

Do not steal.

It is wrong to take anything that doesn't belong to you, even if the person you took it from is rich and doesn't need it.
"The man who used to rob must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for himself and to be able to help the poor" (Ephesians 4:28).

Do not accuse anyone falsely.

The ninth commandment includes all lying in word or deed. God does not make a difference between "good" lies and "bad" lies--all false accusations are wrong. Psalm 101:7 says, "No liar will live in my palace; no hypocrite will remain in my presence."
"But cowards, traitors, perverts, murderers, the immoral, those who practice magic, those who worship idols, and all liars--the place for them is the lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).

Do not desire anything another man owns.

To wrongly desire what belongs to another is often called coveting. Luke 12:15 puts it this way: "Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because a person's true life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be."
God gave us these laws to teach us right from wrong, to guide us when we make decisions.
"What, then was the purpose of the Law? It was added in order to show what wrongdoing is, and it was meant to last until the coming of Abraham's descendant, to whom the promise was made ... So the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith" (Galatians 3:19, 24).

MEMORY VERSE

What, then was the purpose of the Law? It was added in order to show what wrongdoing is, and it was meant to last until the coming of Abraham's descendant, to whom the promise was made ... So the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith.- Galatians 3:19, 24

HEARING GOD'S VOICE

There are many who think they are hearing from God when maybe they are not. How annoying are the superspiritual who always say, "God told me this -- God told me that -- God told me this other." It seems that their every thought is a revelation from God.
God does not customarily operate that way. He speaks to us, but He does not chatter away, day in and day out, the way some people claim He does. This has been my experience, and it is the concept that is in accordance with the biblical record.
The Bible says that we can tell if someone is a prophet by seeing if what he has said comes to pass (see Deuteronomy 18:22). That is a very pragmatic test, and it works.
A friend who purported to hear from God told me, "My second child is going to be a boy. God told me." His second child was a girl. He said, "Well, God told me that it was not the second child who was going to be a boy, but the third child." His third child was a girl, too. At that point I determined, that brother isn't hearing from God. It was clear: He made a statement, supposedly from God, that did not come to pass.
There is no shortcut to spiritual understanding. You have to learn to walk with God and to know His voice; otherwise, you will mistake your own voice for His. You even may be fooled by the voice of Satan, or you may hear the clamoring voice of the world. It is so easy to get these voices mixed up. Usually, God speaks to us in a still, small, quiet voice (see I Kings 19:11-13). It takes time, prayer, and waiting on God to hear His voice.
Nor does God scatter His pearls around recklessly. He said, "You will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul" ( Deuteronomy 4:29). God does not reveal Himself to every casual onlooker who would take sacred things and play with them like toys. I have known some adults who treated the gifts of God as if they were just little baubles to play with. To please God and to receive counsel from Him, people must be both determined and serious.
How do we succeed in hearing God's voice? By spending time with God. The ultimate is not merely to get direction from God; the ultimate is to know God. God can make it difficult for us to get into His presence because He wants to see if we truly will expend the spiritual energy and exercise necessary to do so. Will we stop certain sins? Will we get rid of things that hinder us? Will we truly seek Him with all of our hearts?
Some people only want a quick fix -- "God, tell me how to make money on this business deal, please. See You next time!" And then that is the end of it. But God wants to be treated with reverence and deference that His nature warrants. He wants to change us, not merely give us quick answers to difficult problems. We will never be changed unless we come into His presence, spend time with Him, and allow Him to purify us from our sinful nature.

AN ANGEL

"What are angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by him to help those who are to receive salvation" (Hebrews 1:14).
Have you heard about guardian angels? They are real. The Bible says, "His angel guards those who have reverence for the Lord and rescues them from danger" (Psalm 34:7).
Angels have many functions, the first of which is to serve God, their Creator. Angels worship God at all times. Nehemiah 9:6 states, "The heavenly powers bow down and worship you." They do not act on their own, but are under Christ's authority. First Peter 3:22 tells us that Jesus "has gone to heaven and is at the right side of God, ruling over all angels and heavenly authorities and powers."
Angels participated in the giving of the old law (Galatians 3:19) and later sang over the Judean hills, announcing the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:13-14). We have all heard their song, singing their words over every glad Christmas.
They ministered to Jesus while He was here on earth. Luke 4:11 tells us that after His temptation in the wilderness, angels helped Him. When Jesus prayed in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, an angel came to strengthen Him.
The Bible tells us that angels minister to us as well. Though they aren't often seen, they watch over us--keeping us, and protecting us from danger. We have no way of knowing the accidents and other kinds of trouble that we have been spared because of their ministry in our behalf.
Yet we know they have been sent to help us because the Bible says so. Examples also are given to encourage us to believe. When Daniel was kept in the lions' den, he testified to the king, "God sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions so that they would not hurt me" (Daniel 6:22).
1 Kings 19:5 tells us that an angel brought food to the prophet Elijah when he was so tired he thought he would die. And an angel freed the apostle Peter from prison when he was being persecuted for the gospel's sake (Acts 12:7).
Whether angels are seen or whether they are invisible, we know they are sent to minister to us. How comforting to know they are ready to do whatever God tells them.
As we have already learned, they do not act except under divine authority. Nor do they accept praise. John the Beloved was so overwhelmed with a message given him by an angel that he fell down and began to worship him. But the angel stopped him. "'Don't do it!' he said, 'I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers, all those who hold to the truth that Jesus revealed. Worship God!'" (Revelation 19:10). You must not worship angels, but you can give them cause for rejoicing. If you have given your life to Christ, you have already given them joy. Jesus said, "I tell you, the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10). As a child of God, you can count on their continued help. "God will put his angels in charge of you to protect you wherever you go" (Psalm 91:11).

What are angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by him to help those who are to receive salvation.

- Hebrews 1:14

HAPPY THANKSGIVING..

From my Family To your Family

THANKSGIVING -THE FORGOTTEN HOLIDAY

Sandwiched somewhere between Halloween and Christmas is a Thursday holiday that is slowly becoming more miniscule in the minds of millions of Americans – Thanksgiving. If you search hard, you might find one small section of Thanksgiving cards, autumn decorations, and a turkey platter amid the aisles and miles of Halloween costumes, Christmas decorations, and toys.
For some, Thanksgiving is a day to get a list together prior to a day of marathon Christmas shopping. Somehow our perception of Thanksgiving Day has gone askew. We've forgotten the reason for celebration that first Thanksgiving. Gratitude for survival! Historically we think of Thanksgiving as a time of feasting for the Pilgrims and Indians. In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims had been in America less than a year. During those months, over half their original population died from disease or starvation. The Pilgrims hosted the first feast not to try out their latest recipes, but to celebrate life with their Indian friends and give thanks to God for His provision in difficult circumstances.
Perhaps you'd like to redirect your family toward gratitude this year. Just as many enlist the help of an advent wreath to prepare for the celebration of Jesus' birth in December, focus on thanks-giving this November by doing the following:

Week 1 – Write Bible verses that name the attributes of God on fruit-shaped cut-outs. Place them in a basket or cornucopia. During a time of family devotions or at a meal, have each family member select a fruit from the basket and read the verse aloud. Then discuss ways your family has experienced each of God's qualities.

Week 2 – Think about reasons for ingratitude. Most of us are incredibly blessed, yet we find reasons to complain. This week, any time family members complain about something, have them place money in a jar. Your family can decide the amount. Then at the end of the week, donate the money to the soup kitchen or mobile meals to help with Thanksgiving meals.

Week 3 – Think of someone you love and appreciate, but rarely see. Make plans to call, send a card, or visit that person. Find out if there is a special need, pray with the person, and provide materially or with an act of service.

Week 4 – Focus on praising God. Let each family member select a praise chorus or hymn. Sing a different one at each meal instead of saying a blessing. Thank God for material provision, physical health, spiritual blessings, our country, our church, and family.

ALONE FOR THANKSGIVING

More days to go and every family will gather together to give thanks to the Lord for all the blessings they received for the year. Every family will travel to visit and unite with their siblings to celebrate a big turkey dinner night. Unfortunately I will be alone on that day. It's my 3rd thanksgiving day here in US and this is the first time that I will be alone. But in spite of what happened to my life here I am still thankful for having friends who are always there if I need someone to talk to. I am thankful to all my brothers and sisters who never forget to say prayer for me to overcome all the trials I been through. I remember for the last two years a week before this special occasion we travel to NY to visit my in laws and friends to celebrate a big turkey night. But now I am alone... Please invite me to join your turkey dinner..pls...LOL..

HOW TO BE FREE FROM BITTERNESS AND RESENTMENT

Life depression and other emotional stress, bitterness and resentment can aggravate or cause physical problems such as arthritis. You can be affected mentally, spiritually and otherwise. Your relationships will always suffer.
God can free you from this sin. It is an oppressive and destructive emotion having its root in hate, which is likened to murder. You must repent. No one can have peace and happiness with such emotions tearing at him. If you have not done so, ask God to forgive you and to come into your life right now. He will deliver you from the power of the enemy (Psalm 91:3).
If you are already a Christian, you should still ask God to forgive you for being bitter and resentful. Then ask Him to forgive anyone who may have hurt you, and toward whom you are bitter or resentful, even as He forgives you.
Seek to be baptized with the Holy Spirit if you are not already. Look for opportunities to demonstrate love to the person who offended you.
God forgives and forgets sin. However, you may have made your best effort to forgive and forget and find that you cannot. God can help you to cleanse your memory. Instead of remembering with malice and hurt, remember with forgiveness. Then go one step further and ask God to forgive your offender. By forgiving and then asking God to forgive your offender, you release God to bless you and the other person.