Most Liked Religion & Spirituality Blogs (1,491)

The Natural April 2012

A human being is part of the whole, called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty.—Albert Einstein

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.—Native American Proverb

There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed.—Mahatma Gandhi

When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves.—David Orr

We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong we may begin to use it with love and respect.—Aldo Leopold

Waste is a tax on the whole people.—Albert W. Atwood

The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.—Gaylord Nelson

When we are at peace with God we are better able to devote ourselves to building up that peace with all creation which is inseparable from peace among all peoples.—Pope John Paul II

There is hope if people will begin to awaken that spiritual part of themselves, that heartfelt knowledge that we are caretakers of this planet.—Brooke Medicine Eagle

The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river.—Ross Perot

Environmental sustainability is not an option—it is a necessity. For economies to flourish, for global poverty to be banished, for the well-being of the world’s people to be enhanced—not just in this generation but in succeeding generations—we have a compelling and ever more urgent duty of stewardship to take care of the natural environment and resources on which our economic activity and social fabric depends.—Gordon Brown

By accepting responsibility, we take effective steps toward our goal: an inclusive human society on a habitable planet, a society that works for all humans and for all nonhumans. By accepting responsibility, we move closer to creating a world that works for all.—Sharif M. Abdullah
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"ENTER INTO HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING AND INTO HIS COURTS WITH PRAISE" (PSA.100:4).

A prayer should be first of all thanksgiving. Start your prayer with thanksgiving, thanking Jesus for all your blessings!

The Lord honors your coming into His presence with praise and thanksgiving. So don't start by telling Him all your wants and needs first without even thanking Him! If you don't thank Him for the blessings He's already given you, He's not going to feel much like answering your prayers to give you something else you want. Thank Him first! Sing and praise the Lord and thank Him for how good He is!

You can do it this way: Praise, precepts (reading the Word inspires your faith), prayer, the products (testimonies of the results of praise, the Word and prayer)--and what should come at the end?--Praise again! Then comes more production!--Putting it into action!

Lord, You talk so much about giving thanks and praising Thee and being thankful and grateful. Help us, Lord, not to forget to be thankful! Help us to thank You continually, all day long! You're thankful for our praises, Lord! Thy Spirit dwells in the praises of Thy people! (Psa.22:3). So help us to constantly be thankful and grateful! In Jesus' name!--Amen!





Activated TFI [Posted Video - I'VE COME TO FAR TO LOOK BACK]

John 8:1-11

8 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around Him, and He sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing Him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger. 7 When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Thank you in advance for reading and commenting

Ps: I wonder what Jesus did write on the ground???

The Supernatural 9/07

A veil exists between the spirit world and the earthly plane in which we live. However, God on occasion opens or lifts this veil to reveal to us His truths. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9–10).
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God’s visible creation is an illustration of the things in the spirit, a picture of the world to come. For everything there, there’s a counterpart, a natural example, here. “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” (Romans 1:20, KJV).
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The present material world is only temporary, but the now-unseen spirit world will never pass away. “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure” (Psalm 102:25–26). “The things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
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The apostle Paul explained that our perception of the unseen world is presently somewhat obscured: “Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).
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A Roman centurion hit upon an important truth about the spirit world when he asked Jesus to heal his servant, saying, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (Matthew 8:8–9). God and Jesus don’t have to do everything or personally carry out every answer to our prayers. They’ve got plenty of help in the form of angels and other spirit beings, including believers who have died and passed over to the spiritual realm, whom the apostle Paul calls “the spirits of just men made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23).
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The 11th chapter of Hebrews lists the exploits of many of the most outstanding men and women of God who appear in the Old Testament. Immediately following this list of heroes and heroines of faith, we are told in the first verse of the next chapter, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). The heroes of faith of Hebrews 11 are among those many witnesses. Think how wonderful it is that there are millions up there, all watching and praying for us, and lots of them coming down to help!
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Some helpers from the spirit world are given to people to stay with them and watch over them through their entire lives. These are commonly referred to as guardian angels (Psalm 34:7; 91:11–12). Others are sent on special assignments when there is an especially great need or in answer to prayer, such as the angel who came to Daniel’s aid when he was thrown into the den of lions, or the figure who mysteriously appeared with Daniel’s friends in the fiery furnace, who King Nebuchadnezzar said looked like “the Son of God” (Daniel 6:20–22; 3:22–28).
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Because in our life here we are confined within the parameters of the four dimensions—length, breadth, depth, and time—there are many things about Heaven and the spirit world that are impossible for us to completely understand. Yet little bits and pieces that we gather start to fall into place like pieces in a giant intriguing puzzle. The more we learn, the more apparent it becomes that there is infinitely more to discover.




Activated TFI [Video Posted - Yeshua (Jesus) Kadosh (Holy)!]

John 8:21-30

21 So He said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”

22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”

He said to them, 23 “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

25 So they said to Him, “Who are you?”

Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but He who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him.”

27 They did not understand that He had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

30 As He was saying these things, many believed in Him.

Thank you in advance for reading and commenting

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages............ ..............I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
Winston Churchill. ...................Life is just a mess of games people play, ......A circle has no end point, human journey seeking for happiness is endless, We live in the world of matter.............. .. I feel so fed up with life that I wonder what the point is anymore. .......And suddenly nothing even mattered anymore,all i wanted was to sleep forever.................................. ..... I am sleeping,do not trouble me..

Written by Michael Sharp September 2014

Victor was a carabinero, or police officer, stationed at the remote Chilean customs compound known as Los Libertadores, high in the Andes on the border with Argentina. Since Victor had received special training in mountain rescue work, he was usually assigned to dangerous areas like this one. He enjoyed the mountains, but missed his family.

It was July 3—the heart of winter in the southern hemisphere—and a snowstorm raged outside. With winds of 100 kilometers (over 60 miles) per hour and the temperature at -15°C (5°F) before the windchill factor, Victor and the 57 other people in the camp were bunkered in for the night.

Suddenly, Victor heard a deep rumbling and instinctively looked at his watch. It was 8:38 pm. Since small tremors are common in that part of Chile, Victor didn’t think much of it at first, but the shaking grew stronger. Then the lights went out.

Seconds later, the roof collapsed and Victor found himself trapped between a wall and a large piece of furniture. The temperature around him dropped quickly, and Victor wondered how he would ever come out of this alive.

As Victor would find out later, the high winds had caused an avalanche at the top of a nearby peak and sent a mountain of snow down on the customs complex.

Victor managed to pry himself free from the rubble and dig his way out of the snow. Once outside, he realized that the other buildings around had also collapsed.

Then Victor heard a child’s cry and he dug through the wreckage until he found a baby girl. The child was wearing only a diaper and a T-shirt, but was otherwise unharmed. Victor quickly put her inside his warm police coat, where she could receive warmth from his chest.

With no heat and almost no shelter, unless help came soon, the survivors would all freeze to death. Before the avalanche, the camp’s only means of communication with the rest of the world had been a two-way radio, and now it was damaged beyond repair. Victor quickly realized that it might be days before anyone would even know of their predicament. Their only hope was for someone to walk to the nearest neighbor, a ski lodge about two kilometers away, and organize a rescue.

Victor asked for volunteers to go with him. No one came forward, so he set off alone, carrying the baby under his coat.

Eight hours later, Victor stumbled into the lodge, exhausted.

After turning the child over to others and then getting a hot shower and a quick meal, he was ready to lead one of the three rescue teams. As a result of his actions, 31 people were saved.

As I listened to Victor tell his story some months later, one important detail was missing. I asked about it, but Victor kept evading the question.

The next day Victor’s wife showed me her scrapbook of newspaper clippings about the avalanche and how Victor received a hero’s commendation from the president of Chile.

At last I persuaded Victor’s wife to reveal his secret. “He doesn’t talk about this,” she explained, “because he thinks people will say he’s crazy...”

“As Victor was walking through the blizzard, a bright light appeared off to one side, almost like a streetlight. But as Victor trudged through the deep snow, it moved with him and it lit the way, more like a spotlight than a streetlight. The light led Victor straight to the lodge. Many times along the way, Victor sank so deep into snowdrifts that he couldn't free himself, but each time he felt someone grab him from behind, pull him up, and set him on his way again.

“And there’s one more thing. The light that guided him was no ordinary light. When Victor looked directly into it, instead of radiating from some sort of bulb, the light was coming from Jesus’ face.”

*Michael Sharp is an English teacher in Colombia and a member of the Family International.


Activated TFI

John 8:51-59

51 "..., Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.


Thank you in advance for reading and commenting

Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. John W. Gardner

Written by Peter Amsterdam Tuesday, 01 May 2012

When the topic of personal and social values comes up these days, it’s often in the context of what kinds of movies, music, reading material, computer games, and Internet usage are good or acceptable, and which aren’t. Often, this generates quite a bit of disagreement between generations and even between peers. That’s not surprising, because all of these things are highly subjective. Something that has an obvious bad effect on one person may not seem to have a bad effect on someone else.

Some people have the attitude that a lot of violence, gore, or foul language in movies doesn’t have a bad effect on them. They like that kind of movie and don’t think it’s harmful for them personally. But whether they realize it or not, or want to admit it or not, regular intake of things that promote or condone these types of attitudes and behavior does have an effect on their spirit and will eventually come out in their own attitudes and behavior. They would probably be better off if they asked themselves not only, “Is this harmful to me?” but also, “Is this good for me?”

Of course, the smartest thing any of us can do when we aren’t sure whether something is more likely to influence us for better or for worse is to look to God’s Word, the Bible, and to measure the thing in question against the standard we find there. The word used in most English versions of the Bible to describe the kind of good effect I’m talking about here is “edify,” which means “to enlighten; to improve the morals or knowledge of somebody.” The Bible makes it clear that we should pursue things that are edifying and avoid things that aren’t.

It’s impossible in this hi-tech, media-driven age to block out everything that could have a bad effect on you, but if you recognize a particular influence as a danger, you will try to minimize its effect by minimizing your exposure to it. It all comes down to personal conviction—how convinced you are that something is harmful to your spirit and how serious you are about avoiding it.
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DELIVER US, LORD, FROM THE SPIRIT OF "BUSYNESS"!--TOO BUSY FOR YOU & TOO BUSY FOR YOUR WORD!

To learn from the Lord, you have to stop & look & listen, or you'll get run over by all the cares of this life, instead of running over with His Truth, His Love & His Joy! If you drive yourself too hard & too fast, you may never get there! You'll get out of touch with the Lord & our Heavenly Headquarters. Like the little girl said about the kitten, "Oh Mama, the kitty's gone to sleep & left its engine running!"--You may run around but still be asleep spiritually, & you may not be getting anywhere--"as one that beateth the air"! (1Cor.9:26

"You cannot do the Master's WORK without the Master's POWER!"--And to get it, you must spend TIME with the Master! The Lord said but one thing is needful: To sit at His feet & learn of Him. Those who have chosen this good part, it shall never be taken away from them! (Lk.10:42) So if you're too busy to pray, you're too busy! If you're too busy to get alone with God & pray, you're too busy!

So "take time to be holy"!--Wholly His! He says, "Be still, & know that I am God. In quietness & in confidence shall your strength be!" (Psa.46:10; Isa.30:15)




Activated TFI [Video Posted - Interview with Jim Caviezel - The Passion of the Christ]

This blog was written by a CS member. It is posted on her behalf.

I had a good friend who was a Tarot card reader. She was famous.
Never asking for money but people would buy her things, buy her lunch, dinner.
I loved her reading my cards I found it fascinating.
I wanted to know about a certain man. Yes he will be yours for sure.
I used a Ouija board I became so good at it I could do it alone.
II f I did it with a friend she would accuse me that I moved the pointer.
I did not even touch the pointer but hovered above it.

One day I had the idea to ask God to talk to me through the Ouija board. I didn’t know that what I was doing was really praying. Strangely it now did not work at all. What I now saw was only mumbo jumbo.The letters did not make a sentence.
So I said; “Oh you don’t want to answer and help me God, Okay!”
Later I learned that my praying had cancelled out Satan's power.

A friend asked me to go with him to see my friend the Tarot card reader.
Fortune tellers are fond of telling you how some things they said came to pass.
When I pointed out to my friend when she had been wrong, she did not like to hear it.
For some reason I did not like to go anymore, also because she had confided in me that this man’s wife was going to die in a car accident.

I let my friend talk me into going but when I saw my friend the reader and remembering what she had told me about his wife, I quietly asked her not to tell this man anything bad.
She became irritated and told us that whatever she would see In the cards, she would tell.
In panic I silently talked to God and asked that my friend would not tell him about his wife.

Never will I forget what happened next; It was mesmerizing to hear her say; ahum, ahum, ahum over and over again. Finally she looked up and told my friend; “You must be very confused today as I can not read the cards”
For the first time a little light went off in my head, what is this about praying that makes the Ouija board stop working and the Tarot cards not being able to be read?
It was the start of my asking questions and after a long time had to conclude that their was a God and that prayer worked.

The biggest question I was left with was; What did Jesus have to do with it all?
Want to read the rest of my stories, just asked me and I will send them to you...
Stay away from things like the Ouija board it is not an innocent game.

I want to tell you, never fool around with the Ouija board it is not a game. It is very demonic.
A little minister's boy saw kids at school on the playground with the Ouija board.
When he told the kids that it was wrong what they were doing, they laughed at him.
The boy then told them okay, ask the Ouija where it gets its power. The boys did and the Ouija answered; “Hitler.”
The boy knew that this was a lie, so he commanded it to tell the truth, this time the answer was; “Satan.”
A family would every night after supper, take out the Ouija board and play the game.
They had noticed that the cat liked it also, for as soon as they started to play, it would come out too watch.

One day a Christian happened to stop by at the time they were playing.
She was shocked when she saw what they were doing, and told them so.

They too, did not want to believe her, so she said to ask the Ouija what it wanted from them.
When they asked this, the answer came; “Your soul.”
They were so upset that they threw the board in the fireplace where they all saw the face of a woman appear.
The Christian said; "You must do this burning in the name of Jesus." The next day the cat was found dead.

Stay away from the Ouija it is not a game! It can bring you in spiritual darkness for years to come.
I sure wished that I had never heard about this diabolical, so-called “Game” It is dangerous, very dangerous.

Strangely it was because of these experiences that I now needed to find out who was Jesus?
What and who was behind answering prayer?

The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Jeremiah 31:3 KJV

Words from Jesus Mar 26, 2015

Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue and why that specific color gives you a feeling of peace when you look up at it? Have you ever wondered why the scent of a pine forest or the grass after rain brings calm and refreshing to your spirit? Is there some magical reason why the simple sound of a bird singing makes you feel happy inside? While there are scientific reasons that your body responds to a certain stimulus, the simple truth is that I created these things to have such pleasant effects on you because I love you.

I created your body to respond to certain colors, sights, sounds, and fragrances, and I placed all those things throughout creation that I knew you would enjoy. I placed them all around you in great abundance. Just like a doting parent gives his child all the good things that child wants and needs, so do I, your great and loving heavenly Father, give these abundant gifts to you. If you believe and understand that these are gifts from My hand, then you will increasingly begin to notice all of the wonderful things that I have placed in your life, even the hidden things which might not seem like blessings at first.

When you look up into the night sky, if all you saw was darkness, it might be a bit dismal and foreboding. The shine of the stars I placed in the heavens reminds you that even in the dark times, I am still there for you. In life, you have your dark times when it seems like all around you is black and there’s no way out, and if you’re only looking down, this is all you will see. But when you look up‚ you will see My hand in your times of darkness as well, and My touches of love that will shine as stars to guide you.

I can use everything in your life for good if you will let Me. There is pain and suffering in life that can be turned into joy and rejoicing when given to Me. I can unshackle your life from the chains of bitterness, hate, envy, jealousy, sickness, and suffering, and turn these things into bright stars that will guide others to Me.

Just as I didn’t create only one tree, or one mountain, or one flower, or only paint one sunset, so too I do not bless only one life or make only one person to shine with My love. I touch each life with My love so that they may be an encouragement to others. So join in the masterpiece of My love! Let My love fill your life, and let others see My light and love shine through you today.

There is so much beauty in the world; take time to enjoy it, and share your enjoyment with others. I take just as much delight in painting the majestic sunsets as I do in creating the tiniest flowers, so enjoy not only the big‚ awesome expressions of My love, but also the smaller, almost unseen things that I bring into your life. As you do, your life will be filled to overflowing with My joy.




Anchor TFI [Video Posted - Gloria Estefan - Everlasting Love]