‘You shall fear every man his mother, and his father…I am the Lord your God…If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood will be on his own head.
Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you
If a man curses his father or mother, his lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness’
(Lev 19:3; 20:9; Deut 5:16; PV 20:20)

When God created Adam and Eve, He gave the command that they should multiply. To be a mother or a father, this is a gift from God. No child comes on earth without God’s design and approval. God chooses our parents. God chooses our children. No one is by accident. God never makes mistakes. You did not choose your natural family, your parents and siblings. God did it!
God commands the children to do two things in regard to their parents: to honor and to fear them. These are two different words but together they say that we should invest in and prayerfully improve our relationship with our parents the best we can.
If a man dishonors his parents, he dishonors God who gave them to him. If a man ignores his parents, he rejects the sovereignty of God who never makes mistakes. It is not enough to say that your parents were bad; that they ‘did not try enough’ for you. Do not excuse your rebellion. No matter the situation, for as long as they live, they are your parents and you owe them deep respect. Pay your debt of honor to them. If you are willing to learn how to respect, but don’t know how to do it, pray for wisdom and God will give it to you ‘liberally’ without finding fault with your request (Jam 1:5).
We should never ignore or take our parents for granted. We should value the gift of having parents as a gift from God. Do not envy the orphans! Some people do not have natural parents. If that is your situation, then pray and look for mentors or spiritual parents, for the command above applies to all. Some have difficult relationship with their natural parents for example, when the children are saved and the parents are not. But even then, this command does not exempt anyone. Pray to God for wisdom and trust Him for the strength to obey the Word of God.
The reward of your obedience is long and prosperous life!!! The sentence ‘that it may go well with you’ in Hebrew it means that you become beautiful, accepted, happy, content and to find favor with God and men. Many abuse their parents, especially when they are old and they need help. This neglect of duties is clearly a disobedience to the Word of God. This sin ends up in poverty, failure to fulfill destiny, spiritual blindness and untimely death. The words ‘pitch darkness’ mean that the rebellious child shall remain foolish, making a lot of mistakes, losing opportunities and money. He shall a live of misery and sorrow.
The ideal family set up is to have God at the center. If the parents and the children are saved, and Christ is the King over all, the hurts will be minimal and the mistakes transformed into wisdom. But this ideal is rarely found. Most people come from ‘broken’ homes where sin was the master. The wounds and the pains found in many marriages and families all over the world are so deep, that words cannot describe. Disobedience to God’s commands brings curses and creates a life time of chaos and pain. The only hope for any family, for both parents and children is found in Christ alone! Selah!
No matter how old we are, we have parents. Even if the natural parents are dead, there is still an authority placed upon us by God that stands as spiritual parents. To live without any spiritual covering, no be ‘free’ from any responsibility to submit to others who are over us that is a declaration that you are a spiritual bastard or an orphan. That is a curse! It is a sign of unbelief, for no child of God is an orphan.
‘Lord Jesus, help me to improve my relationship with my parents, natural and spiritual. I reject the evil spirit of an orphan! I receive the Holy Spirit who helps me to cry Abba Father! Lord, I pray for divine wisdom how to practically apply the Word of God to daily living. I truly desire that You be glorified in my relationship with my parents and my children,
In Jesus name,
Amen!!’
(In the picture above: my mother, Prof. Albai Domnica, 80 years old, and me; this picture is taken when I visited her the last time in Orsova, Romania)

The effect of illegal drugs upon the mind of people is well known. To avoid stress, some men take drugs to just feel happy. Under the influence of these drugs they see visions and become ‘spiritual’. They hear voices telling them about future events. They may try to apply these ‘revelations’ in gambling so that they can win ‘the jackpot’. All this is a deception of the devil. The root for this is that God has created man to have an intimate relationship with Him. In the absence of that, men are ready to do anything to experience the power of the supernatural. O, how many souls have been deceived!
In the New Testament the word witchcraft in Greek is ‘pharmakeia’ from where we derive the word ‘pharmacy’ or taking drugs or poison. It also means magic. This is a very interesting revelation. Selah!
The word magic (‘pharmakeia’) appears in the following scriptures:
*It is one of the works of the flesh (Gal 5:20) that wars against the work of sanctification in our lives. Our flesh loves magic!
*The people involved in magic are very proud and stubborn and refuse to repent even when all odds are against them (Rev 9:20, 21).
*The magic spells coming from the occult are powerful enough to hinder the worship of God or the blessings of God for example marriage. They will also attack the true prophetic ministry, trying to bring confusion with their foretelling of future events. Another area under attack is business, the work of our hands. Their magic can hinder, but they are not able to completely stop the blessings and gifts of God. The punishment on the magicians is solemnly predicted by God. This calls for intelligent warfare and intercession for people, churches, marriages and the destiny of nations (Rev 18:21-24).
*All men who are attracted by the magic power of the occult and use it to make money or to destroy others, all these are condemned by God. If they do not repent they will go to hell (Rev 22:15)

THE VICTORY OF FAITH
This is a wonderful testimony of how Jesus defeated the fake and wicked doctors. I am talking about the woman with the issue of blood (Mk 5:21-34). She has suffered much at the hand of ‘physicians’. Most of them were in the category of the magicians as described above. She lost all her money and her health became worst. Twelve years ago she was rich and sick. Now she is poor and dying. The magician doctors became rich at her expense. She finally came to Jesus. Her soul was saved and her body was healed. (This should have been a strong warning to the useless physicians for them to repent also!)
Let’s join the sister who touched the hem of His garment! She became an inspiration to all believers for all times!
‘And wherever He (Jesus) went – into villages, towns and country sides- they placed the sick into the marketplaces. They begged Him (Jesus) to let them touch, even the edge of His cloak AND ALL WHO TOUCHED HIM WERE HEALED’ (Mk 6:56).
‘Dear Lord Jesus, I come to you, at the end of a long journey of faith, seeking You, begging You, touching You…I TOUCH, I TOUCH, I TOUCH, the hem of Your garment!!!
I am healed! I am delivered! I am free!!!
In Jesus name, I pray,
Amen”

To be quickly rich without any labor, this is the dream of all sinners. That is the foundation of gambling.
Gambling – definition: To play a game for money or property; to bet, to take a chance, to risk on an uncertain outcome; to expose yourself to danger and to proceed in the face of it.
The attraction of gambling is entertainment and the love of money. Both are very addictive strongholds of satan. The victims are people who are lazy, covetous, foolish and ambitious in the same time. That combination is deadly. Gambling is a scheme to escape labor, but in reality, gambling is an evil spirit that kills and destroys.
In the U S gambling is an industry of billions of dollars. The lottery is the favorite legal gambling. Gambling is the fastest growing addiction in the world. 1/7 teenagers and 1/10 adults that gamble will end up as addicted to it. Gambling wrecks homes and marriages. The business is wicked and it attracts all type of men but especially the poor who believe in the get rich quick schemes. The poor neighborhoods have the highest number of location for gambling and lottery. These are sold in poor grocery stores to attract the people who buy food. Many times a poor man has gone home to his family without food and just with a lottery slip and the promise of millions. ‘The American Dream’ is intimately connected with the evil spirit of gambling.
The casinos machines are built in such a way that 80-90% of the winning numbers go to the patron. The chance to win there is minimal but the attraction to make money without work is very high. Even the few that win, statistics say that they will lose all their money in maximum two years and they are back to gamble again, ready to sell even their soul to satan.
If you study the Word of God and His ways you can deduce that gambling is a sin and it is to be rejected as a practice to make money. Gambling violates God’s law because of the following:
1-The foundation and the attraction of it is the love of money, which is evil.
‘Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income’ (Ecc 5:10)
2-Gambilng encourages laziness and covetousness in the same time. The Bible says that we should work and be good stewards of the income we make. We are to tithe to God, then use the remaining to take care of the family. Any surplus we are to invest it as seed in the work of God or to save for emergencies in the future.
‘Lazy hands make a man poor but diligent hands bring wealth’ (PV 10:4)
‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife…’ (Ex 20:17)
3-Gambling may be entertaining but it is addictive. All addictions are sins because they master the person who becomes a slave
‘A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him’ (2Pet 2:19)
4-Gambling gives false hope to people and builds false imaginations. God is to be our only hope. Our future is joyful because God, in Christ will change our sorrow into glory. Any other hope of riches and fame outside Christ is false and criminal.
‘The hopes of the wicked come to nothing…when a wicked man dies, his hope perishes; all he expected from his power come to nothing’ (PV 10:28; 11:7)
‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 15:13)
5-Gambling does not give glory to God but to the ‘luck or fortune’ of men. There are things in this world that may not be bad in themselves, but they are not beneficial to the kingdom of God and to our testimony as believers.
‘Everything is permissible for me but not everything is beneficial…but I will not be mastered by anything…but not everything is constructive…’ (1Cor 6:12; 10:23)
That means that gambling does no good to me or to others. Its hope of success is a deception that will only destroy my life and my family. It is the entertainment of the devil and it is to be rejected, in Jesus name!
6-Man was created in the image of God. But gambling makes a man to be a fool
‘Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is gone, they will desert him and in the end he proves to be a fool’ (Jer 17:11)
God is angry with them that believe in the idol of fortune or gambling. This is because it makes the people deaf to God’s voice and stubborn to His leading. Gambling is the backslider’s god and the fantasy of the rebellious (Is 65:11,12)
‘Dear Lord Jesus, I pray that you expose this wicked, seducing, evil spirit of gambling so that we can hate it enough to separate from it totally. We ask for forgiveness for any desire to be lazy, to cheat or to covet, and desire wealth in the same time. Let Your light shine on our understanding!
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen!’

‘Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens and in this way you fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ..Each one should carry his own load’ (Gal 6:1-5)

Ministry is not easy. If a brother backslides, it is the responsibility of the mature believers to confront him, to bring him to the Cross and to help him come back to his senses. Pride is the main reason why believers deceive themselves and others and fall into sin.
Each child of God has to obey the command of Jesus: ‘deny yourself, carry your cross and follow Me’. This command is personal. No one can deny his flesh for another. No one can carry the cross of another. No one else can follow Christ on your own path and your own destiny. This is your personal responsibility. It is what God expects from you directly. You cannot delegate your cross-carrying to another.
But there are times when a brother falls into sin. That is an emergency. A spiritual mature believer can stretch his hand of compassion and help him out of the fire. Please be careful! Deliverance is a dangerous process! In the medical field, any surgery has a potential to kill the patient while trying to save his life. Pride is like leprosy that appears on successful ministry, in particular in the deliverance ministry. It is so easy ‘to feel good’ in the presence of needy brethren, all desiring your ‘anointed prayers’. Be watchful at the possibility of pride entering the heart, hand in hand with the success of ministry.
God placed restrictions so that the flesh will not ‘enjoy’ ministry while doing ministry. My enjoyment should be God alone! For example, the fragrance of incense was not to be enjoyed by any man, not even by the priest who offers it. It was to be for God’s nostrils alone. Enjoyment of the fragrance of worship was taken to be the same as sharing in God’s glory. That priest will lose his life for manipulating the worship of God for his own selfish desires (Ex 30:36-38).

As a brother is overtaken or caught in a sin, he needs to be attended to. The word ‘overtaken’ refers to the sin of being impatient, undisciplined or presumptuous. Literarily it means to be in a hurry to eat the food, long before all the family gathers at the table. This sin of impatience has brought many down. That is the place when the devil will add more burdens than he can carry. These are weights that pin him down, unnecessary anxieties and troubles. The backslider cannot restore himself and God will not do it directly. He will delegate this delicate work to ‘a spiritual brother’ who comes to pray, with strength, discernment and compassion. With the help of the Holy Spirit he will be able to dis- entangle the fallen soldier and restore to him his dignity. Jesus died to save your soul. But when it comes to the restoration of the prodigals, Jesus desires the cooperation of His servants. Great reward awaits those who are able and willing to enter the territory of the enemy and to rescue their fallen colleagues.
There is still another danger! Once the believer is back on his feet, he may wish to remain dependent on ‘the good Samaritan’ and to take his love and help for granted. It is the influence of the evil spirit of religion that makes people lazy and irresponsible. The Pharisees placed heavy weights on others and did not want to help at all (Mt 23:4). Gently but firmly, you must remind the former patient that he has been discharged from the Spirit -Hospital and from now on he is well enough to be responsible for his own burden and call in ministry. Do not over-help anybody! Learn how to say ‘No!’

‘Dear Lord Jesus, help me to know the difference between Your burden and the devil’s wicked bondages. Help me to cooperate with You and rescue souls fallen by the way side. Circumcise my heart in such a way that I will be dead to any seduction of the enemy. I am willing to pay the price for a higher level of faith. I am willing to take more risks for Your name to be lifted higher in this city. Help me to love like You love! Help me to pray like You pray! All for Your glory alone! In Jesus name I pray, amen!’

‘Imitate those who thru faith and patience inherit what has been promised’ (Heb 6:12).

Imitate the humble, faithful, good and holy man (or woman) of God, who denies his flesh, carry his cross daily and follows Jesus! Imitate him who proves his walk by his spiritual fruits that none can deny!
Do not imitate the religious fake, the loud, the wayward, the proud, the worldly, the spiritual barren men (or women)! Stop! Draw back from them, repent and readjust to the truth of the Gospel!
Proud people always ignore the God ‘factor’. They do not believe that God is interested to help the helpless who ‘day and night’ pray for mercy and grace at His Throne. Please see the danger of doubt coming from the spirit of religion thru false believers who infiltrate church. This evil spirit will tell you that you are wasting your time by praying; that you do not need to pay the price to seek and find Jesus, the Author and Finisher of true faith in God; that you are too insignificant to the God of the Universe and that He does not know you; that you should abandon the holy place of prayer and do something more ‘practical’ than that.
God judges the proud by refusing to justify them, to give them peace or to answer their prayers. God is the Rock of defense and the Avenger of them that put their trust in Him.
Woman, you who pray for the salvation of your husband or children… You barren woman who pray to receive the fruit of the womb… You single woman who desires the gift of marriage… You who are sick in the body and mind, persecuted and lonely… You who pray for finances to use them according to the will of God…CONTINUE TO PRAY AND HAVE FAITH IN GOD!!! No man that continues to pray shall ever regret the time spent on his knees!
Prayer is God’s invention! God is never too early and never too late. He has heard your cries and has seen your tears. He will surely come and rescue you from this heavy burden that no man can carry. He will come to give you the testimony of victory and of a changed life! O…the blessing of a new beginning! To the glory and honor of the name of Jesus Christ!
Amen

Please, this is my request:
‘Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should’ (Eph 6:19, 20)
Thank you and God bless you richly!
Lia Leigh (Malia)

In this parable Jesus introduces us to a woman who is in great need (Lk 18:1-8). Let’s identify with her and we shall only gain. The first thing we are told about her is that she is a widow. She has no human helper. The trust in man is cursed by God. There are people that say that they do not trust anybody but they trust themselves. That will end in disappointment and failure…. The result of this misplaced trust is a spiritually blindness and bareness, a lonely, isolated soul. Repent and turn your heart towards God. Have faith in God alone and you will never be put to shame. God will position you in a ‘watered’ place where you will be fruitful and a blessing to many. The result of this blessed life is that you will be free from any fears the natural man experiences. This holy assurance is a sign that your faith is in God alone (Jer 17:5-8).
Let’s go back to our ‘sister’, the widow. She is poor, lonely and troubled. She has an enemy who knows she is vulnerable and weak, takes advantage of that and persecutes her continuously. She is the picture of the true believer. The attacks from the devil are strong and unfair. For a long time she can only cry for ‘justice from the adversary’. She does not take the matter into her own hands, but goes to the official judge who alone has the authority to help. Her situation is made difficult by the fact that the judge is a hard person, with no respect for God or man.
She wisely recognizes the fact that all authority comes from God (Rom 13:1-5). It does not matter if the official, the leader is a kind person or not. It does not matter if he is willing to attend to her case or not. She is too poor to bribe him; her poverty is strength because she has nothing to lose and no fear from ‘the big man’. She is humble and she knows that God is in charge of all situations on earth and He will answer them that have faith and cry to Him ‘day and night’. This is a stumbling block to rebellious and proud people. They do not acknowledge the sovereignty of God who delegates His authority to whom He wants, to saints or sinners alike (Dan 5:21). It is God that has the last say in all human affairs. You should know that it does not matter if the leader, the boss or the judge is good or bad to you. God is in charge! I am a believer and God is on my case! If God says ‘yes’ no man can say ‘no’! This ‘little’ secret is the foundation of successful Christian life! God is in charge of His creation and God answers the prayers of His people! The Almighty God is your Father! That is all you need to know! Amen!
Please note: this woman does not seek vengeance but JUSTICE!!! Also observe that this woman has only one option to escape the torment of the enemy: the weapon of prayer. It may not look like much, but prayer is the greatest power given to man.
‘Dear Lord Jesus, by the power of Your Spirit, help me to be strong in my inner man, confident of Your presence and sure victory! Wake me, Lord!!! Do whatever it takes to wake me from this slumber or doubt! Help me to be alert and ‘to pray in the Spirit on ALL occasions with ALL kinds of prayers and requests’ (Eph 6:18). I vow to Give You alone ALL the Glory, for the improvment of my prayer life and for the sure reward, In Jesus name I pray, amen!’

‘Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up…there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea: ‘Grant me justice against my adversary’…will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?’ (Lk 18:1-8)

Some prayers are answered immediately. Some are answered after a long time. As a general rule, we have a tendency to think that God is too slow in responding to our requests. It takes spiritual maturity to trust God without complaining for the timing and the modality of answer to our prayer. The cross has done its deep work and the heart has been circumcised by Christ for the man to remain joyful and grateful under the burden of yet unanswered prayers. The danger is that we get impatient, restless, lazy or passive spiritually; become deceived about the value of prayer and decide to stop it. This is called spiritual ‘fainting’, a major hindrance to a successful prayer life. Once you chose to give up prayer, what is left is just wishful thinking that things may change one day. You lose the active faith to push forward and expect an answer to your request made long ago.

Let’s look at the word ‘to give up’. What does it mean? In Greek the word means to fail, to faint in the heart, to become weak and wicked, to harm yourself and others thru doubt and rebellion. The same word is defined to abandon an action because of despair of success. The man becomes a coward; he fails and betrays his destiny when he estimates that the miracle has become impossible even for God to perform. For example, he chooses to believe that the sickness is incurable and God is not available or able to heal his body. He accepts and declares defeat without waiting for the final hour when God judges and rewards according to each man’s work. This spiritual fainting is worldly sorrow and a symbol of death. By choosing to stop prayer, a man abandons the desire to see a miraculous change in his circumstances and he aborts his dream. The choice to stop prayer is the silent but sure signal of backsliding. Selah!
We see that ‘to give up’ means to surrender to failure, to discontinue a good work or to resign. It is a matter of control. Like the man who commits suicide just to prove that he is in charge of his life. Spiritually speaking it means to deliberate chose to allow the enemy to take over your position of standing before the throne. You surrender your blessing of communion with God to another with no possibility of resuming it in the future. What a tragedy to stop the prayer of faith! What great loss!
The opposite is to hold on, to abide, to dwell in the same place of waiting without interruptions. In other words, pray until something happens (‘PUSH’). It is a great dishonor to God to give up prayer because of circumstances that look contrary to the expected miracle. This is a great revelation! The devil does not care if we start a prayer request; he does not care if we join the line of waiting before the throne. But later he comes to persuade that we have waited too long and he offers himself to stand in our place. Satan is a thief and a fake ‘intercessor’. He desires to take over your place of blessings!
Be careful! The pressure from the enemy will increase as you get closer to the moment when the prayer will be manifested in the natural realm. Then pray like the widow: ‘Lord – grant me justice against my adversary!’ Pray for the justice of your cause as you continue to give glory to God! Jesus is giving us a warning here not to be fools. Do not abandon the place of waiting which will eventually become the place of testimony, blessing and miracles!
‘Dear Lord Jesus, please strengthen me today, by Your Spirit, to continue to pray, until I see results or I see Your face…Amen!’

The woman with the issue of blood…twelve years of torment and suffering…isolation, shame and sorrow…No going out, no friends, no husband, no children, no fellowship in the House of God….just this slow poison death that never dies…she has spent all her valuables on the doctors…Dr. Religion failed; Dr. Mammon failed; Dr. Legalism failed; Dr. Self failed; Dr. Apollyon failed… some they cheated her, some deceived her with dead hopes, some mocked her for her foul odor, nowhere to sit down, except on the floor, outside…how many hospitals, cold nurses, sharp needles, the smell of preserved corpses down the corridor…all tests expensive….still no treatment…when the money was gone, they drove her away, shouting: ‘No free medicine here…Go home and die…Only God can help you, woman!’
All strength gone, all hope gone, all the silver coins gone…no improvement, the bleeding still goes on…she became worst, angry and bitter at the loss of all things, the deceitfulness of riches, the man -made hope that vanished in the morning, the plastic smiles, the fake greetings…yes, the end is worse than the beginning when sin is the king…
Then one day she heard a voice, a song, a bird preacher at the window…she was calling for all who are ‘heavy laden’, to come to God…for healing and freedom and miracles…The Gospel of peace…By grace…thru faith…Come, for the free gift of life eternal…
For the first time in years, her heart said ‘Yes!’…She got up, stumbled and fell, but got up again…
’Can I apply? Yes!
Can I come? Yes!
Am I worthy of the blessing? No!
But can I still come, just as I am, with one foot in the grave? Yes!
She got up from the place of nothingness and started moving on… without stopping to think…just pure faith…’He shall be pleased with me… Lord, I believe… If I touch His robe, I shall be healed!’…
I know You, my Lord, The Word made flesh, the Word igniting faith, God on earth…You do not need to pray to another…You do not need to ask for power…All power is in You, miraculous, abundant, death destroying power…Time is in Your hands…Wait for me , my Lord…’’
She had just one matchstick of faith in her hand…all fear lost, passing thru the crowd, she came behind the Master and touched His robe…the touch of faith, the touch of joining, the two became one, the touch of one- last- breath in His arms, the touch that started the flame, the touch that exploded the faith….the body shook as life found its place inside…and just like that…she was healed!!!
‘Virtue left Me – He said- the power resident in Me, the high voltage miracle power dropped a volte or two, I felt it; It went into a container of expecting faith; Who touched Me – He asked…?’
Trembling at His feet, strong enough now to worship, she testified to the truth…the crowd that pushed aimlessly drew back in respect as this lonely character, a stranger to many, was lifted up by the King, His lost daughter now found…
‘Go in peace, My lamb…your faith in Me has made you whole, complete and beautiful…use your strength to preach, use your joy to sing, use your life serving others in My name…’
‘Yes, Lord…Forever Yours…’
Amen!

‘You have planted much but you have harvested little’ (Hag 1:6).
‘Give careful thought to your ways…’ appears three times in this letter. It is a command to use your mental faculty, to remember God’s promises and to think. One of the ways you can test yourself if you are filled with the Spirit is to test your mind. This is a simple question: how easy is it for you to think? How easy it is to remember the scriptures or the lessons of the past? Do you have any anxiety that your mind will ‘fail’ you when you teach others? Then you may have a problem. We are commanded to have the sound mind of Christ; it is a mind filled with God’s Word and ‘soaked’ in the Holy Spirit. We are to train ourselves to ‘wholesome thinking’ (2Pet 3:1, 2) by memorizing God’s word, His prophecies and promises.
The people neglected God’s House… like the servant who buried his talent (Mt 25:24-30). Instead they went to do their private business, to build their ‘paneled houses’ (Hag 1:4). This word in Hebrew means a roof, a cover or anything that protects or hides. The picture is one of secret sin, rebellion involving whole families. But we are reminded here that God knows and sees everything. Haggai gives us ‘a formula’ to detect if there is hidden secret sin in the house: If all your labor is just to build and furnish your house, you and your family will never know satisfaction! Read this: ‘there is not enough…they are not filled…they are not warm…there is not security…’ (Hag 1:5, 6). By ignoring God’s House, the family does not have peace, rest, joy or hope for the future. It is the sin of the parents that visits the children. In this time of global economic recession, this quiet hypocrisy, this hidden sin of neglecting God’s House may be one of the factors why so many struggle financially, why so much depression and broken homes! Selah!
Each time you have the feeling that you work much, you invest time and energy in your job but you still lack the basic things of life and you still have borrow money just to ‘survive’, then just stop and think. Pray and think! Think! It may be that you work in disobedience to God. ‘The devourer’ will have access to your finances. ‘You earn wages only to put them in a purse with holes in it’ (Hag 1:6).
The ‘emergency’ advice is this: Stop working! Repent! Humble yourself and ask God to reveal to you your secret sin. It is possible that you have become insensitive to the reality of your situation. Sin hardens the heart! You need the Holy Spirit to convict you of sin. God always answers the prayer of ‘a contrite heart’. God only blesses only the work He initiates. Any work that proceeds from flesh, from envy of others, from selfish ambition, from the ‘sweat of man’ is cursed by Him and no intercession can avail (Gen 3:17-19).
The work of God is easy and His burden light (Mt 11:28-30). Remember God’s House and the pastors there! Pay your tithes! When you are a co- laborer with God, you work little, you have peace and joy and you sleep well. But you make great profit, rich enough to help and impact others! A child of God is never forsaken by God and never begs for bread (Ps 37: 25, 26). This is the life style I will forever recommend to you! This is royal pattern of success for the children of God! May your eyes be open to see the Door!

Sin must be exposed and repentance expected!
Prophetic anointing must be restored!
Then revival will come!
‘Then Zerubbabel…Joshua…and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai…’ (Hag1:12).
Haggai prophesies concerns the faithful few that have volunteered to come back to Jerusalem to rebuild… the Temple and the city. Haggai exposes sin in their midst that is a barrier for God to come and bless. The people have come back to build God’s house but the difficulty they met there and the opposition from the enemies in the land have discouraged them. They became weak and have lost their focus. They started compromising God’s call and abandoned His project by replacing it with personal ones. They started building their houses and their businesses.
This is a point to remember that the devil does not persecute anyone who builds personal businesses even if it is done in the name ‘of Jesus’. But immediately you start building God’s house and refuse to compromise, he will attack you with weakness, confusion, division, fear or lust for material possessions. This is a good place to say this: God is calling people to lead revival in the land. He is calling them to the prophetic office to tell others the mind of God for that season in time. The prophetic gift is given to the church to build, strengthen and establish it (1Cor 14:3).
Each time you answer the call of God for ministry, the hardest time is to start it. It takes more energy for a vehicle to start moving from a position of rest than for it to increase speed later. The devil will attack the beginning of any ministry with violence to prevent the laying of a proper foundation. He knows the power of it. Do not compromise your foundation, do not use cheap materials, do not decrease its size (1Cor 3:10-15). Be faithful to the pattern God showed you ‘on the mountain’. Identify your enemy, be prayerful, watchful and resist him; he has to flee!
Trust God to perfect what He has started in you!
Rejoice in the glory revealed!
Let the smile of God over you be your reward, for that smile is more expensive than all the stars in the sky!
I know that you can do it!

Do you want to be embarrassed and overwhelmed by an Account with ‘no withdrawal limit’? Then come to the Cross! Look long on the Crucified! Touch His Blood! Hear His Voice! Feel the death of the past! Sing a New Song! All is for you! Whatever treasure you find there, it is yours! And it is free! The price has been paid! The Lamb has overcome!
“I will give you the treasures of darkness; riches stored in secret places; so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name!” (Is 45:3)

‘But the fruit of the Spirit is…gentleness…Against such things there is no law’
‘A gentle answer turns away wrath’ (PV 15:1; Gal 5:22, 23)
GENTLENESS/MEEKNESS – DEFINITION
* To be lovely and gracious; a sign of true royalty or high social class: ‘gentleman’
* To be humble, not costly to maintain, to have a small opinion about myself.
* To be teachable, submissive and obedient; calm and sweet; to have ‘feminine’ skills
* To be a good listener and counselor, sensitive and wise to the leading of the Spirit
* To be moderate, mild, modest and pleasant, avoiding extremes of speech and action
* To be merciful and compassionate to others
* To be meek it means to endure injury with patience without grudge or lust for vengeance; to have power under control.
The opposite of gentleness is to be violent and harsh. It means to be wild, undisciplined, difficult and rude, hot tempered and rough in speech and appearance. It is taken to be a sign of low social class.
I was surprised to discover that the meaning of this word in Greek is quite different from the above definitions in English. Gentleness in Greek means using just a little energy to deeply influence someone’s life. It is like the soft touch of the bee on the flower, like the holy kiss of a friend that imparts a miracle. That is why meek people are the best friends you can ever have.
Gentleness is not natural. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the believer. This word means to be perfectly controlled emotionally especially under stress or in an embarrassing situation. It means to be composed, to have a permanent peace about you, never losing your temper. Except you have this fruit of meekness manifesting in you, you will not be able to totally obey the command that says: ‘Be angry and sin not’. Gentleness is the master of your anger making it possible for you never to be ashamed or regret your words and actions in time of provocation. Moses was the meekest man on earth. He was also capable of being very angry when need be. Meekness is not weakness but strength under the control of the Holy Spirit. It means that every drop of spiritual energy is used for the glory of God. Gentle people do not waste spiritual and physical energy! Selah! ‘
Dear Lord, please grant that I may be a gentle believer!!!
In Jesus name,
Amen!’

‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.’ (2Tim 3:16, 17, KJ)
This scripture has to be memorized and meditated upon! I think of it often, especially when doing ministry. It is especially dear to me …when some people do not believe the Word that I preach. I mean that I do not see visible signs that they receive it. Then I remind myself that the Word of God is the only thing I have to preach, to teach or to counsel. I do not have any other tool, weapon or medicine. I have to believe that it is enough for me and it should be enough for my hearers.
*All scripture- means that each word, each ‘dot’, now and forever has anointing and power of life invested in it.
*God’s inspiration- This word means that God’s Spirit has inspired it, has breath of life in it. It means that when you hear the Word, you’ll be touched by the ‘breeze’ of heaven.
*Profitable- means that the Word has a purpose that can be achieved; you’ll see a profit, results. The Word of God is always practical.
The Word is profitable to the hearers. In Greek the word ‘profitable’ means to be helpful, to give an advantage over others, to make profit, to accumulate reward. Profit is the reward of a successful business man.
Do you want to be rich? Forget the study of economics…Study the Word of God! Then you will be rich! It works!

When you are not yet married, or when your marriage is over and you look back on those years with longing, it is without doubt quite possible to idealize it. But there is one thing which enters into all of life, one thing which will keep us from idealizing life’s best and will make bearable life’s worst, and that is the Cross. The Cross must enter into marriage. “Who loveth suffereth too.”

The Cross enters the moment you recognize a relationship as a gift. The One who gives it may withdraw it at any time, and knowing this, you give thanks in the receiving. Desiring above all else to do the will of God, you offer back to Him this greatest of all earthly gifts as an oblation, lifted up in worship and praise, with faith that in the offering it will be transformed for the good of others.

This is what sacrifice means. This is why the Cross of Christ “towers o’er the wrecks of time.” Love is sacrificial. Sacrifice is giving, and offering up, and the meaning of sacrifice in the Bible is the giving of life to another.

~ Elisabeth Elliot, Let Me Be A Woman, 1976

This was the day the Lord Jesus died. The prince of this world has done his worst. The Roman soldiers stripped Him naked and placed on him a purple robe. On His head they put a crown of thorns and in His hand an ordinary stick for a scepter. They staged a mock worship. They knelt before Him and laughed, singing: ‘Hail, king of the Jews…’ This was a cheap entertainment for soldiers who are bored with their daily routines and bitter with their low wages. At last, tired and sweating, with no one to clap for their improvised show, they disrobed Him again and took Him to Golgotha Hill.
At the foot of the Cross they cast lots for His clothes. The Jewish mothers use to saw a special robe for their first born sons. It is possible that Mary sawed that seamless robe, too good to be torn into pieces. One of the solders won it as his trophy and as a reminder of a day like no other. Mary, John and the other women were there watching, but none could help. Six hours later, the naked King, nailed on the tree, bowed His head. It was all ‘finished…’
A king is known by his robe, his crown and his scepter. The purple robe of Jesus was the robe of sin and shame. He wore it for me and for you so that in Him, we may become the righteousness of God. His second lovingly homemade robe was stolen from Him. The fake ‘queen of heaven’ disrobed and disgraced the true King. Her so called ‘victory’ lasted only a moment in time, when darkness covered the land. That same Cross that killed the Prince of Glory became her eternal shame, as a murderer for whom there is no mercy.
The third robe of Jesus was designed in heaven and none can disgrace or steal that. The King is now dressed with the royal robe of eternal and complete authority in heaven and on earth. He holds the scepter of righteousness. On His head are many crowns. No one can take these away! No one can steal His testimony! The Holy Spirit sent to earth is His royal gift and seal to us who believe. May all who acknowledge His majesty come forward and let the Worship begin…Let’s bring our successes, our crowns and place them at His feet…for He alone is worthy, to receive all power and praise, forever!
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose Rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire and on His head are many crowns…He is dressed in a robe dipped in Blood and His name is the Word of God…On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords!” (Rev 19)

‘However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband’ (Eph 5:33)
As a wife, I am transparent to my husband. I cannot tell him ‘everything’ because that means I will talk too much and he will be tired of my voice. But all my decisions are done in the presence of God, confirmed thru prayer and also honoring my office as his wife. My testimony as a wife has to be available to my husband for His encouragement. The heart is like glass, clean or dirty. I have to wash mine daily from worldly dust, so it will not hide sin. With just a glance, my husband should look into my eyes and know that all is well with both of us! My submission to my husband should draw us closer to God and to one another.
The Bible is the foundation of a good marriage. Read scriptures in your bedroom, before you sleep. The Word of God should be your delight, sweeter than your daily food, stronger than your personal dreams and safer than your home.
The more I study the Bible, the more I love it! The Bible is a stranger to you except you read it; you study it and daily apply its words in practice. Have you tried to imagine how your life can be if you truly obey the Word of God? Even so, the best you can imagine is still below the vision of who you can be, according to God’s plan and purpose in Christ…
“Father, help me, I’ve wasted enough time…please increase my hunger for Your Word…help me obey You voice…help me to submit to my husband and fulfill my destiny as a godly wife in Christ…I depend on You, in Jesus name I pray, amen!”

I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus,
Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true.
I would tell you how
He changed my life completely;
He did something no other friend could do.

No one ever cared for me like Jesus;
There’s no other friend so kind as He.
No one else could take the sin
And darkness from me;
O how much He cared for me.

All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me;
All my heart was full of misery and woe,
Jesus placed His strong arms about me
And He led me in the way I ought to go.

Ev’ry day He comes to me with new assurance;
More and more I understand His word of love.
But I’ll never know just why He came to save me,
Till someday I see His blessed face above.
(by C F Weigle)

It is our privilege to come to you thru the word of God. We shall give to you from what we have received from the Lord. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified. No other gift compares with Him. We pray that your life will change as we’ll walk together following the Lamb. We promise to give God all the glory for He alone is worthy. Amen.
In these last days the Bible says that there will be ‘perilous times’ (2Tim 3:1). The word in Greek means something that is extremely difficult, terrible and dangerous. It means you will encounter situations and people that will let you down and try to make you fall; strike at you and betray you when you least expect it. The intent is to weaken your will and your commitment to Christ so that you will backslide. This is the truth because it is God’s opinion as recorded in His word. There are only two ways to react to it. You either take the warning seriously and prepare your heart for the battle, or you ignore it at your own loss. The flesh is a coward, hates to be warned and to prepare to please the Lord. But for them that walk in the Spirit, the warning of God is a sign of His Fatherly love and they come to appreciate it.
The strategy of God in these last days is to manifest His love that never fails. If you are a believer, then you are God’s child and you should be ready to represent Him to all people, everywhere. Another word for love is worship. We are told that God is seeking worshippers who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth (Jn 4:23, 24). Worship means extreme, total and sacrificial love. Because true love never fails (1Cor 13:8), true worship also never fails. The more you love and worship God, the fewer mistakes you make. God wants His children to live a life of worship, which means a life of freedom and total victory. (Lk 1:74).
In the natural, it takes about a year for a baby to walk unaided. It takes even longer for a child to come to maturity and to learn how to love His parents and others. In the same way, in the Spirit realm, it takes a long time for a believer to mature and to learn to love God and others. It is a long and difficult journey and few are ready to pay the price. Salvation is the gate that opens and you go into another ‘country’. It is called ‘the Kingdom of God’. Salvation is free because Jesus paid it all; surely not cheap, but free. After passing thru that gate, there starts the road toward maturity, which the Bible calls ‘sanctification’. Not all people are willing to pay the price for spiritual growth in the same way. That is why you see some people are faster than others; they are willing to be trained by the Holy Spirit. They take the word of God seriously, they learn the art of prayer, they value the fellowship of the brethren and so they make great progress. Other are satisfied to be barely saved and they trail behind becoming a source of discouragement to many.
Because we are all born into sin and have bad habits that grieve the Holy Spirit, we all need radical training. God Himself is willing to be your teacher. We are talking in particular about the Person of God the Holy Spirit. He prepares you to meet the King. It is true that the way to the throne has been opened forever by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. But you still need much preparation of the heart to draw near God without your conscience condemning you.
To be a worshiper is not just to be a singer. It is not enough to just go to church or doing ‘spiritual’ things. A worshipper is a true, spiritual lover of God. He is practicing the art of taking the cross daily and following Jesus. ‘For whoever loses his life for Me will save it…’ (Lk 9:23, 24). If you pay the price to be a true worshipper, you will ‘save’ your life, you will live long. It is the promise of God. (Ps 91:14-16).
Like any good work, it is hard at the beginning to sustain a life style of worship. The flesh wars against the spirit and will prove resistant to any change in you (Gal 5:17). But God has the last say in any matter. If you are willing and truly desire to live your life to God’s glory, you will become stronger in the pursuit of God. The more you worship God, the stronger you become, the more you will ‘enjoy’ your Christian life. God will never tell you to do anything that He will not encourage and empower you to the end.
The Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord, is the greatest Worshipper ever. Thru this process of sanctification, you will become more and more like Him. Remember this: Nothing and nobody has the power to change the heart of man except God who created it. In other words, none can make you a true worshipper except the God who saved you. As your flesh dies and your spirit rises within you, you will start to reflect the beauty and the glory of God in this dark and dangerous world. The love of many will become cold in these last days (Mt 24:12). Fake worshippers will surely become tired and go back to their life of sin. But God will raise His army of worshippers as a standard against all the wickedness in high places. That is why your life of worship will be a testimony for His love to you, His power and His glory. This is your destiny child of God!
May it be so to you in the name of Jesus! Amen!

‘And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi’ (Ru 1:14)
Naomi, her husband and two sons left Bethlehem because of famine in the land. They went to the enemy country of Moab and settled there. Naomi becomes a widow, having to bury her husband in a strange land of compromise. Her two sons get married with Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. The sons die too leaving behind three widows. Naomi decides to go back to her country, having heard that God has blessed the land once more with good harvests.
Her two daughters in law decide to follow her. It is clear that they saw her as a woman of God, a true mother and a mentor. She thought them all the good things they knew. She was wise, patient, strong and gentle in the same time. She spoke to them about Jehovah and His laws. They both got attracted by the promise of a life full of joy, purity and true worship. They wanted to serve the only Holy God.
That dream was the very opposite of the life style of their people. The god of Moab, Chemosh, was a wicked and erratic god that none could predict. They had to offer many sacrifices to please him. Children were thrown alive in the fire of the altar of Chemosh. But Naomi told them that Jehovah was different; the only Faithful, Wonderful, Loving and Mighty God of the universe. So the decision to leave Moab and to go to Bethlehem was no so difficult at the beginning.
But then, the long journey home started. The road was dusty and the sun too hot. None greeted them along the way. The reality of their decision came before their eyes. They will go to a country where they will be foreigners and refugees. They shall be discriminated by all, for the Jews hated the Moabites. They have to learn a new language, new table manners and new traditions. They have to completely forget about their own childhood country, the fashion of family and friends. They have to accept the situation that Naomi has no wealth, no status and no more sons. There is a great risk that they will become beggars or prostitutes, especially after the death of Naomi. They do not know any single soul in Bethlehem so loneliness shall be their portion for a long time. They shall die and be buried in a land where their families can never come to visit.
Was it worth it? Can a man lose everything for the sake of a dream and not become a loser? Does Jehovah accept them or they are forcing themselves upon His mercy? What if they become home-sick and there shall be no cure for the broken heart? What if they will die poor, unhappy, rejected widows? There is no going back once they cross over…What if they shall regret this radical decision?
In the midst of these painful questions, their true heart was revealed. Orpah wept and wailed but then she made her choice…she kissed her mother in law good-by and went back to her people and to her gods. Let’s see why…
The name Orpah means ‘the gazelle’.
A gazelle is a beautiful animal, a small antelope. In the East, they are seen as the symbols of feminine beauty. They live in family groups. They are hunted by all animals and even by men. They are very vulnerable creatures. Their horns just add to their beauty; these are not used for protection. Their only way to escape the predators is by running very fast. The gazelle is very alert to danger, having as impressive sense of smell, sight and hearing. When the predators chase them, they not only run very fast but they leap high in the air. These jumps decrease the speed but the gazelle uses them to intimidate the hunter. For example, cheetahs go back from pursing a gazelle once she leaps in the air above her.
Orpah, the Gazelle, went back to Moab possibly because she was afraid of the unknown dangers of the future. The threat of living in Israel seems to increase with each step along the way. She did not trust Jehovah enough to feel safe under His care. She already knew the dangers in her home country. She was used to that. But she has to learn new methods of defense. The gazelle cannot survive alone. The thought of loneliness in the new country was too much for Orpah to bear. Her imagination went wild…Any man can oppress, insult, rape or kill her…The fear rose in her heart and won the battle over her faith in Naomi’s God.
Like the rich young ruler, she loved Jesus but not enough to forsake all things for Him. So she wept bitterly for the dreams that died under a tree along the road…She wanted to be a woman of God, but the price Jehovah is asking of her is just too great…That is the end of the road for her…she made her choice…she embraced and kissed her mother in law for all the beautiful memories and gifts of the past…but there is no future for them together…she kissed Naomi once more, the kiss that says ‘I will never see you again’…and taking on her back the few things that belong to her, she went back to her family and to her gods… On my cheeks, tears flowing free…I taste the last kiss from your lips…What a kiss…
Yes, in moments like these, I look up to You, my Lord…may the tears of sadness be replaced with the joy of Your presence…with the power of a new beginning…with the encouragement coming from the faith of another daughter, who passing the same fire and the same pain, remained faithful unto the end…her name is Ruth. But her story is for another time…