The Reason Why Faith Works By Love

 Author: Ngozi Nwoke

Have you ever wondered why your faith seems not to be working? It can be very frustrating exercising your faith and getting nothing. But the truth remains that faith can only work through love. This article explains why faith works by love.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor un-circumcision avails anything, but faith working through love – Galatians 5:6 (NKJV)
The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, But the unjust knows no shame – Zephaniah 3:5 (NKJV, emphasis mine)
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. – 1 Corinthians 13:2, 8 (NKJV, emphasis mine).

When people exercise faith and they don't receive their desired answer, they conclude that this "faith thing" is not working. What they fail to do is to check their love walk. Faith works by love. Your faith must pass the test of love before it can deliver the answered prayer.

Why does faith work only through love?
God is the one who acts on your behalf according to your faith and God is love (1 John 4:8). So, we can say that Love is what acts on your behalf according to your faith. Therefore, when there is no love, nothing works on your faith, thereby producing nothing.

God never fails and so love never fails. Love will never fail to deliver your answered prayer when your faith is working through love. God is love and so when you walk in love, you exhibit God and command His manifestations.

All things are possible to him that believes (Mark 9:23) and if faith works by love, then all things are possible to him that loves.
The scriptures record that Christ was able to do signs, wonders and miracles because God was with Him (John 3:2, Acts 10:18), and we can say because Love was with Him

Love of God and compassion
The love of God in you compels you to have compassion on people. This was the secret of Jesus walk on earth. The signs, wonders and miracle Christ did were first activated and energized by the love He had for man. Many times, the scriptures recorded that He had compassion for the person(s) before the working of the miracle.

In Matthew 20:34, Jesus had compassion on the two blind men and touched their eyes. And immediately, their eyes received sight. Also in Matthew 14:14, Jesus was moved with compassion for the multitude before healing their sick.

Furthermore, there was a testimony of a man of God who was praying for a very sick woman for a long time but no result. He went home to refresh and on his way back, while walking, few blocks away he heard the woman screaming in anguishing pain. Compassion for the sick woman gripped him and he ran the rest of the distance, ran upstairs into the woman's room and carried her and the sickness disappeared. The woman was healed instantly.

What happened there? The love of God in him came up in full force within him and his faith that God can heal the woman worked, resulting in her instant healing. Faith works by love.
In conclusion, your faith can only work when it passes the love test. If you want to exercise your faith and receive answers, then you need to exercise the love of God within you.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/christianity-articles/the-reason-why-faith-works-by-love-6671257.html
About the Author

Ngozi Nwoke is a teacher and a counselor. She has a passion to teach people how to enjoy peace, God's love and christian living for more fulfilling life. Want more fulfilling life? Subscribe for free email updates today. http://stepswithgod.com

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Experience the Health Benefits of Meditation by Practicing Regularly

Author: Chamunda Swamij

In today's fast paced life, stress and anxiety are something which is generated time and again. Consequently, man has become subject to various sort of mental as well as physical ailments. The age old practice of Meditation has proved to be man's ultimate defence from every kind of disease and problems. Though, initially this might sound vague and ambiguous but practiced over a period of time Meditation will surely prove its mettle.
In fact, the health benefits to Meditation are so many that not embracing them would be nothing but foolishness. Even medical surveys have supported the contention that meditation offers great health benefits. Have a glimpse at some of the proven health benefits of Meditation.

Practicing Meditation on a regular basis helps decrease the level of stress as the secretion of hormones like cortisol which promotes stress is decreased. Instead, calming hormones like melatonin and serotonin are secreted, which in turn provides a tranquilizing effect.

Meditation has proved to be a blessing in disguise for those who are suffering from high blood pressure. Consequently, all sort of heart related diseases too are reversed thus improving overall health substantially.
Those who have meditated have found great relief from different types of chronic pain including that of migraine and pain felt during relapse or drug withdrawal. Meditation releases muscular tension that automatically provides relief from pain.

Through regular practice, an individual can achieve higher level of self-esteem and confidence. This happens as a person begins to gain better understanding of their own selves. Consequently, he/ she begin to find acceptance in the things they do not have control over.
In order to remain heal and healthy, it is important that your immune system remains strong. Only when you have a strong immune system will the healing process be enhanced. Meditation stimulates the immune system by enhancing the production of white blood cells.
In order to lead a healthy life, it is very important that you meditate regularly. In fact, there are several different techniques of meditation to choose from and you can opt for the one that suits you the best. However, you can try practicing other techniques as well because all types of meditation offer the similar kind of benefits i.e. calming down the mind and bringing overall wellness.

The health benefits of meditation are probably much higher than the aforesaid ones. You can experience them only after you make Meditation an integral aspect of your life.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/meditation-articles/experience-the-health-benefits-of-meditation-by-practicingregularly-6673444.html

About the Author
Chamunda Swamiji is describing here about the practice of meditation on regular basis. His knowledge is spacious in the meditation field.  Meditation has such the power to erase your all stress easily. It controls your blood pressure, improves your health and provides full relief in life.

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Seek God First In Everything You Do

 Author: Sam Crowley

What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God? How do you do it? There is much to this, but the following goes into one aspect of it. Here is the verse for reference.
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
(Mat 6:31-33)
These verses say that your needs can be met if you seek first the kingdom of God. What does this really mean? Many people put this into practice by reading the bible and praying first thing in the morning. Many even get up earlier so they have time to do this.
For many people, though, it ends there. They go about the rest of the day and do not even think about God. Also, with this schedule, what happens when they get up late? What usually gets cut? It's their bible reading and prayer time.

Instead of only doing morning devotions, you should seek God first in everything you do, all day long. How do you do that? Acknowledge Him, talk to Him, praise Him, and ask Him for help and guidance. As you are getting ready for work, thank God for all that He has given you. Thank Him for everything going smoothly and for good traffic so you make it to work on time and being calm and peaceful when you get there.

At work, thank Him for your job. It may not be the perfect job, but thank Him for it anyway and do your best job. If you run into a problem, instead of complaining and worrying, say "God, you have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Help me Lord to know what to do in this situation."

God is always talking to us, but we are not always listening. When we do listen, many times we do not do what He says. So, we need to listen and obey, all day long.

Seeking God first should also include the plans and goals for your life, your relationships and even your recreation. God has a plan for your life. When followed, that plan will have the best possible outcome. You need to know that God is Love and anything that He has for you is for your best interest. The problem is that many people come up with their own plans and then want God to bless it. Well, folks, it doesn't work that way. You need to seek God first in your plan making, find out what God wants you to do and then go do it.

In conclusion, do not make God part of a list that you do first thing in the morning and then check it off and then go about the rest of your day without Him. Include Him in everything you do.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
(Pro 3:6)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/seek-god-first-in-everything-you-do-55882.html
About the Author
Sam Crowley is a best-selling co-author and motivational speaker. You can see Sam's home business at www.DefendYourDream.com. Sam's mission is to create ten millionaires in the next five years
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Your Identity in Christ will set you free!

 Author: Eunice Coughlin

In order to be spiritually healthy, you need to realize what your identity is in Christ. Your identity in Christ is simply who you become once you receive Christ as your Savior.
Before salvation, a person's identity is largely a product of their upbringing...whether nice or mean, happy or sad, positive or negative. Before salvation, many people think of their identity as what they do for a living, who they are married to, what kind of family they came from. Some even define themselves according to what kind of personality they have...whether outgoing, temperamental, or introverted. Some people may have even found their identity in what kind of astrological sign they were born under!

You might be happy with those labels. Unfortunately, those labels can put us in a box from which we can't escape. No one is perfect and everyone comes to a point in his or her life when they realize that something needs to change if they want their circumstances to change.

That's when many people come to Christ. They realize that only through the power of God can they change their circumstances, their thought patterns and their life. The good news is that once you receive salvation, you become a "new creature in Christ." What does that mean? Well, you take on the character of Jesus because He comes to live inside of you.

What is the character of Jesus like? Since Jesus is the Son of God, and God is love, you can say that, according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Jesus is patient, kind, and humble. He is not envious, boastful or proud. He is not rude or self-seeking or easily angered. He keeps no record of wrongs. He does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. And since Jesus came to dwell inside of you once you received his gift of salvation, you can say that you are all of those things as well.

You might wonder why, then, do you still get jealous? Why are you still envious, boastful or proud? Why do you get so angry sometimes with the people you love and hurt them with your actions and words? That's because we are not yet fully perfected. In Hebrews 12:2, Paul says "let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Jesus is our beginning and our end. 

We start with Him when we are saved and He takes us through the changes we need to make. We might still struggle with the habits of our old self but we need to believe the truth that we are "new creatures". It may not manifest instantly in our lives; nevertheless it is truth.

In his book, "Seeing is Believing", by Gregory A. Boyd, he says "Because we habitually thought and lived as our old selves before receiving our new identity, God's proclamation of who we truly are in Christ must overcome our old self identity that we continue to experience (our sinful lives)...

It is certain that believers ultimately will be conformed to the image of Christ. (Romans 8:29) The light certainly will overcome the darkness and the truth will eventually swallow the lie. Until that time, however, we are in process."

If you are a born-again believer and you struggle with old character traits that are bringing you down, you need to come to an understanding of who you are in Christ. Pick up your Bible and look up all the character traits of Jesus. Declare these truths about yourself because that is who you are in Christ Jesus.

Does this mean that you have lost your personality once you are saved? That we are all cookie-cutter copies of Jesus? Not at all! Having Jesus as our savior sets us free to be who God designed us to be! God made each one of us as individuals. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Proverbs139:13-14. He has a plan and purpose for each one of us: "I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 Our life's plan and purpose is different because of how God created us but we can be certain it all ends up in the same place; a place where our lives will glorify Him. Just like Jesus.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/your-identity-in-christ-will-set-you-free-2238.html
About the Author
Eunice Coughlin is the founder of Healthy Living for Moms, which encourages healthy living habits for moms of all ages and stages. For more information about emotional eating andother healthy living topics, check out www.healthy-living-for-moms.com/emotional_eating.html.
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Hearing The Holy Spirit

 Author: DavidPaul Doyle

Even though I could remember talking to the Holy Spirit as a kid, when I was an adult and thought about talking to God, what came to my mind was: "Who are you to think that you can talk to God?" But the truth is, who am I not to? Who are YOU not to? When we think, "Who am I to talk to God?" we deny ourselves a relationship with God and the Holy Spirit. So even though the thought might arise, "who am I to think that I can talk to the Holy Spirit?" it is important to remember that it is just a thought. It's just something that arises within your mind when you entertain the thought of connecting with God's Voice.
There are lots of thoughts that arise just like that: "Talking to the Holy Spirit is impossible. Talking to the Holy Spirit is something that only very Holy people can do. Talking to the Holy Spirit is something that takes years and years of devotion and dedication." All of these thoughts are untrue and keep you from connecting with the Holy Spirit in your life.

When you begin to think about talking to God and hearing His Voice, become aware of what thoughts arise. If you become afraid at the thought of talking to God, that just means that a thought has arisen within your mind that caused you to become fearful. A fear thought could be as simple as, "I'll never be able to hear the Holy Spirit." It could be a thought that says, "I'm not worthy of talking to God. God would never talk to me." It could be, "Look at all the things that I have said and done. Why would God bother with me?"

Allow yourself to become aware of the thoughts that arise when you think about joining with God in the Holy Spirit in dialogue. Do your best to notice those thoughts, emotions, or beliefs as lovingly and kindly as you can. They are just thoughts that arise. They are not the truth. They are not a reflection of you. They're just thoughts that arise, these little flea bites that distract you for a moment. When you notice them for what they really are and respond to them with truth, love, and kindness, you are free to continue to focus on your connection with God.

Let's say, for example, that you have the thought: "Who am I to think that I can talk to God?" You can then remember: "Oh yeah, who am I NOT to? It's my job to be connected with God in the Holy Spirit. That's my job. That's all God and the Holy Spirit would ask of me. Who am I not to?"
Or you have the thought: "Why would God want to talk to me?" You can respond, "Because God created me and God only sees my perfection. God wants nothing more than to talk with me through the Holy Spirit."

"I'm not worthy. I've done these things, said these things, or thought these things. I'm not worthy to talk to God," and you remind yourself, "God just loves. God wants to be in communication with me."
Whatever thoughts arise, allow yourself to respond to them with Love and Truth. You know the truth in your heart. You know that God only loves you and wants to be in communication with you. So when you have the thought: "Oh, I've done these things or said these things.

 God does not want to communicate with me" you can remember, "Actually, God only loves me," and continue to move past that thought or move on from that bug bite. Allow yourself to continue to move in the direction of connecting with God in the Holy Spirit. It's as if you are maneuvering your way around these little distractions or obstacles, the little thoughts that arise, but you respond lovingly to them and remain on the pathway to God.

There is nothing that can stop you from getting to God. There is nothing that can keep you from your Father. Even if you're not sure how to respond with the truth to a thought that arises, just remind yourself, "Nothing can keep me from my Creator," and continue to move along on that path.
Since it is only a thought that can keep you from hearing God's Voice, let yourself notice what thoughts have arisen in the past few minutes.

 Make note of the thoughts that sound familiar or the thoughts that have come to your mind and allow yourself in the next few days to continue to become more and more aware of what thoughts come up when you think about talking with God in the Holy Spirit. Really look at each thought and allow a truthful response to each one to come to you so that you know no matter what thought arises, there is nothing that can keep you from having a relationship with God and God's Voice in your life. Focus on this in the next few days and find out how much more connected you feel to God in the Holy Spirit in doing so.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/hearing-the-holy-spirit-58214.html
About the Author

DavidPaul and Candace Doyle teach people how to hear the Holy Spirit within them. If you desire to receive ongoing guidance and direction from God to fulfill your life's purpose, visit The Voice for God to receive their 30-day FREE audio series on how to hear God's Voice in your life. Visit The Voice for Love to learn more about their work.
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A Few Things You Should Know About Ramadan

 Author: Reh

Soon we will arrive at Ramadan. Ramadan refers to the 9th month in the Muslim calendar. Every Muslim is expected to fast during the day for the entire lunar month. This year Ramadan starts on July 9th, in the heat of the summer for many fasting Muslims. The last day is on August 7th, so if you find yourself in a Muslim country or Islamic neighborhood, be prepared for a wonderful party once the fasting is over. Ramadan is widely observed throughout Arabian Peninsula as well as many parts of North Africa, South East Asia and other predominantly Muslim countries and regions.
Non-Muslims are not expected to fast, and restaurants and hotels will still serve food out of courtesy to non-Muslims during the day. Markets and shops also remain open during the day, so you can always buy food and drink, although liquor stores tend to just shut down for the month. In general you'll find it is business as usual, although rather than closing for lunch, some museums, shops and offices will end the day early so employees can get home to eat by sundown. If you are a Muslim and traveling on business during Ramadan to another Muslim region, you'll have no problem finding a spot to break your fast or eat before the sun comes up. While Muslims are exempt from fasting while traveling, on shorter journeys most people will still fast. So if you are traveling by train or bus, bring your own snacks.

Before we traveled to Malaysia and Indonesia during Ramadan a few years ago, we'd been warned that people would be more irritable and impatient. Friends there explained that during the first week of Ramadan tempers do flare up more than usual, especially among those who are sorely missing their tea and cigarettes during the day. But after the first week, the routine of fasting sets in and things are calm again. So, if you are on business or visiting as a non-Muslim, be patient. By 4 o'clock in the afternoon your hotel staffs are likely to be rather thirsty and tired, so be considerate with what you expect from them.

Ramadan is actually a very festive time and it's common to be invited to break the fast with family and friends in the evening. Many shops stay open late, so while you miss out on the buzz of cafes during the day, the wonderful evenings after the fast is broken, more than makes up for it.

Eid al-Fitr is the big celebration that marks the end of Ramadan. Families come together to eat and exchange gifts. As a visitor you may well be invited to join in the fun. During Eid almost every shop, bank and all government offices close, usually for 3 days. Families travel to see each other for Eid, so book your local travel well in advance during this time to avoid disappointment.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/a-few-things-you-should-know-about-ramadan-6639970.html

About the Author
This thing may give you inspiration on what to bring along if you want to visit South East Asian during Ramadan..., or maybe this one. For something totally different, you'd better consider visiting this site. Thank you.
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The Fourth Secret of Jesus: Jesus did not come to save us from our sins but to show us how it is done

 Author: Ardiana Cohn

So much has been said about Jesus and his divinity, but unfortunately all is based on the word of mouth. All is but interpretation of someone telling to another the story about a guy named Jesus who did such and such. Nothing has been documented from the time Jesus lived, and nothing was recorded even a century after he died. Since no official documents exist in regards to Jesus' identity, then conclusions are only based on interpretations and maybe misinterpretation of some stories that survived from that era. I joined the crowd of people who tried to reach conclusions based on such stories. Therefore, based on my logical interpretation of the fact that consensus regarding Jesus' accusation was only reached after his clothes were torn apart exposing "his" naked breast, I dared to reach the conclusion, in one of my previous articles, that Jesus may have been a woman. But, frankly speaking, that shouldn't be such a shock at all. In fact, accepting that Jesus was a woman not only makes sense in respect to many things she said and did, including having her feet massaged with very expensive oil, but it also connects the dots between many other beliefs in different cultures where a woman figure or a goddess is the center of their adoration. What should concern us at this point is one legitimate question, "Was Jesus divine?"

If we would accept that Jesus was divine, then more questions will be raised than answered. Why didn't Jesus use his/her superpowers to attract more followers, or why didn't Jesus deliberate people from evil? We still suffer from injustice and evil today, don't we? Why Jesus would come like a comet, burning quickly, and then went away leaving us in hope of his/her return for two good thousand years? What was the point of telling us that the kingdom of God exists, and that one day this kingdom will be restored on Earth too? Other prophets had already said that, and if that was the only reason why God sent his son or daughter on Earth to be crucified for telling the truth, then what kind of a kingdom are we waiting for? The core of Christian belief is that Jesus was divine and Jesus died for our sins. Then, on the third day, Jesus was resurrected and went to heaven and now is sited at the right hand of the Father.

 I was a Roman Catholic for ten years, and I truly believed this theory, until one day my awareness expended and I started to question everything that was served to me on a golden plate. If Jesus is sited at the right hand of the father why isn't Jesus doing anything to protect children from sickness, poverty and abuse? All this doesn't make sense and so one or all of the above statements must not be true. If we accept for a moment that Jesus was the messiah, the news bringer and was a human, then why was Jesus the chosen one? He or she clearly had some help, but who was helping Jesus and what was his/her mission?

To answer the questions above may not be so hard after all. The mission must be made clear if we read the parables of Jesus carefully. In those parables and stories Jesus talks a lot about reincarnation and karma. Jesus talks about fairness in treating one another, and above all Jesus is against hypocrisy. All and all, Jesus was a life coach, and Jesus didn't come as a saviour to take our sins away, but to make us aware of our sins. Jesus was not like a doctor who performs the operation on himself and saves the patient. That's impossible. Jesus is like the doctor who tells the patient to change the diet in order to prevent the disease.

At this point of argument we can only say that Jesus' mission was not to save us from our sins but to open our eyes in order to see the real sins. Now let's suppose that Jesus was divine as Catholics presume, maybe not the son or daughter of God, but somehow an advance creation in comparison to humans. This seems acceptable and would not have been contradicting if it wasn't for the fact that Catholics believe that our sins are washed away since Jesus died on the cross. We can clearly see that the problem is not about accepting whether Jesus was divine or not, as much as it is in the fact that Jesus died, washed our sins away, resurrected and now is sitting at the right hand of the father watching us form heaven.

 This is the problem. If Jesus is in heaven and we are waiting one day for Jesus to arrive and scoop us away from sins and evil we are completely wrong and blind. If Jesus had such power, he or she could have done it in the first time, but Jesus didn't. Jesus only pointed at our problems, which means that the real power is in us. Just the belief that Jesus was the Son of God will not save anyone in any given day. Instead, this belief is misleading people and leaving them unprepared to fight evil within themselves.

Just praying to Jesus every Sunday, and bragging for being such a devoted Christian, will not save anyone. And you know why? First of all, prayer without action is like sitting in the middle of a field that is being bombarded and praying to not get hit. Secondly, praying to Jesus and then bragging of being a Christian is like throwing a boomerang. Is someone better than the other just because this someone had the privilege to take time off on Sunday and go to church, while the other had to work to win his bread? Is this someone better than the other who is volunteering in a charity club, but is not a Christian? And, is this someone better than one in the third world country who shares even the last piece of bread with their neighbour? Fortunately and unfortunately, I have had the chance to see all these types of people in my life and decided to honor more those who do their part on helping others without bragging, no matter if they believe in Jesus as the Son of God or not. I honor those who do not believe in God because they did not have the luxury in their lives of being lectured about God or the Son of God, and yet they perform good deeds every day, leaded by their good hearts.

We can conclude that Jesus' mission was not to save us from our sins by dying on the cross. Jesus' mission was to bring us the news that evil hides inside us, in our thoughts and our feelings, and that we have the power to abolish evil. I would say that Jesus' mission was divine in a very special way, and quite possible that she was a woman. But what intrigues me is the fact that Jesus herself said that she is going to return one day. Does this mean that her mission was not over?

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/the-fourth-secret-of-jesus-jesus-did-not-come-to-save-us-from-our-sins-but-to-show-us-how-it-is-done-6648243.html

About the Author
Ardiana Bani Cohn is a college instructor specializing in mathematics, science and psychology, a life coach, a speaker and an author. She enjoys pursuing a variety of interests including philosophy, human behaviour, positive psychology, spirituality, astrology and astronomy. Residing in Toronto, the author enjoys traveling, meeting new people, and continuing to strengthen her relationship with God.
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