Bible Verses on Giving

Greed and selfishness are sins that we must work toward abolishing. Although this might be difficult to do, as Christians, we should try our very best to live a holy life. Think not of what you can do for yourself - but think of what you can do for others. After all, God gave his only begotten Son to save us from our sins!

No one is perfect, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to avoid greed throughout our life. We should spend our days giving to others and not keeping score. This is so hard to do. We should try to reflect on all of the times in our lives that we were completely selfless. It's hard to think of times, isn't it? That's why we need to be better Christians every day of our lives!

It's important to be willing to give, both to the Lord and His Church and to other people in need. If you want to know what the Bible says about giving, then be sure to read the Bible verses on giving below.

Deuteronomy 15:10 You shall surely give him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him: because that for this thing the LORD your God shall bless you in all your works, and in all that you put your hand to.

Deuteronomy 16:17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which he has given you.

1 Chronicles 29:9 Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
Proverbs 3:27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it.

Proverbs 21:26 He covets greedily all the day long: but the righteous gives and spares not.

Proverbs 28:27 He that gives to the poor shall not lack: but he that hides his eyes shall have many a curse.
Malachi 3:7 Even from the days of your fathers you are gone away from my ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, said the LORD of hosts. But you said, Wherein shall we return?

Malachi 3:10 Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house, and prove me now herewith, said the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Matthew 6:1 Take heed that you do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise you have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Luke 3:11 He answers and said to them, He that has two coats, let him impart to him that has none; and he that has meat, let him do likewise.

Luke 6:30 Give to every man that asks of you; and of him that takes away your goods ask them not again.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Acts 20:35 I have showed you all things, how that so laboring you ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he that ministers seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness.

REFERENCE: http://www.godvine.com/bible/category/giving

11 Reasons to Read Your Bible

We're all told that we're supposed to read our Bible, but why should we? What makes the Bible so important? Can it really do anything for us? Here are several reasons why we should read our Bibles, and it's far more than, "because I told you so!"

1.  It Makes You Much Wiser
The Bible isn't just there to read. It's a book full of all kinds of advice. From relationships to money to how to get along with your parents, it's all in there. When we become wiser, we make much better decisions, and with good decisions comes many other good things.

2.  It Helps Us Overcome Sin and Temptations
We all face temptations to sin every day, often several times a day. It's part of the world we live in. When we read our bible, we get advice on how to approach situations and overcome the temptations we face. We understand what we're supposed to do rather than just guessing and hoping we get it right.

3.  Reading Your Bible Gives You Peace
We all lives such busy lives. Sometimes it feels chaotic and noisy. Reading the Bible can help us sort through all the craziness to see what's really important. It can bring about peace in our lives rather than allowing us to wallow in our confusion.

4.  The Bible Gives You Direction
Sometimes our lives can feel a little like we're just wandering uselessly. Even teens can sometimes feel that they lack direction. When we read our Bible's we can clearly see that God has a purpose for us at every state of our lives. His words can give us direction, even if we only need that direction and purpose in the short term.

5.  It Builds Your Relationship with God
There are a few really important things in our lives, and our relationship with God is one of them. Reading our Bibles gives us insight into God. We can pray on scripture verses. We can talk to God about things we're reading. We grow in an understanding of God as we read and grasp more of His Word.

6.  Read a Bestseller
If you're an avid reader, this is one bestseller you shouldn't miss. The Bible is an epic story of love, life, death, war, family, and more. It has it's ups and downs, and it's pretty riveting. If you're not a reader, this may be the one book worth saying you read. If you're going to read anything, you can say you read the biggest bestseller of all time.

7.  Learn a Little Bit of History
There is plenty of archaeological proof of biblical stories. The Bible is full of real history, and it can give you insight into other areas of history. When we read about our forefathers leaving England for freedom of religion, we understand them better. So the Bible helps us understand human history and how often we repeat the same mistakes.

8.  We Can Understand Jesus a Little More
When we read through the New Testament, we get to read about Jesus' life. We can understand better his choices and the true sacrifice of his death on the cross. He becomes far more real to us when we get into his story in the Bible.

9.  It Can Change Your Life
The Bible is a life-changing book. So many people go to the self-help section of the bookstore to look for a magic solution to their problems. However, most of those answers sit in the chapters of the Bible. It can give us insight, help us grow, explain our depression, explain our behaviors. The Bible can make a huge difference in our lives.

10.  It Brings You Back to Faith, Rather than Religion
We can get very caught up in our religion. We can go through all the motions that religion dictates, but it means nothing without faith. When we read our Bible, we open ourselves up to remembering our faith. We read stories of others who have demonstrated real faith, and sometimes we also are reminded of what happens when we lose our faith. Yet the Word of God reminds us that He is our focus.

11.  Reading the Bible Brings a New Perspective
When things just don't seem right or things are getting a bit stale, the Bible can bring a new perspective into the mix. Sometimes we think things should be one way or another, but the Bible may remind us that there are other ways to think on the happenings in our lives. It provides us, at times, with a fresh, new perspective.

REFERENCE: http://christianteens.about.com/od/understandingyourbible/tp/11-Reasons-To-Read-Your-Bible.htm

10 Ways To Help Others That Will Lead You To Success

Helping others should be a natural extension of every business leader’s responsibilities. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come as easy as you would think. As leaders, we often get too caught up in operations or our own problems to give people the help they need. However, in the last year, I’ve realized that most of my best clients, partners and relationships have come from me helping someone. Here are 10 thoughts that can remind you to help others.

1. Sharing knowledge
One of the easiest ways to help others is to simply share your knowledge. You don’t have to be in front of a classroom to teach. Every day there is an opportunity to educate someone about your area of expertise. The key is to keep educating yourself so you can stay ahead of the curve.

2. Finding out what’s valuable to them
The number one rule of helping people should be to find out what’s actually valuable to someone. You may spend time and effort helping someone with something that they didn’t even want help with. Make an effort to ask them where they need help, and keep that in mind when you see an opportunity.

3. Sharing your resources
Think about the resources you’ve invested in and be mindful of whether they can help someone else. Maybe a developer on your team has some extra time and one of your contacts needed some help on a quick job. Or, maybe you have Cardinals season tickets and there’s a game that you won’t be able to attend. Keep those under- or unused resources in the back of your mind and try to connect them to people who can use them.

4. Making them aware of an opportunity
It’s important to keep an eye out for opportunities. It could be good press, a potential partner, or a general business opportunity. Once you see an opportunity, think about who could benefit from knowing about it. One of the ways I like to help my employees is to help their friends, relatives or significant others if they’re looking for a job. A lot of times I can use my business connections to find a potential good fit.

5. Giving them transparent feedback
Transparent feedback can be tough because some people don’t take constructive criticism well.  There is a difference between telling someone that they suck and giving them good examples of how they can improve.  Some people won’t take it well but, in the long run, you will help the people that you want to work with and improve the efficiency and success of your company as well.

6. Being a brand advocate
I was at a conference the other day and an American Airlines employee was going on and on about how she loved her Modify watch. She truly wanted to help the company because she loved the product and wanted to see them succeed. Think about the products and services that you love, and don’t be shy about letting people know about them.

7. Giving introductions
There’s a lot of big talk out there. Someone knows somebody who is a great contact or client, but they never actually make the introduction. Rather than making and breaking promises, make an effort to actually send out several intros each week. However, don’t let your credibility take a hit: make sure the people you’re advocating are legit.

8. Volunteering your time
Time is valuable and most people understand that.  When you take time out of your day to help a friend, they remember it. I try and do a guest webinar every couple of weeks for contacts so they know I’m willing to take time out of my day to share my experience with the community. Even if it’s not something as public as a webinar or podcast, set aside some time to help a contact. It could be as simple as helping them move to a new home.

9. Recognizing them
There are a variety of ways to give someone recognition. You can include them in an article that you’ve written or mention them in a speech or presentation. An easy way to recognize someone is to nominate them for an award. There are countless awards out there that could really help out your network. It will mean a lot to the nominee that you thought of them and wanted to recognize them. On a smaller scale, you can have internal recognition within your company. We have an award called “the belt” that looks like a WWF belt. Each week the current winner chooses the next winner. It’s an easy way to make an employee feel good about the solid work they’ve done for your company.

10. Giving gifts
Gifts can be tricky because you don’t want to “buy” peoples’ favor. You want to get them a gift that makes sense and will help them.  When Hurricane Sandy hit, we sent care packages with items that survivors could use as they recovered from the devastation. People tend to remember who helped them when they were in need, so it’s important to make an extra effort during these times.

REFERENCE: http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2013/05/26/10-ways-to-help-others-that-will-lead-you-to-success/

10 Ways Christians Can Transform Modern Culture

10 Ways Christians Can Transform The Modern Culture

Work on yourself first. The only thing we fully control are our own personal decisions. So, if we want to have any influence over culture or see any positive changes happen, we need to work on our own lives first. The best way to change your life for the better is to abandon yourself to God’s grace.
Evangelize, evangelize, evangelize. When we get to heaven, I believe the first question we will be asked is “who did you bring with you?” Jesus’ mission statement is “go and make disciples”. If we call ourselves His followers, we can’t avoid evangelizing – it is a core part of our identity in Christ. What can we offer our world that is better than the Good News of Jesus?
Pray. Then pray some more. Any true transformation will take place in the hearts of others because of God’s grace being operative in their lives and them choosing it themselves. So, pray for them. Pray for yourself. There is no spiritual power without prayer. Your relationship with Christ is found in prayer.
Support those groups which are doing good work already. If you know of groups which already exist and are doing great work in transforming culture, then invest in them. Invest your time. Invest your money. Don’t let another opportunity pass you by to put your money where your beliefs are. Also, don’t be fooled into thinking we can change culture through mere politics. Rather, politics is a reflection of where our culture already has gone. Finally, we must also affirm what is still good about our modern culture and try to support those things as well.
Focus on young adults. Young adults are not the future of the Church – they are already part of it, so we need to make sure they not only stay in the Church but help the Church grow and thrive. We can assure this happens by evangelizing them, building relationships with them, forming them to be disciples, and loving them. They will also be the primary evangelists (either for Jesus or the culture) of the next generation.
Learn from how others have transformed culture in the past. The changes in our culture didn’t happen overnight and neither will the future changes. We need to focus our efforts in media, education, fine arts, entertainment, etc to offer positive alternatives in these areas. While relationships are key, we can’t ignore these other areas.
Dream big. Too many Catholics are fine with the status quo. This is not how God feels. His plans are always on a grand scale. Whether that is for our own lives or the world. So, dream big! The entire world needs to be transformed. Where do we start? By taking the next step. I might add that we need to support our leaders when they do the right thing.
Use all available tools. The internet, new media, tech, etc. These are at our fingertips now. Use them. Remember how the Industrial Revolution was driven by new technologies. The changes can be either negative or positive. The Church must always answer the “should we”and “how should we if we do” questions when it comes to progress.
Stick to the basics. Most modern people are basically un-churched or de-churched, even if they go to church sometimes. This means they know little (if any) about a personal relationship with Jesus. So, stick to the basics. The best place to start is the Gospel message. Can you communicate it clearly and effectively? Also, NEVER start by trying to change another person’s behavior/belief. Start by loving them enough wherever they are. Change in lifestyle and belief comes AFTER someone chooses to follow Jesus.
Invest your time, energy, and talents in helping others. The best way to transform culture is to make sure you are helping those you have influence with. Family, children, spouses, friends, co-workers, etc. These are the people you stand the best chance of helping make positive changes. Those small changes can lead to cultural trends. So, don’t underestimate them.
The world needs Jesus, because He has the answer for all in the truth and grace He offers to all.

Jesus gave us a Church and through it He gives us a moral anchor, an answer to broken families, addiction, sin, war, violence, abuse, and all the other issues in our culture. More than ever the world needs the Church, if our society is to last.

REFERENCE: http://iamproudtobecatholic.com/2015/08/10/10-ways-christians-can-transform-modern-culture/

Why Should We Pray

Why Should We Pray – To whom do we pray?
Before we can answer, “why should we pray,” we must know to whom we pray. There is only one supreme Creator and sovereign God. There is only one way to Him and that is through His only- Son, Jesus Christ. God, our Heavenly Father, is the only one we can be assured of who hears and answers our prayers. He is the God of amazing love, mercy, and forgiveness.

By Him, all things are possible. Jesus says in Mark 10:27, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God."
Daniel 9:18 tells us: “We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful.” (Mercy means showing favor, compassion, and kindness.)
God’s ultimate demonstration of love is forgiveness of the sins each of us have committed. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it” (John 3:16-17).

He is the only God who has done this, and is the only God able to do so. But His enemy, Satan, has sent many false gods to deceive mankind. Do not be deceived nor allow anything or anyone to take priority over the only true and living God.
Why Should We Pray – For what do we pray?
Prayer is the key to the heart of God. Prayer is the only way to a real and personal relationship with God.

Pray acknowledging He is God, and that you accept His gracious gift, Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior (Genesis 17:1, Romans 6:16-18).
Pray confessing our sins and accepting His forgiveness (Romans 3:23-26).
Pray that His will be done in our lives, that His Holy Spirit guide us, and that we be filled with the fullness of all God has for us.
Pray for (spiritual) understanding and wisdom (Proverbs 2:6-8, Proverbs 3:5).
Pray with thanksgiving for all the ways He blesses us (Philippians 4:6). Pray when we are ill, lonely, going through trials or interceding for others (James 5:14-16, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
Pray to worship Him (Psalm 95:6-7).
There is nothing we can’t pray about. There are abundant references to prayer in the Bible. The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing” and “in everything give thanks to the Lord.” When we choose to have a positive attitude, we realize we have received many blessings for which to give God praise.

We find intimacy with God through communicating with Him in prayer. We go to Him in faith, knowing that He hears and answers all our prayers (1 John 5:14). Be confident that God knows and wants what is best for us; so ask that His will be done in all we seek from Him. Then, thank Him for it, even though it hasn’t happened yet.
Why Should We Pray – How do we pray?
Jesus gave his disciples, what we call, “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6) as a model.

In addition, Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us we can pray boldly -- “That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.”

Above all, pray with sincerity, honor, and humbleness before the Almighty God. “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results” (James 5:16).

Learn More About Prayer!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? - We have all sinned and deserve God's judgment. God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was buried, and rose from the dead according to the Bible. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your Savior, declaring, "Jesus is Lord," you will be saved from judgment and spend eternity with God in heaven.

REFERENCE: http://www.allaboutprayer.org/why-should-we-pray.htm

Satanist Bows to Jesus, Gets Filled With the Holy Spirit and Preaches the Gospel

"He can make your back feel better," his mother said. And she was right. The "doctor" healed 9-year-old Pedro Ochoa's back—the excruciating pain was gone!

But this was no ordinary Honduran doctor. The man was a self-described "new age white magic" doctor—a Satan worshipper. Little did the young boy know that from that moment on, Satan had plans for Pedro's life.

Pedro's father was a businessman who traveled extensively. He divorced Pedro's mother after she had an affair. Pedro, now 14, and his two younger sisters chose to stay with her. Two months later, Pedro's mom walked out on the children, leaving Pedro in charge of his sisters and an infant cousin she had been caring for.

"I felt so vulnerable," Pedro recalls. "So incredibly hurt."

Feeling powerless to change his situation and that he needed protection from the world crashing in around him, Pedro remembered the doctor who healed him through white magic.

"When I told him about my situation, the doctor said he could help me," Pedro recalls. "He told me that he could give me power and a god who is going to care about me and make me rich. He said that I would be able to grow a lot in this religion and become so powerful that I would be invincible if I would study the materials and consecrate myself to this god."

For a young boy desperate for control in his life, the promises of the white magic doctor were just what he longed for. Pedro agreed to become a student. He went through the ritual of consecrating himself, including donning an amulet that connected him to his idol/god (the spirit world), and declaring his love for his god.

"At this time in my life, I knew Christians, but I didn't know anything about the Bible," Pedro says. "To me, Christians just worshipped a different idol or god; I didn't know that there was only one true God."

The doctor's promises, however, weren't empty. Powers soon became evident in Pedro's life. "I started training, and I began to grow in this power—I started with moving small objects with my mind—and my powers continued to grow."

But the power came at a price. "I started hearing this voice," Pedro says. "And I knew it was the devil. He would tell me that my destiny was to go to hell with him—it was the reason I was born—and to fight in this huge battle against Christ/God, who is a selfish god that wanted all the glory and praise for Himself. Satan wanted me to fight to help take back what God had stolen from him."

Pedro sank deeper and deeper into Satanism. He soon was placed in charge of a group of other teens who also desired to grow "their powers." Pedro says he was given visions about the teens, insight into their lives, making it easy to convince them to follow his lead. They held séances and spoke to the dead, they used an Ouija board regularly with great success, and they spent an inordinate amount of time in cemeteries where things went on that he prefers not to discuss.

As he reflects upon his life, Pedro says there were things he came to realize. The more into Satanism he sank, the less human he was. "I didn't cry, I didn't laugh ... I had zero feelings," he says. "Also, I would later learn that these powers I thought were mine, were actually demons working through me. I had opened doors to them and they worked to not only deceive others, but me too! But at the time, I just believed that I was superior to everyone around me."

"Everyone," that is, except for these "weird" people.

"Nothing scared me anymore," Pedro says. "My friends and I were totally in the darkness. But every now and then a weird person would walk by. I knew nothing about God, but these people made me scared. I didn't want to be close to them. I wanted to run away from them—there was something shining on them ... it was just too shiny for me, to the point that I couldn't even look at them!"

Pedro says that he would later learn that these people weren't just Christians by name, but people who had the fire of the living God within them—and he feared them for reasons he did not understand.

And although Pedro didn't know it at the time, his battle with Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit was going to take place much sooner than he imagined.

Now a freshman in college, Pedro found himself in a U.S. English class with an older teacher who was one of those "on fire" Christians. Pedro wanted to turn in a paper late, but the teacher denied him, saying he would fail—but if Pedro would attend his Saturday meeting he held in the class each week, he could turn in his paper after that.

The meeting? A Bible study!

"That Saturday, the moment I crossed the gate into the college, something hit my spirit—it was scary, like I was about to die," Pedro says. "My body started shaking and I wasn't even close to the room yet, and the closer I got, the worse I felt ... it was like this crazy scared thing moving inside of me, from my head to my feet ... it's hard to put into words how scared I was. I was sweating and felt like I was going crazy. It wasn't a human scared, it was all the demonic power and devils living in me who were scared to come into the presence of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, ... but I didn't know that then, all I knew was I wanted to run fast and far away from that place."

Pedro attempted to turn his paper in and leave, but the teacher refused the paper, saying he would need to sit through the meeting.

"They started to talk about God, the Bible, the Son of the Living God, the ABCs of salvation, the Cross," Pedro says. "I was listening, but fighting with stuff inside of me. But the words started to hit me. God loved me; died on the cross for me; He was not against—he wanted to rescue me!"

As the meeting concluded, the group stood to sing a song and the teacher began to pray for each person. As he prayed, people began to fall to the floor under the power of the Holy Spirit. Pedro knew he was in the presence of some kind of supernatural power as people were falling to the cement floor, but not getting hurt.

Then the teacher came to Pedro.

"We were eye-to-eye when he began to pray and boom! It was like an explosion," Pedro says. "I fell to the ground, but it felt like falling on a bed. My body began to shake like crazy. I felt this power like electricity going through my head, feet, legs, hands. I knew this was my last day on earth. I remember thinking I can't receive this kind of power—it was too much, my body is going to explode! It was so strong, I couldn't resist, like millions of volts in my body."

Pedro began to yell loudly as he felt the moment of his death approaching—whatever "it" was, was killing him.

But he didn't die.

"I suddenly realized I could breathe," Pedro says. "Then this voice came into my mind and kept repeating, 'God is real! God is alive! Jesus is real! God is touching you now!' I started to cry like a baby. I opened my eyes and in that moment I realized that the power that was in me was nothing compared to the power of God, which was now touching my soul. I realized I was on the wrong side of the line—I didn't want to fight against God, I didn't want to be an enemy of God."

Pedro stayed on the floor as the powers of darkness drained from him and the Holy Spirit worked in him. After some time, the teacher returned, helped him sit up, then prophesied over him that for the next three days, he wouldn't be able to sleep as the Lord wanted to speak with him.

It was as the teacher prophesied. For three days, Pedro did not sleep. "Those three days shaped my life," Pedro says. "God revealed Himself to me, explaining things to me, helping me to understand His power, and how I was now coming to the light, the side of God."

Pedro moved to Miami not long after his salvation experience. He says he could no longer hang around with his old friends, because when he was in the same room, their efforts to contact "the dead" no longer worked. About six years ago, Pedro, who worked in television, moved to Peoria, Illinois, to assist a church in developing television programming.

He is now the director of evangelism at Hilltop Campus Church, an Assemblies of God U.S. Missions Chi Alpha Campus Ministries church plant near several colleges and universities in Peoria, Illinois. Ironically Pedro, who is now 34, spends time mentoring young people to grow in their prayer lives and experience the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.

"Christians need to understand how powerful the name of Jesus is," Pedro says. "When Jesus is 100 percent in our lives, we are so powerful against the enemy. Nothing is comparable to the power of Jesus—remember, the devil and all the darkness is limited because they are creations, not the Creator. Those who serve Satan can yell and say things, but inside they are scared, shaking, and wanting to run!"

Although Pedro says that early on he would battle with Satan's attempts to reclaim his life, the Holy Spirit remained his constant companion. Through prayer, Pedro even rejected the healing the Honduran "white magic" doctor performed on his back, which resulted in several years of pain for Pedro before God stepped in and performed His own healing. "That healing I had as a child was Satan's hold on my life," Pedro explains. "When I renounced it through prayer, my struggles with Satan were lifted."

Pedro says he never intended to share his testimony, as he was deeply ashamed of his past life. But through the encouragement of Hilltop Campus Church interim pastor and AG U.S. missionary Dale Crall, Pedro, now the Holy Spirit-controlled follower of Christ, has begun to open up about his experiences.

"Pedro is one of the most spiritually discerning and truth-living Christlike believers I've ever met," Crall states. "He is highly favored of God and is gifted in everything he does. He brings God's presence in all he does."

"One of my burning desires is that Christian people can know the power of God's Word and live in the reality that God is real and close to us," Pedro says. "That when you walk into a room, people can feel the presence of the Lord with you—it will change your life, and may change their lives too!"

REFERENCE: http://www.charismanews.com/culture/50748-satanist-bows-to-jesus-gets-filled-with-holy-spirit-and-preaches-the-gospel