J.O.Y. (JESUS ONLY YOU)

Christmas is right around the corner and as I look around while driving home I see lights that say Joy and Joy to the world. Joy means to be happy but it doesn't mean happiness. Why do I say that well because my life can be full of hardships but I can still have the Joy of the Lord in my heart. Joy for me means something else that I hope it will mean the same for you. It means Jesus Only You. Joy should stand for Jesus Only You for everyone. Since Jesus is the real reason we celebrate Christmas this should be on everybody hearts. Believers should always celebrate Jesus life daily. Joy also should have a special meaning for non believers and that is that JESUS OFFERS YOU. Jesus offers you the gift of salvation. It doesn't matter who you are, what situation you are in. God loves you just how you are and if you are broken even better because the Lord loves to fix things. I wish people would just open there eyes and see the beauty of Christ. The beauty of the Father and the greatness of His love. When I was a little kid I remember Christmas would be the best time of the year. I used to love the lights, the tree, the scene, and the presents. I remember people used to tell me lets see what Santa Claus is going to bring you this year. I hope you've been good so Santa Claus can bring you something nice. Now having kids of my own I don't want Santa Claus bringing me or my kids gifts because Jesus gave us the best gift of all. SALVATION! God is who I put my hope and trust in. Jesus is the big brother I look up to and live my life after. Jesus is my Lord! I want people to understand we are the same...doesn't matter rich or poor, black or white. We have the same heart, the same blood, the same emotions...BUT BEST OF ALL WE HAVE THE SAME JOY!

JESUS ONLY YOU!

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

Highway to Hell

This title was once a famous song and I believe the reason why it was so famous was because people believed in it. People believe that there final outcome is going to be hell. I have heard people that I met say were all going to hell so might as well do what I want. It pains me because they are so far from the truth. The truth is that there is a hell. The truth is that one day non believers will go there. Also this truth is the most important out of all the truths I just gave you and that is GOD WILL NOT SEND YOU TO ETERNAL DARKNESS. ONLY YOU CAN SEND YOURSELF TO THAT PLACE. I hate when people say God is love and merciful. He will never send anyone to hell...and they keep living the same way believing in that. Yes God is love and He is merciful. In fact all through your life God is giving you the chance to get into Heaven and avoid Hell. See God will never send anyone into hell. If you don't believe He simply will not let you into His house. What people don't understand is He has every right to do whatever He wants. God doesn't want to see people go to hell...He didn't create man just so He can condemn them. God gives us every chance to enter His Kingdom. My son Isaiah will always be my son till the end of time. I love him more than anything but if I told him never to steal and he goes out and steals. He goes to jail because of it, It is not because of me he is in jail. It was not my will to have him in jail. My son had every chance to do the right thing and simply chose the wrong one. By the way my son is only 9 and he was the only example I can think of. (sorry son) As you can see It's not God's will to see people in Hell.



There is a story of a man who was out hiking. He came close to a cliff because he wanted to look down. He slipped and lost his footing fell over the cliff but before he went down to far he was able to grab a branch. As he hung there on the branch he yelled and yelled for help but there was nobody around. Then suddenly at the top of the cliff there was a somebody who said I can help you, just let go of the branch and take my hand. The man puzzled said who are you? My name is Jesus I can save you if you just let go of the branch and take my hand. The man was losing his grip of the branch and said no I can't, you're not strong enough to lift me up. Jesus said please just trust in me, believe that I can save you and you will be saved. Yet the man on the branch still said No and then said is there anybody else up there. The world is always looking for the wrong Savior. Money, companionship with the wrong person, reliability in the wrong economy, and anything else they think can save them. Jesus is the truth, the light, and the way. NO ONE...NO ONE will get into Heaven unless it's through Him. So if that is you thats hanging on that branch waiting for somebody else. Think again before it's to late. Let Jesus save you and start taking the HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN.

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

Long Distance

Did you know that God is in another realm then we are. He is seated on the throne in Heaven. Seems like such a Long Distance away but in reality it's not. A lot of believers have a Long Distance relationship with God. What that means is they treat Him like a distant relative that visits once in a while. They get all excited when they feel His presence in Church but when they go home He is not involved in there lives. You will never see God from a distance. You will never see His face especially if you're trying to see Him from a distance. God speaks to us every day. He tries to be involved in our lives always. But if you're to far from Him. You'll never hear or see Him. I understand it gets tough to stay in constant connection with the Almighty. In our world it's so easy to reach for things that you see instead of reaching for Him that is unseen. I've been through it. I have had a Long Distance relationship with God. I have called out to Him from a far only to feel bad because I felt He wasn't listening. God is listening and He is answering but if you're to far from Him. It's pointless for Him to respond because you won't be able to hear Him. So how do you stay close to God?

How do you stay close to distant relatives? First step is to call on God. We don't need a phone to call Him. We can just close our eyes and believe in our hearts and begin to talk and we will be where He is. Best part is that there is no long distance phone bill. With God you always have free minutes and He always has FREE TIME TO TALK TO YOU! Second thing is to always pray. When you feel that God is not near or times are getting tough pray and He will answer. The Bible says ask and He may give it to you. Remember it doesn't say whatever you want it's yours. It says He may. May being the key word because God wants only the best for you. Thirdly is read the Word. Read your Bible. If you really want to hold God's hand...READ HIS STORY. The Bible tells you everything you need to know to be close to God. Lastly, serve God. Be a channel for God's blessings not a reservoir. Be ready to preach the Gospel. Be ready to help others. Be ready to just serve. When you serve God, it means you carry His heart. There is no better way to stay close to God then by carrying His Heart.

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

Limited Time Only!

This phrase is used when something is only temporary. For instance if you walk by a store window and it said that everything in the store was on sale but for a Limited Time Only. That would imply to hurry up and buy before the sale ends. For believers it something similar but yet different. There are two definitions I want to use for this phrase. The first is to imply that the pleasures of sin are a Limited Time Only. Sometimes sin feels good but it's only temporary. Sin doesn't take the place of joy and happiness. Sin doesn't drown out your problems or situations. Sin is an illusion orchestrated by the master of disguise the devil. I have gone one day in perfect harmony with God to the next day feeling guilty because I sinned and sinned. It is hard...believe me it is so hard to resist. I can begin my day praying in the morning and praising God only to have it go away in the afternoon when my boss says something or does something. The devil knows people. He knows exactly how to set them off or set them up. He puts the bomb in our hands and entices us to light the fuse. We as humans have the divine nature like our Father to create great things...but being human we also have a sinful nature and the capacity to destroy life. The Bible states that the wage of sin is Death.

The second part I want to emphasize is that Life itself is a Limited Time Only! Life can be over before you know it. Only God knows the place and time when He calls you home. So many of us live by time. I don't have time for this and that. Time is important but you have to use it wisely. You have to live for moments. Moments are pages that you write your life story on. When God looks back on your life...He doesn't look at the time you wasted but the moments you lived for. There was a story I heard about a man who was at the end of his life. He always wanted to climb the highest mountain around but never had the time. So one day he decided to climb the mountain only to die on the way up. Everybody criticized him and asked his son why did he climb the mountain to die? The son responded he didn't climb the mountain to die...He climbed it to live. Don't wait till the end of your life to really live. Life is a Limited Time Only! Live for God use the moments you have to make Him happy and I promise you that He will in return bring you Joy. God created life and humans to co exist in harmony. As Christmas approaches use moments to makes things right with family, friends, co workers, and acquaintances. Jesus was born not to condemn our moments but to bring LIFE TO THEM!

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

Radar

In war if you would happen to appear on your enemy's radar then you would be in trouble. The enemy would know where you would be at and send their forces to stop you. Being Christian if you are on the devils Radar then you are definitely doing something right. The more you are connected to God and ready to fight, the closer you are to the devils stronghold and the more you light up the Radar. The devil leaves you alone when your doing his work but the moment you open your eyes. You realize that his work only cause heartache and pain. Once you decide to get married to Christianity and say I do. You appear on the Radar! Your hardships and trials all depend on how much you appear on the Radar. The path of Righteousness involves a lot of trials and tribulations. The more you get tempted you should jump for joy because you are on the right path. The devil gets mad when you work for God...and the more overtime you put in just makes the devil furious. Which then means more temptations and trials. I know life gets hard and it seems like there is no way out.

Trust in the Lord to get you through anything. Stay on course and stay strong. It's only good and evil. Trust in the goodness of God. God will protect you and help you. Evil is going to throw everything at you when you appear on it's Radar. I admire Pastor's and Teachers of the Word because I know for every life they are trying to save. They move up the devils most wanted list and have bulls eyes on them where ever they go. Believe me if you have a bulls eye on you...rejoice because you are on the path to Heaven. Rejoice in every trial and tribulation that is thrown at you because that means you are standing up for God. It means that you are fighting a battle worth fighting. Every temptation, every trial, every battle the devil is trying to stop what your doing because he knows your winning. In war you try everything possible not to be noticed so you can sneak behind enemy lines. In the battle of good and evil being on the devils Radar is exactly where you need to be. The devil needs to see how many people are willing to stand up and fight. Imagine if the devil looks at the Radar and sees all the Christians in the world ready and willing to stand up and fight for God. It's so glorious! Remember the more trials and temptations you get, the closer you are to getting to God. STAY ON THE DEVIL'S RADAR!!

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

I'm Christian!

Being Christian isn't just showing up to Church on Sunday. It's more than just telling your neighbor you're Christian. You can actually be Christian without words because I can preach to someone without saying anything. A lot of people have the wrong idea about being Christian. They show up Sunday to Church ready to be Christian but during the week, there to busy to spend time with God. They pray once or twice a day or sometimes not at all during the day and call themselves Christian. Being Christian is to be plugged into God daily. A lot of people will say well I pray daily. Here is what I'm getting at. If you wake up and pray daily and the rest of the day is your time then you're not really plugged in. All you're doing is keeping a habit. The way to be Christian is to be Christ like. Jesus prayed all the time. He didn't have a set time when He prayed. His habit was to stay plugged in. You might say of course He was plugged in because He was God. What God requires for us to be called Christians is time. Time spent with Him, Time spent with the Word, and Time to share the Gospel. I am not trying to offend anyone with this article. I can say this because I call myself a Christian but don't spend a lot of time being a Christian. I am like the rest of the world wrapped up in distractions that I don't make time to spend with God.



Everybody looks to God when troubles arise but when the waters are calm they don't. Lets make this perfectly clear GOD IS NOT A GLORIFIED HANDYMAN! Somebody once told me that God fixes things for His love for people but He doesn't agree with the situation. I don't blame Him. If I knew someone that just came to me for money all the time but didn't want to spend time with me any other day. I would be upset to. I would help that person because I love people and I love to help but It would bother me. Being Christian is putting God first in everything. Not just on Sunday, not just when problems arise, or not when you feel like it. God is first in everything and above all. What makes you Christian is keeping an intimate relationship with God all the time. Praise God when your at your job, Praise God when your in your car, but Praise God all the time just because He loves you and He made you. Glorify God in everything that you have and do. Pray and talk to God all the time. Being Christian is hard at times but the reward will be worth it. So I encourage everybody to BE CHRISTIAN!



Yesus Gitano,


Carlos

Pulled Away

Every day we wake up is another day to be Pulled Away. Better believe it that you will get Pulled Away. When you have the devil against you life is hard. You see life is the heartbeat of God, the joy of a new song, the rhythm of a drum, the love of another. But Sin is the living trial, it's the pothole that flattens your tire, it's the bill you get with no money to pay, Sin is the vacuum that sucks you into darkness. Sin is what Pulls you away. See God says man will always sin and fall short. What we have to understand is that the pothole was always there but you never saw it. The bill you received came from something you did or bought and chose just to ignore it. We will always Sin but some of the sins can be avoided. We will always get Pulled Away but the question is how far away are you? Sin hurts God because He knows that when you sin the devil is what is pulling you away or trying to pull you away. God knows if we are going to sin or not before we do it...and God puts the pothole in the road to see if you notice it before it's to late. I have seen the pothole, been stuck in the pothole, only to go through the same pothole again. See you can't resist sin with human nature. It takes only divine nature to resist and defeat sin. That's why Jesus was so perfect every time the devil tempted Him. He was able to resist because He had divine nature.

It's our human nature to be Pulled Away but in order to resist the devil we have to ask God daily to give us divine nature. God gave us grace so we can go under His wing away from darkness. Here is where a lot of Christians stay and get comfortable. God also requires for us to come out from under His wing into darkness and bring light. But also where a lot of Christians backslide because they get Pulled Away so much that they get ashamed to come back under God's wing. Here is what I know it's okay to stay under God's wing until your ready to be a light. But without divine nature you are not going to be that light and you will be Pulled Away. I know it's hard to step out because of the potholes and things to pull you away from God but what I know from the depths of my heart is that God allows you to make mistakes so you learn and trust Him more. What I've learned is that when I got stuck in a pothole I looked to God and asked Him to show me where the potholes are so I avoid them. Sin is inevitable and getting Pulled Away is a part of life. But the Holy Spirit is the rope and Jesus is the lifeguard that walks on water ready to PULL YOU BACK!.

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

1 on 1

The only way you will ever get to know someone on a more personal level is by 1 on 1. In a crowded room you will only get the basic information about someone but in order to get to really know them. You would have to spend time with them. God requires that time with us. The creator of Heaven and Earth, the Almighty, the Alpha and Omega wants a 1 on 1 relationship with us. I never really had a relationship with my biological father like I would've liked to have. But God knows me, He knows my heart and what it desires. He takes care of my needs no matter how insignificant they may be compared to the rest of the worlds needs. He does it because He cares about each and every one of us. The Father only wants to see good things in your life but in order to be able to do that. You have to receive the blessings. Simple way means in order to win the lottery, you have to buy a ticket. Or to win a prize on the radio you have to listen and call in. The point is that in order for you to want a relationship with God and receive His blessings you have to look for Him. You have to seek God's presence in order to receive His presents. I'm going to do something a little different today. I wrote a poem that goes with what I'm talking about.


How to Build a Relationship With God

First we need FAITH to be our solid ground
Then the SAVIOR and LORD so that it doesn't fall down.
TRUST will be the roof to protect us from the rain
HONESTY and UNDERSTANDING will be our window pane.
PRAISE and WORSHIP will be the stairs that we will climb
COMMITMENT will be the wood to stand the test of time.
OUR HEART will be the door and only HE will have the key
The relationship is complete now, and now we can be FREE.
We will start a beautiful garden and plant LOVE to watch it grow
Our SINS are the rain, but His FORGIVENESS the rainbow.
GOD can be the fence made of steel as strong as can be
That way FOREVER and EVER we will always have security.

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

Flexible

One of the number one rules of being Christian is to be Flexible. The road to Heaven is hard and it requires sacrifice, hard work, commitment but also Flexibility. The reason being is that what my plans are, may not be God's plan. Like the song says I can plan a nice picnic but I can't predict the weather. Christians have to be able to adapt to any situation and in any environment. I can think that I'm going down the right path and God says nope and changes it. This is where a lot of Christians back slide because the path God lays before them is a path that seems to be to difficult for them. Being Christian you would think that because God is all powerful and all loving that He would just give us a path that is easy to handle. But what Christians don't realize is that it is easy to handle. It's harder to grasp but easy to handle. Yes the economy is bad, the world doesn't seem to be getting better, and it seems that people are getting more and more discouraged because of it. But I'm here! Were here! My Lord and Savior has taken care of me every day of my life. Situations I've been in...things that I went through. I'm still here! He has taken care of me to this very day and I have hope and trust that He is going to continue to take care of me.

Life is full of surprises sometimes there blessings and sometimes there hardships. But everything is God's will. If we are to remain strong, we rely on His might and His guidance. We trust Him because a true believer knows that the Father only wants what is best for His children. God only wants what's best for us...but sometimes what's best for us is not the easiest path. The reason being is God wants us to learn in life and He wants all of us to be saved and have Eternal life. He wants His people to look for Him in difficult times and He wants us to help each other along the way. Be Flexible and ready to take on any challenges that are presented before you. Rejoice in trials and tribulations because the Lord says to. Being able to adapt is key for Christians to survive in this world. Remember be of the world but not part of it. ABOVE ALL BEING FLEXIBLE MEANS WE ARE NOT BROKEN EASILY!

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

TD!

In American football when one team goes across the other teams goal line it's called a Touchdown. Or TD for short. It's the culmination of a lot of hard work, practice, and strategy. It doesn't matter whether the team wins or loses because during a touchdown the entire team celebrates. But for Christians TD means something different but should have the same type of results. For Christians it means TESTED DAILY. Every day Christians are tested. The Bible says God disciplines those He loves. We are tested because God loves us that He wants us to be strong and wise. He wants us to have the will to resist any opposition or any darkness. When my son doesn't do his homework, he faces a consequence which could be not going outside to play. For us as Christians not reading the Bible could lead to us falling easily to temptation. Disobeying God leads to a path of darkness and temptations. Did you know that in America marriages have a 69% percent of surviving. God said that when you get married it should last forever and with the same person. Marriages fail because they don't pass the test. Marriages are one test that Christians have daily. Marriage is something that takes hard work and understanding. Marriages need God's foundation and love in order to survive.

Christians are tempted daily by the devil. He knows our wicked ways and excels at exploiting our weaknesses to his advantage. Diets are a multi billion dollar seller not because people want to be healthy but because they want to look good. Jesus says that if your eye causes you to sin pluck it out because it's better to lose an eye then have your whole body go to hell. I rather be blind then constantly be bombarded with sex. Magazines, TV, movies, billboards it's all about looking good instead of feeling good. Everyday it's a new temptation and a new chance to fail the test. We get tested daily and we as Christians need to have the Word in our hearts, in our minds, and in our hands to avoid failing. I know that the road to righteousness is not always the easiest but believe me when I tell you that it has the best reward. God uses bumps in the road and turns them into blessings. When Christians are tested we as a Christan should rejoice when we pass the tests and we should encourage each other when we falter. We are TESTED DAILY because God disciplines us but we are TOUCHED DAILY because God LOVES US.

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos