Walk with Victory!

I remember playing basketball and walking off the court sometimes we won and sometimes we lost. Every time we lost I would walk off the court with my head down wondering what I could of done to help win. I would hold my self responsible thinking if I could do more I would've changed the outcome. My coach would see me and tell me that I can't change the past so just let it go and focus on the next one. The next one would come and when we won. My attitude was totally different. My walk was different, I was proud of the team and would walk with a big smile and confidence knowing that if we played them again we would be able to win. In life a lot of people do the same thing. When hard times come people walk with there head down thinking what they could of done to change the outcome. We can't change the past, so there is no point in thinking that you could of done something different. In life there is no excuses, only solutions. When I played basketball I always made a reason to why we lost. But what I should of done is find ways to make things better. In basketball it's not how great of a player you are...it's how much confidence do you have in your ability to play the game. Same goes for us as Christians it's not whether we are great Christians or not. It's how much of Christ lives in us and our ability to have Him direct our life.

Anybody that believes is already in victory. Christ already won the game for us, so there is no need to be ashamed any longer. No need to walk with your head down. No need to stress about things that have no meaning. I know it's hard not to stress about bills and money but be thankful for what you do have. So we have bills...we also have life and the gift of air to breathe. We have no money...but we have the freedom of religion, we have the freedom to visit the park or beach and see the beauty of God. We have no jobs....but we have the ability to still help people in need. Like praying for the homeless or the sick. God will always take care of us. His promise says He will never give you more than you can bear. I remember seeing the movie the Wizard of Oz and wanting to go down that road. While Dorothy walked down the road they had hope. But my hope isn't found in Dorothy it's found in JESUS! My path isn't down a yellow brick road. My path leads to a ROAD PAVED WITH GOLD! Every body who believes has hope in the one true God so WALK WITH VICTORY!

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

Take His Place!

Lets say for instance that you were sound asleep and when you woke up. You were in God's presence. God looks at you and says you will have to go to Earth and suffer the world's sin. You will have to be tortured and punished in order for the world to be saved. The world will hate you and crucify you because they don't understand. Will you do that? Can you do that? Jesus suffered more than we can ever imagine and yet people don't fully comprehend what He did for us. He gave us a second chance to live. He is the Bridge into Heaven. Jesus main purpose was to bring sinful people to a Holy God. People hated Him because He was trying to bring light to a darkened world. People still hate Him today because He is still trying to bring light to this darkened world. When I was growing up and and saw Christians and they would preach to me. I would see them act a certain way and be a certain way. They would tell me they don't drink or go to clubs. They don't listen to certain music and they would say Jesus can set you free. So I thought about it and said you can't really do what you want...doesn't sound like freedom it actually sounds like your a slave to your religion. I never understood it till now. It's not that I'm a slave to Christianity, it's that I freely give up being part of this world to be a part of something greater.

Jesus said in order to follow me, you have to deny yourself daily and take up your cross. Our bodies are evil from head to toe. Our hands, our eyes, and our heads are evil. While we live in this world our bodies want us to give into temptation daily. The devil uses temptations for the flesh to take you from the light into darkness. We have to let our bodies die to get out of darkness...That's why it's call born again. To Deny yourself is to deny your flesh. Deny the desires of the flesh. Follow your heart, love with your heart. Guard your mind and let your body be crucified daily. Righteousness is the only way into God's heart. Though, the question still remains Can you Take His Place? We were predestined to Take His Place! God wants us to spread the Gospel and do what Jesus did. To bring a sinful man to a Holy God. I don't look at it though as our jobs as Christians. I look at it as a privilege and an honor to Take His place and tell everyone I know about the Gospel.

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

Routine

Every morning I go through the same Routine. I pray, sit down at my desk, and write my blog. A Routine is defined as a habitual procedure. More simply put an habit of some sort. Every body has them and every body goes through Routines. If you eat dinner at a certain time or go to the gym at a certain time. Then those are Routines. I pick up the kids daily at the same time that is considered a Routine. What I'm trying to get at is that our lives are filled with Routines. Usually Routines are always the same. Really nothing changes but our encounters. Our encounter with what food we are having for dinner, our encounter with the closet choosing our clothes for that day, but especially our encounter with people and God. You see I don't care if I go to the same job, doing the same thing for the rest of my life, I don't care if i wear the same clothes till I die or if I eat the same food over and over again. But, what I do care about and what every body should care about is your encounters with people and God. First with people, I may run into the same people every day at work or somewhere else but my Routine shouldn't be the same. I shouldn't just say good morning and that's it. Every time I run into people is an opportunity to change somebodies life. To offer something they might not have. Joy and Happiness. To be a part of the greatest family on Earth. God's family. God desires us to get along that's why Jesus said love God and your neighbor. If He didn't want us to be in Unity he would've just said Love God. But God gave His Son to the world that whoever believe in Him shall not perish. I ask everyone let not your Routine with people be the same. Maybe the person your trying to save is not coming around because your doing it the same way always. Say something different, try something different, give a different Bible verse. Most important let them know they are loved in different ways.

Our Routine with God has to be different daily. I talk to God every chance I get. I love talking to Him and know that He is there for me. But I can't get up and pray every day and just say hey God thanks for everything...Amen. The only way God becomes real is if you treat Him as real. When God created Adam and Eve...The Bible says that He walked with them. That's what God wants with each and every one of us to walk with us. We are His greatest joy and love. Over and over again the Bible shows His great love for us. I don't understand how people can just ignore Him or treat Him like a lucky rabbits foot. So when things are going wrong you bring Him out and hope He fixes everything. That's not what God is! God is Lord and King. He deserves everything from us and nothing less. We must humble ourselves before Him. Remember you stand tallest on your knees!! Let every chance with get to talk to God be different. Every day we may go through the same Routines but let our encounters be different. Let our encounters with people always be different. Let us not fall into the Routine of just saying hi and going on about our day. That's not what God intended us to be like. Let our Routine with God be different and let God know how much you love Him. Once your encounters change, your Routines will soon turn into Rewards!!

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

Fairy Tale!

Being here in California I have the chance to go to the Happiest Place On Earth or so it's called. A place where you can see all the characters from your favorite Disney movie. A place where you pay roughly $80 dollars just to visit this land of make believe. The more I thought about this place, the more I thought they should change the name to the most expensive place on Earth. Although, the purpose of this article though is not to compare prices at a theme park. It's to tell you that there is another place you can go to that is not make believe. There is a place where you can have the best time of your life and it's all free. Church is open everyone, not only those who can afford it. At Church you can go as many times as you like. Disneyland is a great place to go I'll admit. My girls when they go there they have a great time. We have annual passes to go there. I'm not saying don't ever go to Disneyland but what I am saying though is Church is the happiest place on Earth. You can go to Church and it has all your favorite characters from the Bible. I may on occasion be upset about something unrelated to Church and when I come out of Church I'm carefree. My spirit and heart are free. I am ready to face any challenges and know that I'm going to win. Every day thousands of people visit Disneyland so they can go back to when they were kids and have no worries or problems. For one day they can forget about the problems of the world.

The reason Disneyland is so successful is because they sell you a Fairy Tale. They want you to think that in there world every thing is so amazing and drama free. But in reality there are people committing crimes every day. Some really petty and some really disturbing. There is no Fairy Tale in the world we live in, there is only The Truth. The Church is where you need to be. Having Jesus in your heart is where you need to be. Being focused and in tune into God's plan is where you need to be. The Bible says that this world will end but it's going to get worse before it's gets better. A Fairy Tale is a story that is suppose to bring you comfort and hope. Keep Jesus in your heart and you'll have all the comfort you'll ever need. Tightly grasp your faith and remember God's promise and you'll always have hope. In a world where murders are climbing at an alarming rate, where the economy doesn't seem to be getting better, and it seems the end of world is getting nearer and nearer. We as Christians need to stand together and show everyone that the Church is better than make believe, Heaven is free to anyone, and that THE TRUTH is better than any Fairy Tale!

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

Ticket To Ride!

Anywhere you want to go if you take a plane, train, or bus you will need a Ticket To Ride. Of course you can always drive yourself but it's not always the best way. This past summer when I went to Ethiopia every plane we went on they asked for a Ticket. So in order for me to get to my destination I need a Ticket To Ride. Our lives has the same set up because when we die God will ask for your Ticket To Ride! While were here on Earth this is not our final destination. Just like me going to Ethiopia I was just visiting. We are all visitors here on Earth until we get called home. Only difference is which home are you going to? Is it paradise or fiery pit! With God there is always hope...there is always joy in knowing that paradise is available to everyone. You just need a Ticket To Ride! To obtain the Ticket is the easy part, holding on to your Ticket is the hard part. All you have to do is ask God for the Ticket...But here is the hard part. You see you are unable to use the Ticket until you die. So if you asked God for the Ticket when you are 20 and you live to be 100 then that means, you have to hold on to the ticket for 80 years. Believe me when I say that there is someone out there that would love for you to miss your Ride. The devil will do everything in his power to make sure your Ticket does not get used.

So what is your Ticket and how do you stop the devil from trying to take your Ticket from you. Your Ticket To Ride is our savior Jesus Christ. The Bible says that He is the only way to the Father. That no one will be able to go to the Father unless through Him. God is the destination but Jesus is the Ticket To Ride! The devil doesn't like Christians very much. He would rather have you in a fiery pit then in paradise. He doesn't sound like much of a friend but yet, people rather hang out with the devil then with God. People rather continue to live in sin then in glory. People rather give up there Ticket To Ride then stand up for God. The way you hold on to your Ticket is to fight. Fight your flesh, fight your desires and fight the devil. But how do you fight if you have no weapons? God's Word is the best weapon you need to fight. Read it, learn it and live it. As long as you follow the Word...You will always have your Ticket! It's okay to back slide but remember why are you sliding back? It's only because the devil is trying to take away your Ticket! Every day you hold that Ticket in your hand is a day, your going to have to fight to keep it. Jesus said it Himself if you want to follow Me then you will have to pick up your cross daily. It doesn't say weekly like every Sunday. It says EVERY DAY. If I live to be a 100 or not...My Ticket is clutched in my hands and I'm not letting anybody take that from me. I will stand up for God. I will fight for my Ticket and for my brothers and sisters Ticket as well. Fight for Jesus! Let the world know that they just need a Ticket To Ride to be in paradise!

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

Goals for God!

Goals are defined as the end toward which effort is directed. In life you set goals for which you live by and once those goals are accomplished then you try to set new goals. In the picture is Bob Elliff. Bob was diagnosed with cancer and is very close to be heading home to be with God. I'm a little jealous because he gets to see God and hang out with Jesus. But I know my work here is not done. I never got to get personal with Bob but every time we spoke he would always make me laugh. He reminded me a lot of my grandfather in that aspect that he had the power to make me smile with a quick remark. I may have not known Bob like his relatives or his close friends. But the chances I had to meet him he showed me his love for life. He showed me God's heart where he was always willing to give a hand. My wife told me something that I believe is true and I hope that It helps people cope with this transition. My wife told me that maybe BOB'S GOALS FOR GOD HAVE BEEN MET AND HE GETS TO GO HOME NOW. I saw this and was like wow! You know what maybe your right. Every single one of us have Goals For God. Bob who had a life that God would be so proud of, maybe accomplished his goals here on Earth and Our Lord said okay it's time for your reward. Only God knows when those Goals are finished but His Word tells us how to get there.

We has Christians have to encourage and lift up each other. We have to encourage others to live out there Goals For God! We have help people get on the right path. What saddens my heart is that non believers can out live guys like Bob. Bob who has a heart to serve, and wants to continue to save people are taken back home. While non believers keep denying God. I believe that's because God is still hoping that they will also accomplish there Goals. God is full of mercy and grace. God would like to see everyone saved. I believe that's why I haven't gone yet because my purpose, my Goals for God have not been fulfilled. To people reading this please life is to short to let your Goals be put aside. Make your Goals for God your top priority and do everything you can for fulfill them. You might be sitting there thinking what are my Goals for God...Read the Word and your life will have purpose. It will have meaning! Your Goals will come before you and when they do. Be prepared to do what God has you do. Whether you try to save your family member...or if your praying for a whole community. Don't wait till somebody needs your help because there are people that always need somebody. Be that SOMEBODY!

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos

P.S. This blog is dedicated to Bob Elliff. Your life is a great example of Goals For God!!

Pretend!

This past Halloween I put on a costume from movie that my kids like watching. My 1 year old didn't know it was me underneath the mask. So I took off the mask to show her but, She was scared when I put the mask on even though she knew it was her daddy. There are a lot of times that Christians pretend to be something else. They go to Church wearing masks and put on a costume. They look like Christians, worship like Christians, but when they leave Church, they forget all about Christ. Believe me I'm been there! When I was younger I would go to Church every week and I would be worshipping and saying Amen. But as soon as Church was over I would remove my tie and put my Bible away till next week. Church was a chore for me instead of being a blessing. You know that there are places where they don't allow you to praise God and worship Him. Here in America we have the freedom to choose when and where to worship God. The Bible says blessed are those who seek God with there whole heart. Be like Jesus! The non believers who are in constant sin have more hope than you as a Christian if you pretend. The reason is because the Non Believer who sin really don't realize that they live in sin. They don't have Godly eyes to see what there doing is wrong...So there is hope for them if they accept God and be transformed. But PRETENDERS! already know the difference and still choose to live the way they want. It's sad to say but God really dislikes those people a lot. They are called hypocrites and have no place in the Kingdom.

I understand that this article might be a little harsh but I can't ignore this very important subject. PRETENDING is not the same as making a mistakes. Christians make mistakes all the time. That's what helps us grow. I am talking about going to Church every Sunday but yet, still living your BC lifestyle. Before Christ lifestyle! Be true to God and to yourself. Like our Pastor said when you write your book and present it to God. You want to be sure that God is going to open it and say WELCOME HOME GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT. A sin is a sin no matter what kind it is...but the worse kind of sin is knowing that it's wrong but you still do it anyways. That just shows that Jesus doesn't live in your heart and your only pretending to be Christian. Again it's okay to make a mistake or falter from time to time. But it's not okay to falter every time! God is great but He's not dumb. He knows who PRETENDS and who seeks him earnestly. Life is full of smiles and second chances. Don't miss out to be real for God! Don't give up your spot in Heaven and just be yourself...remember take off your mask! DON'T BE A PRETENDER...BE A CONTENDER FOR THE KING!

Yesus Gitano,

Carlos