Materialism Is An Unhealthy Practice For Your Soul [ 15:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Is Materialism Destroying Us?

Materialism seems to be a way of life with us. With stores, malls, strip centers and also the internet we are flooded with every kind of thing for sale that we can imagine. I’ll bet that the average person will never even see 0.05% of all the items that are for sale. Yet we aquire more things then we actually need and these are called wants. They are pleasing to the bodily senses in one way or another.

We gather so much material possessions that we either end up renting storage space, adding additions to our houses or go as far as buying a bigger house. This is insanity! We even go into debt because we just have to have it. This is a form of temporary pleasure that has no value to it at all.

Most of the time it is the thrill or rush that we get when we buy something new, then it wears off and we are out spending again. Look at China, it is one of the most richest countries in the world and it is all because of people over indulging in materialism.

Materialism is something that can bring self-destruction upon any person that engages in this dangerous practice. People have even suffer from shopping addiction to the point that they either brought financial devastation to themselves and/or their families as well to the point of bankruptcy. Not only can materialism hurt someone financially and mentally, but it can also attach themselves to your heart.

These items can become idols in such a way that one cannot part with them without feeling all different kinds of emotional pain. This what you call storing up treasures in your heart that have no lasting value to them at all and when you die you are left with nothing.

Empty your heart and store up treasures in heaven and have God fill your heart. Let God’s love burn like a fire in your soul. It’s total madness to keep your eyes focused on the things of this passing world because those things are only temporary.

May God Bless You

God Gave Us Free Will Podcast

God Gave Us Free Will [ 8:46 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Why Free Will?

God gave us free will to chose to love Him or rebel against Him. What it means to rebel against God is to basically give in to our pride and choose the things that are an abomination to God. When we choose our will over God’s will we travel on the road to self-destruction that leads us into the darkness, but when we choose God’s will we travel on the road that leads us into the Light which is eternal life and true peace which can only be found in God’s love.

The difference between pride and humility is that pride is all about self serving. We practice self indulgence, satisfying our lust for the things of the world, the things that please the flesh. We become a slave to the world so much so that our love is for the things of the world, a love that is meaningless.

Our hearts are filled with things that have or hold no value. So, when we die, we are empty with nothing to show for all the years that we spent on earth. We have no light, or maybe a flicker of light like the flame of a candle. Everything that we loved is left behind to a world that that only promises death.

A person who practices humility is one that has a heart overflowing with a love that can only come from God. The humble are kind, willing to help their fellowman, caring and compassionate. They love their fellowmen no matter how they are treated back by them.

They seek nor ask for anything in return, they are cheerful givers, never acting bothered when asked for a favor. They are never angered, they speak softly and are mild mannered. These are the ones that know God and do His will, they are filled with the Light and are free, at peace and know true happiness, a happiness that cannot be found in this passing world.

God loves us so much that He does everything He can to help us overcome our destructive ways. The love that He gives us, His mercy and grace, and how He is so patient with us, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to teach us, to show us the way back to be in union with Him once again.

Jesus did the will of God and was beaten, scouraged, humiliated and nailed to a cross all for our sake. This is how much God and Jesus Christ loves us, yet many reject them and choose their carnal self over eternal life. The world can only offer temporary happiness along with the misery that comes with it. God offers peace, love and freedom from the bondages of this passing world. Your choice: peace, happiness and life or the world and death.

Believe In God and Seek The Truth Podcast

Seek the Truth in Jesus Christ [ 4:38 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Seek The Truth In Jesus Christ and Leave Satan’s World Behind

This is a quote from the article “The Free Will Of Man”, where it says, “Man can choose to do right or wrong, such as, what to eat, how to dress, what to say, where to go, how to live and what or who to worship”.

When one chooses to accept Jesus Christ with their heart, they’re looking to change their life. They new something was missing and now they have found it. Their life suddenly has meaning and they want to follow Jesus and do what it takes to walk with Him. The main thing is to learn how to change one’s life so they can be pleasing to God in His eyes. When we have that one on one relationship with Jesus, He begins to show us what we need to do to overcome sin in our life.

We follow Him down that long and narrow road with our cross on our shoulder seeking truth. Once you reach a certain point in your walk with Jesus, He will, just as He says in John 14: 15 – 17, ‘ If you love me you will keep my commandments. I shall ask the Father, and He shall give you another Advocate to be with you forever, that Spirit of truth whom the world can never receive since it neither sees nor knows Him; but you know Him, because He is with you, He is in you.

This is the transformation from carnal to spiritual. Your spiritual eyes open and suddenly you see the world in a whole new outlook. This is the new creation (one’s true identity) that Paul talks about. You are reborn and now you are a little child ready to grow into a mature, spiritual adult.

Seeing the world through spiritual eyes you know that this is not God’s world or the world that He meant it to be. You see Satan’s world, man’s world, madness, insanity and you realize that this not the reality of God. What one begins to see and know is truth, something that the world cannot see or understand.

The one thing about carnal ( man’s false identity ), is that that is all it sees and knows. It wants to live for the world, by the world and for itself. Man lives as a slave to the world. You could actually call this kind of living “Self-destruction”. Most will never get to know their spiritual side while living in the world.

The carnal self seeks the things of the world which are only temporary. It seeks happiness in the world and the happiness it finds is only temporary. Man has to keep finding ways to amuse himself over and over again, even in his thoughts. He might think back of a vacation he once went on or just daydream about something pleasant. There is no lasting happiness or peace in this world. Aman that is a slave of the world is doomed, it is self-destrustion.

We normally don’t take the things of the world and analize them, for example: Going out to dinner. We like to go out to dinner, but how can we turn this into a bad thing? Let’s say we planned this a couple of days in advance and we’re really looking forward to going out.

So, first of all, what caused you to decide to go out to dinner in the first place? Do you need a little enjoyment? Was it boredom? A T.V. commercial that’s running a special on one of your favorite foods? Could be we hunger for a certain food to please out taste buds? It doesn’t matter what triggered it, but this is what you would call the start of a carnal high being born.

Up until the time you make it to the restaurant, you find yourself thinking about the time you are going to have and the food you are going to eat. Some of us can’t wait to get to the restaurant. One thinks about what they’re going to order and pictures themselves eating the dinner they ordered. Sometimes to the point where you can almost taste the food. As one thinks about these things, it put us in a happy mood.

Finally you make it to the restaurant, you grab a menu and now it is time to make a decision. Oh boy, everything looks so good on here, I wish I could order it all. You place your order and in a little while out comes the dinner that you been thinking about for days. You start to eat and you savor the flavor of every bite. Now your done and you leave the restaurant. While your on the way home your talking to your company about what a great dinner that was. The next day comes and that dinner you had comes to mind and you smile and think about it all over again.

I’m not saying that it is a sin to go out to dinner, but what I am saying is that sin can be born from it. Pride (self) is the mother of all sin. What I gave as an example was is what you call lust. Pride gave birth to lust and lust grew and became self-indulgence. You use this word all the time in commercials and at restaurants, mainly when they advertise a dessert. They say something like, “We have a quadruple chocolate cheese cake, so come and indulge yourself”.

One can lose their sobriety and become drunk with lust in many different ways. This is basically what the bible talks about when they use the words sober and drunk. Sober in other words meaning temperance, moderation. Drunk on the other hand meaning that one over indulged, acquired too much…

Humility is the key to overcoming pride. Pride is when one puts oneself first, this is Satan’s world and man’s world. Humility is when one puts God first, then others and to be honest with you, one that is humble doesn’t usually think about themselves at all.

Jesus is here for us, He wants to help us make that union with God again. But it’s going to take everything we have to fight and overcome ourselves and the darkness that lies within us. Jesus is the Light, the Way, the Truth and Life. It’s up to us to have the desire, the willingness, the courage, the faith and the ability to put our trust in Jesus Christ, Our Savior, Our Big Brother and Our Best Friend. We have to have faith and trust in Him without any worries, fears or doubts. Are you ready to pick up your Cross and follow Him all the way back to God?