Behind the scenes at the world's most important moment.

IT IS FINISHED

Behind the scenes at the world's most important moment.
by Bill Myers and Michael Ross


When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. —John 19:30

When Jesus died on the Cross, nature itself began to cry out and writhe at what was happening to its Creator. Sound weird?

Matthew 27:45 explains that at the height of the execution, the sun was actually darkened from noon to 3 p.m. (No eclipse has ever lasted three hours!)

There was also a violent earthquake. Now we’re not talking California-tremor time. This quake was so intense that it split rocks apart and opened up graves. And what happened to all those buried bodies? “The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people” (Matthew 27:52-53).

As a grand finale, the veil in the temple ripped in two (Luke 23:45). That may not sound like much of a finale to you, but to the Jewish people of the day, it was serious business. For one thing, the curtain was so thick (several inches) that it’s doubtful any person or normal earthquake could have ripped it.

Second, the curtain served as a barrier to protect the people from getting too close to God. You see, back then part of God’s presence actually stayed in a room called the “Holy of Holies,” which was separated from the rest of the temple by this thick curtain. God’s holiness was so intense that if any of the common people went inside that room, they’d die on the spot. Only the high priest was allowed to enter, and then only once a year. He had a rope tied around his ankles so he could be pulled out if he keeled over. In short, the curtain was a form of protection and separation.

But by Jesus’ death, all that changed. Suddenly, the barrier was destroyed, ripped from top to bottom. Jesus’ payment on the Cross now makes it possible for anybody who accepts His offer of salvation to be pure enough to stand in God’s presence. God has paid for the world’s sins. The sacrifice, the substitution for our punishment and for our disobedience, is complete. Jesus finished all that He came to do. The mission is accomplished. We’re free. The tremendous debt that each of us has run up in heaven has been paid by another — in full.

Satan has lost. The war is over. Now it’s simply up to each of us to step forward and put our trust in the victory that has already been won for us.

REVELATION TO ME...(by. PILI)

What does this mean?... i ask and then the LORD Says to me.... " OH MY DAUGHTER I JUST WANT YOU CLOSE TO ME, REMEMBER I DID THIS FOR YOU SO THAT ME AND YOU BE TOGETHER FOREVER." Isnt it amazing that he took up all my sins upon him to save me...it just makes me fall inlove with him more and more. WOW. If HE wanted to He couldve gotten down from that cross but he came here for a purpose...oh LORD how thankful i am to you....I encourage whoever is readibg this to fall inlove with HIM CHRIST our SAVIOUR.....what else can we ask for HE DIED FOR YOU AND ME....isnt that just great?, just recive him and let HIM enter into your heart....just say welcome.....AMEN

RUNNING ON EMPTY

Does your spirit need a little maintenance?

by Michael Ross and Jeff Edmondson


Jordan hopped into his pickup and slammed the door. The 16-year-old was running late for school — again.

He jammed the key into the ignition and twisted it abruptly. The engine grumbled a few times, coughed and sputtered, then roared to life. It seems to be rattling a little more this morning, he thought. It’s gotta be the cold weather. Besides, it’s an old truck.

He yanked the gearshift into reverse and screeched out of the driveway, narrowly missing the mailbox. Slamming into first gear, he stomped on the pedal and thundered down the street. White smoke began to pour out of the tailpipe. He noticed it in the rearview mirror.

It must be colder out than I noticed.

He checked the speedometer to make sure he wasn’t going too fast. Forty-five mph—cool, he thought. But I’ll slow down a bit. I just got my license and can’t afford a ticket. Dad would kill me.

Suddenly, a warning light next to the speedometer lit up. A red light — the one with the picture of a tiny oil can. It had first winked at him a week ago, and he’d forgotten to put oil in every day since. Last night his dad had insisted that he take care of it “or you’ll be sorry.” Jordan promised to get right on it after school.

I can’t afford to stop now. It’ll make me even later!

Jordan jabbed the power button on his new stereo. It took several seconds for the amplifiers to warm up. When they did, the entire pickup vibrated to his bone-jarring music. Jordan drummed the steering wheel with both hands and sang along.

His stereo seemed to be cranking out more amps than usual today. The old heap shook a little more than normal. Jordan nodded a silent approval and grinned in pride.

In the rearview mirror, he noticed that his truck was still pumping out smoke. Jordan checked the temperature gauge. It indicated that the truck was hot — too hot. Then he saw that the speedometer was dropping rapidly. He stomped the pedal. Nothing happened. He turned the radio down. No engine noise. Reaching for the keys he twisted the ignition — but his metallic yellow pride and joy just wouldn’t turn over. His pickup was dead.

As the vehicle slowed to a halt just past the intersection, a wave of nausea swept through Jordan’s stomach. He knew what had happened: The engine had seized up due to lack of oil.

“I blew it,” he mumbled. “Dad will never let me drive again.”

• • •

Routine maintenance. Lots of things require it. Cars, skateboards, computers, backyard gardens, teeth — spiritual lives. That’s right, our spiritual lives need regular maintenance as well. But our faith just can’t be put off. We have a responsibility to refuel daily. If we don’t, we run the risk of serious attack from Satan — even engine failure.

Most of us have heard the same old story: A friend becomes a Christian at youth retreat, then, within a week, he’s back in his old lifestyle — as if nothing ever happened. This kind of guy believes that if he has acceptedJesusasmypersonalLordandSavior his ticket has been paid. Next stop: ETERNITY!

True, if a person’s commitment is sincere, Jesus is faithful to come in, cleanse him and change his life. But what some guys forget is the responsibility each Christian has to grow his faith.

This means . . .

. . . getting out of our “spiritual recliners” and putting feet on our faith. (See James 1:22-25.)

. . . struggling daily to live by God’s awesome power. (See Ephesians 1:17-23.)

. . . allowing God to help us fight off the old, sinful nature and build a new, spiritually buff bod, one that’s in the image of Christ. (See Philippians 3:17-21.)

Fuel Up
Those who don’t make the effort to grow in the Lord usually want eternal life; they just don’t want to give anything in return. They operate on their own fuel, not God’s — and eventually conk out. “If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned” (John 15:6).

But check out the rewards of fueling up daily: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:7-8).

God has all the joy, love, hope and peace we need to face life. But He won’t give it to us if we don’t spend time listening and talking with Him. Turning our lives around is God’s responsibility. Making time for Him is our responsibility.

Tune Up
• Analyze Your Past. Since becoming a Christian, how often have you gone through spiritual struggles or dry spots? When you endured them, were you staying in the Word? Did your time with God suffer? Often it’s a lack of devotion that causes people to anguish spiritually.

• Go to the Source. Ask God to give you the discipline you need in order to plug into His Word. What’s more, ask Him to provide ways for you to LIVE and GIVE sacrificially. Then trust Him to provide ways.

• Fuel Up Daily. Starting right NOW, do something radical. Don’t listen to another Christian CD or read Breakaway until you’ve opened The Book first. Ask God for strength: Lord, help me to spend time every day (even if it’s just 10 to 15 minutes) reading Scripture FIRST. And during the times when I feel dead inwardly, help me to stay connected to Your Word.

• Pray Daily. Don’t just “do your duty” with canned, programmed expressions that sound nice or empty words that really don’t reflect your heart. Spend a quiet time with Jesus every day where you think about His Word (Bible verses), tell Him of your love and devotion, and talk to Him about others and their needs (as well as your own). In any relationship, two-way communication is vital.

• Plug Into a Pack. Find a couple of trustworthy Christian friends from church and form an accountability pack. Ask these guys to help you stick to the commitments you make at youth group. Meet together — or talk on the phone — at least once a week.





BIBLE READING PLAN

Week 1
Engine Checkup
Romans 6:1-14
Romans 6:15-23
Ephesians 2:1-10
Ephesians 2:11-22
Ephesians 4:1-16
Ephesians 4:17-32

Week 2
Rev Up

John 14:1-14
John 14:15-27
John 15:1-17
1 Timothy 1:1-11
1 Timothy 1:12-20
1 Timothy 2




Week 3
Drive Safely

1 Peter 1:3-12
1 Peter 3:13-22
1 Peter 4:1-11
1 Peter 5
2 John
3 John

Week 4
Get Directions

2 Timothy 3:1-9
2 Timothy 3:10-17
Revelation 2:1-11
Revelation 2:12-29
Revelation 3:1-13
Revelation 3:14-22

lukewarm and lazyness

...stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you....
—2 Timothy 1:6
We need to be on our guard against the spirit of passivity. Passivity is one of the greatest tools that Satan uses against God's people. Procrastination and laziness are the cousins of passivity, and they usually all attack in a group. A passive person waits to be moved by an outside force before he will take action. We are to be motivated and led by the Holy Spirit within us, not by outside forces.

In Revelation 3:16 Jesus warns that He will not be satisfied with lukewarmness. We need to be full of the zeal of God.

I don't know about you, but I don't usually wake up in the morning feeling full of zeal. But thank God I have learned how to "stir up the gift within me." I have discovered that the Word of God coming out of my own mouth in prayer, praise, preaching, or confession is the best encouragement I can find. It stirs up the gift within, keeps the fire aflame, and prevents me from becoming lukewarm.

I strongly encourage you to refuse passivity, procrastination, and laziness. Act now with all diligence and zeal according to the Word of God. Stir up the inner flame!
Do This:
Refuse to be passive and lazy. Stir up the gift within you by keeping the Word of God coming out of your mouth!

The difference between.....

The difference between
discouragement and encouragement
IS DETERMINED BY WHOM
you depend on—God or man.


There was a certain man there who had suffered with a
deep-seated and lingering disorder for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus noticed him lying there [helpless], knowing
that he had already been a long time in that condition,
He said to him, Do you want to become well?
[Are you really in earnest about getting well?]
JOHN 5:5, 6


FOR THIRTY-EIGHT years this invalid had tried repeatedly to get into the healing waters, but with no one to help him it was hopeless. Of all those who had been healed at the pool not one remained to help him. Discouragement had taken over his life. His response to Jesus was not an immediate, "Yes, Lord," but a rambling of why he had not been healed.
If your faith is in others, discouragement from their failures to love and care for you will be inevitable. If your faith is in Jesus Christ, healing and wholeness are in Him for you. Jesus is an inexhaustible fountain of healing for whatever you need. Others may have left you behind, but Jesus seeks you out. Receive from Him the power to rise up and walk through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Me-Minded

...If anyone intends to come after Me, let him deny himself [forget, ignore, disown, and lose sight of himself and his own interests] and take up his cross, and...follow with Me [continually, cleaving steadfastly to Me].
—Mark 8:34
Jesus is coming back for a glorious Church without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. (Ephesians 5:27 KJV.) One of the best ways to become glorious quickly is through prompt and extreme obedience.

Obedience and selfishness are opposing forces. If we are to be glorious, we must be obedient. In order to be obedient, we must be willing to say no to self daily. We must learn to say, "Yes, Lord, yes," and to say it quickly!

We need to learn to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. He lives in us and is constantly attempting to lead and guide us. He gently lets us know when we are going in the right direction or the wrong direction.

Obedience to the Lord requires developing sensitivity to His ways, which comes through His Word. We are not just to read the Word, but to do the Word. (James 1:22.)

Make a decision today that you are going to come up higher into a new level of obedience. The rewards of an obedient lifestyle are well worth the price.

Choose you this day whom you will serve—the flesh or the Spirit.
Pray This:
"Father, I choose to be obedient in every area of my life. I will follow Your plan and not my own. In Jesus' name, amen.".

------

Farmers have formulas for planting,
BUT NOT FOR REAPING.
Planting is in our hands,
and reaping is in God's hands.


I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while]
was making it grow and [He] gave the increase.
So neither he who plants is anything
nor he who waters, but [only] God
Who makes it grow and become greater.
1 CORINTHIANS 3:6, 7


GOD HAS GIVEN you the great honor and responsibility of planting the seed of the Word of God in the lives of those you contact. But it is a great mistake to think you are also responsible to reap the harvest.To compare Paul as the planter and Apollos as the waterer of the Word is like comparing two candles and then watching the sun rise in the morning. It is because there is a Christ that there is a church. You must do your part but if there is any light or joy or love it is because of God, not you.You may plow the field and drop in the seed but you did not make the field or the seed. It is God's field and God's seed,His truth,His wisdom and His will.You can count on success because God has the power to reap what you have faithfully sown.

The Time Is Now!

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
—John 10:10


We must learn to be "now" people and not relegate everything to the future.

I believe it is time to possess the land, time to get very serious. We need to take a more aggressive stand concerning possessing what Jesus died to give us. We can think about it, dream about it, talk about it, but it is time to actually have and enjoy all that Jesus has in mind for each of us.

The blessings of God don't simply fall on us. We must stand our ground and possess what is rightfully ours. We can easily get the mistaken idea that we are to limp along here on earth while just looking forward to the blessings of heaven later on.

Have an aggressive faith toward the covenant blessings that God has promised. Start confessing that you are blessed and that the good things of God flow to you in abundance.

The Greater One lives in you. You can do whatever you need to do by His power. Believe it! Don't wait to believe it until later on, but do it now.

Make a decision to be a "now" person.
Say This:
"I believe now, I obey now, I give now, I pray now. I am possessing the land—not later, but now!"

How to Hear from God

But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth)....
—John 16:13
Divine guidance is God's will for His children. We must believe that God does desire to speak to us and that we can hear from Him. One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to guide or lead us into God's will for us in each situation.

I don't believe that anyone immediately knows how to be led by the Spirit. We learn in these areas, and it takes teaching, studying, training, exercising, and making a few mistakes.

Making a mistake is not the end of the world; not learning from our mistake is a greater mistake than the original error.

Have a pioneering spirit and be willing to learn. Here are some pointers that will help you:

1. Have regular prayer and fellowship time with God.

2. Be careful what you hear. Create an atmosphere that is conducive to hearing God.

3. Want God's will more than your own.

4. Know that God leads step-by-step. He often does not show you the entire plan at the beginning.

5. Be a thankful person.

6. Be led by peace and wisdom. The Holy Spirit desires to lead you into God's good plan for your life; He will speak to you, and you can hear Him.


Do This:
Peace is the umpire that decides what is right and wrong. Don't do anything you don't have peace about. Be led by peace.

-*-Managing Your Emotions-*-

Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind)....rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined....
—1 Peter 5:8,9
An emotional person is someone who is easily affected with or stirred by emotions. Their conduct is ruled by emotion rather than reason. A person who lives by emotion lives without principle.

We all have emotions, and they are not going away, but we cannot trust them. We should seek God to learn to manage our emotions and not allow them to manage us.

We are created to operate in the fruit of self-control. Self-control is a freedom—not a bondage. We are free to use wisdom, free to obey God, free to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. We are free not to be pushed around by our feelings. We don't have to do what we feel like doing; we are free to do what we know is wise.

Be honest with yourself in this area. If you believe you are not managing your emotions, begin to pray and seek God about emotional maturity. Remember:

1. He who lives by emotions lives without principle.

2. We all have emotions, but we cannot trust them.

3. We cannot be spiritual (walk in the Spirit) and be led by emotions.

4. Emotions won't go away, but we can learn to manage them.
Make emotional maturity a priority goal in your life.

Say This:
"I am well-balanced, temperate, and sober of mind. I am rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined. I am emotionally mature."

If you want to be led BY THE SPIRIT, don't hurry or worry.

If you want to be led
BY THE SPIRIT,
don't hurry or worry.

May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy
and peace in believing [through the experience
of your faith] that by the power of the Holy
Spirit you may abound and be overflowing
(bubbling over) with hope.
ROMANS 15:13


IF YOU ARE constantly troubled and anxious and fretting and running around in an attempt to hold your life together, you are not being led by the Spirit. You were called to the peace of God that the Spirit of peace might be shed abroad and rule in your heart. It begins with being at peace with God, having a heart settled in the knowledge your sins are forgiven and cleansed.Then it extends to being at peace with the will of God. You no longer quarrel with God over what He has allowed to come into your life. You rest in His love and His purpose.And God's Spirit comes in and transforms your nature that has been twisted and corroded by sin, bringing peace where contention ruled.The peace of the Spirit will bring calm and quiet to your spirit and lead you on a course marked by peace.

---The devil cannot get a STRONGHOLD unsless you give him a foothold---

For the weapons of our warfare are not
physical [weapons of flesh and blood],
but they are mighty before God for the overthrow
and destruction of strongholds, [inasmuch as
we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings
and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up
against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead
every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience
of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
2 CORINTHIANS 10:4, 5


THE CHRISTIAN LIFE is warfare and much of the battle takes place inside your life. If you do not allow the enemy a foothold in your life he cannot establish a stronghold. You have a supernatural arsenal at your disposal that is mighty through God because God is in you. It begins by establishing a genuine prayer life where you commune with your Father in heaven. This is the power engine of the battle. It is strengthened by daily feedings on the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit. Truth and holiness at work in your life overthrow and destroy the enemy's work.
Allow the Gospel to come into your daily life with the power of the Holy Spirit and you will be armed for the fight and victorious in the battle.

***The Search for Peace***

...Let him search for peace...and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]
—1 Peter 3:11
When Jesus said, Peace I leave with you... (John 14:27), He was talking about a special kind of peace, not a worldly kind of peace. The special peace that Jesus was talking about is the kind of peace that operates all the time in every situation.

The believer who is experiencing God's peace through his relationship with Jesus can have peace even in the midst of the storms of life.

First Peter 3:11 says that we are to search for peace, to pursue it, and to seek it eagerly. The word seek means "...strive after, endeavor...desire." "Inquire." "To require or demand." It means requiring something as a vital necessity, craving, or pursuing something.

This verse mentions three areas in which we are to seek peace: (1) with God, (2) with our fellowmen, and (3) with ourselves.

Learn to love peace and to desire it earnestly. Seek peace, for without it you cannot enjoy life and the blessings of God. The Lord has said that if you seek Him with your whole heart, you will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13.) I believe if you seek and search for peace with your whole heart, you will find what you are looking for.

Say This:
"I have the peace that passes all understanding. I have the peace that operates in the midst of the storm."

Ginis N Joses Wedding.... August 12,2006

This is my sisters wedding...this is when my mom was putting the veil on and we all got emotional... And Now getting to the church my older brother gets emotional aint it cute...And the end...happy .....LOL

"To Worship" by Kimberly Hartman

I’m free to dance
Bringing worship to Your name,
For Your honour, I’m ever changed,
To bring to You an endless praise
A tribute to Your loving ways
Seemingly such a small thing,
Compared to the glory You deserve
Yet You seek
Not those whose worship is equal
To You glory
Else none could praise
You seek only those who come
To worship You in spirit and truth
That is the worship that You seek
May I be such a worshipper
Lead me Lord,
And keep me free to dance.

----Seek God----

You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].
—Psalm 27:8
If we want to truly know the Lord, we need to choose to be where He would be, think what He would think, go where He would go, treat people the way He would treat people.

We must seek after the right thing. We need to take an inventory and be sure we are seeking God and not just the things He can do. We must seek His face, not just His hand!

Have you ever spent a lot of time, energy, prayer, and faith on a project only to discover it was an empty well and you were still just as thirsty as before?

I spent many years as a Christian with one faith project after another I thought would surely be "the thing" that would make me feel fulfilled, happy, and contented. I have finally found the one thing that satisfies my soul—the Lord.

Our quality of life does not consist in what the world has to offer, but in God's presence, in His will, in knowing Him and knowing His ways.

Do This:
Take inventory: Are you seeking God and placing His desires first in every area of your life?

This is me outside my house...



This is my brothe Alfonzo and His wife Carolina qith my sister Gini

My grandmother my sister and me...cute uh?


GINI AND ME

me and my sister

me and my sister, originally uploaded by Princess Pili1.

my grandma and my brother

my grandama and my brother, originally uploaded by Princess Pili1.

gini and jose

gini and jose, originally uploaded by Princess Pili1.

tio abe

tio abe, originally uploaded by Princess Pili1.

mom n dad

mom n dad, originally uploaded by Princess Pili1.

My daddys bday....the fam...

DSCN3737
Originally uploaded by Princess Pili1.

Faith is now

For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance,
so that you may perform and fully accomplish
the will of God, and thus receive and carry away
[and enjoy to the full] what is promised.
HEBREWS 10:36

THE HEBREW BELIEVERS were suffering deeply for their faith and the writer to the Hebrews was concerned that they not "fling away [their] fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward" (Hebrews 10:35). Faith must look beyond the present moment and tomorrow and your lifetime, Faith looks to eternity. You are a Christian for eternity, not for time. Weigh the eternal rewards coming your way against whatever losses you may suffer in this lifetime because of your faith in Christ. There is no comparison.

By His grace continue to patiently believe His Word and hold fast to the truth. The things you have believed, continue to believe. If the storms gather against you and the darkness descends, remember that the morning will dawn. Let your hope hear the distant hallelujahs that proclaim the coming reign of Christ. Rest in the assurance that the kingdom of God will win the day, even if you must step into eternity to enjoy it.

Do You Feel Rejected?

All whom My Father gives (entrusts) to Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me].
—John 6:37
God gave me a word for a meeting I was preparing to lead. It is for anyone who needs to receive it:

"Many of My people are in prison because they won't accept themselves. Many of them are gifted and talented, but they won't express themselves because they fear rejection. They fear man. They fear what people will think.

"I want to love My people, but they hold Me at arm's length and won't let Me really love them because they have been hurt by others. They fear I will reject them, as others have, because of their weaknesses. But I will never reject them.

"Tell them I love them.

"Tell them to stop trying so hard to be acceptable to Me and to realize I accept them as they are. Tell them I don't want perfect performance from them. I simply want them to love Me and let Me love them."

God will not reject you because of your weaknesses or mistakes. He desires to heal you from past hurts caused by rejection. He wants you to know He will never reject you.

Pray This:
"Father, I thank You that You love me. I thank You that I am always accepted and never rejected. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Joyce Meyer Ministries