"we didn't choose to come into this world, but we have the right to choose where we'll spend eternity."
Friday, July 29, 2011
God's Weapon
God’s weapon is His Word.
Satan also uses words as weapons.
The Word of God produces faith. It is spirit and gives life.
The devil’s words cast doubts. They’re deadly because they produce fear, worries, anxieties, painful memories, grief and everything else that is hurtful to mankind.
While the Word of God lifts up the fallen, the devil’s words bring down those who think they’re standing firm.
The Christian Word heals, encourages, lifts up, brings peace and hope; it propels you towards a better future.
On the other hand, evil words debilitate, discourage, cause separation, burdens, envy, jealousy, betrayal, stress, injustice, prostitution, theft, destruction, death; overall, it promotes evil.
Human nature is always in conflict between reason and emotion: spirit vs. flesh or faith vs. feelings. The Word of God encourages reason, just like evil encourages emotions.
The question is:
Whose advice have you been listening to?
God’s Spirit or emotions?
Faith or doubts?
In The Shadow Of The Spirit
In The Shadow Of The Spirit
The miracle of new life happens in the same order as the birth of Jesus, the Son of God: Mary was overcome by the Spirit of the Almighty and conceived Jesus.
The same process takes place in the lives of those who are born of the Spirit, they become God's children.
Thirty years later, Jesus taught a religious teacher how to become a true child of God:
"... unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." John 3:5
When someone is born of water, they exchange their human thoughts for God’s thoughts. The Divine water washes away all of the futile, useless, vain thoughts, and instead, replaces them with God’s living thoughts.
Now, to be born of the Spirit, happens much like when the angel appeared to the virgin Mary:
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you..." Luke 1:35
That's what must happen to everyone. That is, to all those who humbly believe in the Word of God.
Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
To conclude, Paul, led by the Holy Spirit, said:
"if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." Romans 8:9
The question is: have you received the Spirit of Christ?
Pr Julio Da Silva
Adabraka Former Warehouse,Close to the Market
Monday, July 25, 2011
It's Not Enough
It's Not Enough
It’s not enough to be religious.
It’s not enough to be an active member in the church.
It’s not enough to have the title of assistant, pastor, bishop or whatever it may be.
It’s not enough to be a tither and faithful offering giver.
It’s not enough to do what’s expected of you.
It’s not enough to worship God.
It’s not enough to know the Bible.
It’s not enough to have a good marriage.
It’s not enough to have a good education, a college degree, to be successful, rich or to have the world at your feet…
Nothing is enough when you’re not born of the Spirit of God.
Only He has the power to create the spiritual nature in us, that is, a Divine nature.
Satan is spirit.
How can we overcome him when we are not spirit?
How can we overcome evil spirits when we are not holy spirits?
How can we overcome spirits of darkness when we are not spirits of light?
Only those who are born of God overcome the world and hell itself.
Because of this, for the first 21 days of August we will be making a thorough housecleaning. We are going to fast from every single type of secular media and entertainment.
TV, internet, newspapers, magazines, radio… everything that is not of God.
We will abstain from all forms of media and entertainment… from all the trash of this world.
If your job involves media and entertainment you are exempted from this fast during work hours.
In addition to the fast, all participants should pray 3 times a day: morning, afternoon and evening. For those who want to join with us in prayer, we will be praying at 9am, 3pm and 10pm.
During this fast the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon all sincere participants
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Where's the honesty??
Instead of saying, "I don’t know why my life doesn’t change”.
We could be honest and say, "I’m a disobedient nonbeliever and that’s why my life doesn’t change!"
Instead of saying, "My biggest flaw is that I like everything to be perfect, down to the last detail, that’s why I do everything myself”. Say, “The truth is that I’m annoying, selfish, jealous, hot-tempered, incredulous and proud!"
Why waste time saying, "I don’t know why I’ve gained so much weight. I hardly eat”.
Your better off saying the truth: "I eat a lot of fatty foods and I hate to exercise. I'm lazy and that’s why I’m fat! "
Why turn a blind eye to the situation and say, "My husband betrays me, he humiliates me and he’s abusive but he has a good heart”.
The worst kind of blind person is the one who doesn’t want to see. Just admit it, "I married the wrong person. I followed my heart and now I have to change this situation”.
The worst one of all is: "I don’t know why I suffer so much. I’m a good person. I never hurt anybody”.
Unless people stop trying to hide who they really are, giving sorry excuses for themselves, not recognizing that the devil’s secret weapon is within them, they’ll never ever know the TRUTH. And they’ll never truly be delivered.
We confess our minor flaws, so that we don’t have to expose the HYPOCRISY that truly condemns us. Let's be honest. What is another wound among the already deteriorating body of a leper?
Pr Julio Da Silva
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Music sung by: Cristiane Cardoso
Music: Official Song for the Daniel's Fast
Here I am, Oh my Lord
There's so much I want to say
When I think about that day
Nothing ever satisfied
Empty poems of the heart
Fruitless searching of my soul
Nothing inside
What a day! Oh my Lord
What a day! My Savior God
What a way to find true love!
When I knew you understood
All my failures you forgave
There’s no way I could repay
All I have is at Your feet
Sacrifice of sincerity
No more words are left to say
Oh what a day!
What a day! Oh my Lord
What a day! My Savior God
The day when I found
My truest love!
What a day! Oh my Lord
What a day! My Savior God
Oh the day when I found
My truest love!
Pr Julio Da Silva,
Adabraka Former Warehouse,Close to the Market.
Help Lines:0302 222 400, 020 048 7534
It was a special Sunday morning (March 13th) in Maputo, Mozambique’s capital. After all, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God was inaugurating the country’s first Cenacle of Faith. The modern, yet comfortable structure brings beauty to the city’s center; where it accommodated 10,000 people, not counting the 70,000 plus who had to stay outside. So you can get an idea of how many people were present, the street in front of the temple had to be closed off in order to accommodate everyone outside. Not even the rain stopped the multitudes from coming during the night and waiting outside for the temple to open.
The Governor, the state ministers and the mayor weren’t able to make it to the Cenacle because of the multitudes.
The meeting was scheduled to start at 10 am; however, because there were so many people already gathered and waiting, we had to start before 9 am.
What we heard during the worship sounded like the "roaring of the sea”.
Watch the video:
Below is a letter from one of the members of the Cenacle, where she explains the importance of hearing God's voice
Bishop Macedo,
I am so grateful that you saved me. After being a member of the church for over seven years, my life was still a living hell; nothing went right. On a particular Sunday, after returning from the 6 am service, I turned on the TV to watch the UCKG meeting being broadcast from Brazil, led by you. On that Sunday, salvation brought peace into my heart.
Through your sermon, you taught me how to forgive, how to pray for my enemies and truly give my life to God. From that Sunday on, I started putting those teachings into practice and my life has been transformed.
Today, I’m a completely different person and I can see how God’s mighty hand has been over my life.
I’m thankful that our paths have crossed.
May God bless your ministry more and more each day.
Dulcelina Isabel
Maputo - Mozambique .