Christmas - What does it mean?

What is the real meaning of Christmas? Let me tell you why it's important NOT to get caught up in the "spirit" of the season.



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7 Things to Remember in December

If you're not careful, December can be a disastrous month for you. Emotions, debts, family problems, depression... Here are 7 tips on how you can make the most out of the last month of the year and start the New Year better off than most people.



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Perspective

At 50,000 feet, even the biggest mountains look small. Widen your perspective, increase your vision's altitude, and your problems won't seem so big.

Everybody was saying about Goliath: "He's so big, there's no way we can beat him." But David said: "He's so big, there's no way I can miss him."

Where you're looking from, what you're looking at, and how you look, make all the difference.

The only thing you (almost) have

The whole world is mine, and all that is in it. Psalm 50.12

Everything on this earth belongs to God. All the things you think you own are in fact temporarily on loan to you.

The only thing God doesn't own is your soul. He gave up that right and let you decide what to do with it. Your soul can only belong to God if you elect to give it to Him.

However, strictly speaking, you don't own your soul forever. If you don't willingly give it to God, then the thief of souls, the Devil, will end up stealing it from you. At the end of the day, you'll end up with nothing.

A smart person is the one who recognizes that God owns everything, and therefore gives his soul to Him. Only then will this person have everything.

The culture around you

Just sharing this with you. Think about these words and your life for a minute:

"Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." (Romans 12:2 MSG)

Christians create their own culture.

In London November 28th

My wife and I will have the privilege of holding a special meeting at the Rainbow Theatre in London, UK this coming Monday the 28th. Besides seeing old friends, some more like family, we will have the incredible opportunity to share with everyone attending what God has put in our hearts recently.

Finances will be the main theme of the evening. Cris will be speaking on money and the power of women. She has lots of insights on this not-so-obvious connection. I guarantee single and married women: You will be inspired!

As for me, I will pour my heart out and give the best I have received — not limited to the subject of finances, though. Come ready to be stirred. It will be an amazing night, and I can't wait for it.

If you're somewhere in or near the land of the Queen, I'll see you there.

Cheers!

They don't want you to think

I thought about my ways... Psalm 119.59

Here’s something rare. Reflection. Considering the results of our actions. Seeing if what we’ve been doing is working.

Today, more than ever, people are not encouraged to think. All the work is done and nicely presented to them. "This is what you should wear now." "This is the profession that makes a lot of money." "Study this." "Here is the latest news." "This is your religion."

Who dictates what is fashionable? And who gave them the authority to tell me what and how I should dress?

Latest news? You mean, from all that has happened and is happening today to more than 7 billion people in the entire world, those are the most important events that matter to me?

Unfortunately, when a young person finishes high school, he has been programed to be a robot. Schools, supposedly where kids are sent to learn how to think, have achieved the opposite. Do as you are told, don’t ask why.

But we can’t blame it all on the schools. It’s everywhere. At home, at work, in religions, on television, in music, and in our culture in general — people are not encouraged to think. And of the few who think, most don’t want everyone else thinking. Thinking is power. Obviously, those who hoard power want as few people thinking as possible.

God, on the other hand, wants you to think. "Consider your ways," He says in Haggai 1.5.

Only through a faith that thinks can one reach God, solve problems, and change one’s life.

Only by looking at the fruit of your actions, the results of your behaviors, can you change direction and follow a better path in life.

But as long as you remain a robot that exists to fulfill the interests of others, you won’t use the most powerful piece of you: your brain.

Thinking is power. Use it.

The worst vice

There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. 

I have heard people admit that they are bad-tempered, or that they cannot keep their heads about girls or drink, or even that they are cowards. I do not think I have ever heard anyone who was not a Christian accuse himself of this vice. And at the same time I have very seldom met anyone, who was not a Christian, who showed the slightest mercy to it in others. 

There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. 

The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility. According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind. 

— C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity. Chapter 8 in Book III

--

This is a book that I urge every Christian and every person considering Christianity to read. C.S. Lewis provides intelligent arguments that make for a solid foundation of faith. I don't recommend books to people very often. But this one is a must. 

You will thank me later.

Embracing difficulties

The good thing about difficulties is that they force you to look for another way – and find it.

Winning the war, closing the gap

It’s what you do that shows what you want, not what you say or think you want. Understanding this gap — the one between what you do and what you say or think — can lead you to the root of many of your problems. But not only problems. It’s also the root of dissatisfaction, frustration, and many disappointments in life.

When you realize the gap between your wishes and your actions, your prayers and your deeds, then you begin to make progress.

Remember, what you do always equals what you want. But what you want doesn’t always equal what you do. In other words, you’ll always end up getting the results of your actions, but you won’t always get the results of your wishes.

I think Paul nailed it when he said, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection…” (1 Corinthians 9.27) In order to close the gap between what we want and what we do, we must rein in our emotions, take charge of our time, and be ruthless with our life-wasting habits. It is a war between body and mind, emotions and intelligence.

How can you win this war? Here’s how you can start:

1. Take a close look at what you have been doing. Where is it leading you? Is it where you want to end up? Look at every area of your life – finances, relationships, family, health, spiritual life, etc. 
2. Now is the time to be ruthless. What must change? What must you stop doing? What new habits must you acquire? Write things down and keep it simple. You may end up with a long list but remember to prioritize and take one step at a time. 
3. Get into a new discipline in your life. This may involve many things like the time you get out of bed, what you eat, your church attendance, family activities, etc. Decide what it is and stick to it. 

Start now.

To begin to learn

Jesus opened His first and longest sermon like this:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

With so many things to talk about, with so much to teach, God-in-the-flesh started out by declaring that the poor in spirit are blessed and own heaven. 

One wonders.

Being poor in spirit, of course, has nothing to do with having little money. Spiritual poverty means we realize our spiritual misery without God. Our pride is broken. We acknowledge we know nothing and are utterly helpless without Him.

If we think about it, it makes total sense. How can anyone seek the riches of learning, unless they consider themselves spiritually poor? How can one accept a new teaching unless there is real humility to admit ignorance or error?

The first words in His sermon were meant to let us know that unless we are humble in our spirit, we wouldn't understand a word of what He would say next.

Humbleness. That's how you begin to learn.

Prayer for guidance

Lord, I'm really glad I can talk to You, anytime, anywhere — although I don't do it as often as I need to. No excuses. Still, I think about You all the time. "What should I do about this, Lord?" and "What about that problem?" and "What would You have me do now, Lord?" I crave to hear Your voice. Your advice is so precious.

But the noise around me is so loud. So much going on, so many opinions, so much to do. Which is funny, because that should only give me more reasons to go to You — to hear Your voice clearly in the middle of all the noisy distractions. I need to remember that, and never let the busyness of my days or the abundance of "advice" cause me to forget Your guidance.

I don't want to go off on my own wisdom, Lord. That'd be dangerous. My wisdom is foolishness. I need Your perspective, to see things the way You see them; to be sure that I'm on the right path. Please help.

I need to know what to do. Please hurry. I don't have much time.

Show me what to do, and give me the courage to do it.

In Jesus' name. Thank You.

Too late

We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. 

In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood -- it ebbs. 

We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, "Too late." 

— Martin Luther King, Jr

The judge inside

Jesus had a rule He lived by and taught:

Don't judge people, unless you want to be judged yourself. That judgmental and criticizing spirit has a way of coming back to haunt you. – Matthew 7.1,2 (BRCV)

I think He taught on that because He knew how easy it is to judge people. Human beings tend to feel superior to their neighbors, like they know better, or are indeed better. Of course the reality is very different.

Maybe sometimes you wonder why life treats you so badly; why things never work out for you; why you seem to make enemies so easily; why you become the target of hatred and injustice for nothing.

Well, perhaps the judge inside you may know why.

Be merciful as your Father is merciful. Luke 6.36

The "just arrived" mindset

I don’t know where I got this from, but it’s been with me for most of my life. Since I was a kid, I've always had this thought: “What if I started living my life today as if I’d just arrived here?”

Whenever I was going through a bad time, just wanted to forget something from my past, or saw someone in a bad situation whose only hope was to start over – I would have that thought.

To my childish and inexperienced mind, it made a lot of sense. If something has gone terribly wrong or beyond hope, throw it out and start over. Not that easy in real life, of course, as I came to learn. But in many ways, it IS doable.

What if YOU were to do just that? Maybe not everything in your life has gone bad and needs to be trashed. But perhaps you need a new beginning in some areas? How about your love life, career, or parenting approach? Your finances, future plans, physical health? What about your marriage, habits, relationship with God? Think about it.

What if you started living your life today as if you’d just gotten here? What if you were to trash what is not working and start over?

It is possible. At SiLC, we see it happen all the time.

Unstuck yourself

What to do when you feel stuck

It’s very easy to get or feel stuck in life. Suddenly money stops coming in, relationships get boring, more doors close than open — you realize you need to do something to make things change pretty soon or else…

This is not a magic formula but here’s what I’ve seen work for me and other people I know:

• Get out of dead routines. Change the way you do things. See new people. Throw out your schedule.
• Start over. Go back to the drawing board. Reset. If something is not working no matter what, sometimes the best solution is to tear it down and rebuild it from scratch. 
• Take a bold step of faith. If you really want change, you have to do some daring things. No, I’m not advocating irresponsibility or thoughtless risk-taking. I’m talking about faith like David taking on Goliath, like Gideon and his 300 going against an army of thousands – because they believed God would back them up. 

What would you do if you absolutely knew that God would back you up? 

And can you think of one reason why He wouldn’t?

But it feels sooo good...

Your heart is the most reckless, unpredictable, dangerous, treacherous thing you will ever know. Yes, it is that bad.

The energy that keeps it beating is called emotion. It knows no intelligence, it doesn't care about consequences or the future. It only cares about now. It wants to feel; to feel all kinds of "good" feelings.

The tragedy is that most people live by their hearts. "Listen to your heart", "If it feels right", "I gotta a feeling", "I know it in my heart", "It can't be so bad if it feels so right" — are just a few of the favorite lines in most pop songs nowadays. The brainwashing has been happening for a long time.

If you want to be safe and happy in the long term, you must treat your heart like you would a crazy person. Don't listen to it, ignore what it says, and keep it restrained.

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool. Proverbs 28.26

The wise live by their mind, not by their heart.

Follow your heart

Here's a parable:

You're at the bus stop. You keep looking towards the street corner about 300 yards away, as that's the street your bus will turn from, on to the street you're on. It will show up any minute.

Suddenly, you see it coming through the red light, turning in violently, way above the speed limit... It almost hits an oncoming car on your two-way street, as it veers into the other lane and then back. You wonder what's going on, as it races towards your stop before braking suddenly. You smell burned oil and tires. You hear people screaming inside the bus. The front door opens right in front of you. Terrified passengers start rushing off the bus, cursing at the driver. Some shout really angrily, "Are you crazy? Do you want to get us all killed?"

Everyone is off the bus, except the driver. He does have a crazy look on his face and doesn't seem bothered at all at the insults he just received.

He then looks at you wide-eyed and says with a surprisingly sweet voice, "Come on in! This will be a great ride!"

The name of the bus company is "Follow Your Heart, Inc". The crazy bus driver is wearing a read t-shirt with white letters across his chest: "YOUR HEART".

You have a decision to make. 

Would you get on that bus?

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool. Proverbs 28.26

Then why on earth would you follow your heart in real life?

P.S. Most people I counsel who have wrecked their lives, started out simply "following their heart". Don't be a fool.

It's not my fault

When we are dissatisfied with our lives, usually our knee-jerk reaction is to look for an external reason for it.

"I can’t get a boyfriend." Reason: "There aren’t any more decent men out there."

"I'm broke and I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this." Reason: "The competition in my industry is very fierce. You just can’t compete anymore."

"Everything is going wrong for me, as it always does." Reason: "If my father had spent a little more time with me when I was younger, I would not have made so many mistakes in life."

Note that all these reasons exempt us of guilt and leave us clueless about what to do. And they also have a pain-relieving effect: If the problem is someone else and not us, then we automatically feel better. "It’s not my fault." No wonder we like them so much.

Except that, in fact, the problem is you.

Even if there weren’t even one decent single man available (as if you knew the exact number); even if the competition is killing you; even if your father was a real scoundrel — none of this will solve your problem.

What will help you is looking at yourself and your situation and asking, "What can I do about this?"

Focus on that question and start generating ideas.

When thoughts of self-pity come to you, or you catch yourself looking for external reasons for your problem again, bring yourself back and re-focus on that question.

Don’t be surprised if you become less of a whiner, more practical, and more successful.

It's not the fall, it's the rise

Winners don't know when they're beaten. They just keep on running till they win.

See you at the top.

All things

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8.28

Sometimes that's all we need to know.

And today, that's all I have to say.

The transfer of trust

Trust (noun): firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something (New Oxford American Dictionary)



Who or what can we really trust? Name one person you know who will never ever fail you. One institution that has never let you down. Hard to think of one?

No human being and nothing that is man-made can be absolutely trustworthy. I think insurance companies are the epitome of this fact. They sell you a policy that is supposed to insure you against whatever it covers — except for the 50 pages of limitations all clearly written in fine print. Thanks. I feel really secure now.

And yet, we sign that policy. Even though we know it may not cover us when we most need it, we gladly sign it and pay for it every month.

We ask the lawyer, “How confident are you we can win this case?” He or she says, “We have a good case… I will do my best, but I can’t promise anything.” And we pay the fees.

We ask the doctor, “If I take this medication, have that operation, follow the other treatment, will I be healed?” The doctor says, in effect, “Fingers crossed…” And we go for it anyway.

The question is asked at the altar of both bride and groom: “Will you take this man/woman to be your husband/wife, be faithful, and all the rest of it… till death do you part?” Even though they both answer, “I do”, the statistics show that more than half of such couples will get a divorce later and end the marriage.

Who can we trust? God warned us:

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Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength… Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. Jeremiah 17:5,7 
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I think as far as human relations are concerned, there’s no way out of the curse. We just have to put some trust in people and institutions, if society is to function.

However, we should reserve our total and absolute trust for God alone. And that takes more than the moving of the lips. To show our trust in God, we need to do at least the same or more than we do when we put our trust in people. Trusting people causes us to put our money where our mouth is, to accept what they tell us, to follow their advice, to let them work on our behalf, to trust their judgment, and much more.

You have trusted many, and been disappointed. Transfer all your trust, in mind and action, to God instead. 

You could do a lot worse.

From zero to hero

Living in a desert for 40 years, powerless and frustrated. Sounds like your life? Learn about the turning point in Moses' life — and how it can turn your life around too.



Watch this video in portuguese

Why Mount Sinai?

Mount Sinai is a 7,500 foot natural altar rising abruptly from the Egyptian desert, the highest mountain in its range. Another name for Mt Sinai is Horeb, which means ‘waste’, and to this very day, it remains mostly wilderness and desert with very few Bedouins and shepherds living there.

Over 3,000 years ago, Hebrew slaves—the waste of Egypt—came and camped at the foot of Sinai after leaving their land of slavery.

At that time, they were nothing but human waste: men, women, children, young and old—with backs scarred by the whips of their slave masters, calloused feet from years of standing knee-deep in mud to make bricks for pharaoh’s cities, old ragged clothes and eyes that had seen nothing but the horrible images of slavery from the day they were born.

But there, at the foot of this mountain, that people became a great nation! A group of disorderly slaves, they departed from Sinai with the Book of the Law that had been given to them by God Himself, with clear directions to the Promised Land. They were assured of God’s help and protection as they marched on, and at one point, rose to be one of the most prosperous and feared nations on earth.

Therefore, Mount Sinai is a symbol of victory, of rising from the ashes, of the impossible becoming possible, of the weak becoming strong. It’s where waste becomes wealth, and the forgotten are remembered. It is also a reminder that God sees and remembers His people, and does not leave them at the mercy of their oppressors.

Sinai is the only mountain on earth where God set His foot and decidedly changed the destiny of His people.

This is why we go there! When we are standing on the peak of that mountain, our faith is at its highest. All these facts come to life because we’re not just reading about Mount Sinai—it’s there before our very eyes!

And so this is why we encourage a challenge of faith on Mount Sinai once every 12-24 months in our church. From the first time we did this in 1980, thousands of people have achieved great victories and given wonderful testimonies as a result of the prayers made on this mountain.

We go to Mount Sinai for great things. We go there to radically change lives. We go there to solve difficult situations.

We go to prove that our faith is genuine through sacrifice, and to receive the manifestation of God’s promises in our lives!

It’s a privilege to be part of this event. It is a blessing to take part in the Challenge of Mt Sinai. 

What do you choose?

"I wouldn't send my prayer request to Mount Sinai because..."

...it just sounds silly.
...what if it doesn't work?
...maybe God doesn't want to give me what I ask for, anyway.
...how is that going to help me?
...I can pray anywhere, God is not only on Mount Sinai.
...I still have to think about it.
...I wouldn't know what to ask for.
...maybe now is not a good time.
...

Let's just be honest.

When you don't believe in yourself or in God's promises, any excuse will do.

Believing is a choice.

Bothering God

I'm a great believer in only bothering God when you really have to. I think He's empowered us to do a lot without having to go to Him. Unfortunately, too often we pray when we must act and act when we must pray. Wisdom is knowing the difference and the time for each.

In my experience, action is what is required most of the time. Most of the time, let me emphasize.

However, sometimes we may act all we want and work as hard as we can, and yet not see results. That's when we need a little help from above.

That's why we go to Mount Sinai once every couple of years or so. The doctor says you have an incurable disease. A little cash problem one month becomes a never-ending financial crisis. Your bank balance keeps going down, and you have no prospects of improvement. Years of marriage seem like water running down the drain, while you watch helplessly. Your big plans and dreams never get off the ground.

We go to Sinai for the problems worth bothering God. "I have heard the cries of My people. I have seen their suffering. I have come down to deliver them." Those were His words to Moses on that mountain.

He hears. He sees. He delivers.

If you have a cry to be lifted up to Him on that holy ground, I will humbly take it with me when I go to Sinai at the end of this month.

But let it be something worth bothering Him for.


P.S. In the next few days, I'll post details here in my blog about how you could send your prayer request. For now, just think whether you have a request to send or not.

On the Mountain of God

Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. Exodus 19.20

It will be a great privilege for me to join a group of friends and colleagues who will climb Mount Sinai at the end of this month. The "mountain of God", as it's called in the Bible, is a symbol of God's justice and deliverance. It was there that God empowered Moses to deliver His people from the shame of over four centuries of slave work.

We go to Sinai because it's a natural altar, the place on earth where God set foot, a sort of meeting point between God and us. We go up with our prayer requests and sacrifices to call upon the God of the Bible — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. We go there like modern-day Moses'es, to intercede for people who believe in God but have been living in slavery, nonetheless.

What is your greatest cry for help?

What is your biggest dream?

How badly do you want it?

If you want to join this challenge of faith; if you want to test the Word of God, and would like me to take your prayer request with me, watch this space tomorrow for more instructions.

Where are you going?

Using logic and your best deductive reasoning, where do you think you will be in 1, 2, or 5 years if:

• Your marriage keeps going as it is? 
• You hold the same job or stay in the same business (assuming, and that’s a big assumption, that it will still be there)? 
• You maintain the same eating and exercising habits? 
• Your spiritual life remains as it is today? 
• You and [fill in name of family member here] maintain your current level of relationship? 

One more question: What if you’re not around anymore? (Sorry, but I had to ask.)

Avoiding or not wanting to think about these questions is not the most intelligent choice.

Anticipate the future and prepare for it before it hits you. Perhaps you could even make it what you want it to be, if you're prepared to sacrifice and take bold steps.

Day of the Living

Halloween, in its most serious meaning and true roots, is a holiday to remember the dead. I won't get into the whys and becauses, or the merits of this celebration. But here's a thought:

Why not set a day to remember the living?

At least you can still do something for them. You can forgive them, get in touch with them, compliment them, tell them how much you love them and how much they mean to you, give them a gift, help them, make their lives a little better, write them a note, make them feel special, listen to them — and almost anything else that comes to your mind.

In a way, it's easy to remember the dead. We don't have to go much further than our thoughts. No obligations. But to remember the living, that calls for action.

Maybe that's why there isn't a day for it on the calendar. But you can write it on your own. Why not make today your Day of the Living and make someone who's still alive feel important?

But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. Ecclesiastes 9.4