Believe God

Believe God-He DOES NOT LIE 

Gods Is Love

Wisdom of Solomon 11:23–12:2 (ESV-CE): But you are merciful to all, for you can do all things, 

and you overlook people’s sins, that they may repent. 24  For you love all things that exist 

and loathe none of the things that you have made, for you would not have made anything if you had hated it.  25  How would anything have endured if you had not willed it? Or how would anything not called forth by you have been preserved?  26  You spare all things, for they are yours, O Lord who loves the living. 12 For your immortal spirit is in all things. 2  Therefore you correct little by little those who trespass and remind and warn them of the things by which they sin that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in you, O Lord. 

John 3:16–17 (ESV-CE): For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 

John 16:27 (ESV-CE): the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

Romans 5:8 (ESV-CE): but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Ephesians 3:19 (ESV-CE): know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

Psalm 36:7 (ESV-CE): How precious is your steadfast love, O God! 

The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 

1 John 3:1 (ESV-CE): See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. 

1 John 3:16 (ESV-CE): By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us

1 John 4:16 (ESV-CE): So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Ephesians 1:4 (ESV-CE): even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

Ephesians 1:5 (ESV-CE): In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. 

Ephesians 2:4–6 (ESV-CE): But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. 

Romans 5:5–6 (ESV-CE): God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 

Proverbs 3:11–12 (ESV-CE): My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline 

or be weary of his reproof, 

 12  for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, 

as a father the son in whom he delights. 

Psalm 31:7 (ESV-CE):  

I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, 

because you have seen my affliction; 

you have known the distress of my soul. 

Lamentations 3:22–23 (ESV-CE): The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; 

his mercies never come to an end; 

 23  they are new every morning. 

Lamentations 3:32–33 (ESV-CE): he will have compassion 

according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 

 33  for he does not afflict from his heart 

or grieve the children of men. 

1 John 4:8–10 (ESV-CE): God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:19 (ESV-CE): We love because he first loved us. 

Galatians 2:20 (ESV-CE): the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

Jeremiah 31:3 (ESV-CE): I have loved you with an everlasting love; 

therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. 

Romans 8:37–39 (ESV-CE): we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

John 15:9 (ESV-CE): As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 

Ephesians 3:19 (ESV-CE): know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

John 15:16 (ESV-CE): You did not choose me, but I chose you. 

Psalm 145:9 (ESV-CE): The Lord is good to all, 

and his mercy is over all that he has made. 

God does not hear sinners

Numerous instances in the Scripture state that God does not hear sinners (Psalms 34:15–16; 66:18; Proverbs 28:9; John 9:31; and 1 Peter 3:12). However, this assertion is subject to certain conditions. While there are numerous instances of God’s refusal to hear sinners, countless verses prove God listens to sinners’ prayers (Acts 8:22–23; 9:10–11; 10:4, 31; 1 John 1:9). Thus, it is erroneous to assert that God never hears all the prayers of sinners.

For a more precise grasp of this problem, we need to consider what we mean when we say “sinner.” All of us are sinners, according to Romans 3:23. Some people would immediately argue, “But God does hear sinners. God cares about his children!”

Sinners are those who disobey God’s commandments and laws. These are in stark contrast to those who are rebellious but are seeking forgiveness. Even though they’re still sinners, they actively search for God and obey his commandments.

While it’s true that we are all sinners, there are various “kinds” of sinners: 

1. those who belong to God yet occasionally slip into sin (1 John 1:7-9) 

2. and those who reject the will of God. 

Another kind is called “alien sinners.” 

3. They are those who have never known God (Ephesians 2:11–12) 

4. and rebellious saints (Hebrews 6:4–6).

We should never believe that our sins are too great for God to redeem. If they can be saved, so can we. On the other hand, whether God hears the prayers of unbelievers—those desperate to escape the physical consequences of their sins, who seek material blessings without spiritual commitment, and who are willing to serve the Lord only after their will is first satisfied (Luke 9:57–622)—is unlikely. You can’t expect God to positively respond to these kinds of people.

They offer many prayers, promising God they will repent if they are blessed with a new job, a larger home, or deliverance from temporary difficulties. According to the Bible, God does not hear prayers like that. Proverbs 28:9 states, “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.”

As sinners, we can approach prayer with confidence, knowing that God both hears and answers. By seeking God’s presence, embracing his forgiveness, submitting to his authority, seeking Jesus’ example, embracing the truth, and relying on God’s power, we can experience a genuine and transformative connection with him.

1. Seek God’s Presence: Recognize that God is always present and attentive to your prayers. Despite our shortcomings, God’s love is unwavering. Approach prayer with the confidence that God hears your heartfelt cries.

2. Embrace God’s Forgiveness: Remember that God is not only the one who answers prayers but also the one who forgives sins. Through Jesus Christ, God provided a way for our sins to be forgiven and for us to be reconciled with him. Approach prayer with a repentant heart, acknowledging your need for forgiveness and embracing the grace offered through Jesus’ sacrifice.

3. Submit To God’s Authority: Understanding that God is to be feared doesn’t mean being terrified of him. Those who feared God had reverence and awe for his holiness and power. Approach prayer with a humble heart, recognizing God’s authority over all things and submitting to his will.

4. Seek Jesus’ Example: Look to Jesus as your ultimate example of how to approach God in prayer. Jesus answered the call to bring salvation to sinners and demonstrated a deep connection with God through prayer. Study his teachings and observe how he approached God with humility, trust, and obedience.

5. Embrace The Truth: Acknowledge that although we are sinners, God’s truth remains unchanged. His Word provides guidance, comfort, and instruction for our lives. Approach prayer with a desire to align yourself with God’s absolute truth and the Lord’s hand, allowing his principles to shape your thoughts and actions.

6. Rely On God’s Power: Recognize that in prayer, you are not relying solely on your own strength but on the power of God. Approach prayer with faith, knowing that God’s power is available to transform lives, heal wounds, and provide guidance. Trust in his sovereignty and his ability to work in and through your prayers.

God gives universal promises, such as “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). For Cornelius, this was the situation. But numerous assurances are reserved only for those who believe and accept him.

As a Christian, when you encounter a problem, you should not be afraid to seek help from the throne of grace since you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior (Hebrews 4:14–16). Although much of the Bible’s teaching on prayer is directed at Christians, God hears everyone’s prayers, rewards those who earnestly seek him, and encourages Christians to pray to him without fear. He says he will listen and then act on your behalf.

What is Faith

Confronted by an evident truth such as that two and two make four, our intellect cannot refuse to accept it, nor is the concurrence of my will needed in order to accept it. But in the presence of the truths of faith, the intellect remains free to acquiesce or not, and cannot give its assent without the concurrence of the will, which makes the decision: “I will to believe,” and does so, relying solely on the infallible authority of God who reveals it.

“The act of faith is of its very nature a free act. Man . . . cannot give his adherence to God revealing himself unless the Father draw him to offer to God the reasonable and free submission of faith” (DH 10). The “attraction” of God which inclines us to believe is the gift of faith, and the “reasonable and free submission” to God who is revealing himself is our response to this gift, a response which constitutes the act and the merit of faith. 

There is no merit in admitting evident truths. On the other hand there is much merit in believing truths which remain in great part obscure, because this presupposes an act of humble submission and of full trust in him who reveals it. Only God is worthy of this homage, the homage of unhesitating faith. 

The mystery that envelops supernatural truths and the lack of evidence for the divine promises can generate doubts and perplexities. We should not be dismayed: it is natural for our intellect to doubt what it does not see and cannot understand. 

Moreover, God himself may permit, as he did in the case of Abraham, certain situations in which we must go ahead in darkness without knowing where we are headed, supported only by the word of him who said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mt 24:35). 

This obscure side of faith is painful for us, who by nature love to base ourselves on evident facts, while where the mysteries and ways of God are concerned, the more sublime they are the more dark and obscure they are for our intellect which is incapable of grasping the infinite. 

Yet we must react to any kind of doubt by a leap into the darkness and plunge ourselves into believing, believing at any cost and against every proof to the contrary, because God is God, and “he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself” 

Through trials like this, faith grows purer, more supernatural and meritorious. 

Jesus is Everything

Jesus is Everything 

Get In and Stay In Jesus The Christ

Jesus is the Christ

Jesus is the Temple

Jesus is the Lamb

Jesus is the Blood Sacrifice 

Jesus is the High Priest

Jesus is the Righteousness 

Jesus is the Way

Jesus is the Truth

Jesus is the Life

Jesus is the Yoke bearer

Jesus is the Sin remover

Jesus is the Shepherd 

Jesus is the Gate

Jesus is the Master

Jesus is the lover of sinners and souls

Jesus is Presence

Jesus is Mercy

Jesus is Grace

Jesus is Peace

Jesus is Reality

Jesus is the Destroyer of evil

Jesus is Humility

Jesus is Redeemer 

Jesus is the Word

Jesus is Spiritual Food

Jesus is Spiritual Drink

Jesus is the Rock

Jesus is the Eucharist 

Jesus is LORD

Jesus is Healer

Jesus is Savior

Jesus is Protector

Jesus is Wisdom

Jesus is Perfector of the Law

Jesus is The Chosen

Jesus is Safety

Jesus is The King

Jesus is the First and the Last

Jesus is the Alpha and Omega

Jesus is God

Jesus: It is enough for you to stay with me, to walk with me. I will teach you what to do. I will protect you and guide you. I have chosen you to spread my message and my grace to others, and so I will help you to understand that message and experience that grace. Never leave my side. Am I not enough for you, I who created and redeemed you? Today, follow my example of patience and hard work, of faithfulness and self-sacrifice. This is the path to wisdom, and wisdom brings peace, both to you and to those around you.

God is Love

247. GOD IS LOVE 

 

O God, who are love, make me know and believe in your love (1 Jn 4:16) 

 

“God is love” (1 Jn 4:16), eternal, infinite, substantial love, just as everything in God is beautiful, good, perfect, and holy, so everything in God is love: his beauty, holiness, wisdom, truth, omnipotence and even his justice are love. Love in God is the eternal act of his will, a most holy, perfect act, because it is always directed to the sovereign Good; this is the love with which God loves himself, precisely because he is the one supreme and eternal Good, to which no other good can be preferred. The holy and infinite love which God has for himself has nothing in common with what we call self-love or egoism, that disordered love by which we prefer ourselves to God. 

 

We are selfish because we tend to love ourselves to the exclusion of every other affection; but God is so free from every shadow of egoism that, even though he loves himself infinitely and is wholly satisfied with his infinite good, he wills to diffuse his love and his good outside himself. It is thus that God loves creatures; his love is at the root of their being, for by loving them, he calls them into existence, by loving them he creates good in them. 

 

“The love of God”—says St. Thomas—“is the cause which infuses and creates good in creatures” (1,20,2). God loves with a love that is entirely gratuitous, free, and supremely pure, with a love that is at the same time benevolence which desires our good, and beneficence which does us good. By loving us God calls us to life, infuses grace in us, invites us to holiness, draws us to himself, and gives us a share in his eternal happiness. Everything we are and have is the gift of his infinite love. 

 

As Vatican II affirms: “Man would not exist were he not created by God’s love and constantly preserved by it. And he cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and devotes himself to his Creator” (GS 19);

 

 “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jer 31:3). We were nothing, but God already saw us and loved us and wanted us; his love has gone before him from all eternity. No creature could exist if God had not preceded it with his love: “You love all things that exist”—says sacred Scripture—“and loath nothing of the things which you have made; for you would not have made anything if you had hated it. How would anything have endured, if you had not willed it, or how would anything not called forth by you have been preserved?” (Wis 11:24-25).

 

The story of our life is the story of God’s love for us. This story, once begun, never ends because God’s love has no end; sin alone, which is the rejection of divine love, has the sad possibility of interrupting it. But of himself, God loves with an infinite, eternal, immutable and most faithful love; he himself desired to express it most tenderly: “Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you” (Is 49:15).

 

God loves us when he consoles us, but he also loves us when he afflicts us with sorrow; his graces and his consolations are love, so too are his trials and chastisements, “for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Prov 3:12). In all the circumstances of life, even the saddest and most painful, we are always encompassed by divine love, which can will nothing but good, and therefore God infallibly wills our good even when he leads us by the harsh rough road of suffering. Furthermore, it is not rare for God to strike hardest those whom he loves most, “for. . . acceptable men [are tried] in the furnace of humiliation” (Sir 2:5). St. Teresa of Jesus writes: “See . . . what [suffering] he gave to the one he loved most [Jesus]. . . . These are his gifts in this world. He gives according to the love he bears us: to those he loves more, he gives more of these gifts; to those he loves less, he gives less” (Way 32:7). Even when racked with pain, the true Christian does not waver in his faith, but repeats: “we know and believe the love God has for us” (1 Jn 4:16).

How to find Answers from God

How to find Answers from God

seek the answer in God’s grace, 

not in doctrine; 

in the longing of the will, 

not in the understanding; 

in the sighs of prayer, 

not in research; 

seek the bridegroom 

not the teacher; 

God 

and not man; 

How to live in God

From the Journey of the Mind to God by Saint Bonaventure

Mystical wisdom is revealed by the Holy Spirit

Christ is both the way and the door. Christ is the staircase and the vehicle, like the throne of mercy over the Ark of the Covenant, and the mystery hidden from the ages. A man should turn his full attention to this throne of mercy, and should gaze at him hanging on the cross, full of faith, hope and charity, devoted, full of wonder and joy, marked by gratitude, and open to praise and jubilation. Then such a man will make with Christ a pasch, that is, a passing-over. Through the branches of the cross he will pass over the Red Sea, leaving Egypt and entering the desert. There he will taste the hidden manna, and rest with Christ in the sepulcher, as if he were dead to things outside. He will experience, as much as is possible for one who is still living, what was promised to the thief who hung beside Christ: Today you will be with me in paradise.

For this passover to be perfect, we must suspend all the operations of the mind and we must transform the peak of our affections, directing them to God alone. This is a sacred mystical experience. It cannot be comprehended by anyone unless he surrenders himself to it; nor can he surrender himself to it unless he longs for it; nor can he long for it unless the Holy Spirit, whom Christ sent into the world, should come and inflame his innermost soul. Hence the Apostle says that this mystical wisdom is revealed by the Holy Spirit.

If you ask how such things can occur, seek the answer in God’s grace, not in doctrine; in the longing of the will, not in the understanding; in the sighs of prayer, not in research; seek the bridegroom not the teacher; God and not man; darkness not daylight; and look not to the light but rather to the raging fire that carries the soul to God with intense fervor and glowing love. The fire is God, and the furnace is in Jerusalem, fired by Christ in the ardor of his loving passion. Only he understood this who said: My soul chose hanging and my bones death. Anyone who cherishes this kind of death can see God, for it is certainly true that: No man can look upon me and live.

Let us die, then, and enter into the darkness, silencing our anxieties, our passions and all the fantasies of our imagination. Let us pass over with the crucified Christ from this world to the Father, so that, when the Father has shown himself to us, we can say with Philip: It is enough. We may hear with Paul: My grace is sufficient for you; and we can rejoice with David, saying: My flesh and my heart fail me, but God is the strength of my heart and my heritage for ever. Blessed be the Lord for ever, and let all the people say: Amen. Amen!