Tag Archives: God

Whispers, Faith and Truth

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002As I try to walk in faith from afar I hear whispers trying to convince me I can not do it. As I continue trying I hear more whispers saying not to give up and that all will be ok. Something inside of me keeps pushing and trying to keep me on track as the world keeps trying to bring me down and stop me from walking in faith. Faith can not be shaken nor can it be defeated, It can only be abandoned by the person whom has it. These words come to me when I feel like there is no hope and when I feel my faith has left me. They remind me that God is always with me and that if it feels like he isn’t here it because I chose to ignore or close him out. Even if that choice was made inadvertently or through doubt and fear I was the one to fail.

Even when we don’t see, feel or know he is with us he is still next to us waiting for us to reach out to him. He is always waiting and reaching out toward us wanting for us to come to him. He waits hoping we will come out of the darkness and the storm and into his loving embrace. Of course there are other forces out there trying to pull us away from God, some of it is our own flesh, our ego and our selfish desires. But there are those whom watch and those whom try to sway us away from God and his everlasting love. They try to mislead us, deceive us and some are even wolves in sheep’s clothing. This is why you must be very cautious of who you listen to or follow when it comes to your religious beliefs for it is your soul that is on the line. Read the scriptures for yourself, do not blindly trust in the interpretation of others and seek the truth from the source, God.

For those who are spiritual leaders be careful of the advice you give and keep for you are responsible for the outcome. If you mislead others you will have that sin on your soul, especially if you do not correct the misleading. Be very aware of what you teach and make sure it is not in contradiction to what is written.

May God guide us all, and may your hearts be full of peace and God’s love.

Ray Barbier

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Thank you for being a part of my life

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006To all my readers, friends, family and extended family, I pray that you have a merry Christmas. I also pray that in the new year to come you find peace within yourself, love for all living things including yourself. May you be guided by the hand of god and may his love fill your heart and lives. Know that I love every single one of you and that I know I have been blessed to have all of you in my life. I know I may not always have expressed how much you meant to me in the past because like everyone else I allowed the madness of modern life to keep me from the people and things that matter most. Thank you for being a part of my life and may God bless you all.

I know many of you will never see or read this post but I know within my heart you will feel it within your heart.

Merry Christmas to All

Ray Barbier

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Faith plays such a important part

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Hagia Sophia ; Empress Zoë mosaic : Christ Pan...

Faith, Why is it so important? Does Faith really make a difference in getting prayers answered and does it help one through their daily lives? Well faith is defined as belief or trust in something, so having faith is to trust in God and also believing in him and his promises. How I understand it is that faith plays such an important part in enriching our lives and getting prayers answered is that by believing and putting our trust in God we open up the door for God to work in our lives. Of course God can help us with or without faith involved but I believe he wishes for us to come to him trustingly and in full belief so that we can have a personal relationship with him. The more we trust and believe in God the more we seem to be able to see his works around us and also the more our eyes are open to the gifts he has already laid around us that we have overlooked or could not see before.

I believe he answers all our prayers, just sometimes we are too blind or deaf to see or hear his answers. Then there are times his silence or inaction is the answer to the prayer.  The thing we must remember is God will give us all that we need if we ask, but he is rarely concerned with our unnecessary wants or desires. He desires the happiness of his children and the upkeep of the physical, mental and spiritual health of his children. He wants all of us to love one another unconditionally, to be as the children of God he designed us to be.  He put the challenges of different colors, languages, culture and even religious beliefs between us in order to teach us how to love one another in an unconditional manner. Without challenges for the human spirit there is no growth or change, he wishes for us to grow both mentally and spiritually. One of the biggest challenges I believe God set before his children is dealing with the Ego or the self, he teaches us that we should be submissive to his will and we have the natural desire to be selfish which makes that a great challenge for us to overcome.

Ray Barbier

 

A few Bible Verses about Faith

Matthew 17:20

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. "

Matthew 21:21

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.

1 Peter 1:5-9

who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,  for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Corinthians 13:2

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

 

Ephesians 2:8

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–

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be their helpers in every way possible

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MP900427738  Helping those who are in need and that are unable to help themselves is not only feeding, clothing, housing or caring for their physical needs it is also caring for their spiritual and emotional needs as well. We are supposed to be their helpers in every way possible. We are to be their best friend, mentor, brother / sister and so on. They are fellow human beings and fellow children of God so they are a part of our great extended family through God and Christ. It all boils down to having and giving the same kind of love God and Jesus has given us. We should take care of each other as if we were family, we shouldn’t see others as separate from our family in Christ. Christ taught compassion towards all people, regardless of race, sex and even religion. How are we to win the hearts of those who don’t know Christ if we shun them for believing differently. That just closes the doors to their hearts and minds to us and to Christ as well.

We are supposed to be good examples of both God and  Jesus’s  love and their mercy not Judgmental and hurtful.

Ray Barbier

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is a blessing

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016 Each morning we awaken to is a blessing, Every person who love us and we love are blessings as well. Each meal we eat is a blessing, every breath we take is a blessing as well. Every smile we see is a blessing in deed and every smile we give is a blessing to both ourselves and those we smile at. Having a job is a blessing, even if the job isn’t ideal or stressful it is still a blessing not to be unemployed.  Every friend we have, had and will have are blessings for they are like family and sometimes even more. Even enemies can be blessings for they teach us how not to be and sometimes help us see the faults within our own character.

Each day we have here on earth is a blessing if we see it, know it, admit it,  realize it or not. So many things we take for granted that are great blessings and so many things we forget to give thanks for as well.

Ray Barbier

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Cherish the blessing of having good friends

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dd43853 Friendship, Something most of us take for granted and few understand its power. God gave us the ability to love one another not only as family or spouses but also as neighbors and friends. The strength we gain in friendship is a gift from God. Friendship and Fellowship is close cousins if not siblings for to have true fellowship we must have friendships within it.  God knowing we alone are weak, gave us all the different types of relationships so we can help one another through life.

RBM001122 Friends are there for one another through thick and thin, they support one another and are not afraid to tell each other the truth, Nor are they angry at each other for doing so. True friends are inseparable and are compassionate, forgiving and understanding with each other. Friends are the support network outside of the family and the church. Some friends are considered as family and are also a part of the fellowship within the church as well.

Cherish the blessing of having good friends for it is hard to make it through life without them.

Ray Barbier

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we can not achieve perfection by any means

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2Perfection, something many strive for but none truly ever reach. The illusion that we can achieve some form of perfection is nothing but a vicious trap. The more we work to be perfect the more we seem to find fault in ourselves. There is no man or woman who can achieve perfection and to try is to waste precious time and energy. We can achieve great and miraculous things but we will have many mistakes involved in the process. Mistakes and faults are what makes us who and what we are for through them we learn and grow spiritually. I believe many are perfectionists out of their fear of failure or some kind of desire to be accepted. Many overachievers and perfectionist are driven by the dreams and expectations of their parents, partners and peers. They haven’t realized that the only dreams and expectations they need to worry about is their own. God has given each of us talents and gifts and a purpose for them. We should be concerned about What god wants and set goals by what we know we can achieve. To set too low or too high of goals for our abilities is only setting us up for either failure or wasting of the talents and gifts God has given us.

Through God and Jesus we can achieve anything that is within the will of God. God knows we are not perfect and that we can not achieve perfection by any means on our own. So why should we expect perfection of ourselves or others if God doesn’t expect it of any of his children? God only expects us to do our best and to do it for his glory. So give up on perfection and embrace the idea of doing the best you can and for the Glory of God. In the end God and Jesus are the ones that matter the most in life.

 The hardest part of following God’s Will is the part where we have to surrender our will and give up our own selfish desires. Putting God before everyone and everything else.

Ray Barbier.

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live my life trying to be something he would be proud of.

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scan0006Around this time of year I usually become somewhat sad because it’s the month my dad (SFC Stephen M. Barbier) Passed away. Its been around 6 years now since his passing and I still think of him almost daily. I know he is in the care of God and Jesus now, But the sorrow I feel is not for the dead but for the living. Those of us who had to carry on after his passing with a hole in our hearts and minds. Though my dad was no saint, those who knew him knew he was one of those guys who would give his shirt off his back to help a friend or even a stranger in need. I do miss him quite a lot and regret we drifted apart for so many years and I am happy that in the end we were as close as ever.  I celebrate his life nor his death, I live my life trying to be something he would be proud of, knowing he was always proud of me even though he didn’t always show or say it. Well Dad, I know I may never said it in words but I know you knew that I loved you, I looked up to you and was proud to have you as a parent.

Thanks to my dad I exist, thanks to him I have become who I am because he let me find my own way and rarely judged my choices and was there to advise when I asked. As I said, I usually am sad around this time of year, but now I celebrate his life and cherish the moments I had with my dad. I don’t seem to be as sad as I used to be and in that I realize now that I was blessed to had known him.

God Bless you all, Remember to tell your parents how much they mean to you and celebrate the lives of those who have went to heaven before us.

Ray Barbier

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Thank you God for this morning

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jesus22God has blessed me yet again with another day of life, a job and a few good friends. Thank you God for this morning which I have been blessed with and all the gifts that it contains and for those blessing that remain from the days before. Thank you for another chance to serve you and yet another chance to improve myself and help others. Thank you for the excellent writers you have sent my way to write on the blogs. Thank you for the readers and other blog writers who take time to read, comment and like our posts. Thank you most of all God for the son you gave and sacrificed to save me from my wretched ways and Thank you Jesus for being that sacrifice and being our savior.

Each morning is a blessing and another chance to serve God, Every evening is a blessing and another day of life we had to live for God and his glory.

Ray Barbier

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All of the Bible and the Whole Message

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65242I have noticed in my lifetime that there are several ways to preach or spread the gospel. One is the hell and damnation style, this is where your main focus is to scare the living daylights out of the listeners by focusing on the wages of sin. Then there is the Good news style where you preach mostly on the salvation through Christ and the grace he has given us all. There is also a newer one that is all prosperity, unfortunately I have noticed some of the prosperity preachers prospering way too much off their ministry. There is also the Faith focused style as well, Faith is an important part of being a Christian so it is another good choice. Personally I prefer the Good news style though they all serve their purposes, probably a mix of all the styles would be the best way to preach. If you stick to one extreme or another you may leave the congregation with only half of what they need to be a good Christian. There is probably many other styles of preaching / teaching the gospel I haven’t covered or seen as of yet. I just believe we should teach all of the bible and the whole message and not just parts. Well this is just my humble opinion take it for what it is…

 Through Christ we have salvation, through faith we have hope.

Ray Barbier

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