April 24, 2009

  • It's Improved and Advanced...

    LivingWaterJohn7_38-1

    I have been watching Forensic Files on TrueTV, and although it's dealing with the most notorious crimes humans can commit, the reality really hits home for each one of us. Crime does not pay. I believe that God has been leading these forensic scientists to ways of solving crimes that could have turned evil criminal trials to cold cases, forgotten and;  the criminals still walking free on our streets,  if not for forensic science and technologies that have been developed through the years. And forensic science is getting good, improved and advanced.

    As I watch the show, it made me really see that God is very active in each of our lives and; we may think that He just left us to our own evil devices and turn His back on us,-- but think again. God is dealing with each one of us in His own powerful ways. Just like what He had done in the ancient Old Testament and New Testament times, God is using people to either punish or discipline humans. We may think He is slow with His punishment and He doesn't act the way we wanted Him to. But He said His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not the same as our thoughts. He does His work very precisely, but He is slow with anger and wrath. He gives each one of us a chance to change and turn away from our sins. Even to these criminals, God is still kind enough to also give them second chances.

    In the ancient Old Testament times, God will hold off His wrath to transgressors for the longest period of time. He used people like prophets to warn of His wrath and judgment to come. Because He cares so much for His creation and He does not want them to go to the lowest of the low in the afterlife- an eternal separation from God, which means our souls burning in the never ending fire of torture and pain.

    The true stories in Forensic Files are so gruesome, so shocking that you would think how can these people be as heartless and without regard for human lives. They kill people like they are animals. Some of the criminals are ordinary, everyday people. It could be your neighbor, your teacher, your boyfriend/girlfriend, you husband, your wife, your parent, your brother, your sister, your cousin-the list goes on and on. The motive is either lust, greed, envy, jealousy, pride or covetousness or the combination of all of these sins. These are sins that we all commit, and if our minds are so convuluted and we no longer can tell what is right and what is wrong, our choices would lead to abuse of the other person or persons, verbally or physically which could lead to murder.

    Whether you believe that the devil is real or not, one thing is true according to God, humans allow the devil and his adversaries or cohorts to penetrate their human minds and their hearts. Humans think that their evil actions are of their own accord. I remember many years ago, I read an article in the newspaper about a murder case and the defendant said that the devil made him do it. I remember saying, that it is a stupid thing to say and a pure excuse to escape jail by claiming temporary insanity! But the more I learn about God and His Words (commands and instructions), I could see that there's a light of truth to that defendant's claim. 

    This quote applies to all of us: Beliefs become thoughts, then thoughts become words, words become actions, actions become habits, then habits become our developed values, and our values lead us to our destiny.

    If a person is exposed to those developed values from someone close to them or to a society as a whole, this person will start believing that belief system of a society or groups, whether it's  standard or common beliefs, it could be immoral or moral, this person will adapt the beliefs in his/her thoughts. This person will start talking about it, he/she will even research it and learn more about these beliefs and once convinced, the person will act upon it and it will show in his actions, whether good or bad, evil or godly. His/her learned beliefs become this person's habits--and these habits become this person's values-- it could be resentfulness, bitterness, pridefulness, greediness, covetousness, moral blindness, lustfulness, ungodliness or it could be:

    Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control and Godliness.

    Therefore, whatever values you have developed within you through the years, these values you have will eventually lead you to your destiny in this life and the life after this.

    Those crimes in the true stories of Forensic Files were the results of the criminals' belief system. Their belief system that are rooted from the time Eve listened to the lies of the serpent that if she ate the forbidden fruit, she and Adam will not die, but will be like God complete with His power and knowledge. But of course that is not true, the devil is the king of all lies and deception. The same thing with these criminals. They believe that if they kill the witness of their crimes, they will never be caught. Guess what-- the forensic science was developed to finally prove that there is no perfect crime. God in His powerful ways will either have these criminals convicted and sentenced to life in prison or death.

    Now comes God's second chances, if that convicted criminal repented and sincerely turn to God in prison through His Son, Jesus, God will forgive Him and welcome Him to heaven, but God still upholds the laws of the land. This person's sentence still applies because his/her earthly values led him/her to his/ her destiny here on earth but his/her transformed and repentant heart, if it is really sincere and only God knows the condition of our hearts, he/she will spend his/her afterlife in eternity with God.

    This also holds true to those of us who are not murderers but sinners just the same. God said we are all sinners, no one is good among us. In other words, we are basically bad. We all have evil minds. Remember The Ten Commandments? God said He expects us to follow these commands and instructions:

    • God said we must not have any other God, but only Him, the God of Israel.
    • God said we must not create an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea and we must not bow down to them or worship them. God said He will not tolerate this type of worship. This sin will affect generation after generation of families and, whoever is connected to our families who show affection to their created idols. But God said He will lavish all His unfailing love (this includes blessings, favors and protection from God) to those families and their future generation and generations to come that love Him and OBEY His commands (The Ten Commandments and His Words).
    • God said we should not take His name in vain. We should not use His name as a curse nor His Son, Jesus' name. It's a BIG no-no to God when we use Jesus Christ name as a curse. God said He gave His only Son to die for our sins to live again so we, too, can live again in heaven. God sacrificed the life of His Son and we should not take His name in vain, as Jesus is God Incarnate that came down from heaven to be with His people to teach them of God's ways and true nature.
    • God said we must keep the Sabbath day holy. It is the day of rest. We should not work on this day, as He rested on the seventh day after He created our world and what's in it, so God declares the seventh day as holy.
    • God said that we should honor our mother and our father. God said if we do, He will give us a long, full (fruitful) life here on earth.
    • God said we must not MURDER  (the dictionary states that it's the unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice).

    • God said we must not commit ADULTERY.
    • God said we must not STEAL.
    • God said we must not testify falsely against our neighbor (a fellow human).
    • God said we must not covet our neighbor’s house. we must not covet our neighbor’s wife, or anything else that belongs to our neighbor.

    God said that if we disobeyed one of these commandments, we are already guilty with the rest of these commands. Just as I've said it's the belief system we developed through the years. As we go on with our lives, most of us will disobey most or all of these commands. God declares us sinners and separated from Him. Not that He wanted to separate His love, protection, blessings and favors from us. It's our sins that keep us away from God. God is a holy God and He detest all kinds of sins. And no matter how much we try to get closer to God, it is a lost cause. We don't know Him as really know Him. He is reaching out to us, but the inborn sin we inherited from Adam and Eve is a stopping block between God and us. This inborn sin gives us a free will to do whatever we choose.

    And God gives us two choices: Curse or Blessings. Sad to say, we chose Curse and we don't even know we did.

    And the only way to remove that inherited sin, the Curse in our life, is getting to know His Son, Jesus Christ and having a relationship with Him by asking forgiveness for all our sins and turning away from them. And to know Him and His sacrifice for us and know His teachings and apply them in our life will lead us to a destiny beyond compare and to God's sanctuary.

    Psalm 37:38 (New International Version)

     38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
           the future [a] of the wicked will be cut off.

    prosperyou