Conversations with Ray Martinez

God started the process; when he loved us he enabled us to respond to him in love and to extend that love to other Christians. Assuming we love God, let’s do think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love, and good works?  For example: Maybe it’s the love of working for the church pro-bono (greeters, singing, teaching, caring for the sick, mentoring others, providing charitable hospitality. Revelation 2:4 (NLT)  says; “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! It's important that we rekindle the love we first had when we accepted Christ.  Stir up the gift of God within you.  In today's podcast, we will learn how to stir our love up again and we will read about examples of such love.

What does it mean to rededicate your life to Christ? What does the Bible say about consecration? Rededicating your life to Christ" is a popular concept in modern Christian culture. It's a decision made by a Christian who has fallen away from the practices of Christianity to turn back to Christ and strive to follow Him more completely. Habitual sin is not a problem solved by rededicating. It's a deeper issue that can only be solved with a greater understanding of the grace and love of God.  In today's podcast, we will gain some insightful take-aways today with the use of passages.

The Bible makes it clear that everyone receives the Holy Spirit the moment he or she believes in Jesus Christ. One of the primary purposes of the Holy Spirit coming into a Christian's life is to change that life. It is the Holy Spirit's job to conform us to the image of Christ, making us more like Him. The Christian life is a battle of the sinful flesh against the new nature given by Christ. It is one of the main purposes of the Christian life, though, to progressively allow the Holy Spirit to produce more and more of His fruit in our lives and to allow the Holy Spirit to conquer the opposing sinful desires. Thaylor Iron Rope, author of the book, "The Book of Service", once said: "Don't just talk about it, be about it."

People often ask the question, where is God?  God has revealed Himself to us through His Word, the Bible. Throughout Scripture, the existence of God is treated as a self-evident fact. When Benjamin Franklin wrote his autobiography, he didn’t waste time trying to prove his own existence. Likewise, God does not spend much time proving His existence in His book. Jesus is also with us here, in this world. Jesus, being God, has all of the attributes of God, including omnipresence. The Bible is chalked full of stories of examples when God and Jesus walked and talked with people. Jesus Christ, in his final prayer, prayed we would walk in “oneness” with Him just like He walked the earth in oneness with the Father.  We will learn today where God resides.

“In every life we have some trouble…when you worry you make it double. Cause when you worry your face will frown, and that will bring everybody down. Don’t worry, it will soon pass, whatever it is.” Don’t worry, be happy”…this song was recorded by Bobby McFerrin in 1988, and on Sept 24 that year, the song became the first “a cappella” song to reach #1 on the Billboard Top 100 chart..The Christian faith uniquely combines laughter and tears, joy and solemnity. ‘We laughed, we sang... God was wonderful to us; we are one happy people’.  When God’s Spirit gives us joy, then we are happy people. Christians should be joyful; happiness should characterize our everyday lives.  In today's podcast, we will learn about the need for happiness and what it does for us and our walk with Christ.

Can you list the ways you use the Word of God? First of all, why do we need the Word of God? The word need holds many different meanings. To say, “I need my coffee in the morning, or I won’t be able to function” is a popular thing to say, but not really true. To say, “I need oxygen to breathe, or my heart will stop beating” is a factually true statement. The Word of God is living and active in our lives. God's Word gives life to those things which are otherwise considered spiritually dead. The Holy Spirit changes us through the Word of God and gives us true life.  Today, I will share with you nine take-a-ways of how you can use the word of God and not just read about it.  This is about putting the Word into action.

We often wonder if our anger is sinful or not.  In last weeks study we talked about anger not being sin.  Our motive is important and how we manage our anger.  In the anger of Jesus, he had the proper motivation. In other words, He was angry for the right reasons. Jesus’ anger did not arise from petty arguments or personal slights against Him. There was no selfishness involved. His anger had the proper focus, supplement,  duration, result, and control. Having a calm spirit is essential two successful living. Proverbs 17:27 says, “He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit” (NKJV). By exercising self-control when speaking and not allowing oneself to be dominated by heightened emotions, a calm spirit diffuses anger and ill feelings. In today's podcast, we will learn much more about a cool spirit that brings calmness.

What are the biggest problems facing veterans returning home from conflict?

The majority readjust to life off the battlefield with few difficulties. But a significant number—44% who’ve served in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to one survey—say they’ve had problems readjusting after their return. What about problems apart from health-related issues?

In addition to health problems, some returning service members have other difficulties—such as economic or social challenges—readjusting to civilian life. The depth and breadth of challenges faced by veterans varies and are the result of a complex interaction of many factors. Previous wars have demonstrated that veterans’ needs— peak several decades after their war service. Today we are talking about healing our warriors, our heroes.

Here is a phrase I like to keep in mind:  Anger is just one letter short of Danger.  Handling anger is an important life skill. Christian counselors report that 50 percent of people who come in for counseling have problems dealing with anger. Anger can shatter communication and tear apart relationships, and it ruins both the joy and health of many. Everyone struggles, to varying degrees, with anger. Thankfully, God’s Word contains principles regarding how to handle anger in a godly manner, and how to overcome sinful anger. we can change our feelings toward another by changing HOW WE CHOOSE TO ACT toward that person; it becomes a choice.  What will  you choose to do?

We can all certainly identify with the need for guidance. In fact, Jesus addressed this very need during His Upper Room Discourse. He said that after His departure the Holy Spirit would play a crucial role in the lives of believers. As part of that role, Jesus promised, “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth”.  The difference between magnetic north and true north is a matter of several hundred miles—but it changes, due to the fact that the magnetic north pole drifts several miles a year.  Moral standards that align with His nature will keep us on the correct course, just as a compass that aligns with true north keeps us moving in the right direction.Just as the readings of a compass may be corrupted due to nearby objects, so we are prone to be swayed by various attractions in the world. We must constantly calibrate ourselves to the example of our Risen Savior. Our spiritual needles must point to objective truth and not turn after subjective opinions, vacillating values, or erratic rules.