Why you should feel salty?

I apologize for the late post this week. I wasn't able to post because of technical difficulties and certain situations that took place over the weekend but I'm glad to be back. It's never too late right? Below is a guest post by my friend and fellow minister Abiezel Raices.

Salt: a necessity  

  After two years of experiencing life through the scope of matrimony, I have learned a lot of things about life that I probably wouldn’t have learned if it wasn’t for marriage.

 One of the things I have learned is that cooking has two routes.  The first route is the most popular route, “the way to a man’s heart” and the second route is the way to make a wife happy.  Yes, I said it, cooking is the way to make any women happy.  Women love when a man cooks them food.  A wise man once quoted that “a happy wife equals a happy life.”  However, I will add to this amazing quote a happy wife, who doesn’t have to cook because the husband cooked, equals a happy life.

 Ever since I have come across this revelation, I have purposely cooked more often for my wife.  I can say now that I have become a Chef.  As a chef I have learned some secrets of the trade and one of the secrets that I have learned is that if you want to make food taste good then you must add salt.

 Salt is a simple ingredient but makes food taste so much better. Salt is necessity in the process of making a great dish. The scripture states in Matthew 5:13 that “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (NIV)

 As Christians we are all called to reach the heart of man with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  If we are to be successful in this commission then being Salty is a necessity.

What is your take on this?

P.s. Abiezel and myself will be hosting a leadership conference in the big apple January 24-25!  Tickets are already selling fast, I hope to see you there, for a time of spiritual refreshing and word of encouragement for your leadership endeavors. For more infomation contact me via email at contactjosevargas@gmail.com Register today!

Words have power

Words are powerful.
Words can heal and they can steal.
Words can build someone up or it can tear them down.
Words can start a war that destroys a nation, but words can make peace to build that nation.
Words can inspire love or they can surely express hate.
Words are used to create, words are use to cultivate.

Don’t allow your words to destroy, rather allow them to make someone rejoice.
Be the type that edifies people and challenge them to believe in themselves, for some have place their dreams on hold yet you can be the one who with a word release them to run once again.
God used words to create the world into existence, why don’t you use his word to change your perspective?

Be a blessing and not a curse, for what you sow today, you will eventually eat tomorrow.
My final thoughts for you are these; please reach out to the “least of these”.
The world will change with the next words you speak just make sure they are worthy and of purity.

Blessings, Jose

 P.s. I got inspired :) Watch Video Below or click here to comment

I don't have to listen to you...do I?

This is a guest post by my friend and fellow Pastor John Bazemore. His new book just released is

available titled From Despair To Repair

I DON’T HAVE TO LISTEN TO MAN!! 

This statement has become a battle cry for the rebellious and the unrepentant in heart. It is the result of a foundation of disobedience that is now bearing its fruit. It has all the wrappings of hurt that has not been given a covering of prayer and forgiveness. It is a spirit of independence that flourishes in an atmosphere of confusion. It impacted Miriam, Korah, Absalom and Judas.

If MAN can give you a prophetic word for a blessing and you receive it, how does that same MAN become instantly incompetent to give you a word of correction or reproof? If he is abiding by the word of God, he’s obligated to; REPROOF, REBUKE and EXHORT! I have a ministry covering that gives me positive feedback, correction and guidance. Most of my good decisions came as a result of LISTENING TO MEN, who hear from GOD!! Be careful how you DISDAIN the creature, but yet you say you LOVE the creator. It just doesn’t match. We must be forthright and honest with ourselves and ask this question, “Why is it so difficult for me to receive instruction or correction from someone else?” Do we understand that the very Bible that we read, study, and preach from, was inspired by God but came to us through the agency of MAN?

 Most of what we read in the New Testament is instructions on how we should live and fellowship with God. They were divinely inspired but came from the hands of MEN. 

The most powerful sermon recorded in the Bible, on the Day of Pentecost, came from a MAN. The instructions we have on marriage came from a MAN, who was divinely inspired by God. What if we said, “I will not listen to man, but go to God myself for instructions on how to live, get saved, and stand victoriously. Foolishness Right? Yet this is what you are saying when you say, “I don’t have to listen to man. Power, Authority, and Intimacy come to us as we willing submit to one another as servants. Jesus grew in wisdom as He submitted Himself to the authority of His parents. When His season came for ministry, His first act was to find John the Baptist, a MAN, to be baptized so that He could be released into ministry. If order worked for Jesus, it should work for us. Elisha submitted to Elijah; Joshua submitted to Moses; the priests submitted to Aaron the High Priest; The widow listened to the prophet who told her what to do to survive; Hezekiah listened to Isaiah for added years to his life; Naaman listened to Elisha and was healed of leprosy; The man who was lame listened to Peter and was healed. I could go on and on but i think the point is made. Paul said, "That ye be not slothful, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises"!! Hebrews  6:12.

When men and women of God that has authority in your life give you a word from the Lord, you should have the type of relationship with them that you trust they are hearing from God. If you can't, place yourself under someone to whom you can submit, listen, and learn from. After Paul's conversion, he was given instructions to go and find Ananias for further instructions. That's God's Way!!

Do you have someone you listen to? Click here to comment.

For more information on John or to order his book please visit www.johnlbazemore.org

Ever felt frustrated?

Right now I accidentally deleted the blog I was working on for about a week. It is frustrating! You get all these great ideas on paper (on Microsoft word that is) and in a moment “poof” it’s all gone. Even in this I learned a lesson, here it is: don’t keep writing without saving things, and back them up on a thumb drive!! The second lesson is using your negatives as education not frustration. So I decided to write about it here in hope to encourage you.

Have you ever lost something you’ve been working on? I don’t want to get deep but maybe you were working on your dream and something happened that disrupt you to the point where you threw your hands up and said “forget it”? I know I have!

There is hope

Well, I believe you can recover, and begin to work on that dream, project or mission or marriage again. You can begin to work on whatever it is that you have stopped because of frustration. The advantage is now you can come back with better strategies and more energy to pursue it with passion. As human beings that were created in the image of God we have creativity that was placed in the inside of each of us to be successful at what we are trying to achieve or do.

As a communicator I love sharing ideas, and speaking to people and this is the main reason I started this blog. I want to encourage you to strive to become all who God created you to be. Yet we all go through frustrations and moments when we even question why are we doing it in the first place. It is this questioning that really helps us focus and push-pass the frustrations and gives us the determination for excellence in what we are trying to do or achieve.

Try it

Take every set back as an opportunity to become better. Make the most of every challenge as hard as that might be, to be able to use it as a building block towards your ultimate goal. Instead of allowing the disappointment to hold you back why don’t you allow it to launch you forward! (Read more about stretching here) Every disadvantage can be use for your advantage if you begin to look at it from a different perspective.

Begin to dream again, the great apostle Paul said “God will work all things together for the good of those who love him and who are called according to his purpose.” You can start again. Go for the challenge and see frustration disappear as your climbing new mountains. Refuse to continue to look back at what you have lost and focus on where you are trying to go, for this is the step of an achiever and a winner.

Keep moving forward after all this is how this blog was written.