Monday, November 30, 2015

Boys! Oh, Boy!

Hey, Gabriel Girls!

 For those of you in the United States, I trust you had a great Thanksgiving Day. For those of you in other parts of the world who read this blog, I trust you are all well and growing in Jesus.

 Today we’re going to talk about a topic that is on almost every teenage girl’s mind: BOYS!

As we approach the teen years and beyond, the subject of a relationship with a young man becomes increasingly important. Why? Because God has designed life to be this way. For His purposes, He created us male and female. He put into each one of us an attraction to the opposite gender so that one day, we would find that special person of His choice and get married. Why? For many reasons, not the least of which is so that we could cooperate with God in creating eternal souls for His family.

 God’s heart is to have a big family! He is all about relationships, and our lives should also be all about relationships.

 God made us to be social beings. Some of us are naturally more social than others, but all of us are social in some way.

 So, when it comes to guys, there is a lot to think about. Here are some tips I’ve gathered over the years from my own teenage years, from raising two beautiful and amazing daughters to womanhood, from being a grandmother to four lovely little girls, and from talking with countless teenage girls and guys along the way:

 1) First and foremost in developing good relationships is your own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the foundation for all of your relationships, including marriage if God calls you to that state. 

 2) Remember that there are differences between gals and guys. The differences are not only physical; they are also mental, emotional, psychological, and even spiritual. Guys relate to God in a different way from the way girls relate to Him. If you have brothers or guy cousins or friends, ask them about how they relate to God.

 3) Pray for your future husband. It is not too soon to start. 

 4) Make a list of what you are looking for in a guy. Remember to focus on the most important things, like his commitment to Christ, his values, his character. You will discover that time changes looks. Handsome hunks eventually become haggard with pot bellies and bald heads. So don’t place your focus on the things that disappear. Place your focus on the things that last.

 5) Realize that there is a huge difference between a “male” and a “man”.  Look at the chart below:
MALE
MAN


Is out only for himself.
Desires the good of his beloved.
Focuses only on the physical, outward appearance. Neglects the inner places of his heart.
Spends most of his time developing his relationship with Jesus.
Cannot wait for sex. Accuses a girl who denies him as not loving him.
Would never have sex before marriage. He respects God's command and honors the girl he is dating by refusing to harm her in any way--spiritually, morally, and physically.
Lacks commitment. If he doesn't get what he wants, he leaves.
Totally committed to a lasting relationship with the girl he loves.


As you check out the guys around you, keep the chart above in mind. Then trust God to bring across your path--in His timing--the man He has chosen for you.

 ______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio
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Friday, November 20, 2015

How to Make Sense of a World Gone Crazy

Hey, Gabriel Girls!

 If you’re like me, your head is probably spinning with all of the horrific news of the past week. The world has gone crazy, but we don’t have to go crazy with it.

 If you’re trying to make sense of all that’s been happening, let me shed some light on things for you.


The Bible prophesied that “perilous times” would come upon the earth shortly before the return of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 3:1).  We are in those perilous times now.  In John 16:2, Jesus said this: “The time is coming when those who kill you will think they are offering a holy service to God.” That is exactly what is happening in the world today with ISIS.

But why is all of this happening? Because there is a devil who hates God, hates Jesus Christ, and hates everyone who follows Jesus. That means you and me.

 Satan is behind all of the terrorist attacks happening in the world today. He is behind all the evil that has ever happened in the world. And he is stepping things up because he knows his time is short.

 Now, more than ever, we need to stay close to Jesus.  Now, more than ever, we need to be in the Word, in prayer, and in fellowship with other followers of Jesus.  Now, more than ever, we need to trust God with our lives.

 And now, more than ever, we must not give in to fear!

Hear what the Word says: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).  Let this verse burn in your spirit. Memorize it. Meditate on it. And use it when the enemy tries to attack you with fear.

 God placed you on this earth at this time in history because he has something very important for you to do. He wants you to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel wherever you go. 

 By telling others about Jesus, you will be working with God to prevent souls from going to hell. You will be bringing in the harvest with Jesus!

 So don’t be discouraged or afraid. You are very important to God’s plan. Tell others the reason for what is going on in the world. Most of all, tell them the solution to the world’s problems. It is Jesus Christ!
He is coming back soon! Listen to what He said: "So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

 Now this is good news! :)

 NOTE TO MY READERS WHO DO NOT KNOW JESUS:
Jesus is coming back for those who believe in Him and have been born again.  If you have not been born again--in other words, if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, then do so now.  Here is an article to help you: 

http://maryanndiorio.com/articles/how-to-live-forever
______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio

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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Is There a Future for Me?




Dear Gabriel Girls,

 The horrific terrorist attack in France has ignited great fear in the hearts of the world.  Young people especially, I think, are afraid that in a world gone crazy, their future looks bleak.

 If you are feeling hopeless and afraid, let me encourage you today.  

 There is a powerful verse in Psalm 91 that says this:  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High . . . will not fear the terror of the night” (Psalm 91: 1, 5 ESV).  God is telling us that if we live under the shadow of His wings, we will not have anything to fear.

 What does this mean? It means that God wants us to trust Him with our lives as a little baby trusts his earthly father.  A baby doesn’t worry about what she is going to eat, where she is going to sleep, what she is going to wear. She knows her Daddy will take care of all of that.

You are God’s child. As you trust Him with your future, He will take care of everything. Even in the midst of a world that has lost its way, you do not have to lose your way.

 No matter what happens in the world, God will be with us. Even if our bodies are killed, our spirits can never be killed. Someone may try to harm or kill our bodies without our permission, but no one can ever harm or kill our souls without our permission.  It is in our souls that we are truly free.
------------------------------------------------------ 
   It is in our souls that we are truly free.
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The most important issue for you to focus on at this point in your lives is to develop a close relationship with Jesus Christ.  If you do that, everything else will fall into place.   

 When Satan tries to make you afraid about your future, remember that Jesus Christ holds your future in His hands.  If you remain in Him, you will have nothing to fear.

 _______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio

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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

How to Break Free of the Chains of Addiction

Hey, Gabriel Girls! Today’s blog post is one you would not ordinarily expect on a Christian blog. After all, Christian girls don’t struggle with addiction, right?

 Wrong!


Addiction comes in many forms, and many Christian teens struggle with it.  Here are a few of the most common among teen girls:

 ---Bulimia (binging then purging)
---Anorexia (starving oneself)
---Drugs
---Alcohol
---Cutting oneself
---Smoking
---Pornography
---Sex

 Rather than say these things should not exist among Christian girls--and they should not--let’s face the reality that they do, and let’s do something about the situation.

 First of all, if you struggle with one of the above addictions--or any other one--know this: There is hope for you in Jesus Christ. Jesus came to set you free from everything evil, including addictions.  And addictions are evil.

 Second, know that you have a part to play in getting set free. That part is surrendering your life totally to Jesus and letting Him set you free. You also will need to do whatever He says, moment by moment, on your journey toward freedom.

 An addiction is a behavior over which you have lost control. Interestingly, you were trying to gain control of your life by adopting the wrong behavior in the first place. 

 It is common knowledge, for example, that anorexics starve themselves because they think that food is the only area of their lives where they can exercise control. Before they know it, however, food--or the lack of it--has control over them.

 So, what can you do to get set free from an addiction?  Here are a few thoughts:

 1) Admit that you have an addiction. If you pretend you don’t have a problem, you will never solve the problem.  Facing the truth about your situation is the first step toward healing.

 2) Go to God with your addiction and give it to Him. Repent of yielding to the addiction, and ask God to deliver you from it.

 3) Seek the help of your parents, your pastor, and, if necessary, a professional who deals in your particular type of addiction.  Help is available to you, but you must go after it. Do not be ashamed. Having a problem is not the problem. Not doing anything about the problem is the problem.

 At the root of every addiction is a lie. Ask Holy Spirit to show you what lie you have believed that led you into the addiction. Then repent of the lie, renounce it, and replace it with the truth.

 Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Bottom line, breaking free of the chains of addiction means letting the truth rein in your life. The truth is a Person, and His Name is Jesus Christ (John 14:6).  

 _______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio

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Friday, November 6, 2015

What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do

There’s nothing worse than a Catch-22.  If you’ve read the American novel by the same title authored by Joseph Heller, you understand what I mean.



 The phrase “Catch-22” refers to a situation from which you cannot seemingly escape because you have two conflicting conditions that contradict each other.  For example, you’ve locked yourself out of your house and need a key to get in, but you left the key inside the house. 

Another way of describing a Catch-22 is to say that you are going around in circles. 

 Sometimes we face decisions in life where we keep going around in circles. We don’t know what to do about a situation, but we know we must do something.  

 So, what do you do when you don’t know what to do?

 Here are some tips that will help you:

 1) When in doubt, don’t.  In other words, do not make a decision until you have peace about it. Satan would like nothing more than to push you into a decision that you are not ready to make. If you have to make an important decision, take it to the Lord and ask Him for wisdom. He promises to give it to you generously (James 1:5). Then wait until you have peace in your spirit.

 2) Seek the counsel of Godly people who know you. They may be your parents or some older, mature Christians in your church. Tell them about the decision you are facing, and get their input. They have walked the road of life farther than you have and may have encountered the very same potholes and minefields that you are now going through.

 3) Trust that God will show you the right decision to make. One of my favorite Scripture verses is Psalm 32:8: “I will instruct you and teach you the way to go. I will watch over you and be your advisor.” What better advisor to have than Holy Spirit! If you listen for His voice and obey it, you will never make a wrong decision.
_______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio
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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

How Can I Be Saved?

“Are you saved?” A young girl asked me this question when I was 22 years old. No one had ever asked me that question before. Worst of all, I had no clue what she meant.

 “I’m sorry. I don’t know what you mean,” I answered her as politely as I could.


She went on to explain that her question meant had I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord.

 When I told her no, she began explaining that Jesus Christ died for my sins and that in order to spend eternity with him after I die, I would need to accept His free gift of salvation. In other words, I would need to be born again.

 I panicked. After all, I belonged to a mainline church, and I had never even heard of the term “born again.” So, I kindly said to her, “I’m__________, and my church has never mentioned being born again. I’m sorry. It’s not for me.”

 While her face grew sad at my refusal, her eyes shone with love. A supernatural love that I had never seen before in the eyes of any human being. 

 The girl’s name was Margo. And I know she prayed for me, because three years later, I was born again.

 And my whole life changed for the better!

 Maybe you go to church and think that you are saved. But going to church no more makes you a follower of Jesus Christ than going to a barn makes you a horse. 

 Jesus said that unless a person is born again, she cannot enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3).  To be born again is to invite Jesus Christ into your life to be your Savior and your Lord. 

 It is one thing to believe in Jesus  Christ with your head. It is quite another thing to believe in Jesus Christ with your heart.

If you have never invited Jesus Christ into your heart, do so now. Here is a simple prayer you can pray:

 Lord Jesus, I come to You just as I am. I ask You to forgive me of my sins. I invite you now into my life to be my Savior and my Lord. Make of me what You created me to me. In Your Name I pray. Amen.

 If you prayed this prayer, please write to me at drmaryann@maryanndiorio.com. I’d like to send you a free booklet I’ve written to help you begin your walk with Jesus.

 _______________________________________________
Copyright 2015 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Girl, you need to qualify as follows:
  • You need to be born again. This means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and the Lord of your life.If you don't know how to do this, click here.
  • You need to have a desire to tell others about Jesus wherever you go and whenever you can.
  • You need to commit to following Jesus by reading the Bible and praying every day and by obeying Jesus' command to love Him and to love your neighbor.
    ____________________________________________________
You can find me on the following Social Media Venues:
Amazon Author Central: www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio

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