Thursday, February 25, 2016

Are You a Complacent Christian?

Complacency. It's a bane of our culture and a key weapon of Satan against God's children.

What is a bane? A bane is anything that causes harm, ruin, or death. 

What is complacency? Complacency is a feeling of false security. It is living in one's comfort zone and being completely satisfied with that location. 


So, when we put together the words complacency and bane, we discover that this feeling of false security that pervades our culture (complacency) is causing harm, ruin, and death (a bane) to our society. 

Not a good thing, wouldn't you agree? 

Complacency is especially dangerous in matters of the spirit because such matters affect our eternal destiny. 

 Jesus warned us about complacency when He described the lukewarm Church in Revelation 3: 16:  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Sobering words! Jesus is saying that if we are complacent--living in a false sense of security, not rocking the boat--He will spit us out of His mouth. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't want the Lord spitting me out of His mouth!

What is Jesus saying here? He's saying that He wants us to be on fire for Him, not complacent.  He doesn't want us to live in a false sense of security that everything is all right with the world, because it isn't. Most of all, He wants us to be sure that we don't live in a false sense of security that everything is all right with our spiritual condition. We have to examine ourselves regularly to make sure we are living the way He wants us to live.

If we have been complacent, what are we to do?

First of all, make sure that you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You start this relationship by asking Him into your heart to become your Savior and Lord. (For help in doing this, check out my article on How to Live Forever). 

 Next, make sure that you are nurturing your relationship with Jesus Christ by spending time with Him every day and throughout the day. No relationship will survive if the people involved don't spend time together. The same is even more true of your relationship with Jesus.

 How do you spend time with Jesus? You just sit and talk with Him. You also read HIs Word through which He speaks directly to you. And then you worship Him, giving Him the praise and honor that is His due.

 Like most things in life, complacency is a choice. If you've been complacent toward the things of God, repent and turn back to Him. Here is a simple prayer that will help you do just that:

 Lord Jesus, I repent of being complacent about You and Your purpose for my life. I ask You to forgive me. Fill me with the fire of Your Holy Spirit. Make me bold to proclaim the truth about You to those You bring across my path. I thank You, Lord, in Your Precious Name. Amen.

_______________________________________________

Copyright 2016 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
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/drmaryanndiorio/



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Tuesday, February 9, 2016

How to Overcome an Inferiority Complex


Hey, Gabriel Girl!

 Do you struggle with an inferiority complex? If so, today’s blog post is for you!

 What is an inferiority complex? In simplest terms, it’s a feeling of being inadequate, not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough--and on and on and on.


Inferiority is one of Satan’s chief weapons against young women.  He uses thoughts and feelings of inferiority to keep you from moving into the great destiny for which God created you. It’s important that you recognize the devil’s tactics so that you can avoid falling into his trap.

 Here are some ways the enemy will try to make you feel inferior:

 1. Satan will tempt you to compare yourself to others.  Why is this dangerous? Because you are a unique masterpiece and, therefore, you can’t be compared to anyone else. Besides, the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 10: 12 that it’s unwise to compare ourselves with someone else.  

 2. Satan will tempt you to look at yourself from your perspective instead of God’s. The truth is that only God’s perspective of us is the right one. And God says that you are awesome (Psalm 139)!

 3. Satan will tempt you to focus on your failures instead of your successes. He will do this to deceive you, to distract you, and to discourage you. When we focus on our failures instead of our successes, we keep ourselves from moving forward in God’s will. 

 Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt said this: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”  
Decide right now that you will see yourself as God sees you. This is what He says about you in Deuteronomy 28: 13:  “If you listen to these commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.” Hallelujah! :)

 The way to get rid of an inferiority complex is by obeying God’s Word. As you do, you will discover that your worth comes from God alone--and no one can take it away from you!

 ___________________________
If you enjoyed this post, please tell your teenage girlfriends about the Gabriel Girls. Thanks!
_______________________________________________
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, February 2, 2016

Are You Getting Closer to Jesus Day by Day?

Hey, Gabriel Girl,

Do you believe it’s already February? WOW! This year is flying by. Are you getting closer to Jesus with each passing day?

 That is the most important question we need to ask ourselves. You see, one day we will all leave this earth. That day may seem far away for you, but it could happen at any time for any one of us.


My own dear younger sister left this earth just a few weeks ago on December 31st. She was only 67 years old. That may seem old to you, but given that many people live into their nineties, it wasn’t old. The most important thing is that she lived for Jesus. Imagine what joy it was for her when she met Him face to face!

 You can do the same. You can live each day for Jesus. How? By developing an intimate relationship with Him and following where He leads you.

 The world tells us that life is all about us. But the truth is that life is all about Jesus. He is the Beginning, the End, and Everything-in-Between. Once we recognize that, our lives will change dramatically.

 You may have studied in science that at one time in history, people, including Plato and Aristotle, believed that the earth was the center of the universe. But then Copernicus, in the 16th century, discovered that the sun is the center of the universe. His discovery shook the thinking of his time. The earth lost its standing as the center of everything, and people began looking beyond the earth.

 In a way, we need to do the same thing with our own lives. We need to look beyond ourselves to the God Who made us and for Whom we were made.  Scripture says that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. This means that everything originates in Jesus and is supposed to end in Him. That includes you and me.

 How can you look beyond yourself to Jesus?  Here are a few tips:

 1-Whenever you make a decision, first ask Jesus what He wants you to do.

 2-Carve out time every day to spend with Jesus in a quiet place. Talk to Him but listen, too. In fact, listen more than you talk because Jesus will always have something important to say to you.

 3-Determine to live your life the way Jesus says to live it. This means you will have to study the Bible to learn how He lived life and how He expects you to live it.  Living life the way Jesus commands will bring you blessings, joy, and peace.

 We are living in dangerous times. And they will become more dangerous as time goes on. But whoever stays close to Jesus will have nothing to fear, for He will protect you and take care of you.

 Decide now that you will be one who stays close to Jesus for the rest of your life. I promise you that you will never regret doing so.

 And before you go, please leave a comment below if you made this decision.
____________________________
If you enjoyed this post, please tell your teenage girlfriends about the Gabriel Girls. Thanks!
_______________________________________________
Copyright 2016 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
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/drmaryanndiorio/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/maryanndiorio
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DrMaryAnnDiorio/posts
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