Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts

Friday, September 3, 2021

"Horoscopes? Ouija Boards? Séances? Are They Really Harmless?" by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio

Hey, Awesome Teen!

W
ith Halloween close on our heels, we are entering the yearly period of intense occult activity in our land. Not that the occult isn’t alive and active all year round. But at this time of year, it steps up its game. 
What is the occult, and why is it dangerous?

The occult is involvement with demonic supernatural agents. Notice that I said “demonic” supernatural agents. Good angels are also supernatural agents, but they are by no means occultic in nature or function. Instead, they are holy and in total submission to God.
Demons, on the contrary, are in rebellion to God. Demons represent the one-third of the angels who joined Lucifer in rebelling against God. The other two-thirds of the angels remained faithful to God.
Many people today are involved in the occult and don’t even know it. Perhaps you are one of them. If so, read on, because involvement in the occult is extremely dangerous to your spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical well-being.
How can you know if you are involved in the occult? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
1–Do you start your day by reading your horoscope?
2–Do you call the psychic hotline when facing a problem?
3–Have you gone to a séance, consulted a fortune-teller, or spoken to someone you believed was a dead relative or friend? 
4–Have you played with a Ouija board or experimented with levitation?
5–Have you played with tarot cards, read tea leaves, or used crystal balls to determine the future?
6–Do you play occult games like Dungeons and Dragons or Tunnels and Trolls?
7–Have you had your body tattooed in private places?
8–Do you use occult symbols on your personal belongings–symbols like the pentagram, the number 666, or horned creatures?
9–Do you easily rebel against authority? 
10-Have you engaged in animal sacrifices?
11-Do you watch horror or occult movies or read horror or occult books, like Harry Potter?
12-Have you had out-of-body experiences that terrified you?
13-Are you addicted to drugs?
14-Do you deliberately cut yourself?
15-Are you inordinately depressed, to the point of wanting to commit suicide?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you need to take action!  Even if you’ve experimented with the occult “only one time,” you’ve opened the door to a demonic realm that is affecting your life at this very moment.
For example, do you experience panic attacks, nightmares, or inordinate fear? These symptoms could very well be due to your involvement–past or present–with the occult. 
Or perhaps you are tormented by voices continually talking in your head. You may be afraid to tell anyone about these voices for fear you would be considered insane. You may see horrible images in your mind that drive you to distraction, yet you are afraid or embarrassed to share this with anyone. You may have an inordinate fear of something but are unwilling to divulge it. This fear may be due to your involvement in the occult. In worst case scenarios, involvement with the occult could result in a complete takeover of your personality by demonic spirits–something called “demon possession.” 
If you are, indeed, involved in the occult, there is hope for you! That hope is in Jesus Christ!  Before I gave my life to Jesus, I used to read the daily horoscope, unaware of its grave dangers. After I was born again, Holy Spirit showed me in the Bible that what I was doing was sin. I immediately repented and stopped reading the horoscope.
Also, I learned that some of my ancestors had been involved in the occult and, as a result, had passed on to me a generational curse. So, I underwent deliverance ministry whereby I was set free from the generational curse of occult involvement. 
If you have been involved in the occult, you, too, can be set free by the power of Jesus Christ. Jesus is not only able to set you free; He wants to set you free. Go to Him now! Here is a prayer you can use as a model as you ask for His help:
Father God, in the Name of Jesus I confess my involvement with the occult. I also confess any involvement of my ancestors, on both sides of my family, all the way back to Adam and Eve. In the Name of Jesus, I repent of my personal involvement with the occult, and I repent of the involvement of any of my ancestors with the occult. I ask Your forgiveness for my personal sin and for the sin of my ancestors. In the Name of Jesus, I break the power of the generational curse of the occult from operating in my life or in the lives of my descendants. I thank You, Father, for Your cleansing power that sets me free from the curse. Amen!
I’ve listed below some further resources for you. Please take advantage of them as you so choose. If you need prayer or a referral to a deliverance minister, please contact me at drmaryann@maryanndiorio.com. I will be happy to help you.

FURTHER RESOURCES FOR DELIVERANCE FROM OCCULT INVOLVEMENT:
1 – My short podcast on the occult: “The Dangers of the Occult”.
Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate Affiliate and receive a small commission on the sale of the above books.
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Copyright 2017-2021 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA.  All Rights Reserved.

Friday, April 2, 2021

Where Am I Going?

Hey, Awesome Teen,

Last week we discussed the second of the three great questions of life: Why am I here?  We learned that we are creatures made in the image of God and that we have great value and worth. If you missed last week’s post, you can find it here.




Today, we’re going to talk about the third anThis week, we'll discuss the third most important life question: Where am I going?

This question could refer to where you will go after you graduate; where you will go when you leave home; where you will go as the next step in Gods plan for your life. But we are going to discuss where you are going after you die. 

As many of you already know, once our body dies, that is not the end, as so many falsely teach today.  In addition to your body, you have a soul and a spirit (See I Thessalonians 5:23). Your spirit is who you really are. Your soul comprises your mind, your will, and your emotions. Your body is what I like to call your “earth suit”. :)

When we die, our spirit and soul leave our body, but they still continue to exist. They go to either one of two places: Heaven or Hell. Where your spirit and soul go after you die is entirely up to you.  But you must make that decision while you are still alive on this earth. Once you die, it is too late to choose where your spirit and soul will go.

How do you make sure that your spirit and soul will go to Heaven to be with Jesus after you die? Simple. All you need to do is accept Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord.  When you do, you begin to trust Him to get you to Heaven. And no one is more trustworthy than Jesus!  He is perfectly trustworthy.

Those who do accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord will go to hell when they die. Plain and simple. The reason is that we can get to Heaven only through Jesus. He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). 

So, no matter what anyone tells you, Jesus is the only way to be saved.

If you have not yet invited Jesus into your life to be your Savior and Lord, pray this simple prayer now:

Lord Jesus, I come to You just as I am. I ask You to forgive me of all my sins. I invite You into my life, and I receive You now as my Savior and my Lord. Thank You for saving me. Make of me what You created me to be. Amen. 

If you prayed this prayer, please write to me at Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, PO Box 1185, Merchantville, NJ 08109.  I will send you a little booklet called After You’re Born Again to help you get started in your wonderful walk with Jesus.

Also, if you prayed this prayer, write down the date and time. This is your spiritual birthday. Get yourself a good Bible that you can understand. Read it every day. Pray every day. Prayer is simply talking with Jesus as you would to your best friend, because He is your Best Friend.

If you have any questions or comments about Life Question Three, please share your thoughts in the comment box below or write to me privately at drmaryann@maryanndiorio.com. Thanks and Blessings!  :)

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Copyright 2016-2021 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved
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Wednesday, August 16, 2017

5 Ways to Grow in Christ

Hey, Gabriel Girls!

I trust you’re having a great summer! No matter what you do this summer, don’t forget to spend time with Jesus.

Of all your relationships, your relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important relationship you will ever have. It will last forever, into eternity. So don’t you agree it’s vital that you keep working on that relationship?


If you don’t yet have a relationship with Jesus Christ, I urge you to establish one. Click here to learn how to do so. 


Okay, now let’s talk about five ways to grow your relationship in Christ:


1) Dig deep into God’s Word. God’s Word is the Bible. The Bible and Jesus are actually one and the same, so if you dig deep into the Bible, you will be digging deep into Jesus. Why is this important? Because the better you get to know Jesus, the more you will be like Him, and the more like Him you are, the better your life will be.

Check out Psalm 119: 1-3: Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God. Happy are all who search for God and always do his will, rejecting compromise with evil and walking only in his paths. 

If you want to be truly happy, follow Jesus! 

2) Pray.  Prayer is a two-way conversation with God. He talks to you, and you talk to Him. Be sure to do twice as much listening as you do talking, however, because God is far smarter than you are. :)

I keep a Prayer Journal of my conversations with God. It’s really cool to go back and read over the things God has spoken to me over the years. Most of all, keeping a Prayer Journal will remind you of how much God cares, especially when you’re going through tough times.



3) Obey what God tells you to do. How do you know what God tells you to do? The best place to find that answer is in the Bible. God has written down all that He wants you to do. It can be summed up in two commands found in Luke 10: 27: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  Obey these two commands and you’ll be just fine. :)  

4) Meet with other Christ-Followers. We all need the support of others on our journey with Jesus. Fellow believers lift us up when we are down, and vice versa. The Bible says this about meeting with fellow believers: Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near (Hebrews 10: 25). We do not necessarily have to meet in church buildings, because we are the Church. But we should meet regularly with other Christ-Followers, especially during these dangerous times right before Christ’s return.

5) Tell others about Jesus. I am so thankful for the young woman who told me about Jesus and about my need to be born again. Even though I thought she was crazy at first, I eventually realized that she was telling me the truth. Were it not for her courage, I would not be writing this blog post today. 

So, be bold in your witness for Jesus Christ. You have the truth, and by sharing the truth with others, you will prevent many from spending eternity in Hell.

There you have it: 5 Ways to Grow in Christ. Now all you have to do is put these 5 ways into practice. You will be amazed at how much your life will change for the better!

Now, it's YOUR TURN: What ways do you practice to grow in Christ? Please share with our fellow Gabriel Girls!

You can post your comments in the box below. Thanks! We're eagerly waiting to hear from you. Your opinion matters!

TWEETABLE:


______________________________________________________
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:

Thursday, June 30, 2016

5 Ways to Grow in Christ

Hey, Gabriel Girls!

I trust you’re having a great summer! No matter what you do this summer, don’t forget to spend time with Jesus.

Of all your relationships, your relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important relationship you will ever have. It will last forever, into eternity. So don’t you agree it’s vital that you keep working on that relationship?


If you don’t yet have a relationship with Jesus Christ, I urge you to establish one. Click here to learn how to do so. 


Okay, now let’s talk about five ways to grow your relationship in Christ:


1) Dig deep into God’s Word. God’s Word is the Bible. The Bible and Jesus are actually one and the same, so if you dig deep into the Bible, you will be digging deep into Jesus. Why is this important? Because the better you get to know Jesus, the more you will be like Him, and the more like Him you are, the better your life will be.

Check out Psalm 119: 1-3: Happy are all who perfectly follow the laws of God. Happy are all who search for God and always do his will, rejecting compromise with evil and walking only in his paths. 

If you want to be truly happy, follow Jesus! 

2) Pray.  Prayer is a two-way conversation with God. He talks to you, and you talk to Him. Be sure to do twice as much listening as you do talking, however, because God is far smarter than you are. :)

I keep a Prayer Journal of my conversations with God. It’s really cool to go back and read over the things God has spoken to me over the years. Most of all, keeping a Prayer Journal will remind you of how much God cares, especially when you’re going through tough times.



3) Obey what God tells you to do. How do you know what God tells you to do? The best place to find that answer is in the Bible. God has written down all that He wants you to do. It can be summed up in two commands found in Luke 10: 27: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  Obey these two commands and you’ll be just fine. :)  

4) Meet with other Christ-Followers. We all need the support of others on our journey with Jesus. Fellow believers lift us up when we are down, and vice versa. The Bible says this about meeting with fellow believers: Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near (Hebrews 10: 25). We do not necessarily have to meet in church buildings, because we are the Church. But we should meet regularly with other Christ-Followers, especially during these dangerous times right before Christ’s return.

5) Tell others about Jesus. I am so thankful for the young woman who told me about Jesus and about my need to be born again. Even though I thought she was crazy at first, I eventually realized that she was telling me the truth. Were it not for her courage, I would not be writing this blog post today. 

So, be bold in your witness for Jesus Christ. You have the truth, and by sharing the truth with others, you will prevent many from spending eternity in Hell.

There you have it: 5 Ways to Grow in Christ. Now all you have to do is put these 5 ways into practice. You will be amazed at how much your life will change for the better!

Now, it's YOUR TURN: What ways do you practice to grow in Christ? Please share with our fellow Gabriel Girls!

You can post your comments in the box below. Thanks! We're eagerly waiting to hear from you. Your opinion matters!

TWEETABLE:


______________________________________________________
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:

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
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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




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