Tag Archives: Christianity

creative commons, Personal, Random Thoughts, Religious, Thought of the day

When I Was Young–Random Thoughts 9-17-14

1 Comment

rayraydWhen I was young I thought life was beautiful, that I was indestructible and had little to no fear of death. The faith I had in God was unshakable and my heart was always loving and forgiving as well. I recall a memory of when I had wrecked my bike into the back of a pickup truck, I split my nose in half from the impact and lip. My face was quite horrifying to see all sewn up. My brother being the little brat he was, he thought he would get me by making me look at my face in the mirror for the first time.  my mother walked in as it was happening and thought I was going to freak, she was trying to say words to calm me etc. I glanced at my face in the mirror and with not even a thought I just shrugged it off saying to my mother “I am not worried about it mom, God will take care of me. I was so unafraid of the possibilities, I knew id be ok deep within myself. That is the kind of faith we as adults should have as well. Unfortunately as we grow older having such faith becomes harder to have.

Faith is a key component to our relationship with God, we must have trust in his promises and his love.

Just some random thoughts Smile

Raymond Barbier

Related articles
Random Thoughts, Religion, Religious, Thought of the day

Friday Morning Thoughts

Leave a comment

016When we are young we are invincible, unstoppable and foolishly ignorant of our mortality. But we also were full of undying faith and knew the joy of being children of god. As we grew older we had to face our mortality and the fact we are not the unstoppable or unmovable force we once believed. We begin to lose faith in this world and in our selves, and many lose their faith in God as well.

We can reestablish our faith in God and we can also leave the fear of our mortality behind us with such faith. We must constantly remind ourselves where our strength, blessings and wisdom comes from, not from ourselves but from God. We must learn to let go and let God take control, the Ego or Self tends to be resistant to letting God be the one to be in control.

Fear is the enemy, it causes doubt and drains the power of faith, love and it keeps us from happiness.  Selfishness is an enemy as well, one can not serve ones self before serving God nor can they truly help others is they seek to satisfy themselves first. We can only serve one master at a time, and if that master is our own self we tend to neglect not only God but all the people who need us and love us as well.

Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

James 1:3
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Random Thoughts, Thought of the day

But that little voice within is persistent

Leave a comment

003Self Control, Self Reflection and Self deception detection. Only if we had a built-in detector that could warn us when we are about to lose control or when we are deceiving ourselves… Oh wait we do, we just tend to ignore it. Some call it a conscience others call it a moral thermometer or compass.  It’s that little voice that most of us tend to ignore or act as if it doesn’t exist so we can do things that we think will get us that temporary pleasure or emotional high. It’s the voice within trying to warn us of the consequences of our actions and the damage it may cause.

It seems our ego likes to block out, gag and tie up or conscience so it can fill itself up and be big. Its selfish nature makes the ego a hard thing to tame and control.  The ego is only out for itself and is one of the biggest barriers to finding contentment and happiness in life.  The Ego tries hard to convince us we are totally individual and separate therefore the whole is unimportant and the self is all that exists and matters.  But that little voice within is persistent and will continually remind us of our connection with all other living things and that we are not the center of  all existence.  We are but one cog in the machine works of all that is and a contributor to all that shall eventually come. Our words, thought and actions be they small or great will play a part in what we call the present which will help set the course of the future.

Deflate that Ego and listen well to that little voice we all call a conscience.

Ray Barbier

Poems and Writings, Random Thoughts, Religious, Thought of the day

What is Prosperity and what does the Bible say about it?

Leave a comment

022

What is Prosperity and what does the Bible say about it?

Job 36:11 (KJV)  “If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.”

If we obey and serve God he shall grant us prosperity  through our life.  So we are told through obedience and Servitude is the path to prosperity. We are also told that God is pleased to see his servants in prosperity in Psalms

Psalms 35:27 (KJV) “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.”

Thus we can conclude that God wants us to live in Happiness and Prosperity. But then what is prosperity in the bible, is it riches, jewels or is it simply being at a point in life where one needs for nothing such as food a home and health?

If you recall in the bible the rich were not celebrated, So I say that the prosperity God grants is more based on the needs of one to survive and live happily not that of wealth, power or possessions. Servants of God be that they be preacher,teacher,messenger or just a follower. should spread the message of the prosperity of God not of the prosperity of the wicked and foolish world.

Mathew 6: 19-20

19 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

Which Roughly means do not put faith in things that are of this world, they are temporary. Put faith in God and the things of his kingdom for they are forever..

Ray Barbier

Personal, Poems and Writings, Random Thoughts, Religious

It’s about being happy and secure in where you are in life

1 Comment

David thanking God after the death of Goliath-...

Giving thanks, Something we should do on a daily basis. We should be thankful for what we have been given and blessed with to have. In my past I have found myself thanking God then turning around and complaining about what I have been given. Seems petty and to me it seems as if I wasn’t truly thankful. Well of course those days are gone, I now truly am thankful for what I have and don’t think what I have is less than I need or deserve. That side of me back then was petty, selfish and unaware of how much I actually was blessed with. I think I just didn’t understand how to be thankful and didn’t know how much I really had to be thankful for back then. It’s okay to aspire to have better but you must be happy with what you have. Prosperity isn’t all about having the best or most of anything, it’s about being happy and secure in where you are in life and with the things you have been blessed with.

For happiness is found in the acceptance of the blessings you have already not in the gifts yet to be received.

Ray Barbier

Related articles
Poems and Writings, Random Thoughts, Thought of the day

Forget about the unchangeable past and live in the now

Leave a comment

DSC_0323bRegret, the enemy of happiness and being at peace with one’s self. Regret of the things undone, unsaid and missed out on through ones life are nothing but obstructions in one’s path to happiness. Regret that last longer than a short moment is but the lack of the ability to forgive yourself for your mistakes and/or shortcomings. If you can’t undo or make up for the wrongs you’ve done or if the opportunities you’ve missed are far gone then why waste any time or energy on them. Far as the wrongs you can bring to right and the opportunities you still can utilize they should be your main focus to accomplish. Forgive yourself, forget about the unchangeable past and live in the now, do not make more situations to regret by hanging on to the dead weight of things that are beyond you ability to control or change.

Free yourself of living in the past so you can make the most of the present, free your heart of the burdens of past mistakes to make room for the happiness, love and serenity that you deserve.

Ray Barbier

Related articles
Personal, Random Thoughts, Religious, Thought of the day, Thought's on World Issues

The differences we have divide us only because we allow them to.

3 Comments

017Why cant the many religions of the world come to peace with one another? Why must we have hatred for those who either believe different or don’t have a belief? I never could understand how one person could hate another because of their religious beliefs, race or even nation origin. We are all human after all, we all are brought into this world in the same manner and we all leave it in the same state. We all want happiness for ourselves and those we love and we all have the same basic needs to survive. The differences we have divide us only because we allow them to. Our diversity as a species is what has since the dawn of humankind made us a resilient and thriving species. It gave us the ability to survive many climate changes and challenges.

I have had many friends of different religious beliefs and never judged them one way or another because of their beliefs. If I did judge them it was by how they treated me and others around them. We had many disagreements on religious ideals but we didn’t allow them to become a stumbling block in our friendship. Sad thing is even within a religion there can be division in belief and that sometimes even leads to violence within it. Is it the religion that causes this violence and division or is it caused by the darkness within some of those within the religion.

Either way, I will always be one who believes in every persons right to believe as they wish and I will respect what ever choice they make. I also will not turn away anyone as a friend nor anyone in need because of their beliefs.

I know how I believe and how I chose to be may not be popular and may be looked down on by some in my religion and in others as well, but It is how my heart tells me to be and that’s what I choose.

Ray Barbier

Related articles
Random Thoughts, Religious, Thought of the day

The Battles Ahead will be won

5 Comments

eyeI face many battles ahead of me in this short life God has blessed me with. Some are battles forced upon me by the world I live in, others are battles of my own making through the choices made in my life. Some are battles within the heart others are battles with and within the mind. None of the battles will be easily won, but they will be won through faith and with love.

No other person can fight these battles for me, but I will not stand alone in these battles I face. He is always with me and he that is within me is greater than any enemy I shall face ahead.

I once walked in fear, I once lived in doubt and now I choose to walk in faith and to live in love.

God Bless you all

Ray Barbier.

Related articles
Random Thoughts, Religious, Thought of the day

Thoughts on 2/23/2013

5 Comments

God, the Father watches us all everywhere.

Stop trying to rely on your own strength , learn to rely on that inner strength God provides you. It is a strength beyond the physical and mental strengths we cultivate and acquire through life. Remember where all your strengths come from, for they all originate from God. And be thankful for what you have as well as what you have had as well.

Ray Barbier

Related articles
Random Thoughts, Thought of the day

we should love one another as Jesus commanded us to do

2 Comments

dd43853So easy it is to open your eyes and see the needs of others, so simple is it to open your heart and give to those who need. It isn’t all about money, it’s about friendship, fellowship, kindness and compassion. Even a smile or a kind word can change the hearts and minds of those around you. A little compassion can go a long way in helping someone get through the day. Just give what you have to give to help others and it will multiply within the person you help.

Try to remember the person you seeing in need, be it a need of food, clothes or just a kind word or two could easily be you. So try to treat others with that fact in mind, they too are only human and have problems, challenges and circumstances just like you do. They are your brothers and sisters in the eyes of God, we should love one another as Jesus commanded us to do.

God Bless

Ray Barbier

Related articles