Throughout my ministerial career we have observed and experienced the great blessings and also the tribulations that have occurred with the people whom God has placed in our care.

We also observed and experienced the attitudes that these people adopted in the face of their tribulations or blessings.

We ministered to several people that came to church, lost spiritually, that "lost the thread" of their lives, no longer knowing the way out of their problems and the way to live or return to have the fullness of God in their lives.

And the causes for these situations to be happening, almost all of the time, were the wrong attitudes taken against the Word of God, generating blindness and spiritual poverty.

Lamentations 5:14 The elders are gone from the city gate; the young men have stopped their music.15 Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning. 16 The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! 17 Because of this our hearts are faint, because of these things our eyes grow dim.

Churches today are preaching a false and weak gospel, and as a result, people ARE NOT DISCERNING THE TRUTH OF THE LIE and they are being influenced to live the easy way, where blessing comes regardless of faithfulness and love for God.

1 Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

And as I always say: TO LIVE ONLY ON THE MERCY OF GOD IS TO LIVE SUFFERING, because we must CONSTANTLY LIVE THE PROMISES OF GOD, because if we only live the mercies of God, we will live suffering, not succumbing just because of His mercies.

Lamentations 3:39 Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins? 40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD. 41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say: 42 We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven.

But there is a solution, the way of change for these people who are living this spiritual abyss is simple: REPENT YOUR SINS and LIVE THE TRUE WORD OF GOD.

Start assuming that the fault is not of God that there are any problems, difficulties, struggles, spiritual coldness, but it's your fault, because God's desire is always to bless you.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

THE PRINCIPLE OF YOUR BLESSING IS YOUR FIDELITY TO GOD.

And for you to be faithful to God, it is necessary that you love him more than anything, because otherwise, you will not be able to be faithful, because WHAT YOU LOVE THE MOST WILL ALWAYS BE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU.

Do not live the easy and deceitful gospel preached today, but live what Jesus preached:

Luke 10:27 He answered: 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.

YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.

What a wonderful ordinance this is and how God's people have failed to fulfill that ordinance.

HOW HAVE YOU DEMONSTRATED YOUR LOVE TO GOD?

Not theoretical love, but true love, which presupposes attitudes that demonstrate your feeling, striving so that each day you are better for God, constantly worshiping the only God.

John 4:23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

Pastor Val Martins