Mom Recorded Herself Getting High On Meth Before Killing Her Kids

Aide Mendez, 23, is one person whose life was destroyed. Her one year old daughter and her three year old son were cut off from any chance at life, and her boyfriend’s cousin also passed away.  Her boyfriend survived, broken and scarred for life.  The four family members involved in an apparent murder-suicide all died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

The woman who shot her two children, their father and a cousin before committing suicide took video of herself on her iPad as she smoked methamphetamine prior to the killings.  The world is crying out; desperate for answers.  They seek anything and everything to numb the pain, the fear and the rejection they feel from just being alive. There are millions of lives at stake.  But, for those of us who are alive in Christ, we have hope.

It is imperative that now, more than any other time in history, all who claim to be Christians begin to stand up for what we say we believe.  Certainly many of us have been taught that our “religion” is a private matter between us and God.  But the Word of God, the Holy Bible, says otherwise.  “Therefore, we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” ~Hebrews 13:6  

God does not want us to shrink back or be wimpy about what we believe.  On the other hand, God also does not want us to beat people over the head, He says, "in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect"~1 Peter 3

So what is the right balance?  First, we must let our lives be our testimony.  Stop living a compromised life.  A couple of “white lies” here and there, a little flirting with someone who is not your spouse, having an attitude with someone just because they don’t look like you.  “Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].” ~Romans 12:2

Whether you choose to do these things or not, life will go on.  But, if you make the choice to follow the example that Jesus set for us, you will set yourself on a path so amazing, so wonderful, so joy filled, it will leave you breathless!

Do not quench the Spirit

Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. ~I Thessalonians 5:19-22

God is always working. We, as Believers, are to expect something to happen that will work out for the good of those who love God and are the called to His purpose; which is us. Sometimes people will come up to you and say, "The Lord told me to give you a word." For many people, this would be a sign that a "kook" in in their midst. But, the Bible says that there are "prophetic utterances."

Therefore, when people bring news to you, test it and ask yourself if it lines up with the Word of God. If it does, then hold fast to it. Expect it to happen. Prepare yourself to receive it. Pray and ask God to help you receive it with thanksgiving. If it is not from God and therefore not good; reject it. We hold fast to those things that are from God and abstain from wickedness.

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Find Out for Yourself What's Really in the Bible

As a baby Christian, I often questioned things in the Bible because they seemed either extremely harsh or I couldn't believe that God would allow those things to happen. But, as a more mature Woman of God, I realize that 2 Timothy 3:16, ("All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:") does not mean that God sanctions every behavior done by men in the Bible, but that he has told us about such things in order to teach us what is pleasing and what is "not" pleasing to Him. He gives us many types of examples of things that happen in life that we should avoid.

Take a look in the back of your Bible. Does your Bible have a concordance or index? A concordance or index in the back of your Bible will help you to find out what God says about a particular subject. If your Bible has only a few entries in the index or concordance, you might want to get a Strong's Concordance.  Strong's numbering system is cross-referenced to many other important study tools. It's very easy to use. You use it like a dictionary.

Christian: Building Your Prayer Life

A simple, "Your will be done," is all it takes to be on the right track to building a prayer life. Of course, most prayers are much longer than that. But, if you are just learning to pray without reading a prayer, it is a good starting place. When you say, "Your will be done," you are taking the focus off of yourself and letting God reign in your situation. Then, you are free to pray for others. The Power of Simple Prayer: How to Talk with God about Everything is a resource written by Joyce Meyer. Joyce, an inspirational lecturer and evangelist, has more than 70 books in print. She uncovers the mystery of prayer and breaks it down into easy to understand principles.

With the help of Joyce, along with many other ministers, I now have a greater appreciation for the Lord's Prayer. I have a much stronger prayer life. Also, my faith has been built up, by reading the Bible. Now when I read, I don't just go from one word to another. I use study tools, books, and guides to help me get to the root of the meaning. When I meditate on the scriptures, they penetrate and take up residence in my heart. And now when I pray, I rarely pray amiss. Frequently, I see phenomenal results of my prayers. -- Be Blessed and Prosperous!

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Christian: Hearing and Doing God's Word

But, like many people, I didn't take God's Word to heart. I heard it and I didn't hear it. I knew it and I didn't know it. Know what I mean? Then, I started watching Christian television. Yeah, I know there is a lot of criticism about "tel-evangelists," but I learned from them, that I must check out whether what they say is true by looking into the scriptures for myself. Wow, what a concept! I would open my Bible and start looking up the scriptures for myself. Then, it happened. The thing that really changed my prayer life forever. The thing that has renewed my faith and made me into practicing Christian; a Jesus advocate. I heard a message about people who pray "amiss." 

Praying amiss means to pray in error; with the wrong motives or intentions. The wrong motives are selfish motives. James 4:3 says, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." Asking amiss means you are asking as though God were Santa Claus. Gimme, gimme, gimme! It's the battle cry of the prayer warrior that prays amiss. People want something that makes them feel better. "The heck with other people, I have my own needs." What I found out is that God will meet your needs whether you ask Him or not. Yet, when you stop being so self-centered, He will begin to answer your prayers in ways you could have never imagined. --Be Blessed and Prosperous!

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Christian: Learning to Pray

The sum total of my prayer life for more than 40 years were two prayers I learned by rote. No wonder my life was so stagnant. In all of those 40 years, I never remember one time that I believed God answered my prayers. I used to add a couple of special requests at the end, just to see if they would be more effective. But, I never saw a sign or a wonder. Do I believe God hated me? "No." I just felt like I was a Christian and that God would give me whatever He thought was best, and that should be "good enough" for me. After all, I wasn't anybody special. I wasn't anointed. I wasn't a preacher or an evangelist. I was not really one of the chosen or called ones.

Then suddenly, one day, (don't know exactly when it happened) just one day, I remember listening to Christian radio. I actually didn't mind hearing it. It was a positive message. I began to listen more and more often. All I heard were encouraging messages that told me to pay attention to what I was doing. Pay attention to what I was saying. Pay attention to what I allowed into my life. Duh! You would think that after 32 years of being a Christian, I would already know that. I learned that 85% of everything that comes into your brain comes from sight. The other 15% comes from your other senses. I found out that one of the big differences between us average folks and those who seem to hear from God is that they pay attention to and limit everything that goes into their eye and ear gates. Total Life Prosperity 14 Practical Steps To Receiving God's Full Blessing is a book that explains this whole concept. The author, Creflo Dollar, states that we have very low expectations from God because we have not matured in faith and are not biblically informed; so when times are tough we assume God has let us down or wants us to struggle. --And Be Blessed and Prosperous!

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To Learn to Pray

Growing up, I never "learned to pray." I just "learned prayers." I am certain that many of you can related to that idea.  It's important "to learn to pray ."

What happens when you don't learn to pray is that you are stifled. The power of prayer doesn't seem to work for you. You begin to doubt the fact that God answers prayer, because "it seems" he never answered yours. You also are embarrassed to pray in public. It seems that saying a prayer in public is only for the "anointed." I want you to know that I have been there, too.  Let me tell you something that I learned. I learned that prayer is for everyone. Prayer can and does get answered everyday. And learning how to get your prayers answered is one of the most important life lessons a person can learn.

In The Power of Simple Prayer , Joyce Meyer takes the mystery out of talking with God by explaining and exploring the different types of prayer. Prayer is a powerful force that can help you gain wisdom in difficult situations, guidance in your relationships, and strength for success. Learn to unleash its power through praise, worship, thanksgiving, commitment, petition, perseverance, and intercession. Each chapter concludes with a brief summary and several "Prayer Points" to help you apply the lessons you are learning. 

Once you learn how to pray in a practical way, your confidence and the power of your prayers will come alive for you. You will begin to see God working in every area of your life.  

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Christian: The Lord's Prayer Magnified

Growing older, I learned the " Lord's Prayer." Boy, what a load off my mind. I was no longer praying to die. I was now praying for "hollowood names," a kingdom coming, daily bread (of, course as a child, my thoughts were a slice of bread), dets, (don't know what that is), delivered from evil (that's the one I liked), and forever. Though not convinced that this prayer had a basis in my reality, I prayed it because it was the only one I knew except for the dying one.  For many, many years, I prayed that prayer; never even thinking about what it meant or whether it was relevant. When I would be in a group and someone would ask, "who would like to pray?" I would never say, "me," because I know the Lord's Prayer is not what they expected. 

I now know the power of the Lord's Prayer; as a model prayer. Pastor Greg Laurie penned an eye opening book called, Wrestling with God: Prayer That Never Gives Up. This book illustrates how prayer works in different people's lives. --And Be Blessed and Prosperous!

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First Prayers for Children

When I was a young girl, I learned two prayers: The first one was, "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake. I pray the Lord my soul to take." I remember, at one point, after having said it for years, I began to reflect on the words: "if I should die." Die? I didn't want to die. Am I praying to die? I don't want to pray to die. My solution was, I would just not say "that part" of the prayer when I prayed. My not saying that part of the prayer did not help. I began to have nightmares about dying in my sleep. 

Can you imagine a young child being tortured by the concept of death? I thought, this can't be what Christianity is all about. Afraid to tell anyone that I didn't want to say "that part," I just kept silent. I have since learned that this part of the prayer is actually the best part.  


"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8)

--And Be Blessed and Prosperous!

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