Sunday, July 31, 2016

Survey for Gabriel Guys

Dear Gabriel Guys,

According to the statistics, we are now in over 15 countries of the world. But I am concerned. I have not been receiving comments from our readers. So I am wondering if you find this blog helpful.  Please let me know.

If you regularly read the Gabriel Girls blog, please post a comment in the box below. Ignore the words "No Comments."  They simply mean that no one has posted a comment yet.

Also, please let me know if there are any topics which you wish to discuss.

I do hope to hear from you. Because there has been virtually no feedback, I have been wondering if I should continue writing this blog.

I look forward to your input.


Thanks and Blessings!

Dr. MaryAnn Diorio
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Monday, July 18, 2016

How to Handle a Bully

Hey, Gabriel Guys!

Bullying is a major problem among teens today. Did you know that the Bible has a lot to say about bullying and about how to handle bullies?

Let's take a look:

1-Be wise in choosing your friends.  The Bible says says about choosing friends: "The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray." (Proverbs 12: 26).  How do you choose your friends? Do you choose them based on popularity, looks, smarts? 

The right way to choose friends is to choose them based on their character. Consider your friends. Do they love Jesus and obey God? Or are they rebellious and want to do whatever they feel like doing?



2-Return good for evil. When someone tries to bully you via a hurtful comment on Facebook, or an insult at school, or an act of rejection, do something to bless that person. Say something kind. Tell that person you are praying for him. Help him in some way.

 Jesus said this: “I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:39-40)

3-Stand up to the bully. There will be times when you will need to stand up to the bully. You will need to establish your boundaries and not allow the bully beyond them.  

Remember your authority in Christ and use it against the enemy. In reality, you are not fighting the bully; you are fighting Satan and his demons (Ephesians 6:12). "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you" ( Deuteronomy 28: 10). 

4-Forgive the bully. Behind the mask a bully wears is a frightened person who does not feel he is worth much. So he uses bullying to make himself feel important.  As you forgive the bully and pray for him, God will begin to change her life.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN: Have you ever been bullied? How did you handle the bully? Did you handle him God's way or your way?

 TWEETABLE:
"How to Handle a Bully" by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio (CLICK TO TWEET)

______________________________________________________
Copyright 2016 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Guy, 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:
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Wednesday, July 13, 2016

What Is the Meaning of Life?

Hey, Gabriel Guys!

One of the greatest questions you will ever ask yourself is What is the meaning of my life? How you answer this question will determine whether or not you fulfill your destiny.

Let's start with the basics:

1-Your life has meaning. To believe otherwise is to believe a lie. Unfortunately, our modern educational system teaches evolution, and evolution teaches that you came from an amoeba or a monkey and that you are here by chance.

This is one of the greatest lies ever perpetrated on the human race. The truth is that you were directly created by God for a specific and wonderful purpose (Read Psalm 139). This gives you great value and worth. It also gives great meaning to your life.

2-God has a special plan for your life. As you discover and fulfill that plan, you will experience great joy and fulfillment. You will also benefit the people in your circle of influence.

God created you with specific talents and gifts. This gifts are not only for your enjoyment, but, more importantly, they are to be shared with others for their benefit.

3-The only way you will discover the true meaning of your life is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.  No other way will work.  Why? Because the meaning of your life has its roots in Christ and can only fully blossom in Christ.

If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, I urge you to do so now. Here is a prayer you can pray:

Lord Jesus, I come to You just as I am. I believe that You are the Son of God, that You died for my sins, and that You rose again from the dead. I ask You to forgive me of all my sins. I accept You now as my Savior and my Lord. Make of me all that You created me to be. Show me the meaning of my life so that my life may bring You great glory! In Your Name I pray. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, you are now a child of God. Please write to me to let me know. I will send you, free of charge, a little booklet on how to grow in Christ.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN: Do you know the meaning of your life? If so, how did you discover it? What part did Christ play in your discovery?

 TWEETABLE:
The only way you will discover the true meaning of your life is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. (CLICK TO TWEET)
______________________________________________________
Copyright 2016 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Guy, 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:
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Saturday, July 9, 2016

So, You Want to Commit Suicide?

If you’re a Christ-follower reading this, you’re probably wondering if I’ve lost my mind. Why would a follower of Jesus Christ want to kill himself?

 The truth is that suicide is increasing among teenagers in general and among Christian teens in particular. So, it’s time to take action against suicide and look at it for what it really is: Satan’s attempt to rob you of your God-given destiny.

 Why is suicide increasing among teens?
Because teens see the world as becoming more and more hopeless. They may also be experiencing personal problems that seem hopeless--like strife in the home, parental divorce, overwhelming temptations, identity crises, concern about their futures, and a host of other things that drag them down into depression.

 Suicide is always the result of believing a lie--or more than one. Let’s take a look at some of the lies that lead to teen suicide and the truth that will set you free:

 ---LIE:  Your pain will never go away.

 ---TRUTH: No pain on this earth lasts forever. The only things that will last forever are God and His Word, your spirit and soul, and the virtues of faith, hope, and love. 

 Scripture says this: “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.  Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever.  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.  For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4: 17-18)

 ---LIE: Your life is your own. You can do whatever you want with it.

 ---TRUTH:  Your life is not your own. It was bought and paid for by Jesus Christ with His Blood. Therefore, you have no right to take your own life. 

 Scripture says this: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

---LIE: My family and friends will be better off without me.

 ---TRUTH: For every suicide, there will be 13-15 people who are directly affected and whose lives will never be the same. To kill oneself is an extreme act of selfishness in that the person committing suicide is thinking only of himself.
Scripture says this: "Do nothing from selfishness . . . .” (Philippians 2: 3)

 Suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens. Most suicide victims were deeply depressed before killing themselves. Depressed people thing wrong thoughts that contradict God’s Word. Thinking wrong thoughts leads to chemical changes in the body that cause illness.

“Suicide is always the result of believing a lie--or more than one.” ~ Dr. MaryAnn Diorio

If you are struggling with the temptation to kill yourself, consider this:

 1-Jesus loves you and has a great plan for your life. Satan hates you and wants to thwart God’s great plan for you.

 2-You can overcome depression by reading and obeying God’s Word. When you are tempted to be depressed, begin praising God. Satan hates praise directed toward God, so when you praise God, Satan will flee.

 In our next post, I will discuss depression and how to get rid of it.

 Now, it’s YOUR TURN: Have you struggled with thoughts of suicide? Do you have a friend who struggles with such thoughts? Do you know of someone who has committed suicide? How did that person’s suicide affect you? Please post your comment in the box below. Thanks! :)

 TWEETABLE:
“Suicide is always the result of believing a lie--or more than one.” ~ Dr. MaryAnn Diorio (CLICK TO TWEET)
______________________________________________________
Copyright 2016 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

To Become a Gabriel Guy, 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:
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Friday, July 1, 2016

5 Ways to Grow in Christ

Hey, Gabriel Guys!

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 Guys in the comment 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:
Posted by at No comments:
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