Are You Looking Up or Looking Down?

by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio

WINNING WITH THE WORD

“Winning with the Word” is a weekly blog that will help you to be a winner in life by applying God’s principles for living the abundant life as found in the Bible, God’s manual for life.

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Be sure to check out our Featured Book of the Week at the end of this post.

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Do you prefer listening instead of reading? Then click below to listen to today’s blog post on podcast.

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Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, novelist and life coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Monday, May 30, 2022, and this is Episode #22 of Series 2022. This episode is titled “Are You Looking Up or Looking Down?”
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When I was growing up, there was a saying that went like this: “Don’t be so heavenly-minded that you’re no earthly good.” The saying meant that one could get off balance by thinking too much of spiritual matters while neglecting important daily matters, like eating or taking a shower. The expression was used to speak of people who always had their head in the clouds. Absent-minded people. Daydreamer types who repeatedly missed the forest for the trees.

On another level, the phrase also referred to people who constantly talked about God and the things of God. So-called religious fanatics.

But were these people really off base? Or had they grabbed onto something vitally important that the rest of us missed?

Scripture gives us a clear answer. In 2 Corinthians 4: 18, the Bible tells us to “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

This verse tells us that there are two realms: the spiritual realm and the earthly realm. One of these realms–the earthly realm where we now live–is temporary. It will one day pass away. The other realm–the heavenly realm–is eternal. It will last forever. Doesn’t it make sense, then, to focus on what will last forever instead of on what one day will end?

I think so.

So, what about us? Are we fixing our eyes on what is seen, or on what is not seen? Are we focusing more on making a living, building a career, paying our bills, and having a great weekend with our friends? Or are we focusing more on obeying God, reading the Bible, and doing good to others?

In other words, are we so earthly minded that we are no heavenly good?

It is time, my friend, for us to be heavenly-minded. Jesus is coming back soon, and He will remove from the earth only those who follow Him and are focused on the things of God. If our focus is on the wrong thing, we will miss our destiny.

What about you? Are you focused more on the things of God than on the things of earth? Are you focused on the things of God at all? If not, please take to heart this week’s message. 

The things of God are the only things that ultimately matter. They alone are the things that will last forever. To spend our time focusing only on what will pass away is foolishness.

Focusing on the things of God begins with a relationship with God. To begin that relationship, we need to invite Jesus Christ into our lives. If you have not yet done so, let’s do that now. Please pray this simple prayer after me:

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I admit that I have been going the wrong way, my own way and not your way. I have been putting my focus on earthly things rather than heavenly things. I recognize that my sin put You on that Cross where You died for me. So, I repent of my sin, I turn away from it, and I ask You to forgive me. I invite You into my life. Be my Savior and my Lord. Amen.

If you sincerely prayed this prayer, welcome to God’s family! Please write down today’s date. It is your spiritual birthday. And please write to me at drmaryann@maryanndiorio.com. I would like to send you a free PDF booklet titled After You’re Born Again. This booklet will help you to get started in your walk with Jesus.

I also encourage you to get yourself a Bible and read it every single day. The Bible is God’s love letter to you, His manual for your life. In the Bible, God reveals Who He is, and He teaches you how to live.

Finally, ask the Lord to lead you to the church of His choice for you where you can learn about Him and have fellowship and encouragement with other Christ-Followers. It is critically important in these last days to fellowship with other believers who are mature in Christ and who can guide you as you grow in Him.

If you did not pray this prayer with me, please reconsider. Jesus Christ is coming back soon to remove from the earth all those who follow Him. The rest of the world’s population will be left behind and will face the most horrific time in human history under the dictatorship of the AntiChrist. If you do not believe me, do your own research. 

Thousands of years ago, the Bible predicted exactly what is happening in our world today. Everything is coming to pass exactly as the Bible prophesied. The Bible has never been wrong. I have been following Jesus for 52 amazing years, and He has never failed me. Nor will he ever fail you if you choose to follow Him. 

I urge you: Accept Jesus Christ now! He is the only way to be saved.

If this podcast has helped you in any way, please consider supporting it by becoming one of my valued patrons. Just go to patreon.com/winningwiththeword to join my wonderful Team. Winning with the Word now reaches 71 countries throughout the world because of the help of patrons like you. Patrons receive numerous benefits in appreciation for their support. 

Also, if you are interested in reading any of my novels, please go to my website bookstore at maryanndiorio.com/book-table. My books are also available on Amazon.

Until next time, remember that God loves you just as you are and just where you are, and that He will help you to keep on Winning with the Word!
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Check out my Bookstore at https://maryanndiorio.com/book-table for books that will help you grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.

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Copyright 2000-2022 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be published or printed in any form whatsoever without the written permission of Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. You may contact her at info@maryanndiorio.com to request permission.

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Why You Need to Be Born Again

by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio

WINNING WITH THE WORD

“Winning with the Word” is a weekly blog that will help you to be a winner in life by applying God’s principles for living the abundant life as found in the Bible, God’s manual for life.

AN INVITATION TO YOU: To follow this blog, click here. 

If this blog has blessed you, please encourage your family and friends to subscribe as well. Thank you!

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Do you prefer listening instead of reading? Then click below to listen to today’s blog post:

 

 

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Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, Novelist and Life Coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Monday, June 29, 2020. Today’s Podcast is Episode #26 in Series 2020 and is titled “Why You Need to Be Born Again”.

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Sadly, the term “born again” has fallen into disrepute over recent years, despite the fact that it is the most important term that one must address regarding one’s eternal destiny. People who are born again have been ridiculed, criticized, and even ostracized. Have you ever wondered why?

Often, when there is great public outrage against something, it is due to the fact that that “something” is true. You see, the truth offends. It has offended from the fall of Adam and Eve. It offended when Jesus walked the earth. And it continues to offend today.

Why does the truth offend?  Because it challenges a person’s self-will, his desire to be his own god. 

Rebellion is at the heart of the human condition. It was rebellion that brought evil into the world, and today, it is still rebellion that perpetuates evil.

Because of our first parents, Adam and Eve, each of us is born into this world with a sin nature. This means that we enter this world with spirits disconnected from God. In other words, spirits that are dead, for there is no life unless we are connected to God.

When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, they died spiritually and, eventually, physically. God never intended for us to die physically. Sin caused physical death as well as spiritual death. 

After they sinned, Adam and Eve were helpless to regain what they had given up by obeying Satan instead of obeying God. There was nothing our first parents could ever do to be restored to their original condition. Consequently, since they had corrupted themselves by their sin, they could pass on to us only corruption–spiritual, mental, and physical. They could only give us what they had. 

But God loved Adam and Eve and all of us, their descendants, so very much that He took it upon Himself to rescue us, to reconnect us to Himself. There was only one way He could do so. God needed a scapegoat–someone who was not only God and capable of paying a perfect price to our perfect God, but who also would become a man in order to represent mankind and stand in our place as our substitute. That Someone was Jesus Christ, God’s only Son!

Ever since that day when Jesus rose from the dead, He has been offering His gift of salvation to all who would take it. Won’t you accept His gift of salvation today? Tomorrow may be too late.

You see, when a person is born again by accepting Christ’s gift of salvation, that person is reconnected to God the Father. This reconnection qualifies the person to spend eternity with his Father in Heaven because he has become a member of God’s family.

So why should being born again matter to you? It should matter because whether or not you are born again will determine your existence for all eternity after you die. Contrary to popular teachings, you will continue to exist after you die physically and leave this earth. Your spirit and your soul will continue to exist in one of two places: Heaven or Hell. The choice is up to you, but you must make that choice before you die physically. You will not be permitted to make that choice after you die physically.

But the only way to ensure that your spirit and soul go to Heaven after you die is for you to be born again. Only those who are born again are permitted entrance into Heaven. Those who are not born again will go to Hell and remain there forever and forever and forever in a state of eternal torment–with no hope of ever leaving that horrific place.  And yes. Heaven and Hell are real places.

So, I urge you, accept Jesus Christ as the only One Who can save you. The Bible says in Acts 4: 12 CEV that “only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone.”

Won’t you run to that Name now and be saved? Please pray this simple prayer with me:

Lord Jesus, I have been duped by many who say that I don’t need You, that I can save myself. But I see now that I was believing a lie. Forgive me! You are the only one who can save me. So I accept You now as my Savior and Lord. Come into my life. Make of me what You created me to be. In Your Name I pray. Amen.

If you prayed this simple prayer, please write to me at drmaryann@maryanndiorio.com. I would like to send you a little booklet that will help you get started in your walk with Christ. I also encourage you to get yourself a Bible and read it every single day. The Bible is God’s love letter to you, His manual for your life. In the Bible, God reveals Who He is, and He instructs you how to live.

Finally, ask the Lord to lead you to the church of His choice for you where you can learn about Him and have fellowship and encouragement with other Christ-Followers.

For those of you who may not know, I write fiction about many of the issues I deal with in this blog and podcast. My latest novel, In Black and White, recently won First Place in Historical Fiction in the 2020 Christian Indie Book Awards Contest. It is the page-turning, compelling love story between a white woman and a black man as they face the wrath of family and society in order to preserve their love. This book was written for such a time as this, in which we are facing very serious issues of racism and hatred in our society. To discover the only real answer to racism, get your copy of IN BLACK AND WHITE now at Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, or other vendors of your choice.  If you are reading this blog post, you can also purchase IN BLACK AND WHITE at the link below or on my website at maryanndiorio.com. Just click the bookstore tab at the top of the page.

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You will also find additional resources on living the abundant life in Jesus Christ on my website at maryanndiorio.com.

If you have been blessed by these messages, I encourage you to share them with others. I also invite you to become a Winning with the Word patron on Patreon. As a patron you will enjoy special benefits only for my patrons. Just go to Patreon.com and search for Winning with the Word to join. I would like to thank all of my patrons who are making this podcast possible. It is now reaching numerous countries throughout the world with the message of the Gospel. I could not do this without you.

Thank you so much for listening. This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, novelist and life coach, reminding you that God loves you just as you are and just where you are, and that He will help you to keep on Winning with the Word.

To subscribe to “Winning with the Word”, click here.

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Now it’s your turn: Have you been born again? If not, why not?  Please leave your comment in the Comment Box below. Thank you!

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Copyright 2000-2020 by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be published or printed in any form whatsoever without the written permission of Dr. MaryAnn Diorio. You may contact her at info@maryanndiorio.com to request permission.

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