God Removes Kings and Appoints Kings!

Inspiration August 19, 2023 Leave a comment

 

EC-Elections2023The situation in Ecuador, and in fact in several countries around the world, is critical. In recent weeks, one of the presidential candidates in Ecuador was assassinated; but this event wasn’t isolated. In fact, for a couple of months now, politicians have been targeted with life-threatening attacks, and sadly, a few have been killed.

Shock and anguish grip the people of Ecuador just hours away from choosing a new President for the nation on August 20th. We are convinced that only God’s intervention can save this country and so many others that are experiencing terror, confusion, and disorder within their territories. But it requires an entire nation, a whole community, to come to repentance from their wrongful ways.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

With humble hearts before our Creator and Savior – Christ Jesus, let us unite in prayer for Ecuador!

Wars, a Matter of the Heart…

Articles August 8, 2023 Leave a comment

“The nature of the human being is not inherently good, their heart is plagued by sin, and until we come to genuine repentance before our Creator, our heart will experience serious conflicts, a lack of genuine peace…”

As of the publication date of this article, the media bombards us with news about the prolonged war between Ukraine and Russia; violent protests in France that degenerated into, among other things, looting and street fires are still making headlines; and deaths from violent crimes in Ecuador are counted in the dozens, while the country is plagued by a territorial war between rival criminal organizations, as reported by media.

If we analyze throughout history, wars have occurred due to a series of factors mostly related to disputes between nations, territories, ethnic groups, followers of religions, beliefs, or ideologies, due to socio-economic inequalities, human rights violations, and in general, responses to aggression, among other factors.

Unfortunately, the attacks or hostile acts of one nation or group towards another can even provoke military responses and, ultimately, lead to what we all know as war.

But why do these disputes, attacks, or hostile acts occur? Yes, beyond the visible root: religious beliefs, geopolitical ambitions, inequalities. Have you ever thought that there’s more beyond the visible?

Well, beyond what’s presented, expressed, and visible, there’s something not necessarily considered; and that’s the heart of the human being.

Red palm print on black background with heart, stop bloodshed and war, peace concept.

The deepest feelings nest in the human heart, not always directly exposed outward, especially when these feelings are not good, honest, or proven. Yes, we can show a smiling, friendly, embracing face, but if we delve into that heart’s depths, we often find hypocrisy, lies, envy, hatred, not necessarily displayed, at least not initially and depending on the individual’s interests.

Because it’s like that, in the heart of man, immeasurable feelings can nest, unfathomable interests, and potentially deep desires for revenge and destruction towards those who oppose his/her path.

Let’s do an exercise, this exercise is personal and only you and your Creator will know the answers. Here we go:

  • Have you ever felt envy because your family member, colleague, or friend has better possessions than yours? A better car, a better house, a better job, a better salary.
  • If you’ve ever been harmed, insulted, or lied about, how did you react? Maybe, did frustration, sadness, hatred, and even revenge arise in your heart?
  • If someone has ever tried to take what’s yours, any possession no matter how small it may be, have you at least had the intentions to go all out and take it back, claiming it’s yours? Come on, this might have happened to you as a child or even as an adult. How did you react?

A very small exercise that, if done, will clearly reveal the intentions of our heart and, if these intentions aren’t properly dealt with, sooner or later, they can degenerate into violent acts, conflicts, ultimately into wars.

Jer17-EngWell, the Word of God warns us and says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:9-10).

The nature of the human being is not inherently good, their heart is plagued by sin, and until we come to genuine repentance before our Creator, our heart will experience serious conflicts, a lack of genuine peace, and potentially provoke conflicts around us on a smaller or larger scale.

The renowned Augustine of Hippo stated: “The purpose of all wars is peace.” However, this thought doesn’t always reflect reality. We don’t doubt that in the intentions of many who embark on a war, there’s the genuine and deep desire to achieve peace for their team, for their nation, but also, if we’re realistic, many embark on a war to achieve their own interests, whether valid or not.

The first war every human being must conquer is the struggle against personal sin – we’re all sinners, there’s none righteous, no, not one –; and the only way to do it and to overcome is through surrender. Yes, just as you read it, through surrender. If we recognize deep in our heart that we’re sinners, that we can’t do anything to cleanse ourselves from our sin, and we genuinely and completely surrender to our Creator, to Christ Jesus, we will certainly overcome the worst war we face in our entire life.

So, honesty is necessary to recognize the true condition of our heart; humility to bow in repentance before the only wise God, who can forgive and free us; and courage to decide for Christ Jesus and proclaim that He alone is the way, the truth, and the life that lead us to our Creator and Father, to receive salvation and transformation.

Wars are definitely a matter of the heart. In fact, Jesus expressed it very well: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders” (Matthew 15:19). And so, the most intense war that every human being must vigorously fight is the one against sin and eternal damnation.

If you want to learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and eternal life, don’t hesitate to contact us.

 

 

Attack on Innocence!

Articles, Inspiration July 16, 2023 Leave a comment

“99% of victims trafficked for sexual exploitation are women and girls…”

It is truly impossible to imagine that even the smallest, most vulnerable ones can be and indeed are subject to attack.

Yes, sadly, the world lives in ignorance and ignores what is happening around them. As stated on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) website, “Human trafficking is a global, multi-billion-dollar with no country immune. Every year, millions across the world fall victim to traffickers for the purpose of exploitation.”[1]

And not only that, “More than 1 million children, according to the International Labour Organization, are exploited each year in the commercial sex trade.[2]

World’s Children, on the other hand, states, “99% of victims trafficked for sexual exploitation are women and girls (IBLA, 2019). Traffickers use threats, lies, violence, debt bondage, and coercion to force victims to engage in commercial sex acts against their will.[3]

ChildTraffickingChilling statistics, aren’t they? However, this dark side of human trafficking, especially involving children, is even more complex and putrefying, which would require much more time and space to analyze.

For now, it is more than enough because the purpose of this article is to raise awareness among parents, teachers, authorities, and the community in general, so that we keep our eyes wide open and a willing heart to become true defenders of children and adolescents. The world is becoming increasingly perverted, where personal interests prevail, including the dirty movement of money and low passions, at the cost of attacking and destroying innocent lives.

Yes, let’s keep our eyes wide open because unfortunately, individuals disguised as tenderness and innocence may be lurking in the surroundings of schools, health centers, neighborhoods, and even in our own homes, whose fundamental purpose is to “precisely destroy the tenderness and innocence of our little ones.”

Wess Stafford, President Emeritus of Compassion International, wisely stated in one of his books: “The spirit of a little child is a lotWess-eng like wet cement. When a child is young, it takes little effort to make an impression that can last a lifetime.”[4] What a great truth!

This July 30th marks World Day against Trafficking in Persons. Let us be alert not only on this day but every day, minute by minute, and be the guardians of our children and adolescents worldwide. Let’s confront anyone and anything to defend the life and integrity of each child. As adults, it is our responsibility!

God states it in His Word: “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 82:2-4)

May our Creator find us always doing what is right!

To conclude, Hacia la Excelencia highly recommends the film “Sound of Freedom”  Official Trailer  currently available in English and being screened in the United States. It will soon be available in Latin America and other continents. It’s a movie we cannot miss, based on true events, that will inspire us to act even more as true defenders of children and adolescents.

[1] https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/endht/index.html

[2] https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/nation-now/2018/01/30/sex-trafficking-column/1073459001/

[3] https://www.worldschildren.org/child-trafficking-statistics/

[4] https://kidminandculture.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/excerpt_toosmall1.pdf

The Narrow Gate

Articles June 18, 2023 Leave a comment

“Evil will arrive disguised as supposed well-being, false happiness, feigned peace, of apparent great opportunities…”

Have you had the opportunity to go through a narrow path or door perhaps in your community or on a tourist trip? How did you feel? Was it easy to do, or did you have any difficulty or fear in doing it?

I remember that one of the experiences I had years ago, while doing a video report, was when I visited the home of a low-income family on the Ecuadorian coast. This family lived in the back of a house, located in a neighborhood of extreme poverty, with practically no comfort. Although the front was concrete, I crossed a very narrow small side path to reach the small place rented by the family I interviewed. With great difficulty I managed to cross this dark and narrow passageway, I did it from the side, impossible to pass straight ahead, the space was very small. As I passed by the side of this house, I felt supremely uncomfortable, with uncertainty because I didn’t know what I was going to find at the end of the passage and if it weren’t for the fact that I was accompanied I probably would have felt fear as well.

NarrowGateWell then, Jesus during the well-known “Sermon on the Mount” urged His disciples and in general the large audience that was listening to Him to “enter by the narrow gate.” He specifically told them: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) This exhortation also extends to us today.

Contrary to what we might think, Jesus clearly affirms that wide is the path and wide is the door that leads humankind to evil. In fact, evil will never initially present itself with suffering, tragedy, pain; evil will arrive disguised as supposed well-being, false happiness, feigned peace, of apparent great opportunities; but at the end of the road, it will unmask itself and show its true face – tragedy with no return -.

Jesus in the referred passage is talking about the path to eternal life. A path that begins on this Earth and that each human soul has the freedom to decide where to go; whether by the path that leads to life itself, or by the path that leads to eternal death.

I invite you then to consider the following:

  1. Every day we hear in different places that “all roads lead to God or to the same god.” But it is not so, do not fool yourself, or be fooled. The only way that leads to eternal life is Jesus Christ. He himself said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
  2. Consequently Jesus is the only door that leads to the path of salvation. He himself affirmed: “I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved…” (John 10:9)
  3. And while we walk the path of salvation, the path to eternal life, a path that many times will not be easy, Jesus will be our sustainer. He clearly stated it: “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will never be hungry; and whoever believes in me will never thirst ”(John 6:35).

The path of salvation, the path to eternal life will not be easy, those of us who have chosen it or those who will choose it, it clearly means that we will have to put aside the “apparent good proposals that life offers us.” The path to eternal life means that we decide to walk in the footsteps of our Master, our Savior, our Lord, our Creator God – Christ Jesus; and these footsteps represent: loving sacrificially, forgiving and sometimes to those who don’t deserve it – humanly speaking, telling the truth, acting with integrity. All this, although many times it is incredibly against us.

Jesus said: “I have spoken these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have affliction; but take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Yes, if you decide to choose the narrow gate – Christ Jesus – as your Personal Savior, you will probably experience afflictionlight-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-2022-10-19-05-08-32-utc throughout your life here on Earth; but surely along the way and at the end of it you will find the peace that surpasses all understanding. And that is only found through an intimate relationship with Christ Jesus, our personal Savior, the only true God. But if you do not, unfortunately, your destiny will be – tragedy with no return –; in other words, your destiny will be hell, a real place of eternal torment!

Now, you are just one step away from experiencing that peace, which no one will take it away from you. Pray like this:

God, Creator of the universe and everything in it, I recognize that I am a sinner and today I ask your forgiveness with all my heart. Forgive me and cleanse me of all evil in my life and receive me as one of your children and teach me to walk with an upright heart before you and those around me. Today, I declare that Jesus, your Son, is my Savior and that by His blood shed on the cross, I am forgiven of all my sins. Thank you, Almighty God, for your great mercy and for giving me eternal life in your Kingdom today. I pray all this in the Name of Jesus, your beloved son. Amen.

The World Upside Down!

Articles May 14, 2023 Leave a comment

Woe! Woe! Woe! We live in an increasingly turbulent world, a world upside down; and if you and I don’t change our way of living, we will witness its ruin, our ruin.

 

It seems that we currently live “in chaos,” some people say. And it’s because today’s society has “taken a different path,” others point out. Their stance is somewhat like being “upside down,” some would say.

The truth is, if we compare our world to decades and centuries ago, we would notice a huge, huge difference. Just to give an example, a positive example of course, perhaps the most evident one is technology. Who would have thought that we would go from the tremendous computers of yesteryears that occupied large physical spaces to tablets or even pocket-sized smartphones? Or who would have imagined crossing skies and seas at astonishing speeds… going from nightfall in America to dawn in Europe?

It’s incredible how the world has changed, evolved. There would be almost no contradiction in saying that the world has changed for the better, if we look at it from the perspective of growth and development, like the example mentioned above.

But has the world really evolved? And here is where the human being plays a very important role. Undoubtedly, the world has required great human minds to bring about this growth and development in many areas such as education, technology, medicine, and industry in general.

feet standing on asphalt with multitude of arrows in diffrent directions

However, even though human beings have worked hard to promote development and progress in various areas like the ones mentioned above, unfortunately, they have neglected matters of the heart and consequently the values that govern human life.

All it takes is turning on the news to realize that the world is upside down. The menu is extensive: murders, kidnappings, armed robberies, drug trafficking. And of course, in a neighborhood conversation or a gathering of friends, there are also “news” like: “Did you know that so-and-so got divorced?” Or “Have you heard that so-and-so left home to live with their boyfriend?” Or maybe, “Did you hear how many people attended the ‘Gay Pride’ parade?”

The list is truly endless! But not only endless, it has also become “normal” to some extent, and many of these actions would even be considered “good.” And people would clearly affirm, “If a marriage isn’t working, it’s better to end it.” In fact, “it’s better to live together to see if the couple is compatible or not.” And of course, “if a man feels trapped in a woman’s body,” it’s time to “come out of the closet.” Ah! “If you can take advantage from this business, you shouldn’t be foolish.” Therefore, everything mentioned and more is seen as “good” in today’s world.

It is normal for couples to live together without getting married; it is frowned upon to express opinions against gays, lesbians, and transgender individuals, to name a few; it is well regarded and accepted to act “diplomatically,” meaning “smiling in front, stabbing in the back.” And it is an everyday occurrence to witness “corruption” at various levels of society, without anyone getting upset or embarrassed, because it is “better to keep quiet than to report it.”

What do you think about it? Do you think “our world is upside down”? Or perhaps, have we exaggerated a bit in this article?

Meanwhile, allow me to leave you with a word of wisdom taken from the Bible, the Word of God, our Creator:

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.” (IsaiahTE_Isaiah5-20 5:20)

Woe! Woe! Woe! We live in an increasingly turbulent world, a world upside down; and if you and I don’t change our way of living, we will witness its ruin, our ruin. If you and I don’t turn to our life manual that the Creator left us – His Word – the Bible, this world will continue upside down, and every day we will witness its gradual destruction. In other words, we will gradually witness our own ruin.

Guard your heart!

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart…” (Luke 6:45)