SHOWDOWN OF FAITH CRUSADE Bishop Bira teaches imates to view themselves in the way that God sees them, and not in a negative light Pg 8 EDITION Nº291 ll Weekly Edition-USA ll Free distribution ll The Universal Church • The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God ADDICTED AND LIVING ON THE STREETS Pg5 Enjoy and share - www.UniversalUSA.org AMPUTATION WAS MY ONLY OPTION ADDICTION BROKEN WITH THE BLESSED WATER Pg3 Graphic images Not for the faint hearted! iHOPE RADIO: Positive radio for all your devices Pg10 THESE IMAGES may be too graphic for some, but for Arlindo, they were the legs that he fought to save! See center pages Shocking results of deadly superbug
2 BISHOP MACEDO’S MESSAGE I thought of committing suicide... M y mother’s partner, who lived with us, abused her in front of me. He came home drunk late at night and started beating up my mother. Their fights disturbed me and woke me up. He would not stop beating my mother until neighbors came into our house to plead with him to stop. The abuse was so bad that my mother later had a miscarriage. My mother started venting her anger on me. She emotionally abused me and told me that I was useless. That killed my confidence and I had lowself-esteem. This situation was so depressing that Puseletso suicide. thought of committing Everything was sublime, perfect and meant to be eternal. Righteousness harmonized the communion between the Creator, His creation, and nature. However… With the disobedience of man, the kingdom of sin was installed in man’s heart. All sin, however harmless it may seem, is an unrighteous act. I wanted to drink paraffin and then hang myself in my room, but I did not have the courage. Puseletso’s mother was invited to the Universal Church and she attended the services with her. She took part in the meetings for her deliverance from suicidal thoughts and depression. I understood that my mother was going through so much pain and I was able to forgive her. I also realized that killing myself was not the solution to my problems. I trusted God with my family problems and my mother was later able to get out of her abusive relationship. We now live peacefully and happily together. I was also delivered from suicidal thoughts. I regained confidence in myself and I understood my value and purpose to God. How could the Righteous Judge, whose throne is founded upon righteousness and justice, tolerate unrighteousness? Psalm 97.2 The unrighteous were immediately cast from His presence. The kingdom of unrighteousness took the place of the Kingdom of righteousness in man’s heart; The kingdom of darkness took the place of the Kingdom of Light; The kingdom of satan took the place of the Kingdom of God; And the curse took the place of the blessing. And so humanity has come along, since the rebellion of its first parents. The spirit of the curse has passed from father to son, from generation to generation. Copyright @ 2015 HarperCollins Christian Publishing. A MESSAGE Bishop Edir Macedo The curse of a curse curse is a spirit. Like a plague, it does not stop until it finishes destroying its victims. It was born in a place where you would never expect. The Garden of Eden was perfect, a true paradise. There was no hunger, disease, hatred or any evil. Death did not exist. Sin is a curse. The sinner is a slave to the curse. To be set free, the slave has to leave or flee from his oppressor. This is exactly what Abraham did. To free himself from the spirits of curse reigning in his land, his family and his father’s house, Abraham had to abandon everything. He sacrificed his life of sin. He removed himself from the curse to be his own blessing. He separated himself from everyone who could influence him in obeying the Voice of God. What about you, have you run away from the curse of sin? It is impossible to live in sin and be blessed. Siri... say grace.
4 INTERNATIONAL The Universal Church throughout the world T In spite he Gabonese Republic, or Gabon, is a small African country that stopped being a French colony in 1960, after gaining independence. Since then, it has been in constant ascent and has already become the territory with the highest Human Development Index (HDI) in subSaharan Africa -part of the continent located south of the Sahara Desert. of that, unfortunately, this advance is not for the entire population. According to Bishop Fabiano da Conceição Telis, head of Universal in the country, wealth is concentrated in the hands of few people. On the other hand, a good part of the population is in misery, which stimulates the search for economic growth through spiritual practices. Evangelistic work existed in the country 21 years ago, with meetings held in French, the official language of Gabon. Bishop Fabiano says that the first pastors had to face rigid restrictions in relation to the entry and exit of foreigners. “With a lot of struggle and sacrifice we were gaining the confidence of the authorities and showing that our interest is to do the Work of God. We conquered our space, the Church has developed and is seen in a positive way.” THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH IN GABON COMPLETES 21 YEARS moments of happiness and to hide the myself in parties in discos, drugs and prostitution.” When he heard about Jesus, he saw a new perspective on life and, in 2013, he began to be part of the YPG. Currently, the territory has three prayer centers and fifteen churches, including the National Headquarters, located in the capital, Libreville. The inauguration became the most important moment of the Universal in the country. “At the beginning, people did not believe that we could build a Work of that dimension without the help of the government, but we show that we do not measure efforts to give the suffering a place that teaches them to find the solution to their problems and to achieve Salvation of the soul,” says the bishop. He adds that, even though it is a very different country from Brazil, cultural barriers were not able to prevent people from identifying with work. “The people receive the message of intelligent faith very well, because it uses the head, it is less emotional. But dance is something important in meetings, the population likes to express joy through music and dance.” Among the projects that Universal maintains in the country are the ABC Group, which carries out social work with different types of donations; the Caleb Group, for the elderly; the Universal Literacy Center, which promotes different courses such as French, English and computer science; the Godllywood; and the Youth Power Group (YPG). It was the YPG that helped Essouki Golden Steph. “I was full of sentimental, family problems, I was unemployed and, to have ‘‘ At the beginning it’s not easy, but, getting involved in the activities carried out by the group, making the chains and knowing the will of God, I managed to change my life,” he says. sadness, I immersed
STRONG NATION 5 I lived on the streets and was addicted... degree. But in the past, his situation was quite in life and walked this path for a long different. Still very young, he became embroiled H e is a football player. And it was in this sport that the 37-yearold Santista Carlos Rubens found motivation to change his pace of life and stay well balanced. In his childhood, Carlos had no idea that he would be an athlete in the future. His great dream at the time was to be a naval engineer. Today, he trains 60 hours a month. He managed to lose 30 pounds and feel stronger, agile, fearless and ready to conquer the world, literally. The change that has taken place in his life is observed by all his relatives. He went back to school. He is a graduate and holds a law Are you someone who lacks focus? A study conducted by the US Harvard Business Review with 35,000 leaders from more than 100 countries shows that lack of focus is a “stone in the shoe” of many people: 67% of respondents describe that their minds are confused and filled with many thoughts and lack clear priorities. Another 65% reported that they could not complete their tasks because of other people’s demands (26%), competing priorities (25%) and general distractions (13%). Financial coach Dalton Henrique Thomaz Ferreira explains that “many tasks are not performed because of the excess of ‘important things’ to be done.” Therefore, for projects to get out of the role, it is necessary to construct “relevant, challenging goals with clear but also flexible steps”. He further notes that “focus is on being fully connected to what you are doing without pushing. It’s planning a task with beginning, middle and end.” Ferreira says that it is more important to have self-knowledge and know how to direct attention to what you want to achieve than to have many skills and not focus. “The unfocused employee has low productivity,” he says. “Every time a task is interrupted there is energy consumption and waste of valuable time to start over from the point where it stopped.” The entrepreneur must also keep the focus both in situations that bring success and difficulties. “I often say there is no failure, there is feedback. If anything in your life is not coming off as expected then there is something to learn. Often, the difficulties are a blessing, because they will get you out of the comfort zone and put you in motion, “he says. For Bishop Leno, faith and focus go hand in hand. According to him, one must be very determined, to have faith in the Word of God and in oneself. He believes that the lack of focus is always accompanied by the absence of perseverance and leads to withdrawal. He assesses that faith is fundamental for this not to happen. “Faith is the absolute certainty that the Word of God will be fulfilled in your life.” Join us every Monday to learn the qualities of an overcomer. bad company and stopped studying. Shortly thereafter, he became acquainted with the addictions: drinking, going to parties, marijuana and cocaine. To feed the addiction, Carlos began to steal. At first, only the people at home had their goods stolen. Then other relatives became his victims. It was not long At the age of 16 he lived on the streets, then in shelters - but soon he was expelled for stealing from the nearest people. before his mother kicked him out of the house. He says he had no prospect of As it is often the case with people, when Jacy found herself at the bottom of the pit that she sought help from Universal. There, she found the doors open, love and, most importantly, she learned the right way to use her faith. “The change I noticed in my wife was so real that the next day I also walked through the doors of Universal and was treated with great dignity. I call treatment because there really is no other word to use. I got rid of the addictions, the bitterness and unhappy against problems, adversities and defeats. A man who was exuberant and strong but because of an uncertain future was dominated by addictions. A person who looked forward without seeing a horizon, who hid behind dreams and made suffer all that were around him. ‘‘ Today, he is an example of a husband, father and grandfather. A dedicated athlete who can only see a promising future. He sought help in the right place, so he found the solution. (his lifemate time. When he met Jacy for 18 years), they soon moved in together. At first, everything seemed wonderful, until she discovered that she was being betrayed. “I started using drugs every day, I no longer had control of the addiction and I ended up leaving the house. My wife was depressed and I realized that I had become a man’s trash. I was making suffer the only person who gave me value.” life. And I was prepared for a new life, full of accomplishments. Today my smile is real.” Carlos says that his inner strength is much greater, for he has learned to arm himself by faith that is always active, thus becoming revolted
2 BILLION IN THE U.S. INFECTED WITH SUPERBUG 10 MILLION DEATHS A YEAR A study by the British government in 2016 predicted that antibioticresistant bacteria will cause more than 10 million deaths annually by 2050, that’s more deaths than diabetes and cancer put together! Today, 700,000 people die every year from antibioticresistant bacteria in the world. Since 1928, that antibiotics have been used to destroy bacteria had killed millions of lives. However, over the 70 years, bacteria have Blood just kept on coming out of me! When she was pregnant with her last daughter, Fernanda was diagnosed with lupus, a disease that has no cure. "With four children, my daily life was very limited; I was beforehand last become more and more the resilient to antibiotics and is still killing people all over the world. At least 2 million people in the U.S. become infected with an antibiotic-resistant bacterium each year, and about 23,000 die from those infections, according to always very tired, with a lot of pain in my joints. It got to a point where I got so depressed. The doctors never directly told me that I was a lost case, but I saw the expression in their eyes. I lived with the disease for about 12 years, constantly attacking my organs. On top of this, I had a husband who humiliated me, mistreated and betrayed me. I survived on my children's benefit allowance and the pension my father received, because I could not work. My federal governm Centers for Disease Co and Prevention. Hospitals and nursing h in California and Illion fighting against this bug by washing patient a special soap. In Ch staff are screening peop bacteria at admission life was hell. I ended up getting a div and my oldest daughter tu to drugs and alcohol. She very disturbed and aggre However, she started to the Universal and saw transformation in her life so began to encourage me was hospitalized pneumonia and at the ho I got infected with a bacte I I spent a month and a h home with diarrhea, and stools came out with blo
THE BACTERIA WAS EATING THE SKIN AND MUSCLE OFF MY LEG A ment’s Control homes nis are super ts with hicago, ple for on and fter a routine visit, where he was found to have varicose veins, Arlindo was advised to have a simple vascular procedure on his right leg. Two days after the surgical procedure, his leg began to swell, but he ignored it and did not return to the hospital. It was not long until the symptoms got worse. Fever, shortness of breath, and a lot of pain in his right leg caused his wife to take him BEFORE: Doctors thought amputation was the only option to the hospital. He was hospitalized suspected a "My skin felt with pulmonary embolism, but it was something more serious. like it was tearing and my bones being crushed, the doctors did not give me medication because they did not know the cause of this suffering," he says After three days, they discovered that he had caught three "My wife was informed that I would be operated on immediately, because the chance of me surviving was less than 10%. They asked her to communicate to the family because they did not guarantee my return," he recalls. "I was sure that would overcome this situation, so we clung even more to God and types of hospital bacteria and things got worse for Arlindo, because he received the news that one of the bacteria was resistant to antibiotics. bathing them daily with chlorhexidine in order to avoid, what has been called a ‘serious global health threat’. If you are at the point where there is nothing else you can do, then it’s time to do what the people on this page did: Call out to God with faith. Read their stories and be inspired! was hospitalized ivorce, urned he was essive. going aw the fe and me. for ospital erium. half at nd my ood. I again and put in isolation. I forbade my children from visiting me but my daughter kept telling me to not lose hope and hold on to God; that I would recover. Whenever I heard what she said, I prayed. After being discharged, my daughter convinced me to go to church. I began to make the chains of prayer, to anoint myself and to drink the Blessed Water. Today I am healed! I was supposed to be dead but here I am! AFTER: Bacteria gone and skin graft to save leg prayer," he says. As his leg had a large open wound, he was still at risk of infection. But with the help of new specialists he managed to his leg. He was cured, his leg stabilized, so he received a skin graft on the spot. Everything went well and after 74 days of hospitalization, he discharged. "Sometimes happen in our lives that are difficult to understand, but God was situations reco has always been with me, in good times and in bad times. At no moment did my wife and I stop believing or does his activities normally and has a faith that’s more solid than before.
You are not alone D o not allow the circumstances that you are facing to make you become someone that you know you don't want to be. Times are hard right now; it's difficult; it's a very uncomfortable position that you are in right now, but remember one thing, nothing lasts forever. Hold your head up high and trust in God because He can deliver you out of this situation, regardless of your sentence, the time you have served or the time they want you to serve, God is able to change this around. Know that you are not alone, even though sometimes you feel alone, or feel abandoned by your friends, your family members or your loved ones, know we are here for you. We are here to stand with you side by side with you. - A message for the men behind bars from Pr. Quincy I was nervous about attending UBB, a little voice on the back of my head didn't want to go. A voice that now gets on my nerves, It's the devil. Anyway, the first time I went, I felt like someone honestly had my back. Like I met a new best friend, I loved the service Pr. Quincy gave. He invited me himself, that's why I went. That night I got on my knees, prayed and talked to God like a friend. I slept and woke up the next morning to pray again. I went for a walk enjoying this new feeling I felt, and I came in, my number was called, it was a visit from my mother. I haven't seen her since August, and It was a small gift from my Lord. Thank you, Jesus. I believe in God, I really believe he sent me a sign letting me know that good He will do if I believe and worship Him. I am going to a halfway house which UBB partners with. When I leave here and live as a soldier I came out four weeks ago. I started to attend the UBB in Clements Unit ever since they opened; April of last year. - Casey "The first time I met this man he was in prison, but God brought him here, to this altar. " - Bishop Bira. of Jesus Christ, and become a brother of UBB church and let my life be led by Christ. I will not give up. Thank you, God. - Anonymous Nourished Mind What is the first thing you do when you wake up? Nourish your mind by meditating on the bible to start your day. Spiritual War Keep yourself spiritually strong in order to fight any evil spirit that had any plans of attacking you in your mind, or using another person to cause trouble. Remember, you have authority. T imes are hard right now in the situation you are If you are always saying bad things about yourself in have made you do things that you have never done in life. You have to fight, to fend for yourself, in ways that you've never done before. But remember one thing, you were created by God, for His special purpose. He created you as a woman for a reason. So don't allow, the culture, the system to change your way of thinking or your way of living. Remember who you were before your family members, before your children. Remember the person you were before you were locked up, besides the life of crime you had, the criminal activities you were involved in. Apart from that, If you need someone to reach out to you, count on the UBB. your friends, before you were a woman. You had a lot of good inside of you and you STILL have inside of you today. Don't allow anyone or anything to make you change or to be someone that later on you will regret. Remember you are before God and before your children, they are looking out to you. And if you need someone to reach out to, you can reach out to the (UBB) - A message for the women behind bars, from Pr. Quincy then two things will end up happening: The evil spirits will hear your words and will make sure that you never conquer anything 1. 2. Overcomer Power Authority Men of God Women of God Prayer Fast Vow Spiritual warfare Challenge Special honest Blessing meditate Seeking You will only be taking steps backwards Use your mouth in a positive manner, to say good things and bless yourself. First, believe in God, but also believe in yourself. Tips from: www.Birafonseca.com
10 MEDIA “ I lost my mother due to cancer when I was eighteen, that’s when I became depressed. I felt like I was at the very bottom I could possibly get because she was the one I depended on. I felt empty, sad and just felt that the world was ending for me. I got married very young, only a year after my mother passed away which only brought even more problems. We used to fight all the time, it wasn’t just verbally but physically. I felt worthless, that I couldn’t do anything right. When I came to this ministry, the pastor prayed for me. Everything that he was praying for was exactly what I was feeling. I remember I cried a lot. I felt peace as if a burden had been lifted. Today, I overcame depression and sought God even more. And now I have peace inside of me. I have a career, I’m a physical therapist and my own house. Everything is just so much better. - Joanna BishopBira birafonseca_ Bira Fonseca birafonseca.com/en/
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