Never Give Up~

James 1:2-4

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance...

Greetings~

The reason God asks us to consider it pure joy when faced with trials is that the testing of our faith produces perseverance. Maybe that doesn't sound like a good enough reason to consider our hardships an opportunity for joy. On the surface these verses might even seem harsh because we face trials of many kinds, and our faith is tested.

But let's not let these trials to go to waste. Let's let the testing of our faith produce something awesome and wonderful--PERSEVERANCE!

Can any of us really succeed at anything if we don't persevere?

P-E-R-S-E-V-E-R-E, as defined by our friends at dictionary.com means to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly. All this reminds me of a friend who had some struggles with her child.

When the problem first surfaced, he was in middle school. At first, his parents were in denial and then they panicked at his behavior. One day, about three months into their ordeal, they realized they were in for the fight of their life and they hunkered down. Every day started with their reminding their son that they loved him, that they would never disown him, followed by their going off to pray desperate prayers. It might be easier to pray if the answers come quickly, but more often than not, we must dig in our heels and decide that we aren't going anywhere until we get the answer. Asking God once or twice is hardly perseverance. Asking Him day in day out for a couple of years is a better definition.

I do not know why some answers take a longer time than others. But I have discovered that focusing on the "whys" of life is distracting and debilitating. It is much better to focus on the "Who" in charge.

Nevertheless, these parents persisted in loving their child and in spite of tremendous difficulty, obstacles, and discouragement, they maintained their purpose, which was to pray their child out of his wrong behavior. They never gave up. Some days were better than others, and some days all my friend could do was lay hold of one particular promise of God and repeat it over and over again until she fell asleep:

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Well, she never gave up, and has been reaping that harvest for several years now. Her child is on track and a phenomenal young man! The most amazing thing is the attitude shift that took place.

In her own words...

"Yenise, Some days I was so mentally and physically exhausted that I thought I would never recover. But a few months into our season of struggle, I noticed that God was really encouraging me with gems of truth from His word. His words became so real to me, and though some might never believe it, I can honestly say I found myself having joy. Joy that God was in control. That He had enough power to fix things, and a desire to do so. That ultimately, nothing or no one--including my rebellious son--was a match for God's love. Once I decided that I would not give up no matter what was when the joy really took root..."

What an inspiration! I hope this will encourage us all to look at our trials differently.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, It makes no sense to ask someone to consider their struggles as an opportunity to have joy, but considering our options, we choose joy. Your verse tells us it is possible. We accept it as truth and call on You for Your help. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Get Rid of It~

Monday morning greetings:)

Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow. If it's a good thing, only He can take the credit!

Back in the 90's I had a little Nissan that I sold, and when I did I turned the tag in. I figured that I already hoard enough stuff, so I might as well get rid of it. All these years later turning that tag in proved to be a smart move. I recently bought another car and because the other tag was in the DMV's custody, the fine government of the state of Florida gave me credit for it to the tune of $261.75. Glory to God for that lovely surprise:)

Let it go...

Why is it so hard sometimes to let things go? I am one to talk because while I did turn in the tag, I have held onto a bunch of other things through the years. Just ask the ladies at my daughter's bridal shower who got to see one of my mom's negligee's from the 60's.

Yet, for our own sakes, God encourages us to get rid of certain things.

Ephesians 4:31-32 "Get rid of your bitterness, hot tempers, anger, loud quarreling, cursing, and hatred. And be sweet one toward another and affectionate, and be forgiving one another, just as God in The Messiah has forgiven us."

Most of you might have a hard time believing that I am not always sweet. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I am sorry; I had to laugh at that because, let's face it, we have all had our hot-tempered, bitter moments, sprinkled with a bad word or two or 10...

Please take note of this verse above because God is not asking us to get rid of this bad behavior--He's telling us to. He knows that before we can have pure joy, we have to make room for it. He understands that actively pursuing a clean soul will come back to bless us later, and it will bless us considerably more than $261.25. He knows that we have enough burdens in life and cannot afford to add more negative weight to our already heavy loads.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We need Your help. There are some things that have a way of hanging around that bring us down. We desire to be sweet and forgiving, so help us. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Newfound Greeting~

Dear friends,

I am proposing a change in the way we typically greet people.

Instead of, "How's it going?" or "Hey there!" or What's up?"  How about we say,  "I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit." 

Those words are found in 3 John 1:2 in the Bible, and they are lovely! And it would be lovely for all of us to embrace the beauty of desiring the best for one another and celebrating the fact that God wants us well - mind, body, and soul.

A few moments ago my former boss invited me and a few of my former colleagues for lunch. Later today when I meet up with them, I am going to use my newfound greeting on them.  I can't wait to see their reaction, but I suspect they will be pleasantly surprised and powerfully blessed!  

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for verses like this one that remind us that You care about every single thing about us - not only our souls. We pray today that we and those we love would be well and healthy in body and strong in spirit. We declare that all is well because You are with us. We volunteer to be ambassadors of love toward our family by praying for them. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Pray the Joy In~

James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds...

Greetings,

It's been a busy few days for me, but I am back :)

Pure joy...we've been talking about it because while we all want to genuinely live and breathe it, sometimes stuff gets in the way.

Ironically, it's the stuff that gets in the way that is supposed to spur us on to joy in the first place.

But I completely understand the challenges of trying to have joy when there's a lot going on. So does our amazing Lord. The Bible is not just one verse that we take to heart, but hundreds and hundreds of verses that lovingly and wisely intertwine resulting in one beautiful and encouraging love letter to us all.

Therefore when we can't consider it pure joy because of the problem, rest assured there's a verse to help you take a step in the right direction.

For instance: "Yenise, How can I have joy when I can't even sleep because of all the fear I have?"

Psalm 118:6 The Lord is with me; I shall not be afraid.

It's always a win-win with Christ. He wants us to have joy and will always provide a verse to help us redirect our focus off the problem and onto Him.

"Yenise, How can I have joy when I am so anxious about ...?"

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And peace will guard your heart.

"Yenise, How can I have joy when I am so hopeless..?"

Isaiah 40:31 But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

What is keeping you from experiencing joy today? No matter what it is, you can pray it out and invite the joy in.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We will not be afraid because You are with us and because You are with us, we have joy. We will not be anxious because prayer welcomes You and Your power into our lives and that is a cause for celebration. Our hope is in You, and we feel strengthened already! In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Pure Joy Part Two~

Happy TGIF ~

We've been looking at God's gentle encouragement to "consider it pure joy," when faced with problems. Not just joy, as though that weren't hard enough, but PURE joy.

Let us turn to our on-line resource, dictionary.com, for clarification.

Joy means, "the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying." Pure means, "free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind; free from extraneous matter: pure gold; pure water."

That's a simplistic definition for all us spiritual giants, but there is a lot of truth here. Obviously we can have joy when exceptionally good and/or satisfying things are happening. But God puts the word "pure" in front of the kind of joy He wants us to have because our level of happiness and delight should not depend on how many struggles we are facing. He wants us having joy no matter what--free from external influences. The junk of life so easily contaminates our joy, however, so what are we to do?

Just this morning I received an email from Max Lucado that thoroughly blessed my soul.

I love love love him and highly recommend ANYTHING he has ever written. He brought something to my attention that I had never noticed before.

“On the night he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it.” (I Corinthians 11:23)

What frame of mind do you think you or I would be in if we were about to face the greatest struggle of our life and knew it was coming? Yet our Lord takes the time to say thanks...

This is only possible if we make having joy that is free from external circumstances a priority. And we get better at it by practicing. And one of the ways we practice is by being thankful.

Allow me to share a prayer that someone prayed yesterday. Some details will be omitted to protect privacy.

"Dear Lord, Thank You that You preserve my life and the life of my child. Thank You that while I am waiting for You to open up my child's eyes to the error of her ways, I can have joy in knowing that You will never get frustrated or weary of hearing me and helping me. I have joy because even though I do not have all the answers, You do. You have never let me down before, and knowing that strengthens my soul. You have all the answers, all the solutions, and all the power for my situation, and You are willing to share. You are a sharing and caring Father, and You sings songs of love over me, which settles my heart. You have not taken Your eyes off my child for one second, and You are busy busy busy bringing about a change in the direction my child is headed. I have joy because of Your great promise that You will work everything out for my benefit and my child's benefit..."

That's just a small portion of what my buddy prayed. Isn't that fantastical? Sometimes only the melding of two words--fantastic and phenomenal--can explain an emotion!

Pray that prayer for yourself and edit according! Our Lord has set the example and shown us what we need to do when facing the greatest storms of life.

In Jesus' name, AMEN~

No Match~

Tuesday greetings~

A part of yesterday's prayer said, "We must take the focus off our trials and focus on the One Who sees us through every single one."

How do we do that?

Psalm 34:3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!

Yes, that's an invitation, and I am extending it to you!

Magnify means to enlarge and make bigger. And we magnify the Lord by praising Him more than worrying about our struggles. We make Him bigger by praying more then fretting. We enlarge Him by thinking about His goodness, strength, and unmatched power, and when we do that, our problems begin to pale in comparison.

It is natural to worry. We are good at it. There is not one place in the Bible that says, "You beautiful humans are so strong and able to rise above and never worry; good for you!"

On the contrary. Verse after verse, including the one above, encourages us to take proactive steps in order to have that joy and peace that seem so elusive at times.

No need to RSVP to my invitation. Let's do it!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We magnify You now by calling on Your powerful name! Help us, heal us, guide us, protect us, provide for us, give us peace and joy, and do the same for those we love. Nothing or no one can even come remotely close to Your magnificence, and we know it. All discouragement, suffering, and problems are no match for You. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Test Grades~

Greetings brothers and sisters,

I hope you all had a lovely weekend:)

James 1:2-4

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Have you ever felt as though your faith is being tested?

I certainly have, and more than once I have felt as though I am failing the test. And it is at those times that my sweet Lord comes to me and whispers in my ear," Yenisita, Jesus lives in your heart. He has set up a permanent home there. When I look at you, I see my Son in you. I have never rejected Him, and I will never reject you. I do, however, desire perseverance produced in you because you will need it. I am allowing this test to further bless you..."

And then I do my happy dance :)

I discovered a long time ago that I can not truly control anyone or anything. He knows this, which is why He offers His help, His love, and His Son. He accepts us exactly as we are because He accepts His son. We are worthy only because Christ is worthy. We are lovely because Christ is lovely. We are His because Christ is His. None of it depends on our test grades, or I might be in trouble. But He loves us too much to leave us the way we are. Just like we all desire to see our children grow up and make wise decisions, He also desires to see us mature. Maturity is a great thing. Being complete is a awesome thing, and not lacking anything is the bomb. The testing of our faith will produce this, and we must trust Him.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, It's not about us; it's about You. We must take the focus off our trials and focus on the One Who sees us through every single one. Strengthen us as we persevere. Thank You that the result of all our prayers and faith will mightily bless us. In Jesus; name, AMEN~

Pure Joy~

Good morning:)

James 1:2-4

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Yesterday's DEVO was one of those that really got a bunch of us thinking. I will confess that I don't think I have been as proactive as I should in having joy in the middle of difficulties, which is why I want us all to do something that we as a DEVO group have never done before

But first I want to clarify something: The joy we are supposed to be having is not because of the actual trial we face, but because we face the trial with Jesus on our side. We don't ever say, "Jesus, thank You that my house is being foreclosed on." Rather, we say, "Thank You that You are with me in this circumstance and because You take care of me I can be calm and happy."

There's a big difference!

Nevertheless, the perspective God wants us to have means we have to make an effort. The word "consider" is a verb. It requires action on our part. When we find ourselves feeling anything less than joy, it's time to re-direct our thinking.

On to our group assignment. Think about what trials you are facing today. If it is hurting you or bothering you or if it has you down--no matter what it is--God wants you to consider this as an opportunity to have joy. Even if you don't feel like it, take a step faith today and pray:

Dear Lord, Thank You that this trial I am in is an opportunity for me to have joy and stronger faith. I admit the concept seems foreign to me, but I take a step of faith today and thank You that I am not alone. Help me to really not only believe that joy is possible while I struggle, but that because I am praying, You will help me have it. I need it! In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Faith Under Pressure~

Faith Under Pressure

That's the title under Chapter One in the book of James, and I think we all know about pressure.

I certainly have been feeling it lately. And my hubby, God bless his honest soul, was pulling out of the driveway last night and hit my soon-to-be-son-in-law's new car. Ouch!

I always say that if material damage is the worst of it, then no harm/no foul. It's still a bother and an expense sis boom bah, but Rayray's future husband took it in stride, and I love him :)

But what about other pressures? Health, relational, emotional, financial, familial...that's where we really feel the strain sometimes.

Is it possible to have strong, unwavering faith in certain circumstances?

Yes, but before James One even addresses that, look at what it says:

Verse 2-4

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Pure joy? Really? Is that even possible? Is God toying with us? I am supposed to look at the mess I am in and have joy? So what if testing produces perseverance? What if I don't want to let perseverance finish its work so that I can be mature? Maybe I like being a spiritual toddler.

First thing to consider: Like it or not, no matter what, you will face a trial. Not wanting to go through one won't help you avoid it. It's called life. So now that we have agreed that trials are an inevitable part of life, let's proceed with the attitude that if God is telling us to have joy in the middle of them, then it is possible and it will lead to good things.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You know our hearts and You know that we don't always--okay--practically never ever--have joy as we suffer through a difficulty. But because you are encouraging us to go for it, we ask You to fill us with joy no matter what. We do not want to be lacking in anything. In Jesus' name, AMEN!

An Uneven Exchange~

Tuesday greetings~

Some of you found it a little unnerving that God is always watching you. Today I invite you to relax!

He's not keeping score of all the stuff we do wrong--all those mean thoughts and less-than brotherly actions--for the sake of keeping score. On the contrary. God gently nudges our hearts and exposes all the junk we have inside in order to cleanse us. He wants us to live light and free and happy, and trust me--if you're holding something in that shouldn't be there, it will weigh you down. It becomes impossible to enjoy life.

One of the biggest things we hold is grudges, but today I want to share with you about a precious young woman who let go of her right to be angry and decided to partner up with God to save her marriage. It was a journey filled with curves, detours, delays, distractions, and yes, even dangers. But she made it through and every day she continues to build a solid future.

From the very beginning she felt God's precious eyes on her and knew deep in her wounded soul that for her sake, the sake of her kids and family and community and nation, she must operate with a loving and forgiving heart. If ever there were someone with a right to be angry, hurt, and unforgiving, it would be this gal, but she chose forgiveness, and I want us all to celebrate and draw inspiration from her attitude.

Being able to forgive is sometimes impossible without supernatural help, but don't you know that He is a willing God? Willing to go above and beyond in helping you when you ask? And that's what she did. Day in and day out--sometimes in the face of unthinkable adversity--she kept her primary focus on prayer. She kept God as her priority by begging, screaming, pleading, asking, knocking, and seeking Him and His strength to be able to love and forgive in a manner that was more than she could do on her own.

And here are two truths she discovered: You can not stay angry at someone you pray for, and when you pray you have peace and joy--all the negative emotions leave.

In order to fully appreciate the magnitude of that statement, I would have to go into details, and I can't. But maybe you can identify in some way with that kind of burden? Maybe you've been hurt and can't see straight? And maybe you have been no where near that kind of conflict, amen!, but can treasure these truths in your heart anyway? (Please say yes).

Praying for someone releases the bad and invites the good into your life. I know! It doesn't seem like a fair exchange, but then that's how God is.

Psalm 30:11 "You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy."

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for taking away our clothes of mourning. We would much rather be clothed with joy. We would much rather dance than mourn. Burn those clothes of sorrow that we might never wear them again. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Helicopter Parent~

Psalm 33:13-15The Lord looks down from heaven;
    He sees every human being.
From His dwelling place God observes    all who live on earth...God knows everything they do.

Happy Monday:)

This past weekend I was remembering a time when my granny said, 'Yenisita, I can't take my eyes off of you for one minute; you're always getting into trouble."

She said it in response to my changing the time on the kitchen clock a couple hours ahead.  When it hit 7 PM, which was really five, and grandpa still hadn't come home and cell phones didn't exist, my precious Mama nearly panicked.  

Why did I do it? I do not recall.  But thinking about that made me think of our sweet Lord.  For you see, He never takes His eyes off of us--not even for a second.  

Left to our own devices, who knows what kind of trouble we could get into.  And what about our kids?

Stormie Omartian, whom I love says, and I am paraphrasing here, that God's protection is like an umbrella.  It covers us when we go out in the storm.  But sometimes we purposely get out from under it.  We make unwise decisions that leave us exposed.  When our kids are tempted to do something silly or actually do something wrong, our prayers invite God to pursue them with the umbrella anyway.  Amen to that!

I have several friends whose kiddos are away at college, and sometimes thinking about the countless ways they could get into trouble can be overwhelming and worrisome.  But in reality, sometimes even those who live with us in the same house are up to mischief and we had no idea. The key is to pray.  Only God can be with any of us 24/7.  He is the ultimate helicopter parent, and we need to be grateful. 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that even when we are not physically near our families, You are there.  You are 100% aware of what is going on, so we come to You and ask to be fully covered with Your powerful umbrella of protection.  And even if we try to scoot out from underneath it by our choices, have mercy, and keep it firmly in place.  Thank You for Your willingness to always answer us. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

There's a Verse For That~

Isaiah 55:10-11 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with  my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it."

Right after God tells us that His ways are better than ours, He goes on to say in these two verses that His word is (1) sent out by Him, (2) will do what He wants it to, and (3) always has a good result.

If only we could send out His word. If only we could initiate the healing, help, love, comfort, joy, peace, faith, hope, and protection that is the prosperous result of coming into contact with God's word.

Oh my goodness! Wait a second! When we pray that is exactly what we are doing. And particularly, when we pray scripture directly over our situation, we can rest assured that something good will come from it.

Just this morning I had a conversation with a buddy who is deeply concerned about the choices her child is making. This passage was fresh on my mind, so we looked up a couple of verses to pray.

Song of Solomon 8:4  "Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe—and you’re ready."

This was our prayer: We pray for ______ and ask that love is not stirred up until the right time. Keep _________ from doing anything that brings the wrong kind of excitement.

It felt so good to pray a verse that was specific to the concern.

What's on your mind today? I promise you there's a verse for that!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Send Your word our way. We know that the things You want to accomplish are always for our good. We need and desire good fruit produced in our lives. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

He Knows Best~

Martin Luther is credited with saying, "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance; it is laying hold of His highest willingness," and it's one of my favorite quotes.

Yesterday's quote struck a nerve because many of us have felt that God is reluctant. The answers take forever, some might not even come, and those that do are not always what we expected.

Not only that, but sometimes we feel as though we will be crushed under the weight of all the "why?" questions that we have. 

Nonetheless, accepting these verses below as truth in our lives is a good starting point to having peace and joy:

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are My ways higher than your ways
    and My thoughts than your thoughts."

God is telling us that His way of doing things and thinking about things is way above and beyond and superior to how we view matters.  In other words: He knows best!

I keep thinking back to what might have happened if all my foot stomping and pleading would have gotten Rachel into grad school last year.  I repeat: God really knows best, dear one.

And that's alright with me because I can barely keep up with all the stuff in my life--imagine trying to keep up with the lives of billions?

We can't, and God doesn't expect us to.  What He does expect from us is that we will seek Him and invite His awesome way of doing things into our lives.  

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You are in control.  All glory and power belongs to You forever and ever, and we are glad that You are generous and willing to share with us.  Again today we plug into Your highest willingness and ask for blessings.   In Jesus' name, AMEN~

God is Willing~

Tuesday Greetings~

This morning I was enjoying an early-morning phone conversation with one of my children. And as soon as we hung up I started reflecting on the joy this child brings me when said child (it was Hormone) called to say he urgently needed his spare keys, and I will spare you all the details.

Suffice to say that even the most beautiful and powerful car is of no use without the keys.

Likewise, prayer is the key to making our life work. We need keys to unlock things and start things up. We also need keys to lock things and turn things off. Prayer is the key to getting your life in gear. We all have so much potential--for good and bad--and we need God's guidance and protection.

Martin Luther is credited with saying, "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance; it is laying hold of His highest willingness," and it's one of my favorite quotes.

God is willing to answer you. This means He wants to answer you. He has something in mind for you.

Ephesians 3:20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

If God is able to accomplish infinitely more, which means abundantly beyond and exceedingly above what we can ask, then yes, this shows He is willing--dear one--even to over answer you.

But we must use the key. Before we pray, think of an area where you would like an over-and-beyond-your-wildest-dreams answer.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We want our lives moving at the right pace--no detours and no dead-ends. We pray today because we want to plug into Your highest willingness. You are so willing, in fact, that we humans can't even begin to imagine how much You want to do. We invite You to over answer us today in this area ___________. Work Your awesome and mighty power into every area of our lives. In Jesus' name, AMEN~