Desert Road~

Happy New Year's Eve!

We are about to usher in a New Year, and I am excited!  Fresh starts, new resolutions, hope on the horizon - that's what a new year brings.  And my prayer for us all as we move in to 2016 is that we will, as it says in Isaiah 43:18-19, “Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. See the new thing God is doing.  He is making a road through the desert..."

What was your "desert" road this past year?  Did you travel through a dry, hard, unforgiving place that has left you craving cooling streams?  Are you parched and exhausted? Tired of the same ole' same ole'?

If so, then clap your hands and start thanking God because He is doing something new right now in your life. He is paving the way for you to get out of that mess. 

These verses are loaded with promise and hope, but before we can be alert and present, we have to let go of the past.  We must F-O-R-G-E-T.  Let's take a step of united faith and believe that if God is telling us to stop hashing and rehashing our history, it’s because it’s possible.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I take You at Your Word and pray that You would help me forget all the junk that brings me down. Help me focus on You and the new and glorious thing You are doing in my life..  I thank You for watching over me and my family this past year, and I look to You for every single thing we need this new year.  In particular, I desire deeply to be able to let go of ________________________;it’s a joy killer, it constantly crushes my hope, it consumes my mind, and it sometimes helps the fear creep in.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

Gifts From the Heart~

Christmas is not the only time to give gifts, so today I present to you a DEVO written by one of my faith heroes: Joni (pronounced Johnny) Tada.  This amazing child of God was in an accident over 40 years ago that left her paralyzed from the shoulders down.  God opened a door for her to minister to others, and she has made an impact on MILLIONS of people.  Google her! 

Whenever she speaks I listen because she is credible.  I encourage you to unwrap her words slowly and then take them in and purpose in your heart to follow her example. Those of you who are perfectly cheery 100% of the time are exempt.

She writes:

"Every Christmas I think about what it was like to be on my feet during the holidays.  There were parties and plays, decorating, hitting the malls.  Then came my accident.  That Christmas I spent at a rehab center.  Adding to the hurt I was already feeling was that I couldn't but gifts for anyone.  The way I saw it, God was asking too much of me. The use of my body was taken away at Christmas time, but also the joy of giving.  On the afternoon of Christmas Eve I felt like a martyr.

"But Christmas morning my heart softened...as I focused on Christmas's meaning, I realized the best gift I could give was myself.  My mom didn't want a new dress; she wanted to see me smile.  My dad didn't need a new bridle for his horse; he needed to see me laugh.  My sister didn't need another sweater; she needed to see my grab hold of hope."

Joni's point, and it's a great one, is that there are some gifts we can't buy, but they are extremely valuable because they are "gifts from the heart."

Maybe you've been grumpy lately and everyone in your family knows it.  Maybe you've been self-absorbed and your spouse feels it.  Maybe you're dealing with a big problem and haven't smiled a lot lately.  Joni is not saying we don't have good reasons to feel these ways sometimes, but she is saying that everyone can benefit from a gift from the heart--especially those closest to you.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I already know who could benefit the most from a gift from my heart. I already know who would love to see me enjoy life and smile.  Give me the strength to follow through.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Behold it Yourself~

Luke 2:10-11 

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. And the angel appeared to them and said, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'"

The angel who spoke these power-packed words really wanted the shepherds to whom he said them to to activate their heart and minds  -  to purposely consider how great and incomparable Jesus is, to keep their focus on Him, to get Him into the depths of their being through faith and hope.  To absorb into their souls that they had just heard the very best of the very best possible news ever given.

So what did the shepherds do? They went and checked it out.  

"...the shepherds said to one another, 'Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.' So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger." Luke 2:15

Try to picture this scene.  A bunch of shepherds are minding their own business when all of a sudden an angel appears with a powerful message.  They decide to "behold" for themselves, and as a result, they have an up close and personal encounter with Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind.

Don't you wish we could do that? We can! The angel said these good tidings of great joy shall be to all people! That means you and me!

Let's choose to behold our Lord.  To feast our eyes on Him. To make note of all He has done for us.  To make Him the focus of Christmas day and every day. When we do, we will be like the shepherds who, "were glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen."

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for the life-changing news the angel brought.  And even though it was so long ago, You wanted us to receive the message right along with the shepherds.  We choose to behold You today in all Your splendor and miracle-working power.  Release it into our lives.  In Your name, Amen~

Hindrances and Hurdles~

Thursday greetings,

My Christmas shopping is in full swing, and I am about done.  I am on a first name basis with my UPS driver, and several times a week our mail carrier also treks it up to my door and drops off packages.  I also enjoy receiving cards from friends and seeing how their children have grown, as well as sending out my own cards. (I have been told that this year's is the best one so far!)  A week ago we had our office luncheon, and every night I practice for our Christmas caroling on Christmas Eve.  Plus, I am famous within a one-block radius for my annual talent show every December 25^th.  It’s just my siblings and me, and it’s a lot of work but also great fun.  So much activity happening in my life this month, and it’s because I am preparing for Christmas.    

I feel, however, that I am leaving something out…

Wait!!! IT’S JESUS!

“Prepare for God’s arrival! [clear away the obstacles]; 

Make the road straight and smooth.” Isaiah 40:3

The most important thing to do during this time of the year, and always, is to prepare for God’s arrival.  The way the word “prepare” is used in this verse means it’s an ongoing activity.  We don’t just prepare once.  We prepare every single day.  We must constantly clear away whatever is standing in the way of God getting to us.  Sometimes, for me, it’s the busyness of the season that keeps me from spending time with Him.  How ironic!  Christmas exists because Christ was born and in the huffing and puffing of getting stuff done, Jesus is overlooked.  Other times it’s my bad attitude.  Sometimes its even been watching TV.

But that’s why the precious Bible exists.  To gently remind us to get it together and prepare.  To proactively remove, clear away, delete, and purge any and all hindrances and hurdles that block our relationship with God. 

We all have a say in how easy or how hard we want to make it for God to get to us.  And I hope we are all saying “YES!” to making it straight and smooth because in doing that God will get to us in a jiffy.     

PRAYER: Dear Lord, How wonderful that right now as we pray, we are preparing for You in our lives.  Come to us, precious Lord, and bless us and our families.  Grant us wisdom, health, peace, joy, and hope.  In Christ’s name, AMEN!

2015 Fernandez Family Christmas Card

Make Room for Christ~

Luke 2:7 "And she gave birth to her firstborn son, Jesus; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

Christmas is right around the corner, and if you are like me, you are already in the hustle and bustle of all the preparations.  There are gifts to wrap, cards to be sent, Christmas carols to be practiced, decorations to be put up, and food to order.  I get so busy that sometimes I have to remind myself to make room for Jesus.  How ironic considering that He is the reason for the season!

The innkeeper missed out on having the Savior of mankind being born at his establishment because there was no room.  Maybe he could have made an exception. Maybe he just didn’t realize the magnitude of the situation.  Maybe he didn’t care.  Regardless, there was no room and no room was made; Jesus was born somewhere else.

We all know better.  When we open our hearts and homes to Him, He shows up and the blessings flow.  

It all starts with prayer.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for answering prayer! Every time we gather here to pray, we are making room for Christ. We invite Him into every area of our lives and ask that He fill us up with blessings of hope, faith, provision, peace, joy, and health. In His holy name we pray, AMEN!

God Commands us to be Cheerful!

…In the world you'll have trouble. But cheer up! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Christmas is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but I will admit that with all the crazy news it’s hard to be merry and bright.  And honestly, many of us are facing personal problems that make it difficult to be holly jolly regardless.

How can God even write a verse like that in the Bible? How can we cheer up at a time like this? Doesn’t He realize how difficult life can be sometimes? Doesn’t He know we don’t all feel like laughing or decking the halls?

He does know, which is why He reminds us that this life sometimes means trouble.  But He immediately tells us to cheer up because there is no trouble too troubling, no sin too deep, no evil too mighty –  there is nothing this world can throw at us that can come anywhere even remotely close to being more powerful than our All-Powerful Lord.

Notice the verb tense in the verse.  He has already overcome the world. This is why God commands us to be confident, undaunted, and filled with joy; He has conquered and already gained a victory over all the mess.  

Joy to the world! We can have peace instead of worry. Trust instead of doubt. Hope instead of despair. Faith instead of unbelief. Love instead of misery and hate. Assurance and encouragement instead of fear.  And yes, dear ones, we can be cheerful!  Keep reading the preceding paragraph as often as it takes for you to get out of that bah humbug mood.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for ordering us to be cheerful!  We certainly want to be filled with joy, and when we focus on all You have done for us, we are.  There will be moments when we forget all this great news, so remind us.  We want to keep our cheer and joy at a maximum! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!

No Buts!

1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

Yesterday we all saw the heartbreaking news of the tragic shooting in San Bernardino.  When things like this happen, its easy for our faith to falter. I don't know why so much pain is allowed in our lives, but in the absence of answers, I try to put my focus on Him.  

When I focus on Him I am reminded of a very important truth: GOD CARES FOR ME.  He actively watches over me and is concerned with everything that concerns me.

And please note that there is no "but" to the verse above. He cares for you, but only when your faith is perfect.  He cares for you, but only when your attitude remains good.  He cares for you, but only when you pray a certain amount of times.

God cares for us no matter what, and that right there is reason enough to do a happy dance!

Let’s not use this unfailing love that God has for us as an excuse to not build our faith, to have bad attitudes, and never pray.  But rather, let’s allow His love for us and the power that He has at His disposal to ignite a passion for Him as we approach 2016. 

Let’s do what it says in Philippians 4:7, “…Let God know your concerns.  Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for Your unconditional love for us.  As we share our concerns with You today – (insert your concerns here) – we look forward to settling down.  We joyfully await all the wonderful things that happen when Jesus becomes our focus instead of worrying all the time. We also ask for Your divine protection from all the madness that is all around.  We desperately need a sense of Your wholeness because when that happens, nothing is missing from our lives. In Jesus' name, AMEN~ 

He's a Page Turner!

Blast from the past. Originally published November 4, 2014.

Psalm 118:24 “God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes.”

As you may or may not know I love reading – especially spy novels.  Not long ago I arrived at the library and was thrilled the book I had reserved almost six months ago was finally ready for me to pick up.  I knew I would binge read, and I couldn’t wait.  I would go to my little corner of the couch, set up a cold beverage, put on my special glasses – the ones with the convenient headlights attached to the temples – and relish page after page of international thrills and intrigue!

When I got to page two I thought, “This seems oddly familiar.”  But honestly, there are several spy novel authors I read, and sometimes all the main characters sort of merge.  But by the end of chapter one I knew I had already read this book.  I was so disappointed. I wanted new action; I was ready for a new adventure.  Enough of the same ole’ same ole’.

Sometimes, we are eager for a change.  We want to move on.  We feel stuck on the same page and can’t seem to advance.  Today I am here to announce that God is a Page Turner.

He will get us out of the current chapter we are in and into another one.  I want to especially shout out to my friend who has been stuck in the chapter of infertility for a long time.  It’s boring and frustrating. (What chapter are you in?) And I want to remind her and all of us that God desires to turn the page and write a new chapter in each of our lives.

The first step is to open up the book of our heart to Him.  Let Him take a peek inside.  He knows what we need, when we need it, how we need, why we need, and how we need it.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Turn the page!  Some of us have been on the same paragraph, same page, same chapter for far too long.  We are eager to put some stuff behind us and get a fresh and blessed start.  Thank You that are the Page Turner.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

  

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You~

Good morning,

My family just keeps growing!  This past year we have added Tucker, Trooper, Hershey, and just this past weekend, Blue.  An Australian Cattle dog from the Blue Heeler category, and she is a cutie! Thank you, God, for blessing our lives with furry friends.  And while we are on the subject of things we give thanks for, I want to take a moment to talk about my kids.

When they were little I was CONSTANTLY reminding them to say, “Thank you.” I wanted to make sure they were appreciative of gifts they had received or compliments they were given.  And then one day something magical happened! Before I could get the words out of my mouth, Miss five-year-old Rayray said it on her own in response to something my mother-in-law gave her.  I knew at this point that my work was done.  And I was right; I have not had to remind her again, and I am pleased to report that both she and her brother are grateful kids who even thank Jorge and me for any and every parental gesture.

Being thankful is key if we want to have a happy life.  Studies have shown that grateful people are happier in general and have a more positive outlook in life.  And I think the best way to prove this is to look at the opposite of thankfulness, which thesaurus.com provides over 50 words for.  Words like, demanding, faultfinding, grumbling, selfish, ingrate, dissatisfied…

Try spending even 20 minutes with someone who is always finding fault, grumbling and complaining, and tell me if it’s not completely exhausting.  If this kind of attitude drains the joy and sucks the life out of us, can you imagine what it does to the actual ingrate? 

GOD provides a powerful antidote – Psalm 136. No matter what is happening or has happened or will happen, there is always something to be thankful for.

This Psalm, gives us one powerful reason: God’s love never quits!

Here are a few verses…

Thank God! He deserves your thanks. His love never quits.
Thank the Lord of all lords. His love never quits.

Thank the miracle-working God, His love never quits.
The God whose skill formed the cosmos, His love never quits.
The God who filled the skies with light, His love never quits.
The sun to watch over the day, His love never quits.
Moon and stars as guardians of the night, His love never quits.
God remembered us when we were down, His love never quits.
Rescued us from the trampling boot, His love never quits.
Takes care of everyone in time of need. His love never quits.
Thank God, who did it all! His love never quits!

The same God who works miracles, formed the earth, and remembers us when we are down, loves us with an unstoppable love.  Let’s allow that, and not all the problems we face, be our focus, then we can’t help but be thankful.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! You never give up on us, and Your persistent and powerful love never quits.  Thank You that we can always count on You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Blue~

Unwrap the Gift~

"I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27).

Jorge and I have a will.  It’s simple, really.  Every single thing we have is to be split 50/50 between our kids, and we trust them and their spouses to move forward in a spirit of unity and fairness.  Jesus had a last will and testament as well.  His was verbal, and it’s the verse above.  He spoke it to disciples as He was preparing for death. 

He is not leaving them a house, jewelry, or money.  But He is leaving them, and by association us, the one thing that seems to evade so many people nowadays: PEACE.

We all want it, and some of us pop pills, smoke substances, eat food, guzzle alcohol, or spend money trying to get it. Yet, peace is nowhere near.   

What we learn from this verse, however, is that any road to peace that excludes Jesus is temporary and therefore frightening.  When the buzz wears off, the food is digested, or the novelty of the new toy fizzles away, we are often back at square one and back to having that horrible sinking feeling in our gut.  Jesus is speaking strongly here and reminding us that nothing and no one can compare to the eternal peace He gives, which is abiding, steadfast, and everlasting.

The day Jorge and I fly off to Jesus, my children will take the steps to execute our will.  Hopefully, that will be a long way away.  Jesus, on the other hand, already left us the gift of peace; it’s already ours and like all gifts, we have to unwrap it.  We unwrap it by doing what the verses from Tuesday’s DEVO encourage us to do. We must make requests of God, cast our cares on Him, trust in Him, lean on Him, come to Him, learn from Him, and see the Kingdom.

Every single time we do this, we are opening up ourselves to a life filled with true peace!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, As we pray now, we seek You so you can fill us with this beautiful, powerful, and necessary gift Jesus left for us.  We want our hearts and minds inundated with peace.  We will not look to cheap substitutes.  In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Become Proactive!

Greetings in the powerful name of the Lord!

This past week we all watched with horror as the tragic events unfolded in Paris.  I was shocked, as I am sure you all were too.  And all that is happening brings me back to the DEVO I published a week ago today.  The verse for that DEVO was Proverbs 12:25 “Worry weighs down the heart…”

It is easy to worry when watching the news.  In fact, it’s always easier to worry then to have peace unless we become proactive.

I invite you to check out this website, which has over 20 Bible verses about worry: 

http://www.openbible.info/topics/worry_and_stress

A running theme throughout those verses is that we have to take an active stance or worry will overtake us.  These verses encourage us to make requests of God, cast our cares on Him, trust in Him, lean on Him, come to Him, learn from Him, and seek the Kingdom.

When we want to lose weight in our physical bodies, we have to make wise choices, like clean out the pantry of all junk food.  The same applies to losing the weight of worry in our lives.  We have to be wise and crowd out the junk that seeks to crush us by filling up on Him!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We come to You now in obedience to Your word and seek You and the peace that only You can give.  Remove all worry and anxiety from us and fill us with Your presence. In Jesus’ name, Amen! 

Hershey~

Good afternoon, all you blessed children of God,

This past Tuesday afternoon we welcomed another member to our family. His name is Hershey, and he is a lab-mix puppy my husband found in the middle of the street.  By the time I met him he had already been to the groomers where he was washed, dipped, de-ticked, and perfumed.  My reaction upon seeing those soulful green eyes for the first time was, “This dog does not yet know how lucky he is to have Jorge for a daddy.”

Jorge has, in fact, been very attentive.  Hershey’s food and water bowls are constantly filled, his little bottom has been dutifully wiped every time he goes potty, he sleeps on the bed with us – but mostly snuggled close to Jorge – and I have not heard one complaint about vet bills, heart pill costs, and follow up visit expenses.  And this morning, before I left for work, Jorge had already called twice for updates on Hershey, followed by, “He’s so cute,” and “he’s so sweet…”

So much attention for such a small little animal!  I wonder, though, if we realize just how much more blessed we are because God is our Daddy?

Psalm 103 provides a peek at a few of the benefits of being God’s child.

·       He forgives our sins

·       Saves our life

·       Crowns us with love and mercy

·       Wraps us in goodness and eternal beauty

·       He renews our youth

·       He does not treat as our sins deserve

·       He knows us inside and out

·       God makes everything right for us and our children

Another powerful passage from scripture promises us that “God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).”

God generously fills us from His inexhaustible supply until we are full of everything we need to live a blessed life; He is the best Daddy of all!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for being the best Dad we could ever hope for.  We take You at Your word and open our lives today to receive all that You have to offer.  We need it today and every day. In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Pray it Off~

Tuesday greetings,

A few months ago my husband played a mean joke on my daughter-in-law, Lis.  She was weighing herself on the scale, and Jorge moved in stealthily behind her and also stepped on the scale.  It increased her weight by 20 lbs, and sheer panic set in for a few horrifying moments.  We all got a good laugh out of it, but man o man, I would have killed him.  Truth is I have never met a single person who would welcome extra weight.

Some of us carry it physically, but way too many of us carry it in our hearts.

Proverbs 12:25 “Worry weighs down the heart…”

Anxiety, heaviness, grief, sorrow, call it what you will, but all the aforementioned are part of life, and they weigh us down, bring us low, depress us, and trouble our hearts.

What can we do? The second part of Proverbs 12:25 says, “…but a kind word cheers a person up.”

Other versions of the Bible say “a good word”, an “encouraging word”, or an “appropriate word” brings joy.

The anecdote for heaviness of heart is found in the quality of the words we receive, and it’s instant.  Most importantly, we should be reading the Holy Bible every day because it is the kindest, most encouraging Word on the face of the earth.  I know that when I have those times that I feel the pressures of life, reading scripture provides a powerful lift.  Praying with a buddy also infuses my soul with hope.   And of course, over the course of my life, there have been so many life-giving words shared with me that I treasure to this day.

There is no need to carry around that extra weight today; let's pray it off right now!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for knowing that worry weighs us down.  You never ignore us or pretend our feelings aren’t real.  But we also thank You for providing a way to lift our spirits. Remind us to fill ourselves with Your Word everyday so we can soar above the problems of life.  Also, remind us that the words we speak can affect the quality of someone else’s life.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN. 

Refresh Signal~

Acts 3:19 “Now it’s time to change your ways!  Turn to face God so He can wipe away your sins, and pour out showers of blessing to refresh you…”

Last week our internet went down and our phones, which provide HD VoIP, or voice over the internet, went down as well.  When I lobbied for this state-of-the art phone system, I assured my boss that I would take the precautionary measure of having a back up internet router installed so our phones would stay online in case the primary internet went down.

Well, when the primary went down, the back-up kicked into gear, except that the main switch wasn’t receiving the signal, so our phones went kaput!

I called our tech guy right away and the solution was simple: Unplug and then replug the router in order to send a “refresh” signal to the switch. 

In our modern, high-tech world, filled with electronics, Wi-Fi, and wireless thingamajiggies, these glitches are bound to happen.  All the technology kind of overwhelms itself and bogs itself down and things stop working.  

And in our hectic, running around all day, not getting enough sleep, too much on our plates, the kids are misbehaving , and the dog has poop on his feet – don’t let him in the house existences, we too might find ourselves going kaput.

We know how to pray, we know what we need to do, we know where the “Main Switch” is, but He is not receiving the signal. It’s time to settle down and send a refresh signal to our Lord.

And the time is now! When we turn to Him He pours out showers of blessings and refreshes us right back.  A shower is an abundance of something.  God does not send a trickle, mist, squirt, dribble, or spray.  He sends a deluge of whatever we need to get back up and running with joy, peace, strength, hope, faith, and love.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We come to You now and face You because sometimes we get bogged down with our lives and there’s a failure to connect.  We know You are there waiting for us to turn to You so You can flood our lives with Your goodness.  Flood us now, dear Lord.  We need it.  And thank You that You are always ready to refresh us.  In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Ready and Waiting

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”

Isaiah 30:18 “So the LORD must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God.”

Greetings all you precious children of the Most-high God!

Take a look at this picture:

No one wants to see the temperature gauge nearing the "H" when they are driving their car. But that is exactly what Jorge and I saw three weeks ago on the way home from my in-laws’ house.  We were able to pull over safely, and my father-in-law, the beloved Chini, traded cars with us so he could drop off the car at the mechanic in the morning and I could have transportation for work.  Exactly one week later the car over heated again.  Back to the mechanic it went. And then this past Friday, yes, you guessed it, it happened for the third time.  So this time we took the car to another mechanic – one with a greater degree of knowledge for our type of car.

Lots of folks specialize in different areas.  I would never go to a podiatrist for a headache, nor would I have my house painted by the guy who mows the lawn.  I also wouldn’t have my nails done by my math teacher son, nor would I call in my sister to fix my dishwasher, which is currently on the fritz.

In other words, there are certain things that only certain people are qualified to handle.

Our mighty Lord is in a category all His own.

Only He can heal the broken hearted. Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Only He can take our fear and turn it into faith. Psalm 34:4 “I prayed to the LORD, and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears.”

Only He can replace our mourning for joy. Psalm 30:11 “You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.”

Only He can crush anxiety and drown us in peace. John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.”

Only He can _________________________...fill in the blank, dear one.  

What is happening right now that you have no control over?  God is waiting for you to turn to Him.

When my car broke down, I had to take action.  I just didn’t leave it there by the side of the road praying it would fix itself.  Likewise, there is no need to just sit by and hope everything works out with the messes of life.  Take action and go the One Who specializes in meeting all your needs; He is ready and waiting for you!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You are ready to help. Thank You that You are our refuge and strength. Thank You that You are faithful and compassionate. Thank You that You can handle anything and everything we bring Your way. You are always ready and waiting! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!   

This is the Moment

Thursday greetings,

When Jorge and I were first married we happily moved into our little condo with all the joy that comes from being newlyweds.  Our first washer/dryer was a small stackable combo unit, and I remember how nicely it fit in the small utility room.  One day the dryer started making a funny noise, and Jorge, Mr. Fix-it that he is, removed the back panel, tinkered with it for a while, and reassembled it.  It worked perfectly fine, except there were 16 tiny screws left over that Jorge did not know where they were supposed to go, so off to the surplus screw jar they went.  Jorge, of course, was proud of himself nonetheless.

He and I have something in common: Jorge enjoys taking things apart, rebuilding them, and feeling a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.  I also enjoy breaking down scripture, examining every bit of a verse, extracting as much truth as I can so I can build myself up – encourage myself, bring joy to myself, and bring peace to myself.

Take Esther 4:14, “If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" 

I have known this verse since forever.  But yesterday I read another translation that says, “Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.”

Suddenly, I wanted to break this verse down.  I wanted to examine and extract any inspiration God had for me. 

Let’s think about it.  Why were we born when we were born?  Why wasn’t I born in 1865?  Why weren’t you born 20 years ago or 20 years from now?

Could it be that right now, at this very moment, you are to use your life, and the season of your personal existence in the continuum of history, to do something AMAZING?

Esther had to be born at just the right time to just the right family to be just the right age when God called her through her bravery and courage to literally marry the one person who could save the Jews, her own race,  from annihilation.   It’s an incredible story that we will dive into one day, but for now, each and every one of us can be sure that this – our life, our families, our friends, our communities, our churches – is the moment for which we have been created.

In the absence of history-altering scenarios like saving an entire race of people, is there still something grand that we can be a part of?

Sometimes I think I was born because I would be the only one praying for certain folks I know.  Maybe that doesn’t sound exciting, but prayer changes lives and circumstances.  We should never ever underestimate its power. 

And as I think about the upcoming Presidential election, I thank God for a few of those candidates who came along at just the right time in history because they are willing to fight to take back the reins of our nation’s leadership and hopefully lead us back to our Founding Father.

No matter what the reason why we are here, not one of us is alive on October 29, 2015 by accident.  God has us here for a GREAT PURPOSE!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that we are important and matter to You.  We are living right now because You have a purpose for us that only we can fulfill.  Make it clear to us what You want us to do. We are willing to step in and change the course of history.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.