A Love Letter~

Today's DEVO is a love letter from Christ to you straight from the pages of the Holy Bible: Ephesians 3:12-21

Dear Friend, 

Because of Me and the faith you have in Me, you can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence.  So please do not lose heart. Instead, fall to your knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. From His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength. I, Christ, will make My home in your heart as you trust in Me. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.  And remember, God, through His mighty power at work within you, is able to accomplish infinitely more than you might ask or think. Glory to God forever, and blessings. Amen!

Love,

Jesus

Anchor Our Souls~

Ahoy,

This past Saturday my father-in-law, whom we affectionately call Chini [CHEE-KNEE], took us out on his boat, which is appropriately named, El Chini.  We headed out of Homestead Bayfront Park, and before we knew it we arrived at a little beach area. The water was crystal clear and our cooler was nice and full of cold  water, fresh fruit, and sandwiches.  My beach bag had all the necessities as well: volleyball, sunscreen, towel, and lip balm.  Only thing left to do was anchor the boat and swim!

My hubby jumped in the water, extended the anchor as far as it would go, and plunged it in the water.

Everything was fine until the boat started to drift.  Turns out the anchor was in a marshy area; there was nothing solid enough for it to hold onto.  A couple times the boat veered dangerously close to another boat and then turned the other way and almost chopped my head off. 

After some trial and error, the boat was finally secure in more solid ground, and it got me thinking about this passage:

Hebrews 6:18-19 "We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline - a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls - taking us to the very presence of God."

We must anchor our souls in the promised, solid hope that no matter what, one day we will be with Christ and enjoy indescribable blessings.  Everything else is fleeting, marshy, and temporary.  Putting our faith in anyone or in anything else leads to instability and drifting. 

We anchor ourselves when we focus on Him; we anchor ourselves when we pray.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We anchor, attach, bind, bolt, connect, embed, hitch, moor, solder, unite, and weld our souls to You - our blessed hope for this life and for the better life to come. Help us to focus on You and Your greatness so we never drift away.  In Christ's name, AMEN~

Chaos to Calm

"Why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? I call out to you every day, but you do not answer.  I find no relief. Trouble is near and no one else can help me. My enemies surround me...my strength is dried up...You have left me for dead...I can count all my bones...Don't stay far away. Come quickly to my aid. Save me. Spare my precious life."

Gee, tell me what you really think!

Those words were written by King David and are found in Psalm 22.  He makes sure that God knows EXACTLY how he feels, and does not hold back.  His outcries border on the irreverent.  Who is he to accuse God of abandonment and leaving him for dead?

And yet, those verses appear in the Holy Bible as an invitation to tell it like it is. God would rather have our outbursts than our hypocrisy.  He would rather deal with someone who has made an honest assessment of their heart than someone who lives in denial. 

God works with our straightforwardness.  The proof is found toward the end of the Psalm where there is a sudden transition from chaos to calm.

David calls upon us to praise the Lord, show Him reverence, and declares that God has not ignored our suffering nor turned His back on us.  In fact, he assures us that God listens to our cries for help and that our hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.

The only way to have such a change of heart is to have experienced it firsthand.  We can experience chaos to calm too, and it starts with prayer.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Since we are being honest, there are have been times where we wondered where You were.  We felt like You weren't listening and that the answers would never come.  But we thank You because You have never left us nor turned Your back on us. Prayer is so beautiful and important because something miraculous takes place every time we talk to You.  We receive Your peace and goodness in our lives.  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~

The Ultimate, Final, and Beautiful Truth~

Greetings,

This past week my home state of Florida has been the scene of several horrifying news stories. The tragedies that have taken place are beyond belief, and I have been riveted to the TV for the latest updates.  Throughout the last few days I have been whispering urgent prayers for the families of all the victims.

But does it even make a difference?  Am I wasting my time? Does God even care?

My dear brothers and sisters, I do not have all the answers.  I only know the worst thing any of us could ever do is let our faith die.  If we turn away from God, where else can we turn? 

Consider the following statements:

Forty-nine people were senselessly murdered.

A young singer was murdered.

A little boy lost his life while on vacation with family.

Now please let us all consider this powerful Bible passage - John 14:1-3.  Christ Himself is speaking, and He declares the ultimate, final, and beautiful  truth:

"Don't let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, and trust also in Me.  There is more than enough room in my Father's house.  If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am."

Amen...

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Help us to not have troubled hearts. Thank You that there is a place for us in heaven prepared by You. How amazing!  Thank You that You will come and get us at the right time.  We look forward to always being with You.  One day we will have perfect peace, joy, security, and love!  We also pray for those who are suffering right now that this TRUTH would provide them comfort.  So many are hurting and need the miracle of peace from You; provide it right now. In Jesus' name, AMEN!

Our Paths Needed to Cross~

Psalm 107:1 "Oh, thank God - He's so good! His love never runs out.

Greetings,

Last night I attended a memorial service for Beverly Garcia.  She is the beautiful soul who taught both my children in fifth grade.  I am thankful for her life because she truly loved teaching, adored all her students, and she made learning fun.

Her son, Christopher, was there.  He shared how he turned his life around a couple of years ago and how happy this made his mom.  As a result, toward the end of her life, she really reached out to Christ with her son by her side. (It is always wise to get your spiritual affairs in order).  He cried as he spoke about praying with his mom and knowing he would see her again one day in heaven.

He also shared some regrets. 

When he was younger he was, as he put it, a bit of rebel and made poor choices.  As a result, when his grandmother was in failing health, he was not around. He did not see her or pray with her.  It was something that still saddened him deeply.

Well, I was about to give him the surprise of a lifetime.

Eighteen years ago, Jorgie and I visited his grandmother in the hospital.  And he and I each held one of her feeble little hands as we prayed together for her soul, her health, her fears, her future...She died in peace...

It was a beautiful moment that I hadn't really thought of much until last night. 

At the little reception after the service, I went up to Christopher, and shared how I loved his mom and visited with his grandmother.  He was moved to tears and the burden lifted. No more regrets - just gratitude for a God Who knew our paths needed to cross so we could both be blessed.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, It is amazing the blessings you bring into our lives.  For me, it was about seeing the tremendous turn around Christopher made in his life.  For Christopher, it was the assurance that his grandmother passed away in peace.  Thank You for Your goodness in our lives that shows up in unexpected ways.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Just in Time For Summer~

Greetings,

I recently read online that Florida is our nation's number one vacation destination.  I believe it!  My own family members tend to hopscotch to Tampa, Orlando, and Fort Myers.  Even so, millions and millions of folks are hitting the road or flying high - I have one buddy who is headed overseas - so I introduce to you Psalm 121.  It is affectionately known as The Traveler's Psalm, and we are going to pray it over our families just in time for summer. 

Our help comes from You, Lord

The Maker of heaven and earth!

You will not let us or those we love stumble;

You never sleep.

You stand beside us as our protective shade.

The sun will not harm us or our families by day

nor the moon at night; You have us covered.

Thank You that You keep us from ALL harm and

that You watch over our lives.

We praise You for keeping watch over us as

we come and go, both now and

FOREVER.  

                                                          Psalm 121

Excuse me as I print this out and put it in my car!

God bless you~

Take Up Your Position!

2 Chronicles 20:12 "God, won't you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to You for help."

Greetings,

A week ago I received a frantic phone call from a friend who was having a medical crisis.  Her liver was close to failing, and the doctors did not know why.  We prayed the verse above, except it sounded like this: "God, help us right now! Stop those enzymes from going up. We are powerless to do anything about it, and not even the doctors know what to do. Our eyes are on You; we are looking to You for help!"

It was an honest, simple cry for help, and He answered.  A couple of days later a liver biopsy showed there was no liver damage, and the enzymes went down to safe levels. AMEN!

As my friend and I wait for more test results, we are both clinging to the verses that follow the one above.

V.15 "...Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. The battle is not yours, but God's."

V.17 "...You will not have to fight this battle.  Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you...Do not be afraid...the Lord will be with you."

She and I have taken up our "position," which is one of prayer.  We are standing firm in the presence of God, and we are reminding ourselves that He is with us and that He is the one doing the battle until we see the full deliverance.

If you are facing a battle today, take up your position before the Lord and see the deliverance the Lord will give you too!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We are looking to You for help. We are powerless to fight the battle; thank You that You are the One Who fights for us.  We position ourselves before You, and we are never leaving! In Jesus' mighty name, Amen. 

Break Free~

"Believers, guard yourselves from anything that would take God's place in your heart"  (1 John 5:21).

Greetings,

One of the unexpected joys my nine-month old puppy, Hershey Pie, has brought into my life is that he is teaching me so much about my relationship with God.  

A couple of days ago Jorge and I were cruising around town, and Hershey Pie, as usual, was harnessed in the back seat. Jorge and I were carrying on a mundane conversation when all of a sudden, a lovely furry head with the most soulful green eyes popped up in between Jorge and me; Hershey Pie had quietly chewed through his doggie seat belt so he could get closer to us! 

Later that night I started to think about what might be holding me back from being closer to God - restraints  that keep me from praying more and seeking God's presence and power in my life.

At the top of my list would be spy-themed TV shows and books.  It's interesting that I have regretted staying up late to see or read what happens next only to feel as though I have ROYALLY wasted my time.  I have experienced my fair share of dull and disappointing endings.  Whereas, I have never regretted one moment spent in prayer.  I have never lamented asking Him to guide me and protect my family.  I have never experienced dissatisfaction for praising Him for His goodness.

I am preaching to myself, people, and I trust we will all do whatever it takes to get closer to the Lord and enjoy His blessings!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Forgive us for those times we are wrapped up in other pursuits that keep our focus off of You.  Help us to put You as our priority.  Help us to break free and enter the joy and pleasure of Your company.   In Jesus' name, AMEN~