How Was Your Day?

Good morning:)

How was your day yesterday? 

Mine was adventurous, to say the least!

At around 2PM after I finished grocery shopping, I got into Matilda and was stopped behind a car that proceeded to back up right into Matilda's front right bumper.  She honked and I yelped to no avail, and there was no place to go, so both Matilda and I took it like a champ.  I automatically opened my door to speak with the other driver, but he took off instead.  I immediately followed just long enough to take a license plate number.  I wasn't about to chase someone capable of a dent and run.

"Jesus," I whispered, "thank You that no one was hurt."

I called the cops--on their non-emergency number--and within five minutes they were there.  Amen!

I go home with a fresh police report tucked in my purse and start cooking a brisket.  Rayray and her hubby stopped by for dinner, and the evening was quite pleasant. 

At around 11:00 I took a shower, and I noticed the water would sporadically turn cold.  I dismissed it and finished up.  When I was fully dressed, I noticed the lamp by my bed was flickering.  I tell Jorge it's not normal and that I am going to investigate. 

As soon as I get to the door that leads from the house into the garage, I see a fire underneath the door.  And it wasn't a cute fire like the kind you sit around and sing Kumbaya around; it was raging as if it were coming from the mouth of a dragon!

"FIRE!"  I yelled.  Over and over and over again I yelled that frightening word.

Jorge orders me out of the house, but not before I grab my purse, my spy novel, and a robe.

We go outside and rolling billows of black smoke are coming from underneath the garage door.  I turn on the hose right next to the garage and with the remote from his car Jorge opens the door and starts battling the blaze.   I then go back in the house and open the door from the other side and with the hose from the backyard also start fighting the flames. 

This all took less than two minutes, and that's how long it took the fine firefighters of Miami-Dade County to arrive.  Three engines, a police car, and an ambulance--all for us.  I was humbled and grateful.  What an amazing nation we live in, people!

Of course, I called my children to share what was happening because that's what mothers do--they worry their kids for no good reason and cause them to leave their own peaceful rest in the middle of the night.  Truth be told all four of my children showed up, and just having them there made me feel better.  Rayray couldn't believe I actually "rescued" my library book, but that's because she doesn't realize how much the library charges if you damage their book.

Jorge and I finally settled down a few hours later, but not before my precious daughter-in-law sent me this verse via text: Psalm 34:19 "The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time."

How often does the Lord come to the rescue? Some times? Most of the time? Occasionally? NO!!!! Each and every time!

I feel full to overflowing with joy at how God rescued me last night, and I will share about this over the next few DEVOs.  But for now, think about where you need God to come to the rescue and let Him know you are expecting Him to show up.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You come to the rescue; we need You to show up day after day after day!  Bless Your holy, rescuing name, in Christ we pray, Amen~

 

 

 

Leo~

2 Chronicles 14:11 "Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God, 'O LORD, no one but You can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in You alone. It is in Your name that we have come against this vast horde.'"

We recently learned about Asa and how a bigger, greater, stronger army was headed in his direction. Asa knew he was outmatched and outnumbered before he even lifted a finger to fight. And he was wise because the first thing he did was call on the Lord by simply saying, "Help!"

He didn't try to fight them off first then retreat and pray. He knew he was up against a force mightier then he, and he did not hesitate to acknowledge he needed God's help.

How might this biblical story translate into today?

Well, I have a colleague whom I will call Leo. He was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer, and of course, he is freaking out. But because we live in a great and free nation and because I am a little pushy--just a little--I asked Leo if we could pray for him; we meaning all my other co-workers and me. I am proud to say that EVERYONE showed up when I invited them, and we all gathered last Monday in the conference room and made a prayer circle around Leo, which means we all crowded around him and put our hands on him. In keeping with biblical guidelines, we all agreed we were seeking a miracle of healing and supernatural guidance for this "vast horde" Leo was facing. Leo had never been the center of attention in a manner such as this, but through grateful tears he thanked us for our prayers. It was truly a holy moment.

As soon as God was invited, He showed up. One of Leo's bosses who has connections at a local hospital, set up an appointment with a specialist for February 18. It was cancelled for February 6th. That's right. They moved it up. And just yesterday, they cancelled again and said they would see him THIS MORNING! Leo loves this new doctor, and not less than five minutes ago Leo called and said, "My faith is stronger, and I am at peace." Wowie Zowie!

Excuse me while I do an extra-long version of my happy dance!

I will provide updates on Leo, but think about the "vast horde" you are facing. The giant. The insurmountable odds. It can be physical, mental, emotional, financial, relational, spiritual, educational...It doesn't matter what it is, our first line of defense is to get God involved.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Help! We need You every second of every day. Guide us in the right direction, and thank You that You care about every single details of our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen~

God Works Overtime~

Happy Monday J

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. This past Friday I was headed back home on the Sawgrass Expressway when in the middle of my 70 mile an hour trip, my car started to die out—literally—right there on the road. “Jesus, take the wheel!” suddenly took on a whole new meaning.

Jorge and I, along with his parents had just left a party together, and Jorge suggested that he drive his parents’ car because it was late and suffice to say, his mom and I were in my car, and he was in the car in front with Chini—my father-in-law.

So here I am cruising along, and my mother-in-law and I are laughing our heads off at some nonsense or the other when I notice that my car has ceased to accelerate. “Say what?”

I think to myself, “Please, Matilda, not now.” My car’s name is Matilda, and she is usually very trustworthy.

Next, every single warning light that could turn on started flickering, and I automatically start honking the horn so Jorge could help. But the horn would not work. So I start blinking the lights, but they were gone as well.

Jorge, God bless his soul, noticed from the rear view mirror that the lights were slowly dimming, and he knew right away there was trouble. Thank God we were all able to make it safely to the side of the road just one exit away from home, and I am so glad that I didn’t engage in my usual “I am going to beat you home because you are a Sucker race.”

But it was what my mother-in-law said right there on the side of the road with cars whizzing by as Jorge pushed Matilda to safety that inspired today’s DEVO: “I have God working overtime to take care of this family!”

Amen and glory! I can totally relate to that statement! God can never take a break from watching over me or my kids because we’d be in big trouble if He did. The awesome news for us today is that He never does.

Psalm 121:3 “He will not let you stumble; the One who watches over you will not slumber.”

You sleep, I sleep, we all sleep, but God does not sleep. That is so comforting to me.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You are wide awake watching over us. We invite You to hover right on top of us, our spouses, our children, and over all those we love so that none of us stumbles—ever. In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

There is Healing in Words~

TGIF Greetings J

Proverbs 12:18 “Rash language cuts and maims, but there is healing in the words of the wise.”

Today is National Compliment Day!  And the whole point of it is to be positive and encouraging by saying something nice.  And please, no vague flattering allowed.  Be specific, be honest, and pick a good moment to unleash your positivity on the world!

It has been suggested to start your compliment with these words, “What I like about you…”

Allow me to go first, “What I like about you all is that you are all wise and will therefore bring healing through your words to whomever you meet but especially to your own family.”  Happy Dance Time!

I am applying this to myself, people!  Just recently I was speaking with a buddy about how the older we get the more critical we tend to become, and truthfully, sometimes I have to squelch the urge to control everything.  The other day Rayray had us over for dinner and right away I felt the familiar urge to “explain” how putting plastic wrap on the onions might be a good idea to keep the aroma from infecting everything else in the fridge.  But glory to Jesus, I squelched myself just in time.  I suddenly had a flashback to my childhood and how I hated hanging out with a certain geriatric because the praise was always in short supply.  It got to a point that I kind of avoided visiting because I did not want to hear the complaining, criticism, and negativity.  Don’t you know it would devastate me if anyone ever said they didn’t want to hang with me because I’m a grump? 

Besides, I am certain none of us ever wants to responsible for cutting or maiming anyone.  Ouch!

Therefore, go forth and use your words wisely today and every day.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, It is amazing that we can bring healing by the words we say.  Make us sensitive to those around us who are in need of an encouraging, kind word, and then give us the courage to say it.  We desire to be instruments of healing in this hurting world.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~   

Just in Time~

Thursday Greetings :)

Hebrews 4:16

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

Can you think of a time when more than anything else you needed God's grace to help you?

There was not a person, place, or thing that could help you; you needed God himself to show up and make a difference.

What must we do to receive His help--especially in a time of urgent need?

We must go to the throne, and we must be bold about it. Isn't it great that God is not into formalities. No need to approach with a, "Hello, How art Thou? I seek permission to enter into Your presence." Sometimes it has to be more of a, "Help me, JESUS!"

Imagine if only the President of the United States could solve our problems. Heaven forbid! We would all still be waiting. I am pretty sure none of us could even get an appointment in the first place. And yes, the President may be the Commander in Chief, but Our Lord is the Host of the Angel Armies. I LOVE THAT! He will put everything and anything at our disposal when we need it.

King Asa knew this, " Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one but You to help in the battle between the powerful and the weak. So help us, O Lord God. For we trust in You." 1 Chronicles 14:11

Asa was facing an army that was trying to destroy his nation, and he was outnumbered two to one, plus the other side had better weapons. But Asa was wise; He knew He needed the kind of help only God can give.

What situation are you facing where you feel outnumbered, where you feel powerless and weak, that your weapons are puny compared to what you are up against?

Boldly go to the Lord today and you will get what you need at the moment you need it most.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You understand that there will be moments when we face emergencies and need to call on You in a hurry. And thank You that You have promised to respond with exactly what we need at the precise moment we need it. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

God Has Longings~

Good morning J

Today we switch gears and go back to a topic I promised we would discuss: Being bold before God.

Hebrews 4:16

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

That verse reminds me of a cartoon drawing I once saw. It was entirely in black and white and a clearly terrified man is before the huge, imposing throne of God shaking in his shoes and freaking out. God is sitting there—this enormous faceless presence pointing a finger the size of the Washington Monument. Not very welcoming at all, and totally contrary to the verse above.

I don’t know too many folks who would go boldly into an unwelcoming place. They may go because they are courageous, but then that implies there is something to be afraid about, or at the very least that caution is in order.

No courage needed to pray. No caution necessary. And please, no hesitation. Plus, no meekness, no hanging down your head down low, and no stuttering!

Can we all agree that in order for our walk with Christ to be vibrant we must take a leap of faith and believe His Word? And in order to believe It and Him, we have to know what It says. Every thing—and I do mean every thing—in my life is filtered through the Word. It’s comforting and effective. As such, no matter how hard others may try to paint a picture of a mean, indifferent God Who is detached and uncaring, I know different. And even in the moments when I might doubt, the Word reminds me that I am to be bold when approaching God because He welcomes me with open arms.

When my finite brain tries to picture an infinite God I think about my nephew, Danny. He is three years old and a tornado. Whenever he sees me, he runs to me, calling me Auntie, and hugs me and slobbers all over me, and I love it. Not that many folks get excited to see me anymore. Yet our gracious God feels this way about every single one of us.

Isaiah 30:18 “The Lord longs to be gracious to you…”

This means He wants to show us kindness, compassion and mercy. Do you need one or all three? The only precursor to receiving this is that we have to GO TO the throne. It all begins with prayer. And our posture should be one of boldness, which means “without hesitation.” When we don’t hesitate, when we are excited to pray, to approach God, it’s because we finally start to understand that He is thrilled to see us. He is gracious—not mean, vengeful, or dangerous. HE IS GRACIOUS. Full of grace, full of love, full of compassion, full of wisdom—full of whatever we need for our lives right now.

How might accepting this truth change the way we approach our Lord?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We boldly come to you right now knowing that You long to be kind and compassionate to us right now. We need it, so fill us up right now. In Jesus’ name, Amen~

You Reap What You Sow~

Greetings and Peace be unto you~

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” Romans 12:9-10 (NLT).                                                                                                                      

Here’s a shout out to a fabulous gal who made a home cooked meal for a little group of us this weekend. The food rivaled anything you could have ordered at the finest restaurant, and the fact that it was prepared with love made it even more delicious. It warmed the cockles of my heart, and I thank God for her.

And it’s not like she doesn’t have anything else better to do.  A few years ago her son was in an accident that nearly took his life, and she has lovingly and steadfastly been there by his side nurturing him back to health ever since and to this day!

What I appreciate about her the most is the smile that lives plastered across her face.  I sometimes think she was born without the “frown” muscles.  Would anyone blame her if she hadn’t taken the time to prepare the meal?   

And therein lies a lesson for us all: Even when you have a million more pressing things to do, honor someone else anyway.  Cook for them, take a moment to pray for a need, rejoice with their good news even when you are still waiting for yours.

Why? Because we reap what we sow.  Actions have consequences, and good things will come from the good you do.  It’s God’s promise.      

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that when we honor someone else, You will honor us.  Help us to love with genuine affection so that we reap beautiful harvests in our own lives. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.