When Negating your Right to vote

I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the election. Those of you who know me are aware that I came from a country that in the past was a democracy and the government has deteriotated over the years with corruption and ideological thinking that does not line up with what the Bible says. When I went to college I was beginning to adopt a point of view that did not line up with the Bible. Although I had some liberal influences  I had to make a decision in what to believe and what the filter of my mind would be.  My spiritual eyes had to be opened to the reality of what my thinking was and allow Jesus to rule my thoughts.  I could not do it without me allowing Him and give Him permission. I had to allow His Spirit to rule and my mind to yield. This is something we need to do on a daily basis.  As I allowed Him to rule and yield to Him by spending time in prayer in His Presence and His Word my thoughts line up with His. the filter of your mind becomes more and more in alignment with His beliefs.
Why did I spend time on this? because in this election we must think what the Bible says.  Are we willing to allow our emotions dictate the future of this country? Surely not! We must more than ever be the church united, and willing to allow by our presence in the polls have our voices be heard.  Be educated in what each candidate believes what  the platform of each party is. Don't be like some  Evangelicals. They stayed home because they said may God's will be done. God's will is done by your exercise to vote.
Read 1 Kings, Judges and the Chronicles. Read what happened in the times of David Salomon, Jeroboam and Nebuchadnezzar. There is a lot of insight in what people did at that time. There were  godless times where men and women were turning away from God. when the righteous would rule people would rejoice but when the wicked ruled the people mourned. That is still true today.

Picture from the Stream.com iStock picture

More than ever we must go to the polls, we must study the platforms of each ideology. We are not electing a candidate for office but we are putting an ideology in office to rule. So, if the platform does not line up with the Bible, we continue to allow babies being murdered, people of foreign countries break the law, not just Latinos but others from other countries that are not publicized that are breaking the law as well and go against Israel and continue to allow governmental control creep into our lives then we need to take a step back and think this through.
God is a faithful God but my vote will be held accountable for every child that is aborted and every law that is anti-God that gets passed if we put in someone in office whose ideology is to kill steal and destroy.
My prayer is that Americans will be sober in November to vote by beliefs and not by personalities, gender or what the media says.  Awake now!

Being moved by Obedience rather than Need

OK so here I am again, writing another post. I was meditating about the difference of being moved by obedience vs. being moved by need. Being moved by the obedience of the Holy Spirit is more fulfilling than being moved by need. What is obedience? what is need? Obedience in the dictionary definition is "

compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority".

"children were taught to show their parents obedience" What is Need? "Expressing necessity or obligation or because it's essential" There are times when people are moved by need. the souls burns so bad that we feel obligated because we need what that person has to offer, their status or sometimes a quid pro quo which is not healthy because it is based on motives than on love.
-Never guide your life on just one word. Wait on the Lord and see if it's confimed"
-Listen to the Spirit of God to guide and direct you
-Let the Lord be your shield and use your authority against the enemy in the midst of your obedience.
-Rest in faith. Faith is a rest. As you obey Jesus will be there right with you.
-Rejoice as you move in obedience to God. Praise Him that you are doing His will.
Don't forget! God honors your obedience. The season of reaping will come and because of your obedience the blessing is released.
My prayer to you is that you obey God and expect the best. He takes care of you always. Deutoronomy 31:6 says that He will never leave you and won't forsake you. Agree with God and watch Him move. You are loved!

How Rivalry works to your advantage and how it speaks to me - A post from Lisa Bevere! Love it!

  It is funny how in your walk with Christ you find rivals along the way who judge you for your past, judge you for your present and throw jabs at you to continually compete and harrass you. Sadly some of them are ministry women themselves, They criticize the house you live in, criticize your looks and brag about how they are best friends with people you are close to and who speak into your life but they don't know that. 

I have found that as I continue moving forward I try to walk in love and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to me. I make every effort not to those individuals  get to me and allow the Holy Spirit oil to let those comments rub off and not let it become an offense.

Those rivals as Lisa Bevere calls them can be used to your advantage and I want to share her last letter she shared below:

"I was recently on the phone with a dear friend. I’ve always known her and her husband to be pure, humble, and compassionate, yet they’ve been through a lot recently. They’ve been maligned, rejected, and misjudged.

My friend explained, “They have slandered us to…” at which point she shared the names of a few key players. I listened. I understood. Then I lost track of what she was saying, because I no longer saw where they’d been or even what they were presently going through. I saw where the future would take them. I blurted out, “Good! You need to thank God for them. Their harsh treatment has made you into who you are today.”

Understand, it was not their mistreatment that I was celebrating; it was this couple’s response to the mistreatment that made me know their future was bright.

I have learned to be so incredibly thankful for the opposition of rivals in my life. Rather than quit and wallow in the despair of discouragement, I have learned to look back and see the repeated faithfulness of God. He carried me each and every time when I didn’t think I could go on another day. I have learned more about the faithfulness of God from my enemies than from my friends.

Friends will offer you shelter. Which is a good thing, but not necessarily a dynamic that fosters growth. Friends want to see you protected from the storms of life, while an enemy will do their best to lock you out in the pouring rain. But what if you are in a season when God wants you to learn that He is your ultimate shelter? Who is a better instructor: a rival or a friend?

Rivals are a fact of life. I know. Sorry. I don’t like it either, but it is true. And yet, rivals are not without purpose. Creating a life without rival is not about removing rivals from your life. Rather, it is about understanding that truly all things can work together for our good when we are called according to God’s purpose. We can use the dynamics of rivalry to spur us on to greater growth and insight.

If viewed correctly, rivals can serve as a catalyst, exposing our weaknesses and challenging us to develop our strengths. They push us beyond our limits and cause us to look up when we feel alone.

You are a daughter without rival in the eyes of God. This is how you should see yourself relationally with your Creator, and it is your vantage for how you relate to others. But we would be more than naïve if we pretended that rivalries didn’t exist and that the promises came to us without a battle. The proclamation “You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14) does not negate the existence of darkness. Saying that you are a daughter without rival does not mean you will not encounter rivals any more than saying you are light means you will never face darkness.

You are filled with the same Spirit that raised Christ from the grave. Rivals want you to fight on their terms and in your own strength. You must be bigger than that. As children without rival, we do good when we are dealt evil. Ultimately this is not about our glory; it is all for His.

Rivals have the power to pull you out of obscurity or knock you out of your place of prominence. The good news is that you get to choose what they will produce in your life. Will your rival best you, or bring out the best in you?

We can argue our case, or we can lay it before God. We can whine, or we can thank God that He is using a rival to refine us and position us for our destiny. The choice is ours to make, and no rival can take that away from us."-Lisa Bevere "Without Rival"

This article came at the right time as I was challenged with my own sensitivity and allow the Holy Spirit to be my umpire. God's plan, His plan is sure and focusing on His will and purpose will outshine any demonic dart that people would try to throw at you at your family or your ministry. God is Bigger and Greater. His thoughts of Greatness shall be your thoughts. As you continue in God's path, Greatness is a sure thing. Obey Him at all costs and don't allow any person to minimize who you are! You are the daughter of the most High. you are Queen and Royalty! 

So next time the rivals of life try to throw a curve with their words mascarading as honey, Walk with your head high knowing that you have a place of prominence that no person or demon in hell can remove you from. Galatians 3:19 says "I've been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live but Christ lives in me, the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." 

You are HIS!!!! He lives on the inside of you and He is Greater. You are Great with HIM! I have been raised up! You have been raised up! "Ephesians 2:5,6,7 says that we have been raised up together with HIM.

You are Royalty! and no Rival can dethrown you from the place Christ put you in. You are loved!

When your Soul plays a trick on you!

Have you ever had moments where one time you feel like you are at the top of the world and the next day you are in the dumps. Well, we've all been there.
If you are a woman or man who has asked Jesus to be his or her Lord you have been transferred from darkness to light. You feel peace you feel clean!  Yeah! I am a born again believer!
But then years go by and you realize that there are those days....Days when not everything is sweet, and you begin to discover your mind, your will and your emotions sometimes feel not so Christian. thoughts come to your mind of how a dream will not ever happen, or your emotions feel hurt when a woman or man of God promise you something but don't follow through.  Or you get up in the morning and you don't feel like you want to get up. You are in traffic and someone cuts in front of you. What do you do?
Yes, we have been blood bought by Jesus but we have to deal with thoughts in our minds, feelings that change like the wind, and the willingness to stay disciplined in areas on a daily basis.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica:" And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Paul is referring to your soul be preserved blameless


What is the Soul? 

The soul is the three-part that combines  your mind (intellect) your will (your decision making) and your emotions  (what your feelings are).  Paul is saying to the church that he prays that these areas are being preserved. Let's start from The very God of Peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, He is our Peace. He can give us Peace in our hearts but we must let Him in. The New Living Translation says it like this:"Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
How do we let Him sanctify us and make us Holy. Completely! ?

The God of Peace must rule in our souls

 We must allow Peace to rule in our minds. How?  Remind yourself that when Christ came to live in your heart. Peace came. Your mind has to focus on His Peace. You have the mind of Christ. That thought of torment and that is contrary to who you are in Christ. He took that to the cross, He wore a crown of thorns that bled so much, so those thoughts that are not pure, holy or of good report would not dwell in your mind.  You are precious to Him that He took all that, so you can have a peaceful sound mind focusing on good things. Once you have accepted Christ in your heart, what you think then becomes a matter of choice. We must control our thoughts and what we reason., our reasonings must line up to what God thinks. "As He is.. so are WE in this world"
Our mindset must mirror God's. How do we do that? by reading The Bible and meditate on Him. Joshua 1:8 speaks that "This book of the Law shall meditate day and night. Meditate. Hmm....it means Think about it, ponder, Think Deeply about something.
Another scripture is on Philippians 2:5 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus!" That means that my will is then involved in how I think and what I meditate on but I have to allow it. The scripture says Let. Allow your mind be Christlike.

Doing my own Thing

  God has given the human race a powerful tool. The power of choice. From the beginning Adam and Eve had the power to choose.  You and I have the tool and it is by choosing!!!! What do I want to think about to day? You have a choice to what to meditate on and requires a willingness and a decision to think!  Think what? Observe to do, that means in Joshua 1:8 it says so that you may observe to do!  that means choose how to act. The NIV version says .."so we may be careful to do everything in it"

Emotions

My feelings have a lot to do within the soul realm on how we act. Never trust your emotions they could fail you.  We must always line up our emotions with the Word of God. Galatians 5:22 tells us a lot about our emotions....
How?  The fruit of the Spirit are...Love, Joy, Peace, kindness, gentleness, meekness, self-control!!! Wow I feel convicted already!  How many times have we allowed our emotions to take over instead of our Spirit to bring Peace to our souls.

True Story

 There was a time that I had a disagreement with my husband over whether to go to Dallas while I was pregnant. My emotions were screaming at me that I wanted to go. My husband felt in his heart that it was not time to go to Dallas at the time. Boy,I am glad I chose to submit to him on this situation because I ended up in the hospital bedridden because I ended up in early labor. Imagine if I would have followed my feelings, gotten angry and resentful and not  do what my husband sensed in his heart.? We would have been stuck in Dallas with an astronomical medical bill and away from home. We must follow wisdom and not just emotion and not allow the soul to play tricks on me.

So next time you allow an emotion, a thought or a choice that is not lining up with God's wisdom and His Word, and your soul tries to play a trick, refuse it and make the choice to follow Peace so you can be sanctified completely Spirit, soul and body, and be preserved blameless...!

Then and Now: Seeing God's faithfulness through your children

Hi,
This is my youngest daughter Jessie and I wanted to share her story:

      It was Labor day weekend and I was very emotional wanting to go to Dallas to see some Pastors friends of ours to visit.  I was sleeping and all of the sudden I felt I needed to go to the bathroom. I went and felt like I went a lot. I went back to bed I felt like going again, except this time was a flush.  I then realized that my water broke. It was too soon. My child had 2 months to go before birth. It was 3 am in the morning and it was too early. My baby wasn’t due until November!!! I put a BIG towel between my legs to hold the water and off to the hospital my husband with our two kids. 12 years and 18 months old and I went.

Here the adventure starts...

They rushed me in and they managed to stop the labor. The doctor said my sugar levels were high and I needed to be on bed rest until the baby is due.  (so much for Dallas) was my thought.   I was distraught. I was not going to lose this child.  I started to pull scriptures that I was quoting all along.  I was 39 and afraid! I needed peace and I leaned on God’s Word like never before. 

I relied on the words in Malachi….."And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts." I was daily confessing this scripture daily. 

2 weeks passed and baby came. 34 weeks. She weighed 4lbs and 11oz.  I couldn’t see her. She was put in an incubator in the NICU and I had to stay behind. 

The Power of God's Provision

The next day, while I was in the hospital my husband Oscar went home. Rachel who was 18 months old started asking for milk with all the events that took place the night before he realized that the refrigerator was empty. He told my son to take Rachel to the living room while he prayed in the kitchen.  He then asked the Lord while looking out the window: Lord, I’m a tither and a giver, Rachel needs milk and I don’t have the energy to go out. Then the doorbell rang. Two ladies from our church found out that I was in the hospital and came and brought food for the family. Oscar said thank you and then one of the ladies told her friend. Don’t forget to bring in what the Lord spoke to us to bring in. She went back out to the car and when she came back in guess what she had in her hands…? MILK! Provision did not stop there.  There was so much food that we had to ask people to come over and eat with us because it was abundant. Praise God for His provision.

The Love Walk Tested

Our daughter Jessie started to have complications. The Doctor ran a test showing that there was an infection in her blood. My husband asked the doctor to run the test a second time. In the middle of all that, a gentleman who insulted me found out that I was in the hospital and wanted to see the baby and pray.  My husband saw him through the glass doors and the Lord told my husband: “walk in love” the gentleman asked if he could pray for the baby. My husband told him thank you but it’s taken care of in a nice tone of voice and he left.  After that, the doctor came back baffled because the test showed that there was no infection in her blood.  The Lord told him. This took place because you walked in love and were obedient.  

Jessie went home 28 days later. She is now 11 and a honors student. God is faithful. The seed of the righteous is blessed. 

Serving overseas? 3 kinds of selfies you should never take. My husband and I have talked about this

Serving overseas? 3 kinds of selfies you should never take.: Don't be that ugly foreigner.  Here are some tips to help you consider
carefully the type of photos you take, and the story you are telling with
each image.

Miracles are Here to Stay

These past few weeks I have been meditating as how Good God is.  It seems that is the only thing to hold on to in the middle of trials. Notice I said trials in plural. It is in the middle of a trial that God's goodness shows on display. He shows up in ways that you  realize that YES! miracles are here to stay.  He knows the very secrets that are in your heart and knows them so well.

I was in a meeting this last week and God showed me that He cares so much that the very secrets of your heart hold them dear that His healing power hovers over them.  That secret hurt that you feel you can't get rid of, God comes in with His healing Power and swoops it off the depths of your soul to the point that you are made whole. That secret hurt was not a visible hurt, not like the deaf or the blind or the woman with the issue of blood that was external but it was a hurt that was there lingering for years. Jesus healed it in the most loving soothing way. He restores my soul.
Remember when trials come, remember God's goodness and that He will see you through. He never said you will stay through. He said you will walk through. In spite of what the circumstances are. You have no fear because it is temporary. It is subject to change. It is like the picture of this beach. you see the sand but when the afternoon comes that sand will be covered with water because of the tide. That is how we have to look at our trials. We give them to God and look up realizing that is if subject to change. You become what you behold so you speak to that trial and rise above it. Jesus said:Be of Good Cheer, I have overcome the world.