It has been almost 14 years since we met and my husband declared I would be his wife. Our story is like no other story, I’m sure of it. Those who know our story know what I’m saying is true. Perhaps one day I will share it openly with the world, but not yet. For now I will share what I believe is our marriage’s life verse. It’s Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.

I would have never thought we would have made it this far because we were two really messed up, strong-willed people. However, our God knew what He was doing when he ordained our broken paths to meet up together. We we’re so broken, ashamed, and scarred from doing what we thought was right in own eyes. We were in rebellion against God and His will for our lives which lead us to destruction. (Judges 17:6)

There is a way that seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death. – Proverbs 16:25 (Amplified Bible)

We had become outcasts; rejected and criticized by many friends and family. We were two broken people looking for someone to love us in-spite of ourselves. We were looking for someone who could really understand us and who would believe in us no matter what. We found true love in each other, and as we grew in our faith, we found true love in Jesus. (Romans 8:38-39, Joel 2:25)

I’m so grateful today to say, “I am married and in love with my best friend”. I had my own thoughts of what I wanted in my future husband, thank you Jesus God knew better what I really wanted and needed and he gave him to me. I thank God for bringing me my husband to do this journey called life with. (Isaiah 55:8-9, Proverbs 3:5-6, Philippians 4:19)

I pray everyone would have a chance to experience the type of love we have for each other. Our love is one which never gives up, even when we think we want to. Our love  believes all things are possible with Christ on our side. Our love overcomes adversity. It breeds hope and inspiration. Our love is sealed by the blood of Christ, so NO weapon formed us against succeeds. (1 Corinthians 13: 1-8, Philippians 4:13, Hebrews 10:23, Revelations 12:11, Isaiah 54:17, Romans 8:31)

We are still young in our marriage compared to those who have been together 20, 30, 40 years, and more; but we know what it is to persevere. We know what it is to fight for love, to fight for our marriage and family. I want to encourage anyone who may be having severe difficulties in their marriage not to give up. One of the secrets to overcoming marital conflict is to recognize your spouse is not the enemy, the demonic forces of hell are. Even if your spouse is acting like a devil, the real battle needs to be waged in the spirit with spiritual weapons. Don’t lose hope. Keep praying. Stay in God’s Word. Keep believing. Speak words of life, speak the Word of God over your spouse, your family, your marriage, and your circumstances. Life and death is the power of the tongue. If you need prayer please comment below or send me a private message and I PROMISE to pray for you. You are not alone in your struggles. Many of us have been where you’re at and we have come through because of our faith and hope in the promises of God. (Ephesians 6, Galatians 6:9, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Romans 12:2, Proverbs 18:21)

If you are in one of those awesome places in your marriage like we currently are, enjoy it! Let your love and light shine for all to see. Kiss and hold hands. Enjoy one another. Play fight, cuddle, and make out like when you first fell in love. Pray and praise God together. Make wonderful memories so when the storms of life come, you will have built your house on the Rock of Love and it will not crumble. (1 Corinthians 7:3-7, John 16:33, Matthew 7:24-30)

In closing, in honor of our anniversary, I dedicate the last part of this post to publicly declare the top 5 things I love most about my husband.

Lalo, Rey, my love, my husband and best friend I admire so many things about you. You have become a beautiful man of God. In an effort to keep this post relatively short I have chosen these 5 things I love and admire most about you.

1) I love and admire your determination. You don’t give up. I love how you just keep pressing forward no matter what. Even in the face of fear or failure you step out in faith. I have watched you prove to yourself and others over the years  you are not the same man we all knew years ago. You are a motivated, empowered, inspired, successful, and highly favored man of God.
2) I love your understanding of what it means to leave and cleave. You have always put our immediate family first. We have always been your priority. You have helped me to not be afraid to leave my friends and family to follow God’s will for our own, not so little, family. You have taught me to not run away, but to stay and fight. I guess this example was set by your parents who have been married now for some 41 years. Thank you Mindy and Gil for instilling this in him
3) I love and appreciate you loving me even when I’m ugly. I can’t stay mad at you because you are so silly. When I fight or bicker with you; you kiss, tickle, or hug me. You can ever so annoyingly love on me when I am Pm sing and just being mean because my hormones are raging. (This is not an excuse to be mean. I’m sorry for these past months that I have been turning into a monster.)

You tell me how beautiful I am when I have no make up on and my hair is not done. You’ve told me I’m beautiful when I’m just waking up, when I KNOW I do not look beautiful., but how can I not believe you think I look beautiful when there’s nothing but love and sincerity coming through brown eyes.
4) I love and am eternally grateful to you for how you have taken my daughter as your own. When you fell in love with me, you allowed yourself to fall in love with the whole package. You took Angelica as your own daughter. You have clothed her, held her when she has been sick, comforted, encouraged, protected, and believed in her. You have been a great father to her. Thank you!
5) I love and appreciate your giving heart and how you provide for our family. You take care of our family. You aren’t afraid to work hard and long hours. You are ambitious. I love how determined you are to leave our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and many generations to come an inheritance.

I love how you help others and aren’t afraid to give of your time and resources. You have settled in your heart, God has blessed us so we can be a blessing to others.

There are so many other things I love and admire about you. You are a wonderful husband, father, and friend and I thank our God for you. Happy 10 year anniversary baby!! May God see us through many more.

I miss not being able to tell her how my own teenagers have broken my heart. I miss not being able to share with her all the drama I’ve gone through with them this year. I would tell her that I know God is working in their lives, I trust God and have surrendered them into His hands. She would probably respond, “I can’t believe you have seven kids Lisa!” Lol.

But I can’t call her. I can’t tell her “I’m sorry” or ask for advice. I won’t hear her laughter. She’s gone forever. What I have now are memories of her and our times together. I have had to learn to forgive myself for taking her for granted and not appreciating her and the sacrifices she made for us.

If you still have your mother with you, I encourage you to thank God for her—whether she is a ‘good’ mom or not. Pray for her. No one is perfect, but she needs to know that even though she makes mistakes, you love her, forgive her, and are praying for her. If you haven’t forgiven her, then choose today to forgive her and be free from the burden of carrying unforgiveness in your heart.

When I find myself harboring unforgiveness, bitterness, and resentment, my God ever so lovingly reminds me:

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each others faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. (Colossians 3:12-13)

If you have been blessed with a loving, praying mom, who has taken care of you and given you unconditional love; show her that you appreciate her, not just on Mother’s Day, but every day. Tell her you love and appreciate her. Acknowledge her as a blessing from God to you. Don’t take your mom for granted. Our lives are like a vapor—we are here for a little while and then we’re gone. No one knows when our moms will be gone forever.

May God give you eyes to see your mom through eyes of love, mercy, and grace. Isn’t that something we all could use more of?

Here’s a special word to the mothers I most relate to this season; the mother who has a prodigal child: Don’t lose hope. Don’t give up praying. Don’t give into the temptation to speak words of defeat over your child’s situation. Our Lord is in the process of doing something in our children’s lives. He is not done yet. Trust Him. Keep loving your child. Beware of enabling them. Learn to set your boundaries and stick to them. Discipline is love. Even God disciplines us. Don’t try to take things into your own hands. Be still and know He is God, the one who can raise the dead and do the impossible in anyone’s life, including our children’s lives. Don’t lose hope! (Galatians 6:9)

Happy Mother’s Day

Filed under: children, mourning, parents Tagged: Christianity, Faith, God, parenting ]]> http://consecratedtohim.com/2012/05/11/a-mothers-heart/feed/ 2 bigstock-Broken-Heart-29474012 lisacolon 402046_10150467688028113_527603112_8782289_719982969_n http://consecratedtohim.com/2012/05/09/forgiveness-does-not-always-result-in-restoration/ http://consecratedtohim.com/2012/05/09/forgiveness-does-not-always-result-in-restoration/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 16:54:40 +0000 lisacolon http://consecratedtohim.com/?p=1531 Continue reading →]]> “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you,rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” Luke 17:3-4 (New King James)

There are so many wonderful changes happening in my family’s lives this year. There are businesses being started, dreams coming true, ministry is growing, children are starting school for the first time, people are being delivered from bondage,  new doors of opportunity are being opened, and so much more. What a wonderful God we serve. He is worthy to be praised. I can’t help but bless His name because I have found mercy and favor with Him; I have been immersed in His grace.

While there have been many wonderful things going on in our lives, there have also been some very troubling situations; teenagers are in rebellion, sickness tries to consume us, fear and worry come against me full force causing me to fight against anxiety, there has been back biting and betrayal, misunderstands and deceitfulness. I haven chosen to praise God for the good and the bad, because I know that in either situation I am blessed and I know that our God is using each of these situations to change me and my family. These hardships refine us and help bring us from glory to glory, so I am not without hopeful expectation. (James 1:2-4, Romans 5: 3-5, Gen. 50:20)

However, the offenses and the betrayals that I have faced in this season have caused me to fight against bitterness, anger, and resentment. I find my heart has been infected with unforgiveness and I know that I do not need this hindrance in my life. I hate to give others power over me, and that’s exactly what unforgiveness is; giving power to your offender over you. I read some where that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. I don’t need the poison of unforgiveness in my life. So I will choose to forgive every time those taunting thoughts come to my mind bringing to my remembrance the offenses against me.

It has not been easy for me, but the Word of God is so clear on the topic of forgiveness and also on God fighting our battles for us, so I choose to leave each situation and person in His hands. All I ask is for My Heavenly Father to help me to not allow my heart to become hardened by all the drama and betrayal. I don’t want to be a bitter fool walking around with a spirit of heaviness on me. I am going to choose to live free from unforgiveness.

One of the tools that the Holy Spirit has been using to help me overcome unforgiveness is the book, ‘Boundaries: When To Say Yes, How To Say No, To Take Control Of Your Life’ by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. Our Lord used it to show me where I had unhealthy boundaries and where I had allowed certain situations to get out of hand, which is why I have been experiencing some of the things I  have been going through. It also helped me to understand what my pastors call, ‘ a forgiveness that restores and a forgiveness that releases’.

This was probably the most liberating lesson I learned over the year, but it certainly has not been the easiest because I have had a tendency to forgive and restore relationships, trusting and reopening myself up to intimacy before first allowing time to see if there was true repentance or change in my offender’s life. This only resulted in further betrayal and insult. I should have forgiven but allowed for the fruit of repentance to show itself before restoring the relationships. (Matthew 3:8, Luke 3:8)

During this season my dear friend who has seen me going through this messy pattern over and over again, sent me a message telling me to forgive but to use wisdom before allowing myself to be in relationship with certain individuals again. She sent me this quote:

Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. – George Washington

What I now understand, thanks to my pastors and the ‘Boundaries’ book, is that a forgiveness that restores is when we have been hurt or offended by someone, we choose to forgive them in our hearts and they show true sorrow and repentance for the offense; which allows us to trust them again resulting in restoration of the relationship. A forgiveness that releases is when there is forgiveness without repentance and therefore we release ourselves and our offender from the relationship, or when we forgive in our hearts but the other person is not truly repentant and does not want restoration. When there has been betrayal and offense there can not be restoration unless there is true repentance.

Quote from Boundaries: True repentance is more than saying, “I’m sorry”; it is changing directions.

I love how the Boundaries book explains it. Here’s another exert from the book:

The Bible is clear about two principles: (1) We always need to forgive, but (2) we don’t always achieve reconciliation. Forgiveness is something that we do in our hearts; we release someone from a debt that they owe us. We write off the person’s debt, and she no longer owes us. We no longer condemn her. She is clean. Only one party is needed for forgiveness: me. The person who owes me a debt does not have to ask my forgiveness. It is a work of grace in my heart.

This brings us to the second principle: we do not always achieve reconciliation. God forgave the world, but the whole world is not reconciled to him. Although he may have forgiven all people, all people have not owned their sin and appropriated his forgiveness. That would be reconciliation. Forgiveness takes one; reconciliation takes two.

Now there are those that will claim that forgiveness without restoration is not true forgiveness and that setting such boundaries with individuals is not loving others and not Christ like. Beware of such people because chances are they suffer from setting healthy boundaries themselves. Christ & Paul both set examples of removing ourselves from unhealthy, unrepentant relationships until there is repentance. (1 Corin. 5, Matthew 18:15-20)

Setting boundaries and not allowing yourself to be treated like a door mat is loving yourself and is in fact loving the other person. The purpose of separating yourself from unhealthy people is to allow the other person to feel the loss of the relationship, allowing time for them to come to repentance. It also allows for us to have the space needed to heal. If the separation results in repentance then there can be restoration, however if the separation results in hardening of the heart, then we are better off without that relationship. (2 Corinthians 2:5-11)

Whether the forgiveness results in restoration of a relationship or not what matters is that we don’t allow our hearts to be infected with bitterness, anger, and resentment over the offenses that we will experience in this world. We must learn to forgive and trust God to work in our situations and we must never forget to pray for our enemies, I believe that is where the true healing comes; when we lay down our right to get even and we ask God to have mercy and bless them instead.

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, Matthew 5:44 (New King James)

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely on God, who raises the dead. 2 Corinthians 1:9

I was reading the Word this morning and when I got to this verse I thought to myself I know I have certainly been through some of my own trials where I have felt like I just couldn’t take it any more. I would be so stressed out, sad, and overwhelmed. I have been beyond my own ability to endure that I wondered to myself how long could I live through these circumstances. But then God’s sweet Holy Spirit faithfully reminds me that I don’t have to rely on myself, God had been waiting for me to come to the end myself so that I would learn to rely on Him. We were not meant to carry heavy burdens on our own. He wants us to give them to Him.

Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. Psalm 55:22

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

I am convinced from my own experiences and from reading through God’s Word that our Lord will allow us to go through different difficult seasons and storms in our lives so that His power and faithfulness can be revealed to us, so that the real us can be revealed, and so that we will grow in our faith and maturity in Christ. All of these trials are meant to build us up, not tare us down. (1 Peter 1:6-7, James 1:1-2)

It’s OK to feel so overwhelmed that we feel like we can’t take it any more, that is when we should humble ourselves at God’s feet and tell Him,

“Lord I need you. This too much for me to handle on my own. Help me God.”

Coming to the end of ourselves is the best place for us, because we realize that we need God; we realize we can’t make it on our own, in our own strength. Thank God we don’t have to because He wants to help us. He wants us to see that we need Him and that He did not leave us alone in this world without His help. The SAME power that raised Christ from the dead lives in the believer. All we have to do is draw on the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s grace and we will find the help we need to overcome our troubles and to stand in the midst of adversity. All we have to do is call on Him for help. (Romans 8:11)

Then call on Me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give Me glory. Psalm 50:15

I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me. He freed me from all of my fears. Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; He saved me from all my troubles. Psalm 34:4-6

This High Priest of ours understands our weakness, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin. 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. Hebrews 4:15-16

As I learn more about God’s grace He reveals to me over and over again that I don’t have to have it all together to be called His or to be used by Him. God’s grace has led me to true freedom which has empowered me to overcome in every situation that I face. His grace has brought me through every trial I have encountered on my journey with Christ. God’s grace has helped me to accept my own weaknesses and to rely on God’s strength and power instead of my own. I am not ashamed any more to allow my circumstances to humble me to the point where I have to confess that I feel weak and unable to endure. Paul said it best when he said,

“So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

I want to encourage anyone reading this who may be going through a storm of difficulties, you need to REALLY let go and let God. It’s OK to say, “I give up God. Here please take all my problems Lord. I can’t fix this. It’s in your hands now. Give me your strength to patiently endure while you work this all out.” Then step back, stand on His promises found in His Word (the bible), and allow God to do what He does best, work out His plan and purpose in our lives. (Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28)

He is saying to you right now, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

I pray you have been encouraged.

I just love these verses. They bless my heart greatly because it just confirms what I have already learned, what I have already experienced in my own life; our God loves the under dog. He not only roots for them, He empowers them and uses them in this world for His divine purpose. He loves using people who the world considers foolish; the ex-convict, the ex-drug addict, murders, ex-drug dealers, ex-prostitutes, the poor, the uneducated, the people who the world count as worthless. These are the ones he considers His treasures. These are the ones who become His trophies of grace and vessels of honor. These are the ones that He puts in great positions in His spiritual army and who become true ambassadors of Christ.  (2 Corinthians 5:20, 2 Timothy 2:21)

By His grace and mercy He takes these ordinary people who others don’t believe in, who others despise and talk about, and He reveals His grace to them. Once humbled by His love, mercy, and forgiveness He empowers them to do great things in this world. They are not limited by their background, lack of education, lack of resources, or lack of influence because God’s favor and grace are on them. He makes a way for them when there seems to be no way. He gives them favor with others and opens doors of opportunity that no man can close. He blesses them so that they can be a blessing to those around them. The fruit of their giving of their time and resources reaches far beyond their family, friends, church and community; it reaches the world through the lives that they affect. God’s anointing is on the under dog and He expands their territory greatly. I love it!! (1 Corinthians 15:10, Leviticus 26:9, James 4:10, Isaiah 43:19, Revelations 3:8, 1 Chronicles 4:10)

I want to encourage anyone reading this right now who feels inadequate or insufficient, like you can’t be used of God because of your past mistakes, because of your lack of resources, because you feel like no one believes in you, or because you don’t believe in yourself. Please realize that Almighty God of heaven and earth DOES have a divine plan and purpose for you. Not only does He have a plan, but He has equipped you by His Spirit with every spiritual gift needed to fulfill your calling in this earth. You are gifted. Knowing this, get yourself in the Word  of God like never before and allow Him to renew your mind and prepare you for every good work that He has planned for you ( Jeremiah 29:11-13, 1 Corinthians 1:7, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Philippians 2:13,Joshua 1:8-9)

Don’t meditate on your past mistakes and on who you were before. Don’t make excuses of why God can’t use you because the truth is He can use you regardless of your past. There are many people in the bible that made terrible mistakes, but God used them in-spite of their mistakes and circumstances. Here are just some:

• Joseph was despised by his brothers who sold him into slavery. He was accused of attempted rape and thrown into jail, but through all of his trials he was given favor and eventually He was raised to second in authority, ruling over Egypt. (Genesis chapters 37-50)
• Moses was a murder with a stutter. God used him to deliver God’s people from their slavery in Egypt. (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers)
• King David was a murder and adulterer and he is the only man in the whole bible that God said was a man after his own heart. He wrote much of the psalms in the bible. God used him to  establish Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. (Books of Samuel & Chronicles)
• He used the apostle Paul to write a considerable portion of the New Testament, this is the same Paul who was known as Saul who used to kill Christians and who persecuted the name of Christ. (Acts)
• He used ordinary fishermen like Peter and even tax collectors like Matthew to spread the Gospel all around the world. (Matthew & Acts, 1 Peter & 2 Peter)

All these people were ordinary people like you and I. Each of them had their own past and made their own mistakes, but they put their trust in God. They surrendered their lives to God Almighty and trusted Him to work in and through their lives and He did.

He will do the same for you and I. He will use us and empower us to fulfill the dreams and visions that He has put on our hearts. His grace will cover our mistakes and shortcomings. His mercy and compassion will be given to us fresh every morning so that we can walk by His Spirit. (Philippians 2:13, Lamentations 3:22-23)

Don’t talk yourself out of believing in the dreams that He has put in your heart. Don’t lose heart if the vision that he gave you takes longer than you expected, wait on it patiently. Trust Him and keep moving forward each day, one day at a time, towards your destiny. His Word will not return void in your life, it will fulfill its purpose. (Habakkuk 2:3, Isaiah 55:11)

The world and those lacking vision will not believe in you, some will even come against you with their negative words and hateration; but no weapon formed against you will succeed. (Isaiah 54:17)

I leave you with these words from Paul:

“If God be for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

Hooray for the under dog!!!

This year however, I decided to set one New Year’s resolution for 2012—to learn to love more. When I thought about loving more I had my husband, kids, friends, church, and family in mind. I did not for a second think about loving those who would challenge my resolution to love; the sandpaper people in my life who rub me the wrong way with their lies, accusations, hating, slander, betrayal, and criticism.

The start of 2012 has been a challenging year already. I have been used, abused, betrayed, lied to, accused, hurt, and slandered. Loving has been challenged for sure. My resolution to love is being well-tried. Can we as Christians really love in the face of persecution and betrayal? Can we love when others are unloving to us? How?

I am quickly discovering that the only way to grow in love is to actually be put in, or allowed in situations where our commitment to love is tested and tried. It’s easy to love someone back when they are being nice, caring, understanding, respectful, and faithful. When people are rude, mean, selfish, self-centered, and unfaithful, however, it’s not so easy.

About a week ago I was reminded by a dear woman of God to pray for my enemies. I have to learn to love them in-spite of their ugliness. I searched out the Word of God and found, Luke 6:27-36. Take a few minutes and read these verses. I will share the verses that really spoke to me.

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. (verses 27-28)

“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!  And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! (verses 32-33)

“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. (verses 35-36)

That is a lot to take in. Love our enemies. Pray for them. Pray for those who hurt us. Be compassionate because our Father is compassionate.

Thank God for the Holy Spirit that lives in His children because it will have to be by His strength and empowering that I am going to walk this out when I have been so hurt. But His Word promises that we CAN do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us. So here I go; not by my own might, nor by my own power, but by His Spirit. (Philippians 4:13, Zechariah 4:6)

Then the Spirit of our Lord reminded me that I have been forgiven much, so I must forgive others much. I need to make allowance for others faults. I need to be quick to forgive, but that I also need wisdom in my relationships; accepting the fruit of repentance as a means of reconciliation. At the same time, I need to understand that not all relationships will be immediately restored. I need to trust God in the midst of those losses.

In the month since making my resolution to love more, I have suffered great loss and experienced severe stress, persecution, and betrayal. I realize it is only by giving others the same grace, mercy, and forgiveness that Christ has given me, that I can truly walk in love with everyone—friend or foe.  This is not of myself. It is truly done by the grace of God. Thank God for that!

In closing, I leave you with the verses that God always brings me back to. Colossians 3:12-14:

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”

His Word has been rising up in my heart comforting me, confirming the truth, and directing my steps. I feel like He has poured out an extra measure of grace and faith that has been supernaturally sustaining me. I have been in awe this whole week because I feel like I have experienced His grace in a new way. Jesus told a story that comes to my heart; it’s found in Matthew 7:24-27.

  “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

The winds are blowing and beating on my house for sure but I am NOT falling apart because of the Word of God that is in my heart. In fact I have a divine reassurance that the Spirit of God IS taking everything that is happening right now and turning it for the good of those in involved; and for His glory. I know that He IS faithful to see me through no matter what I face in this world. I am confident in Him and the Spirit that He has put inside of me; so when the rains descend and the floods come I won’t fall apart, I won’t crumble under the pressure.

Sure I will cry and hurt. I will go through different emotions; sadness, anger, etc. However I have found that I CAN count it all joy even while we are having troubles because I know Who my hope is in. I know on Whose promises I stand. My joy and confidence comes from KNOWING THIS…God is faithful. So I don’t need to know how everything is going to work, even though I want to know; I just need to know that it IS going to work out and in the end I will be stronger in my faith. I will be a stronger witness because I stood on the Rock.

So if you are reading this and you feel completely overwhelmed and you feel like giving up, DON’T. Throw yourself at God’s feet, receive His mercy and grace; allow Him to strengthen you. He does not expect us to face our trials on our own, that is why He has given us His Holy Spirit and His Word. They will sustain us in these times. Rely on them.

This is when you have to learn to stand in the face of whatever it is that you are going through. Realize that these trials will build your faith muscles. Allow these tests to help you grow strong in your dependence and faith in Christ Jesus. You will learn endurance, patience, and steadfastness by choosing not to throw in the towel. Be thankful, even in the midst of the storms of life. Focus on your blessings. Focus on what you do have and not on what you don’t have. (Philippians 1:28)

I heard Joyce Meyers say something like this”

“We get spiritual growth during our hard times. In our good times we enjoy the growth we got in the hard times.”

So take a step back for a second; take a deep breath, now exhale and allow God to renew your strength. Be filled with His peace. Be filled with hope. I leave you with these verses,

“Always be joyful . Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances , for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

As I grow in my faith and as I renew my mind with God’s Word I see more and more that our strength as Christians has to come from leaning on and relying on Him daily; trusting Him moment by moment and struggle to struggle. We have to learn to allow ourselves to overcome in this world not by our own power or might, but by the power of the Holy Spirit and by his grace and mercy. (Zechariah 4:6) Look at what the Apostle Paul says here to the Corinthians:

“But by the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not [found to be] for nothing (fruitless and without effect). In fact, I worked harder than all of them [the apostles], though it was not really I, but the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God which was with me.” - 1 Corinthians 15:10 – Amplified Bible (Emphasis mine)

Paul knew it was God’s grace working through him that gave him everything he needed to fulfill his calling, to do all the good things God planned for him. It was God’s grace that sustained him in the face of trouble, calamity, persecution, hunger, destitution, danger, and even when threatened with death.  God’s favor and blessing, His mercy and grace are with us also. In fact He loves us so much and He is so faithful that His mercies never cease. In fact they are new every morning. We don’t have to live off of yesterday’s mercy and grace because today his mercies are fresh. I love how Lamentations chapter 3 says it;

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (Emphasis mine)

Of course we are going to have struggles and troubles in this world. We are going to fight temptation and battle moments of weakness in our flesh, but thank God we have grace covering us. When, by faith, we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we received God’s grace FOREVER, not as an excuse to sin but as the power by which we can live victorious Christian lives here in this world. (Romans 5:1-2) I love how Kay Arthur said it in her book, ‘Lord, I Need Grace to Make It Today’;

“His grace covers our past and equips us for the future.”

So we have God’s grace and mercy covering us and we have the Holy Spirit empowering us, giving us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you and me. It is the Spirit of God living within us that will enable us to be more than conquerors. (Philippians 2:13, Romans 8:11)

In closing the words that Paul wrote thru the Spirit in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 comes to my heart reminding me that we don’t have to try to be perfect cookie cutter Christians who act like they have it all together. We can be exactly what we are; people saved by the grace of God, walking in the Spirit by the grace of God, overcoming by the power of the Spirit of God in us, accepting and depending on  God’s grace and mercy to fulfill our callings daily. His grace is enough for us.

May the Spirit of God allow these final verses that I’m sharing here to penetrate our hearts, soul, and spirit. May He bring to our remembrance the truth that His grace is all we need to be really strong Christians.

“But He said to me, ‘My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness.’ Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!

So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength).” – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – Amplified Bible (Emphasis mine)

Jazz I want you to know that I believe in you baby. I know that God has a good plan for your life and as you surrender your will for His, you will see many changes in your life. Not that you won’t have hard times, in fact you will, we all do at some time or another. But I promise you that God WILL continue the good work that He started in you. Keep your eyes and ears on Him, shut the rest of the voices out. Read this post and allow yourself to be encouraged, empowered, and edified. I love you.

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Like my Father God I have a heart for the black sheep, for the under dog, the one that no one believes in, for the one that people say will never change. Maybe that’s because there was a time in my life where it felt like no one believed in me. A time when I didn’t believe in myself. Perhaps it’s because even now, even though I have changed, there are still those spirits and people that would love to see me fail just so they can say, “I told you so”. You know the people that smile in your face but behind your back talk about you.

This has been on my heart for a couple of weeks now. I just needed to take some time out and speak to the one who is feeling alone, abandoned, and or betrayed. I want to tell you to:

“STOP LISTENING TO THE NAYSAYERS!”

You are not what they say you are. God has His hands on you. If you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life then you are a child of The Most High God. Stop allowing people to speak negative words into your life. Stop listening to it! Don’t receive the words of condemnation. It is ok for you to say, “I don’t receive that.”

Ignore the accusations. You don’t have to defend yourself. God is our defender. Stop listening to what the haters have to say. There are those that are not going to approve of what God is doing in our lives. There are going to be those that don’t understand and will criticize. Who cares! We need to walk in faith towards our destiny, even in the face of fear or persecution. I am reminded of Paul’s words to the Galatians.

“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God, if pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” – Galatians 1:10

If you are going to fulfill God’s call on your life you are going to have stop listening to the nay sayers. Don’t receive the lies that you are:

Going to fail.

Going to be just like so and so.

Never going to be loved because of this or that reason.

Never going to change.

Learn who you are in Christ and walk in it. Get into God’s Word and see what He has to say about you and don’t be afraid to walk in it. Don’t be afraid to let your light shine. Be unapologetically bold in your faith, in your assurance that God is in control and that He IS working things out in your life according to His plan. Know that you ARE:

Chosen by God and adopted as His child ~ Ephesians 1:3-8

A disciple and friend of Jesus Christ ~ John 15:15

Justified ~ Romans 5:1

United with the Lord, and one with Him in spirit ~ 1 Corin. 6:17

Bought with a price, and belong to God ~ 1 Corin. 6:19-20

A member of Christ’s body ~ 1 Corin. 12:27

Redeemed and forgiven of all your sins ~ Colossians 1:13-14

Complete in Christ ~ Colossians 2:9-10

Given direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ ~ Hebrews 4:14-16

Assured that God is working for your good in all circumstances ~ Romans 8:28

Free from any condemnation brought against you, and cannot be separated from the love of God ~ Romans 8:1-2,31-39

Established, anointed, and sealed by God ~ 2 Corin. 1:21-22

Hidden with Christ in God ~ Colossians 3:1-4

Confident that God will complete the good work He started in you ~ Philippians 1:6

A citizen of Heaven ~ Philippians 3:20

Not given to the spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

Born of God, and the evil one cannot touch you ~ 1 John 5:18

The branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life ~ John 15:5

Chosen and appointed to bear fruit ~ John 15:16

God’s temple ~ 1 Corin. 3:16

A minister of reconciliation for God ~ 2 Corin.5:17-21

Seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm ~ Ephesians 2:6

God’s workmanship ~ Ephesians 2:10

Able to approach God with freedom and confidence ~ Ephesians 3:12

Able to do all things through Christ, who strengthens me ~ Philippians 4:13

More than a conqueror through Christ Jesus ~ Romans 8:37

Stop listening to anything that contradicts the Word of God. This is who you are! Don’t receive anything else.

Note: Most of the scriptures above taken from Dr. Neil T. Anderson’s page, ‘Who You Are In Christ’

http://www.christiangoth.com/whoyouare.html

Dear Parents,

In our classroom we have been reading and discussing what we think the true spirit of the “Winter” holidays are. The students and I have agreed that family and faith are the most important and that giving is indeed better than receiving. After much discussion we started talking about what we could do to give back to others this holiday season. One of my students suggested doing something for kids who are sick and in hospitals during the holidays. So I told my students my story with my son and they all agreed that we should do the toy drive in our class. We also discussed how else we could help those kids and we came up with the idea of raising funds to donate to Saint Jude’s to use for cancer research.

In short I am going to tell you my story and share with you all the ideas we came up with to make the above possible. Our class wishes to thank all of those in advance that will help make this short project a success for all children.

A few years ago my two year old son Jesse was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma (cancer of the muscle tissue). My family and I learned a lot about the life of cancer patients and their families. We had great doctors and nurses at Texas Oncology and got to know the caring staff so well. Children with cancer make weekly doctor visits that are never filled with much fun. They always result in pokes, pulling of skin, and sometimes the dreaded unplanned hospital stay. The staff did everything they could to make the patients happy and comfortable. They often gave stuffed animals to the kids after unpleasant visits or before being admitted for treatment. On one such visit, the doctor came in and offered Jesse a stuffed animal. Jesse looked at the doctor and said, “Doctor Goldman, I am a little boy and I like cars. Do you have any cars?” Doctor Goldman went to look and returned with the response,” I am sorry Jesse, but we do not have any cars.” Jesse responded “well you need to get some.”

My husband told this story to the students in his class and one boy said, “We need to get some cars for the doctor to give to the boys.” Then one girl asked, “What about the little girls? Some don’t play with cars.” The students then decided the girls should get some Barbie Dolls for the girl patients. Long story short the students started bringing in Hot Wheels and Barbies for the kids at the Texas Oncology office and thus Hot Wheels and Barbies were born in honor of my son, Jesse Mooney.

Jesse went into the hospital December 4, 2007. His cancer had returned. We spent 47 days in the hospital. The Hot Wheels and Barbies arrived just before Christmas. Before the doctors came to pick up the toys, Jesse took three cars to his friend Dillon who was finishing a two week treatment of antibiotics. We also met Samantha. She, like Jesse, was going to be spending Christmas in the hospital. Samantha had not smiled once for anyone the whole two weeks she had been there. Until, Jesse took her one of the Barbies. Dillon started bringing his cars to the hospital when he had to stay. His grandfather said Dillon would not leave without them. Samantha asked about Jesse every time she came to the hospital.

Then on March 11, 2008, Jesse went to the doctor for the final time. We were admitted and told that the cancer had consumed one of his lungs and that the other was partially covered. Jesse never regained consciousness after he came out of surgery. Samantha came to visit him on March 12. She held Jesse’s hand and gave it a kiss before she left. Dillon came and placed a car Jesse had given him beside Jesse and told me that it needed to go with Jesse to heaven. On Jesse’s final evening, March 13, he was surrounded by family and friends while his favorite movie, Cars, played in the background.

You see those small tokens; Hot Wheels and Barbies help provide those bits of happiness needed to help those that have cancer live the daily fight. My class and I wish to thank all of those who participate in this toy drive that helps keep Jesse’s memory alive.

After Jesse’s passing and through those years of exhaustive research
we found that his type of cancer was not widely researched and studied. Saint Jude’s was the only place that was beginning to study his type of cancer and was trying to develop new treatment plans. So my family and I began to donate every year to their foundation in our son’s name so that maybe one day those children will have a fighting chance for survival.

In short our class has pledged to at least bring in one Hot Wheel or Barbie or both by Friday the 16th to donate to the doctor’s office. We are also collecting pledges to donate to Saint Jude’s on December 16th. Your child will have an envelope in which you will need to help them write the person’s name who wants to donate and how much they are willing to donate to the foundation. Then on December 14th our class will participate in an 8 min. marathon of solving addition and subtraction math facts. After that each child will bring home the number of problems completed and collect their pledges and turn them in to me on Friday December 16th and we will donate our pledges to Saint Jude’s. It is important to remember that you can pledge a flat donation or an amount per completed problem.
Many thanks and please let me know if you have any questions,

Mrs. Mooney and Class
———–

If you would like to help Mrs. Mooney’s class by donating a Barbie or Hot Wheel or both to the kids at Saint Jude’s please ship your toy to:

Rueben Johnson Elementary
Attn:Mrs. Mooney 2nd Grade Class
3400 Ash Lane
McKinney, Tx. 75070

If even it does not make it to them by the 16th. It’s ok. They will make sure that it gets to the kids.

If you would like to donate financially. Please contact Mrs. Mooney directly for more information, emooney@mckinneyisd.net .

Thank you for helping us keep little Jesse’s memory alive.