Meet needs God

Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face.

(Psalms 5:8)

God is holy, perfect and righteous. What better way to pray for ourselves and others but to he led by Him?

As we finish up our trip of serving Puerto Rico families, we have asked to pray for many. Some are in need of a home, some for jobs, some for family issues, and some, like our friend David, need direct healing from God. 

As we pray, we ask God for His holy hand in it all. Please Jesus, remove demonic influences. . . . send your angels as You desire to heal demonic strongholds. . . . provide a way when there seems to be no way . . . . bless the people we have met with provisions for family and communities as they have blessed us (the Santiago family, Pastor Abraham and his family, Jonathan and Heather. . . . provide all that's need for Verenices' home and family. . . . Have Your perfect way God!

Thank You for allowing to see You once again do the miraculous!

Small but intentional

 “For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”—Acts 13:47 (NIV)

We believers, like in the early Church, are to be different! We are to be as a spotlight in the dead of night...showing a safe passage through a challenging world.

It is shown in our everyday actions....a smile, a good deed, a kind word...intentionally sacrificing for others within our daily lives.

It does not have to be so big as to impact the world or even a community. It can help one person for just a brief moment in a day.

Love God...love people...on purpose!

Light up the world!

Intentional Responses

 

Intentional responses....to everyday circumstances but more importantly to God's callings to change.

One thing we are focused on here in PR is to be intentional. Do not do anything simply out of a quick response, but intentionally responding to love God and people. 

That is always our reason for existence after all as a Christ follower. 

Will you and respond as those of the early Church?

When the Lord called Saul and Barnabas through the Holy Spirit to leave where they were and take on a new adventure, a new mission, a new path—all of which probably seemed uncomfortable and scary—they responded in obedience and reverence by praying and fasting before being sent off. I pray that our response to God’s various commands in life would be the same worshipful and obedient response as theirs 

As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

(Acts 13:2-3)

Agreeing with God

 

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.’”—Jonah 3:1–2 (NASB)

Day 2 of our mission journey on the ground. This is the first actual "work" day as yesterday was a day to worship, prayer walk and meet neighbors. Pray that we "agree with God" and gladly to the work He calls us to do! 

Our young people are excited!

PR 2022 (Prepping spiritually) June 21, 2022

Tamara (my bride) and I  head off to Puerto Rico with eight high school students and one parent chaperone on this coming Saturday. We have bee "coaching" them all year long on cross-cultural missions, language barriers, food differences, worship stylehttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2028%3A18-20&version=AMPs, and of course, sharing the Gospel in practical and casual ways. This will be the twentieth (I may have lost track) mission trip for Tamara and me between Jackson, MS, St. Vincent in the Grenadines, New Orleans, Columbia, SC, NY, and now five to PR. All have involved lots of prayer, preparation, training, and sacrifice . . . and al well worth it! The memories, the friends made, and the saved souls gained for Christ will last an eternity.

Summer...redirecting focus . . .but God!

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:2-8)

Who likes being tested? Who enjoys trials? Anyone facing the unknown? That is where God has me at this point. At sixty-two, I should be thinking of retirement but that is not the case! I am pondering how long I may have to work to keep my family secure and even where I may be working in the near future!

In this world and economy today, nothing is for sure anymore . . . but God! Yes, it's summer and I should be relaxed, enjoying the freedom from teaching, but that is not the case. We have a mission trip in two weeks with a group of nine teenagers from school. A bit nervous right? Then there is next school year. As is the case every year, next year's plans are tentative, as it is with every year of planning in education.

So what am I to do? I must take my focus of of me and redirect my focus on God. He has provided all along and will do so now. Will it be easy . . . NO! Is it the right thing to do . . . YES! With all the questions this summer, I must redirect my focus and remember these two words . . . BUT GOD!

His protection

O Lord, to You I cry out; for fire has devoured the open pastures,

and a flame has burned all the trees of the field.20 The beasts of the field also cry out to You, For the water brooks are dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures. (Joel 1:19-20)

Protect our kids Lord . . . my children, my grandchildren, the students I teach, the students in our ministry, the next generation. What would happen to the children if we do not pray His protection over them? In a world that has been turned upside down, our kids face life that is drastically different from the values we teach. We must do our best to prepare them. Then all we can do is pray. . . and trust God!

Fact is that after summer some kids do not return . . . to school or even to life. So as we end another school year, I once again put my children and those God has entrusted in my care into His hands! Protect them Lord!

tolerance and acceptance . . . c'mon out of the closet!

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.(1 Corinthians 16:13)

Ever feel like you are alone in your walk with the Lord? Welcome to the club! At times, especially in these times of tolerance and acceptance, taking a stand for Christ is not even popular among many believers. I am told to not be so offensive . . . stop bullying . . . keep you views to yourself . . . and more. Some comments I cannot possibly write here.

ell, maybe they are right. I can get with tolerance and acceptance alright. I will not tolerate sin. I will not tolerate disgracing the cross or belittling my Savior. I will accept sin as normal and acceptable. I will stand got biblical Truth and continue to do so, in love, until I am face to face with Truth. I have no other choice!

Anybody with me . . . c'mon out of the closet!

Never . . . more!

So when do we know enough? Simple answer . . . NEVER! We need to know!

While we will never know all about God, we should never stop trying to find out more about Him. The more we can understand of the magnitude of His love and grace, the more we grow in our love for Him. Just like with our spouse, we should be desiring to know more and more about the person God is. After all, He is the most important person in our lives!

God the Holy Spirit is not spoken about or spoken to as often as should be. He is real. He is living inside every believer. he desires for us to know Him deeper. He wants nothing but good for us. In fact, He even prays for us when we don't know what to say! Why do we not seek Him more?

Let's focus on getting to know God the Holy Spirit more today . . . this week . . . every day in fact. We will never know enough but should be seeking to know more.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)

an indescribable God

How to describe an indescribable God . . . hummmmm. Remember that time when you were so blown away that you couldn't even speak? Recently God has done some really stupid stuff in our lives. By stupid, I mean literally crazy and indescribable things! In the last year or so, we have gone from a rather regular life in our home of 24 years, to getting a mind-blowing offer for that home, living in hotels and relatives for months, getting an unbelievable offer on a new home, moving 25 miles away from where we were, paying cash for two newsed vehicles . . . . an simply indescribable past six months for sure! Oh, and we also have been leading a team of teenagers from school in missions training with a goal of raising over $15,000 in less than nine months to serve in Puerto Rico. Guess what? God did that and more too!

He is an indescribable God for sure! Yes, we have had our struggles too, but we are so learning to simply trust God. The more we lean upon Him, the more He delivers what we need, even when we don't even know what we need . . . like a different home!

Listen . . . God is real and He wants us to be real with Him. He wants to change each of us to be more like Him and to want more of Him. The same power that raised Him from the grave and empowered hundreds to give their lives for Him is within us as believers.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Even when we have no clue . . . His Spirit knows what we need and pleads with the Father for us! That's my Daddy . . . that's my God!

Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.         (Romans 8:27)

Tell me about your God!

struggles

Surface actions do not line up with inner thoughts . . . sound familiar . . .sounds a lot like the struggles Paul went through doesn't it? This CHRISTian life is a struggle . . . at least for me!

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. (Romans 7: 15-20)

Living fully for God begins in the mind. We can actually be living what looks like a God-centered life yet in our minds we fight and struggle. Others look at us and think: "What a great CHRISTian!" Yet we look inward and see such a failure. We have to keep repeating what God has done for us. He has redeemed us with His blood! He alone can transform our minds by the washing of His Blood and the guidance of His Spirit.

In the struggles, we must keep our minds stayed upon His promise! Jesus is a Person we know and not a place we go! The struggle is a process but He struggles through with us. We are beloved, chosen and redeemed . . . believe that!

It is all in the past...now it is HIStory!

The past is the past . . . heard that before, huh? Well, it is true. Despite how memorable or forgettable our pasts are, truth is, it is all in the past! So what do we do with the memories . . . the failures . . . the triumphs . . . the mis-steps?

Well. the past may not define us, but it tells our story. As we look back, we can see how much of it is my story and how much is God's story . . . HIS-story. I blew through 30-40 years of life as a sports fanatic. I played just about every sport I could from five years old and up . . . through little league, high school, college, and church league basketball and softball. My successes in sports covered up my failures in life. 

Along the way Jesus tapped me on my heart and told me there was more . . . way more! Yes, I still love sports, but I now realize my life is in Him and not me. I am living HIS-tory now!

What about you?

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2)