I Know...

A week ago the Holy Spirit planted in my heart Psalm 46: 10, “Be still and know that I am God.” This is one of my top 5 Bible verses of all time. It is one of the few that I have been able to commit to memory. It is one that in its simplicity ALWAYS speaks volumes of fresh words to me. It is the one that stayed with me throughout the rigorous scanning I had done the next day.

As I laid strapped and silent with a flat surface less than an inch away from my upper torso, this verse kept me sane.

As the flat surface of the scan almost imperceptibly moved sluggishly about my whole body, this verse gave me strength.

As my mind began playing tricks on me, wondering if the pictures this machine was taking of my insides were tainted by the fireworks of malignancy, this verse kept me focused.

As I was about to lose my composure overflowing with anxiety and restlessness, this verse gave me the strength to remain still.

It’s funny how God works in themes. A few days after the whole ordeal was over and I received good news that I am clean, I opened a new calendar for my office desk which has a verse from a Psalm for each month, and unknowingly I discovered that the Psalm for January is…yes…”Be still and know that I am God.”

I am trying, Lord…but many times I fail. I know that you are God, but my flesh is weak and I am easily distracted by the schemes of the enemy. The story of my life is filled with promises fulfilled, and I can’t still completely shake off the shadow of doubt. But praise Your Mercy and Faithfulness, you are Patient with those who belong to you, and you continue to gently remind us that You are the One who rules our destiny…You are the One we adore…You are the One who never will abandon us…You are the One who leads us home.

Lift Each Other Up

I always enjoy reading and learning more about Exodus, so I am glad that at church, our Pastor is doing a sermon series on this book. This past Sunday, however, his words were particularly poignant for me. The commentary that spoke to me the most was on this section of Scripture from chapter 17: 10-13

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

Something that jumped at me as our Pastor spoke about this passage was the fact that: we don’t have to fight alone, but we do have to fight.

God was with the Israelites, no doubt, and God’s mighty hand led them to victory, but that didn’t mean that they didn’t have to do their part. Joshua still had to take up the sword and stand in front of the armies of the Lord. He still had to be in the midst of the carnage and war had to be waged regardless of what the outcome would be and of how much they realized God was beside them. That is such a profound thought for us, today, thousands of years apart from that event.

This piece of Scripture reminds us that we are not exempted from the battle. We are God’s warriors and we can expect a fierce fight. It may not involve a literal sword or any type of fire arms, but we also, at times, land in the midst of a war…and we got to fight. We put on the Armor of God and march on to the battlefield…be it at the office, at home, in our family living rooms, at the dinner table, at a doctor’s waiting room, in a hospital bed, on an examination table, in the loneliness of our bedroom, in the crowded sidewalks of society, in the choppy waters of counter culture…we ought to be ready to fight.

However, we never fight alone. No matter what, there is always someone by our side. Even if the world abandons us, Jesus is our constant companion. As the Word, Jesus provides the main weapons in our war. He is also the Truth that we wrap around our waist. He is the Gospel that makes us ready. In Him we put our faith that protects us from the flaming arrows of the enemy, and He is our Salvation! Therefore, Jesus is no ordinary companion. As a matter of fact, He is our full armor.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6: 14-17. 

We never fight alone either because the Lord Our God gives us brothers and sisters that go to battle with us. He gives us those who find us a place to rest and prop our arms up when our strength fails. He gives us those who lift us up to Him so we can finish the task and get to the other side.

As we go through our valleys of shadow, our deserts, our fires, our storms, our wars, let’s acknowledge the fact that we don’t fight alone. Let’s recognize those along the path who shoulder by shoulder walk with us into battle, those who lift our arms up when we lack endurance. Let us also examine ourselves and see if we are accomplishing our own mission as helpers and companions in others’ struggles. How well are we lifting others up to the Lord in their time of trial?



We all ought to fight…but we don’t have to fight alone.

Test-Taking-Anxiety

God’s unique expression of love for us includes tests that will bring out our true nature, to then expose it to Him and to ourselves, so we can realize that without Him we are nothing, that we need a Savior and that we need to surrender it all to Him. Regardless of their purpose, tests, however, are usually not easy to take. Some of us have high levels of test-taking-anxiety and the sole mention of the word “test” gives us the jitters.

As a teacher, I know that I have to assess my students’ progress somehow. One of the main ways I use to evaluate them is by giving them lots of tests. The process is a bit different, though. I generally teach the lesson first and then give a test to see how much my students have still to learn (as every teacher knows most students hardly ever come fully prepared to a test; therefore, the test result is an indication or a measure of how much they have yet to study).

God is the Great Teacher. As such, He is constantly presenting lessons that we need to master. The only thing is that most of God’s assessment comes to us before we truly understand the lesson. In my case, I almost inevitably score a shameful “criteria not met” the very first time…the very first many times… Eventually, though not always, I begin to see the lesson appear, followed by another test, then more teaching, and then another test until I finally, hopefully, learn whatever it is He is teaching me. You would think this reverse protocol would be more effective because of the shock value. In my case…not so much…

For instance, I think God has been teaching me a lesson on trust for quite a LONG time...needless to say, I have yet to master it. Almost every test I have been facing during the last couple of years has had trust as its main theme. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I keep re-taking the test on this subject over and over and over again…for I have proven a slow learner. With each test, fear, doubt and anxiety continue to creep up…and I am exhausted.

Today, though I can honestly say I perceive a change. I am not on the same spot I was way back when I first began this period of testing. I look back and I see that with each test God has taken me along a path of progress. He has showed me that the result is not the point. He knows how many times I have to re-take the exam until I pass it…so a sense of guilt should not overwhelm me. The important thing is that with each try, I get closer to where I will one day be…to where He will one day take me…and the assurance of this truth fills my heart with peace.

I praise the Lord for the evidence that shows I may, finally be starting to get it (I guess I’m not that different from my students since I have much to learn still). I sure pray I learn this lesson well and fast because I do not want to take the test again.

Today I cling to this Scripture:

Praise our God, all peoples,

let the sound of his praise be heard;

9he has preserved our lives

and kept our feet from slipping.

10For you, God, tested us;

you refined us like silver.

11You brought us into prison

and laid burdens on our backs.

12You let people ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water,

but you brought us to a place of abundance. 

Psalm 66 8-12

Like a Tree Planted by the Water

Today I’m clinging to this passage of Scripture from Jeremiah 17,

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him.

They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.” 

Jeremiah 17: 7-8

I can’t believe that I have never really read this passage before. I remember I heard the lead singer of Casting Crowns talking about it being the foundation for their new song “Thrive,” but even then, I didn’t go read it. Today, I did a search for Bible verses that are about trusting God’s plan and this came up as the first passage. What a blessing! As I read it, verse by verse, carefully, I began to exhale and I felt the anxiety that had built-up through the awaking moments of the night…start to leave my body.

My trust and confidence in the Lord make me like that tree planted by the water that never dries up. In times of trial, when the fire comes, the tree planted by the Living Water does not fear the heat or even the years of drought because it is tapped into the Water that satisfies and that quenches the thirst forever. Even in hard times, the tree that is connected to the River of God does not wither, turn or become barren. Its fruits pop up regardless of the conditions of the environment around it because the water that sustains it never runs dry.

Like the song says, “we were made to thrive.” No matter what, we are not supposed to live in fear or enslaved by our circumstances. We are planted by the water and we trust our roots are deeply submerged into the source of life and hope…overflowing in that peace like a river, and gripping that Solid Rock that is our Lord!

God Always Wins!

Today I cling to the words of my friend Geniene who told me she is fighting for me as I am in the middle of my battle against the “the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6: 12) Geniene told me to “put on the armor of God, and not to let the enemy gain ground in me…God always wins!”

My dear friend’s words have stuck with me. God ALWAYS wins, indeed! And as a small reminder, we can visit Romans chapter 8 and bask in His victory, which is in turn, ours too.

Today I make the words of Romans 8 mine! Today I cling to the promise that we are more than conquerors in Christ! If God is for me, who can be against me? Whom then shall I fear?

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

I consider that my present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in me.

In the same way, I know that the Spirit helps me in my weakness. I do not know what I ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for me through wordless groans. And he who searches my heart knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

And I know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

And I praise Him and thank Him because in all these things I/we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me/us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord…and that assurance is enough for me to have a heart filled with peace.

Thank you Lord Jesus, for in You we all find victory, even a sinner like me! Thank you for the knowledge that God ALWAYS wins…for He always wins, indeed!

The God of All Comfort

Today I am clinging to the words my dear friend Glenda sent to me guided by the Holy Spirit. She found these words by Rick Warren and she thought of me, as she has been lifting me up in prayer during my time of testing. I praise God for Glenda and for all the people from my church, my friends and family, who are keeping me covered in the warm blanket of their prayers for that is how God is providing for me right now. Our Heavenly Father IS, indeed, the God of all comfort, and as such, He makes sure we lack nothing we need. Therefore, like Pastor Rick Warren say, I won’t give in to my fears!

Don’t give in to your fears

God is watching over you, so don’t listen to your fears. This is a choice. Trust God, and don’t give in to your fears.

He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 2 Corinthians 1: 10

God’s promise to believers is that, no matter what happens to us, he is working for our good — if we love him and follow him. If you're a believer, the Bible says all things are working together for good — not that all things are good but that they are working together for good.

That means we can stop listening to our fears. There is no difficulty, dilemma, defeat, or disaster in the life of a believer that God can’t ultimately get some good out of. There is no need to fear the future.

Your fears reveal where you do not trust God. Today, make a list of your fears, and ask God to help you identify why you have fear in those areas. Then, ask him to help you replace your fears with trust.

In order to make the choice to stop listening to my fears I must start by only listening to God’s Word, instead. That is the only thing that will mute the loud screeching of my fears. Clinging to God’s Word, clinging to Christ by reading scripture is the only certain way to fill my ears with the sound of His voice and tune out the noise of the enemy.

Only by knowing the truth I can counter the lies.

I know that my fear reveals that I lack trust, and for that I feel convicted. Therefore, by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in me and aided by those who God has sent to me to encourage me, I am taking a stand against my trust issues. I am hanging on with all I’ve got to the promises of God in the Bible and I am pressing on. He Who delivers me from the paws of the lion and of the bear is not about to abandon me now. (1 Samuel : 17-37)

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

God is Good, All the Time!

Today I cling to the words from Scripture that my daily devotional brought to me this morning:

“Father God, according to Your Word, without faith it is impossible to please You, because anyone who comes to You must believe that You exist and that You reward those who earnestly seek You (Heb. 11: 6)

Lord, I want to please You. Build faith in me so my life will honor the life of Your Son at all times, in every way.

Help me not be like the ancient Israelites who willfully put You to the test (Psalm 78:18). They did not believe in You or trust in Your deliverance even after all the wonders You had shown them. (Psalm 78:22).

Please swell my soul with belief, and help me to trust emphatically in Your deliverance.”

I read this today after I woke up heavy with worry and anxiety. It was the perfect combination of words to bring me out of the fog the enemy uses to blur my vision every day. I closed my little devotional, sighed a deep sigh and repeated the Name of Jesus aloud several times until I felt the tension begin to leave my body.

I am not going to allow the enemy to hold me prisoner. I am free! And it is for freedom that Christ has set me free, not to continue to dwell in the dark dungeon the enemy has carved for me in the depth of the abyss.

I believe in the plan God has designed for my life, and I believe it is a beautiful and perfect plan, regardless of the hardship and temporary suffering that it may contain. I believe He loves me and I believe He is Good, ALL the time.

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him (Psalm 34:8).

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever 
(Psalm 107:1).