What Is Heard

"Thus faith comes from what is heard." - Romans 10:17

I have songs I listen to when I want to pump myself up and I'm sure you do too. That's because what you listen to, whether you realize it or not, really affects how you feel and your emotions. What you listen to always affects your faith. It can build it or destroy it. So many of you tell me that reading these messages helps your faith. Why? Because you're hearing the Word of God. Your faith comes from what you listen to. Being around people that tell you about God, about their own relationship with Jesus will increase your faith as well. In the same way, when you listen to people who will bring your faith down and tell you things they have against religion and the church, guess what will happen to your faith? Unless your faith is super solid, it will decrease. If you read through the gospels, Jesus spent most of His time instilling faith into the disciples through His parables, His teachings…His words.

If you want to see God do amazing things for you in your life, you need to believe, you need to have faith. If you want this faith that can move mountains, you have to make sure you listen to the Word of God each day. Spend time with scripture. Have a conversation with someone about how good God is and most of all, guard yourself from people and things that will take away from your faith with what they have to say. When you're trying to stay positive, you cannot be brought down by the negative. Listen to the Word of God and receive the promises He has made for His people. Allow them to sink into your heart so that you can walk in the kind of faith that can overcome any obstacle and achieve the greatest things.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for our ears that help us listen to and accept Your Word. Keep me receptive to all You want to teach me and let Your Words take root in my heart. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Turning Over to Evil

"And since they did not think that God was worth knowing, He gave them up to their senseless minds so that they committed all kinds of obscenities. And so they are full of injustice, perversity, greed, evil; they are full of jealousy, murder, strife, deceit, bad will and gossip." - Romans 1:28-29

Today's reading in the letter of John speaks about how those that are in God never sin. When I first read that, I was so confused. I do my best to follow God, but I know I sin several times a day. But then I realized that this isn't what this means. When we decide to follow Jesus and try to do better, God looks at our intentions, what's in our hearts, and that makes us spotless before Him. We will sin, but ultimately, Jesus knows it's because of our weak nature and not because we chose evil over good. On the other hand, true sinners are those that Paul has condemned in this reading from the letter to the Romans. Those people, who know that there is a God, and still refuse to pay Him the respect He deserves, are the sinners of this world. See, when in our hearts, we want to follow Jesus, we sin but God helps us along the way. But when in our hearts, we decide that God isn't worth knowing, that's when God turns us over to our sins. He lets us fall deeper into the evils we seek. We turn into superficial, jealous, bitter, greedy people and that's when we fall even deeper into sin. We wouldn't listen to God before, but by choosing to not follow Him or pay respect, we are left to our own evils by God. That's why we see so many celebrities on TV who let the rock 'n roll lifestyle take them so deep into an abyss. People like that don't have an interest in serving God, and our free will is the most important thing to Him, something God will never violate. Be careful with your choices and where your heart leads you. Don't let any sin or weakness make God turn you over to your own evils.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, help me be ever mindful of my words, thoughts, and actions. Keep me humble and pure of heart so that I seek Your will and not my own. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Against Us

"If God is with us, who shall be against us?" - Romans 8:31

I think that we don't take enough strength from our faith sometimes. We believe in God, but a problem in our relationship is dragging us down. We believe in God, but money is scarce and we don't see a way out. We believe in God, but now this sickness has come and it could be the end. Put that faith into practice. If you believe in God, then it is God that has allowed whatever problem to enter your life, and for a good reason which He will use to bless you. This is why, although sometimes difficult, you must remember that God is on your side. Therefore, if God is with you, who or what can possibly be against you? God has got it covered! The work that you have left to do is to pick yourself up and have an attitude of victory. Faith is not faith if you walk around depressed until you see your prayers being answered. Faith is faith when although things look very bad, you walk around knowing that God Almighty is on your side and nothing will or can defeat you.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, You are powerful and You are good. Help me to always remember this so that when I feel weak, I know that You are all the strength I need. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Don't Be a Victim

"In all of this we are more than conquerors, thanks to Him who has loved us." - Romans 8:37

I see a lot of people who drown in a glass of water and up until a few months ago, I was just like them. Yes, I do get stressed and panicky from time to time, but if the love of God has taught me anything, it's that He takes care of me no matter what. All I do, even the smallest things, even on a day I forget to say my morning prayers, He watches over and defends me on.

This realization gave my faith a major boost. When something happens or I get apprehensive about something in the future, I worry for a second but then my next thought is "Lord, I know it will be ok because You are taking care of me!" and then all is well in my mind. So realize, that you are more than a conqueror in everything! Right before this verse Paul talks about trials, anguish, hunger, lack of clothing, danger, persecution - a lot of horrible things, yet, in all and through all these things, we are more than conquerors. In God, we not only make it through, but we come out better than before!!! So pick up your droopy head! Put a smile on your face and bring back the joy to your heart! God has called you! God loves you and wants you to know that He has made you more than a conqueror in that problem you're facing! Believe this and get your hope back! A favorite preacher of mine, Joel Osteen, loves to say "In God, you are not a victim, you are a victor!" And until you begin to feel that God made you more than a conqueror, you will always make yourself a victim.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I believe with all my heart that You make me more than a conqueror. Although a problem is big to me, it is nothing to You. It's just another way for You to show Your greatness. Help me to show those that are sad around me Your love so that they can walk in victory. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Dreams and Goals

"For that reason, faith is the way and all is given by grace; and the promises of Abraham are fulfilled for all his descendants, not only for his children according to the law, but also for all the others who have believed." - Romans 4:16

In each of us, God puts a dream which our hearts want to accomplish. I was speaking with a friend of mine who told me metaphorically that he wants to conquer the world but things get in the way. He knows that everything is in God's hands, but I feel that he might be putting a little too much pressure on himself. In Genesis, God told Abraham that he would make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. God gave him a dream to look forward to and Abraham had the faith.

Naturally, when we have a dream, we may put our faith in God, but we feel a great burden to get things off the ground ourselves. We need to learn that God wouldn't put anything in our hearts that He wouldn't take the lead on in developing. Like Abraham, our part is to have faith. When in this letter to the Romans, Paul says that faith is the way and all is given by grace, it means that our faith, like Abraham's, is what opens the door for God to work. All is given by grace means that the actual work, and the results of our faith are completed and achieved by the power of God, not by ourselves. This is grace, a free gift of God. As much as Abraham wanted, he could not make his elderly wife fertile or pregnant. Only God could do that, and He did because Abraham believed.

There is nothing in this world that we could ever successfully accomplishment without the grace of God. All we need is the faith in Him to believe it will happen, and He will do the rest! Notice, the only action God calls us to in this verse is to believe, and nothing else.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, help our faith. We have dreams we want to accomplish and projects we want to get off the ground. If these things are not founded on You, they will never take flight. Help us keep our faith firmly on You as we wait to see the fruit of our dreams. In Your Name we pray, amen.

You Are Not a Slave

"Then, no more fear: you did not receive a spirit of slavery, but the Spirit that makes you adopted children and every time we cry, 'Abba! Father!' the Spirit assures our spirit that we are children of God." - Romans 8:15-16

Do you have a weakness right now that you feel you can't overcome? Are you tied to something, someone that's not good for you? Maybe you're in a bad relationship or are fighting an addiction, and you can't let go as much as it's hurting you. You, yourself can't let go because your sin is bringing you down. The devil keeps you down by telling you that you are weak and you can't make it through, but stop letting yourself be lied to. You are much stronger than you could ever imagine if you let the truth of God come into your life. You did not receive a weak spirit. You are not a slave to that circumstance or that addiction because YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE MOST HIGH GOD and there is no weakness or evil that your Father in Heaven cannot overcome for you if you ask. Do away with the fear! Do away with the self pity because you were meant for much higher things because with love the Lord Almighty has planned to prosper you, fill you with hope and give you a future. So lift up your trembling hands and lift up your eyes to your Father in Heaven. Be confident in His Word and know that He is much bigger, much more powerful than any weakness, any evil, and any negativity that wants to bring you down.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, I lift my eyes up to You because I am Your beloved child. You did not make me a slave to my weaknesses but gave me power to overcome any obstacle in the Name of Jesus Christ. In Your Name we pray, amen.

For The Good of Those Who Love Him

"We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love Him." - Romans 8:28

Sometimes we get what we want but a lot of times we lose. A lot of times things happen to us that we don't quite understand and those things might cause us to get angry at God and jealous at those who seem to have what we're missing. But put your hope in the Lord because when you do, everything that happens to you, good and bad, is for your ultimate good. Why let anger and disappointment set in when God is working to give you more? When you trust in Him, you will see your prayers answered, maybe not in the form in which you wanted, but He will let you know that He is good and He is alive in your life.

Back in August, I wrote about trusting in God even when things don't work out our way. I wrote about how I lost something I really wanted. That something was a dream job that was offered to me. The company called me in, I met with the head of the online marketing department and it seemed like it was in the bag. I was so so happy. Then, a week later, I found out they couldn't bring me in. I had waited so long for a position like that and then it was gone. I could have asked myself why God would do that to me. Why would He bring in the job, get my hopes up and then take it away? But I didn't. Although I was so hurt I wanted to cry, I thanked Him because of this verse; because He is good and He loves me enough to only give me what's best for me. Fast forward to today and that same guy who interviewed me called me. He called to tell me how he was glad he couldn't bring me in because the label was going through changes, and on Friday they laid off everyone I would have been working with, and I would have been let go too. God took care of me for I know His Name. I didn't doubt, I just trusted and because of this, He showed me why He does things. If this is what He does to protect me, I can only imagine what He'll do to bless me and my future. Put your hope in the Lord. Trust Him, come good or come bad…as badly as your world may shake, the Lord is good and is working on turning your bad into good. Wait on the works of His hands.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, You are good, You are holy, You are just, and You are loving. Thank You for answering my prayers in ways I do not see and for protecting me for I know Your Name. Please help me stay grateful always and help me spread faith in You to others. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Our Personal Commandments

"Keep your own belief before God, and happy are you if you never act against your own belief." - Romans 14:22

One thing I know for sure is that God speaks to each and every one of us. We're just not used to quietening ourselves to listen to His voice. But when we're silenced, with our focus on God, there He speaks to us in our hearts and in our conscience. We know the ten commandments and the beatitudes, but as individuals, there are commandments God has put into our hearts. For example, there may be nothing wrong with music, but lately, I've been feeling bad in my soul when I listen to a rap song with a lot of curses; I feel my spirit sadden within me. This is a belief that God has put into my heart that I must listen to.

And you, examine your heart, examine your mind. Is there something that God is telling you? Is there something you feel you shouldn't be doing or should do? Just because something isn't written in the 10 Commandments doesn't mean it's not wrong for you and that God isn't calling you to stay away from it. That's why Saint Paul stresses us here to keep those beliefs God has put in our hearts. It is the voice of God within you, speaking to you. Don't ignore it. When God speaks to us, it's to help us, not to harm us, so please listen and take heed. Happy are you if you never act against those beliefs.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, I know You speak to me in the silence and You come through so loud and clear. Thank You for giving me personal direction in my life and help me follow Your will for me. In Your Name we pray, amen.

For All Have Sinned

"Because all have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23

When I think about this verse, I think about Jesus sitting on the ground, playing in the dirt, while telling the crowd, "He who is without sin may cast the first stone." Although it's not mentioned in the bible, historians say that He was actually writing down the sins of some of the people for them to see. The point is that some of us start to feel really righteous about how "holy" we are and this is the opposite of righteousness. In fact, the holier you become, the more humble you become. No one has the right to put anyone down because of their sins. As Saint Paul says here, ALL have sinned and ALL fall short of the glory of God. No one can say they are blameless and if they do, they only seek their own glory. The truth is that we are all very sinful and this is something we have to admit to ourselves. Just as Jesus wrote down the individual sins of the men that wanted to stone the adulterous woman, so God writes our sins in our hearts so that we should never feel boastful or righteous but every day seek to be humble and atone for our sins.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, forgive me for the times I looked not upon my own sins but those of others. In doing this, I know I was not humble and instead acted like a judge. I recognize that I am a sinner and need Your light to guide me to paths of righteousness. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Conquer The Walls That Separate Us From God

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Will it be trials, or anguish, persecution or hunger, lack of clothing, or dangers or sword?… No, in all of this we are more than conquerors, thanks to Him who has loved us." - Romans 8:35-37

I think that as long as we walk here on earth, there will be so many things that will be as walls that stand between us and God. Some walls are put there by the problems we face and others are put there by our own actions, our sins. The thing about these walls is that in none of these instances, it was God that put them up. As a matter of fact, they only really exist in our own minds and in our own hearts. For example, when we sin, immediately the guilt tells us we are undeserving of God so we put the wall up. God never told us to put it there, we did it. When we are faced with problems, we put the wall up because we busy ourselves trying to figure it out on our own instead of learning to trust. And since these walls only exist in our own minds, they are imaginary, not real, not impenetrable by God. For God, no barriers exist, therefore there is nothing that can ever separate us from Him nor from His love. On the contrary, in Him, not only can we forever knock down these walls we've created, but we have the power to be victorious against all trials, sorrows, anguish, sin, all things…not just victorious, but like Paul says, "more than conquerors." This is the love of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Today's Prayer:
God, in my little world I have created barriers trying to protect myself and I thought I could do it all on my own, but I quickly see that I can't. I need You more than I even realize right now. Fill me with Your wisdom and give me the spirit of the conqueror You have destined me to be. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Nothing Will Be Against Us

"What shall we say after this? If God is with us, who shall be against us?" - Romans 8:31

This is a verse of victory through adversity. As you know, I was sad yesterday but thanks to your prayers, I have been uplifted. It's so easy to forget the power of God when we're going through trials and even easier to overlook it when our faith is lacking, but that does not change the truth - if God is on our side, who can defeat us/ what can hurt us? I can see myself up to the neck in trouble, but that's as far as it will go because God is on my side. He protects me for I know His Name. If He watches out for me in the small things, the power of His hand is astonishing in the big things. Nothing can ever hurt us if we cling on to Him, even though in this life, trials occur at every corner. This should be a reason for hope. He is with you to protect you against any evil, any fear, any worry. Rely on Him for health problems, rely on Him for financial problems, emotional problems. Anything, He can and will overcome if you truly trust in Him.

One of my readers wrote me today and told me how she was going through some financial difficulties, and without even asking for it, she was offered a job and she starts on Monday. She told me, "God is good!" She expressed how she just decided to trust in Him and now she has seen His care for her. There is nothing too big or even too small that the Lord Almighty can't deliver you from! Praise Him for He really is good and deserves our deepest adoration.

Today's Prayer:
My Lord, forgive me for not being more grateful for the way You take care of me. Thank You for reminding me that with my eyes fixed on You, nothing can EVER harm me for I am protected by Your love and faithfulness. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

The Ways of The World

"Don't let yourselves be shaped by the world where you live, but rather by the will of God: what is good, what pleases, what is perfect." - Romans 12:2

It's very hard to be a follower of God today. The music we listen to, the movies we see, the TV shows we watch contradict what has been taught to us by the bible and what we know Jesus wants us to do. It all seems outdated and the people around us are too "modern" - religion is viewed as an option and no one is sure if God exists or not. Society's liberal views are valued over the values Jesus would like us to have. However, you have received a call from God by being chosen to receive this message. You have believed, so as St. Paul says, do not let yourself be shaped by the things of this world. This world puts value on vices and things that lead to evil, but you have already been told that God wants to give you life and peace. Instead, focus on what is good, what is pleasing, what is perfect, for God alone is good, serving God pleases, and God alone is perfect.

Today's Prayer:
My God and my Savior, please have mercy on me while I wander through this life. Guide me so that I do not fall into the ways of the world, but rather that I live according to Your will always. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

The Struggle

"I can want to do what is right, but I am unable to do it. In fact, I do not do the good I want, but the evil I hate." - Romans 8:18-19

This here is the every day battle for the Christian - failing to do what we know God wants from us and falling subject to sin. We know the difference between good and bad so clearly, but every day something comes up and we promise ourselves we won't be bad, we won't sin, but before we know it, we fall and end up disappointing ourselves; feeling ashamed.

What do we do when this happens? I, for one, always beat myself up and wonder how I gave into evil so easily. It feels like all the praying I do, reading the bible, going to church was all in vain because there I am, back to square one. I feel like I don't deserve to follow Him because I'm just not good enough, obviously, if I can't stop from talking behind someone's back, cursing, putting someone down, or not helping someone out when I know I could have. And I know these things are bad, and I really don't want to do them, but they just happen so easily. As much as I want to avoid them, they are so much easier to do than good deeds I want to do.

This is the natural way to feel but it does NOT mean you're not a good Christian. These are the normal feelings one gets when one falls into sin, but do not allow it to take hold of you for another second because if you do, it's no longer your conscience speaking to you, it's the devil himself trying to knock you down and keep you from God. He caused you to sin and he wants to make sure you feel completely defeated. At this point, you're back to how you used to be, frustrated, lost, without hope. That's where sin leads us to and that's where the devil wants to keep us.

It's at these times that God wants you to come to Him the most! He knows you are weak but all that matters to Him is that you keep trying! As Paul continues to say in Romans, we sin because sin exists in our flesh, but to combat the sin, God didn't give us a spirit of slavery, but a sprit that seeks life! He gave you His Holy Spirit to uplift you even when you fall so you can continue to get up and call on Him!

Today's Prayer:
My Lord, You know my spirit wants to do good and please You, but my flesh is weak and I end up failing You and what You have taught me. Give me the grace, Lord, to always pick myself up again and continue on the path that leads to You. In Your Name we pray, Amen.