YOU ARE NEVER ALONE

Grief and loneliness are two major situations that face a number of individuals today.  When these moments are encountered we tend to believe that we are alone and we lose sight of the simple truth of God’s word which tells us we are never alone.  Satan wants us to believe that we are all alone, and that no one understands what we are going through.  This is not true, Jesus wants to comfort and heal us, not to leave us alone to struggle through these situations.  Here is what the word of God says in Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

These verses or very explicit on what Jesus came to earth to do.  Unlike some of us do, He did not change his mind after He realized the magnitude of what He had to do.  He had a plan and He stuck to the plan to its completion.  While He hung on the cross He said “It is finished” His work was done and done well.  Nothing can undo the job He did on the cross.  His work will never be outdated; it does not need any addition or deletion as technology changes.  It will never become obsolete Hallelujah!!!

Here is another passage that reminds us of Jesus’ presence with us.  Deuteronomy 31:8: And the LORD, he [it is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

So stop looking around for your friends or family members, if they don’t show up, do not get dismayed or discouraged, do not fear you are not and never will be alone.  Sometimes we are expecting them to do for us more than they are capable of doing.  In addition there are situations that we expect others to understand what we are going through, but if the truth be told they may never want o, need to or be able to understand.  Be reminded not only is Jesus there with you every step of the way, but He also fully understands any situation that you face.

1Cor 10:13: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].

In His Service,

Vilma

GOD STILL DELIVERS

Have you been in a crisis situation and wondered if God is able to deliver you?  Have you forgotten the other times when you were from situations in the past?  Do we believe that this “now” situation is different from the last one and is perhaps just a bit too technical for God?  Why?  Is it lack of memory, a case of panic or simple a lack of Faith?  Whichever it is let me remind you and myself of this truth that God can and will deliver you out of crisis situations , but in instances when He chooses not to deliver you He does so for His Glory and will be right next to you as you face that giant.

In the bible we find a number of accounts where God has delivered people out of crisis situations and these can serve as a point of reference for us today.  In addition take a look back on your life and recall the instances where you, your children your neighbor or an acquaintance was also delivered from crisis situations.  

In I Samuel 17:37 we see David affirming this fact: David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.  

Being in the paw of a lion or a bear are definitely crisis situations.  I am sure it may have crossed David’s mind whether God would deliver him before he got devoured by these very much stronger animals.  God came through for David and hence David did not waver in his confidence that God would indeed deliver him from the hand of the Philistine Goliath.

In Daniel 3- we find the account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego-refusing to bow to the King’s idol and they were thrown into the fiery furnace.  Listen to what they said v 17-18-If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.  What confidence? 

In Daniel 6 we find the account of Daniel disobeying the edict of the King Darius by continuing to pray to God three times daily.  He was thrown into the Lions’ den; we see where God intervened by shutting the mouths of the Lions that they would not harm David.  Daniel 6: 22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.  Please know that God’s power to deliver is much bigger than your problem

As mothers we face many crises our child getting pregnant at an early age and unmarried, or we may have a child who hung with the wrong crowd and has ended up getting incarcerated, a divorce, unemployment or the death of a child.  Our initial instinct is one of panic, instead let us take a step back and remind ourselves that our God is able and still delivers and if He chooses not to, He will be right there with you for the long haul.

So here is how our prayer should be- God time and time again, you have delivered us your children from trouble and I know you won’t fail me now.  You are more than able to deal with this situation that I am going through, so I refuse to panic and completely put my trust in you.

In His Service,

Vilma

IN HIS NAME

Most of us may have heard of a power of attorney (POA)-or letter of attorney.  What exactly is it?  A POA is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs, business, or some other legal matter (Wikipedia).  

I work in the medical field with children birth to 18 years old.  Approximately two – three times every day, there is a person who comes into the office with a patient acting on behalf of their parent or legal guardian.  This individual is usually over the age of 18 years old and his or her responsibility as POA is to make decisions for the patient on behalf of their parent or legal guardian.  Occasional a patient may come into the office without any written consent from the parent or legal guardian, and the office staff has to locate the parent or guardian to get verbal telephone consent.  Once this consent has been obtained, the patient cannot be denied treatment and decisions made by the individual acting as POA are not questioned, because they come in the name or authority of the parent or legal guardian.

As Christian mothers we also have this privilege to act as POA’s as we have been given the authority or permission by Jesus Christ to use His name and to act on his behalf.  Let us look at a couple verses of scriptures.

John 16: 23-24: And in that day ye shall ask me nothing.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give [it] you.
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
My interpretation is that we will not be questioned or denied anything when we come in the name of Jesus Christ.  We are not going to the father in our name, instead we can approach the throne boldly without hesitation or second guessing ourselves, we will not be denied.  The catch however is that we must believe that we receive when we ask and behave as such, we cannot doubt.  
What do you need for yourself or your children?  Is it health, is it a financial need?  Is it patience, wisdom, understanding?  Is it love, peace, comfort, joy?  As a matter of fact Jesus Christ has already made provision for these things.  Our responsibility is to accept them.  So my advice to you is to go ahead and exercise your rights as POA’s.

In His Service,

Vilma

DISAPPOINTMENTS

As the 2012 summer Olympics continues I cannot help but watch the faces and demeanor of those athletes who did not make it to the medal stand or made it but in the wrong position.  I see some of them cry, I see some walk away to sit in a corner, others refuse to speak to anyone or to hear words of well done by their coaches or team mates.  The bottom line is that these athletes are disappointed in themselves and in their performances.  Well, some will quickly recover, for others the disappointment lingers and a few may even go into depression.
Have you ever been disappointed in yourself, other people, relationships or in some things? 

What about you disappointing someone?  I am sure many of you reading this are shaking your head in agreement.  For the few of you saying no, I guess we need to talk.  
What happens when we get disappointed or when we disappoint?  Could it be that our trust was misplaced?  So often we hear the phrases, “you truly let me down” or “I really let them down”
Psalm 146: 3 tells us: Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

David in this verse was letting us know that the greatest of men can fail us, they can go back on their word they can change their mind or perhaps even forget what they promised.  Although Princes are wise and in position of authority, they are sons of Adam, subject to failure.  Whether it is our parents, our pastor, or politicians, they cannot always live up to our expectations.
Psalm 118:8: It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. In this verse we are advised that it is better to take shelter or trust in the LORD, not man.  Why, God is not man, He does not go back on His word.  Not only should we not put our trust in man but we are also cautioned about leaning to our own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

In other words what we think is right or the best may not be and we can meet disappointment if we try it our way.  So when someone disappoints us or we disappoint ourselves, REFOCUS.  I am not advocating that we do not live a life of excellence, and keeping our word, but just reminding us that God is the only person immune to disappointing and being disappointed.

In His Service,

Vilma