A Woman After God's Own Heart - Chapter 9

A Heart That Values Being A Mother

Photo Courtesy of David Castillo Dominici/freedigitalphotos

Being a mom is the most amazing and rewarding job a woman could ever have.  What a blessing it is to be given the opportunity to be a mother. God has passionately given us a role with countless loving tasks and kindness for our children.  How great is our God that He has trusted us mom's with such an important assignment and responsibility.

I love reading the book of Proverbs.  One of my favorite verses is the one below that describes the woman we all desire to be..

Proverbs 31:25-30 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.  She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children arise and call her blessed;     her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things,     but you surpass them all.”  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

What I most love about this verse is that it is a blessing...one which all of us, as mothers, desire.   This is the description of a woman who loves and follows Gods commands in her role as a woman, wife and mother.

God's word tells us that we are to teach our children.  Deuteronomy 6:6-7 gives us instructions in teaching our children.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

This scripture is quite clear that the primary responsibility to teach our children belong to us parents.  In order for us to teach our children Gods word we must first and foremost have that passion for His word. Gods word should be in our hearts before we can share and teach our children.  We cannot teach something we have no knowledge in.  We cannot speak with passion if it is not felt from within.

How does a mother teach her child God's word? First we have to make some serious decisions and assess what are we doing as parents to teach our kids the bible. Are we even taking the time to teach them at all?  Are we taking the time to dwell in his word ourselves so we can teach our children?  And the list of questions can go on and on. Teaching our kids should be a priority.  We need to focus on building a home that honors our Lord and this includes having a passion for His word so we can pass this on to our children. As mothers we need to recognize our role of a teacher.  Our assignment is to sow the seeds of loving God in the hearts of our children.  When I think of how I am sowing  seeds of love and truth in my children's hearts I can tell you I am not doing enough.  Although something is better than nothing, I need to make some serious decisions and not underestimate the importance and urgency of planting Gods word and truth in my children's heart.

We all have busy lives, I know I do.  I also know that as a Woman After Gods Heart I want to live for my Lord and Savior and glorify Him in all I do.  As mothers we get weary of the duty of being a mom but I tell you this, we need to remain focus on God's word and know that at the end of our hard work is a great blessing. 

Commit today to make some serious decisions and make teaching God's word to our children a priority in your life.  I pray that our Lord and Savior gives you the wise counsel and guidance to teach your children the bible so that the seeds we sow can be passed on from generation to generation. May we always be mindful that teaching our children is a never-ending assignment and we must do it with great joy.  I pray that the fruit of this great blessing is having children that love, serve, honor and glorify God in all they do.  
Blessings,

A Woman After God's Own Heart - Chapters 5 - 8

A HEART THAT SERVES, FOLLOWS, RESPECT AND LOVES     

These past few weeks we've read and discussed how to serve, follow, respect and love our husbands.  I have to say these four chapters were extremely challenging as we all tried to apply some of the tips given by Elizabeth George.  I find it amazing the transformation that is taking place in these ladies.  Having a heart to submit, serve and making our husband’s number one was not easy for some of the ladies.   This topic touched me in so many ways since it was an area that I struggled with in the past.  Loving my husband was the easy part being submissive was not.  As women we love and adore our husbands and want nothing more but to serve, follow, and respect them but only when we want to.  Doing this study on husbands gave us all the understanding that these commands to serve, follow, respect, and love our husbands are not commands from our husbands but God's commands.  If we are to be women after God's own heart we need to be willing to do and follow God's will for our husbands and not ours. 

I was able to relate with the struggles the ladies were experiencing.  In today’s society woman are more independent and feel just as equal as men.  They feel being submissive with our husbands is demeaning, degrading and uncomfortable.  They saw submission as something women did back in the old days when women really did not have a voice or much rights. I have to say that this is exactly what I use to think.  I grew up in a home where my mom taught me to be independent.  She taught my sisters and I that getting an education was very important so we can earn a good living and never have to depend on a man. I took to heart all these motherly advices and because of them submission was extremely difficult for me. 

Having that mentality I can tell you only caused headaches in my marriage.  As women we need to understand that the husband's role as head of the household does not mean domination over his wife, but instead it is the husband's God given responsibility to provide  a caring leadership to ensure the physical, emotional and spiritual needs for his wife and children.  As a wife our role to serve our husbands does not mean serving him as an "inferior" but instead serving him with a willing heart to accept his loving role as head of household in our homes. 

When I read the scripture that Paul wrote in Colossians 3: Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord....And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that form the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ".  I know in my heart that I am doing God's will and not mine.

As women we are always desiring to have a stronger and happy marriage.  If that is the case for you, ask God to give you faith to believe and trust in Him.  Not only will following God's word bless your marriage, but it will also prepare you to be more Christ like.  Jesus Christ lived in constant submission to His Father's will.

When I gave my life to our Lord and Savior I knew changes were going to have to take place.  Some of these changes are changes that I knew I was going to have to make myself and one of them was my relationship with my husband.  In my heart I know my mom had all the best intentions for me and my sisters.  She taught us to be strong and independent.  She loved, cared and protected us the best she can but what she didn't teach us was God's commands as wives.  She didn't teach us His commands because she didn't want to but because she didn't know God's word back than.  As women of God, we know His word.  It should be our hearts desire to honor and follow God's word.

Ladies lets love our husbands and make him #1 in our life.  Pray for him daily.  You will experience the power of prayer and realize that praying for your husband will strengthen your marriage and will change your heart to serve, follow, respect and love your husband more each day.  

To sum it up if we truly love our husbands with all our hearts doing the above should not be a challenge when we do it whole heartily.  Keep in mind always that our husbands may not be perfect but than again neither are we.  Keep in mind that when we serve, follow, respect and love our husbands like we are commanded to do we are honoring and glorifying our Lord and Savior.  In wanting to be a woman after God's own heart  we have to have a heart that desires doing God's will.

I pray that as you begin displaying your love for your husband that your love for him grows deeper each day.  

Blessings,

GOING THROUGH THAT SPIRITUAL DRY SEASON

Going Through That Spiritual Dry Season…..What Are You Going To Do About IT………

The truth is that we have all been there. When we are in that dry season we feel as if the walls seem to close in around us. You feel that disappointment and confusion of not knowing why we are feeling so disconnected from God. Our desire for God, our desire to pray and worship become dormant and stale. I want to tell you don't be discouraged. When you start to feel this way instead of getting into that self-pity mood, ask yourself what are you going to do about it?

The truth of the matter is that we have choices……you can see it as that “Quiet Time”. You can use that time to reflect on your life’s circumstances that need pruning. Or you can continue your spiritual discipline. During this dry season when you pray you might feel like you are not feeling anything or reading the bible is the last thing you feel like doing. It is more important than ever that during this dry season that you exercise your faith in God. Stop questioning yourself why this is happening and instead see it that God is simply allowing this dry season so that you will shift your focus from your life’s circumstances and begin longing and seeking after Him.

In Psalms 63 David compares his longing for God to the thirst of a man wandering in a dry wilderness, desperate for water.

Psalms 63:1-3  O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

In reading this passage David chose to not have self-pity for himself. He chose not to dwell in feeling dry and disconnected from God. Instead he chose to praise God in his dry place by focusing on God’s loving kindness, in which he said is better than life. His yearning for the presence and glory of God grew stronger in the midst of dry circumstances.

When you go through a dry season, do like David did, and praise God through your dry season. I truly believe that during our dry season God is doing work in us that is unseen and unfelt. When I think about this it gets me excited. This dry season is not a life sentence but an experience that will eventually pass. Spiritual dryness is not necessarily a bad thing. We must always remember that God is sovereign and is actively working for our growth and good. If you are going through this, choose today to quench your body, mind and soul with God's word. Choose today to be joyful in knowing that He is working in our lives. Choose today to get excited and look forward to see what God has in store for you.

Blessings,

Bible Study

Last week I started a bible study with the ladies from work on the book "A Woman After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George.  I just completed this study back in February taught and lead by one of my sisters in Christ "Noemi Fine".  I truly enjoyed reading this book and the time spent with the other ladies as we learned to have a Heart After God's Own Heart.

As women we always ask ourselves how can we become a woman of God?  How can we make choices that position us so that God can impassion our hearts toward Him?  Ladies, let me tell you if you really want to be a woman after God's own heart this is the book to read.  This is my second time doing the study and I am looking forward to the continuation of the transformation of my heart towards our amazing God.

Last week during our first study it was so heart warming to see all the ladies excited about this study.  It is such a blessing to be part of a company that allows us women to get together during lunch and study God's word.   Its even a bigger blessing knowing that it is a faith base company that operates following biblical principles from the bible and honors God in all they do....how amazing is that!  Hearing each lady share something about themselves only confirmed that God has great plans for these ladies.  Each lady had a different struggle they deal with and when we reviewed a quick snapshot of what each chapter in the book entails I knew right away that God placed them in the right place.

To be A Woman After God's Own Heart we have to be willing to do whatever He want us to do.  We know that isn't always easy, and that's why doing this study together with other women we can learn and spiritually grow by simply sharing stories, insights, experiences and the many things we encounter as women who are working toward being the woman God created us to be.

Whenever I think of Mary, a woman who sat at Jesus' feet and chose"...that good part, which will not be taken away from her' (Luke 10:42), I think of her as A Woman After God's Own Heart'.  She knew it was important to stop all activity and to set aside secondary things, in order to focus completely on the Lord and spend time worshiping Him.  Martha was not happy about that, but Mary's heart was definitely in the right place.  I don't know about you, but I would love to be known and be remembered as A Woman After God's Own Heart.

I am so grateful for where God has brought me from already and I look forward to where He is going to bring me to in my journey to becoming A Woman After God's Own Heart!

Blessings,

What are we passing on to our kids?

Having children is a tremendous blessing. God has entrusted our children to us and with this blessing comes a big responsiblity that is not always easy.  As a christain mom our responsibility is even more grand.  We don't just want to raise  our children with good morals and values but we want to raise them with a strong faith in our amazing God.

When I read this bible verse Deut. 6:6-9 (NIV), this is a verse I take to heart.
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

Our kids should see us when we pray and when we read our bible.
Our kids should see Jesus transforming, redeeming and restoring our lives in all we do.

Last week I completed a six week Parenting course on "Passing on the Legacy of Faith to my children". I have to say that I truly enjoyed each and every class. Who would have thought that after raising two adults 25 & 28 and feeling very proud how I raised them that I can continue to learn to be a better parent.   I truly now understand the role that God has given me as a parent.  He chose and entrusted in me to be the mom he created me to be.  My love for God is grand and I do not want to disappoint Him.  I want to make Him proud and I want to raise my kids to love and honor our God.  To love like He loves us and to have hearts after God's own heart.  I pray that as parents we can be good examples for our kids.  That what they learn at home and from us parents are taken with them when they leave our homes.

With this being said....it is never to late to make changes in our parenting styles.  If they are positive  and good changes that will benefit our kids we should do them with all our hearts.

God's Plan for Your Life

The beginning of a new year we are always making promises or resolutions for that year.  Many times we just make up those promises because of current situations in our lives. We set goals and make alot of plans that we just don't commit to. During these times, we sometimes struggle to remember God’s promise to us.  And yet that is exactly what faith calls for and requires. The verse that came to mind in figuring out whats in store for me in 2012 is:

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I truly love this verse.  The message in all of this is that there are plenty of times in our lives when we simply do not know what God has planned for us.  We need to have faith in our Lord and wait patiently until he chooses to reveal His plans for us.  If you are like me right now and not sure what He has planned for you, you're in good company.  God will be God, and making us wait, whilst watching and praying and living by his words, is the way our God works.  Having complete trust in Him, and waiting patiently is the way we handle it.  Although I made my list of goals for 2012 I am fully prepared to make any changes or adjustments in my life according to God's will.  If I have to turn another direction because that is His plan for me, than its ok.....I trust in my good Lord with all my heart.

I find it really exciting that God has plans for me, don't you?  God is a God who invites us to renewal, redirection and fresh opportunities to serve in obedience to his will.  He never gives up on us....I am definitely a work in progress and so are you.

Blessings,

Feeling Overwhelmed!

There are days in everyone’s life when they feel overwhelmed by the stresses and tasks and projects and phone calls and emails that weigh upon them. Yes, even I get overwhelmed with all the day to day things that go on especially when unexpected things add to the list.

In order to fulfill my goals for 2012 its definitely clear that I need to get a bit more organized. Right now as a working mom there is little time left for free time. Evenings are short and the weekends are for house work and running errands. With this being said I am going to have to make a list of all I do on a daily basis including on weekends and prioritize what is important. In order for me to do the things that can help me grow spiritually, I need to go through my list and remove all the little things that I do that take up my time and are not important. In doing this I know for sure that I will have more than enough time to read my daily devotionals daily without rushing through them. I will have more time to read my bible.  And I will definitely have more quality time with my family.

So if you are feeling overwhelmed my recommendation is cut back, simplify your work load and deload.



Blessings,

 

Planting a Spiritual Garden

In order to get on the right path for spiritual growth for 2012 we must first begin by planting a spiritual garden with the end results being a new you....following God's words and doing things that are pleasing to Him.

 

Remember, you reap what you sow.

  Plant four rows of squash:
1. Squash gossip.
2. Squash indifference.
3. Squash grumbling.
4. Squash selfishness.

Plant four rows of lettuce:
1. Let us be faithful.
2. Let us be kind.
3. Let us be patient.
4. Let us really love one another.

Plant a row of peas:
1. Peace of mind.

Make sure you grow enough thyme:
1. Time alone with God
2. Time for family.
2. Time for friends.

Remember, you reap what you sow.

Blessings,

Starting off 2012 with a new beginning!

Everyone loves a new beginning. And, the good news is, you can begin again! It doesn't matter what you did or didn't do in 2011.  You can begin in 2012.  It doesn't matter what you are or what you aren't.  You can begin again!  It doesn't matter what you have or what you lack.  You can begin again! Lets not see 2012 as just another year, because its not.  It's a New Year for a new begiining, new plans, and new accomplishments.  You may have had dreams and desires in the past which you left somewhere along your journey in 2011 because of negative experiences. I believe it’s time that you once again pull out those dreams and bring them along with your whole life into the hands of our great God and start anew for 2012.

For me my goal and new beginning for 2012 is growing closer to God.  Learning how to grow spiritually is a life-long journey which occurs as you read and apply God's Word to your life. In order for my spiritual growth to occur, I must read and learn God's Word. Then I will be thoroughly equipped for every good work. This is the essence of spiritual growth. God works in different people in different ways. Some people grow rapidly, while others grow slowly, but steadily. This is my year to truly grow.  My focus will be to spend more time reading God's word, study and understand the bible scriptures, learn my bible verses and grow day by day spiritally with our amazing God.

So, remember 2012 is a new beginning! Remember this verse for 2012.....2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) “…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

Blessings,

Becoming Spiritually Beautiful

As women we love to feel and look beautiful.  We do our hair, make miracles with our faces..lol...and go out of our way to wear clothes that make us look beautiful.  However, many of us fail to see that true beauty comes from the inside and works its way out.  Has anyone noticed that you might not think someone looks paticularly 'beautiful' as first glance but then after talking to them for a while their manerisms and personality seem to exentuate their beauty? The opposite can also be the case too. Someone who looks beautiful can seem less so if they exhibit unattractive personality traits.

For the past two years I've been attending every womens bible study that Calvary Chapel has been hosting.  Each and every time that I attend, I have such an admiration for the women who are guest speakers especially my pastors wife (Diane).  I see them as such warm and caring individuals that I am always saying every time they speak I feel such peace inside of me.  They come across as someone you would love to have in your life as a friend.  When they share Gods word they do it in such a way that you know deep inside that they truly love our GOD.  You see their true beauty each and everytime they speak from the heart. To be beautiful in the inside we need to look past someone's faults, we need to be able to forgive. True beauty is  "inner beauty" the person who touches our souls with laughter, intelligence, manerisms, respect, love and genuine kindness.

Many times we get caught up with our hectic lives that we get cold in the inside and that shows in the outside.  So no matter how beautiful you are on the outside, if you are cold and heartless in the inside your outer beauty does not show and the ugly you is what people are seeing. I pray that we can all have true inner beauty even when we are having a hectic day.  Your inner beauty can flourish and grow, no one can quell it and no one can take it away. I don't know about you but I am going to look for the inner beauty in all that I meet.

Feeling Better

Today I finally had my ureteral stent removed.  A ureteral stent is a thin, flexible tube threaded into the ureter to help urine drain from the kidney to the bladder.  Boy am I happy that it is finally out of me.  The last three months has been torture for me. Back in April I had to go to the Emergency Room due to severe back pain.  I was told I had 5cm stone and was given pain medication.  The doctor that treated me said I will probably pass the stone.  In June, I was once again rushed to the emergency room with pains worst than the first time.  This time they said I have several stones with one of them being 7cm.  They gave me more pain medication and instructions to go see a urologist.  I went in to see my urologist and he recommended immediate surgery for the removal of the stones.  The big stone had did so much damage to my ureter he was concern for permanent damage.  I had surgery on June 16 and everything went well dispite the painful cramps and spasms after the pain medication wore off.
On July 11 I started experiencing complete fatigue with the worst body aches especially in my lower back.  I automatically assumed I was coming down with the flu.  The following day my temperature went up to 101.5.  I went into urgent care and the short drive to their office my fever went up to 102.4 by the time I left it was 102.7.  I was diagnosed with a severe kidney infection.  I was given a shot of antibiotics along with pain medication and was told to go home and rest.  Luckily the fever went away but the body aches and fatigue continued till this past weekend.  Today I went for my follow up and the infection thank God is under control.  They were able to remove the ureteral stent but they extended my antibiotics for another 5 days.  Although I am experiencing cramps and mild spasms, I am extremely happy to have that stent removed.  Just knowing I had something in me that doesn't belong felt pretty weird and really bothered me alot. I put my day in Gods hands today as I always do.  Prior to going to the doctor I was feeling a little scared of having this procedure done.  I thank God that he gave me the strength I needed to get through this whole ordeal.  God has always been there for me and I know he is the one who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.
Psalm 18:32

Reflecting back to the birth of My daughter Melanie

Yesterday my daughter Melanie turned 27.  It feels like only yesterday the birth of my first born.  My baby girl.  I've always wanted a little girl and God gave me Melanie as my first child.  Amazing how even back than he was there for me.  My pregnancy was not an easy one, everyone that knew me than knows I went through alot to carry my baby.  I went from a healthy 123 lb young lady to weighing 98 lbs after giving birth.  I know some of you are probably saying whats so wrong with that.  I lost weight instead of gaining.  My whole pregnancy was a risk from the very beginning.  I couldn't hold
anything in my stomach not even fluids.  I went to the doctors every other day to get liver shots to feed my baby. I was hospitalized twice, and I even almost lost my teeth because of my pregnancy.  My baby girl was draining me from all I had and leaving me to the point where I had to be hospitalized to receive nourishment through an IV.  It wasn't easy but I would do it over and over again.  My daughter has been nothing but a blessing.  She is everything every mom longs for in a daughter.  She is beautiful inside and out, sweet, good hearted, kind, loving and the best mom ever to my grand-daughter.  She has a smile that I love and I love being around her.  I see so much of me in her that I think its so funny.  She loves our GOD dearly and she has grown into such a beautiful woman.  These 27 years has been a true blessing.  Thank You God for giving me Melanie, thank you for blessing her, thank you for protecting her, thank you for guiding her and thank you for loving her like you do!

Jesus Loves You



It doesn't need to be Valentine's Day for us to think about love. We need to be loving and caring towards one another.  This is part of our human nature. We love our parents, we love our children unconditionally, why can't we just love our neighbors unconditionally.  There are other people who care about us, even when we are ignorant of their affection. Jesus loves us unconditionally. He loved us enough to die for us. He did this so that we could be with Him forever.  That's love. 

We need to always remember that Jesus loves us.  If you are ever in doubt of God's love, simply remember that Jesus went to the cross for your sins.  He did so because He cares about you as an individual human being.  He loves you and the Father in heaven loves you.  Don't allow the cares and confusions of this present life to make you doubt God's love.  Never forget what Jesus did for you because of His love.

Jesus loves you.  Jesus wants you to be with Him in His Father's house for all eternity.    All you have to do is accept His love and respond with faith and confidence in Him.

God's Master Plan For Your Life

Have you ever wondered what's God's master plan for your life?  Since I became a christain, this has been on my mind. I wonder each and everyday what His plans are for me. I started reading God's Master Plan For Your Life by Gloria Copeland. Not only did I start this book but I finally finished it. I highly recommend this book. It talks about turning your life over to God. It talks about letting go and letting God take over the leadership in every area of our lives. After reading her book I still had some confusion. I am still not sure what his plans are for me but I do know that whatever it is I will do it with all my heart.  Just last week I was given a survey on Spiritual Gifts.    A spiritual gift is an expression of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers which empowers them to serve the body of Christ, the church.  I rated high in Administration, Giving and knowledge.  I always knew one of my strengths is Administrative.  I am super organized and like to plan, organize anything and everything.  Knowing that Administration is one of my spiritual gifts and that I should use my gift to serve the Lord, I don't know where to start.  I will continue to pray on this as I am super excited to serve the Lord with the gift he has given me.

2011

Wow, 2011!  Where did 2010 go?  I'm sure most of you are asking yourself the same question.  For me, its a question I ask myself daily.  So much has happened in 2010.  My whole family a total of 17 of us took our first family vacation to the Dominican Republic.  We've taken many trips before but never with the whole family.  I will never forget the great time we had.  I made one of the biggest decisions in my life and left a job of 14 years and moved on to a new job.  My 14 years with my previous employer was great and I met alot of dear friends that will always be my dear friends for life.  This big change was major for me but with God guiding me its one of the best decisions I've ever made.  My daughter and I were baptized in October which was the beginning of a new life and I have been truly blessed in every way.  Thank you GOD!  These past holidays has been like no other.  For those who know me, it doesn't take much for me to get stressed out over small things.  Well I have to say that this was the first time in many years that I was able to truly enjoy the holidays.  I had such peace in my heart, I took each day as it came and did not stress of what had to be done or what I did not get done.  I spent quality time with my family and for the first time I really took in the real meaning of Christmas.  For 2011 I pray for continued peace for me and my family.  I pray for spiritual growth, good health, and a blessed 2011.  I have so many things I want to accomplish in 2011 that I pray that God continues to guide me like he has.  I pray for wisdom, strength, and energy to get all I have on my list done.  One of the things on my list is to finish reading the many books I bought in 2010 that are sitting on my bookshelf.  I am almost done with "God's Master Plan For Your Life" by Gloria Copeland.  Once I am done, I will write a brief review on it.
My script for today: Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord appeared to him from far away.  I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

Have A Blessed Day,

My Commitment to God

On Saturday, October 9, 2010, I made a life long commitment to the one and only Jesus Christ. My daughter Karina and I were both Baptize. I can't put into words how special this is to me. I woke up in the morning feeling so great and looking forward to my Baptism until my encounter with the hubby. I was hoping my husband would join me for this special blessing but he had plans. He had to go buy pool supplies and clean our pool. For some reason it had to get done that morning. I soon realized that he just did not want part of it, which I tried very hard not to take it personal. I was a little hurt but I need to constantly remind myself not to put pressure on my husband when it comes to God. I left it as that and went on my merry way to my Baptism. The weather was so beautiful, not a cloud in the sky. There must have been over 400 people in total getting Baptize. It was very emotional for me. At times I laugh at my own self because lately when it comes to God, I am just an emotional mess. Anyway, it was a beautiful event and one I will never forget. According to the Bible, Christian baptism is important because it is a step of obedience—publicly declaring faith in Christ and commitment to Him—an identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. On that day, my sins were washed away. Its a new beginning for me. I know with taking this step the devil is going to be working overtime in my life and in my home. I ask for all my christain friends and family to please pray for me and my husband. My day continued on and I spent it with my niece. That same evening we went out to dinner to celebrate my baptism. The dinner location was good, the food was great but the conversation going on the table was very sour. They say never to discuss politics or religion when you are in a group of friends. That is so true. Somewhere during our dinner we started to talk about the baptism and what it signifies. This made my husband very uncomfortable and of course he had his guard up and finally let out why does anyone have to believe in GOD. Everyone at the table gave their reasons and he argued every single one back with negative comments. He feels who said we have to believe. Just because the bible says to believe why do we feel we have to listen to that. The conversation was very uncomfortable, I was very embarrassed and knew than that the devil already started his work on my husband since he is the weak one right now. That very night I started reading the "Power of the praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian. I need to stay focus, continue to read his word and continue to pray for my husband. Trust me when I tell you its not easy. I am happy about the steps I am taking spiritually but sadden about my husband not knowing our GOD. I will continue to pray for him. Its really sad to see such a wonderful man, like he is, not knowing GOD. I need to remind myself that he did not come from a Christain home. In fact, I don't know anyone in his family that is dedicated to GOD. Although I grew up as a Catholic, I knew as a young girl about GOD. My parents did not attend church but they made sure I prayed every night and we've spoke about GOD. My husband did not have this in his life and at the age of 44 its going to be hard to make him understand. He is everything to me, he is a loving husband, a great dad, a hard worker and he takes good care of me and for this alone I will stand by him and continue to pray for him!!!!!

My Weekend

I had such a wonderful weekend that I wish they can all start and end like it did for me this past weekend. On Friday, I attended "Night of Worship" at my church. We sang the most beautiful songs ever. This Night of Worship was a little different this time. Normally we sing Glorious songs praising God for at least 2 hours but this time our Pastor did a little twist to our session of worship. Halfway through our worship he asked everyone to kneel. It felt a little awkward at first since I thought they only do the kneeling thing at Catholic churches. Anyway, as he proceeded he asked that we take the next few minutes while the band played a soft melody in the background and to talk with God directly. He asked that we have a one on one with our Lord and to talk to him from the heart. As I kneeled and started praying and talking to God, my tears started to roll non-stop one after the other. I strongly felt that special connection and spoke to him from the heart. I prayed, I thanked him and I asked him for his strength in dealing with issues in my life that I feel I have lost control in. Its funny how I felt lighter after this deep moment with him. Its amazing how things work. The rest of the night was heavenly, thanks to our Lord. Saturday was another nice day. I spent the day with my family and had some quality time with my Hubby. Right now my hubby and I are having problems that I am not sure how to handle. You see I am a Christain and he is not. I love the fact that I am growing in faith, but its bringing problems at home because of it. I pray each day that God would soften his heart and make him understand how great God is but it is a work in process. I have to continue to be strong which is extremly hard at times and stay focus on God. The last two weeks the devil was working his way in me and he almost won but thanks to my Christain family and friends they continue to remind me to stay focus on God and to be strong. Yesterday's service at Church was pretty interesting. I felt like the message was directed at me. You see, at times I procrastinate when I need to do certain things. This past week, I kept delaying my time with God. I kept doing other things and saying I'll pray later or do my reading later. I wasn't making God my priority. Yesterday's message was about being First. We want God to think of us first at times but we continue to leave him for last. We want to do everything that is not as important before dedicating a little time for him. The topic really hit me hard because it is so true. I made myself a promise to do my seeking first ting in the morning. Everything else can wait!!!!!

My Journey with God

For those of you that know me, you are probably wondering what is going on with me or what has happened to me. I am so happy to say that I am doing fine. Alot of changes has occur in my life in these past few months. Changes that I am still trying to grasp and understand. Let me go back a little about my life and this way you'll be able to understand where I come from and where I am heading. I became a Christain back in February 2009. When I took this step I really did not understand what was to take place in my life or what I was suppose to do from the moment I accepted jesus. All I know was that I was at church with my niece and her family and when my Pastor asked if there is anyone that wants to get saved and live a graceful and peaceful life to come right up. At that moment I had so much going on with me that when I heard the word "peace" I knew deep down I wanted that in my life. It was really an emotional moment for me. I was crying and I didn't know why. I started attending church but I didn't take it serious and just went to say that I went to church. As time went on, I stopped attending church for silly reasons. I just didn't know how to set my priorities in life. Now we are in 2010 and not much has changed for me. I am still living a hectic life. I am still longing to find peace in my life and lastly I was feeling empty but I didn't know why. This emptiness was causing alot of unhappiness in my life. I knew I had to do something before my whole life crumbles but I didn't know what to do. My niece Jasline invited me to a ladies bible study which I hesitantly accepted. During the study my mind was not there, I just felt so cold and couldn't understand why everyone around me was so happy and loving the fact that they were at a bible study. My niece was so concerned for me that she continued to invite me to other studies at her home and thats where it all began for me. We started doing weekly bible studies and I was really enjoying this time with GOD. I began to realize that the times I spend reading and learning about GOD I felt inner peace. At times when I am feeling stress and overwhelmed I wanted to read his word because I knew this was the only time I felt peace. This past May I started attending church again. I am currently attending another womens bible study. I thank GOD that he didn't give up on me. My niece is like my daughter and she is probably the only person that can get me to church. I thank her for not giving up on me either, for being there when I so needed GOD. For answering my many questions about GOD. I thank her for having the patience and love she has for me. I am seeing changes in me that I am still trying to understand but know that it is all going to make sense I just have to keep steady in my word with God and he is going to take care of me. My life is changing daily. I am craving his word more and more each day. I know he is going to guide me continuously. I am now understanding that he has plans for me, plans that will change my life completely. My choice to start this blog was to use it as my journal. I want to share my journey in knowing GOD better. I want to share what I am learning, my thoughts, insights and my answered prayers. Stay tuned as my Journey with GOD has only just begun!

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

Wendy