Father God, we believe that You know every fact and detail pertaining to all evidence involved in the heinous murder of Vanessa Guillen.

Father God, we also believe You are acutely aware of this family’s journey since they reported their loved one missing on April 23, 2020.

Father God, we equally believe that You know their struggles, the heartache and their difficulties and with that said O’God, please cover each of Vanessa’s family, friends, and every grieving heart with your love, comfort, peace, and strength! As Your timeless word says in Philippians 4:6-7, “That in every situation, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present our requests to You. And the peace of God that surpasses all human comprehension will guide and guard our hearts in Christ Jesus.”

Father a God, Remind this family that a sunset on earth is a sunrise in heaven and Vanessa is in the presence of the God that created her even before they knew her and that one day soon they will see her again!

Father God, we not only ask that You by Your immutable grace cover this family, we also ask that you cover the judicial side of their pain. We ask that Your voice be heard through the legal counselors in every aspect of the hearing; from both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House Armed Services Committee, the prosecution team, the grand jury, the civil jury, up to the presiding judge, and even down to the smallest infinitesimal detail surrounding this case.

Holy Spirit, help this family to recognize your presence and calm their troubled hearts and minds with your eternal peace and help them to remember that Your will — will be done!

Father God, we thank You for being the guiding light that will lead this family through this very difficult season and at the appointed time into a new season of hope and rest. Thank You that no matter what happens they are secure and safe within the arms of Your strength, love and grace.

Father God, we pray all this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord and King. Amen and amen and Glory to God!

Father God, we also believe You are acutely aware of this family’s journey since they reported their loved one missing on April 23, 2020.

Father God, we equally believe that You know their struggles, the heartache and their difficulties and with that said O’God, please cover each of Vanessa’s family, friends, and every grieving heart with your love, comfort, peace, and strength! As Your timeless word says in Philippians 4:6-7, “That in every situation, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present our requests to You. And the peace of God that surpasses all human comprehension will guide and guard our hearts in Christ Jesus.”

Father a God, Remind this family that a sunset on earth is a sunrise in heaven and Vanessa is in the presence of the God that created her even before they knew her and that one day soon they will see her again!

Father God, we not only ask that You by Your immutable grace cover this family, we also ask that you cover the judicial side of their pain. We ask that Your voice be heard through the legal counselors in every aspect of the hearing; from both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House Armed Services Committees, the prosecution team, the grand jury, the civil jury, up to the presiding judge, and even down to the smallest infinitesimal detail surrounding this case.

Holy Spirit, help this family to recognize your presence and calm their troubled hearts and minds with your eternal peace and help them to remember that Your will — will be done!

Father God, we thank You for being the guiding light that will lead this family through this very difficult season and at the appointed time into a new season of hope and rest. Thank You that no matter what happens they are secure and safe within the arms of Your strength, love and grace.

Father God, we pray all this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord and King. Amen and amen and Glory to God!

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to opine that we are living in a time where political, social, and civil unrest are at its highest in recent years! While we were celebrating the sunrise of a new year, CNBC published a revelatory article on January 16, 2020 citing; “Almost 40% of the world’s countries will witness civil unrest in 2020.”

So let me paraphrase and give you the reader’s digest version of this article: PEOPLE ARE FRUSTRATED, ANGRY, and TIRED!

In the natural we categorize unrest as stated above, but in the supernatural its consider spiritual unrest. In other words, the root of all unrest is found in the spirit in which we function, live and operate. I consider the fruits that are produced from unrest (root) are political, social, and civil disturbances!

I have never seen in my lifetime, the yearn for spiritual encouragement and enrichment!! People are thirsty for God’s word, comfort, and confirmation that we will one day soon wake up from all of this mess!

In order for our spirits to regain its lost equilibrium (spiritual rest) we must look to the source of our spiritual rest! Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Augustine wrote centuries ago in his Confessions: “Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.”

There are no shortcuts or magic potions to rest – because the psyche is much cleverer than we are. We might think we can feign (pretend) inner peace to others, presenting a restful attitude or displaying coolness to the world. Yet, we know who we are and people hear words and see faces, but they feel spirits.

LIFE, TRUTH, and LOVE are Bible talk for God, timeless words. In Psalm 36 we can get at a hint of the deep peace and contentment flowing from surrendering to something so wise and true. Verse 9 says, “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” And Psalm 91:2 says: “He is my place of safety [rest). He is like a fort to me. He is my God. I trust in him.”

So, if you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, learn to rest in God’s Presence. You see, there is a quiet place in Him, a place of refreshment, where we will find comfort, peace, safety and protection. This is why Jesus said, “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Notice that Jesus doesn’t say He will come to you. He says that you must choose to go to Him! But if we all make the deliberate choice to wait upon the Lord, Jesus promises that we will find the promised rest we need to reignite, rejuvenate, rekindle, refresh, and revive our spirits!

#BeStrong

Peter and the disciples experienced the catch of a lifetime in John 21:1-8. When Jesus told the disciples to cast their nets on the right side the Bible said in verse 6, they couldn’t haul in the net!

Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about casting from a different perspective. In 1 Peter 5:7, we are commanded to “cast all our anxiety on him because He cares for us.” God does not want us to carry around the weight of problems and burdens. In this verse, God is telling us to give Him ALL of our worries and concerns; big or small.

God cares about us and our well being! Peter must have been familiar with Psalm 55:22 because he and David were casting from the same boat! David said, “Cast your cares upon the Lord and he will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”

I get it!!! Especially now more than ever, life is heavy. The incessant flow of negative or fearful thoughts are more inundating and it’s perfectly normal to get a little emotional! But I beseech you, to cast your net on the right side.

In the corporate world people don’t cast nets into bodies of water rather, they cast wider nets to promote and inspire change that generate greater results! In other words, they do something different!

In this season, we have to do something different! We have to be like net fishermen and/or baseball pitchers and cast/throw ALL of our cares: worries, frustrations, disappointments, anger, discouragement, anxieties, and depression over to the Lord!

Now, don’t get me wrong! If you’re dealing with something really heavy such as loss (death, job, etc), it is absolutely normal to cry, grieve, curl up in a ball for a moment, because when things like that happen, God knows exactly where you are in that moment. But I also want to encourage you to rest in the comfort of the Holy Spirit and in God’s supernatural peace (Philippians 4:6-7)!

CAST = Commit, Ask, Surrender, and Trust!!

COMMIT everything to Him. He is all we really need, and as Matthew 6:33 reminds us, as we seek Him, He will take care of everything else.

ASK in prayer for wisdom, strength, guidance, understanding, and vision. Ask for what you need, what you want, what you think you might need, and especially for whatever the Lord knows you need. Pray constantly.

SURRENDER your hopes, goals, dreams, desires, situations, relationships, career – surrender everything to Him. Give God permission to work in your life, in any and every aspect of your life in whatever way seems best to Him. Open the door to God’s best, then expect Him to show up.

TRUST Jesus. Remember, He wants nothing but the best for you. However, His best and our view of best often don’t match up. Accept that what you think is best might not be so, but what Jesus thinks is best, truly is. That may mean going through some painful times. We’ve all been there. Grow from these times. Grow closer to the Lord. Grow in faith. Grow in prayer. Grow in trust. And revel in the relationship we are building with Jesus, our Way-maker, Savior, and King.

Life is full of opportunities to worry, but we don’t have to take them. When we obey God’s Word and C.A.S.T. our cares on Jesus, we will begin to live in the supernatural peace that only Jesus can give us! This is part of the abundant life Jesus is referring to in John 10:10 and it belongs to all of us.

We are invited to give God our fears, worries, and stress. In response to our obedience, God will replenish, refresh, and restore!!

So, turn to God first and seek him especially in the storms of life. We were made for more than to worry and be anxious, more than to be afraid, more than to feel crushed by the weight of our trials. We were made to be strong and courageous!

#BeStrong

We have a lot going on in our world and its incumbent for each and every one of us not to lose heart; we must be strong! To ‘lose heart’ simply means to believe you will not succeed or you become so discouraged you lose the desire to succeed.

Paul reminds us not to lose heart in 2 Corinthians 4:16 (MSG). He said; “So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”

The opposite of losing heart is perseverance or endurance and the three scriptures written to encouraged all believers are found in 2 Thessalonians 1:4, Romans 5:3 and James 1:3.

When we persevere through difficulties or weariness, we refuse to give up on what God has called us to do. Galatians 6:9 encourages us to never give up: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” and in Joshua 1:9 we are commanded, “To be strong and of good courage….”

As you know a Joshua heeded God’s command and he successfully completed the task of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land and of taking possession of it!

Furthermore, Nehemiah never gave up the construction of Jerusalem’s walls, despite the fierce opposition he faced. Caleb never gave up on the promise of God, and he conquered a giant-infested, fortified hill country when he was 85 years old. Jesus persevered all the way to the cross. “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:3).

When we give up too early and lose heart too soon, we miss out on all God planned to do through and for us.

Our faith in Jesus must be bigger than fears. Hebrews 11:1 reminds us that faith is the substance of hope and the evidence of what has not been seen. Hope is the engineered rebar strategically placed in the foundation of Godly faith and it’s also the walls that shape the structure of our Godly lives!

We must continue to remind ourselves and believe that God is not dead! He knows what’s going on and He is working all things out for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28)! Jesus said in Matthew 19:26, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Our world may be falling but thank God, we serve a risen Savior!

#BeStrong

Paul encouraged the Church at Ephesus to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Ephesians 6:10). The word translated “be strong” here actually means “be strengthened,” as rendered in the New English Translation: “Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power.”

Paul is reminding believers that the Christian life means participation in a spiritual battle. From his own experience, the apostle knew the opposition is real and the warfare intense: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:12–13).

You might be thinking this is not a spiritual battle we are fighting. However, let me remind you that there is spiritual battle raging in the spirit realm everyday and we can’t endure the power of darkness without the power of God being active in our everyday lives!! This is why it’s imperative for believers to ‘be strong’ in the Lord and the power of His might.

Let’s be clear, in the original Greek language, the passive verb, “be strong in the Lord “ means, “to be rendered (more) capable or able for some task.” In other words, to be strong in the Lord doesn’t mean building up our own strength rather, as believer we must be empowered or be strengthened in God’s strength!

When Paul encourages believers to “be strong in the Lord,” he is calling them to faithfulness—to abiding in Christ and trusting in the Lord’s power for everything in life. True Christian strength comes from recognizing our utter dependence on God. This is what Paul meant when he wrote, “I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, CSB).

Ironically speaking, we are truly at our strongest when we are at our weakest. Paul understood this concept very well, hence the reason he boasted more about his weaknesses rather than his strengths (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The power of Christ in the Christian’s life can be defined as “power in weakness,” for the Lord’s grace is apprehended only in recognition of our weakness.

Finally, to be strong in the Lord means to be in spiritual union with Christ and to be strong together means that we refused to give up on the Christ in humanity. When we truly stand in solidarity with Christ and man, we will experience both the weakness of the cross and the power of the resurrection (Romans 6:5)!

BeStrongTogether

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God’s plan for our lives is to continually increase our influence in the world around us. He accomplishes this spiritual endeavor through His divine favor, purpose and our faithful obedience (response).

In Luke 2:52 we find that, “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man,” then in I Chronicles 29:25, “The Lord highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel,” and the Apostle John wrote in 3 John 2, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

These three passage of text clearly encapsulate and capture the intent of God’s plan for every Christian believer. However, in order to become recipients and benefactors of spiritual increase, the first thing we have to remember is that God will increase our influence and favor even when no one thinks we deserve it. We must remember God looks at the heart, whereas man can on only see the surface (I Samuel 16:7).

Secondly, we have to respond faithfully in order to receive spiritual increase! Often times, our greatest blessings emerges from our greatest challenges so, the way in which we respond or react will determine the height of our trajectory.

Thirdly, we have to overcome appetizing lure of any victim-mindset triggers. These triggers include feeling under-appreciated, not feeling honored, feeling limited by the people in your life, feeling hopeless because of past experience, and being more devil-focused rather than belief-focused. When we believe we are a victim to our circumstances or our past, we hinder the opportunities of our future.

Lastly, we need to remember where there is no way; God will always make a way to propel us forward! Nehemiah would not meet with his enemies in the Valley of Ono. He said, “I am doing a great work. Why should I come down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3). Those who believe they are doing a great work are doing a great work and will unwaveringly continue in that good work. You see, when we stop focusing on the doors that are not opening and faithfully focus instead on the doors that are open, we set ourselves up for spiritual increase, elevation, favor, and promotion.

No matter where we are in life, God will always promote us. Spiritual promotion comes from God and He has a change in store for all of us. The character of God is such that, He loves to promote His people over and over. All we have to do is realize every position we hold, whether high or low, is purposefully temporary. Unless we decide to make it permanent, which is never God’s plan nor ever His divine intention.

I don’t know who I am speaking to but, God is getting ready to elevate someone or some people higher than they ever thought possible! Therefore, don’t ever put limits on a limitless God, stay faithful, and continue moving forward on purpose!

I don’t now if you’ve noticed but, people are more bogged down with stress, disappointment and discouragement today than they have been in recent years. It’s unnerving to see our nation which was full vitality become lethargic, indifferent and numb.

God knew that in order for us to climb higher, we have to carry less and as such in both the Old and New Testaments, He teaches us how to overcome and release the burdens, problems, worries, and challenges we face everyday. God gave the answer in both Psalms and Peter’s letter. “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:22), and “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Embedded within these two verses are several amazing truths and inspiring reminders: God knows, He will sustain us, He will never let us fall, and He cares for us. Taken one at a time, we see first that God declares both His ability and His willingness to be our strength and support—mentally, emotionally and spiritually. He is able (and best of all, willing!) to take everything that threatens to overwhelm us and use it for our benefit. He has promised to “work all things together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”(Romans 8:28). Even at times when we doubt Him, He is still working for our good and His glory. And He has also promised that He will allow no trial to be so great we cannot bear it and that He will provide a means of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). By this, He means that He will not let us fall, as He promised in Psalm 55:22.

God is bigger than all our stress, burdens, worries, problems, and all of our challenges put together, and we must realize He does if we are to consistently live victoriously. We are all in the same boat and we all suffer with these difficulties, because the Bible teaches that temptation is “common” to mankind (1 Corinthians 10:13). We must not let Satan deceive us into thinking that all our problems are our fault, all our worries will come true, all our anger condemns us, or that all our guilt is from God. If we do sin and confess, God forgives and cleanses.

It’s no secret; in order to climb high, you have to carry less!! God yearns for us to lay every concern at the foot of the Cross and at the the altar in His throne room of grace. He want us to turn everything over to Christ and all we have to do is simply ask Jesus to take our burden of “original sin” and be our Savior (John 3:16), as well as submitting to Jesus as our Lord in day-to-day living.

Therefore, follow the example written in Philippians 4:8 and think on things that are “true,” “noble,” “just,” “pure,” “lovely,” “of good report,” and “praiseworthy” and “set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2) and then your feelings of defeat will most certainly diminish.

BeStrong

I have an identical twin brother and we share a lot of of facial, emotional, and physical characteristics.

Although, we share a lot in common, we are different in a lot of ways. I will submit to you that even mirror-image twins are different in one way or the other and in most cases, from a personality standpoint, the young twin is more extroverted while,

the older twin is notably introverted.

So why am I talking abut twins today? Well, you might not have considered this but, God has an mirror image identical Twin! Yes, Jesus Christ is God’s twin in the flesh and He is the perfect expression of God’s perfect love for all of humanity and Jesus Christ is the perfect imprint of God’s nature. Hebrews 1:3 tells us, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven”

Now, I have heard it said, “Everyone has a twin” and I have seen some examples that certainly qualify this statement. However, the most awe-inspiring jaw-dropping thing I’ve ever seen is, the perfect imagine of Christ emerging and emitting from people!

Our call to Christlikeness (“Twiness”) is found in these three passages of text: Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18 and 1 John 3:2.

In these passages we find three perspectives (past, present and future) we can glean from: God’s has an eternal purpose for us (we have been predestined), God’s prescribed a historical purpose for us (we are being changed, transformed by the Holy Spirit), and God defined His final eschatological purpose for us (we will be like Him). These all combine toward the same end—Christlikeness and Christlikeness is the ultimate purpose of God for the people of God.

There is a myth in Christianity that I often hear people say:

“God will not put more on me than I can bear.”

Let me debunk that myth right now. In 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote that we are “burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life” (1:8).

If ever there was a painful situation, Paul was in it. Paul hadn’t done anything to cause it. In fact, he had followed God’s leading straight into a place of despair. If you share similar feelings today, you are in good company.

God sometimes allows situations to be painful for His greater purpose. He wants you to learn the power that comes from living a life that depends on Him. If you can learn and apply that truth throughout all of your life, you will be able to accomplish all that God has for you to do. 

In order to take Paul deeper in faith, God put him in a situation that his resume, abilities and connections could not change. Why? So that Paul would learn to trust God at a deeper level. No amount of money in your bank account can buy your way out of it. You can’t soothe your way out of it by drinking, eating or taking drugs. You can’t educate your way out of it, or adrenaline-rush your way out of it. Because when each of those momentary pleasures have subsided, you’ll still find it there gnawing at you like an unwelcome nudge in your back over and over again.

Keep in mind that it is not the trial, the offense nor the pain itself that takes you to your point of growth. The trial without the accompanying trust doesn’t take you to the point of spiritual maturity that God was trying to take you. It is only when you trust in God in the midst of the pain and align your heart, actions and thoughts under His Word and truths that you discover the deeper meaning behind it.

Just like a caterpillar must struggle to exit a cocoon once it has transformed into a butterfly, spiritual maturity and growth comes as a result of persevering within pain. It is there where our spiritual muscles become strong enough to live the life of faith that God has called each one of us to as believers in Jesus Christ.

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