Love, and you will be loved.

When we talk about love it is very easy to think of those whom we like to spend time with. It is very easy to think of those who have helped us at one point or another. But what about those who have hurt us? What about those who have point their finger at us and accused us wrongly or rightfully? Is it ok to not love them? is it ok to not be kind tours them?

Scriptures tell us that it is ok to be angry but it is not ok to sin out of anger. Our Heavenly Father ask us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, He does not made a distinction about wether this neighbor, who we must love, is our friend or our enemy. Someone we agree with or not. God so love the world (and his children) that He gave His only begotten son for us. He didn’t chose who He would safe or condemn, God words actually says to us, I set life and death before you choose life, so that you and your descendant may live, so He invite all of us wherever we are to reconcile our heart to His. Loving one another is an essential part of choosing life. Forgiving, letting go, even when it hurts so deeply that it feels like you can’t go on its also part of loving the way God wants to love one another.

So many times in my life, I have been hurt and a part of me would like to say no to those who hurt me when they need my help. A part of me would like to point my finger and make them feel the pain their actions made me feel. But if I do that, then I am in sin, then I am actually worse than them. For they may have sin not knowing but I will be sinning knowing that I am. So love, love everyone who crosses your path, love and you will be loved.

Angel Vazquez

35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35

What is prayer?

Prayer, to me has different meanings. Prayer in my opinion could be the act of making a petition to God. The act of listening to God or the act of being obedient to our Heavenly Father. Trusting God, among many other things can be or can become prayer.

Prayer as an act of courage:

When we do what God ask us to do, when we are obedient and we follow through with what God puts in our heart, we are praying. I personally call my acts of courage “a prayer of gratitude through actions” We always know what we should do and even when we don’t know it yet, if we ask our Heavenly Father to give us the guidance and wisdom necessary to follow our calling or life purpose and act accordingly He will give us plenty and will lead all of our steps. I think that prayers symbolizes our courage to allow ourselves to be transform by God and by His unconditional love for us.

Prayer is listening:

Many of us tend to think that prayer is merely the act of us talking to God, expressing what we feel and/or think and that’s the end of it. But prayer is more than just us talking. You see, prayer is a conversation that we start with God, God listens and He thinks, ponders and even meditates about what we ask or said to Him. The He give us His  answer and we listen. Our prayers can only be answer when are open and willing to listen for those answer. Even if the answer we get is not what we wanted to hear or what we think is right for us. Listening as prayer is not selfish, listening as prayer is our willingness to let go and let God. “Thy will be done, not mine.”

Prayer as an act of obedient:

Many times in life we are presented with situations that are inviting us to make choices. Sometimes, making those choices is not as easy as we would like it to be.  This is when being obedient can become our prayer, our prayer to ask God for what we need and received it from Him. With every step we give tours God, He will provide the next step and once you take that next step, He’ll give you the next step to follow. Simply by following through, trusting that God’s plan is perfect and for our own good is enough to find within ourself the strength, courage and wisdom to be obedient and to use our obedient as an act of prayer. I have learned that even when what God is asking me to do doesn’t make sense to me, there must be a reason for it and in time I will know that reason. In the meantime, I trust God and His wisdom and follow through.

Angel Vazquez

I trust you, Oh Lord.

Lord,

I know there will be days that life won’t be fair, that life will kick me while I am down. In those days I will hold on to you. I will scream your name, I will call upon you and trust that you will deliver me. Lord, when my past mistakes tries to keep me  from moving forward, from knowing that you are God and that you have forgiving my mistakes, I will find refuge in your love, I will find mercy, goodness and kindness in your words, in your wisdom I will find and enjoy peace.

When I am fearful, when my enemies are at my right and at my left I will not fear for you are the tower of my strength, you are the shield that protects me from the arrow in the air. When I don’t know what to do, when my own wisdom is not enough to get through life circumstances, I will trust that you will deliver me, that your mighty hand hand will get me through whatever I am going through.

In Jesus name,

Angel Vazquez

Cast your cares.

For years, I have heard this statement or phrase. For years, I thought I understood what it meant, but and I could not have been further away from the truth. I thought casting my cares onto the Lord meant that I had to ignore my circumstances, that I had to act like nothing was happening. I thought that I had to smile even if inside I felt like crying. What I didn’t know is that God has never asks us to  hide our feelings, to hide how we feel from Him. God wants us  to tell Him exactly how we feel even though He already knows. God wants to be honest with ourselves. God wants us to know that He will get us through whatever we are going through. The way out is through, the  way to get to the other side is through our circumstances not around them. if God has allow something in your life is because He also has equipped you with everything you need to get through it.

So, knowing this how do I cast my cares onto the Lord, express to God exactly how I feel and at the same time continue enjoying my life? First, we must  understand that our God is greater than our circumstances, that through JesusChrist, our Lord, we can overcome any situation in our life.

• I praise God for all the good He does in my life.
• I thank Him for what I have, for where I am in my life and for everything he does for me every day.
• I let God know that I trust that He is God in my life and that I trust Him.
• I confess to God how I feel, what I think, or would like to see happen.
• I thank Him fir the opportunity to be honest about what I am feeling and what I think
• Finally, I go be a blessing to someone else, I go help someone in need, while I wait still on the Lord and trust that He is for me and will take care of me and whatever situation I am in.

Angel Vazquez

Midweek Prayer.

Dear Lord,

I thank you for getting through the first half of the week. I thank you for your love, company and for the blessings  you have brought into my life this week so far. I thank you for being with me through the challenging moments, for being with me to lead me, love me, care for me and for shinning your light through me. Stay with me as the week continue, blessed my family, my friends, blessed my enemies with everything they could possibly need to see that you are God, that you are the one and only provider for all of us.

I ask that you give me your eyes so I can see the world as you see it, your ears so I can listen as you listen. Your mouth so I can blessed everyone, everywhere your spirit leads me.

In jesus name,

Amen.

Angel Vazquez

Be known by your fruit.

In Matthew 7 15-20 Jesus tells us that we are known by our fruits, by our deeds. We are also told in these same verses that a bad tree cannot bear good fruit or vice versa. I honestly believe that we all possess a good heart, a heart with the full capacity to produce good fruits. We are all born good, for everything God created was good, this God says in Genesis. It is true that we live in a world that can entice us to do evil, a world that entice to sin (to miss the mark). But in the end whether we choose to sin or not it is our choice. We always have free will to choose and even if we sin, we can still repent (change our mind) and choose to mend our ways.

You and I are seeds of the of the tree of life, seed of God himself. By default we are destine to produce good fruit to filled the world with the goodness, love and mercy that   emanates from God’s own heart.  For many years, I lived my life thinking that I had to do this or that to be consider a good person. No one ever said to me that I was already good because God had created me and everything that He created was good. Or that I am capable of tapping into God’s loves for us and bring forth fruits of mercy, love, forgiveness that I can share with all of those around me as a tree planted by the waters shares its fruits with us.

I encourage you to tell yourself daily that you are good, to study the word of God and realized that God created you and have given you the capacity to not only provide good fruit but to share your goodness with all of those around you.

Angel Vazquez

 

Who I choose to be?

Through scripture we can see that God is inviting us to be in relationship with him. God  is inviting us to be transform and renew by His love. God ask us to give Him all we got and to come to him as we are. He doesn’t need us to be perfect or to have it all together, He simply need us to give the first step tours Him, tours His love. For some, giving that step is something as simple saying God, here I am. For some of us, giving that step may be laying down all of our sorrows, are pain, our baggage. For others, it maybe the action of saying Lord, I am sorry for the way I have been living my life, I am sorry for running away from you time after time again and again. I am ready now, ready to serve you, ready to accept your love. I am ready to let go of that, which have kept me apart from you and grow closer to you, accepting your love.

Are you ready to be loved by God? Are you ready to let go of everything you know in exchange for what God is offering  you? I invite you to take a moment a pray this simple prayer with me.

Lord,

I thank you for your love, for your patient with me. Open my heart, show me how to let you in, how to surrender who I am today to you. Take my hand and lead me into your love.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Angel Vazquez

Sunday Meditation

Take a deep breath, exhale and say our loud:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Take a deep breath, exhale and say our loud:

God is first in my life.

Take a deep breath, exhale and say our loud:

God loves me Unconditionally.

 

I put God first.

I consider this a extremely bold statement to say and declare. To put God first means to me that I listen to what He says, that I am obedient and committed to do as He says even if I don’t agree with Him. To put God first, means that I recognized that His wisdom is greater than mine and that I have the courage to live my life according to His ways and not my own. On days when what God puts in my heart to do it’s easy, or something I would enjoy doing, I find it very easy to obey, and follow through, I think we all can relate to that.

But on days that my flesh is saying No way, I can’t do that, I don’t know how to, it’s going to hurt so much, if I do what you are asking me to do. As hard as it sounds, sometimes God is going to ask us to do things  that will feels impossible to do. But even in those moments if we try, if we press forward trusting God and do as He wants us to do, will find out that God will give us the grace and strength to do it. God is never going to ask you to do something and not give you the favor, grace and whatever else you need to do it. Remember God is for you.

Let me give you an example from my personal life; about two years or so I was dating someone. And I clearly heard in my heart God voice saying to me this relationship is not good for you, it’s not the relationship I have planned for you. I need you to trust me and end this relationship before both of you get hurt. Trust me when I say, I did my best to persuade God to change His mind, but He didn’t. I follow through over the phone and said to my boyfriend at the time what God had put in my heart. He understood and said to me that He doesn’t want to do anything that would hurt me or him, or God stand in between God and my relationship with Him. The following day, we met for coffee, when I looked in his eyes, I saw he was hurting because he did not wanted us to end and neither did I. I ccan hornt see why that was needed or why we couldn’t be.

So, I started to feel like I was hurting him, I let the fear of hurting my ex become stronger and louder than God’s voice. So, instead of ending the relationship like God had advice me to do, I said “will figure it out” Needless to say a few months went by and we  broke up, it was the most painful experience I had ever had with someone I so deeply care for once. We hurt each other so deeply and couldn’t turn back time. God tried to saved us from having to go through that painful moment. God warned us, it didn’t make sense to my mind or to my feelings or to my ex back then, but in the end if I would have obey God, I would have saved myself the painful months I had to go through after we broke up, I could have kept both of us from hurting.

Let me be clear, I am not saying that God punished me or my ex for not being obedient. I am saying that God saw before hand the direction our relationship was going. He knew that there were very painful moments ahead of us that could be avoided. As a loving Father, God tried to saved us from the pain by giving me guidance, but God also knew that this wa a decision I had to make, not something He could force on me. The same way that it was God choice to warned me and to give  us  the grace we needed to go through the painful experience of braking up once we did. God was for us when He took the time to warned us, God was for us even when I said “will figure it out”, and God was for us while we were healing from our break up and the sadness and pain that came to us when we didnt obey.

Angel Vazquez

I can do all things through Christ.

Every time I declare this statement, every time I say these words out loud or mentally I feel my spirit, soul and body received and injection of supernatural strength, peace, and wisdom that can get me through anything I might be facing at any given moment. These words have been part of my life since I was a little kid. I remember people saying them during sermons at church, friends or family members when they were going through difficult situations or even as a simple daily reminder of who stand by their side.

I make sure to say this statement out loud daily, not as a prayer or just because. I like to say it because when I do, I feel like I am praising God, I feel like I am reminding myself that God have equipped me to do whatever I need to do in my every day life and that He will always give me the grace, favor, wisdom and strength to do whatever I need to do. When I declare “I can do all things through Christ who strength me” I become closer to God, to His love for me and I reaffirm that I depend on Him and only Him to be all Hw created me to be.

Angel Vazquez