Lord,
Thank you for this morning. Thank you for being patient with me as my heart learn to trust you again. Thank you for loving me so deeply and never giving up on me. Thank you because when I am afraid of giving the next step forward you find ways to inspire me, ways to encourage me and remind me that you are with me. Thank you because my heart find peace in you, thank you because I am who I am because of you love me.
I trust you, I trust you, I trust you.
In Jesus name,
Amen
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
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
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
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.
Angel Vazquez
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
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
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.
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
This year instead of having resolutions I am setting goals and also making time to sit down and hold myself accountable for those goals and to check on my progress periodically. This year different than other years, I don’t want to only accomplished a set of goals, I want to grow spiritually, mentally and physically with my accomplishments. I want to take the time to make sure that whatever I am doing is in alignment with my life purposes and that whatever is it that I am doing is something that I truly love and a true expression of who I am at my core.
I want to invest in myself and my dreams and follow my heart wherever it leads me. I want to build a life that is more than I ever dreamed of or ever thought I could have. I want Jesus to be my North Star and my guide in every step I give forward. This year I have no time to hold grudges against anyone or to carry old resentments. I only have time to live fearlessly loving, shinning my light and allowing others to do the same at their own pace.
Angel Vazquez
Spiritual Teacher & Musician
Angel Vazquez 