“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

The other day someone introduced herself to me as “Plan B”. I had arranged to have a speaker for a mothers meeting at my son’s school. The original person invited couldn’t make it. Hence, “Plan B”. After listening to what “Plan B” had to share with the moms, I was once again reminded how God’s “Plan B” is so much bigger, richer and more fulfilling than our “Plan A.”

For those of us who are “planners”, sometimes known as “type A” people, it is oftentimes difficult to renounce control in the situations that present themselves around us. Joanna Weaver, author of “Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World”, writes regarding Romans 8:28: “It is God’s purposes, not mine, that must prevail. He is concerned not only with the individual need, but with the corporate need as well. God wraps up my good with your good and the good of both of us with the good of others. The plot lines of our individual stories weave together to form His master plan. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is left out. He knows the beginning from the end and He operates accordingly.”

Allowing ourselves the ability to relinquish control makes opportunities for God to fulfill His plan in our life as well as in the lives of others. Don’t get me wrong, being prepared and planning ahead are great qualities to cultivate in your life. But it is also important to remember that the shortest way from point “A” to point “B” is not always a straight line! As Weaver says, “There are no detours in God’s story line.” Everything has a purpose. What may appear to be a complication or a “bump in the road” may just become an opportunity to let God do something really wonderful in your life.

Seventeenth century satirist, Jean de la Bruyere, wrote “Man has but three events in his life: to be born, to live and to die. We are not conscious of our birth; we suffer at our death and most forget to live.” Are you really living, making every day really count or are you just trying to control every area of your life? My prayer is that we will not be so caught up in the planning or in the process of trying to get things done that we don’t live our lives to the fullest….God’s fullest for us.

My prayer is that God would help us to relinquish control. That we would allow God to be God in our lives. Scary as it may seem, let go of the controls! Life on auto-pilot is no where as exciting or as fulfilling as letting God work all things together for His good!

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

Recently in my devotional reading, I came upon a passage of scripture that intrigued me. Numbers 27:1-11. There are few references to the daughters of Zelophehad in the bible and yet they are responsible for a historical change in rules regarding Hebrew inheritance laws when there is no son to carry on the name of a deceased man.

The story goes like this. Zelophehad dies without having a son to continue his name. As a result, his daughters are not able to receive their father’s portion of the Promised Land. (Having had no son, the continuation of his family name depended on his heirs receiving land in his name.)

In a day and age when having a son was paramount, can you imagine what Zelophehad thought each time his wife gave birth to another girl! Here are the names of the girls and the meaning of their names:

Mahlah: Sickness
Noah: Timid
Hoglah: Partridge (or a bird that can not fly)
Milcah: Queen or loved one
Tirzah: Beloved or favored one

It is hard to understand why the first three daughters had such negative names. We need to remember that in ancient times, a name was not necessarily given at the moment of birth. Many named their children when they were toddlers and gave them their names according to the attributes they represented. Perhaps Mahlah was a sickly child and maybe Noah was timid but why would you name a child after a bird that cannot fly? Perhaps after time, and the recognition that Zelophehad would have no sons, Zelophehad was able to appreciate the unlikely gift of another two daughters….and their names show it.

I can’t imagine the first three sisters thinking they could ever present their right to fight for their inheritance before men like Moses, Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly of Israel. We don’t know the actual facts; but one can only assume that the two other sisters managed to convince them that they needed to speak as one and honor their father’s name. They weren’t asking for anything unjust in their eyes, being girls was just not reason enough to lose their inheritance. At a time when men had the final word, a lack of inheritance for these women meant they had no home, no chances for soliciting future marriages, in other words, without this inheritance they had no chance for a future. These brave gathered their courage and in one voice brought their petition for their father’s land before Moses and the leaders of Israel.

It was through the fearless of these five sisters that Moses brought their case before the Lord (Verse 5-7) and not only did they receive their inheritance, history was made for future generations who would petition for their rightful inheritance.

After reading these passages I felt like the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart regarding these five fearless women. These sisters challenge me to remember that no person, no demeaning words that were spoken to me or any act that occurred in my past has the power to hold me back from becoming the person God wants me to be or fulfilling the plan that God has for my life.

You may have woken up this morning feeling like your name is Mahlah, Noah or Hoglah but you need to remember that each of us has a destiny to fulfill and it is not your external value that determines it. You cannot amputate your history from your destiny. God calls common people to take uncommon stands!

Stand firm and take your rightful inheritance in Christ and fulfill that which the Lord has placed before you…..you are beloved and favored in God’s eyes!

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”

P.S. Just as a footnote, Numbers 36:11 mentions that all the sisters find husbands. I love a happy ending!

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “If Christians lived according to their faith, there would be no more Hindus left in India.” It is said that this famous man of peace was captivated with the thought of knowing Jesus Christ. But it is said that when he met Christians, he felt let down by their example. Wow! Unfortunately, many people, like Gandhi, are attracted by the life and teachings of Jesus but are often disappointed when they meet Jesus’ followers.

Paul reminded the Christians at Corinth that “you are a letter from Christ, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stones but on tablets of human hearts.” (2 Corinthians 3:3) Evangelist, Dwight L Moody, said “Of one hundred men, one will read the Bible; the nine-nine will read the Christian.” And so goes the challenge, when someone meets us for the very first time, what do they think of us? Do we disappoint them or do we lead them towards Christ?

As Christians we should have Godly morals and values. Our words and our actions should represent Christ….but is that always the case? And is just being interpreted as a good and honest person enough to lead someone to Christ? Paul tells believers in 1 Thessalonians 1:6-8 that they should be “imitators of us and of our Lord’s” The believers testimony was so strong it says that “The Lord’s message “rang out” from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, your faith in God has become know everywhere.”

God has been challenging me recently that my impression on people should be something more than just being a “good and honest” person. I ask myself, when people meet me do they sense that my kind actions are really the reflection of God’s unconditional love in my life or just the reflection of a good and moral upbringing?

For most Christians, myself included, it is difficult to take that extra step and let people know that the difference in us is Jesus. Most times we struggle with what will happen after the initial invitation. Will they still like us after they know we are a Christian or will they reject us? And perhaps even more so, are we willing to invest ourselves into them once we present them to Jesus? Sometimes it is just easier to be nice and hope that they will figure it out on their own. But the fact of the matter is, is that it was the agape love of Jesus that set us free.

Today, just as in ancient times, we are the living message of a living savior. Challenge yourself today to really think about what people observe about you when they first meet you. Are you a “living letter read by everyone”? The apostle Paul understood how important it was to represent Christ. Whether you are a minister, a pastor’s wife or a member of a local church, is your life worthy of imitation?

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9

“I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery and impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.” Romans 6:19

I believe that all of us have had a destructive habit that has affected our lives, whether it seems something as small as our thought patterns, it is a destructive habit. The Apostle Paul tells us that there are “limitations to our human nature”. How important it is to have victory in every area of our lives. God’s desire is that his children walk and live in complete liberty, which is, a life of holiness. Before Christ we offered our bodies to impurity and evil, but now that we serve Christ, He leads us towards holiness. I don’t believe that you can talk about liberty without talking about holiness. But how can we live in this world full of sin and still be victorious in Christ? This begets another question: How can we conquer a destructive habits?

In his book, “The Search for Holiness”, Jerry Bridges mentions three areas that are needed to achieve the liberty and holiness. He comments that the first principle to be free from the slavery of a bad or destructive habit is to develop and re-focus the frequency of the repetition. The more we sin, the more we fall into a sinful lifestyle. But the opposite is true as well. The more we surrender ourselves to justice and purity; we rise towards a new level of holiness.

The second principle towards the search for holiness is breaking the habit of sin and acquiring new healthy habits. We need to make every effort to avoid failure. No one makes it their goal to sin exceptionally. When we pay more attention to the times we fall, we enforce the bad habits. We need to re-focus our efforts on good habits.

The final principle towards the search for holiness is to not get discouraged by failure.
Everyone has low moments; it is what we do after the failure that is really critical. Are you going to make the choice towards liberty or towards failure?

Today is the day you can take the first step towards becoming free from habits that don’t glorify the Lord. What ever it is, the victory is yours beloved servant. You aren’t just anybody. God has made you to “serve righteousness.” We know we can’t do it without God’s help. God is waiting for you to walk in freedom and to lead your church towards freedom from habits that don’t glorify Him.

Until next month,

Rocco

Last month we talked about developing habits in our lives that will lead us towards a life of holiness. I firmly believe that we need to learn how to walk in the liberty of the Holy Spirit. I know it isn’t easy, but as servants of God who live in a fallen world, we need to walk in holiness and then teach this generation of believers how they can walk and live in the freedom the Spirit offers them.

I remember a story I heard about a soldier called, Alexander, who was found sleeping while on guard. They brought him to the great leader and conqueror Alexander the Great. He proceeded to ask the soldier “what is your name?” “Alexander” he replied. Alexander the Great then responded “change your name or change your actions.” If we are to call ourselves “Christians”, then we need to make sure that our actions reflect our name. We need to show people what it is really like to walk in the liberty that Christ gave us.

Ted Roberts, in his book, “Desire to be Pure”, speaking about how to conquer sexual addictions, wrote about the sequence necessary for inner transformation.

The world thinks: A change of feeling =change of thoughts= change of conduct.

But something Mr. Roberts wrote caught my attention, and I think the truth is that if you really want to change your way of thinking, thus change your addictive actions, you need to do just the opposite of what many of us believe to be true.

Ted Roberts thinks: Change your conduct = a change of thoughts = a change in
feeling.

It is only after God transforms our conduct, can we begin to see a change in our thought patterns and feelings. This is a key how to live in total freedom. The dysfunctional family, personal trauma and an addictive society have enslaved many people emotionally, sexually and to addictive substances, but the gospel of Jesus Christ sets people free! We need to believe the word of God and walk in the freedom Christ offers us. There is power in prayer to change our actions! Let’s walk in total freedom, it is only then that we can help liberate others in captivity.

Free in Christ,

Rocco DiTrolio

“For as churning the milk produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger produces strife.” Proverbs 30:33

Watch out that you don’t become an angry person! Churning up milk to make butter can be compared with anger, because anger, if churned, can lead to arguments. We must do away with fermenting or generating anger in our life, all the while knowing that we will always be confronted with things that can produce anger in us. It troubles me to see so many young people, who will represent a new generation of adults, who are full of anger.
It seems at times as though I find myself confronted with people who seem to be angry with the whole world. It is almost as if they love to generate, propagate and instigate conflict. Each one of us needs to get to the cause of our anger if we want to be free from it. If not, anger will become a constant companion for you. It will rear its ugly head in your family life, your work, your marriage and even in your church.

So what are the causes for anger?

1. Frustration. False expectations or unmet expectations.
2. Painful experiences from your past.

If we don’t find out what is the cause of our anger, anger can and will destroy our lives. Look at what our verse in Proverbs tells us; “…and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.” There are a lot of relationships out there that are literally bleeding to death because of the effects of anger. Each of us needs to ask the Lord to help us eliminate anger from our hearts. Only the Lord can help us change our temperament and take control of this area of our lives. I believe that it is the desire of God to free this generation from the toxic effects of anger.

Look at what David tells us in Psalms 37:8; “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evil.” The Psalmist talks about refraining and abandoning anger. It doesn’t say you can be angry just a little or that it’s ok to get angry now and then. When dealing with anger you need to take it out from the root.

My prayer is that the Lord would free us from the things that can destroy us. Anger is one of those things, if left unchecked, it will destroy you. We all need to ask the Lord to help us free ourselves from becoming slaves to anger. Proverbs 15:1 tells us, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Be careful that your tongue doesn’t generate anger! Lets each of us ask the Lord to help us eliminate anger and those things that cause conflict. It is a difficult task for sure, but I know that God wants each of us to live in harmony not only with him, but with those around us.

Are you ready to take the challenge? Do everything possible to live your life anger-free!

“And who knows but that you have come to a royal position for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14

Lately, the Lord has been bringing to my mind several stories from the Bible about women who were fearless. Women such as the daughters of Zelophehad, the woman with the issue of blood, Rahab and lastly Esther.

I think the majority of us know the story of Esther and how she was able to save not only her own life but that of the Jewish people. God had led her to a specific place at a specific time for a specific purpose. A lot of times it seems like our destiny always seems to knock at our door when we are in the middle of a crisis and already feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Isn’t it fascinating how God can use a crisis to turn the direction we are walking in? It is when we are confronted with a crisis that God knows we are in a position to bring about our purpose or destiny…perhaps that is because it is during times of crisis that we are forced to depend on Him.

Many times the fulfillment of God’s purpose for our life requires much more than we are capable of. Esther realized that she had to take a huge risk if she was going to fulfill her purpose. As Beth Moore says, “Destiny can single out one person, but many times the decision that that person makes can have incredible and lasting consequences for others. Our destiny is not only vertical (God – man) but also horizontal (Man-man).”

I am sure that Esther did not feel very brave when she read the letter that her uncle had written her about the extermination of the Jewish people, or for that matter, when she walked before the king knowing she could face death for her brazenness. In one moment she went from a pampered queen to the leading protagonist in the liberation of her people. What we need to remember is that even though it seems as if God has put us in the wrong place at the wrong time, God has given us the dominion just for that situation!

“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.” Jeremiah 29:11

Every one of us has a decision to make. None of us are born brave, it is something we learn. It is possible that there is just one decision between you and the fulfillment of your destiny and purpose. Your external value can’t determine your destiny nor can your past determine your destiny.

“Sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world and the despised things, and that things that are not, to nullify the things that are, so that no one might boast before Him.” I Cor. 1:26-29

Today, God wants to ask you something very important questions.

Will you be a woman who lives fearlessly?
Will you take the risk necessary to fulfill your purpose and plan for God?
Will you live without fear of your destiny?

“And who knows but that you have come to a royal position for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14

Today God gives you the opportunity to become the leading protagonist in the fulfillment of you destiny. What decision will you make?

BE A FEARLESS WOMAN!

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” ! Cor 2:9

We live in dangerous times today. There is a real battle going on for your soul. We live in a world where it seems that what is “wrong” is right and what is “right” is wrong. Television, movies and media will try to convince you that you need what the world has to offer, but the truth is that they don’t often tell you that what they have to offer you is only momentarily pleasurable and oftentimes leads to pain and despair.

The saddest thing of all is that for many Christians, their relationship with the Lord is so superficial that they are constantly tempted to put aside what they know to be true for temporary pleasure.

“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.”

Staying true to your convictions isn’t always easy. It almost seems that if you maintain biblical standards you are the odd man out. Talking about topics such as alcohol, (Should it be forbidden or is it not really relevant in today’s culture?) premarital sex, (Is it ok if you are engaged to be married or should you really wait until afterwards?) and even the Pentecostal experience itself, (Is it really outdated and not apart of our postmodern world?) create arguments not only amongst the unbeliever but amongst the body of Christ. There are times when I feel like maintaining Biblical values and standards make me look like a legalistic dinosaur!

Today more than ever, we need to stand firm in what the Bible teaches us. We need to be confident of what we believe in. Regardless as to whether everyone else seems to be moving in another direction, we need to know that we are standing firm in what we know to be true: God wants us to be a light unto the lost and become holy like He is holy.

My prayer is that you will read the Word, study the Word and know the Word! Use the Bible as a guideline for your decision making. Don’t let other people try to tell you what it right and what is wrong. Don’t be controlled by your desires or the wants and needs of others. Learn to recognize truth! Remember, we are living in dangerous times!

“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. If you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. Col. 1:22-23

Sunday, May 11 is the day of Pentecost so during the next two months I would like
to share on the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I would like for us to be
prepared for what God wants to do in our lives. This is the time of year that we just finished meditating on Easter; the crucifixion and the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus’ desire wasn’t to leave his disciples alone; He knew that they would need power to continue on without him.

GOD NEEDS TO EXPAND OUR UNDERSTANDING:
Luke 24:45 says “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”
How important it is that God open our understanding so we can be prepared for what is
to come. In Acts 1:5-7 the disciples did not understand the things Jesus said. “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority.” The disciples wanted to know if the Lord was going to restore the kingdom. Many didn’t understand what he was really trying to tell them; therefore Jesus had to open their thought process. They needed to understand that what was to going to happen was in God’s hand and that they only had to worry about being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is so easy to become distracted from the things of God. We need to focus on what’s truly important and forget the secondary things. Lord, help us focus our understanding on you and what you want to tell us!

WE NEED TO RECEIVE THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
Look at what it says Acts 1:8; “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” Jesus emphasized that the disciplines would receive a power that wouldn’t come
from them. Luke 24:49 says “I am going to send you what my Father has promised.”
Jesus was telling them that He would send them the promise of the Father; the power of the Holy Spirit. The disciples didn’t have anything that made them worthy to receive the promise nor could they do anything to make themselves worthy to receive this promise.
It was a promise from God for them. The only prerequisite to receive the promise was to
wait in the city of Jerusalem. Verse 49b says “Stay in the city until you have clothed with power from on high.” Beloved brother in Christ, we need to learn how to wait in the presence of God. If you don’t wait, you won’t be able to receive the power of God. We
need to learn how to wait with you Lord, wait until you fill us with your power!

WE WILL BE WITNESSES OF GOD’S POWER:
Acts 1:8 says “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” We will be witnesses for Jesus wherever we go! Luke 24:47 says “Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” It is the desire of God that this message reaches everyone. It is imperative that we testify of HIM and HIS power. The message we have is that Christ died and resurrected from the dead for the forgiveness of our sins. We need to preach the repentance of sins for all in every nation, starting here in Argentina! We have a lot to do. We need the power of the Spirit!
The promise of the Father is power and it is available to all!

Rocco

II Corinthians 3:2-3 & 5
“.. ²You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. ³You show that you are a letter of Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone but on the tablets of human hearts… .not that we are competent in ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”

WOW! What a challenge! These verses remind me that my words, my actions and my life itself are an open book to those around me. After reading those verses, I began to wonder what do people really see when they come in contact with me. Do they see me as a child of God who reflects the image of Christ, or do they see someone who is always frustrated trying to live by the letter of the law or perhaps as someone who is constantly trying to please others and conform to the teachings of the world?

Verse five reminds me that in my own strength I can do nothing that will draw people to Christ. It reminds me that I must depend on Him, completely, for any growth in my personal walk and for any ministry that proceeds from me.

So many times we worry about what others think about us, but I wonder how many times we worry about what kind of example we are for our children? (For those of you who don’t have children, we all have children that we influence) What kind of image do they perceive about us when it’s “just us” behind closed doors?

Psalm 101:2 inspires me! “I will lead a life of integrity in my home.” I ask myself, do my actions coincide with my words or do my children see me preach one thing and then do another? I think the greatest gift we can give our children is a life full of consistency. They need to see an example of a person who is doing their best to live for Christ and Christ alone. Of course there will be times when we make mistakes (we are human) but how important is it for our children to see parents who really live what they believe? Psalm 119:5 encourages me to live a life that reflects the image of Christ. “Oh that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees.”

That’s the kind of image I want to show my children and to those around me. I don’t mind if people see me struggle or even fall at times. What I want is for them to see is that I can acknowledge when I make a mistake, that I am willing to ask forgiveness and then am able to move on towards becoming the person God wants me to become.

Father, may my life always be seen as a letter from Christ written to those that know me, a letter that reflects the image of Christ.

“So we keep praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is made possible because of the grace of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” II Thessalonians 1:11-12