“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 believe that it is fundamental that our hunger and thirst for God, and the manifestation of his glory, to grow daily in our lives as well as to recognize the need for a holy consecration of our lives both before God and man. It pains me to see (and hear) the conduct of “godly” servants of the Lord. At times it seems they are more “carnal” than “spiritual”. It is embarrassing to see what it done in “the name of the Lord”. We need to elevate the role of the minister of God. We can’t succumb to the temptations of this world.

A passage of scripture that has really impacted my life is Isaiah 6. Note with me three important events. First: The prophet Isaiah “saw the Lord.”
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings; with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “holy, holy, holy is the Lord almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices and the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.”
There is a real need to see God in all his majesty and glory. This kind of glory will revolutionize our lives. It is only when we get to the end of ourselves, when we are ready to put aside our pride, our holiness or any other thing that takes precedence in our lives that we are ready to participate in God’s glory. Uzziah represents our dependence on ourselves. When the “Uzziah” in us dies, that is when we are ready to see the majesty of Christ.

The second step that Isaiah did was to “shout to the Lord.”
“Woe unto me! I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty. Then one of the seraphs flew to me and with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touches my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Isaiah was able to see himself as he really was. He saw a lost and sinful man, but he also saw a way out. When we cry out to the Lord, He will always be ready to respond to our need. An encounter with our Lord should change our “lips” into lips that give honor and glory to God. An encounter with Him will change the way in which we act and the way we think.

The final step is to “hear the voice of the Lord.”
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go and tell this people” “be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing; but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn and be healed.”
Every encounter with the glory of God should change our actions. It is time to act and make changes regarding our character, our pride and the way we act and speak and seek the Lord. My prayer is that God will help each one of us to become the men and women that God wants us to become and that each of us will be willing to give every area of our lives to Him.

“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

“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

Are you afraid of change? Do you resist anything new as if it were the enemy? We live in a world of change. Don’t make the mistake of getting stuck where you are at! You need change! If we don’t make the changes God asks of us, we risk the possibility of slowly moving away from Him. Change is never easy, but is nothing compared to the consequences of not changing when God asks you to.

Proverbs 1:32 exhorts us to make room for change in our lives. The complacency of the foolish will ultimately leads to destruction.

1. Not leaving room for God:
“But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke…”
Proverb 1:24-25

2. God laughs at those who ignore Him:
“..I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you- when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you…”
Proverbs 1:26-27

3. God does not respond to those who ignore Him:
“…Then they will call to me but I will not answer, they will look for me but will not find me. Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord…”
Proverbs 1:28-29

4. The unwise choices of the foolish lead them to destruction:
…Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

The foolish don’t look to God for help and as a result they reap the fruit of their actions. The way of the foolish can only lead to destruction; but the promise of God is for those who obey Him and live quietly trusting Him regardless of what is happening all around them.

This is great news for those of us who live in a world full of change. What road will you choose to take? God’s way or the fool’s way? Are you prepared for the changes that God wants to make in your life? Don’t be afraid…..God will sustain you!

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

“For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens, your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” Psalm 108:4 (NLT)

On the nights that I have a hard time falling asleep, (unfortunately there are many) when
praying, reading, getting out of bed, or having a cup of hot chocolate don’t work, I resort to my final sleeping method: Using the letters of the alphabet to describe the attributes of God. (Awesome, Bountiful, Constant) … I know simple minds, simple pleasures! There are many nights when I go through the list two or three times before I sleep. (The goal is to use a different word each time around!) But I always stop and linger on the letter “F” because I always use the same word: “Faithful”, God has truly been faithful to me.

Have your ever read Psalms 136? Read it and be blessed! Twenty-six times the phrase
“His faithful love endures forever!” (NLT) is repeated. Can you imagine David heralding the great works of God and all the Israelites responding in one voice, “His faithful love endures forever!” WOW!

This week God performed an incredible miracle in our lives. One of those situations where you know that you just have to stand back and pray “Your will be done” because there is absolutely nothing humanly possible that can change your situation. Well God did just that!! For the last two days all I been thinking about are adjectives to describe God’s faithfulness to us! If you want to be blessed, think upon some of these words and see just how many times they are used in the Bible: (NIV)

Faithful: 157 Unfailing love: 25 Faithfulness: 50 Gracious: 46 Loving: 13 Amazing: 25
Trustworthy: 25 LOVE: 697 Merciful: 21

Blessed beyond words, I leave you with the words of the famous hymn, “Great is thy Faithfulness.” When life seems difficult or perhaps even like God doesn’t seem to be answering your prayers, remember GOD IS FAITHFUL! That doesn’t mean He’s only faithful when He answers our prayers, no, God is faithful in the good, in the bad and even
when we can’t perceive it. GOD IS FAITHFUL!

“Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father. There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not; As Thou hast been Thou forever will be.”
“Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above. Join with all nature in manifold witness, To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.”
“Pardon for sin and a peace that endures. They own dear presence to cheer and to guide. Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
“Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand has provided, great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!”

“Work at peace at living with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” Hebrews 12:14-15 (NLT)

It’s a fact…life always isn’t easy. The truth is that people will let you down and that bad things happen to good people. Very few people go throughout life without facing a disappointment, a crisis or a tragedy. What is interesting to see, is how each person faces that crisis and even more so, how they are after the crisis.

It is easy to blame God when things go wrong. But the fact of the matter is that as long as we continue to live in a world where sin runs rampant, we will continue to suffer the consequences of living in such a world. The difference for believers is that we can go through difficult times knowing that we can be accompanied by a loving and caring God if we choose to. So the real question is; “When life treats you wrong…will you end up bitter or better?”

So what’s the key to keeping bitterness at bay in your heart? Daily renewal! Psalms 51:10-12 tells us:

Create in me a clean heart oh God; renew a loyal spirit in me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and make me willing to obey you.”

While I know that God doesn’t make bad things happen, He does allow them to happen in our lives. We have the opportunity to choose whether we will grow and learn from the experience or whether we will become bitter. It is a daily struggle…but not unachievable.

The next time someone lets you down or things don’t go the way you planned or you are faced with an injustice, you get to choose, will you be bitter or will you come out of that experience a better person?

“No dear brothers and sisters I have not achieved it, but I focus on one thing, forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Philippians 3:13 (NLT)