hardships

Finding Hope in Hardship

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Tragedy is never a good thing, but sometimes, at the end of a dark tunnel, there’s light. We don’t often see the big picture or the orchestra below the pit, but something beyond our understanding is happening and in the near or far future, we find that light, that one good thing that comes out from disaster.

The pandemic was heart breaking for those that lost loves ones, it caused depression from isolation from many, for some, they end of a marriage. Many negative results that may have been life changing, but the one good thing for some, would be that it brought in more opportunities to work from home, especially good for those that live far from work.

Not taking traumatic situations lightly, but we may not see the bigger picture until later, keeping in mind, that no one lives forever, there’s a time for all of us to leave this earth and that being with God is heaven is a much better place. I didn’t understand why the Lord took my Mom early. I was really close to my Mom and had a bad relationship with my Dad. We always argued, he never heard me out and it was like that for a very long time. Knowing that I had a really good relationship with my mom and that I spent precious time with her while I was able, I didn’t feel any regrets, but had it been my dad, it would’ve been different. Just shortly before she passed, questioning God “why,” I tried to see the bigger picture and I thought about how me and my siblings were always closer to my mom. Years later, we’ve had good times and good moments with my dad. My relationship with my dad is much better and the things that my mom would suggest like, playing golf with my dad, had come to pass after she passed away. It’s almost like she’s praying in heaven for that very thing to happen.

The sorrow from the big loss in my life, brought me to humility. Sometimes God brings the hardships to humble us, to refine our heart. For some having gone through trauma and have healed from it are helping others in that very situation.

I was watching a short video of someone retired who was struggling to pay for everything and needed to find a roommate to get by, which resulted in good companionship. Not only did she no longer struggle financially, but now, not lonely with a new good friend sharing life with her.

There was a testimony of one of the Jewish ladies held hostage in Gaza that was released. Rather than seeing nothing but darkness in the situation, she found her purpose in the dark tunnel as one to comfort a young girl and to help bring light to others.

The difficulties of relationships, we sometime hate the very thing in our spouse that is there to stir us up, but some traits as we may see as hang ups are there to shape us into a person with more patience or children that bring our own issues up to the surface until we realise the things we need to work on in ourselves like control or rage. These are things that we need to give to God and ask Him to help us. Years later, we see the good results from the hardships that have shaped us.

We may never understand why we had to experience certain things at the moment and may live through life on earth without knowing, but at the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold, no, but let’s just ask God to show us the reason. At the same time, being prepared to die any day, loose someone of something any day, which requires knowing where you’ll go when die and having a strong foundation while on earth that when the strong storms of life comes to knock you down, you won’t fall.

My prayer for others…”Lord, I pray that you will reveal yourself to others through the good and the bad, helping others see the light in the most difficult situations, trusting that there is hope in you as they continue to move forward in life, through the darkest and hardest times in life, let your light shine, leading them to a more blessed path of love, joy, peace and happiness. I pray that for your healing upon their heart and that they would receive you into their life. Be their firm foundation through life until the day comes from them to leave this earth.” In Jesus name! Amen!

Finding Joy in a Desolate Season

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Life is great when all is well, but we all know that it’s not always happiness and joy. There are seasons of rain and drought. The passages of scripture in the Bible in the book of Ecclesiastes says that there is a time for everything :

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven: 2A time [a]to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.

There have been times of sadness and joy, times when I feel like I’m in a desert, a place with no water to fulfill my thirty soul. There have been times of rejoicing when hopes come into fruition, but in the dry season of life, should there never be any joy?

Moreover, the rain in life that satisfies the thirst for dreams, wishes or goals, doesn’t always quench and coming to realizing once again, the joy inside me.

It’s been a long while, walking through life, trying to put my faith in Christ, when things seem to not go as expected, a waiting pattern that seems to strip hope away day after day. The ever so common question arises, “why God why?

Feeling distant as if God is silent, doubt starts to settle in. Where is He? Is He still listening? Then a series of events within two days happens, each resulting from the next. First, receiving a notification of a compromised account, led to having to get a new card and finally, after searching for a new car for the past month and a half, I finally inquired of a car loan, she told me I was approved and granted the exact amount I was thinking in my head.

In addition, since searching for a car for so long, I wasn’t under pressure because my car was still doing fine, mechanically. Then for the first time, when I turned on my car before going to the bank, my check engine light came on, which was the first time ever.

I had mentioned this to the teller and she told me the exact thing I was thinking, that, “the Lord is telling you to get a new car.” I had been taking my time about purchasing and she mentioned something about having to be under pressure to finally do it, like with the check engine light.

Maybe to most this might not seem like a big deal or coincidence, but having been in seasons of hearing His voice inside of me, then being in a desolate silent desert for long, then once again, the rain comes and that very clear message that God gives, satisfies my soul.

It is like rain drops in the desert, an instant thirst quencher.

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Matthew 4:4

It is the confirmation of His love, undoubtedly letting me know that He’s listening. He’s with me and has not forgotten about me & that alone, is all I need for joy.

Choosing Purpose Over Feelings

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Never exempt from having a bad day, it is expected, sometimes everyday, once a week, once a month or several times a year. Things will go bad, maybe a flat tire, parking ticket, loosing a wallet, a job, a break-up or the worst, a loved one.

Even in the worst times, life goes on and for some that play a critical position that many depend on, we have to forsake our feelings and live outside of ourselves to fulfill a greater purpose. When we have a position to fulfill and need to be at a certain place at a certain time, it seems at that time, right before you break-through, it can feel like a ton of bricks full of emotions is thrown down at you, wanting to keep you from getting off of the floor. That, of a tidal wave on its way toward you ready to knock the heck out of you.

Yes, emotions are a blessing, but sometimes you wish they weren’t there. At the turning points in life, where you are doing something that will break barriers carried from generation to generation, it’s as if opposition is tremendously stronger than what anyone else is going through, as if you are carrying the weight of previous generations to the finish line.

I’ve felt the struggle when I had to persevere through tough times when I felt I wanted to give up or hopeless of ever making it. The most pain-staking times have to be the times when I had to be somewhere at a certain time for the purpose of serving God in certain ways. Although, volunteering to be a camera person in church may sound minuscule to some, when I had to leave home to drive to church, strong emotional pain hit me so hard all of a sudden. I felt like not going. It was my first day or serving and I did not want to go. It’s important to recognize the works of the enemy, the dark-side that wants to keep us from crossing into something greater. With tears falling from my eyes as an emotional wreck, I made it and at the end of the service, I received a blessing that was the start of a changed life.

If not for emotional pain coming at the wrong time, there were times I felt way too tired to go, almost changing my mind and had I listened to my feelings, I wouldn’t have been blessed just by getting into my car, driving over and walking into church.

The most life-changing time was before I got baptized, I kept getting thoughts, telling me I’m not ready or that it won’t change anything or that I’m not worthy in God’s eyes, but I proceeded and it changed my life forever.

Even if we feel tired, emotionally distraught or depressed, sometimes surrendering to God also means, surrendering our feelings and knowing that there’s something much greater than our ourselves, but God’s purpose. Instead of allowing feelings to take over, it’s better to get down on your knees and just worship God, not because of your difficult situation, but because who God is and that He is worthy to be praised.

So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.

Exodus 17:11

Worshiping God does not always mean lifting up our hands, but also obedience and sacrifice or putting God above anything or anyone we love. Look up, not inwards and let Him pour out His love, peace and joy on you today.

The Value of Human Life

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person holding an ultrasound scan photo
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Throughout history there have been times where certain groups of people have been slaughtered. A person’s life was devalued according to their race or religion. Even today, news sources say that China is slaughtering the Uyghurs.

The Death Toll

Far surpassing in number are the deaths of babies in the womb. According to the World Health Organization, there are about 40-50 million abortions every year worldwide. Per the CDC, there were 619,591 abortions in 2018 and since 1979, 63 million.

The Profit

The abortion industry makes hundred of millions of dollars per year by selling abortions and receiving tax dollars of citizens from the government. Per Life News, Joe Biden gave the abortion industry $467.8 Billion dollars.

The Procedure

Upon aborting the baby, depending on what stage, a tube is used to suck out all the fluid. In later stages, an abortionist may have to pull the baby apart limb by limb, first sticking a needle to the head, then sucking up the rest of the pieces inside making sure no parts are left behind. All the while, the alive baby inside is dodging or fighting for it’s life.

There’s a movie called, Unplanned, a true story about a lady named Abby Johnson who worked for Planned Parenthood, moved to the top and after seeing an abortion take place on the monitor her whole perspective changed. She watched a baby inside the womb fight for its life. Shortly after, she left the abortion industry and is now a pro-life advocate.

When Life Begins

Pro-Choice people like to say “my body, my choice.” However, there’s another body involved, which is the body of a baby being formed inside. According to science, a new life is formed at fertilization. Scientist have captured a flash of light that occurs upon conception.

“The argument that this unique human being present in the mother’s womb from the moment of fertilization is a part of the mother’s body until sometime later in gestation is, from a scientific viewpoint, bizarre. What this argument would imply is that human beings reproduce by a process of budding, which is a process by which a new individual organism forms from a part of the mother’s body. This is the means of reproduction of some species of worms but it is most certainly not a means reproduction by human beings. This argument used by abortion proponents that an embryo or fetus is a part of the mother’s body until a certain point of gestation is scientific nonsense. When the argument is made by a scientist, it represents either scientific incompetence or deliberate deception. It is the responsibility of the scientific community to make it clear to the public that this argument is junk science and is obviously used merely to defend the morality of killing a young human being in the womb.”

Dr. Michael Egnor, Evolution News & Science Today

Life is not a Mistake

Even for us that were given life, our lives are not a mistake. God’s hand was already at work.

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.

Psalm 139:13

Before we’re even born, God already had a plan for our lives. He already had a purpose set out for us.

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

Psalm 139:16

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah 1:5

Luke 1:15

John, the cousin of Jesus came into the world before Jesus to prepare a way for Him. God had already anointed John even before he was born.

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.

Luke 1:15

Before John was born, he was already familiar with the presence of Jesus.


When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Luke 1:41

Hosea 12:3

The story of Jacob and Esau, twins that were trying to win over who would the first born child. Jacob, at birth was already holding onto the heel of Esau.


In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his maturity he contended with God.

Hosea 12:3

Roe s. Wade

Even if Roe v. Wade is overturned, women will still have a choice. Before pregnancy there’s abstinence, birth-control and protection. After pregnancy, there’s giving the baby up for adoption.

Overturning Roe v. Wade will still give the exemption of abortion if keeping the unborn baby will cause major physical harm to the mother. It would be tough for those women that got pregnant by the force of a man to keep it. Maybe the court would make that exemption or not, however just because the father was a monster, it doesn’t mean that the child would be as well. There are numerous people that were conceived through rape that have made a major positive impact in society like Jesse Jackson and others.

Pro-choice people seem to believe that a woman’s choice to terminate the life of a baby growing inside of her in empowering, yet it only shows fear. Power is of the Lord enabling a woman to overcome the fear of the unknown, to examine the challenges and obstacles, yet find ways to make it work, seek resources and be the hero of a voiceless precious life inside that’s counting on you to protect it. Power is pushing through the tough times and coming out alive and praising God on the other side. Looking back at a point of life that seemed hopeless, but coming out on the other side blessed and victorious.

Thinking about what Mary, the mother of Jesus had to go through. If people found out that she was engaged, yet she became pregnant and Joseph was not the father, she would have been stoned to death. At the same time, King Herod was looking around for the location of baby Jesus wanting to kill him and sent three wise men to search for his location.

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

Matthew 2:16

Joseph and Mary had to flee from city to city before and after Jesus was born. Mary had to give birth in a barn. You’d think that God would make it easy for her, but she kept her faith and carried through with her calling and God kept them safe.

Even if a baby is given up for adoption, at least you gave the her/him a chance to live and someone an opportunity to be a mom or a dad.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Psalm 127:3-5

Discerning the Voice in Your Head

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In the book of Genesis, God made man on the fifth day. In the second chapter, God made a woman from man’s rib. God also told the man not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In chapter 3, the serpent came to tempt the woman to eat the fruit.

God says to Adam in Genesis 2:17, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Meaning dying inside.

But in Genesis 3:5, when the serpent tempts Eve, he tells her “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” She fell for the serpents lies and ate the fruit. Then Adam and Eve realized that they were naked and felt ashamed.

Adam and Eve were living in paradise with all the food in the garden that they can eat and weren’t allowed to eat from any but one tree and yet that wasn’t enough. The serpent knew one thing, to change their perspective of God or cause distrust, meant causing them to hide from God, in other words, breaking communication or connection to their Creator. The serpent twisted it in a way where it made God look like He was holding something good back from them. The serpent wants to establish doubt and distrust in God. He also placed in them, the intent of exhaulting themselves when he threw in, “you’ll be as gods.”

The fall of Satan who was called Lucifer in heaven, started with pride.

Ezekiel 28:17 says, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground…” He was a beautiful angel who couldn’t handle praise, it filled him with pride and made him believe that he can take over the throne of God, his own Creator. How foolish! Thrown out of heaven and fell to earth, then becomes the opposer, the accuser, the tempter, the one that leads the weak astray. His whole goal is to bring as many people as possible to the fiery pit of hell.

The conclusion has already been set, God has the victory, but everyone has a choice on which path to follow or who’s voice to listen to or who to live for. Everyone has a choice to worship God or idolize people, tangible items, the serpent, other false gods or just themselves. Some think that somehow there’s a lack of knowledge for one that believes in God, but there’s a lack of wisdom for someone who thinks there is no Creator of living beings on this earth. There is a recipe for how living things function, a purpose. Nothing is thrown together, there is no random Big Bang, no random universe. Planets aren’t scattered everywhere, there’s a consistent pattern and each has its place in a galaxy.

There’s a song by Nicole C Mullen that I’m reminded of. In her song, my redeemer lives, she sings, “who taught the sun where to stand in the morning? And who told the ocean, you can only come this far? And who showed the moon where to hide ’til evening? Whose words alone can catch a falling star? Well, I know my Redeemer lives…All of creation testifies This life within me cries….yeah The very same God that spins things in orbit Runs to the weary, the worn and the weak And the same gentle hands that hold me when I’m broken They conquered death to bring me victory.”

As time passes walking on the path of life with God, the knowledge of Him grows and the familiarity of His voice grows that when the serpent comes, lies can be easily detected. Trust or faith in God shall leave no room for the serpent to deceive and will be powerless.

Who’s voice are you listening to and what is influencing your decisions in life? Who are you putting your trust on? Do you trust God or are you being led astray with lies entering your mind?

If you’re tired of walking on a path of emptiness, pain, hopelessness or depression and you’re ready to surrender your life to God. If you hate your life, stop living your life for yourself and start living for God.

You can pray this prayer out loud. Lord God, I’m tired of living my life for myself or others. I surrender my life to you. Take me as I am and show me your powerful love. Fill me with your peace, joy and love to overflowing. Change me inside so I can see that you are a good, loving and a faithful Father who will never leave me or forsake me, a Father that knows my name. Lead me to knowing you personally and bring people into my life that can walk this path of life with me. Thank you for your answered prayers. In Jesus name I pray. Amen!

From Spiritual Darkness to the Light

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For a few weeks, the lights have been nearly out in my closet. Finally, I went out to get new bulbs and after starring and contemplating on which LED lights to get, I went with the soft white, 1800 lumens. While standing in line some random guy walked up and asked me to purchase something hygiene related that he couldn’t afford to buy. He was asking around for almost a hour and everyone said no. He claimed that he was homeless and just recently got a job, but not paid yet.

Before this, I’ve had thoughts about helping someone out at the cash register short on cash so the fact that something similar happened in reality, I decided to accept the opportunity.

While waiting in line, we started chatting. It started with his necklace, which looked like silver formed as an upside down cross and a pentagram at the front center. I kind of knew what it meant, but wasn’t completely sure so I asked him about it. He told me he’s into some occultism, basically he’s a satanist. I told him I’m a Christian and that even if he’s a satanist, Jesus still loves him.

There’s always a reason for someone to get into stuff like that so I asked him what made him start getting into that? He said it was the dark times in his life. Then he told me about how his Mother died of cancer, which was what happened to my Mom as well. When my Mom died I started watching dark videos like ghosts caught on video or some poltergeists stuff. Eventually the Lord spoke to my heart about it and helped me to see what it was doing to me so I had to stop. I could’ve easily gone down a dark path as loosing my Mom was the most devastating event in my life. There were times where I felt my heart stop beating as I was extremely stressed by emotionally distraught. But I’m thankful for the Lord being my backbone and holding me back from falling and loosing my mind. If I didn’t have faith in God, I may have even gone down the same or similar path.

It was interesting how I was buying light bulbs to light up a dark closest as Jesus is the light of the world. “John 8:12 in the Bible says, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” What perfect significance for that moment.

It sounded like after life hit this guy hard, he got off track and walked into darkness. I hope and pray that this will mark a turning point for him as he is mislead. He even was convinced that Lucifer loves him, but I told him that’s not true. Lucifer wants to ruin every human beings life, bring to ruins and end in hell. God is love and Jesus taking the cross is the expression of God’s love for us. He would give his own life for us like taking a bullet along the path to our heart.

I believe that the moment was of no coincidence, it was God’s perfect orchestrating of time, for while he is walking in darkness unable to see the way, he needs to know that even in the darkness hour, God is there reaching out to him. I hope that he will realize and remember that God is still there thinking about him, no matter what his past or present is. God’s love for whom the world may consider unworthy, is unfathomable, but that’s who God is, His love is unconditional. My prayers go out to him. May he find his way to the light.

Hard Times for Preparation

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I try to recall the times I felt like life was beating me up, when times got so tough I’d try to not allow myself to stay beat down and now just getting off another roller-coaster. With Christ, I can lift up my hands and know that He has me grounded.

When times get tough, I try to remember that it’s just an obstacle course. There’s falling on your face and being humiliated and sometimes emotionally crushing, but the hand that pulls me out of it is the saying, “God is good all the time.”

If I had to climb a 70 foot mountain, days later, a 30 foot mountain would not be a big deal. I have to remember that God’s love is also allowing us to go through hardships, only to make us better fighters, being able to take on harder circumstances thrown at us.

The Bible says in Philippians 1:6 NKJV
[6] “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”

As sometimes we may walk away from where the Lord leads because we may feel we can’t, unable or may not identify ourselves with it, but to remember that there’s one that knows us more than we know ourselves, our creator. As a way to prepare you for the blessing He has for you, sometimes it requires hardship. Then & years later looking back and saying, “I get it.”