2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

I couldn’t believe what was happening.

During a ministry trip to Honduras, a team from Vineyard North Phoenix went to visit a La Viña church in Valle de Angeles – the Valley of the Angels. What a beautiful place that was! Pastor Mario Fernandez began to share his message to this church, and I had the privilege to interpret it into Spanish.

As his message unfolded my heart began to race and my legs to weaken. My head thumped and my ears buzzed. Feeling short of breath, I was sure that, any moment now, I would faint – making a total fool of myself and bringing the meeting to a halt.

Despite being scared half to death, I managed to continue with the interpretation. Thoughts raced through my mind like swooshing arrows: Any time, now, and you’re going to faint. You’re going to mess things up. Look at all these people, hungry for God’s Word. Look at Pastor Mario. He’s depending on you to deliver his message. You’re a failure. You can’t do this.

I began to breath faster. Fear pushed all oxygen from my lungs and mind.

“I don’t think I can go on, Lord,” I cried in desperation.

Yes you can. I will sustain you.

I turned to look at all the men and women crowding the pews, eager and needy. “Lord, I’m not sure I can do this much longer. But I will go on for as long as You’d let me. If I faint, I faint. I’m among friends. I will trust in You.”

I gulped and interpreted the section of Mario’s message he had just finished saying. And then the next. And the next. And the next. Thought a battled raged in my mind the whole time, I was able to do the job I had come all this way to do.

I wish I could say things got easier as the message progressed. But they didn’t. However, in the back of my tortured mind, this thought was ever present: God will sustain me.

At the end of the service, I collapsed on a chair, quietly and in secret. No one knew what had happened, except for me, the enemy of my soul and my precious Lord and Savior.

I was so freaked out by what had happened, it took me a couple of days before I was able to share my experience with DaNetta, our team leader. Thankfully, the episode did not repeat itself during the rest of the trip. I truly believe this was a bizarre instance of fierce spiritual battle. Something I had to face. God only knows why.

This morning, during my devotional, I read this portion of a book called “Brakethrough Prayers for Women”, by Clift and Kathleen Richards:

“You are more than a conqueror. Use all the tools God has given to you – the Word of God, the shield of faith, the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of the blood of Jesus, overcoming faith, and the power of prayer – to vanquish every enemy in your life and to tear down the walls erected by the enemy to block your progress in spiritual things.”

I realized that during the intense 45-minute war I experienced in Honduras, each of these elements came together to my rescue: God’s Word, His Holy Spirit whispering encouraging words in my ear, Jesus’ love and power at work, faith, prayer, complete trust…

This encounter took me by surprise, but it didn’t catch me unprepared. And it reminded me of the essentiality of my daily encounters with God through prayer and the reading of His Word.

Ephesians 6:13 says, “Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

The Lord Jesus is indeed my Savior. In Him will I trust, and my heart will not fear.

Ana

Have you ever wished that you had more faith in God or that you doubted Him less?  It dawned on me that praying for faith isn’t the first step.   That would be like hoping for vegetables to grow in your garden without planting any seeds.

Think about when you got saved.  Your spiritual eyes were opened to the truth, you received the truth in your heart, and then faith emerged. Your faith in God came from a heart-level revelation of the truth about Him.

If we doubt God, then somewhere in our hearts is a lack of truth/lack of knowledge and/or we’re deceived about something pertaining to Him. Solution? 1) Spend time learning God’s word,  2) ask God to show you more of His truth, and 3) ask Him to open your eyes to any lies you may believe about Him.

As some of you know, at the beginning of this year I began praying the armor of God every day.  When I get to the belt of truth I thank God for His truth and I ask for more.  Since I began asking for more truth I’ve gotten more revelation from God than at any other time in my 15 year walk and my faith in Him has grown.  Ask for more truth daily and as God plants it pray that the faith seedlings continue to grow.

Just like we wouldn’t expect new varieties of vegetables to sprout up in a vegetable garden without planting more seeds, we can’t expect our faith to grow and expand without more seeds of truth.   And since you’ve been weeding your heart (see Spiritual Weeds ) there should be more room for the good stuff!

Shagufta

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the need around you?

I sure have!  I especially feel this every time I join a team from my church for our annual ministry trip to the beautiful country of Honduras.  The need is so great and so evident there, one can easily feel overwhelmed by it.

My dear friend, DaNetta Fernandez – who is our team leader during our trips to Honduras – was experiencing these feelings at the beginning of this month.

“Oh, Ana,” she’d told me, “our Honduran friends have so many needs!  There is so much I wish I could do for them, but I just don’t have the money.”

“Is there anything we could do?” I asked her, trying to be helpful.

“What about a garage sale?” she responded, half-heartedly.

It was a plan.

We asked our friends for donations, hoping to collect enough items to make our efforts worth something.

I have to confess that at first, I wasn’t too hopeful.  But as the donations began trickling in, my faith grew bigger and stronger.

“I think God will provide, DaNetta,” I told my friend.

“We’ll see,” she responded, feeling weary.

The donations poured in more abundantly during the week of our sale, and on Saturday morning, our customers flooded DaNetta’s driveway ceaselessly.

When it was all said and done, we had made 670 dollars!!!  By 11 am, exhausted and sunburned, we were ready to close shop.  We packed what was left and filled DaNetta’s truck to the max.  She and Paige (one of our team members) took the items to GoodWill.  Before that, we filled Lord only knows how many bags of clothes that we took to our church’s Food Bank.  We also filled two big suitcases with children’s clothes to take with us to Honduras.

Talk about God coming through!

This experience reminded me of the time when Jesus told His disciples to feed the hungry crowds that had been listening to His teachings all day long.

“[But] we have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they had answered. (Matthew 14:17)

That didn’t matter to Jesus.  He took the little that had been given and multiplied it.  The Bible says that “those who ate [were] about five thousand men, besides women and children.” (vs. 21)

It also says that the disciples filled twelve basketfuls with what was left over.

I thought about our friends who gave their contributions to us: a few fish here; a couple loaves of bread there.  Yet Jesus multiplied their seemingly small offerings and showed us that He is indeed a faithful and compassionate Provider!

Our team will leave for Honduras today.  So I am asking you again, dear friends, to offer your “small” contribution of prayer as we embark in this adventure.  We will have a chance to teach, to minister, to encourage, to pray and to share God’s love and message with the people of Honduras.  And we really can use your help, again.

Can’t wait to tell you what God does next!

Thank you so much,

Ana

http://anastinescorner.blogspot.com

About 15 years ago, I had a friend who was trying desperately to help me break away from the guilt and self-doubt that I suffered from in about every area of my life.

I was a single mom and had fallen away from any real belief that God had a man for me and my baby who would be able to love all my baggage, and me and embrace my fatherless child as his own.

I know she spent hours on my behalf desperately praying that I would believe that God had more for me. That I wouldn’t passively accept mediocrity any more in my life and embrace the fullness God had for my life.

Somewhere my iciness started to melt and a glimmer of hope started to stir in my heart.

Even though I was a Christian, I had erected a self-induced barrier between myself and other believers.

They seemed to have it all together and less messy lives then I did.

I struggled to commit to a church for fear of being judged.

My friend would often drag me along like a petulant child, to church events of many different backgrounds and beliefs.

Sometimes a fire started to slowly burn in my belly and even though I didn’t realise what was happening, I started really speaking to Jesus again.

Asking Him to be a part of my life.

Letting myself start to open up places in my heart I had foolishly given away to people who hadn’t deserved it.

I suffered from self-condemnation and didn’t think I was worth a whole lot. Strangely though, I had such a deep-rooted understanding of the gift that my child was, and spent a lot of time wondering why in the world our heavenly father would have entrusted such a joy to me?

At Christmas this friend gave me a framed picture of the verse that I want to be the focus of today.

Proverbs 3: 5-6

“ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

It struck my heart so deeply, I still feel like weeping!

How do I apply this to my life I wondered?

I knew that God had patiently taken up residency in my heart and was waiting for me to accept this yolk He was presenting me with. I hung that picture up in my living room and stared at it.

Did I trust God?

Could I trust God?

Did God really want me not to compromise my hearts desires?

I believe in those moments that the Holy spirit started to break through and reveal all those things that I had never before known were important, or had hidden away for a long time.

My hearts desires.

The reminder of the Grace that had entered my life with the conception and birth of my child.

For the first time in my life shortly after this awaking was starting to happen, I fasted, inviting God to break the mediocrity and compromise I had allowed into my life, I knew He had more for me and was finally ready to give Him the keys to my heart and life….

Are YOU ready to give God the keys to your heart and life?

Thanks for letting me share my heart!

Rebecca

I think we’ve all been in situations where things weren’t going to pan out unless God intervened.  Those are the times when we pray things like, “Lord, I don’t know how this can work out but can You work it out somehow?”

About 10 years ago there was a small group I wanted to attend but it was on Thursday mornings and I worked Thursdays.  I wasn’t in a seniority position at work so I didn’t feel like I could ask my boss to rearrange all three veterinarian’s schedules to suit me.  So I prayed that God would somehow work it out.

About a month later my boss wanted to talk with me.  She had come up with a new schedule and I now had Thursday mornings off.  I was so excited and amazed!  I didn’t have the power to change my schedule at work but I had a mission impossible God on my side!!

Since then I’ve been in more ‘work it out somehow’ situations and I’m in one now.  I’m sure some of you are also in a seemingly impossible situation.  Please remember that what is impossible with man is possible with God (Mt 19:26, Lk 1:37).  And on top of that, He loves you AND He’s for you!

I feel like a little kid jumping up and down with excitement waiting to get a present… or cake and ice cream (with lots of caramel sauce)!  I’m so excited to see how my amazing God will work out my current situation according to His perfect will.  And work it out He will because He loves me, He’s for me, and He’s God of the ‘somehow’.

Shagufta

Have difficulties come knocking at your door lately?

No matter how hard I try to avoid it, hardship always seems to find a way to rear its ugly head at the most unfortunate times.

Truth is hardship can seldom be avoided; it is a part of this package called “life on Earth”.  Jesus warned us about this, In this world you will have trouble. (John 16:33a, emphasis mine)

So what do you do when hardship comes your way?  How do you react?

My natural reaction is to panic.  Scenarios run through my mind, one worse than the other, piling up so quickly I feel am about to be crushed with worry and anxiety.  The future seems dark and hopeless.  Fear and depression begin to take over.

But out in the distance, at the farthest crevices of my mind, I see a tiny light – one that shines brighter and stronger the closer I run to it.

It is the light of past experiences, memories of God’s deliverance and intervention during times of trouble.

Asaph expressed this so well in Psalm 77.  He had called out to the Lord during a difficult time, but he felt as if God wasn’t listening, as if He had forgotten him.

7Has the Lord rejected me forever?

Will he never again be kind to me?

8Is his unfailing love gone forever?

Have his promises permanently failed?

9Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has he slammed the door on his compassion?

Perhaps you’ve felt like Asaph, too, wondering if God has forgotten you, if He even hears your prayers.

Trouble has a way to make us feel this way.

You might enjoy a close relationship with Jesus, so close you call Him Friend.  And suddenly, wham! trouble whacks you so hard you can’t even tell what hit you nor where the blow came from.  Dizzy with pain and confusion, you wonder, where is God in all of this, cause He feels nothing but far.  And what are you supposed to do?

Asaph knew the answer:  You remember.

Psalm 77:11, But then I recall all you have done, O LORD; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.

The other night, on my way to Small Group, I pondered these things.  Many friends at my group are facing incredible hardship.  I felt overwhelmed by their troubles and by some of my own.

Jesus! I cried.  And then I remembered.

I remembered His love and His faithfulness, His might and the miracles I’ve witnessed before.  I remembered His words:  Be still.  Take heart. I have overcome the world.

That evening, during Small Group, I felt that we needed to focus on God’s goodness.  We needed to remember.  I asked the ladies to share something they were grateful for.  And as we did this, peace began to settle in, comforting us like a sweet embrace from above.

When my turn to share came, I said, “I’m grateful for past experiences, because they remind me that even when circumstances seem hopeless, God will always come through – somehow.”

Have difficulties come knocking at your door lately?  Please remember this:  God has not forgotten you.  And when you call out for help, He will deliver you.  His arm is mighty to save.  His Holy Spirit will guide and comfort you.  His love will see you through.

I pray you will never forget this, but that instead, you will always strive to remember.

Ana

I stood near the stage, waiting impatiently for my turn to talk with the speaker. Part of me hesitated and wondered if this wait was even worth it. “Face it, Ana,” I reasoned, “Here you are, waiting with such expectation to shake her hand, and she probably won’t even remember your name.”

Still, I stayed and I waited.

Having been so touched by Penny Meyer’s message, I pushed myself to be uncharacteristically patient. She had been the keynote speaker during our 2011 Women’s Conference, and I wanted to tell her how much her message had meant to me.

I also had a request. “I want your heart,” I longed to tell her.

So I waited.

Several women surrounded Penny. She talked with some and laid hands on others.

“May I pray for you?” a kind voice inquired. She wasn’t Penny, but I sure could use some prayer.

Closing my eyes, I focused on the words being uttered on my behalf. This woman’s kindness encompassed more than her voice. I don’t know who she was but boy, did she know exactly what to pray for!

Humbled, I knelt down and lowered my head. Time was running out, I knew it. My family was waiting for me. And by the time I rose, Penny would probably be gone and with her my chances to present my request.

But I couldn’t get up, nor did I want to. The peace and the love I felt enveloped me in a sweet embrace – one I hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

“Lord,” I finally managed to say, “I really wanted to talk to Penny. I want what she has.”

Why don’t you ask me? After all, what you see in her, comes from Me.

Joy flooded my heart with such force, my chest felt as it would explode! The answer was so simple, yet I needed to be reminded that Jesus, and only Jesus, is The Source.

John 4:14, Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (NIV)

Smiling, I whispered my request: “Lord, I want your heart.”

I think His answer was yes. And, oh, what a sweet answer that was!

How did our Women’s Conference and Penny’s message impact your life?

Ana
http://anastinescorner.blogspot.com/

Do you remember your first love? The butterflies in your stomach, the longing in your heart, the ringing in your ears?

I remember. And though growing up I had several crushes, my first love was the man I was lucky to marry, my dear husband Ron.

Given the fact that I possess a freakishly sharp long-term memory (but don’t ask me what I fixed for dinner yesterday or where did I leave my keys or what was I about to say, cause I probably won’t remember) combined with the fact that Ron was my one and only boyfriend, I vividly remember the wonderful feeling of being in love for the very first time.

Ahhh, love!

I can honestly say I have never stopped loving my hubby. But I have to admit that life and its many hardships have taken their toll on our relationship – to the point that many a times I have lost “that loving feeling” Elvis used to soulfully croon about while shaking his hips with particular flare.

Same think can be said about my relationship with Jesus.

I remember when I first became a Christian; I was on cloud 9! I couldn’t get enough of God, enough of worship, enough of church, enough of The Word. I was in love, and I loved it!

But, just as in my relationship with my husband, life has taken a toll on my relationship with the Lord.

I’ve gone through dry deserts, lonesome valleys, arduous climbs, painful descents. However, in His great mercy God has touched my soul along the way, encouraging my journey, reminding me I don’t walk alone.

Yesterday was one of those instances I think I’ll always remember as a very special day in my spiritual walk.

During service, Pastor Brian delivered a profound explanation and encouragement to pursue the miraculous works of the Holy Spirit in our lives – through faith, prayer, and actively seeking the will of God.

I was confronted by my own fatalistic attitude, which has so many times marred my participation in spreading the Good News and the influence of the Kingdom of God on this earth.

Que sera, sera! I’ve stoically told myself so many times, pretending to “leave it all in God’s sovereign hands” – when in all reality I just didn’t have the guts to press beyond my feebleness.

It is no sin to be worn and tired. This is just a testimonial of our humanity, a sign of our times, a reminder that we live in a fallen world. But in our fatigue, we attempt to protect ourselves by making erroneous decisions and adopting mistaken positions – instead of seeking God’s will in our situation through prayer and in His Word.

Yet, despite burnout and flawed efforts for self-protection, our King comes to the rescue! Stirring our souls, pointing us back to The Way, cheering us on.

Like He did with me (and I suspect for many of you) yesterday, during Pastor Brian’s message.

Yesterday, oh, wonderful yesterday, I was blessed with such stirrings. My faith was renewed. My heart strengthened.

And yesterday I experienced once again, afresh and anew, my first love.

Grateful,

Ana

http://anastinescorner.blogspot.com/

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11, NVI)

What gift would you like to give God this year?

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite TV Christmas specials was “The Little Drummer Boy.” This is the sad, yet tender story about a young orphan who joins the Maggi in their search for the newborn King of Israel.

The Star of Bethlehem leads the caravan’s way onto a humble manger, where they find Baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph.

The young orphan soon realizes that this is a very special baby and marvels at the rich gifts the Magi present to Him: gold, frankincense and myrrh. The drummer boy wishes he had something to give as well, but he is poor and feels he has nothing to offer.

However, when Baby Jesus begins to cry, the little orphan does what comes naturally to him. With Mary’s consent he starts playing his drum. This sweet offering sooths the crying Baby and turns His tears into a smile.

Are there times when you feel like the boy in this story – poor and broken, with nothing good to give? Perhaps you compare your talents with those of people around you and feel yours come short.

And you wonder, “What good will my gifts do?” “What difference could they ever make?”

This Christmas Season I invite you to take a step of faith and bring your presents to the manger:

• Your service
• Your worship
• Your heart

No matter how lowly or simple your gift might seem, in God’s eyes it is a pleasing offering, one that will put a smile on the face of Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

Ana
http://anastinescorner.blogspot.com

Do you ever face a situation that makes you feel utterly powerless?

When girls with a hero complex (like me) see a need, we feel an irresistible urge to don our red cape and fly in to save the day. Few things are more frustrating to us than seeing a problem and feeling like there is nothing we can do to solve it.

All around us, we witness people who are ill and suffering; those who are about to lose their home, their job, or their marriage; parents whose kids have addictions or have walked away from the faith; friends whose hearts are broken.

And we ask ourselves, What can I do for them? How can I help?

But, at times, we simply can’t.

Discouraged, we give into despair and forget that we still have a secret weapon left – one more powerful than our good deeds or heroic intentions.

It’s called prayer.

So we mumble an almost apologetic, “I’ll be praying for you,” as if we had nothing better to offer. As if it were the least we could do to help.

“The least I can do is pray. The most I can do is pray,” says radio host Dr. Randy Carlson in his program Intentional Living.

So true.

I learned that truth a few years ago, during our Women’s Evening Bible Study. At the end of one of our sessions, this wannabe-hero-girl met a woman whose problems and suffering were so severe, she was at the edge of suicide. Overwhelmed by her painful story, I felt there was absolutely nothing I could do for this lady. So I began to pray for her – out of pity to be honest. We cried together, hugged each other, and then we went home.

I figured this would be the last time I would ever see her.

Months later, a beautiful woman approached me after Bible Study. She looked radiant. Something about her seemed familiar, but I didn’t think I knew her. She said, “You prayed for me last year. Back then, I felt like I couldn’t go on living, so I had made up my mind. I was going to put an end to the pain.

“But when you prayed for me that evening, a spark of hope ignited in my heart. I realized God had the power to change my life and my circumstances. I believed. And He did!” she told me, with the brightest smile.

Witnessing her miracle made me realize that I, too, was in need of one. My heart needed to believe again. And I had to be reminded that a hero girl must never forget that the least she can do might be the greatest thing she can ever do for a friend in need.

Ana
http://anastinescorner.blogspot.com/