Who would Imagine a King?

The buzz! If you haven't heard by now, you must be sleeping under a rock.It is everywhere.People are doing their last minute shopping , picking up gifts, going over and beyond their spending limits. Come on y'all! There is a birthday celebration and no one wants to be left behind. It's Christmas time in the city!
I absolutely love this time of the year. I love the colors. I love the decorations. I love the scents. I love the mint flavored and pumpkin spiced hot chocolate. I love the sweet potato pies. I love the elaborated designs done with the Christmas lights. Did I mention the Christmas cartoons? Charlie Brown's Christmas , anyone? Above all, I love the one who inspired all this joy and excitement: Jesus Christ. Over the years, our society has trivialized Christmas and reduced it to a season of high consumerism and commercialism.
What about the birthday's boy? Jesus? For many of us, He has just become a cute porcelain figurine that we can include in the nativity display if we even bother to have one. For others, we  just pay him some "lip service" during a special Christmas' Eve or Midnight worship service. After that, let's just be merry and happy! Jesus? Oh, well! He understands our hearts, don't you agree?
I am not trying to be a "Grinch" and steal your Christmas. However, I want us to remember what the prophet Isaiah foretold about  Mary's baby boy:

" For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end." Isaiah 9: 6-7 (NIV)

Yes, Emmanuel came to us as a baby boy, born in a manger but His initial status should not make us forget who He really is:

Jesus is  Mighty God.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

Jesus is the Author of Life.

Jesus is the Giver of all blessings.

Jesus is the Lord of Lords.

Jesus is my King. He is your King. He is truly the reason for this season. This is just not a slogan but it is the essence of Christmas. So, as you are celebrating with friends, family and counting your blessings, just pause with me for a moment and say: "Thank You, Jesus!" . Better yet, Let's sing: " Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus." We don't need to be pitch perfect, all we have to do is to make a "Joyful Noise" unto Jesus. Trust me,St. Paul was right when he said:

"remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20: 35 (NIV)

Dear Friends, in the Spirit of Christmas, Let us offer to Jesus the best gift we can give Him: Our Gratitude. Merry Christmas to all of you!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I would like to wish you a Happy Birthday! I don't have myrrh to present to you. I don't have frankincense to offer to you. I don't have gold to adorn you. So, I am offering you the fruit of my lips. I am giving you my praise and thanksgiving. Thank you Jesus for coming into the world to bring me Joy, Peace, Liberty and the most precious of all gifts: Salvation and Eternal life. I love you Lord for being my Savior and King. Amen!

May your life be a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God !

Abi

More of You and Less of Me, Lord!

2011 was a remarkable year in many ways. This was the year when the world's most renowned  terrorist was finally caught and killed. We've also seen the fall of many dictators who terrorized their people for decades. Let's not forget the tsunami that took Japan by storm (no pun intended). But can I be real with y'all? While these events were very important, I will remember 2011 as being the year when everything that could possibly go wrong, went absolutely wrong. I am not being dramatic! I started the year with a health crisis, underwent surgery, incredible trials at  my workplace, lost my job and finally depleted all my savings. I am back at square  one. At times, I could not understand what was happening to me. I thought and even debated with God during my prayer time why He was allowing all of this. I even ran the risk of becoming self-righteous by challenging God with these following questions:

" Am I not living right? Am I not religiously attending church? Am I not devoting myself to prayer and studying the Bible? What else do you want from me? Why are you letting my enemies triumph over me? Is that how you reward those who are trying their best to obey you?"

As you may think, my questions to our Heavenly Father were borderline arrogant and foolish. I thank God, who in His infinite Mercy and Patience, did not scold me as I deserve. Rather, He gently reminded me of these words from St. Paul :
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9 (NIV)

I also recalled the prayer that I made earlier in 2011: '' Heavenly Father, I want to draw closer to you. Teach me how to worship you in spirit and truth." To my surprise, God did not take this prayer lightly. On the contrary, He used the tribulations and the challenges that I was going through to make me realize how much I need God. It is so simple yet true. Sometimes, we get puffed up. We start to believe our own hype. We think that we are strong, self-sufficient and independent and we can do it all by ourselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. That is the biggest lesson that I learned in 2011. It is only because of the grace of God that I am  still standing. While it seems that I am loosing it, God is transforming my trials into triumphs. So, I am happy to report that as 2011 is coming to an end and Christmas is only few days away, God kept me. He would not allow me to let go of His Hand. He is teaching me to lean on His everlasting arms. He is encouraging me to call on  Jesus, the Prince of Peace and ask Him to calm the storms of  my  life.
If you are reading and feel that you want to bury 2011 deep down in your memory, I want  you to know that God sees you and He is neither letting you go nor down. Grab the Father's hands and Hold on firmly to His tight grip. By doing so, not only will you finish 2011 with a bang but you will also conquer 2012 with more strength, more wisdom and excellence. Still not a believer? Well, don't take my word for it but hear what God is saying to you in Jeremiah 29:11:
  
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.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we want more of you in our lives. May we decrease, May Christ increase in us. We thank you Lord for the gift of life, for using our trials in 2011 to teach us to rely on your strength and to depend on your love. It is by your grace alone that we made it through 2011 and it is by your power that we will have the victory during the upcoming year. May our tests in 2011 become testimonies that will allow others to encounter the living Christ. May we become your jars of clay that you can melt , mold, fill and use so that we can be  your vessels of Honor. In Jesus' Name. Amen!

May your life be a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God !

Abi

Crossroads

I wish a Marvelous Monday to everyone! I am grateful to our Heavenly Father for another opportunity to get it right. Life can sometimes leave us perplexed or cynical about the future that is ahead of us. Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads or are you in one right now ? I am talking about reaching a point when one is no longer sure about what to do, which way one should go, what direction one should follow or having no clues about the right decisions to make. Well, that's what I have been experiencing all throughout 2011. I have pondered so many times if my present condition was due to some decisions that I made in the past. While I cannot affirmatively answer , I know that I allowed myself to become helpless. It took me many months before realizing that I was living in a state of denial. I have become a "sucker for punishment" by allowing the "master illusionist", Satan to pollute my mind with his lies. Rather than confronting the problem, I was a victim. I was turning in circles rather than making progress. I convinced myself that no matter how much I try, I would eventually fail. How pathetic of me! I understand we all go through some rough patches and we all have low points in life. However, it is dangerous to allow your mind to sink so low that you no longer believe that there is a light at the end of the tunnel or the dreams that God placed in your heart will not come to pass. That is a lie from the pit of hell! Crossroads are "make or break" moments. We can either use them as opportunities to change the course of our lives for the better or they can be a nuisance, which would eventually kill our God-given destiny.
The choice is ours. Thankfully, the Word of God is a compass  that will illuminate our paths during these uncertain times . This is a period when we should not abandon God but rather cling to Him with all we got: mind, body, soul and spirit. God knows what is best for us and He will never mislead us.If you want to know the way, follow the Way, Jesus. (John 14: 6). I also find comfort in knowing that our Heavenly Father is aware of every detail concerning our lives and He cares. As long as we submit to His will, we shall receive the answer. The Bible declares in Isaiah 30:23:


"Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left."

What a blessed assurance! As long as we have God on our side, He will reverse the situation and push the "reset" button so that we can move forward with a clean record. How do I know? God is doing it in my life and He will do it for you as well if you accept to surrender all to Him.
I am inviting you to listen to the following worship song and to let the lyrics soak in your spirit.

Prayer: Thank you Heavenly Father for turning around what the enemy intended for bad. You are the one who straighten crooked paths.As we conform our will to Your will, we pray that you direct every step we take. As the song writer says: " whatever you do in this season, do not do it without us." We are like lost sheep without your guidance. You are All-knowing and we praise you for making a way where there seems to be no way. In Jesus' Name. Amen!

May your life be a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God !

Abi

Arise!

"I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house." Mark 2:11 (ASV)

This was Jesus' command to a man who was paralyzed for many years. In fact, the paralytic man's friends lowered the mat he was laying on through the roof's opening of the house where Jesus was ministering since they could not go through the front door. The paralytic man's friends were committed to get him to Jesus. Thank God for compassionate and caring friends such as these. When he got there, one would think that Jesus would lay hands on him or even say a prayer. But no! Jesus, who saw the faith of his friends ,simply said a word: "Arise!"
At first, you might think that Jesus was being harsh towards the man. However, I am learning that Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is very intentional. Every word ,that proceeds out of His mouth, serves a purpose.
In the Webster dictionary, the verb " to arise" means:

"to come up from a lower to a higher position ; to come up from one's bed or place of repose; to act a part, to become operative."

This revelation blessed me tremendously because Jesus not only intended to heal the man but our Lord wanted him to become an active participant of the healing he was longing for. Hallelujah!
I don't know about you but I experienced a lot of trials in 2011 that left me paralyzed. I found myself in chains that bound my health, my finances, my mind and my soul. I also know that I am not alone. So many of us are battling incredible tribulations that are keeping us in spiritual bondage. Whatever our situation may be, Jesus is telling us today: "Arise!"
The same Jesus, who lives in us through his Holy Spirit is empowering to do two things:

1) To take up our mat: These are all the problems, tribulations and limitations that are preventing us from moving forward. Jesus is inviting us to leave "this mat" at the foot of  His cross and He will handle it.

2) To go to our house: We have to make a conscious decision to rise above our heartaches, depression, pity parties, failures, disappointments in order for us to reach a place where Victory is awaiting us. This is achieved by trusting in the power of the Great Healer and Divine Physician, Jesus. Nothing more, Nothing less.

I am a living witness that the things mentioned above are not easy to do but they are necessary if we want to overcome. Fortunately for us, we can cry out to our Heavenly Father and confess the Word of God  like the prophet Isaiah did:

"but Yahweh will arise on you, and his glory shall be seen on you." Isaiah 60: 2 (ASV)

Today, my dear sister or brother in Christ, I am asking you to touch and agree with me  and believe that God will arise over us despite of the difficulties we are facing right now.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are the King of Glory, strong and mighty. Nothing is too hard for you. We come before you today as your dear children in Christ Jesus. Father God, please Arise on our lives! Arise on our spiritual life! Arise on our prayer time! Arise on our health! Arise on our finances! Arise on our workplaces! Arise on our businesses! Arise on our family and loved ones! Arise on our relationships! Arise on everything which concerns us! May you restore us to a place of healing and Victory! In Jesus most powerful Name, we pray. Amen!

May your life be a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God !

Abi