Confessions of Mrs Cruz

"Me" Time

2011-07-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

I have been going through soooo much! I can't even begin to think of where to start!
All i know is that i am ready to write all and to confess yet again what i have learned over the past few weeks, months and even over these years!

It's been so long since my last blog,
and of course it is because of the very busy lifestyle that i have right now! Actually it's not that bad compared to how it was about a year ago!

Mia is now 13 months and she gives me joy every time i see her. She's growing up really fast! and till now i still can't believe she's had her 1st birthday!

Being a mom, working part time, trying to run my own business as well as studying part-time is a very busy tiring life and i confess that sometimes i get so angry and get so tired about it all. The funny thing is that i'm so exhausted that i just want to curl up in a ball and cry it all off but i cant! - i'm just too tired to! and crying is just gonna take up all my energy! haha I really did feel like running from it all!

I had also been so stressed about some events that had happened months ago, and i feel so unstable and shaken by it all.... i didn't know what to do...

But yesterday, after having a beautiful conversation with my friend Razel about having "me" time i had a light bulb moment! When was the last time i had my "me"?! - I can't even remember....

Well, maybe i've had some "me" time here and there, but i really was not conscious about it that i don't even appreciate it as much as the knowing that i've had it.... (make sense?) haha

I believe it is important to have "me" time specially on busy days, we really need to give ourselves permission to spend sometime alone, and do the things we love. It's so weird cos this is actually what i would always tell myself before it got so busy.... i totally forgot this one rule! Have some time for yourself! and more importantly with GOD!

So yes, from now on, i will make a conscious effort to have a "me" time!

When was the last time YOU had your "me" time?

Here's some "me" time ideas to get you started! Specially for the busy busy moms out there!

- Go for a walk
- Read a good book
- Have a bubble bath
- Watch a dvd and drink some hot choc
- Paint your nails (my fave)
- Have a good nap!
- Go shopping (also my fave)
- Cook something you have never cooked before
- Get your hair done
- Get a massage

The list goes on and on....

Go on, i dare you. Have a "me time" :)
You deserve it. Have a lovely day!

Fideliz x

Its been way too long!

2010-11-20T16:46:00.000-08:00

Ok so it's been months since i've written anything here....
so much has happened... and i really don't know where to start...

Erik's in Brisbane at the moment, so i'm staying at mums this weekend.

Woke up this morning with a massive headache... Mia woke me up at around 2 am with her itching :(
Mia has eczema and very sensitive skin, so i have to get up as soon as i hear her itching. I have to put this cream on her to stop the itch and this ritual takes about 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes it's hard to get back to sleep, so we end up playing for a bit... this time we got to sleep at 4:30 am. So i guess that's why i woke up with the headache.

So blessed and grateful though, mum was so sweet, she knew that Mia and i were awake so she got up and cooked me some food :) Love you mum!!

I really wanted to go to church today... got everything ready to go, but since it was hard getting up this morning, Mia and i ended up staying home.

I love sundays! Even though i have a headache and feeling a bit off, I still thank God for all His blessings and i woke up thinking how blessed we are! I'm just so grateful to have such a loving family that love and fear the Lord, and my baby Mia... She is such a beautiful gift from the Lord!

I pray for Mia's Eczema to go away, and i claim that she is healed in Jesus name!

Thank you Lord again for your unconditional love :) While Mia and i are home alone right now, i feel your love and your hand over us :) Amen.

33 weeks pregnant!

2010-04-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

Pain Free Birth?

Physical pain in general is due to sin entering the world. This includes childbirth, according to the book of Genesis (Genesis 3:16). We now know that Jesus has conquered sin, so the power of sin is no longer has dominion over us.

Therefore is it not possible for Christians to give birth without pain?

Tempted as i am on approaching my first delivery, to launch into a barrage of "free me from pain" prayers, there's just one thought that is stopping me....

Rather than chasing a pain free birth, should i not be using my energy to chase God himself?

There is pain in times of great passion; God did not make a race of robots. Did Mary not cry out in pain as she gave birth to Jesus? I think she did.

The pain of birth is different from the pain of death. It is a positive life-giving process. Maybe God shouted in the heavens as He created and birthed the world. They say that the contractions of labour are all-consuming and it is impossible to focus on anything else. The experience of labour shouts to the rest of the world. Labour focuses you on an event of huge significance.

The pain is life-giving and goes both physically and emotionally deep.

In the Old Testament, God's people gave cries of victory and blew their horns as they advanced into the new land that God had given them.

Embarking on parenthood is entering promise-land territory.

I think labour is a fitting time to cry out in victory and for help from the Lord.

xox

~ Because He Loves Me ~

2010-02-06T03:15:00.000-08:00

"Thank you Lord for another year! Lord, I worship You and thank You that You are the God of love. Thank you for loving me before I even knew You. I praise you especially for sacrificing Your only Son for me. There is no greater love than that. Your love brings healing to me for all the times and ways I have felt unloved in my life. I know that no matter what is happening in my life of what will happen in my life, your love for me will never end.

Because of Your love "I will praise You O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High" (Psalm 9:1-2).

Thank You Lord that "You number my wanderings" and "put my tears in Your bottle" (Psalm 56:8). They are in Your book. I know that You are for me.

I ask that You would pour out Your love upon me in a way that I can feel today. I pray that I will be filled with Your love that overflows from me to others and can be seen by everyone around me. May Your love be greatly evident in all that I do and say. May Your grace, Your love, and Your Holy Spirit be with me always (2 Corinthians 13:14).

It is amazing that You love me so, even though i have done nothing to deserve it. "What is man, that you should exalt him, that you should set your heart on him?" (Job 7:17). Thank You that You "see my ways and count all my steps" (Job 31:4). Thank You that Your "favor is for life" (Psalms 30:5)

O Lord, "because Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name" (Psalm 63:3-4).

Lord I love you with all my heart, mind and soul, and I worship You as my God of love."

Amen :)

Expect Favor!

2010-02-01T03:15:00.000-08:00

God wants to give you favor!

We see mention of God's favor toward many in the Bible and there's no reason to think He can't offer it to you as well :)

Learn to believe in God for favor. Confess several times a day that you have favor with God and man and you will be amazed at the exciting things that happen to you if you speak God's word instead of how you feel.

Supernatural favor can be expressed in different ways. You may get the job you want but are not usually qualified for. You get the best seat in the restaurant with the best waiter. People give you things for no reason at all - Favor means that someone will stop and let you into a line of traffic while others are zooming by as if you are not even there.

Living in God's favor is very exciting. When Joseph was cruelly mistreated by his brothers and they sold him into slavery, God gave him favor everywhere he went. He had favor with Potiphar and was placed in charge of his household. He had favor with the jailer during his imprisonment for a crime he did not commit. He had so much favor with Pharoah that Joseph became second only to Pharoah in power.

Yes God's favor is an exciting way to live. We see so many men and women the we admire in the Bible being given favor. There was Ruth, Esther, Daniel and Abraham just to name a few.

Resist and refuse to let doubt convince you that good things won't happen to you and your family; aggressively expect good things!

Ask God to give you divine supernatural favor and then expect to see it in your life, daily.

"Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes wait for and hope for and expect the Lord" - Psalm 27:13,14.

Expect favor in your life today :)

Psalm 90:12

2010-01-29T22:25:00.000-08:00

"Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise" - Psalm 90:12

If today were you're last day of life, how would you spend it?
Facing death is a bitter medicine, but most of us could use a spoonful.
Most of us can benefit from a death reminder.
You don't want one, and i can't say i enjoy giving one, but we need to know:
We are one closer to death than yesterday.

If today we're your last, would you do what you're doing?

Would you Love more, give more, forgive more? Then do so!

Forgive and give like it was your last opportunity.

Love like there's no tomorrow, and if tomorrow comes, love again.

When was the last time you told you parents that you love them?
When was the last time you gave an encouragement to a friend?
When was the last time you hugged your sister so tightly?
Or maybe send someone some flowers?

So today, ask God to inject His passion in your day

Pray for every person you pass, don't grumble in traffic jams or complain in crowded elevators.

These are prayer moments.

"Praying always with prayer" - Eph 6:18.
"Always laboring fervently for your prayers" - Col 4:12.

Stir spiritual dialogue. Love because God loves.
Offer your life to Christ everyday, and live life like it were your last.

~Max Lucado~

Thank you Lord!

2009-12-31T17:15:00.000-08:00

I can't believe its 2010 already! 2009 wen't by so quick!

Like sands cascading down in an hourglass, time silently slips away, without the chance of retrieval, from almost everyone everyday. The misuse of anything as precious as time should be a crime. If someone steals your car, it would be an inconvinience but not a tragedy because you can easily acquire another. If someone snatches your wallet, it would be an annoyance but a few phone calls would salvage the majority of your concerns. But who can you call when you suffer the loss of time - and not just time, but your time? Who can afford to miss their time? I can't, can you?

So just want to take this time to thank God for all the things He has done in my life and also for our family. Looking back at 2009, i really can see God shaping me and molding me through those things that i had to go through making me stronger and more resilient now :) Thank you Lord for your favor and for your unconditional love for me :) I am sooooo blessed.

Time goes by so quick... seasons come and go, friends come and go, but you will always be there. I don't ever want to miss an opportunity when i can give back to you... living life not just for me, but as a thank you for WHO you are in my life. Thank you for planting me right were you want me.

"and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" Psalm 1:3

Psalm 1 says that the blessed man doesnt just grow; he is also planted. Do you realise that God plants the feet of the blessed man? Never does he "just happen". He is not a weed. He is planted at a specific time in a specific place to accomplish a divine purpose.

I have noticed that people who always move from place to place do not grow very well. The blessed man is planted! If you have been planted, you grow down before you grow up. I simply mean that God isn't concerned about how high your trunk grows. He is concerned about how deep your roots go. He knows that the real challange s to produce quality , not quantity.

So whatever you are going through right now....

Just take this time and thank Him :) This is a new season! and He has planted you for this specific time to accomplish a divine purpose :)

Happy Newyear! xox

Knocked Up

2009-12-27T19:22:00.000-08:00

I'm 16 weeks and 5 days pregnant today! :)
OK... so i guess that should explain why i haven't been blogging.... for the last 2/3 months i've been real sick.... morning sickness that was pretty much every day- all day.... i had to stop work for about 3 weeks cos i couldn't even get out of the house! Everything smelt and taste and felt different! something i really was not prepared for!

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH...

I will never forget the moment when i found out i was pregnant. i kinda had a lil idea that i might be pregnant... changes in my body and missing my monthly friend was sorta a hint.. so i got a home pregnancy test and it was positive! The magic blue line appeared on the test and before i knew it, i was screaming in amazement, delight and sheer panic!

in the days that followed... i then found myself making a dash for the bathroom making noises like a dog trying to get up a sharp piece of bone. that was pretty much the story for the next 10 weeks...

I remember my early weeks of pregnancy as a frenzy of bananacue (filo style fried bananas) and multiple visits to the bathroom. My whirlwind was perhaps only tempered by a new-found awe at my enlarging breasts.

But in the midst of all this activity, i stumbled on something that stopped me in my tracks. Until i did that pregnancy test, i had no clue that i had a whole new life growing inside me. BUT GOD KNEW. This new life was his secret.

His very real hand was on a very real me, tenderly shaping a new life, and i didn't even know it! How intimate! It really caught my breath then, as it still does even now....

"My frame was not hidden from you when i was made in the secret place... your eyes saw my unformed body" Psalm 139:15,16.

Thank you Lord

2009-10-25T03:25:00.000-07:00

Feels so good to make it this far

And I didn’t think I could take it so long

There were days I wanted to quit

I said surely this is it

But I held on.

And I’ve watched as so called friends turned and walked away

And it hurts so much I didn’t have words to say,

But even when my day turns to night and nothing seems just right.

Lord I thank you for my life.

For my life

Lord I thank you

For every victory in you I’ve seen

And all the moments I know Lord it was you who kept me

So I thank you for my life.

And I’ve watched you take my family from there to here

And when times where a little rough God I know you were near

And the moments I thought I failed I was reminded of your nails

So I held on

And if I never live to see another day

There’s nothing I will change or take away

I’ve had so many ups that they thought id weigh my downs.

Lord I thank you for my life.

For my life

Lord I thank you

For every victory in you I’ve seen

And for the moments Lord I know you kept me

Lord I just Thank you for my life.

I realise

Some didn’t make it

I could have been one of the ones who lost my way

And there were times lord I know I almost went crazy

But I’m still here

With my life

So for my life

Lord I thank you

For every victory in you I’ve seen

And for the moments that I know

I know you kept me

So I thank you

Thank you Jesus for my life

It may not be all that Id hoped for

And every dream has not yet been realised

But to see your face one day God

I know its all gonna be worth it

Lord so I thank you for

Every mountain, every valley….

I just want to take the time to thank you Jesus

For my life

Thank you Jesus for my life

~Smokie Norful-Dear God~

Romance and Reality

2009-10-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

Romance is certainly an important foundation for a relationship. However, I'm afraid some of its significance has been lost in our sex-saturated culture. So many reality shows on television play on our fascination with romance.

We see bachelors and bachelorettes handing out roses to find their special someone; we see then cavorting in limousines and hot tubs and then marrying based on viewers responses. But after the season finales, after the cameras stop rolling, after the rose petals have withered and died, I wonder if any of these reality-celebrity couples have what it takes to endure.

You've likely experienced this yourself if you've bee in a relationship for very long. At first it can be easy to fall in love. He calls every day, often several times a day, sends you gorgeous bouquets of flowers with sweet little notes tucked inside, buys you jewelry and delights in taking you out and "showing you off".

There's a rush, a high, that's every bit intoxicating and addictive.

And it seems this wonderful feeling could fuel the relationship until the end of time.

You've found the man God sent your way, and this special gentleman has found you. You share the same faith, similar values, and a heartfelt desire to make a family together. All seems right with the world, no doubt.

Until reality starts creeping in and reminding you both that relationship can't stay in this sweet new phase for long.

Talking on the phone for 3 hours in the morning is fun and utterly romantic - until you have to go to work 4 hours later.

It's nice to dress up and eat out in the fanciest restaurants with him - until you get a cold and want to stay at home in your sweats.

Spontaneous dates adds spice to your relationship - until you've done so much there's never time for chores like dirty dishes and piles of laundry. Real life sets in ad the relationship has to adapt and mature if it's going to last.

In fact, I believe what we really crave is much more than just moonlight and roses. We crave the security of knowing our men will stick by us when we discover a lump in our breast, when we lose our job, or when someone we love die. We want to believe they can love us without make up, when we burn the chicken, or when PMS makes us cranky. We long to know they will still hold us and desire us when our figures sag, when we start to have babies.... This is when real romance kicks in!

Not just the kind you see on television, but the kind that comes from a man who's willing to change a dirty diaper without being asked, capable of cooking dinner for the family when you work late, or able to surprise you with a getaway weekend he planned himself.

I find an incredible fascination in my husband that i continue to mine as we grow older together! haha How many facets does this man have? How does he manage to surprise me after all these years? The more i know him, the more i realize i will never exhaust this discovery process.

It may sound cliched, but its truly like falling in love with the man all over again.

Sometimes i think i know everything about him.... and then I'm surprised all over again and see new dimensions in him that attract me even more.

This combination of solving an ongoing mystery and enjoying the familiarity of our relational home together is a powerful fuel for the longevity of our union :)

I praise the Lord every day for you hun :)

Change

2009-10-07T04:36:00.000-07:00

God changes us in ever-increasing degrees of glory.

His goal is to make us more like himself:

"And all of us, as with unveiled face, (because we) continued to behold (in the word of God) as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; (for this comes) form the Lord (who is) the spirit"
(2 cor. 3:18)

In order to accomplish this goal, God sometimes disciplines us for our ultimate good. However, while the discipline is taking place, it isn't much fun. Hebrews 12:11 tells us,

"For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it ( a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness - in conformity to God's will in purpose, thought and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God)"

God's discipline changes us and makes us more like Jesus in our thoughts, words and actions. His plan is to bring us into a new realm of glory, which satan doesn't want. Consequently, the devil will oppose us persistently if we are going forward. He delights in getting us distracted and preventing us form pressing in with God.

Many times over the years I have sensed God speaking to me about changes that need to take place within the ministry in order for it to grow to the next level. However, I know that change is frequently very difficult for people. Because i love people and don't want to hurt or disappoint them, i have sometimes found it difficult to obey God in this area.

It is challenging to tell a person who is doing their best that the position they have has outgrown them and that we need to make a change. Many times it involves people who have done a great job for years; they are easy to get along with and are very committed to their job, but they have reached their ceiling.

If i don't make the changes God is asking me to make, their ceiling creates one for the ministry and prevents our growth.

Since ministry growth means an opportunity to reach more people for Jesus, my decision cannot be based on what would be easy for me or what would not hurt their feelings.

I have learned through experience that if I don't obey God because I don't want to hurt the person, i usually hurt them more in the long run.

If God is asking me to make a change then He also has a new thing for them to do - something that they will enjoy even more that what they are doing now.

The fear of change keeps a lot of people from making progress, and it leads to disobedience.

How are we to respond to times of discipline and change (times when God is changing us)?

"You must submit to endure (correction) for discipline; God is dealing with you as His sons. For what son is there whom his father does not (thus) train and correct and discipline?... So then brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands, and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees, and cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet, so that the lame and halting limbs may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured" (Heb 12:7, 12-13)

When God disciplines us, it can be uncomfortable and painful. Thats why we are told "submit to" and "endure" His discipline in our lives. We are to choose God's Word to be "lamp unto our feet and a light to our path".

The instructions continue in verse 14, where it says we are to "strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue the consecration and holiness without which no one will (ever) see the Lord"

We are to press forward and pursue holiness by allowing God to work in us.

"Lord, I surrender my life to You in all my seasons and situations of changes - past, present and future. Keep me from allowing change to bring me into strife. Help me to draw nearer to You during the times and seasons of change. Let me sense Your strength, Your power, and Your peace during such times. And Lord when i need extra help to stay calm and peaceful, please help me to draw closer to Your heart. In Jesus name, amen"

~Conflict Free Living - Joyce Meyer~

Ephesians 6:12

2009-10-06T05:40:00.000-07:00

Be on your guard, as satan loves it when christians are divisive.

Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus,

"We are not wrestling against flesh and blood (contending only with physical opponents), but against the despotism, against the powers, against (the master spirits who are) the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere"

HIS Love Letter -FRAGRANCE-

2009-10-06T03:37:00.000-07:00

"Precious chosen one - I will give life, to your life! I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly - life to the full and spilling over with an abundance of joy and rejoicing. Peace and love a bountiful supply of blessings.

I will so permeate your life and your very being that you will leave My sweet fragrance wherever you go. It will linger after you have gone. Others will continue to breathe in the sweet aroma of My presence and want more and want to keep it with them always. That aroma alone, will turn their hearts to seeking after it and finding Me.

Beloved you are a very special treasure in My kingdom. You are treasured by Me. by your family and friends and you are a surprise and a delightful treasure to strangers. Your loving openness and vulnerability are a refreshing and a very special gift of My love to those around you.

My anointing oil has a sweet, lingering and lasting fragrance that blesses and exudes new life. Watch those around you breathe in deeply and relax and be at peace. Watch a new life begin to take a root and grow into a holy, eternal life. I will allow you to see with spiritual eyes and see the seeds you have scattered over the earth and grow into a mighty harvest.

You will begin to see, with amazement, the fruit coming forth from all of the seeds you have lovingly and joyfully scattered over the earth. Continue doing just as what you have been doing! You have blessed My kingdom more than you know. I AM blessed and touched by your heart of love.

Those around you are touched and blessed. They are healed, restored and refreshed with a new life of love, promise of hope and fresh new start. They have stumbled upon great treasure and priceless gifts that they will take away and share with others.

Thank you, for being a precious treasure in My kingdom. Thank you for imparting my sweet life-giving fragrance wherever you go.

Your life turned to me and following Me is a sweet savor and a sweet smelling sacrifice unto Me.

Your prayers are a sweet smelling incense offered upon the altar of sacrifice in loving concern for others. I promise I have heard and recorded every one - not one has been lost or gone unheeded. If they have not been answered yet, it is because they are in process and being now completed. You can rest in answered prayer. The answer is always yes and never no.

I have placed the desire in your heart and I will delight to give you the desire of your heart. I delight in delighting you - My bride the delight of My heart."

~Margaret Ruth Baker - A Long Love Letter~

Hebrews 13:2

2009-09-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."

I believe i met an angel today....

A New Identity

2009-09-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

There was a point when God asked Jacob his name. Jacob replied "Jacob". In one translation of the Bible, it says that Jacob spoke "in shock of realization, whispering" (Genesis 32:27 amp) Jacob could not escape the truth of his own identity a that point. In coming face to face with God, Jacob came face to face with himself.

God responded "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel" (Genesis 32:28) The name Israel literally means "contender". Contenders have power. The word contender is translated in some Bible versions as "one who prevails."

What does it mean to prevail with God? Success with God always means that you choose to do things God's way, not your own way. God's ways are not meant to be harsh and difficult, as some might think. You can trust that God has designed an abundant life for you that is released through your obedience to Him.

Choosing to do things God's way means that we accept God's plan for forgiveness for our lives, knowing that it is a great plan to lead us into His promises.

Choosing to do things God's way means that we see ourselves as He sees us, and we begin to take our identity as His beloved, righteous and forgiven children, no longer living under guilt, shame and punishment.

Choosing to do things God's way means that we ask Him for help in everything, from giving up a bad habit to adopting a positive new discipline.

Choosing to do things God's way means that we present ourselves to others as people who love God, and therefore love others with life transforming love.

The person who does this becomes a person who not only prevails with God, but who is a winner to herself and to other people.

She rises above daily circumstances and even the most negative of situations. She finds a way to meet ends, soars above verbal assaults and lives a life of genuine integrity and authenticity.

When you know that you are a contender and a prevailer, you begin to adopt the stance - Emotionally spiritually and mentally - that "I am a valuable person, successful in the eyes of the One whose opinion truly matters." Your shoulders go back, you hold your head high, your eyes are focused and direct, your handshake is firm and your walk is confident.

Jacob didn't have to strive to gain power. God already saw him as worthy of accomplishment and success.

Jacob didn't have to struggle to prove himself. God already granted him status.

Jacob didn't have to scheme to acquire what he desired. God already saw him as a person deserving of life's best.

And so it is for you! :)

Philippians 4:6-7

2009-09-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

"Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests) with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God's peace (shall be yours, that tranquil state of soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing form God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace) which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

A loud "Amen" from heaven

2009-09-27T02:12:00.000-07:00

We often say "amen in church services, meaning in essence "I agree with what the preacher is saying." The true meaning of the word, however, is a declaration that we desire what is being said to come to pass. To say "amen" is to say "let it be so".

When we declare ourself the best and highest statements about who we can be in Christ Jesus, when we admonish ourselves to obey God with our whole heart, mind and soul, when we affirm to ourselves what God has done for us - all the heaven replies "Amen!" May it be so! May it come to pass! May it be the reality of our life!"

So today i really need to preach to my self! haha - ADMONITION.

I think just as we affirm each other, we should be able to admonish ourselves also.

To admonish is to advice, usually in a mild but earnest way. At times to admonish is to insist. When you admonish yourself, you are preaching what you know you need to hear! Speak to yourself what you know to be the truth of God's Word and His commandments for your benefit.

My Admonishments to myself

Fideliz, pick yourself up and give your cares to GOD! Trust him today Fideliz, and see His promises come to pass. I admonish you right now Fideliz, to believe with all your heart, mind and soul that you are blessed, valuable, beautiful, strong, smart, favored and fabulous :)

Fideliz, you WILL walk in these TRUTHS all day today! :)

And today I declare to myself;
To take care of and nurture myself
To find and stay in that place of peace i have discovered
deep within
To never lose the dance in my step
To never lose the distinctive things that separate me
from the masses and that have made me who i am
To never cease to believe that i am great
because of who I am in Christ Jesus.
God forgive me for allowing anyone or anything
To become You and to rob me of life.
I love you Lord.

And to that I say AMEN & AMEN!!!

Go on! Declare today who you are and who you resolve to become :) Speak admonitions and declarations to yourself what you know to be the TRUTH of God's Word and His plans and promises to you :)

Be Still & Know God

2009-09-26T03:24:00.000-07:00

Many people today run from one thing to the next. Because their mind don't know how to be still.

At one time i didn't know how to just stop! I felt i had to find something to do all the time! I had to be involved and on the go, being a part of everything that was going on. I thought i couldn't afford to miss anything that happened because i didn't want anything to go on i didn't know about. I couldn't just sit and be still, look at a tree out the window, or drink a cup of tea. I had to be up and doing something.

One of the main reasons why so many of us are burned out and stressed out is that we don't know how to be still - to "know" God and to "acknowledge" Him.

When we spend time with him we learn to hear his voice. When we acknowledge Him he directs our paths. If we don't spend time being still, getting to know Him, and hearing His voice, we will operate from our own strength in the flesh.

One of the most important things we can learn in this day and hour is how to be STILL.

Are you stressed? Just be still and know that He is God :)

I thank God that he reminds us in Psalm 46:10

"Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth"

"Father, I set as a priority spending time with You. To hear Your voice clearly and to obey You. Help me to keep my priorities in order. I know that as I place You first by spending time with you, You will cause me to do supernaturally all the things that i need to do. I know that you want me to have peace in every area of my life and have made that peace available to me. I thank you that when i ask for wisdom, you give it to me. I ask that You guide me and give me wisdom so that i know clearly the commitments to make. I thank you Lord, that i use my energies in the way You want them used. In Jesus' name i pray, Amen."

A Poetic LOVE

2009-09-26T02:46:00.000-07:00

For most, the highest ideals of love bring to mind moonlit serenades, dozens of roses, and ardent rhymes that troll the depths of a lover's feelings. These pictures of romance are wonderful, but they barely scratch the surface of what is possible with God's version of LOVE.

God invented marriage, romance, and sexuality, so wouldn't He naturally know best how we can maximize these things in our lives?

God designed the beauty of romance to stretch through an entire life, not to sputter its final breath after the honeymoon ends. God's version of love goes the distance - He's a fan of things that last FOREVER. And to help us in such a forever kind of endeavor, he offers us a version of love that can withstand the hardest winds of time. Its not a pop-culture love but a poetic love -

so fabulously beautiful that it is nearly impossible to describe.

In the morning whilst getting ready for a day out with Erik, we found this light reflection coming from our window shaped as a heart :) It was the day before our 2nd Year wedding anniversary! Wow! God is so romantic! one of the many many creative reminders of HIS love for us :)

Think of These Things

2009-09-21T01:07:00.000-07:00

"For the rest brethren, whatever is true, what ever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things" Philippians 4:8

Magnify the Positive

2009-09-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

I love my husband very much. But i confess, for years i kept mental lists of every fault he has ever displayed. One of the faults i found in Erik was that he played his computer games about 3 times a week! I thought he was extremely selfish not to realize how hard it was for me to come home tired from work and find him playing away. I felt that we didn't have much time together. I was not spiritually intelligent enough to understand that we both need our "me" time. I was always wanting to be with him 24/7.

I was the one that was selfish.

I never considered that Erik worked all week, and that on the weekdays, when he plays this is how he unwinds. I didn't realize how important it was for him. I tried to get him to quit. I was angry almost every time, which made him want to play even more!

I also complained that Erik did not talk to me enough, that he goofed around too much and wasn't serious enough, and that he wasn't aggressive enough. The list i kept of his faults went on and on.

In short i overlooked all his positive characteristics. I was so busy meditating on his faults and trying to correct them and i did not even realize what a blessing i had in my life.

When God finally taught me - to magnify the good in life and people, it was amazing how great qualities i discovered in my husband. Of course those qualities where there all the time. I could have been enjoying him all those years.

I discovered Erik is flexible and adaptable. He is very easy to get along with, very sweet, he is not demanding at all, it doesn't matter to him if i want to go out and spend time with my girlfriends, he allows me to buy anything i want for which we have enough money, anytime i want to invite a group of people in our house it is fine with him, if i want to go out for dinner it is fine with him, and i always get to choose where i want to go! he is an amazing worship leader, he sings amazingly and plays the guitar and keyboard like no other..... he cooks me spaghetti (his specialty) :)

Erik also takes good care of me, and makes sure we pray :) the list of his good points are lengthy - longer than the list i kept of his negative qualities.

Are you majoring in someone's faults when you could be magnifying the persons good points? Be positive with who you have relationships. We all have faults and if magnified those faults become bigger than they really are. But when we magnify the good points in people, they become larger than the things that irritate us.

Today if someone ask me what my husband's faults were, i would have to think hard to come up with some. Nobody is perfect, and Erik has his faults, but i don't pay much attention to them any longer, making them hard to remember.

I make an effort not only to think of Erik's strengths, but also to compliment him about them. When we verbally magnify people's strengths we edify and encourage them. We are helping them to be the best they can be.

We pull the best out of them by magnifying the best.

What a difference it makes in our relationships when we magnify and bring our the positive in people. It not only helps the other people improve, but also helps us enjoy them more, right where they are.

"Lord help me to magnify the good in others and not to focus on those things that are negative - I commit to allowing others the freedom to change. I trust you to mold and shape others into the people you want them to be. Please give me the grace to be gracious and positive in all my relationships. Help me to see the positive in everyone around me to speak in a positive manner, even when i must bring correction. Thank you Lord"

~ personalized - conflict free living - Joyce Meyer ~

The Nature of God's Love

2009-09-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

The bible tells us that God's nature is love (1 John 4:16). Because God is unceasingly forgiving, His love "covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). Because God is all-powerful, all-knowing and eternal, His love is unconditional - nothing can keep Him from loving. No other person or power, no situation or circumstance, can cause God to stop loving. Because God is perfect, His love is the purest, most sublime form of love we can ever experience.

Our hearts desire love that is true and authentic. God alone has an unlimited supply of true, authentic love to pour into our innermost being (1 John 4:16-18)

Furthermore, the Word of God tells us that God is continually reaching our to is with His love, wooing us to Himself (John 4:19). God loved us long before we were lovable!. He loved us when we were a mess. He loved us at our worst (Romans 5:8)

This is an almost incomprehensible, unfathomable thought to many people. I have seen the look in the eyes of people than i can count. "God loved me when i was at my lowest point. Engaging in the worst sins, and denying His existence?" The answer is a resounding joyful "Yes!"

"But why" you may ask. "Why would God love me in that state?"

God loves you because He made you. He fashioned everything about you. He gave you your personality, your talents and abilities, your opportunities, your mind and your intelligence, your heart and your emotions, your dreams and creativity. He gave you every bit of strength and energy you have. He gives you air for every breath He causes your lungs to breathe. He gives you your every heart beat.

God loves who you are and who He created you to be. He loves you because you are his craftsmanship. His "creation".

You were designed by a loving heavenly Father and made for Him to love. Nothing you can do can add an ounce of love to the infinite love God already has for you. Nothing you do can subtract one once of love from His overflowing heart.

The Greatest Lover of All Time

2009-09-17T05:10:00.000-07:00

How should you love your spouse? Just as Christ loves His bride. Selflessly. Sacrificially. To love as Christ loves is humanly possible; His version of love is our of our reach. But when we enter into covenant with Christ, He makes his heavenly version of love available by demonstrating it in and through our lives. So we too can love like the greatest lover of all time.

~~~

Princely honor set aside

As He washed the feet of His humble bride

Pouring out His breath and blood

As a sacrifice for the one He loved

And this love that spills out everything

Is the love that i pledge to you

Like the One who gave it all to me

I will give my life to you

All i have, all i am

I give you in covenant

Like broken bread and poured-out wine

I'll love you like

the greatest Lover of all time

Heroic love that led a King

To choose the road of suffering

Selflessness that just begins

Where human understanding ends

And this love that takes the lowest place

is the love that I now choose

Like the One who gave His life away

I will give my life for you

His love gave without holding back

So i will love you like that

His love paid the ultimate price

So i will lay down my life.

~~~

Our Model

2009-09-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

Of course there are times when we should speak up and confront people, but its vital that we are sensitive to the Spirit of God in each situation. Sometimes I am fired up and want to tell someone that he or she will not mistreat me or take advantage of me any longer. But no matter how much I want to confront that individual, The Holy Spirit persistently tells me to leave it alone.

Other times I do not want to speak with a person about an issue, but God lets me know i must.
When this is the case i choose my words carefully and so that I speak out of wisdom rather than emotion. I am cautiously aware of the impact of voice tones and body language. I have learned that even when wrong words ignite a flame, right words can put it out.

"There are those who speak rashly, like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (Prov. 12:18).

"A fool's wrath is quickly and openly known, but the prudent man ignores an insult"

(Prov. 12:16)

~ Our Model ~

Follow Jesus's example. He was accused of wrongdoing regularly, yet never once did He attempt to defend Himself. He let people think He was wrong, and it did not disturb him at all.

He could do so because He knew who He was.
He did not have a problem with His self-image.
He was not trying to prove anything.
Because he trusted His father to vindicate Him and we can do the same.

"Lord i surrender to You the need to defend self, explain self, empower self, and to always be right. I acknowledge that You alone, you are the only one that is right. And even if i feel right about some situations, it never justifies strife. I submit my life to you completely, and i choose to let you alone be my defender."

~ Conflict free living - Joyce Meyer ~

You are Beautiful

2009-09-08T01:42:00.000-07:00

When a designer sends a model down a runway of a fashion show, he or she is concerned with the total look of the model. The model isn't just wearing the designers garment. The designer, in nearly all cases, has spent a great deal of time and effort to make sure the model is wearing the right accessories - the right jewelry or shoes. They also tell them how to walk and turn and carry themselves and they create the overall environment in which the models are to model their designs.

And so it is with our great God. He created you as a composite. He put certain talents and features together with specific personality traits, and then he added various emotional responses and spiritual gifts. He was concerned with the overall, total you. He designed you to be a vibrant, thinking, feeling, fully functioning person who has a unique attractiveness. He adorned you with far more than physical appearance.

What we need is balance.

God made us with flesh - an outer appearance. God has blessed us with creativity and an appreciation for beauty. We can and should recognize our appearance as an area in which we express ourselves to the glory of God.

God also made us with inner qualities - gifts and talents and traits and personalities -that are also intended to be developed and displayed for the glory of God.

It is the inner demeanor that should dictate and define how we adorn ourselves.

Everyone of us must recognize that the greater part of our attractiveness cannot be bought, taken off a rack or shelf, applied like a lipstick or put on like a necklace or shoes.

The greater part or our attractiveness lies within and it wells up from the inside and finds creative and appropriate expression on the outside.

That's what Peter meant when he wrote that "the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit" is what has a "great price" in the sight of God. ( 1 Peter 3:4)

God sees what no one else can see. And it's that part of you that He values the most.

~ Women thou art loosed - TD Jakes ~

Look at yourself in God's mirror. He sees all of who He made you to be, from the inside out.

Philippians 2:9-11

2009-09-08T01:28:00.000-07:00

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!"

Amen.

The greatest of these is Love

2009-09-07T00:08:00.000-07:00

"Be ambitious for the higher gifts, and now I will show you a way that is better than any of them.

If I speak with human eloquence and that of angels as well, but speak without love, I am nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, knowing and understanding all of life's mysteries -- and if I have faith great enough to move mountains; but am without love, I am nothing.

If I give away to the needy all that I possess, and if I even suffer martyrdom, but am without love, I gain nothing.

This love of which I speak is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. It is never boastful or conceited. It is never possessive or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful. It takes no pleasure in the failings of others, but rather delights only in the truth.

This love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading to its hope. It will outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen away. This love will not come to an end."

(1 Corinthians 12:31-13:8a)

Erik

With a heart of deep gratitude and words unable to articulate my love and appreciation, i thank the Lord everyday for you. I love you more and more each day :)

I confess my love for you....

xox

I Confess....

2009-09-06T23:48:00.000-07:00

I confess I have cried huge salty tears.

I have felt the bitter pangs of rejection and criticism.

I admit there were times that i rocked my worries to sleep in the middle of the night.

Know all this and understand that i have not yet seen a day that made me regret the decision to run my course.

How far or how fast you run in comparison with others doesn't matter.
Whether you win trophies or receive great accolades doesn't matter.

What matters is that you stretch your legs and run in the wind.

It is only your shadow that you run against.
It is your own destiny that you stride beside.

"Thank you Lord for the strength" :) - "Your strength is made perfect in my weakness" :)

~ From my notes Nov 30 2008 ~

These are my confessions...

2009-09-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Confession - The act or process of confessing. An admission of one's faith or belief. A formal public statement of opinion. To disclose, to acknowledge, to make known or to admit.