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Ferocious Opposition

Suffering for doing what is Right

But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats…Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. 1 Peter 3:14,16 NLT

A couple of years ago, I took a trip to visit family, and what should have been a peaceful time, Satan attempted to create chaos because two individuals disagreed with a decision that was made to do what was right. The disappointment was overwhelming; however, true character traits were revealed by the vicious words that flowed from their mouths.

I contacted my Mother for spiritual advice, and her words were to, “Pray and remain silent.” I must admit that I wanted to speak out and verbalize my inner feelings. In fact, I began to have feelings that led to internal conflict; after all, I was the innocent victim who had been verbally abused. Even so, I was obedient, prayed, studied the Bible, and remained silent without retaliation. Because of my decision to let God handle the situation, my trip was memorable filled with laughter, great food, and quality family time.

We must always stand for what is right according to God’s standards. The problem is Self–we desire to resolve the battles that we face in our lives. If we are humble and remain silent in adversity, there is a godly power and force that will bring resolution in a way that our puny minds cannot begin to comprehend.

When we think, act, and live according to truth and righteousness, God has given us spiritual advice on how to handle conflict:

Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. Psalm 37:1 NLT

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; Psalm 37:1 NIV

The word “Fret” reminds me of unhappy children who continuously whine and moan, usually about something they wanted but did not receive. We must not take opposition personally—do not be offended when the road is bumpy; God has the shocks for us to ride over the obstacles without receiving damage. Let go of the hurt by simply asking God to take away the pain.

Truth and righteousness are never on the side of the majority. So we should not be surprised by those who take a stand against us; in fact, we must prepare ourselves for continuous opposition by staying close to God through prayer and the study of His Word.

“Be still and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

God will always bring a victorious end to the fierce opposition we face–if we only step aside!

© Sonya Johnson Ruiz 2019

Bible Reading: Psalms 27, 37

Prayer for today: Dear God, Please teach us to wait patiently on you when the winds of strife enter our lives. We acknowledge that we are using our own techniques and strategies to resolve conflict, and for this, we ask forgiveness. You did not equip us to fight the battles with our own strength, and we realize that it is only through your power that we can be overcomers and have the victory. Thank you for being our Defender against the wickedness that exists. May we always call on your name in the time of trouble. This prayer we ask in the Worthy name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

Praises and Gratitude

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1 ESV

We have received a wonderful gift: A brand new day! How did you respond to your blessing from God? Did you awaken with a smile on your face and praises from your lips or did you begrudge the dawning of the new day with complaints and a bad attitude?

We certainly have much to be thankful for every day! We are alive, breathing in the air with the God calculated ratio of elements required to sustain our bodies, and our magnificent hearts pumping the vital blood throughout, nourishing our cells, tissues, and organs. If you think that you have little to praise God for, then take the time to study how your body functions without any effort from yourself.

God is great! Live with praises flowing from your heart and begin to think and speak about God’s faithfulness; you will experience unspeakable joy and a deeper appreciation of God’s love, grace, and mercies.

Bible Reading: Psalm 34

Prayer for today: Dear God, Thank you, because of your mercies, we have awakened to a new day. Thank you because we are fearfully and wonderfully made in your image. You loved us so much that you gave us the Plan of Salvation, along with a free will to serve you. We ask you to forgive us for our sins and shortcomings, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to fill us with your Holy Spirit. O God, we desperately need you in our lives. Thank you again for being our Heavenly Father. We ask this prayer in the Worthy name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

© Sonya Johnson Ruiz 2019

Stand! It will not Improve!

Put on the Whole Armor of God

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in high places. Ephesians 6:10-12

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle, you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. Ephesians 6:13-14 NLT

Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Ephesians 6:17-18 NLT

Most newly diagnosed patients with chronic diseases are surprised when their symptoms of ongoing headaches or frequent bathroom trips indicate High Blood Pressure or Diabetes. Unfortunately, the body has utilized all of its internal resources and now the individual will require alteration in their food intake along with pharmaceutical medications. Regardless of the prescriptions and change in diet, it takes a lifelong commitment and active participation of the patient to adhere to the recommended medical treatment plan for effective disease management.

On a daily basis, we hear of so much chaos, confusion, and violence. There are many believers who have become distracted by these events and have stopped focusing and preparing for the Second Coming of Christ. Instead of spiritual growth, their faithfulness to God has rapidly plummeted, resulting in a complete turning away from God. Yes, we may console ourselves by attending church on a regular basis; however, we fail to establish a relationship with God by our refusal to study the Bible and pray.

We must realize that praying and studying the Bible are not options. Our survival chances are slim to none without food and water; our spiritual survival depends on a thriving relationship with God, and that can only be accomplished through obedience. In this daily battle of life, we will face adversity; however. we have the recommended spiritual plan from God: Pray continuously, Study the Word of God, Stay Alert, and Stand for Truth as defined by God.

God says, “If you, then I will…”

Faithfulness, Obedience, Trust, and Persistence are the qualities that we must possess because things are only going to get worse. Biblical prophecies will be fulfilled…we must stay spiritually alert and feed our souls daily while we prepare daily for the Second Coming of Christ.

Bible Reading: Ephesians 6

Prayer for today: Dear God, We hear of the many things that occur on a daily basis in our society and on a global level; and we admit that sometimes we become fearful because of these terrible events. We ask you to forgive us for not trusting in you as we should. We have yet to study and pray as you command. O God, we are praying for the faith and the strength to obey your commands at all times. You have promised us that when we commit ourselves to you that you will always be faithful. We thank you because you loved us so much that you did not spare your only Son from death. As we move forward, please help us to be steadfast and immovable. Thank you for your grace and your mercy. We ask this prayer in the Worthy name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.


© Sonya Johnson Ruiz 2019

No Crisis Ever?

“Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you.” Psalm 50:15

Crisis-a time of intense difficulty which produces overwhelming feelings and a sense of helplessness.

If you cannot think of one reason to commit and turn your life over to God then reflect on this fact:

Christian Believers do not experience Crises (the plural form)!

Yes, we suffer, we experience burdensome problems and endure ongoing heartwrenching storms in our lives. Even so, it is because of our faith that we believe that our faithful God hears and answers our every prayer.

With God, our circumstances which are above and beyond our human capacity to resolve are easily taken care of; if we only ask in prayer, and believe in the power and promises of God: wait patiently, God has promised deliverance.

Remember: God will always see us through!

And Jesus awakened and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39

Bible Reading: Mark 4

Prayer for today: Dear God: Thank you for being our Deliverer! We come to you asking for your Divine intervention upon our lives. We admit that our faith is weak and wavering and for doubting your omnipotence, we ask forgiveness. We thank you for giving us the privilege to come to you at any hour of the day or night. We love you, and we worship you. We ask this prayer in the Worthy name of Jesus. Amen!

© Sonya Johnson Ruiz 2019

Study and Pray without Ceasing

Many people believe that money would resolve the difficulties in their lives. It is God who resolves the vicissitudes of life; get to know who He really is by studying the Bible and praying.

Your doubt will turn into belief.

Your faithlessness will grow into faithfulness.

If you keep trying to achieve success and it seems to be out of your reach, then pray this heartfelt prayer daily: Dear God, What would you have me do for today?

It is time for us to follow where God leads us. Be blessed on this Sabbath day!

© Sonya Johnson Ruiz 2019

God has the Power!

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT

A familiar trend on New Year’s Day is to make resolutions for the new year. We excitedly make promises to ourselves concerning things that we have attempted to accomplish year after year. There is one weakness that all humanity shares: No matter what we do or how hard we try, our excitement doesn’t last. In fact, for many, it does not take much for us to become discouraged.

Last year, I made the decision to lose weight for the billionth time and following my physician’s advice, I explored the option of having a gastric sleeve. However, there was something that I did not realize; the preparation for the surgery involved eating teeny-tiny amounts of food for 3-4 weeks prior to the surgery. As I continued to read the post-operative precautions and guidelines, I made the decision to opt-out.

I was discouraged and just tired of fighting the battle with little to no results. As the tears flowed like a river, I began to pray for help; God immediately answered my prayer. I received a call from my best friend and as I sadly explained my dilemma, she said, “Sonya we have the ability to retrain our tastebuds.” The light began to shine through into the darkness of my despair. My hopelessness changed into hopefulness; I had a viable option that I could utilize to accomplish a permanent lifestyle change.

One year later, I am 50 lbs lighter and yes, my tastebuds have acquiesced-they now enjoy the flavors of my homemade fruit popsicles, the bittersweetness of my leafy greens, and the aromatics of brown basmati rice along with my well-seasoned legumes.

Like the Apostle Paul conveyed to us, he could boast–tell others of his weaknesses and how the power of Christ gives us the ability to grow into Overcomers. We can do nothing of ourselves without failing over and over again. Many of us have taken on burdens that God never intended for us to have.

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread. Psalm 37:5 NIV

It is God and God alone who is the source of power!

© Sonya Johnson Ruiz 2019

Bible Verse: I can (and will) do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Prayer for today: Dear God, We have taken on too many responsibilities and have failed to remember that you are great and full of mercy and loving-kindness. We give our lives and it’s difficulties to you and we ask you to help us according to your will. We also ask you to forgive us of our many sins and shortcomings. Thank you for the blessings of life, health, and strength. We ask this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Guaranteed Stress Reliever

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

From studying the Bible, I truly believe that God loves praise and adoration through heartfelt prayers. Certainly there are other ways of worshipping God; even so, the highest form of reverence that we can give is to form a deep relationship, by constantly communicating with God through prayer.

Our relationship with God is high maintenance which means we must do our part every day, all-day-long for spiritual growth. We are unable to sustain a meaningful relationship based on our prayers from yesterday. God says, “If you do your part, then I will do mine.”

Nothing comes as a surprise to God! Prayer enables us to have peace, and the strength to overcome all of life’s stressors.

Do you remember the biblical story of the three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were thrown in the fiery furnace? They did not beg for the King’s mercy; in fact, they remained calm and firm in their faith, believing that God would save them from the fiery furnace. However, they boldly told King Nebuchadnezzar even if God did not save them, that they would never bow to his golden image-the idol.

If only our faith strengthened to the point where we are steadfast and immovable regardless of stressors, situations, or tribulations. We can reach that point in our spiritual lives! Our challenge is to start talking to God as if He is your best friend sitting in front of you or beside you.

Pray as if your life depends on it. We may never face a literal fiery furnace; however, we will eventually come to a crossroads in our lives where we must choose God or else. We must be aware that it takes our everything to serve God!

Begin today by increasing your talk time with God and when you are faced with the decision to lose–even if it is your life, you will be able to boldly say, ” My God will deliver me, but even if He does not, I will never go against Him.”

Bible Reading: Daniel 3

Prayer for today: Dear God, We worship You and we praise your Holy name. We ask you to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and to fill us with your Holy Spirit. O God, we desire to draw closer to you, to have the immovable faith of the Hebrew boys, that when we are faced with our fiery furnaces in life, that we never bow down as we boldly proclaim, “Our God will deliver us!” We trust you God and we will remain faithful even if it means loss of our lives. We believe and ask this prayer in the Worthy name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

© Sonya Johnson Ruiz 2019