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But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the master who bought them…Many will follow their evil teachings and shameful immorality. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them along ago, and their destruction will not be delayed. 2 Peter 2:1-3 NLT

At least 2-3 times a week, I review and purge my social media newsfeed for information that is questionable: Ads which stretch the truth to sell their products, quotes that are not biblically based, and shared posts that contain offensive words or pictures. Just when I think that I have finally accomplished a major clean-up, much to my surprise, something else appears.

A post that I recently deleted stated, “I will forgive, but I will never forget.” As a believer, I immediately cringed at the thought of God possessing that mindset concerning my sins-past, present, and future sins. Thankfully, He does forgive us, based on our prayers of confession and repentence. In fact, the proof is that Jesus Christ gave His life so that we could have eternal life, if we so choose. God forgives and forgets!

Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! Micah 7:19

Believe it or not! Just in our day-to-day activities, we can be led astray by the information that we see, hear, and read.

Our desires are lifted to the highest heights by Visual Imagery. Our eyes pave the way to pursue our desires, no matter the cost. We are coached by Advertisements which involve a psychological process: An idea is formed and an image is designed that will appeal visually to a consumer’s desires; carefully chosen words entice us, and are utilized to manipulate our minds. The images that we visualize, and the words that we hear possess the power to weaken our resistance to sinful behaviors.

The deception of Eve was successful because of her obvious desire to possess much more than God had provided. Satan utilized a beautiful serpent to speak words which challenged God’s command for them not to eat of the Tree of Good and Evil. Eve was mesmerized by a serpent with the ability to speak along with the sight of the beautiful but forbidden fruit that would “impart wisdom on a god-like level.” The truth that she believed in was overpowered by two of her senses-sight and hearing-which led to a desire to disobey. At that point, all rational truths left her mind and she willingly disobeyed God as she touched, smelled, and tasted the forbidden fruit.

We are living in a time where laws contain loop-holes to accommodate declining morals and values. The godly standards for truth, and righteousness are blurred by our personal desires for the forbidden fruits of worldly pleasures. Our decisions are based on our desires! We compromise by watching popular but inappropriate programs, accept and include profanity in our conversations, listen to music with sexual content, and have become desensitized to violence because our choices have led us to become indifferent to sin.

Satan is very observant, and his powers supercede that of human abilities. Although God has not granted Satan the ability to read our mind, he can certainly observe our behaviors. Only by the power of God are we able to resist the evil temptations of this world. Be selective by being holy!

Challenge for today: Perform an evaluation of what you are exposing your mind to: What are your preferences based on the things that you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch? What are the thoughts that you possess on a daily basis?

Verses for today:

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8 NLT

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. 1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT

For you now quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 NLT

Prayer for today: Dear God, I ask you to, “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7) I have based my choices on my desires instead of your truth. God, please forgive me for my disobedience and sins against you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

I will Bless The Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1 ESV

There are many events that bring excitement and joy to my life: Falling in love; spending quality time with my husband, family, friends; the birth of a baby; basking in retirement; my favorite team scoring the winning points; an item on sale; the opportunity to adore my grandchildren; and learning to type cell phone messages with my thumbs instead of one finger; just to name a few of my favorite things.

What are your preferences? Does thinking about a few of your favorite things bring a smile to your face? I never speak for others; but I am willing to take a risk and answer a resounding “yes.”

However, do we possess that same excitement for the love, grace, and mercy extended to us from God on a daily basis?

I recently watched a live video of a youth choir sing two beautiful songs and the majority of the congregation sat and listened with flat expressions as if it were a boring secular experience.

This observation is not about condemning others for their personal style of worshipping God. We often confuse the outward expressions of praise or the lack of outward expressions as a sign of fervent love for God.

I am simply expressing a fact: God deserves more than silence!

Worshipping God is having a heart full of love for God. It takes action on our part to possess an ongoing mindset of gratitude and thanksgiving.

We express our worship through smiling, tears of joy, singing, praying, audible or inaudible praise, studying the Word of God, giving a faithful tithe and offerings, and witnessing to others.

Our lives and our characters reflect our LOVE relationship with God.

Do not let the Storms of Life distract and prevent you from giving God the praise that He rightfully deserves!

Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (last part) Nehemiah 8:10

When I reflect on my life and the goodness and mercies that God has given to me: I can’t stop praising His name.

Our God is awesome and He knows that He will always be number one in my life: He is above and beyond placing Him on a secular list of things that bring joy to my life.

I love you God, you are my joy, you are my strength, you are my life!

Challenge for today: Begin to praise God at all times, and for all things.

Verse for today; Come let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:3 NLT

Prayer for today: Dear God: I love you. Thank you God for my life, my health, my strength, and the ability to praise you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

The seeds that fell among Thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. Luke 8:14 NLT

When we enter into a relationship with the Trinity-God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, we receive a measure of Faith, and it becomes our responsibility to pray, study the Word of God, and rid ourselves of all disobedience and self-willed characteristics through total surrender to God.

We have a responsibilty to achieve spiritual growth in order to fulfill our commission: “Go, Teach, and make Disciples.”

We have a responsibility to achieve spiritual growth in order to achieve personal growth.

I hear many individuals verbalize that they wish for the good old days. I wonder what their reference point is: a time where people cared, employers valued their employees, families sat down for dinner, friends were loyal, church membership had consistent growth…I am certain the answers would vary based on the personal perspective from individualized life experience.

It is highly probable that the individuals who are wishing for days gone by, are the same individuals who have stopped practicing the qualities they so desperately desire.

In fact, they may possess an “External Locus of Control”; it is the belief that the results of one’s personal successes or failures are beyond his/her control due to people, places, situations, and things, they are actually blaming the concept of change on others.

I will clarify: If you have a family with or without children, unless there is a conflict in time, then at least one meal per day should be a sit-down at the kitchen or dining table, with the expectation that one event from the day will be shared, without the interference of electronic devices.

Is it the fault of technology that you are not instilling the value of bonding, effective communication, developing qualities of compassion, and the importance of strong family and marital ties?

If you are single, then have a chat with your close friends and emphasize the importance of meeting on a weekly basis for brunch, or dinner. Face-to-face contact with others support our self-worth, and value as human beings. In addition, it is a time where hearing the details of life from others can enrich and broaden your mindset. It is a time to learn and laugh with friends who care. Just make certain you have a godly-minded and positive circle of individuals that share the value of friendship.

Yes, Change is inevitable; even so, the outcome relies on the decisions that you make. The qualities of life that you desire have never left, they are not part of days gone by.

Change your perspective: Develop and implement an action plan with family or friends.

Challenge for today: Embrace and Regain Control of your mindset and your life.

Chapter for today: Luke 8

Prayer for today: Dear God, I have resisted spiritual and personal growth by blaming others for moving forward. I need to have a closer relationship with you by praying and studying your Word. Please give me the desire to achieve growth by changing my perspective on life. Thank you for granting us the ability to change. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve…But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15 NLT

Loop-holes, plea bargains, gray areas, bending the rules, personal choice, look out for number one, listen to your heart, it’s your life, you did what you had to do, No regrets, et cetera. We are familiar with these euphemisms that attempt to distract us from wrongdoing; however, when we travel down a path of compromise, the journey always leads to negative outcomes with consequences.

Compromise in our personal life is always a lose-lose situation, if we must choose worldly standards over God’s requirements.

Compromise on a job usually equates to using dishonest tactics by bending the rules.

I have experienced a very interesting nursing career where I have witnessed many cover-ups and have been asked to compromise.

Many years ago, I was at the point in my career where I had relocated to a state that had an over-abundance of nurses. After two months of job searching, my savings were dwindling, and I began to feel desperate.

I was finally hired at a private Rehabilitation facility where I experienced my first medication administration error. Although the standard nursing protocol for medication administration is not to pre-pour medications, the facility’s policy was to prepare medications ahead of time (removing them from the prescription bottle or dose-pack which contained all identification markers: resident’s name, name/dose of the medication). The outside of the cups were labeled with a handwritten version of the resident’s first name, and the cups were placed on a tray in alphabetical order.

If you are in the health profession, then you are already thinking, “Red Flag.” A resident came to the office door and I asked, “How are you doing Josh?” His reply was that he felt good and was having fun at the dinner party. An hour later, my heart skipped several beats when the real Josh appeared for his evening medications.

At that point, I realized that I had previously administered Josh’s medications to John. As I prepared another cup of Josh’s medications, all nursing protocols for safe medication administration begin to shout loudly inside of my head: “Why didn’t I ask the resident to state his name?”

When I notified the On-call Director, I was informed that alcoholic drinks were served at the party, and the resident answered to someone else’s name, and didn’t recognize his usual medications because he was drinking. Red flag: Residents admitted to the facility have a history of substance abuse diagnoses…why are alcoholic drinks served?

I accepted full accountability for the error of not practicing one of the Rights of Medication Administration: Right Patient; Ask the patient to state his/her name. As I spoke with the Psychiatrist, he made a joke and stated the additional medication would make the resident sleep and I would have one less worry for the evening. I can recall going into the bathroom and crying because I realized that I was facing the consequences of venturing into Satan’s territory for the sin of compromise.

God made certain that I would learn a life-changing lesson. I was instructed not to document the Incident, because the Director would be responsible for the follow-up. My expectation was that I would complete an Incident report, and face a disciplinary write-up for a Medication Misadventure. When I was informed that documentation was not required because the resident did not experience side-effects, I realized that I had an immediate decision to make: (1) Keep my well-paying job and continue to sin against God, compromise nursing ethics, my nursing license, and patient safety, or (2) resign without having another job.

I was extremely disappointed with myself for going against everything that I stood for, as a Believer and as a Nurse. I prayed a Prayer of Confession and prior to my shift, I resigned from duty. In my exit interview, I was informed that the resident was doing well, and that I was overreacting by leaving.

There are times when we feel desperate and the anxieties of life cause us to make decisions based on our feelings, and our situation. Yes, I was fully aware of the facility’s protocol on pre-pouring medications during my first day of orientation. I knew that in order to keep this job that I would be forced to compromise. It was a choice based on a complete lack of faith in God.

The life of the Believer is not a life where we go with the majority, follow mainstream society, make decisions based on feelings or our situation. It is living a faith-based life where we say, “No” to compromise which leads to sin, in every situation.

In His mercy, God spared me from the consequences of breaching nursing protocols. It was a lesson well-learned. Since that incident, I have been tested many times to cover-up or look the other way in my work environments. Because I stood firm, God has always protected me from harms way, and provided for all my needs, especially when I was unemployed due to job pressures to go against His commands.

I share this real life experience because Satan will use our jobs as leverage to place doubt in God and cause us to develop over-confidence in our own abilities.

Choose God by exercising faith and trust in Him regardless of your current or pending financial status. If choosing God causes you loss of your job, have confidence that He is Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider.

Thank you God. I choose you!

Challenge for today: Choose God!

Chapter for today: Matthew 6

Prayer for today: Dear God, I empty myself of all desires that lead to the sin of compromise. I ask for your strength in the times of my weakness, and forgiveness in the times that I fail to choose you, and the times that I fail to rely on you. Thank you for being my Provider. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

I dedicate this article to my Nursing friends and colleagues: KH, LS, SB, WC, AW, & JS.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (last part) Hebrews 13:5

God is always available to hear our innermost desires, and concerns. We never have to bear our burdens or sufferings alone.

Make prayer a priority in your life and you will experience peace that will abide with you in spite of your circumstances.

God loves us! He is with us!

Challenge for today: Prepare for the Sabbath by Praying every hour today.

Verse for today: “Let not your heart be troubled you believe in the Father; Believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” John 14:1-4 NIV

Prayer for today: Dear God, Please help me to believe in you at all times, and in every situation. As we prepare for the Sabbath, we ask for comfort and the strength to believe and hold on to your promises. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

Practical Messages for Impractical Times