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“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

It is December 31st, the last day of the year, the Eve of a New Year. There are many things that we have promised to never do again, to never say again, to never waste money on again, and the list is endless.

Sadly the chances are that we will end up repeating the same unproductive behaviors, because habits are very hard to break. With determination and committment we must explore different methods to achieve different and positive outcomes. Journaling and budgeting using a handwritten and hardcopy method takes effort and provides a record of accomplishments and defeats. It takes perserverance, and the desire to live differently for change to occur.

If you have the desire to grow a herbal container garden, then you must develop a plan based on several decisions: Size of the pot; Seeds or starter plants; Variety of desired herbs; Indoor or outdoor location; and placement for adequate sunlight.

Give yourself the opportunity to achieve personal and spiritual growth for the incoming New Year.

God has promised that He has good plans for us. It is a choice for us to believe and receive His plans by changing our unpredictable behaviors and unproductive plans.

It is a time for New Beginnings. By developing a sound plan based on good choices that produce positive outcomes, change can and will occur.

Challenge for today: Develop a plan to make a positive change in your life.

Prayer for today: Dear God, I am ready to change my old behaviors which have been in conflict with the plans that you have for me. I commit to loving and serving you, and will rely on your strength to make positive changes in my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

Good Morning

There are very few things that I share on this blog; however, we live in a time where self-control is losing its status. Refer to the attached picture.

Reacting with anger, unforgiveness, and lack of respect for others has become a normal way of life for many individuals.

For man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:20

The family unit that God designed has been attacked by Satan since the disunity that occurred from Eve leaving her husband’s side to pursue her own desires. Family unity is important to impart mental, emotional, spiritual strength and validation of our importance to one another. Without the ties that bind, we end up bitter and broken.

It is inevitable that individuals will say and do what is wrong-it’s called sin. We cannot avoid making mistakes; even so, we can avoid further conflict by not responding, holding grudges, and ruining our ability for personal growth.

It is a wonderful way to live when you are able use higher intellect as opposed to the weakness of an EMOTIONAL response.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come from your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

Our lives are really about Building our Character:

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of Fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

We know that True power only belongs to God.

Just remember that you are created in the image of God; the next time Satan brings CONFLICT, repeat out loud:

I am created in the image of God, have a blessed day.

It is a personal decision to react or not to react; only you can determine if you will Build or Destroy your Character.

Challenge for today: Focus on God, take a deep breath, and pray!

Prayer for today: Dear God, Please help me to change my outlook. I have not kept my focus on you when responding to difficult situations. My character does not align with the Fruit of the Spirit. I am asking for your help in getting rid of my displaced emotions. Please forgive me as I move forward in life with a spirit of unconditional love, forgiveness, and self-control. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

Don’t fear, because I am with you; don’t be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will surely help you; I will hold you with my righteous strong hand. Isaiah 41:10 CEB

There is an amazing children’s Christmas movie that was released last year whose motto is to “Just Believe.” While I was watching the animation with the most wonderful visual-effects, the child was being instructed to believe that all things were possible and he would be able to accomplish his goals. As I listened to the young boys response that he did not understand, it made me reflect on how much God wants us to trust in him and just believe that He will give us the victory.

Sadly, many of us who proclaim that we love God are unable to fully comprehend and believe in His awesome power.

As we approach the New Year, do not waste your time on making meaningless resolutions; make a commitment to God that you will always trust in him and just believe.

Always believe, and your faith will strengthen to the point that you will rejoice when you are enduring trials and tribulations.

God’s love is simply awesome.

Be determined to never give up on God! Bring in the New Year with renewed vigor. God is with us always and forever!

Challenge for today: Always believe that God will help you.

Prayer for today: Dear God, Thank you for your awesome love. From this moment foward, I believe with all of my heart, soul, and mind. I know that you will always bring me through and provide a victorious solution, if I only just believe. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

Psalm 103:1-6 NLT

1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise His holy name.

2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.

4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with Love and Tender Mercies.

5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagles!

6 The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

Have you ever strived to accomplish a task or a goal which took a phenomenal amount of effort to complete? If your answer is yes, then you have experienced the greatest amount of satisfaction and happiness that comes from achieving a life-changing event.

How did you celebrate your accomplishment? Perhaps you thanked God, did the happy dance, cried tears of joy, or was in a state of shock and just took a deep breath of relief.

When we experience the immense joy that comes as a result of serving God; that joy empowers us to sing a new song which honors God as the only Supreme being who can provide us with spiritually life-changing events.

As evidenced by the Book of Psalms (Songs), King David sang to God whether he was down in the valley or up on the mountain top. When reading the various psalms, we become aware that David’s emotional state of mind was very unstable. Even so, he was very honest and transparent in sharing the insecurities of his wavering faith in God.

We are able to reflect on David’s life and utilize the Psalms as an instruction guide to managing unpredictable highs and lows in our emotional state of mind and the level of faith in our spiritual lives.

When we truly believe, “The joy of the Lord is your strength,”(Nehemiah 8:10), all uncertainties are destroyed and we are able to proclaim: “…I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalm 34:1

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 NLT

Serving God is a life-changing event: His love, grace, mercies, and the sacrifical gift of Jesus are more than enough reasons for us to Sing a New Song to Him everyday of our lives!

Challenge for today: Reflect by making a list of all of the good things that God does for you.

Prayer for today: Dear God: Thank you for the “all” that you have done and are still doing in my life. May I never forget how much you have sacrificed for me. I will sing to you a new song today and everyday for the rest of my life. I commit to building unwavering faith by praising you forever more. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV

As we approach the end of the year, many of us are reflecting on the bad situations that have occurred throughout 2018, and are hopeful that 2019 will be a much better year. We may or may not endure the same issues; however, the reality is that we must endure ongoing trials and tribulations in our lives.

There are three important reasons for adversity: Our character must change; our relationship with God must develop until we possess unwavering faith; and God uses the victory over tribulations to bring glory and honor to His name.

We know that God desires for us to possess health and happiness even as we face the vicissitudes of life. He comforts us through His Word to let us know that we do not have to live in “fear or dread” of anyone or any given situation.

We have the assurance that God will never leave us or forsake us. Knowing, believing and reminding ourselves, as we accomplish our day-to-day duties, that we have a loving and awesome God who truly cares about us, should have us feeling like a newborn baby.

Does a newborn baby worry? Absolutely not! The peaceful sleep and restful state of mind that a baby enjoys is what God provides for us when we believe. Our faith in His promises reassures us that God will always be with us, if we just believe.

Challenge for today: Study the Bible and find 5 verses that indicate God will take care of you in every situation. Believe that He will see you through!

Prayer for today: Dear God, Please help us to believe in you at all times and in every situation, good or bad. Our faith is weak because we do not study your Word and our prayer life is inconsistent. We ask you to forgive us as we begin this new day that you have blessed us with. Thank you for being our Heavenly Father. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

Celebrate your gift of LIFE!

The LORD directs the steps of The Godly. He Delights in every detail of their lives. Psalm 37:23

In our various branches of the Military, although the mission differs, there are stringent rules that are taught and must be followed. The purpose is to retrain the individual’s mindset into providing service, according to a set of regimented guidelines, which ensure unity. When the time for tactical missions arise, soldiers stand strong and well-prepared to handle various attacks on our country.

In the life of a believer, God has also given guidelines which ensure that His mission is fulfilled. The plan of salvation was necessary because our Heavenly Creator knew that humans would fall into sin, and yet He still chose to create us. Jesus–the Sinless One had to become a Man, in order to provide redemption for humans who received godly directives, but chose to disobey and deviate from the perfect life that God had gifted to them.

It is so unfortunate that as soldiers in God’s Military, we have placed ourselves in an AWOL-Absent from Duty-status through disobedience. We have documented proof in the Word of God that tell us of the consequences of “Disobeying a Direct Order;” yet we continue with our mindset.

The consequences of not following God’s directives occur when we face trials and tribulations. Instead of being able to claim a victorious outcome, we succumb and experience spiritual defeat.

The Bible speaks of Wars and Rumors of Wars:

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. Matthew 24:6

We are soldiers in the army, we have to fight although we have to die. We have to hold up the blood stained banner, we have to hold it up until…

Until we fall asleep in Christ and rise at the First Trumpet’s sound or until we who are alive and remain are caught up in the air to meet Jesus at His Second Coming.

Attention Soldiers: About Face!

Lo He Comes! Jesus is Coming Again for you and for me!

Challenge for today: Obedience to God’s Directives always ends in Victory.

Prayer for today: Dear God, We are your soldiers who have chosen to go against your directives. We ask forgiveness and are ready to retrain our minds by obediently following all of your commands. Thank you for your love, grace, and mercy. May we continue to serve you by bringing honor to your Holy Name. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

The Christmas Holiday Season is one of my favorite times of the year.😁

And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.” Revelation 5:13