Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions

“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

Love the Lord your God, and keep His requirements, his decrees, his laws, and his commands always. Deuteronomy 11:1

How important is Obedience to God in our lifelong journey of Sanctification?

Our salvation is dependent upon love, faith and obedience. If we truly love God, then we are willing to accept and follow only His plans for our lives.

Think about everything that you must change or give up in order to be in alignment with God’s will. Often we are uncertain as to which habits or behaviors are ungodly and unholy.

Do you waste money; abuse your body by choosing unhealthy foods, tobacco products or alcoholic beverages; engage in self-seeking activities on the Sabbath; dislike others; possess anger, bitterness, jealously; or harbor an unforgiving spirit?

By no means is this an exclusive list of personal issues that keep us from fully surrendering to God; however, the list of stated behaviors do indicate the areas in our lives that most of us rationalize that we are entitled to hold on to, because of _________________.

Each of us could fill in the blank with various personalized answers that appear to be acceptable from our viewpoint; but according to the Word of God, place us on the long and winding path down Disobedience Lane.

It is time to take a long and hard look by performing a self-evaluation of our habits, character and personality traits. Make it personal! Identify everything that stands in the way and prevents you from complete submission to God.

Our faith combined with the willingness to get rid of undesirable habits and traits, enable us to conform to God’s purpose and as you know, will always end in victory.

Obedience to God’s commands is the only true sign of your love for God and the only way you can know if you are obeying God is to study and know his Word.

Challenge for today: Self-evaluate and make the committment to study the Bible and let-go of disobedience to God.

Prayer for today: Dear God, Today, we bring our self-will and disobedience to you because we have the desire to submit ourselves to your way and your will. As we begin to diligently study your Word, we ask you for understanding and the ability to apply your commands for change in our lives. We thank you for your obedience even unto death. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayer. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains–where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and Earth.” (NIV) Psalm 121:1-2

If you are a Baby Boomer, then you can recall searching through the Classified section of the newspaper to look for employment. Your resume was mailed to the company and within days it was highly probable that you would receive a phone call and be provided with a date for a face-to-face interview.

Fast forward a couple of decades: Job searches are online and resumes are saved and submitted electronically with the click of a mouse or better yet, sent from your cellular device.

With the upgrades of applicant screening that technology has brought to the job market in the 21st Century, there is the downside of the suspenseful game of waiting and hoping to receive communication from the prospective employer. Due to programmed electronic scanners looking for key words, your resume may never be seen by human eyes. The reality is that although your qualifications match the desired qualifications to the “Help Wanted” posting, your resume has been disregarded as unacceptable because the pre-programmed keywords are missing.

Although technology has been highly promoted for its merits in our present century, another drawback is that it’s performance is limited by its “System Down” status which can occur at any given time due to many variables and leave us in a helpless situation until resolved.

Thankfully God is always available when we send out a distress signal of “Help Wanted!” Prayer is the gateway that connects us to God’s Network. By our heartfelt words, we are immediately connected to God. Every tear, all sadness, sorrow, trials and tribulations touch the heart of Jesus who experienced a much greater ordeal at the end of His 33 years of life on this earth than we can ever comprehend. Our prayers are sent and received 24 hours a day, at any given time without the possibility of a “system down” status.

God’s Network never requires us to use certain keywords; our faith qualifies our righteouness through Jesus Christ; and we are never left helpless because the Divine Network always maintains it’s status as “All System’s Up!”

Challenge for today: Stay connected to God’s Network at all times through prayer.

Prayer for today: Dear God, Thank you for always keeping your Divine Network available for us when we send out the distress signal of “Help Wanted.” Please give us the desire to stay connected to you at all times. We love you, we worship you, and we praise your Holy Name. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…” Psalm 37:7 NIV

How was your day? Did you experience any situation that disturbed your well-organized, and peaceful plans? For most of us, our day did not go as planned, even so, we can still enjoy a peaceful rest this evening.

Mark 4 tells us the story of a raging storm where Jesus and his disciples were on a boat that was being ravaged by tumultuous waves and hurricane-like winds. The disciples who had witnessed many miracles performed by Jesus were so fearful that they allowed their emotions to override their faith in God.

When we endure storms in our lives, do we rely on our emotions, which will never provide peace or increase our faith in God, to bring resolution in the midst of our storm? Even the men who were in close proximity to Jesus were faithless when they felt that their lives were in danger.

How is it possible that we who believe in the Almighty Creator who is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and died and rose to return to His Heavenly home, have so little faith?

For each one of us the answer is uniquely personal. I can share my reason for doubting God’s power; it is when I have failed to call on His Holy name. I am not referring to my routine daily worship times with God. I am referring to the times that require solitude with fasting, praying, studying the Bible, and crying out to God.

Like Job, there are situations that God allows to come upon us, so that we can draw nearer and closer to Him. God does love and care for us, He is waiting for us to faithfully give Him all of our earthly storms, and He will rebuke the winds and the waves by saying, “Peace be still.”

“Turn it over to Jesus, Turn it over to Jesus, and you can smile the rest of the day.”

Challenge for today: Draw nearer and closer to God through fasting and praying.

Prayer for today: Dear God, Our faith is not where we need it to be. We lack complete trust in knowing that you are always available to hear and answer our prayers. When our storms are raging, we have allowed our emotions to overpower us, and for this we ask forgiveness. Please give us the desire to have a up close and personal relationship with you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. Matthew 23:26

Have you ever worked with someone who was a “disgruntled employee?” They are easily identified by the constant complaints and their negative feedback to every situation. The reality is that the knowledge we possess and the way we react to our circumstances determines whether or not we can move forward or continue in our present dilemma with a negative mindset.

There are many individuals who strive to obtain pleasing characteristics, yet they continually fail. It is the method they have chosen that prevents them from reaching their goal. Relying on previous knowledge results in stagnation–staying in the same place; therefore personal growth is not possible.

Seeking new knowledge and applying it to your life results in replacing old habits and behaviors, and moving forward in the process of maturing mentally and spiritually.

Would you drink from a cup that was clean on the outside and had specks of dirt on the inside? Yet we desire to change without the spiritual cleansing that is necessary to align our character with God’s requirements.

We often attempt to justify our disobedience by taking advantage of God’s grace and mercy. Our mindset is that we will pursue our own desires because God understands that we will fail or all that is necessary is to continually ask for repentance.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who focused on the outward appearance as opposed to possessing a clean heart. We are unable to present ourselves to God with a spirit of self-will and disobedience, and expect to produce Fruit.

The first step to obtaining the FRUIT of the SPIRIT is to possess genuine obedience to God: Genuine obedience occurs naturally and spontaneously in the Christian life when we truly love God.

Obedience produces the desire to please God willingly. When we obey His commandments and instructions for our lives, our character and our desires will be transformed and we will possess all that God requires of us.

But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

Challenge for today: Identify the desires, habits, behaviors, and actions which prevent you from obeying God.

Prayer for today: Dear God, We have been disobedient through self-seeking behaviors. Please forgive us for not loving you as we should. As we continue to seek knowledge from your Word, we ask you to transform our lives as you will have us to be. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz

“They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” John 10:5

One of the most important aspects of becoming a Christian is recognizing God’s Voice. Can you recall a situation in which you had a strong desire for something, and then when you received it, the results were disastrous? You were probably disappointed and wondered why God allowed the blessing to lead to a negative outcome.

Last year, I applied for a position as Branch Director and during the interview there was a conflict between the two Executive Directors on the methods for achieving the organizational goals. God allowed a “Red Flag” situation to occur because I had previously ignored a warning by “a messenger” on the drawbacks of the position. The individual relayed that the responsibilites involved compromise which would lead to an environment of high pressure and daily stress.

Needless to say, I ignored all warnings, and accepted the position. Within two months of daily tele-conference meetings from both Directors, expecting me to do the impossible, I became discouraged. I began to doubt my qualifications as I evaluated and re-evaluated the strategic plan for the Branch Office. I continued to pray for God’s divine intervention to reach our weekly goals.

Even in my willful disobedience, God was merciful and used one of my employee’s who had longevity with the company and had relocated from another branch office, to explain that this particular office had five individuals to resign as Branch Director within the past year. As the history of the Branch Office unfolded, I recalled God’s answer: “No, my child, this is not the job that I have given to you.”

When I reflected on my previous blessings, I knew that God’s plan is always perfect and ends in Victory. There are no Red Flags, because God can never fail. I resigned from the position, and then God began to reveal His plan for my life.

One year later, God’s mercy was still evident when He allowed me to see the employee who provided me with the grim history, and she relayed that the Branch Office was closing due to ongoing financial failure.

Praying, waiting, and listening with spiritual ears for God’s Voice are required when we are in the Valley of Decision.

The Word of God is our roadmap to guide us, on what we have to do, in order to hear God’s Voice.

As I continue to surrender my will to God, my spiritual ears are becoming fine-tuned to hear “His Still, Small Voice.”

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 NLT

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” Isaiah 55:8 NLT

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

Challenge for today: Pray and wait on the Lord.

Prayer for today: Dear God, We have not waited to hear your Voice, which leads us according to your will and plan for our lives. We ask you to forgive us for the many times that we have listened to our own voice. Please lead us to victory. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

Sonya Johnson Ruiz