Who Are You?!

Society can be very obsessed with titles in various aspects of life. Whether it’s in business, in government, in church, it seems like people will look at titles and automatically have preconceived notions that are sometimes wrong. Or if we flip it around, someone who gets a title begins to get prideful and automatically assumes that their title allows them to be better than others. 

Here’s something interesting about titles though; a title doesn’t reflect the character and the heart of the individual. A title is simply that, a title, but the character and heart of an individual speaks volumes. The way someone carries themself, the way they respond to situations, and the way they behave and speak when they think nobody is looking is far more important than the title they were given.

In Acts 19:15 there is an evil spirit that questioned the authority of a few individuals who were trying to cast out evil spirits, they had titles but no authority. There are numerous things we can learn from this scripture, but what I want to share with you now is a reminder of the importance of putting your heart on check. As Christians we have to keep our hearts aligned with God, just because you were given a title doesn’t mean that you are better or more anointed, no, it’s just a title. You are simply a vessel, we are all vessels used by God for His will to be done on Earth. We don’t get the glory, God does.

Don’t obsess yourself with the title you may or may not have, obsess yourself with being in the presence of God by reading the Bible, praying, worshipping, and seeking him. Know and acknowledge that everything God does through you isn’t about you or your strength, it’s about God. And as easily as he can give you an anointing, he can easily take it away. Let’s continue to remain humble and let’s continue to live a life worthy of what God wants, not because you have a title but because God is who he is in your life.

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Refreshed

Have you ever hoped for new and fresh beginnings? I’m pretty sure it’s normal for all of us to seek that at one point or another. We begin to get frustrated with our monotonous life and start to seek new hobbies, new direction, new jobs, sometimes even new friends.

As humans we desire fulfillment but when we get tired in life, fulfillment seems so far away. In my journey with God I’ve realized that when God refreshes me in one way shape or form, my hope increases greater than the last time.

One of the tattoos I have on my arm is that of an eagles wing, as a reminder of Isaiah 40:31, “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Even in moments when I feel like giving up and run away from responsibilities and my loved ones, I get reminded that God has given greater hope for my life than anyone or anything can ever give me.

We are 15 days into 2023 and I’m not sure how you’re feeling right now but I pray that as you stumbled upon this, that you get reminded that God is by your side, He has not forgotten you and wants you to be refreshed. The best way I always find that hope and refreshment is being in the moment with God through reading the Bible and being in prayer. Don’t give up so early in the year, don’t give up at all, look to God and see that He will send that refreshment you’ve been looking for. ‭

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Power in Prayer

There’s plenty of skeptics when it comes to prayer. We can see a lot of anger arise when a big situation happens and the media reports of evil occurring then people start sharing, “we are praying for this or that,” and people get frustrated seeing those posts. They want more to be done than just prayer, I don’t blame them, but from personal experience I have seen the power of prayer work.

When a person who believes in God prays, God listens. Yes, God already knows everything but like in any relationship that wants to thrive, there needs to be communication. Prayer allows us to reach out to God to give thanks, to ask for forgiveness, and to put before Him the needs of others and our own needs.

People can and will disagree with me, which is completely fine, but if you are a person who believes in God and is seeking to know more about God, I encourage you to reach out in prayer about any situation before taking action. It doesn’t have to be something extremely extensive, but acknowledge that God is there, that God is listening, and then start to move.

You stumbled upon this blog not by chance or coincidence and I hope it serves as a reminder for you to take a moment and just say, “Thank you, God,” and if you need prayer, PLEASE reach out to me. There’s a contact tab where you can email me and I’ll respond to your directly or you can comment on here.

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It’s Not About Gun Control

Before you come for my head, let’s have an honest conversation. It is extremely easy to jump on social media platforms and belittle those who disagree with you, so why not open a conversation and even if you continue to disagree you at least do so amicably, something to consider don’t you think?

Now, to continue with my title, I don’t believe the current issue we face in America has to do with gun control, it has to do with a deeper situation. We have laws against murder yet people still go out and murder others, regardless of the tools or lack thereof used to commit such terrible crimes, these laws won’t stop the evil in people’s hearts. So then what’s the solution? In my honest opinion, it’s letting God’s love come back into our lives.

Wait, don’t leave yet, I know some of you will say, “Great, here’s another Christian sending her thoughts and prayers but doing absolutely nothing.” Honestly, I want to change the world, I want to see children respecting their parents and parents raising their kids to respect others. I want to see people of different backgrounds admire and care for one another as well as understand that we will disagree but don’t need to fight over disagreements. I really want to see us as a nation come together with all our differences and be able to live loving one another.

The way these mass shootings or shootings, stabbings and crime in general are going to stop is if we learn to love others. I may not be able to make an impact to a single individual in another state, but I can continue to love my family, my friends and even those that don’t really like me. I can listen to others who disagree with me and respect their opinion without bashing them. I can look at those who follow me and live out the example that God has called me to live, to live holy because He is holy (cf. 1 Peter 1:16).

Some of you might say that loving others is not enough, but I challenge you to live it out and see what impact you will make even in one person’s life by loving them. I personally look to the Bible for encouragement and direction, some of your might not believe in God or think that religion is just a bunch of crazy people, but if you only knew how it has transformed my life by simply learning how to love. “But God is a God of wrath!” Ahh yes, the wrath and judgement portions of the Bible, well, if you must know, God takes sin very seriously and only wants the best for us.

Listen, check it out for yourself, even if you’ve never opened up a Bible or don’t have one, we have the amazing opportunity to go online and look up the Bible. So I really challenge you with this, if you’ve even made it this far, to go to biblegateway.com, search John 1 in the New Living Translation (not King James, I don’t want you getting frustrated with me more than you might be) and start there. Look at the life of Jesus, look at His example, look at His teachings and I can promise you that if we even made the attempt to live a life of love, we would see less crime, less killings, less arguments and more understanding of one another.

If you disagree with me, let’s talk, I honestly would love to hear from you. Hit the contact tab and reach out, or simply send me an email at vazquez9013@gmail.com

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The Weight of the World

What do you do when you are carrying so much on your shoulders and begin to break? I’ve reached this moment many times and every single time I can’t help but look to God for strength. He did not intend for you or me to carry everything by ourselves but if you’re anything like me, sometimes pride and shame take over and you continue to carry your issues, your family’s issues, your friend’s issues and it becomes overwhelming.

Maybe you don’t believe in God, so what is your outlet? If we are not careful with all the things we carry, we can hide the pain but only for so long before our body physically begins to feel the anguish. Our mental health declines, our character is affected, and our view of life starts to get skewed.

I just want you to know that it’s ok to take a break. It’s ok to take a day or two off and just sit, cry, sleep, go for a nice hike, go for a walk somewhere, and BREATHE. Don’t take everything upon yourself and keep going in life like that, there are people who are close to you that want to listen even if that’s all they do. There’s no easy and quick fix for the issues we deal in life, but God can provide strength and peace.

Don’t give up and don’t do it all alone, we are meant for community and meant to encourage one another.

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