My Divine Notes

Genesis 3:12 Adam pointing at the woman: It was she! The woman You gave me as a companion put the fruit in my hands, and I ate it. The Voice commentary Since Adam and Eve, people have been blaming others for their mistakes. Adam has the audacity to blame God for his. 13 God to the woman: What have you done? Eve: It was the serpent! He tricked me, and I ate. Excuses do not change outcomes. Just like Adam and Eve, we sometimes place the blame for our problems on someone else. The blame games keep us from growing and using the gifts God has given us to lead a full life. Christians suffer terribly when they place blame on others or make them responsible for real or imagined wrongs they may have suffered. This world will never be perfect. Deal with the fact that you will go through hard times -- whether of your own making or at the hands of others. That's how life on earth is. But here's the bright spot:  you can cope and move on. Don'...

James 1:5 If you need wisdom – if you want to know what God wants you to do - ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.   Don’t wait! Buy it now! Grab the gusto before it goes! You’re only young once! Go for it! No one will know! Call that guy or girl! Blurt out your inner most thoughts! Let it all hang out! Buy that car…and on and on…   I’ve jumped into quicksand so many times because I didn’t wait for God or because I didn’t ask God what road I should have taken. Things can turn out differently if we stop and ask for God’s wisdom and then follow through. If we’re going to ask for God’s wisdom, then we must be willing to obey…   The key message is this:  Talk to God when things are going well for you. Pray before you are shaken up. And, you will be shaken up at some point.  Ask God to give you revelation and discipline in the areas where you are tempted. We’re usually tempted in the areas where we are weak by our...

Psalm 103:3 He fills my life with good things! My youth is renewed. TLB Just like old coffee that turns musty and leaves unsightly rings in a coffee cup, so can our relationship with the Lord become old and crusty if we don’t take care of the relationship. I've been thinking about my stages of faith.  When you first receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, well, the high can make you fly!  There’s no drug that can transform your life like the power of Jesus Christ! I had insatiable thirst for knowledge. I got out of my comfort zone in big ways and started doing all kinds of “ministries” until the LORD said, “ Stop .” I heard that stop in a big way. I had to stop doing the things I thought He wanted me to do and start doing things for and with Him. There’s a huge difference in serving God versus serving for God. In my enthusiasm, I got tangled up in things that were good and great for the Kingdom – but they weren’t in God’s plan for me. I stopped “cleaning” ...

Matthew 17:8 As they raised their heads, they saw no one but Jesus. My life is full of very good distractions (along with some not so good ones). I have to be careful to not let any of my distractions get in the way of my personal relationship with Jesus. I have to focus on my intimacy with Jesus. We hear much about the bad distractions, but good distractions also have a way of knocking us out of sync with God. They block our ability to focus on Jesus in a one-to-one relationship. I’m not going to name any good distractions because they can be anything that stops you from hearing God’s voice. We may not even be aware of those things that stop us from listening to the voice of God. I challenge you to stop what you are doing, step back and check to make sure you are listening to his voice. Can you see and hear Jesus?

May 15, 2011 Luke 9:62   But Jesus told him, “Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” Distracted Christian living leaves me frazzled. My carnal side has a hard time following Christ and giving up the busy-ness and plans of my lives. I know. I’ve just had a weekend full of distractions even though I had planned to spend quality time with the Lord. Quiet time with God before the day starts is essential for me, but I am going to be honest and admit that this has not been happening lately. I love the Bible and I spend quality time immersed in it. But even though I love the word, nothing compares to time spent with God. Spending time with God means that I come to know his heart.   I also get to share my life, my struggles and my love for him. That’s also when I intercede for others and get answers (or not) to the things in my heart. A relationship with God takes time, effort and the desire to walk the wa...

Divine Note #58 – Written on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010, posted Oct. 18, 2010 God knows, so tell him Hebrews 13:13 Nothing is hidden from God! He sees through everything, and we will have to tell the truth. I tweeted  (@BlancaV) this Scripture a few days ago and it really surprised me. But it shouldn’t. God knows what we are up to even if we don’t admit what we’re doing. How many times do we fall into situations that are questionable and yet we don’t talk to God because we’ve decided to go ahead and fall into sin? It is so easy to justify things that we want to do or say. We’re especially vulnerable when the enemy attacks our strongholds. I can name many things but you probably get the picture. Anytime you find your prayer life lacking, short or not on your priority list, stop and think about what is going on. Don’t justify things in your mind. Talk things out with a trusted friend, your pastor and especially God. Tell God everything that’s in your heart and mind. Let God ...

March 6, 2010 Are you tied securely to the vine? John 15:5 (NLT) “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” Lately my life has been a flurry of activity between my work, family, personal and ministry commitments. I maintain my scheduled time with God, but I have been allowing distractions to take me away from spending intimate quality time really listening and being honest with him. When I allow distractions (fill in the blank) to consume my mind, it opens me up to temptations that I cannot afford to succumb to. When I’m distracted, I will not talk out loud about whatever is in my heart, instead I just “think” about things. When I think about things, I tend to justify my feelings. You get the picture. It all comes back to haunt me and it impacts the intimate relationship I have with the Savior of my Soul. The enemy and my old habits take over and I find myself unable to move p...