All Posts By

Ibelisse Sánchez

Still Small Voice

Apple of God’s Eye

October 11, 2023
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he apple of My eye has been ravaged. I will avenge evil in My sight. Secure the borders, secure your fences. Evil is on the horizon. It will betray. Do not let your guard down. Align with what is just and pure. Anything that stands against the heart of God is anathema. Secure the borders of your hearts. Do not let anything defile My holy temple. Resist the enemy, and he will scatter. Wail and weep, my people. Your redemption is near. You are not forgotten. I will comfort My people and gather her up to My bosom. Do not let your guard down. No open door policy in your soul. Guard your minds and hearts. Beware of false doctrines that itching ears want to hear. Stay true to My word, and your path will lead to life everlasting. Do not be distracted and dragged away by evil desires that sabotage you and My plans for you. Stand firm in My word. You will not be moved. You are a bulwark erected by Me. Overthrow the lies of the enemy. Do not give them access to you. Inspect all things. Pray for wisdom and discernment. The times are upon you when deception will rise and My people must know the truth. Live in My word. Let it consume you. Be found in Christ— My bread of life. That is the sustenance you carry. That is the bread of peace for a desperate world.

BIBLE VERSES TO STUDY

"He found him in a desert land, And in the howling wasteland of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the apple of His eye.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭32‬:‭10‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

"There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting from fear and the expectation of the things that are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭21‬:‭25‬-‭28‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

“For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold, and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable].” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭AMP‬‬

“And Jesus said unto them, I AM the bread of life; he that comes to me shall never hunger, and he that believes in me shall never thirst.” ‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭35‬ ‭JUB‬‬

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a niña de Mis ojos ha sido devastada. Vengaré el mal ante Mis ojos. Aseguren las fronteras, aseguren sus vallas. El mal está en el horizonte. Traicionará. No bajes la guardia. Alinearse con lo que es justo y puro. Todo lo que vaya en contra del corazón de Dios es anatema. Aseguren las fronteras de sus corazones. No dejen que nada contamine Mi santo templo. Resiste al enemigo y se dispersará. Gemid y llorad, pueblo mío. Tu redención está cerca. No estas olvidado. Consolaré a Mi pueblo y lo reuniré en Mi seno. No bajes la guardia. No hay política de puertas abiertas en tu alma. Guardad vuestras mentes y corazones. Tenga cuidado con las falsas doctrinas que el comezón de oídos quiere escuchar. Mantente fiel a Mi palabra y tu camino te llevará a la vida eterna. No te dejes distraer y arrastrar por malos deseos que te sabotean a ti y Mis planes para ti. Mantente firme en Mi palabra. No serás conmovido. Eres un baluarte erigido por Mí. Derrocó las mentiras del enemigo. No les des acceso a ti. Inspecciona todas las cosas. Oren por sabiduría y discernimiento. Los tiempos están sobre ustedes cuando el engaño surgirá y Mi pueblo debe saber la verdad. Vive en Mi palabra. Deja que te consuma. Ser encontrado en Cristo: Mi pan de vida. Ese es el sustento que llevas. Ese es el pan de paz para un mundo desesperado.

VERSÍCULOS DE LA BIBLIA PARA ESTUDIAR

“Lo encontró en tierra desierta, en la horrenda soledad de un desierto; lo rodeó, cuidó de él, lo guardó como a la niña de sus ojos.” ‭‭Deuteronomio‬ ‭32‬:‭10‬ ‭LBLA‬‬

“Porque vendrá tiempo cuando no soportarán la sana doctrina, sino que teniendo comezón de oídos, acumularán para sí maestros conforme a sus propios deseos; y apartarán sus oídos de la verdad, y se volverán a mitos.” ‭‭2 Timoteo‬ ‭4‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭LBLA‬‬

“Y habrá señales en el sol, en la luna y en las estrellas, y sobre la tierra, angustia entre las naciones, perplejas a causa del rugido del mar y de las olas, desfalleciendo los hombres por el temor y la expectación de las cosas que vendrán sobre el mundo; porque las potencias de los cielos serán sacudidas. Y entonces verán al Hijo del Hombre que viene en una nube con poder y gran gloria. Cuando estas cosas empiecen a suceder, erguíos y levantad la cabeza, porque se acerca vuestra redención.” ‭‭Lucas‬ ‭21‬:‭25‬-‭28‬ ‭LBLA‬‬

“Jesús les dijo: Yo soy el pan de la vida; el que viene a mí no tendrá hambre, y el que cree en mí nunca tendrá sed.” ‭‭Juan‬ ‭6‬:‭35‬ ‭LBLA‬‬

Still Small Voice

River of Life

October 10, 2023
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nter the gate of mercy. Take off your shoes and know that this is sacred ground. I have called you out to be a people after My name. You are holy — a holy nation, set apart for My namesake. You are My treasured possession bought with a price. My protection is always yours when your heart is mine. My mercy flows like a river. Run to the river while it is still day. Prepare your heart to receive like soil that is plowed. The seeds of My love for you will be planted and will flourish into a tree of life that cannot be uprooted. Water it daily with your tears of love and surrender and repentance and joy. Let the river inside you flow with its healing for the nations. The nations are souls my love reaches out for. Let the river inside you quench their thirst.

BIBLE VERSES TO STUDY

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ''Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." — John 7:37-38 NKJV

Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.— Ezekiel 47:12 NKJV

And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.— Revelations 22: 1-2 NASB

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ntren por la puerta de la misericordia. Quítense los zapatos y sepan que este es terreno sagrado. Los he llamado a ser un pueblo conforme a mi nombre. Ustedes son santos, una nación santa, apartada para Mi tocayo. Eres Mi posesión más preciada comprada con un precio. Mi protección es siempre tuya cuando tu corazón es mío. Mi misericordia fluye como un río. Corre hacia el río mientras aún es de día. Prepara tu corazón para recibir como tierra arada. Las semillas de Mi amor por ti serán plantadas y florecerán hasta convertirse en un árbol de vida que no podrá ser arrancado de raíz. Riégala diariamente con tus lágrimas de amor, entrega, arrepentimiento y alegría. Deja que el río dentro de ti fluya con su sanación para las naciones. Las naciones son almas a las que mi amor se acerca. Deja que el río que llevas dentro sacie su sed.

VERSÍCULOS DE LA BIBLIA PARA ESTUDIAR

Y en el último día, el gran día de la fiesta, Jesús puesto en pie, exclamó en alta voz, diciendo: Si alguno tiene sed, que venga a mí y beba. El que cree en mí, como ha dicho la Escritura: "De lo más profundo de su ser brotarán ríos de agua viva."— Juan 7:38-39.

Junto al río, en su orilla, a uno y otro lado, crecerán toda clase de árboles que den fruto para comer. Sus hojas no se marchitarán, ni faltará su fruto. Cada mes darán fruto porque sus aguas fluyen del santuario; su fruto será para comer y sus hojas para sanar. — Ezekiel 47:12 LBLA

Y me mostró un río de agua de vida, resplandeciente como cristal, que salía del trono de Dios y del Cordero, en medio de la calle de la ciudad. Y a cada lado del río estaba el árbol de la vida, que produce doce clases de fruto, dando su fruto cada mes; y las hojas del árbol eran para sanidad de las naciones.— Apocalipsis 22:1-2 LBLA

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Still Small Voice

Demolish the Lies

October 6, 2023

We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ. ‭‭—2 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭5‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Let My Spirit soar within you—taking you to new heights above and beyond this world. Above and beyond the cares of this world. Listen carefully to My words to you. Listen intently with ears to hear. I beseech you, dear child. Commit, commit to My teachings. Dissolve your unity with this world and its lies. Seek my counsel in everything. Dismiss intrusions in your life. Do not entertain them. Seek wise counsel. Start with My word. Relinquish control of your life. That will lead you to spiral down in defeat. Your missteps will lead to a fall. Let My word be a lamp to your feet. Do not turn to the right or to the left. Fear is not from Me. Recognize that and demolish the lies. Do not entertain them. Cast them down from the high places. They seek to dethrone My truth. Cast them down, and I will imprison them. That which seeks to hold My children captive will be My prisoners. My children will be free from lies as they seek My truth and guard it in their hearts and minds. Walk in peace because he who the Son sets free is free indeed.

Destruyendo especulaciones y todo razonamiento altivo que se levanta contra el conocimiento de Dios, y poniendo todo pensamiento en cautiverio a la obediencia de Cristo. ‭‭—2 Corintios‬ ‭10‬:‭5‬ ‭LBLA‬‬

Deja que Mi Espíritu se eleve dentro de ti, llevándote a nuevas alturas más allá de este mundo. Por encima y más allá de las preocupaciones de este mundo. Escucha atentamente Mis palabras. Escucha atentamente con oídos para oír. Te lo suplico, querida hija. Comprométete, comprométete con Mis enseñanzas. Disuelve tu unidad con este mundo y sus mentiras. Busca mi consejo en todo. Descarta las intrusiones en tu vida. No las entretengas. Busca consejo sabio. Comience con Mi palabra. Renuncia al control de tu vida. Eso te llevará a caer en una espiral de derrota. Tus pasos en falso te llevarán a una caída. Que mi palabra sea lámpara a vuestros pies. No gires ni a la derecha ni a la izquierda. El miedo no proviene de Mí. Reconoce eso y derriba las mentiras. No las entretengas. Derríbalas de los lugares altos. Buscan destronar Mi verdad. Derríbalas y yo las encarcelaré. Aquellos que busquen mantener cautivos a Mis hijos serán Mis prisioneros. Mis hijos estarán libres de mentiras mientras busquen Mi verdad y la guarden en sus corazones y mentes. Caminen en paz porque aquel a quien el Hijo libera, es verdaderamente libre.

Still Small Voice

Treasures of Darkness

October 5, 2023

I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. — Isaiah‬ ‭45‬:‭3‬ ‭NASB

Come with Me through the gardens, through the meadows, through the wilderness, and through the forests. I am with you in each season of your life. I am enough for you when you presume you are in lack, or when this world has consumed your spaces. During each season, we will walk together and find the hidden treasures in darkness. Walk with Me, talk with Me, and I will usher you in behind the veil, where all of My treasures are laid bare. They have been preserved for you, My dear one. It is all waiting for you and your child-like faith and trust to receive from My hand. Give Me your worries and I will give you hope. Give Me your pain and I will give you My balm. Give Me your ear and I will give you My secrets stored in My heart from eternity—for all those who value My voice, and seek My face. Give Me your hand, and I will guide you into all truth that leads to life with Me.

Te daré los tesoros de las tinieblas y las riquezas escondidas de los lugares secretos, para que sepas que soy yo, el Señor, el Dios de Israel, quien te llama por tu nombre. — Isaías 45:3 LBLA

Ven Conmigo a través de los jardines, a través de los prados, a través del desierto y a través de los bosques. Estoy contigo en cada estación de tu vida. Soy suficiente para ti cuando presumes que te falta, o cuando este mundo ha consumido tus espacios. Durante cada estación, caminaremos juntos y encontraremos los tesoros escondidos en la oscuridad. Camina Conmigo, habla Conmigo y Yo te conduciré detrás del velo, donde todos Mis tesoros quedan al descubierto. Han sido preservados para ti, querida Mía. Todo está esperando que tu fe y confianza infantile reciban de Mi mano. Dame tus preocupaciones y Yo te daré esperanza. Dame tu dolor y te daré Mi bálsamo. Dame tu oído y te daré Mis secretos almacenados en Mi corazón desde la eternidad, para todos aquellos que valoran Mi voz y buscan Mi rostro. Dame tu mano y Yo te guiaré a toda verdad que lleva a la vida Conmigo.

Still Small Voice

Plumb Line for Purity

October 2, 2023

Beware of scams. They come quickly, and they come repeatedly. They boast of lies concealed. They trick to enter uninvited. They circle around until a door is left open by desperation. Close the doors, my people. Do not let lies creep into your heart. Put a guard up. The word of truth will shield your soul from unauthorized intruders. Run diagnostics on your heart and soul and remove everything that is not from Me. Hold everything up to the light of My word. Make sure it glitters with the gold from heaven and not earth. Let there no foul thing or earthly thing be found in it. Only permit the pure that has been processed by the blood and My holy fire into your life. It is time to test the purity of everything in your life. Cast out that which cannot stand in My presence. That is your plumb line for purity.

When He has tested me, I will come out pure as gold. (Job 23:10)

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Cuidado con las estafas. Vienen rápidamente y vienen repetidamente. Se jactan de mentiras ocultas. Hacen trucos para entrar sin ser invitados. Dan vueltas hasta que la desesperación deja una puerta abierta. Cierra las puertas, gente mía. No dejes que las mentiras entren en tu corazón. Pongan guardia. La palabra de verdad protegerá tu alma de intrusos no autorizados. Realiza diagnósticos en tu corazón y en tu alma y elimina todo lo que no sea de Mí. Mantén todo a la luz de Mi palabra. Asegúrate de que brille con el oro del cielo y no de la tierra. No se halle en ella cosa inmunda ni terrenal. Sólo permite que entre en tu vida lo puro que ha sido procesado por la sangre y Mi fuego santo. Es hora de probar la pureza de todo en tu vida. Echa fuera aquello que no pueda resistir en Mi presencia. Ésa es vuestra plomada para la pureza.

Cuando Él me haya puesto a prueba, saldré puro como el oro. (Job 23:10)

Still Small Voice

The Everyday

October 1, 2023

Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Do you see Me, dear one? Do you see Me in your everyday moments? I am weaving while you are believing. I am shaking while you are being still. I am roaring while you are weeping. I am making a way while you are standing firm. Do you see what I see in the distance? Open your eyes and gaze My way. Take your eyes off the mundane of every day. See beyond today. Set your eyes on the visions of eternity and the hope of tomorrow. Tomorrow’s victory is yours today. Rejoice in My plans today and do not fear tomorrow, dear child. Your story is precious to Me. I am in the everyday.

“What bliss you experience when your heart is pure! For then your eyes will open to see more and more of God.” (Matthew 5:8 TPT)

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Bienaventurados los de limpio corazón porque ellos verán a Dios. ¿Me ves, querido? ¿Me ves en tus momentos de cada día? Yo tejo mientras tu crees. Estoy sacudiendo mientras tú estás quieto. Estoy rugiendo mientras tú lloras. Yo voy abriendo camino mientras te te mantienes firme. ¿Ves lo que veo en la distancia? Abre tus ojos y mira en Mi dirección. Aparta la vista de lo mundano de cada día. Ve más allá del hoy. Fija tus ojos en las visiones de la eternidad y la esperanza del mañana. La victoria de mañana es tuya hoy. Alégrate hoy en Mis planes y no temas mañana, querida hija. Tu historia es preciosa para Mí. Estoy en el día a día.

“¡Qué bienaventuranza experimentas cuando tu corazón es puro! Entonces tus ojos se abrirán para ver más y más de Dios”. (Mateo 5:8 TPT)

Still Small Voice

Day by Day

September 29, 2023

Reach out for My hand. I am right beside you. Open your heart to Me. I see the pain. I know it is there even though it feels like no one understands. Let me reset all those places of hurt. I know it is not easy to forget but I want to build new memories for you. I want to pull you forward and show you what lies ahead. Take one step with Me today. Listen to My words. They are faithful promises of My care for you. I know it feels lonely but I have never left your side. Yield to My Spirit and you will see the reality of who you were created to be. As your heavenly Father, you were created to be loved by Me. Let Me love you and show you My love day by day. Let us walk through this together.

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Extiende tu mano hacia la mía. Estoy justo a tu lado. Abreme tu corazón. Veo el dolor. Sé que está ahí aunque parezca que nadie lo entiende. Déjame restablecer todos esos lugares de dolor. Sé que no es fácil olvidar pero quiero crear nuevos recuerdos para ti. Quiero impulsarte hacia adelante y mostrarte lo que te espera. Da un paso conmigo hoy. Escucha Mis palabras. Son promesas fieles de Mi cuidado por ti. Sé que te sientes solo pero nunca Me he alejado de tu lado. Ríndete a Mi Espíritu y verás la realidad para que fuiste creado. Como tu Padre celestial, fuiste creado para ser amado por Mí. Déjame amarte y mostrarte Mi amor día a día. Recorramos esto juntos.

Still Small Voice

The Healing Balm

September 26, 2023

Cover, cover yourself with the warmth of My embrace. The winds of this world can be cold and bitter. But My embrace and words are a sweetness and a comfort for you. Come alongside Me and walk with Me. The fire from My blazing love for you will ignite your spirit and restore your soul. Deep in My heart I will cover you. In the secret place you are safe. Under the shadow of My wings you are protected. It is here that our intimacy is established. Let Us heal your heart of all its wounds. I will provide the healing balm to the wounds of your past. I have such a glorious plan for your future. Trust Me to heal you and guide you every step of the way. All your days are being used to tell the story of your overcoming victory through this life because you placed your heart in My care.
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Cúbrete, cúbrete con el calor de Mi abrazo. Los vientos de este mundo pueden ser fríos y amargos. Pero Mi abrazo y palabras son una dulzura y un consuelo para ti. Ven a Mí y camina Conmigo. El fuego de Mi ardiente amor por ti encenderá tu espíritu y restaurará tu alma. En lo profundo de Mi corazón te cubriré. En el lugar secreto estás a salvo. Bajo la sombra de Mis alas estás protegido. Es aquí donde se establece nuestra intimidad. Sanemos tu corazón de todas sus heridas. Proporcionaré el bálsamo curativo a las heridas de tu pasado. Tengo un plan tan glorioso para tu futuro. Confía en Mí para sanarte y guiarte en cada paso del camino. Todos tus días se utilizan para contar la historia de tu victoria superadora en esta vida porque pusiste tu corazón a Mi cuidado.

Still Small Voice

Windows of Heaven

September 25, 2023

I am opening the windows of heaven to pour down blessings to all My faithful children. Just believe and stretch forth your hands and fill all your baskets with My love. Fill all your baskets to overflow and feed the nations the manna from heaven. Go forth with healing words to ignite power and faith and provision and joy and peace. Fill your baskets with the abundance of heaven. Take your baskets of bounty to the valleys and to the mountain tops. The bread of heaven is for the rich and for the poor. This bread cannot be fabricated on earth, but it will be on earth as it is in heaven. Open your arms wide and I will continue to fill you. Open your heart to Me and you will walk on earth with the treasures of heaven to distribute to the poor, the humble, the downcast, the sick, and the blind.
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Estoy abriendo las ventanas de los cielos para derramar bendiciones sobre todos Mis hijos fieles. Simplemente crean y extiendan sus manos y llenen todas sus cestas con Mi amor. Llenen todas sus cestas hasta que rebosen y alimenten a las naciones con el maná del cielo. Avanzen con palabras curativas para encender el poder, la fe, la provisión, el gozo y la paz. Llenen sus cestas con la abundancia del cielo. Lleven sus cestas de generosidad a los valles y a las cimas de las montañas. El pan del cielo es para ricos y para pobres. Este pan no podrá fabricarse en la tierra, pero será en la tierra como en el cielo. Abran bien sus brazos y seguiré llenándolos. Abran sus corazónes y caminen por la tierra con los tesoros del cielo para distribuirlos a los pobres, a los humildes, a los abatidos, a los enfermos y a los ciegos.

Devotional

Secrets of the Redwood Forest (Strong Roots)

September 6, 2023

Redwoods on a trail along the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway in Northern California. Photo / Merwyn Sanders II (2022)

The coastal redwoods, found mostly in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington, are the tallest trees on Earth. The secret strength that upholds these giant trees is found in their roots. They only go 6-12 feet deep but extend up to 100 feet wide and interlock with neighboring redwood trees.

Imagine a wide root system spread out underground giving it stability above ground through strong winds, earthquakes, storms, and floods. Their scientific name attests to their durability; sequoia sempervirens, which means “evergreen or everlasting.”

Roots are vitally important because they provide nutrients and stability. This is true in our spiritual life as well. However, their only as strong as the source of their strength.

dark night of the soul

Recently, I went through what could be described as a ‘dark night of the soul.’ The built up of stress at work revealed unresolved trauma from the past and erupted as severe anxiety coupled with depression for over a month. I was off work during that time and ended up making a prayerful decision to resign from a job I was at for 9 years that I viewed more as ministry than work.

However, when mechanisms are not in place to support staff, burnout usually follows. It was one of the hardest experiences I’ve been through. I’m still processing what led me to that place, the loss, the disappointment, but most importantly, discovering new depths in my relationship with God.

There’s always hope when we cry out to the God who loves us and who has promised to never leave us. And this love can reach us in varied ways. One of the ways God comforted and sustained me was through my friends. These friends prayed for me, nurtured me, fed me, listened to me, encouraged me, and presented the light of love in what felt like the darkest of nights, at the time. I know I would’ve made it through even if I was alone, but I wonder how long that would have taken. There is a reason why God once said that it is not good for man to be alone.

fellowship & unity

One of my takeaways from that recent experience is the value and necessity of fellowship with other like-minded believers. Just like the redwoods whose root system is comprised of the interlocked roots of many trees; our strength is found in unity of the faith. There were several key practices, many which were done daily, that contributed to the stability of the early Church and that can model that unity.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47

When you fellowship with other believers, especially around the intimacy of a familial table, you’re taking the time to invest in getting to really know each other and share life’s journey, the good, the bad, and the ugly. You value each other, stir one another to love and good works, build each other up, you worship, pray, and learn together, and you share in the communion of Christ’s death, and meet each other’s needs. From this safe place you venture into ministry. On the other hand, a life lived in isolation breeds hopelessness, loneliness, and weakness.

rooted takeaways

  • We are connected to each other.
  • What we consume affects our brothers/sisters in Christ.
  • If we stay connected, we will get through life together.
  • The source of our strength holds our position and posture.

We’re living in a time when ‘church’ as we’ve known it may change and the call back to small intimate gatherings in homes may be necessary. With this in mind, I encourage you to begin to build some intimate relationships with brothers and sisters and start with a simple dinner around a table. This is what I now value and know to be necessary.

Bible Study

Lessons from a Dodo

March 17, 2023

The dodo bird is extinct. So, what can I say about a flightless, homely-looking bird that isn’t around anymore? It couldn’t soar like the eagle due to its stubby, powerless wings and it couldn’t even strut around proud as a peacock covered with gray down instead of feathers. Yet its legacy lives on 300 years later in our modern-day vernacular, “You dodo bird!” 

The dodo was first discovered living in the palm and tropical fruit-tree dense forests of the island of Mauritius off the coast of Africa in 1598 by Dutch and Portuguese explorers. They named it dodoor, which means ‘sluggard’ in Dutch and doudou, which means ‘simpleton’ in Portuguese.  

The dodo bird frolicked on the island with no need to migrate to far-off lands. It had sufficient fair to eat and no apparent enemies on the island. Over time this ancestor of the pigeon lost its ability to fly because it had no reason to. However, when the ravenous, seafaring sailors came to the island they hunted the birds. They also brought carnivorous dogs, cats, and pigs with them, and most likely stowaway rats. This sudden new threat endangered the species and eventually contributed to its disappearance. 

The dodo was caught off guard. Being isolated and conditioned to live carefree didn’t prepare it for the danger that would devour its paradisiacal and inexperienced existence. It lacked the biological response animals have to acute stress coined, fight or flight. The dodo didn’t fight to protect itself or escape capture. It didn’t disappear physically or even disappear in place by playing dead or camouflaging itself with a change of colors, like the chameleon. Its adrenaline-charged self-defense reflex didn’t budge, which would have heightened its speed, force, sight, hearing, thinking, or flying. Even if it had tried to fly away, it wouldn’t have succeeded. Because it hadn’t branched out to discover other realities. It clipped its own wings. 

Many of us can’t interpret the danger signs against our very lives. We’re not privy to the enemy’s tactics bent on our destruction. We ignore the world, the flesh, and the devil as real threats, like the dodo bird living on an island, indulging itself and unaware of an existing enemy.  

The apostle Peter teaches us to “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) 

What does it mean to be sober-minded or of a sober spirit? 

When we think about being sober the first thing that pops into our minds is abstaining from intoxicating or addictive substances such as alcohol and drugs.  

Allowing our minds to be influenced, manipulated, or controlled by the spiritual forces of darkness is just as harmful as introducing foreign or dangerous substances into our physical bodies. The problem is that these influences usually masquerade themselves under the guise of widely accepted cultural practices, ideologies, religions, fads, and entertainment.  

Many professing Christians have become desensitized to these deceptions, easily accepting worldly standards instead of God’s plumbline of truth. It takes wisdom from the Holy Spirit to know the difference between worldly and Christian values.

Believers succumb to the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, and the lust of the eyes; tempted by the physical world and its desires, looking to notable celebrities and the latest guru instead of seeking the kingdom of God for spiritual instruction. If we look, sound, and act like unbelievers that’s a sure marker that we’re off course spiritually.

We have a critical choice to make. We can sway on a hammock, holding a piña colada in one hand and our cell phone in the other and be a prime target for the enemy, like the dodo bird of years past, or we can prepare ourselves to fight the good fight and escape the snare of the enemy.  

Recently, I had a conversation with a pastor, and he reminded me that it takes daily discipline to pray, study the word of God, and introduce Godly-inspired habits that will help us manage the flesh and its lusts because temptations are always willing to come knocking, especially when our defenses are down. 

To be sober-minded or free from intoxicating influences such as lies, pleasures, and worldly riches, we must know the truth found in God’s word which will help us stay alert and prayerful. The most important thing that should be in our hands is the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God; it is the only offensive weapon in the armor of God.  

We must know the word of God, believe the word of God, and wield the word of God! 

Bible Study, Devotional

Secrets of the Redwood Forest (Tall Tales)

October 8, 2022

 

the tallest trees in the world

The redwood forest is a fairytale to visit. It has centuries of secrets throughout its cinnamon-red bark tree groves, whispered like fireflies ready to be caught. Some of the massive trees in the forest are as old as 2000 plus years; mere saplings destined to scrape the skies in the Northern Hemisphere when Jesus walked this earth.

Redwoods can grow to 350 feet tall. There’s much happening between the ground and the crown of the redwood. Simply standing next to these giants is quite humbling. We can’t help to look up at these tall trees in admiration. They hover over us as nature’s guardians.

I can only imagine the Earth’s quake when they fall. That was their great peril many moons ago when logging was rampant in Humboldt County of Northern California. Chopping down a redwood tree wasn’t an easy task in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Before electric saws were invented, this was done with axes and hand saws, which took days to complete.

What was left behind in that early period of logging the coastal redwoods was a forest floor filled with headstones of old-growth tree stumps. The cut stumps revealed the secret of how long the trees had lived. The top of a tree stump has concentric rings, with light-colored rings representing growth occurring in the spring and early summer, and dark rings representing wood that grows in the late summer and fall. The combination of one light ring plus one dark ring would equal one year of life for the tree. In the mid-1850s, redwood forests covered 2,000,000 acres of the California coast. By 1910, conservation efforts began to preserve the remaining redwood trees. By 1968, 90% of the trees that stood the test of time had been logged. Today, these old-growth redwoods comprise only 39,000 acres, located in the Redwood National and State Parks.

a king, a dream, and a tall tree

Trees are quite predominant in nature and in the Bible. Around 2500 years ago Nebuchadnezzar was king over the Neo-Babylonian Empire (605 – 562 B.C.); a pagan warrior-ruler-builder who wreaked havoc on his enemies. He destroyed the Kingdom of Judah, Solomon’s temple, and led its people into captivity to Babylonia. Among the exiles was Daniel, a young Jew from Jerusalem taken captive who proved to be quite useful to the king with the interpretation of dreams (when the king wasn’t throwing him into a fiery furnace for refusing to serve other gods or worship the golden image the king had set up).

One night, Nebuchadnezzar saw terrifying images and visions while lying in bed and none of the wise men of the land could interpret the dream. Sorcerers and soothsayers, diviners, and Chaldeans came to him and couldn’t reveal its meaning.

The king dreamt of a tree that grew strong, and its height reached the heavens above and could be seen all over the earth. Then an angelic watcher, a holy one come from heaven appeared and shouted:

“Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,
Shake off its foliage and scatter its fruit;
Let the animals flee from under it
And the birds from its branches.
Yet leave the stump with its roots in the ground,
But with a band of iron and bronze around it
In the new grass of the field;
And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,
And let him share with the animals in the grass of the earth.
Let his mind change from that of a human
And let an animal’s mind be given to him,
And let seven periods of time pass over him.
This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers,
And the decision is a command of the holy ones,
In order that the living may know
That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind,
And He grants it to whomever He wishes
And sets over it the lowliest of people.”

Daniel 4:14-17

Nebuchadnezzar is a color monotype print with additions in ink and watercolor portraying the Babylonian king by English poet, painter, and printmaker William Blake (1757-1827). Photo / Tate Gallery in Great Britain

Daniel interpreted the dream and gave the king a decree. He revealed to Nebuchadnezzar that he was the tree that became great and strong, whose dominion reached far and wide. He was the tree to be chopped down to the stump, to be driven from his people, to live among wild animals, to be given the mind of an animal, and eat grass like an ox, for 7 years. But Daniel also advised him to renounce his sins and wickedness by doing what was right and kind.

King Nebuchadnezzar didn’t heed Daniel’s wise counsel and a year later he was walking on the roof of his royal palace and prideful words leaped from his heart and rolled off his tongue.

“Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?’ While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you.”

The frightful dream was fulfilled.

And at the end of 7 long years, King Nebuchadnezzar looked up to the heavens and his sanity was restored and he praised the Most High. The restoration of his honor, his splendor, and his throne followed suit. Daniel 4 not only includes the king’s dream, but a testimony of his pride, God’s glorious and miraculous power and reign, and his merciful restoration.

tall tale takeaways for spiritual growth and freedom

In working with formerly incarcerated clients, I’ve found a common denominator: self-serving decision-making without regard to God or others will lead to bondage, both physically (sometimes with a prison sentence) and spiritually. The latter is much worse than the former, with the possibility of lasting an eternity without true repentance. Below are a few keys to freedom that will lead to a life set apart for God, His ways, His plans, and His glory.

1) Seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, not your own.

Nebuchadnezzar was focused on building his own kingdom and exalting his own name. And in his chase after the things of this world, he neglected the oppressed. After interpreting the dream of the tree to the king, Daniel earnestly advised him to repent of his sins and help the oppressed and he failed to do that, causing the gavel of justice to come down. This incessant striving to build and exalt our own kingdom is rampant in this technological age and has become a spiritual pandemic. John Calvin once said that it is the task of the church to make the invisible kingdom visible. That should be our sole desire and pursuit. God promised that He would take care of the rest.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.

(Matthew 6:3, NASB)

2) Pride leads to insanity and destruction, humility to peace and prosperity.

While the Kingdom of God includes His supreme reign over all, it innately also includes His thoughts and ways of being, which are naturally not our thoughts and ways. In seeking God’s kingdom, we are also in pursuit of aligning with His heart and mind. Prideful, self-aggrandizing thoughts and subsequent behaviors can lead to mental health and emotional issues. Our minds are literally lost in the world of self and are unable to hear or see anything else. This leads to an inflated sense of power and corrodes personal and social relationships. This is what King Nebuchadnezzar experienced. God wisely counsels us to humble ourselves under His mighty hand, so that He will lift us up in due time.

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18, NLT)

Laying your life down in tender surrender before the Lord will bring life, prosperity, and honor as your reward. (Proverbs 16:18, TPT)

3) God is merciful and sovereign; therefore, judge not.

When God decreed Nebuchadnezzar’s 7-year sentence for having a prideful heart, he didn’t completely destroy him or his kingdom. He simply humbled him because he would not humble himself. Leaving the stump and its roots imprisoned in a band of iron and bronze, represented God’s mercy toward him. In nature, trees can grow back from a cut stump. If the root system has enough remaining nutrients, then the impossible becomes possible. For some of my formerly incarcerated clients, the prison was their saving grace. Everything they pridefully pursued was stripped from them, and like a cut tree stump, they waited behind bars, sought the Lord, and were freed spiritually before they were freed physically.

In the Bible, we learn that the ‘Year of Jubilee’ released those from debts and all kinds of bondage; prisoners, captives, and all slaves were released, debts were forgiven, and all property was returned to its original owners. This occurred after seven cycles of seven years, or after 49 years. King Nebuchadnezzar was completely restored after 7 years. And as He works with us and through and for us in our weakness, we too can shout, “Grace, grace,” like the prophet Zechariah, as God lays the capstone Jesus Christ in our new heart-temple.

I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and will show clemency on whom I will show clemency. (Exodus 33:19, Jubilee Bible 2000)