Category Archives: Inspiration

August 17, 2018

New Release: RISE Above Adversity

By Christina

I am super excited to release my new book, “Rise Above Adversity: Where Declaration Becomes Destiny!” Available now through Amazon.

A bittersweet moment for me as this day was not an easy one. We always face adversity. We live through it and we dance in it. But what I am most proud of this particular piece is that it is a dedication to our entire family.

I invite you to celebrate with me and also into a very personal place within our family. It is natural for us to go through all these natural feelings but what we do find is that God gives us the power to rise through it in a supernatural way!

There is nothing ordinary about this story. Just pure adversity, time and time again. We learn to adjust the same way I know you can relate when you are forced to do life in a whole different way.

To the family and legacy of Pastor Tony Mendez.

My dear husband Juan Mendez.

My sweet sister-in-law Cristina Mendez.

And to the mom that raised these gladiators, we honor you Rev. Nelly Montalvo! ♥️

1 Comment | posted in Book Release, Celebration, Emerging, Encouragement, Inspiration

August 16, 2018

Whenever I am Afraid

By Christina

David was afraid.  He prayed to God when he was afraid. Whenever he found himself in circumstances outside of his control–he confessed his trust and confidence in God and in His word.  Many of the Psalms were written in times of greatness. Times of victory, laughter and joy.   There are also many written in times of adversity.

David wrote this particular declaration in the book of Psalms–when the Philistines had seized him in Gath.  In the book of 1 Samuel Chapter 20, David was captured.  They made fun of him. So David had to pretend he was crazy in order to be released.  Only to find himself once again fleeing to the cave of Adullum.

Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?” Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard.
1 Samuel 20:10-13

David found himself immediately in the face of mockery, embarrassment, shame and disgrace after just coming out of a huge victory! The king of Gath ridiculed him… I can only hear his teasing tone in my head as I read “Isn’t this not David the king of the land that just slayed ten thousands…” Here he was captured in the hands of another king.

How mortifying this must have been for David in this moment.
This king attacked his identity, his victory and his destiny all at once.

“David the king of the land…”

“Once singing and dancing…”

“Has slain thousands and ten thousands…”

So that all his accomplishments and achievements can feel like a waste.  To make David feel like a fool and a failure! Isn’t that just how the enemy always works? All of that mockery, ridicule and shame are the gateways to fear.  David became very afraid.  Fearful of this man.  Fearful of those words.  Fearful of his future.  He panicked. He pretended to be something he was not only to escape.

Couldn’t he trust God then to protect him?

But just like you and I–as humans–we do become afraid sometimes when we are presented with vicious people that try to intimidate us! People or even circumstances that try to trip us up. Only because we DO have a powerful identity given by Christ! We HAVE amazing victories, celebrations and accomplishments. We ARE going to be and continue to walk in high callings that God has assigned to us.  So that everything we do–we have success! Because that is just the God we serve. He is the One we report to.

So I don’t know what you are facing today–I share with you now:

DO NOT BE AFRAID! You will win because you are already more than a conqueror.  That is why the enemy is fighting you so hard in such a fierce pursuit.

God has got you for sure! Remember who you are!

Today I invite you to meditate on His Word and never the mocking words of man.
For what can they do, when it is God who is always in control to lead you to an overwhelming victory!

Psalm 56
Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit;
all day long they press their attack.  
My adversaries pursue me all day long;
in their pride many are attacking me.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in YOU!

In God, whose word I praise
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?

All day long they twist my words; all their schemes for my ruin.
They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, hoping to take my life.
Because of their wickedness do not let them escape;
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.

Record my misery; list my tears on Your scroll
–are they not in Your record?
Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help.
By this I will know that God is for me.

In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise
–in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?

I am under vows to You, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to You. 
For You have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God in the light of life.

For my sister Claudia Morales and the many that face adversity. ❤

Amen

1 Comment | posted in Inspiration

August 7, 2018

Purposeful Over Positional

By Christina

God said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea and the waters will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots, over their horsemen.”
Moses stretched his hand out over the sea: As the day broke and the Egyptians were running, the sea returned to its place as before. God dumped the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. The waters returned, drowning the chariots and riders of Pharaoh’s army that had chased after Israel into the sea. Not one of them survived.
But the Israelites walked right through the middle of the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall to the right and to the left. God delivered Israel that day from the oppression of the Egyptians. And Israel looked at the Egyptian dead, washed up on the shore of the sea, and realized the tremendous power that God brought against the Egyptians. The people were in reverent awe before God and trusted in God and his servant Moses.
Exodus 14:26-31

God said. Moses stretch. The Israelites walked.

God always speaks a word to us and when He does it requires us to stretch.  For when we do that, not only will things be formed for us but it gives us the ability to walk and allow others to walk through too. Such tremendous faith that it requires from us when God says to do something or gives us a word of what is to come for our future. Some things are more heavier then others and there is always a cost involved to get to the other side.

I been pondering on the life of Moses for some time now.  He gets to see the impossible –possible! What a great start to an emerging victory for the Israelites.  Problem is –that was just the beginning for them.  It took them so long to get to the position and location that God intended for them.  They fussed.  They fought.  They fumed.  They grew faith in some cases and other times they grew frustrated and fatigued!

Don’t we all.

How long does it take to get to the position and place that He has for us.

And so I had a dream last night.  In the dream, I was uplifting others. Inside there were tears falling that no one could see.  There were three instances where God wanted me to minister.  I saw people perplexed, troubled and depressed.  It looked like they were lost. Sometimes like how I feel. Never there yet but trying to be purposeful.  Trying to make the most of my situation when things go from bad to worst.

I encouraged a few in this dream…one by the way of an elevator, the other by some steps and another setting in an auditorium seating.  I said before waking up, “It is not where you are physically but where you are internally.  It is being purposeful over positional.”

Then I woke up…. The story of Jesus at the cross came to my mind.  The story of Moses came to my mind.  It was as if the spirit was preparing not a sermon for me but a sermon IN me.  I wrote it all down.  Because I know I am not there yet! And it frustrates me! It overwhelmes me! But one thing that I do know–is that God is hovering over me, even in my sleep to let me know that He has a purpose for me.

I was telling those people in the dream–“It is not about where you are physically but where you are internally!”

I was telling them–but God was using me to tell me too! I have to live out my purpose every day.  No matter how extensive or variegated my journey may be. If its 40 days, 40 months or I get to another 40 years–it is all about where I am internally so that I can use it to pull on my purpose.

More to come…. stay tuned. #lifeofmoses #themanydayjourney

 

1 Comment   |  tags: | posted in Forty, Inspiration, Peace, Transition, Trust

August 4, 2018

An Evening With You

By Christina

Do you know how to enjoy time with just you?

But really well! That you do all your favorite things, hear what you want, be where you want, drive where you want, enjoy what you want, eat what you want, sit where you want, walk where you want and just BE WHO YOU ARE!

It’s nice to spend time in a solitude place, perhaps not many will understand why or really how much that this is my place.

I. Love. The. Beach.

Not a man made beach… but a real one, a nice one! Driving out to Long Island is where you can find a few of the nicer ones.  I did that. I needed that. I had to disconnect. For a moment I felt lonely. Then I felt relieved, refreshed and myself recharging. As I watched every wave hit the shore, it was like each wave replenishing and calming my soul.

Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Psalm 131:2

I prayed, cried, laughed, walked and also just sat as I got an opportunity to watch the sun get swallowed by the evening clouds. Simple things that make you smile and make you appreciate the moment.

Every day requires so much time, energy, tasks, thinking, sharing, helping, giving, analyzing and so much more, that by the end of it, you are left completely spent. It’s just overwhelming. So to take a moment with me, selfishly, was worth it because no one knows how much I prefer this serenity and atmosphere just like this.

For me, it was just right and just how I wanted to spend my evening. Uncluttered.

Where is your place? What do you like to do? You know how you can be in a group and the questions keep flying around … “No where do you wanna go? What do you wanna do?”

When you suggest –they say no anyway! LOL So make the effort, time and even the risk to just drop everything and everyone to take yourself out on a date with just YOU! What you end up doing is spending a quiet evening with the One who created you. It becomes the most precious thing. A wonderful evening with just you and Him.

Make it happen. Treat yourself after a long week, a long trial, a long month or whatever season you find yourself in. You have to take care of yourself. You have to make sure that you are energized and well rested mentally and physically so that you can function at flourishing capacity.  ❤

“For I will refresh the weary soul and replenish all who are weak.”
Jeremiah 31:25

 

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