Where Would I Be?

Posted on Sep 9, 2021 in Forgiven- A Daily Devotion | Tags: , , , ,

By Anita Mondragon
 
The other day, I began remembering all the good things in my life…things that God has given to me.  Then, I remembered the days before I knew Him.  What a contrast!  Those days were sad, lonely, and full of despair.  So I sat down and wrote the lyrics to what someday I hope will be a song.  These words were written to the Lord, to express my gratitude for His gracious mercy to me.  They are more of a prayer than anything. 

 

My days before You, were empty…

Lonely, and filled with cries.

But You gave me a reason to live…

The first time I looked in your eyes.

You knew my soul needed saving…

That’s why You died for me.

As You hung on the Cross, between Heaven and earth

…There…on Mount Calvary!

Only You know what would have happened,

To this wretched, lost soul…namely ME;

If I didn’t have You in my world…

Then, where in this world would I be?

Oh what love!  What marvelous love,
 that You should die for me!
If I didn’t have You in my world…
then where in this world would I be?

HE SPEAKS TO ME Part 1

Posted on Sep 2, 2021 in Forgiven- A Daily Devotion | Tags: , ,

By Grace Bejarano
 
A few years ago, I yearned to walk in the power of God.. I have a very strong desire to have the Lord’s working power flow through my hands.. I pray all the time, Lord using me as a willing servant. . I tried to figure out who God is from a logical sense. I kept asking Him,  “Why is this so tiring? Why doesn’t  your power seem to flow through me like it flows through others…I need a vacation,
After a few years, I finally asked the Lord, “What am I doing wrong?”
 
I received a scripture while in prayer:  John 15:5:8 NKJ.
 
I am the vine, you are the branches. HE who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing, If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the file, and they are burned.
 
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By  this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be my disciples. 
 
Lesson learned: I learned to surrender everything to the Lord and I mean everything because sometimes when you are seeking the Lord everything around you falls apart and instead of being stuck and fearful I decided to surrender everything I couldn’t control.. What was I trying to control anyway? I prayed and asked the Lord to strip me of everything that wasn’t of Him.  
 
WOW! I felt like the top  layer of my skin was pulled off, I was so vulnerable, so raw, so undone, words can’t describe the feeling. This feeling of walking on my tippy toes, God is holding up  my hands and pulling me to move forward. 
The feeling is scary, exciting, and every emotion is gone, just me and Jesus— just being in one accord with Him. So wonderful, so peaceful.
 
I got it. I finally got it. Being in one accord with the Holy Spirit, just you and Jesus and the holy spirit flowing. My spiritual gifts started flowing and the Lord used me to heal people and speak life into their situations, My entire life changed everything about my life changed. The way I think, the way I eat, the way I dress. 
 
So if you are looking for a life changing event. Use John 15:5-8 to change your mind and way of thinking. 
 
And there will be a part 2 to the John 15 chapter because there are times when I am feeling so unloved. I care for everyone else but they abuse me and I have to remember that I am not rejected but I am loved.
 
In Jesus, name amen. Be blessed.
 
 

Row Row Row Your Boat

Posted on Sep 1, 2021 in Forgiven- A Daily Devotion | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

By Anita Mondragon
 
Do you ever find yourself tired…weary?  Do you feel at times that you are the only one in the boat, rowing towards the shores of Heaven?  I must confess that I do have these feelings from time to time.
 
I look at folks around me that are in the boat-on their way to Heaven, but they don’t seem to be rowing as hard as I am!  I don’t “row” to keep my Salvation, I “row” because Jesus has saved me from an awful fate, and I am forever grateful to Him for being rescued; but I am also tired, and in need of encouragement!

But God’s Word says:

“Let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due season we shall reap, IF we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

I read this little poem-I don’t even know who wrote it, but it gave me the strength I need, just for today!  It says this…

“Don’t stop praying, but have more trust;

Don’t stop praying; for pray we must;

 Faith will banish a mountain of care…

 So don’t stop praying!  God answers prayer.”

-Unknown

So, for today, I will keep my armor on…hold my sword, and be ready to strike the enemy should he come calling; and, while rowing, however tired I may be, I will look for lost souls upon life’s troubled sea, and be a life boat for those sinking in the waves of despair.


Your Gracious Gift

Posted on Aug 30, 2021 in Forgiven- A Daily Devotion | Tags: , , ,

By: Anita Mondragon
 
I went to the Promise Box this morning and found the following:

“Jesus said unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man comes to the Father, but by Me.” -John 14:6

I began to ponder that verse in my mind-asking myself such questions as:

  1. Did Jesus know from the beginning, that He was going to have to die for us?
  2. Did He have anxiety over the thought of having to suffer?
  3. Did He see the picture of the Cross…the hill where three crosses stood…the soldiers casting lots for his clothes…his mother, and Mary Magdalene, weeping at the foot of his cross…all the legions of angels in heaven ready to fight, to rescue the Son of God…all of nature wailing the loss of their Creator?
  4. When He prayed, “Not my will…but Yours, Father” – did he hear some of the angels whispering amongst themselves, “Isn’t there another way for Him to accomplish Salvation?  …There has to be an easier way…”

 

If He knows my life from beginning to end-I’m quite sure He knew everything that was going to take place in His life.  I believe He knew from before the foundation of this world that Adam and Eve would sin, and that He would have to die for that sin in order to save us all.

Yes…there may have been an easier route that He could have taken.  He could have made us without free will to choose.  Then He would not have had to die, because we would not have sinned.

But…that would not be love.  It’s our free will to come to God when He woos us to Himself that makes it love on our part.  And when He chose to die for all of us-even those that He knew would never come to Him- THAT was LOVE on His part!

“How gracious was your gift to me; that I a sinner lost, might live.  Yourself, You did all freely give, mine…ever mine, to be!”  -Unknown

 
 
 
 

Time To Get Back To Learning

Posted on Aug 29, 2021 in Forgiven- A Daily Devotion | Tags: , , , ,

By Anita Mondragon
 
 
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

******************

Time for school to start again!  Parents, and children alike are excited at this time.  New clothes, new shoes, brand new school supplies, lunch boxes, backpacks-all with that “new smell” to them!

Summer Vacation was fun…but it’s time to get back to learning!

How many of us have “stepped away” from God for a short while?  

We just got tired of all the rules…the discipline…the consequences…the study/learning part of going through trials and trusting God to handle it all for us.  ….So we “took a short vacation”, did our own thing for a time, and soon found out that learning from Him wasn’t so hard after all!

“Vacation” from Him seemed fun at first, until the consequences of our actions caught up with us! In fact, the lessons we had to go through during our “vacation” were very unpleasant!  …. And those consequences?  ….Well, they were more than we could bear at times!

Then, there are others of you that have never come to God.  Maybe you’ve never heard of His love and grace.  You’ve always done things your own way and paid the consequences; but now, you are looking for a change.  You are tired…weary!

Whichever dilemma you find yourself in, know this:   Jesus is still right where He was when we decided to take a detour.  He still stands there with arms open wide, waiting for us to come back and LEARN how to live life the easy way.  The Bible says, He’ll show us how to rest from all the nonsense of this world, He will walk with us, and we will find rest for our souls.

Are you tired?  I know I am!  Time to come back and LEARN from Him!  He will be right there for us when our problems seem unsolvable.  He will solve them for us!

Would sitting at the feet of Jesus, and learning from Him be something that some of you have never done?  If you come to Him, He’ll make everything new!  The ugly things you’ve suffered will go away; you’ll find that “new smell”, even in the mundane things of everyday life!  He will give you something new to wear…it’s called the robe of righteousness!

Come to “school” with me, and let’s learn from the Master!  Are you with me?


I Don’t Know You

Posted on Aug 28, 2021 in Forgiven- A Daily Devotion | Tags: , ,

By: Anita Mondragon
 
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘LORD, LORD,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘LORD, LORD, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
We are getting ready to start a revival on the 29 of this month.  Below is a poem I wrote years ago, but it bears repeating.  As we begin this revival, we need to remember that all of us will stand before Almighty God one day.  When he looks at us, will he KNOW us?  Will he KNOW our family members, friends and those around us?  Will he look at those of us that do KNOW him and ask WHY we never shared his love and salvation story with those he doesn’t KNOW?  
The time is short!  He’ll be coming back soon.  It’s high time we that KNOW him as our Lord and Savior get busy and show others the way!
We are getting ready to start a revival on the 29th of this month.  Below is a poem I wrote years ago, but it bears repeating.  As we begin this revival, we need to remember that all of us will stand before Almighty God one day.  When he looks at us, will he KNOW us?  Will he KNOW our family members, friends and those around us?  Will he look at those of us that do KNOW him and ask WHY we never shared his love and salvation story with those he doesn’t KNOW?  
 
The time is short!  He’ll be coming back soon.  It’s high time we that KNOW him as our Lord and Savior get busy and show others the way!

PRAISE TO THE CREATOR!

Posted on Aug 26, 2021 in Forgiven- A Daily Devotion | Tags: , , , ,

By: Anita Mondragon
 
I wrote the following poem one day while on a fishing trip in the mountains with my husband.  Not sure if I’ve ever shared it before…but I’m just having a thankful day. So grateful for all of God’s love and mercy towards me…including all the beauty He supplies every day if I’ll just take the time to stop and look…
 

PRAISE TO THE CREATOR! 

The grass so green,

The sky so blue,

The birds on wing,

All speak of YOU!

The soft blowing breeze,

The choir of birds,

Each sings their praise

Without any words!

But YOU of Lord,

Know the language of bees…

Of birds on the air,

And rustling leaves;

Of water that laps,

And waves that roar;

Of crabs that crawl

On the sandy shore…

Of butterflies that

Seemingly don’t make a sound…

Of tiny insects that crawl on the ground;

YOU know the language

Of trees and flowers

That dance on the breeze

In the moonlit hours.

Of sunlight that shines

On the rivers and seas,

The rippling water on the lakes

From the breeze.

Earth sings her song

To the Father above

Who created them all

In His infinite love!


McCrosky’s Pond

Posted on Aug 24, 2021 in Forgiven- A Daily Devotion | Tags: ,

By: Anita Mondragon
 
“Search me O God, and know my heart, try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me…”  Psalms 139: 23 & 24
 

It had become a ritual for Braden to walk the small parcel of land left to him by his father.  It was almost as important to him as his morning devotions. In the middle of the property, was a small pond.  On hot days, he would stoop down to drink from its coolness.  It was so beautiful…like a small oasis, with tall trees lining its edges and giving shade to the weary traveler! The pool sparkled so cool and clean, its contents so refreshing.  It was his sanctuary…his refuge.

 
On one particularly hot summer day, as Braden neared his special place, a soft breeze began to blow. It felt good against his sweaty skin as he closed his eyes and stopped momentarily to enjoy it.  Then, he pressed on, ever eager to reach his favorite place of peace and rest.  He couldn’t wait to taste the clean, clear water and quench his parched throat. As he reached the banks of the pond, he stooped down, cupped his hands and was ready to revel in the coolness of its depths.  
Just then, the soft breeze that had caressed him only moments before, became gusty.  The tree tops swirled wildly above him, and the light of the noonday sun penetrated the shade as shafts of light reached the bottom of the pool. As he peered into the pond, he saw for the first time, the REAL contents that lay beneath the surface.  There were bottles, and trash, old rusty car parts, and even some polliwogs!  The water wasn’t clean at all!  It was muddy and murky.  It was full of impurities!
 Our hearts are like that pond.  We look so innocent, so clean.  So pure.  But when the breath of God sweeps over us and the light of His Son, Jesus, penetrates the depths of our souls, we finally see how impure we are.  Only then can we realize and admit to ourselves, and to God, that we need to be cleaned up…cleaned out…made new. Only Jesus can do that for us!
Call on Him now.  He’s waiting to cleanse you from all your sin!

HE LOVES ME!

Posted on Aug 13, 2021 in Forgiven- A Daily Devotion | Tags: , ,

By: Anita Mondragon
 
 
For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” -Hebrews 12:6
 
Years ago, when I was a missionary in Mexico, I recall standing up in a testimony meeting and saying: “I thank the Lord for all the spankings He’s given me over the years!” I can tell you, that statement raised some eyebrows! But I remember my dad always telling my brother and me that he loved us, and couldn’t let us continue doing wrong and that’s why we were getting disciplined.
 
It’s the same with God. He loves us so much that he can’t allow us to continue on in our sin. Sometimes, he can speak to us and we will turn from our wrong path; but other times, when we are hell-bent on having our own way, he has to get our attention…and that can get a little rough-especially if you’re hard headed like me!
 
I have a little dog that’s just like me. He’s disobedient, way-ward, stubborn, and downright defiant at times! He shows his teeth, growls, and even tries to nip me. This usually happens when it’s time for him to go outside and do his business. He hates going out at night…or in the snow and rain, but he must! We also have a huge hawk around here and he’s afraid of it.
 
He reminds me of myself.
 
God impresses upon me that I need to speak to someone about Him…but it’s out of my comfort zone. This person is in a dark, dark place and there are many elements I must wade through to reach that goal. Sometimes, demon powers are so thick I can feel them grab at me…and the devil himself is lurking, waiting to devour me. But I MUST press on and witness!
 
Sometimes, it takes me a while to move as God has instructed me. I ‘show my teeth and growl’, and even bite back with my words of defiance and arguments; that’s when he speaks to me and explains ‘why’ I must go. If I still hesitate and put up a fight…he must get my attention, and that can become rough if I continue in my disobedience .
 
You see, just like I know what is best for my little dog…God KNOWS what is best for me! Why?? Because He loves me!

A GODLY FEAR

Posted on Aug 11, 2021 in Forgiven- A Daily Devotion | Tags: , , ,

By: Michael Mondragon
 
I want to talk about living in fear. Fear pervades our lives in a variety of ways. Some of us live with fear daily. Fear is a BIG THING now and it seems this is the tool that the enemy is using. It makes us weak, ineffective, and keeps us isolated. This is how the enemy divides God’s people. And, when divided, we can be defeated so much more easily!

We fear the Coronavirus. We fear the end of the world. We fear war. Some of us fear what others think of us. We fear many things! But, there is such a thing as a healthy fear. This fear is what God gave us. It keeps us safe and honest. It is a trigger that keeps us from dangerous situations. There are different kinds of fear…fear of danger as I just mentioned, fear-or to be afraid and expect the worst, and reverential fear- to stand in awe of God Almighty.

God speaks to our fears daily. In Isaiah 41:10, God says, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

The phrase, “Fear not” is mentioned 365 times in the Bible! That’s one for every day of the year! Look them up…you’ll be amazed!

The Lord provided us fear as an emotion in nature to keep us from harm-a preservation instinct. But He never intended it to overwhelm you! Most of our fears are unfounded because we don’t trust the Lord to have control of every situation in our lives. We must place all our fears in His care for He understands and knows what is and what will come to pass. He has you in the palm of His hand!

I encourage you to have Godly fear-a reverent fear for WHO He is! But fear that pervades our lives in a negative way is something that God does not want us to continue to dwell in! We become ineffective for His use and we live our lives and settle for less than what God has for us! Get to KNOW Him in a personal way…then you will be able to discern the counterfeit!

LIVE IN THE LIGHT OF HIS PRESENCE AND THE DARKNESS WILL BE ULTIMATELY EXPOSED! GET FREE FROM FEAR TODAY! DON’T LIVE IN FEAR, BUT IN TRUTH AND LIGHT! AMEN!


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