"Please God Help Me!"

I want to share with you a short story. It was a little over 14 years ago when I was at one of the darkest places in my life. I was strung out on drugs, homeless crashing at my aunt’s house, and in violation of my probation. My first daughter had just turned a year old. I sent her to live with father’s parents. I was so depressed and sick. I didn’t know what else to do. I believed that Jesus was real and that He would help me if I prayed and cried out to Him. So I did.

I will never forget that night and the series of events that happened from then on. I was lying on the top bunk of my cousin’s bed crying, “Please God help me! I am tired of all of this. I need your help! I want my daughter back. I want my family back. Please God help me!” I cried myself to sleep that night. The next morning I went ahead living my dysfunctional life. I went off to work and on my lunch break I got high and ended up committing a crime. I was arrested for not only that charge but for violation of probation. I knew that I was facing a prison sentence. I was scared, but I also had a sense of relief. No more running. No more hiding. Finally!! All of sudden I remembered my prayer from the previous night. “God this is your idea of answering my prayer? Ok??”

Our Lord in His mercy and grace gave me favor once again with the judge. After three months in jail I was sentenced to a drug rehabilitation center as an alternative to prison. If I completed this six month program my probation would be reinstated and I could move on with my life. But I was still so full of rebellion. I ended breaking the rules and violating my stay. Back to jail I went to await sentencing. This would be the third time that I would violate and the judge promised me that if I messed up again that I would be sentenced to prison for sure. That’s exactly what happened. I was sentenced to five years in the Florida State Prison.

Seems like a terrible story huh? Well it isn’t! What I didn’t share with you is that from the day that I got locked up I began drawing close to God and He drew close to me too. I got a bible and I would read and ask God to help me understand His Word. I did not know that what I was asking would result in the process of renewing my mind. I began to pray and seek Him like never before. He put a beautiful woman of God in my life, Sonia, who was not only strong in her faith but strong in personality too. He knew I needed someone like her to mentor me and speak into my life words of faith, truth, hope, and power. We meet at the rehab center where she had volunteered for an outreach event. She promised that she would write me. I did not believe her but she wrote me letters weekly from then on. She became my spiritual mother. It was through her that I first really experienced the love of Christ. She is still by my side today.

By the grace of God my five year sentenced ended up being eighteen months instead. Those eighteen months the Holy Spirit taught me the Word of God and filled me to overflowing with His Spirit. One day I received a card from my Sonia with my name and the meaning of it. Lisa comes from Elizabeth, which means consecrated to God. Consecrated means set aside, or to declare or set apart as sacred. All of a sudden I realized that the Lord allowed me to be sent to prison not only to save me from my destructive path but so that I could be set apart for Him and His purpose. Without the rest of the world and drama in my ear I could finally hear from God. My life has not been the same since. Everything that I lost and that the enemy took from me God has been restored to me in abundance. The years of pain, loneliness, and sadness have been replaced with joy, peace, and hope. Today I am surrounded by people who love me. I have undeservedly been rewarded with the blessing of several children. Our God has been faithful to build me up in Christ Jesus. I am no longer a victim of life’s circumstances. I am an over comer in Christ Jesus!

I wanted to share this with you because I believe that there is someone who has been crying out to God, “Help me God! Please help me!” and it may seem that your situation is getting worse, but it isn’t. God may not answer your prayers the way that you think He should but you cannot rely on your own understanding. His ways are so much higher than ours. His ways are so much better. You may not see it right now, but God is working in the midst of everything. Learn to walk by faith and not by sight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I don’t know what your situation is but as I’ve shared I had created such a mess of my life that even though He saved me the moment I believed and cried out to Him, He still needed to do some major reconstruction to my entire life from the inside out. In my rebelliousness I planted some bad seeds and I still needed to reap what I had sown and face the consequences of my actions. I could have gotten angry at God but it wasn’t His fault that I ended up in prison. It was mine. It was my own foolishness and rebelliousness that got me there. It was our Lord in His mercy and grace by the power of His Holy Spirit that gave me the strength, courage, and perseverance to endure through it all without becoming angry and bitter.

Proverbs 19:3 says, “People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD.” There are people who get made at God when they are overwhelmed with debt but they mismanage their money and are tightfisted, scared to give their tithes and offerings. Others get mad at Him because they don’t see a breakthrough in their families but instead of speaking words of faith in their home they are speaking words of unbelief, doubt, and defeat. They are tearing apart their own homes by the words of their mouth. There comes a time where we have to accept responsibility for our disobedience, repent, and ask God to help us back onto the narrow road. We have to learn to desire God’s will more than our own.

When God is restructuring our life we cannot get angry with Him. We must remember that God is the Master Potter. He is working at His wheel. We are the jar of clay that He had a very specific plan and divine purpose for from the time that we were in our mother’s womb. However, because of our desire to have our own way and all the resistance we gave Him we messed the jar up some. So he has to start over remolding and shaping us. But this is a good thing because when God is working with a willing vessel they become one of His vessels of honor which He uses to make the riches of His glory shine through. (Jeremiah 18:1-7, Romans 9:21-23)

I want to encourage you to let go of your own plans and your own will. Become a willing vessel and trust the Lord through the remolding process. Allow Him to continue the good work that He has started. He knows what He is doing. We can trust Him with our lives. We can be sure that the end results and reward will be better than the beginning. Hold on to the verses in Isaiah 43:18-19

“But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

You cried out, “God Help Me!” now it’s time that you let Him help you HIS WAY, NOT YOUR WAY! Obey and trust Him you will not be sorry.

Keep Believing For Your Family

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

I did a posting back in April about how many of my family members had been surrendering their lives to Christ Jesus. (You And Your Household Will Be Saved) At that time my father still had not taken that step of faith. He had been going to church for about two months and receiving the Word, but there was an awful battle going on for his soul. Every time the altar call was made we could see by his expression that he was having inner turmoil. We all knew that he was tired and stressed out from the path that he had chosen, but he kept listening to the tormenting spirits that would give him every excuse as to why it was not time to surrender.

My husband and I knew that there were demonic forces that were tormenting his mind, so we continued to fervently pray, along with many others believers, for my father to turn from His wayward lifestyle and receive the gift of salvation. About two months ago when the altar call was made I looked at my dad and he nodded his head and reached his hand for mine, we stood and began to walk to the altar. He knew that the Lord was calling him and that it was time to go to the foot of the cross to seek refuge and to be transformed. He knew he could no longer go on doing things his own way.

At the altar he repented and confessed Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior. When I heard him say the words, “Jesus change me” I began to cry and cry and praise God. Even as I write this I am crying because for anyone that knows my father knows that this was truly a miracle. Maybe one day I can share more of his testimony.

From that day on he has not been the same. As a result our family has not been the same either. We are stronger now then we ever have been. We have been sealed together by the blood of Christ. It is awesome to go to church with all of my family. For those that don’t know I’m Puerto Rican. Puerto Rican families roll pretty deep. Our church had a night of worship and between me and my husband’s family there was 25 of us shouting, dancing, praising and worshipping God. It was AWESOME!!

I think the icing on the cake for me was this past weekend when my father, step-mother, three of my brothers, sister, niece and future sister-in-law all meet up at the beach where our church was doing baptisms. My father was the first to be baptized. Then the men that baptized him told him that as the head and covering of his family that he should baptize his wife as well as his children. So he did. I watched has he prayed over our family. His face was full joy and honor. I stood there knowing that generational curses were being broken. We were entering a new season in our lives. Things will never be the same. They will be better even through the trials and tribulations that we will have to face.

By the time he got to the last person. I saw a new man standing there, a new father. The old had gone and the new had arrived. God had given me the desire of my heart to see my father saved and renewed. I knew that I needed to allow my new father to re-baptize me. When I walked into the water he looked surprised and he said, “You?”. (tears)

I am telling you this so that you can be encouraged for your family. He can save the toughest of people and soften the hardest of hearts. That is what has happened in my own family. Nothing is impossible for Him! Don’t stop praying and interceding. Don’t stop believing. Most of all don’t stop sharing the love of Christ with them. They will be drawn to the love of Christ in you, not the religious spirit who is always hounding them. LOVE is the key! Learn to develop the fruit of the Spirit in your life and they will not be able to deny the fruit that see. They are watching you. When they need someone to turn to for help, encouragement, advice, and even prayer they will know to come to you. Don’t get tired and give up. You will reap a harvest in due season. Keep believing that you and your entire family will be saved. (Galatians 5:22-23, Galatians 6:9)

They Too Will Believe

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
And He turned to me and heard my cry,
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
Out of the mud and the mire,
He set my feet on solid ground
And he steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing.
A hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what He has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

I love this Psalm! It’s the story of my life. I was a mess before Jesus. Then one day I realized it and I cried out to Him for help. That was the day my life changed forever. He began lifting me up out the terrible mess that I had made of my life. He drew me closer to Him with the hunger He put in my heart for His Word. That is the solid ground that I walk on today, His Word. He truly has steadied me as I walk on this journey through life with Him. He is there holding my hand so that when I stumble I do not fall.

His praises..Well I am always singing praises to our Lord. I love worshipping Him. I lift my hands up and close my eyes knowing with all my heart that I am in His presence. I can be in a crowded church and I don’t care. I sing and worship Him with all of my heart.

This is something that the old Lisa would have never have done. Today I am new creation in Christ Jesus. The old has gone and the new has come. What the enemy tried to use to destroy me the Lord turned for my good and for His glory. I now stand on the Rock. He is my source of hope, strength, wisdom, and determination. He is the new song that I sing. Many have seen what He has done for me and are amazed. They too have put their trust in Him.

When I read these verses in Psalm 40 I receive comfort and confirmation that I need not be ashamed to share my testimony. You see I know that I am not the only one who was a mess and had to cry to Jesus for Him to lift them up out the pit of despair. Many people today are in despair and our drowning in the mud and miry clay. They are stuck.

What can give them hope and faith? Our testimonies can. Our lives can. We are to be living testimonies for all to see.

“Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.”

It doesn’t get much clearer than that. Others need to know that they are not alone in their mess. They need to know that we were in the pit also at one time but that we cried out to Jesus for salvation and He saved us. Then they will understand why we try to live our lives pleasing to God. Then they will understand why the name of Jesus is always on our lips. Then they too will believe and be saved. Your life can give others hope. So live to glorify Him and be ready to share your story of deliverance. If someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it and do it as a representative of our Lord. (1 Peter 3:15)

“You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Colossians 4:16-17

A Soul Is Saved! Rejoice!

"There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:9

My whole being has been rejoicing since last night. I am overflowing with joy and standing in awe of our God's majesty. When the Lord is calling you and looking for you He will find you. He does not leave us alone without hope. He answers us when we cry out to Him. Our Lord will never reject a broken and repentant heart. He accepts the sacrifice of a broken spirit laid down at His feet. Thank you Jesus!!

As many of you know I founded a ministry called WeUsed2bu. It is a Christian girl/woman advice site. I have been co-laboring in this minsitry with my partner and dear friend, Deana Colon aka Saved by Faith, for almost a year. We get questions from women seeking advice and counsel for their lives all the time. We had no idea how much our Lord would use this site to impact and influence other women's lives.

Recently a young women found us online and befriended us on our WeUsed2bu MySpace. She explained that she lived in Ft.Lauderdale and that she just recently started attending Calvary Chapel Ft.Lauderdale. She went on to say that she found the church big and felt a little lost and asked if we had any suggestions. I emailed her and encouraged her to get involved in small groups and women bible studies. I also explained that I too attend Calvary and would love to meet her there this Wednesday night. So last night I had the priviledge of meeting up with her at church.

We got to talk and listened to the service together. It was very apparent that the Holy Spirit was working on her heart and confirming to her what she already knew, that she needed to lay her life down at Jesus feet. At the end of the study when Pastor Bob gave the altar call we immediately went right up rejoicing and crying tears of joy and excitement. I am so honored that the Lord allowed me and WeUsed2bu to be apart of this divine appointment. Glory be to God.

Melissa sent us her testimony and I will be sharing that here with you tomorrow. Please keep our new sister in your prayers and if anyone has anything that they would like to say to her please post it here.

Enclosing I would just like to encourage whoever it is that is afraid of stepping out and doing what our Lord has put on your heart to stop making excuses. He has given you a dream and a vision to help change the lives of others around you. You were saved to be used by Him to be a blessing to others. Don't despise small beginnings because that is where He will teach you to be faithful and diligent in your service to Him and others. You just have to be courageous and step out in faith.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who loved Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

You Have Something To Say

Several weeks ago I was invited to share my story on a site called Power Up Love. Power Up Love is a site where real people are sharing real stories, about how Love has really impacted and changed their lives. I went ahead and shared my story with their readers last week. I am trusting God to bring the right people who need to read my story to their site. I know that it will help someone to know that they are not alone and that God is no respector of persons, what He has done for me He will do for them.

What about you? I know you have something to say. A God story. A praise report. A story of deliverance.

You have something to say that someone needs to hear. Don't be ashamed or afraid to share your story of how our Lord delivered you from whatever it is. I had been in and out of jail since I was a young teenager and eventaully ended up in prison because I was so rebellious and full of rage. I was on drugs, involved in gangs, rude, angry, selfish, a thief, and so many other ugly things. I am not happy about who I was, but I am no longer ashamed.

I am one of God's many trophies of grace. He saved me and cleaned me up. He washed away all of my sins and gave me a solid foundation to build my life on, Jesus Christ. Today I share my story without fear. I don't care what the religious Pharisees of today think or what the self-righteous Christian says. I live for Jesus, not for man.

We can not not allow the enemy to try to hold us back by making me us feel that we are worthless because of our past. We have to be sure and confident of who we are in Christ Jesus. I know that I have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, so have you. Our sins are at the bottom of the ocean to be remembered no more. We are no longer worthless and lost. We are children of the most High God saved to serve and help save the lost. We do this by sharing our stories.

I encourage you to not be afraid to share your testimony. Don't allow what you went through to be in vain. Allow our Lord to use these experiences to help others. We defeat the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. We lay down our own lives when we share it with others. (Revelation 12:11)

You have something to say... Don't quench the Holy Spirit of God when He is directing you to speak to someone in love. This is not of yourself. It is not about you. It is about the person that needs to hear what God wants to say through you. Open your mouth, do not be afraid. The Lord will give you the Words to speak and when He does it will be annointed with His power to heal, deliver, and confirm. He will give you courage if you will only allow Him to have His way. Be his conduit.

Do You Walk the Talk?

“We try to live in such a way that no one will ever be offended or kept back from finding the Lord by the way we act, so that no one can find fault with us and blame it on the Lord. In fact, in everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God.” 2 Corinthians 6:1-4

Our lives are living testimonies of our faith. The way we act, our speech, our attitude, our level of patience and understanding, our reaction to persecution, trials and problems are a witness to others of what we truly believe. We can claim to be Christians to those around us, but do our lives reflect true faith and submission to the Word of God? What influence are we really having on those around us?

How we live will either draw people to the Lord or keep them from finding Him. If unbelievers find fault with our lives then they will blame it on the Lord and reject the message of the Gospel. I know from personal experience that there are those people who will always try to find fault in us. However, we are still to prove ourselves to be true Christians by living blameless lives, knowing the Word of God, and staying true to the Lord even through persecution. Read what Paul says below.

“We have proved ourselves to be what we claim by our wholesome lives and by our understanding of the Gospel and by our patience. We have been kind and truly loving and filled with the Holy Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 6:6

“We stand true to the Lord whether others honor us or despise us, whether they criticize us or commend us. We are honest, but they call us liars. The world ignores us, but we are known to God” 2 Corinthians 6:8-9

Witnessing to others is more than just passing out tracks and going out in groups to share the Gospel. We are witnessing all the time to those around us with the way we live our lives and conduct our business. That is why it is imperative that we “Walk the Talk” being doers of the Word, not just hearers. If we are living daily to please God by obeying His Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us, others around us will notice. They will see the love of God in us and the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). We become living testimonies to everyone around us of the power of God.

Paul’s life was proof to those that he ministered to that his message was truly from God. When Paul brought the Good News to the Thessalonians, it was not just meaningless chatter to them, no, they listened with great interest. What he told them produced a powerful effect upon them because the Holy Spirit gave them full assurance that what he said was true. Paul’s life was further proof to them of the truth of the message. So they also became followers of the Lord, becoming living examples to all the other Christians and unbelievers in Greece. (1 Thessalonians 1:4-10)

When our friends, family, and co-workers see our wholesome lives they will be more willing to receive our message from the Holy Spirit. We may even be the one who gets to reap the harvest of leading them to the Lord. Let us all walk the talk and prove ourselves to be what we claim to be, followers of Christ Jesus

"Meet Me At The Club...It's Going Down"

It's Friday night, just got paid, babysitter is coming over, and I am ready to unwind. Off to dinner and then dancing and with our friends. That used to be me and I don't mean before I was saved and professing Christ. I used to love clubbing every weekend or going to Fat Tuesdays on the beach. My husband and I love dancing. It seemed harmless because I really did not plan to drink all that much. Beside I was with my husband. My plan would be to have one or two drinks because someone had to be the "good one" who knew moderation, plus I was usually the designated driver.

But the more I began going to church and reading the bible my desires starting changing. I began feeling like I was doing something wrong. At first I would still go to the club or bar but I noticed that every time I went I perceived my surroundings much differently. It's like God lifted a veil off of my eyes. What used to seem harmless and fun now seemed dangerous and destructive. Guys and girls would hit on me and husband provoking an altercation. They didn’t care that we were together. The majority of the girls dress so provocative that it's almost impossible for men not to look at them and have lustful thoughts. Most of the people excessively drink and dancing has become mainly bumping and grinding. Lack of self control was no longer appealing to me.

The Lord kept reminding me that I was to be a living testimony to others, especially my children. I knew in my heart that being in those places was destroying my witness. I would read the bible and see scriptures that would speak so clearly to me about this issue saying,

“Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness”- Romans 13:12-13
“People that participate in wild parties will not inherit the Kingdom of God”-Galatians 5:18-21
“You are all children of the light and of the day, and do not belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard not asleep like the others. Watch for his return and stay sober. Night is the time for sleep and the time when people get drunk. But let us who live in the light keep sober..”- 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8

It was clear to me that I needed to leave the party days behind me.

I know that there is someone reading this that is struggling with this issue just like I did. God wants the best for you. You were cleansed by the blood of Jesus so that you could become a new creature. You are supposed to be different from the world and its ways, not blending in. Partying and clubbing is part of your “sinful nature”. For your own good do not ignore the Holy Spirit. He is leading you into truth and freedom so that you can bring glory to God. So look upon your old sin nature as dead and unresponsive to sin and instead be alive to God. (Romans 6:11)