...A Little Child Shall Lead Them

I have titled this message " A little Child Shall Lead Them" because it fits so well with a spiritual lesson in life that my 8 year old son taught me during our Summer vacation. The phrase was taken from Isaiah 11:6, which concerns the prophecy of the Messiah's peaceful reign here on earth. That is not what this message is about but a sweet account of how the LORD used my son to teach me what it is to find joy in an adverse situation.

Recently my son broke his arm very badly approximately 1 week prior to our Summer vacation to Canyon Lake. This break required two pins and rod, it was a horrible experience for us all but the LORD is merciful. My son was excited to hear that there was a possibility of getting a waterproof cast, but was later told this would not be possible since he had to have pins and a rod inserted it made the risk of infection greater. This of course meant no swimming or kayaking for Thomas. I was all prepared to hear the endless pining of my son's desire to get into the water and having to tell him over and over that he couldn't. Before we even got to the beach I was feeling so sad for him that I was thinking maybe we should just cancel the trip.

Here is the wonderful lesson that I learned from my son. As we went out to the man-made beach side of the lake, he was super excited! He knew he couldn't go into the water, but he didn't care, he was just glad to be there. As I watched him walk along the shore picking up seashells and skipping rocks, all I could see on his little face was peace, joy, happiness and contentment. Wow!! Just like that I saw what the LORD meant in Matthew 18:2-4:

"And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

My son didn't care that something unexpected happened that altered his initial plans of swimming and splashing around in the water, he was just happy to be there with his family. He was happy to be at the lake and enjoyed the moment he was in. He found joy in his present condition and he NEVER complained. I was so grateful for this moment and I almost cried as I watched him play and I thanked the LORD for that sweet lesson. I pray that I will always have fond memories of his "chicken wing" that's what he called his broke arm. The LORD says in Nehemiah 8:10

"...for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

Father, I am so thankful for the joy that you have given me in Christ Jesus, no matter what the situation is, there is joy to be found in your Son. Amen

Friends I pray that in whatever situation you are in your life today that there is an abundance of joy and peace. If you find yourself in a place of hopelessness or despair try to remember the "chicken wing" and the little lesson from a child. The LORD is faithful and he will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able and He will with the temptation make away of escape that you will be able to bear it ( 1Corinthians 10:13.)

Blessings my friends in Christ and may the LORD richly bless you with all spiritual blessings that can be found in Christ Jesus our LORD.

AMEN!!!!

Be Still My Soul

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change, He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

What a beautiful song. Why do we suffer so needlessly when we have a Heavenly Father on our side who will carry us all the way from here to eternity. How little we value the LOVE of GOD and it’s endless worth. I am so thankful that the LORD is showing through all of my trials in life, that the only thing that matters is that HE loves me and HE wants me to trust HIM with all of my being. I’m learning…it’s a slow process but I’m learning. There’s seems to be daily trials and moment by moment issues that try our faith. Sometimes big and sometimes small. There are also those little nipping ankle biters that seem to go along nagging at the coat tails of our patients. But I am learning to Be Still and know that GOD is GOD all by HIMSELF and HE does not need my help to solve my problems. HE requires my obedience to prayerfully make the right choices.
I can not say that all of my choices are perfect, but I will say that the choices I make always have a consciousness towards GOD whether good or bad, the LORD is on my mind. I am so grateful that the LORD loves me so much that HE will not allow me to sin without rebuke, and not trusting HIM in my darkest hours is sin. King David recorded his thoughts on this matter in Psalm 77:7-10:

7 Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?
8 Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?
9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.
10 And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.

David asks all of these questions to himself and in pain he knows the answers. This was David’s infirmity, not having the experience of these blessings at that moment and he knows that his salvation is only going to come from the LORD. But David goes on to say, “but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. Can we say that today? In our darkest hour or even our dimmest day, that even though I don’t see the redemption of the LORD, I know that it is nigh, and I will remember the right hand of the MOST HIGH.
I leave you with 1 Peter 5:10 :

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

I pray that today you walk in the GRACE of GOD. AMEN

Too Full

Have you ever enjoyed a really good meal and you were so stuffed you felt as though you would burst but you just wanted one more bite. Well that is how I felt after a week long Church Revival. One night in particular the LORD blessed me beyond measure. I was so filled by the power of the Holy Spirit that I felt like I was going to burst but I wanted some more. When I got home I just didn’t know what to do with myself. I must have talked my husbands left ear off (while we were driving home) as I brimmed with excitement over the revelations that the LORD had given me concerning a Christian’s walk and mine in particular. Once home I did my nightly tasks, still thinking about the Spirit-filled message I had heard and actually didn’t want it to end. I thought I’d sit down and do a bit of crafting but as I sat down and tried to think of something to do. Once again I was drawn to the LORD so strongly that I couldn’t dare diminish my evening by doing a craft. I sat there and began worshipping the LORD again. The lyrics came to my mind of, "I Can Only Imagine" by Mercy Me and I just felt so raptured away by the thought that one day I would actually be able to see my Savior face to face:

Surrounded by Your glory,

what will my heart feel

Will I dance for you Jesus

or in awe of you be still

Will I stand in your presence

or to my knees will I fall

Will I sing hallelujah,

will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

I want so much for my life to be lived worthy of the blood that was shed for my soul and I want so much to be a reflection of the Gospel of Christ. Once dead in sin and now risen to a newness of life in Christ Jesus. One great thing that was emphasized at the Revival meetings is that GOD IS ABLE. I looked up the phrase God is able and once again my soul leaped for joy at the scriptures that held such wonderful promises. I will share a few with you:

The Lord is able to deliver – Daniel 3:17
The Lord is able to build you up – Act 20:32
God is able to make you stand – Romans 14:4
God is able to make all grace abound - 2 Corinthians 9:8
HE is able to keep you from falling – Jude 1:24

We serve a GOD who is able to do far exceeding above what we can even ask or think. I am so thankful that the LORD saw fit to grant me repentance and an opportunity serve Him.

My last thought for this message is that of prayer. One night the Pastor preached on a very important aspect of a Christian’s life that I fear has all too often been lacking in my life and that is of prayer. I know that prayer is what strengthens our Spiritual armor against the enemies of Hell and it is our strongest connection to the LORD. Prayer is not what the flesh desires; the flesh does not like it when we get down on our knees to pray. That is why we must struggle to crucify this wicked flesh and bring it under subjection to the Will of the LORD. I must say I have been revived and I pray that the effects of this Revival will keep me burning for awhile until the next Revival. Correction, we don’t have to wait for a revival to come to town, we can always have the embers of our heart rekindle when we talk with the LORD by the way…Quickly read Luke 24:32 and you’ll be blessed!

Thanks for Listening and Love you all in Christ.

Simply Trusting
Sister Tammy

UNITY

I apologize for not writing sooner, the spirit was definitely willing but the flesh was full of excuses. I will not beleaguer this point for the LORD has put something on my heart to write.

I want to talk about a thing that has always been near and dear to my heart and that is UNITY. Did you know that this word is mentioned (as far as I can see and you can check me on this) three (3) times in the bible?

Psalms 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

The word unity spoken of is in reference to: The brethren, the unity of the bond of peace, and the unity of faith. This particular unity that the Word of God is speaking of cannot be had without Our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. There are many types unified fronts today in our world and society but they do not have the fullness of Christ and I am speaking of the Unity in Christ. When the brethren dwell together in unity the bible says, it is good and pleasant. Therefore according to Ephesians 4:3 we must do something, we must ENDEAVOUR to keep this unity. We must acknowledge that being in unity with Christ is a growing process as Ephesians 4:13 says, til we all come in the unity of faith. This phrase tells me that we must continue to strive to come to this unity of faith. Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary says, “Until we arrive all of us at the unity."

I am encouraged by the scriptures because many times I see the body of Christ in a fractured state and not united, but according to the scriptures all is not lost because if we truly are in Christ we will all one day be united together with the LORD. Ephesians 4:13 also tells us that as we are coming to the unity of the faith that we must also come to the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, and unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We should all have the knowledge of Christ through His Gospel. Ephesians 3:19 says, “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” When we know the love of Christ who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, we should also, for the joy that is set before us endure our crosses. The apostle Paul is a wonderful example of someone who strived to attain to this perfection. Let us look at what Paul says about him striving after Christ:

Philippians 3:12 says: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect…”

Philippians 3:13 says: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended…”

Paul recognized his limitations in the flesh but he never used that as an excuse not to strive for perfection in Christ. Let us look at these two scriptures in their entirety:

Philippians 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Beloved in Christ, I rejoice in the fact that even though I have not apprehended all that there is to apprehend in Christ, I have been apprehended of him. In other words, even if I fail to be united with all of my brothers and sisters in Christ my continued effort is to continue to strive for unity. The more we know Christ and the closer we draw ourselves to Him, we should in like manner desire to draw ourselves closer to the body of Christ and all Saints are part of His body (one body.)

Lastly as I was studying Philippians 3:12 my eyes were drawn to the last part of the verse which says, “I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” I looked up the word apprehended in the dictionary and this is what it said:

Arrest somebody: to put somebody suspected of wrongdoing into legal custody.
(Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.)

I am so blessed to have been apprehended of Christ, because I was somebody caught in wrongdoing and now I am in the legal custody of Christ and I have been assured through scripture that He will never let me go. AMEN!!!!!

I pray this epistle of love was a blessing and received in the love and mind of Christ in which it was intended.

Blessings and as always,
Simply Trusting

When Our Faith Fails

I was put in remembrance this morning of GOD’s unwavering faithfulness and our frailties as I read in GOD’s word. David says in Psalms 31:22:

“For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.”

I believe that many of us have had points in our lives that in our haste we felt as though the LORD had not heard our cry or our supplications. We may have even felt that the LORD was not concerned about our tumultuous situations. David says that in his haste, he felt that the LORD did not see him in his troubles; he said that he felt as though he was cut off before the eyes of GOD, that HE did not see him. In all of this I stand amazed at the Great Mercies of GOD. We serve such an Awesome savior who does not always take offence at our distrusting nature and he blesses us any way. David says, “nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.” I am so happy that we serve a GOD that will look beyond our faults and take care of our needs. I don’t believe that Bro. David condoned having a fretful spirit but sometimes in our deep distresses we can waiver in our faith towards GOD. Fear can be a very captivating thing and sometimes we forget what type of GOD we serve, but nevertheless HE is the GREAT and MIGHTY GOD, the KING of GLORY. David finishing off the psalms by stating in verses 23and 24:

“O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.”

I just want to encourage you this morning to remember that GOD has not forgotten His children and he hears EVERY cry. We serve a GOD that preserves the faithful, who rewards the proud doer and strengthens the heart of all those who hope in HIM!

PRAISE GOD and have a Blessed Week!

Simply Trusting in Hope,
Tammy Martinez

It's All About The Position Of The Sun

I was thinking about the position of the sun today and that sometimes we may not always see the sun on a cloudy day but we can rest assure that it is there. This is the way our Christian walk is sometimes, there is so much gloom and cloudiness that we can't see the SON, but we can rest assure that He is there. I read a lovely poem today by Helen Steiner Rice and it goes like this:

Life is a mixture of sunshine and rain,

Laughter and pleasure, teardrops and pain,

All days can't be bright but it's certainly true,

There was never a cloud the sun didn't shine through

So just keep on smiling, whatever betide you,

Secure in the knowledge that GOD is always beside you,

And you'll find when you smile, your day will be brighter

And all of your burdens will seem so much lighter

For each time you smile, you will find it is true

Somebody, somewhere, will smile back at you,

And nothing on earth can make life more worthwhile

Than the sunshine and warmth of a beautiful smile.

So where is the position of the Son in your life, please don't allow the clouds to block out the majestic rays of GOD's love and hope in your life. Smile because you'll never know what a blessing that will be to someone. I am so thankful for all of the smiles that I receive from my dear family and friends, whether it be through the phone, in person or by letter, they always make my day. So as Paul said in Philippians 4:4, " Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."

I pray the GOD of peace upon you all and may He reign in you all!!

All To the Glory of GOD and as always,

Simply Trusting,

Tammy Martinez

It’s Time To Get Up!

Well, I have had a roller coaster week of emotional highs and then an anticlimactic fall for (I felt) absolutely know reason at all and through this the LORD showed me some wonderful truths in His WORD.

So many times I believe we take our walk in Christ for granted and we walk about on spiritual highs with great spiritual prowess and prideful-ness; with our heads held high and our arms bristly swinging from side to side with great confidence (“ for we are the children of the king, the most high GOD, you know!”) and then without warning, we fail to see the deep pit in the road and of course with unbelief and dismay we plummet to the ground in utter disbelief, “how in the world could this have happened to me, I am so spiritually filled” we say to ourselves with an inkling of self-righteous indignation. 'Au contraire mon frair', we must suffer and glory in the lows as well as the highs.

Although I jest a little (which is not really convenient) I want to share some scriptural nuggets and thoughts with you today from GOD’s Word. Psalm 73:26 says, “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” This is the principle thing, we are to put our trust in GOD and him alone. We can be deceived by our feelings and the passions of our heart can sometimes be fleeting, being tossed to and fro. One moment your gliding on the wings of an eagle and the next thing your groveling in the dirt, but that should NEVER affect the awesome work that is continually being done in you through our LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. I love it when David said, “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” The LORD will perfect the work that he has begun in us. I take that scripture very personal during my low periods and I will trust in His Word. As I have struggled with a few low periods this week I have also heard from some of my Sisters-In-Christ who have had low and even desperate periods in their lives this week too, but they have purposed to stay in the fight. I tell people all the time even if you do give up who are you giving up to? And even if you do give up who is there to care? I believe it is even appropriate to say that in giving up on the LORD it is a terrible sin, because in essence we are saying that His word is not true, Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Our LORD is so compassionate and loves His children in their lowly states and he desires to lift us up by His right hand. I am encouraged today to write of His goodness and desire to lend a word of encouragement. I want to encourage you to have a merry heart today and every day for Proverbs 15:13 says, “ A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” I also want to give you a good word today and ask you to stand upright in the LORD for Proverb 12:25 says, “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.” So be glad in the LORD today and do rejoice in that you are a child of the King, The Most High GOD! Amen.

Be Blessed and Triumphantly
Simply Trusting,
Tammy Martinez

Please Join Me for Breakfast

Psalms 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”

Let us taste of the LORD this morning and see that HE is Good. Our desire every day should be to feast on the word of GOD. For Proverbs 3:6 says that we should acknowledge the LORD in all of our ways, because Proverb 3:8 says, “It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. What a blessing it is to eat of the everlasting Word of GOD. Jesus said that He is the bread of life and that if we come to Him we shall never be hungry or thirsty (John 6:35.) Finally Psalms 36:7 says,

“How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

Wow!! You can’t have a better meal than that. I pray that as you partake of your daily meals that you join the LORD for breakfast and start your day being filled abundantly with the fatness of HIS House.

Praise GOD and have a bountiful Day!!!

As always,
Simply Trusting,
Tammy Martinez

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN

I Samuel 8:4-9

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

From time past GOD has always hearkened to the voice of His people and this election is no different. I chose the scripture text in I Samuel as a prime example of the LORD listening to the voice of His people. Whether the king would be just or unjust GOD knew, yet he hearkened to the voice of His people. I guess I could have titled this subject GOD’s people have spoken, because as I searched briefly to try and find a census concerning the number of Christians in America versus Non-Christians I could not get a very consistent total but I did find that in each case whether it be a Census or Gallup poll the evidence was still clear that in America the percentage of Christians where higher than Non-Christians. The people have spoken and now we have our president. For Black Americans this is a monumental mild stone and that fact cannot be denied whether you voted for Obama or not. Whether you were for Obama or McCain, the people have spoken and GOD has allowed his people to have what they want, again I state whether just or unjust GOD knows and HE is still on the throne. My plea to you today (as some of you may be very fretful) God has a plan for HIS Kingdom and it will prevail regardless of who is or who is not president. Our continued concern needs to be the commission that the LORD gave to us in Matthew 28:19,20, Mark 16:15 and Luke 24:47, He said to go out and preach the Gospel in His name.

I am writing to encourage all of my friends and one thing I dare not to be is wishy-washy for I have friends and love ones who voted for either candidate and I will not have a debate on that issue. My issue is that we have peace in knowing that the LORD’s will be done and that We as a Christian people are allowed by GOD as we can see in I King to (sometimes) have what we want, but the important issue is, what are we going to do about the GOSPEL. While we rejoice or grumble about the presidency there are people, even loved ones we know dying and going to Hell and we have a responsibility to rescue as many of them from the pits of Hell as possible. I pray that you will take this word of exhortation as just that and please don’t make it a controversial issue. And if you’re curious as to whom I voted for give me a call if you have my number and most of my readers do or email me.

Blessings to All and as always,
Simply Trusting,
Tammy Martinez

PRAISE be to GOD for His Mercy Endureth FOREVER!