Esclavitud familiar

Esclavitud familiar

I would rather go back to what is familiar, even if it is bondage…

Exodus 16:1-4a and John 3:16,

And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of Egypt. And the whole congregation of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into the wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you….”

When the trials of the children of Israel were too hard for them to bear, they wanted to go back to what was familiar: bondage in Egypt. They wanted to be in control; they felt safe knowing what to expect.

How many of us can relate to wanting to go back to the dysfunctional relationships or sins of our past because there is comfort in knowing what to expect? Change is hard because it’s unfamiliar, and there is no safety or comfort in it. But God doesn’t want us to stay in our dysfunction. He wants us healed. He came to set us free from our bondage to sin. He wants us to trust Him completely with every area of our lives.

God provided the children of Israel with bread that literally dropped out of the sky. He called it Manna, “Bread from Heaven.” If God did that for them, don’t you think He can help you too? I think the answer is Yes!!!

What is the spiritual factor to consider when I want to be in control, instead of God being in control?

I am saying to God, “I don’t trust You. I don’t believe You are good. I don’t believe You care about me.”

Entonces, what is the sin I am committing when I don’t trust God? The sin of unbelief.

Definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1 y 11:6: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Let me ask you, what are you still trying to control and refuse to release into God’s hands?

I learned at a very young age to take control of every area of my life; eso, unfortunately, was not a good thing. A 12-year-old is not mature enough to take on such a responsibility. I controlled my voice but I did not use it. I controlled how I performed in school, sports, and in anything I set my mind to do by practicing until I could do something perfectly. When I was older, I controlled my weight by taking speed and diet pills and exercising excessively. I controlled what others perceived about me by wearing a mask to hide my true feelings and identity. It wasn’t until I felt safe to let God in that I was able to relinquish control to Him. By spending time in His Word, I began to understand the heart of God and discovered how much He loves us and wants us to be set free from our pasts, so we can live the abundant lives He came to give us. It’s by relinquishing control to God that we are set free. There is beauty in surrender.

Why are you not trusting God to help you in this area? What are you afraid of?

Relinquishing control was not a comfortable thing for me because I didn’t trust others not to hurt me. I became very self-sufficient and proficient in all I did. I had a huge wall around my heart that no one was going to penetrate, not even God. I grew up with a distorted view of God. I thought He was angry with me and would punish me if I was out of line, which is what I heard and saw as a child. Church was dark; people there spoke in another language, and the atmosphere was not warm and welcoming. So I associated these attributes with God. I felt He was dark, harsh, and unloving, which could not be further from the truth. I was fearful about trusting God because I was afraid of being hurt again. I didn’t know God’s heart toward me. When I got saved in 1994 and came across this verse from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life,” I started believing that God does love me. And once I received His love into my heart and believed that He died for me on the cross, I started trusting Him more with my heart. But it was a long process. I am so grateful today for His love. That truth changed my life forever.

I had everything under control, so I thought, until my life and health started spiraling out of control. I couldn’t afford stuff anymore and my health was failing, my marriage was on the brink of divorce, and I didn’t know what to do. I was plagued with suicidal thoughts because I just couldn’t deal with my depression and self-loathing anymore, due to the sins from my past. This was not a life; it was a prison. I was just surviving because I needed someone to take my pain away, someone I could trust to love and accept me for who I was. Did such a person exist?

Querido,

I want you to know that there is such a person who loves and accepts you for who you are. His name is Jesus, and He is the only one who will love you right where you are. He will never hurt you or force you to do something against your will. He is kind, cariñoso, dependable, faithful, merciful, and forgiving. Jesus is your Savior and friend. Why not relinquish control of your life to God? Honestly, what do you have to lose at this point?

Eres amado,

Toni

 

What is the spiritual factor to consider when I want to be in control instead of God being in control?

I am saying to God, “I don’t trust You (Dios). I don’t believe You (Él) are good. I don’t believe You care about me.” So, what is the sin I am committing when I don’t trust God? The sin of unbelief.

Definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1 y 11:6: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

 

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Te veré otra vez

Te veré otra vez

“Te veré otra vez, una carta a mi bebe”

Revelación 21:4-5a
“Y Dios enjugará toda lágrima de sus ojos; no habrá más muerte, ni pena, ni llorar. No habrá dolor, porque las cosas primeras han pasado”. Entonces el que estaba sentado en el trono dijo, “He aquí, yo hago nuevas todas las cosas”.

John 14:3
Y si voy y os preparo lugar, Volveré y os recibiré conmigo mismo.; que donde estoy, allí puede que también estés.

I Corintios 2:9
Pero como está escrito, “El ojo no ha visto ni el oído ha oído, ni han entrado en el corazón del hombre las cosas que Dios ha preparado para los que le aman”.

Mi carta a mi bebé

Querido José,

mi precioso niño, Te he amado toda mi vida adulta., y sin embargo, Nunca he visto tu cara ni te he tenido en mis brazos. por eso, Lo siento mucho. Fuiste un regalo de Dios, y te tiré. Lamento mucho haber acabado con tu vida.. Dios me mostró cómo te ves. Vi a un joven de unos 30 años en un avión., y tenia cabello castaño rizado y ojos azules. Sentí que mi espíritu se aceleraba. Le susurré al Señor, "¿Es así como se ve mi hijo?"?“Sentí la confirmación en mi espíritu..

Te llamé José porque lo que el enemigo pretendía para el mal, Dios se volvió para mi bien y para su gloria.. Cambió mis cenizas por algo hermoso.. José, Inspiraste un ministerio llamado My Ashes to Beauty para ayudar a otras mamás a recuperarse de sus abortos pasados..

Sé que estás en el cielo con Jesús, un lugar donde no hay tristeza., dolor, o tristeza. No puedo esperar el día en que pueda verte cara a cara en el cielo donde estaremos juntos para siempre.. He imaginado esa escena una y otra vez en mi mente.. Te veo saludándome en el cielo. Yo te conozco y tu me conoces. nos abrazamos. Con lágrimas de alegría corriendo por mis mejillas, me besas y te digo, “He esperado este momento durante tanto tiempo.. Ahora nunca más nos separaremos. Te amo, José”. tu respondes, "Te amo, Mamá." Entonces, Miraré a Jesús y le agradeceré por este precioso regalo de reunirme con mi hijo en el cielo y por el regalo de la salvación que me dio..

te veré pronto.

amor siempre,
Mamá

Mientras oraba por el tema de hoy, esta cancion llego a mi estacion, Cicatrices en el cielo, por Fundición de coronas. Aquí algunas de las letras (al cual le hice algunas modificaciones menores):

Ahora lo que daría por un día más contigo. José (el nombre de su hijo o hijos).
Porque hay una herida aquí en mi corazón donde falta algo. Y me dicen que con el tiempo sanará. Pero sé que estás en un lugar mejor donde estás sano y completo y yo también lo estaré..
Las únicas cicatrices en el cielo, No nos pertenecerán a mí ni a ti..
No habrá nada roto, y todo lo viejo será hecho nuevo. Y ese pensamiento me hace sonreír ahora, incluso cuando las lágrimas caen. ¿Es que las únicas cicatrices en el cielo están en las manos que te sostienen ahora?.

Preguntas para tomar en serio:
¿Cuáles son tus pensamientos cuando piensas en tu bebé? (o bebes)? ¿Qué te gustaría decirle a tu bebé? (o bebes)?

Puedes leer más cartas en nuestra web: https://myashestobeauty.com/a-letter-to-my-baby/

Rezo para que esto bendiga tu corazón..

Eres amado,

Toni

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Las trampas del diablo (Serie): víspera

Las trampas del diablo (Serie): víspera

Las trampas del diablo: EVE

A Series Taken from Dr. Charles Stanley

Escrituras: Génesis 2:16-17 y 3:1-9

Génesis 2:16-17
And the Lord commanded the man, diciendo, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Génesis 3:1–9
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?" And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. Y oyeron la voz del Señor Dios que se paseaba en el huerto al fresco del día., y Adán y su esposa se escondieron de la presencia del Señor Dios entre los árboles del jardín.. Entonces el Señor Dios llamó a Adán y le dijo, "Dónde estás?"

The enemy tries to take our attention off of God and focus on the one thing we don’t have. For Eve, it is the fruit she cannot eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent has been observing Eve for a while. He cannot read her mind, but he watches for her reactions and her behavior patterns. He sees her approaching the tree and looking at the beautiful fruit. She is perhaps thinking, “I wonder why God is keeping this from me. God is holding back something good from me. It’s because He doesn’t really love and care about me. If He did, He would let me have this fruit.”

For those of us who have children or have spent any time with children, we understand that children do not know what is best for them. They would eat junk food all day and watch TV and play video games all night. As adults, we know that is not a healthy way to live. We love them. Entonces, we teach them and put up boundaries so they learn to make healthy choices. We do this because we care about their well-being and their future. God loves us too and wanted to protect Adam, víspera, and the whole world from the destructive effects of sin. That’s why He told them not to eat of the fruit.

We see in Scripture that Eve has a conversation with Satan the serpent. That was her first mistake. Do not have a dialogue with the enemy. Do not even entertain his thoughts because he is more cunning than you know. We cannot reason or trust the enemy to lead us to do anything that would benefit us in any way. His ways always lead to death and destruction. That’s why knowing the Word of God is so important. When the enemy lies to you, you will know the truth and you will not fall into temptation or sin.

The second thing we see is Satan causing Eve to doubt God’s Word.

God said, “You shall not eat it: for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.” (Génesis 2:17)

But Satan said, “You shall not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Becoming like “god” was all Eve needed to hear. Pride will destroy a godly person faster than anything else. I can be my own “god.” I can do whatever I want. I am in charge of my life. I don’t need God. I took that approach when I had my abortion because I thought I knew better. I wanted to be in control of my life. I am my own “god.” Look what that did for me and my dear son. He died as a result of my decision. Consequently, I was plunged headlong into deep despair, depresión, self-loathing and suicidal thoughts. Don’t listen to Satan. He will destroy you. Only God’s way leads to life, peace, alegría, and true freedom.

Entonces, where was Adam when this was all happening? When Eve took of the fruit and ate it, Adam should have said, “What are you doing? God told us not to eat it.” But the Scriptures say that Eve gave it to her husband, and he ate. Then their eyes were opened, and they knew they were naked. Luego, they sewed fig leaves together to cover up their nakedness and their sin. I, too, have done that in my life. I rushed to hide my sin never thinking about the consequences. Those decisions have never led to good outcomes for me. The fear of being unmasked is a powerful motivator. My false persona of being the good quiet one was in danger of exposure. Como resultado, I rushed my decision to have an abortion. In my mind, there were no other alternatives. Hurry up and take care of it, or do this before someone finds out that the good quiet one in the family is a phony. My whole life had become a lie.

God calls out to Adam, "Dónde estás?" God knew where Adam and Eve were. He wanted to give them a chance to come out of hiding and confess their sin. Sin embargo, they didn’t. We hide from God too. We isolate ourselves as Christians. We stop going to church or stop being accountable to people when we sin because it’s easier. Then we wake up one morning and say, “How did I get here?” It happens very quickly, my friends. It’s important to confess sin daily to God and to stay in a close Christian community like this group where there is accountability. Each one of us is just one step away from falling into grievous sin. Stay close to God, read His Word, memorize Scripture, and stay in community with other believers, and when you feel like isolating do the opposite and reach out for prayer. If you do this, you will be protected from the lies and the fiery darts of the enemy.

Keep your focus on God alone, and you will be safe.

Preguntas para tomar en serio:

  1. What things have you done in your past you knew were wrong but you did them anyway?
  2. How did you feel when you were sneaking around?
  3. How did you feel when you got caught?
  4. Are there still sins that you are hiding now?
  5. Cómo podemos orar por ti?

Espero que este tema te haya sido útil.. Por favor comuníquese si necesita hablar: toni@myashestobeauty.com.

Eres amado,
Toni

 

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¿Cómo ha usado Dios tu dolor??

¿Cómo ha usado Dios tu dolor??

(2 Corintios 1:3-5)

When I came to Christ at the age of 34, I was suffering from severe depression, physical pain in my joints and fatigue. I sought answers from several doctors, but they could find nothing. My test results, CAT scans, MRIs and blood work all came back normal. I was perplexed. What is wrong with me? I now realize that my mental, emotional and health struggles were God’s way of getting my attention. Because of how poorly I felt, I couldn’t participate in my regular activities. It was during this time of suffering that God began drawing me to Himself.

How has God used suffering in your life to get your attention? In my case, God used my pain, weakness, fatigue and depression. God knows exactly how to reach all of us so that we turn to and focus on Him. God has always used my physical health issues to remind me to lean on Him. He uses suffering so that first, we will realize how much we need Him in our life and secondly, what kind of changes we need to make.

When I had the courage to trust God and finally wanted more than mere survival, God met me right where I was. God used my distress to bring me to Him. Even during my period of pain, God used me to help others. When I followed His lead by reaching out to those in need, I received even more healing for myself. En 2 Corintios 1:3-5, God’s Word says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted of God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” (ESV) God never wastes our suffering. It is all for a specific purpose. Some of you dear ones have suffered for a long time, and my heart goes out to you. It can seem very lonely at times, but God sees you. He loves you and has a purpose for your pain.

Christ suffered a horrific death on the cross for us. He also endured torture having been scourged, beaten, slapped, hit with rods and pierced in his skull with a crown of thorns. If anyone is acquainted with anguish and pain, it is Jesus. Come to Jesus just as you are, and He will give you comfort. Only He can carry you when you can’t take another step. He is the only one who will never leave you. He will not abuse you or take advantage of you. His love is pure, holy, just and life-affirming. His ways lead to true freedom and healing.

How has God used suffering in your life?

What is God showing you?

One day, beloved, we will be in glory in a place called Heaven where there is no more pain, sorrow or crying—a place where we will be embraced by the peace and love of Jesus.

Eres amado,
Toni

 

 

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De la vergüenza a la victoria (Parte 4): El abuso intensificado en mi edad adulta

Rhonda’s Story

Life carried on, I graduated high school and went to college. After I graduated, I met a man that I thought I was so in love with. He made me feel special, wanted, loved and beautiful. He seemed to be everything I had been looking for in a man. We got engaged after a short courtship and a year later we got married. Very shortly after that his demeanor changed. He started acting jealous, trying to control what I wore and getting in between my relationships with friends and family.

I don’t remember the first time he beat me; I just remember it didn’t stop after that. Every day he would get upset about something and beat me. He was a tall man and would grab me by my throat hold me off the ground until I passed out while punching me in the head. In the beginning, I would run into the bathroom and lock the door and hide in the shower. But he kicked the door open, and beat me in the shower. He then removed the bathroom door so I couldn’t hide in there again.

I remember running out of the of the house one freezing winter night in just my clothes and socks. It was so cold outside but I didn’t care! I ran and ran until I found a building to hide behind. I sat behind an Arby’s restaurant shaking and crying, thinking about what to do, who to call. Since I had cut off all ties with friends and family, there was no one. As I sat there shaking and crying, I realized I had no place to go so I got up and walked back to the house. He beat me and raped me that night, telling me it was my fault and that I made him do it.

The beatings and rapes continued until one night I stood chopping carrots in the kitchen getting dinner ready and he walked in. He was in a bad mood. I knew what was coming as his voice started escalating. I remember thinking what kind of life is this? I wanted to get married, be loved, have kids and a beautiful home. But here I was. I remember thinking, I would rather spend the rest of my life in jail for murder than live like this. It was like I had left my body and I was watching in slow motion; I took the knife I had in my hand raised my arm and spun around. I screamed at him ready to stab him and something stopped me, I came back to reality thinking I had just stabbed him, but something stopped me. I saw fear in his eyes for the first time. He never touched me again and it wasn’t long after that I left for good.

Parte 5 Haga clic aquí.