Victory - Be Strong & Immovable!

1 Corinthians 15:57

⁵⁶ For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. ⁵⁷ But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸ So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Feel like encouraging someone out there today. Say this: "So you dropped the ball? You missed the mark? Quit beating yourself up! Quit wallowing in your mistake (sin)! Get up again and go on (confess and repent)! You have VICTORY in Jesus Christ. Be strong and immovable. Work hard everyday trying to be the best at what you do and be disciplined to do the right thing. Everything you do for Jesus will be beneficial and rewarding!"

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Change Your Vantage Point

Luke 19:1-6

¹ Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ² A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³ He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. ⁴ So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

⁵ When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." ⁶ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

Zacchaeus by the world's standards lacked nothing. He was living the life! He may have been hated by the people he cheated but he lived the life he wanted. However, curiosity got a hold of him the day Jesus walked through Jericho. He wanted to see who Jesus was but being "a short man" the crowd obstructed his view. Zacchaeus was not like the rest of the crowd who pressed in close to Jesus. He did not need a miracle. He did not need a financial breakthrough. He was already a wealthy man. Figuratively speaking, Zacchaeus in his own eyes had climbed to new heights in his career but even at that position he was found lacking. He was lost! A truth from this story is that no matter how much money or success you have, you will still be found lacking if your view of Jesus is obstructed.

Change your vantage point to get a clear view of Jesus today. Look to Him as the author and finisher of your faith.

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Stay Focused!

Hebrews 12:2

² Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Amplified Bible)

"Stay focused!" How many times have we heard this statement? We thought about how in sports we would hear our coaches yell out, "Stay focused! Keep your head in the game!" It was a reminder to center all of our attention on the specific task we were engaged in. Think about all of the elite athletes in the world that have achieved some level of success. How focused do you think they have to be to achieve their goals? Or, how about the cardiothoracic surgeon who performs a delicate bypass to help restore blood flow to the heart? Do you think he has to stay focused? I would hope so, especially if you or someone you loved were the patient. If you stay focused on the task at hand, you will get to where you need to be.

Today, stay focused on Jesus! Remember all the things He endured to get to where He needed to be. He is "now seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

"Keep Your Eyes On Jesus...That Will Shoot Adrenaline Into Your Souls!"

Hebrews 12:1-3

^1-3 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! (The Message)

After taking last week off from posting a blog, we realized how much fun it is to post our thoughts. Here's today's thoughts:

As we live our lives day in and day out, we have realized that there are many distractions that can hinder us from running "the race that is set before us." When we read the above passage, we felt like we were receiving one of those great pep-talks a coach gives his team when the game is on the line. We thought we would share it with you in The Message translation and hope it "shoots adrenaline into your souls" to keep living your life with your eyes focused on Jesus.

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Making Sense Of My Senseless World, Part II

Colossians 2:6-7 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

What do you do when you go through a difficult time in life and find yourself in a place where you don't want to be? How did you get there? How about this, maybe it's the road you need to walk to get you back to where God wants you to be? There's a story we recalled this morning about Elijah the Prophet in 1 Kings 19 where Jezabel had threatened to kill him. Elijah was seized with fear and ran for his life into the desert. He was in so much despair that he prayed to die. He said in verse 4, "I have had enough, Lord... Take my life." He grew very weary and fell asleep under a tree. An angel of the Lord appeared, touched Elijah, and woke him up. The angel had prepared something for him to eat and drink. He told him to "Get up and eat." Elijah ate a little, then laid back down. The angel came back a second time, touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." Finally, Elijah got up to eat and drink and was strengthened by the food. It strengthened him so much that he was able to travel forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. Elijah found his way up the mountain and spent the night in a cave. Elijah positioned himself alone in a dark place. To him it was a safe place, hidden from his enemy. It was here God found him and where a powerful wind, a violent earthquake, and a blazing fire preceded the "gentle whisper," (a still small voice) of the Lord asking, "What are you doing here?" How about God's answer after hearing Elijah's reasons for running for his life? He said, "Go back the way you came..." The Lord gave him direction to go back to continue his work as a prophet. Jezabel never killed Elijah, in 2 Kings 2 we find that he was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah ran because he was afraid of being killed. He ran because he felt alone. Fear paralyzes you. Loneliness isolates you and keeps you from engaging in the assignments God has for you. Fear and isolation try to cut off your roots of faith and trust in Christ. God's "gentle whisper" redirected Elijah back from where he came. Sometimes the only way through a difficult time is by simply GOING THROUGH! Elijah had to face his fears and come out of isolation to get through this difficult time even if it meant putting his life on the line. God will make sense of your senseless world when you remain firm in your faith in Christ and stay "rooted and built up in Him." The original Greek word for "rooted" in Colosians 2:7 is rhizoo. It means to render firm, to fix, establish, to cause a person or a thing to be thoroughly grounded. Are you going through a difficult time in life and find yourself in a place where you don't want to be? No matter how afraid or alone you feel, stay rooted and built up in Him. Find safety, security, protection and peace in your situation by running to God not away from Him. Allow God's "gentle whisper" to strengthen and lead you as you simply GO THROUGH this time. Have a great day! God bless you. Louis & Elisa Quintana

Making Sense Of My Senseless World

Colossians 2:8

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."

Ever go through a time in your life where nothing seems to make sense? You even begin to doubt your way or the path you have chosen for your life. What is right and what is wrong? Who is right and who is wrong? There are too many voices in the world telling you which way to go.

The question: So, how do you make it through a time of doubt, indecision, or confusion?

The answer: Remain firm in your faith in Christ Jesus.

So where do you begin, how do you remain firm in your faith in Christ?

Colossians 2:6 says, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him..." If you are going through a time of doubt, indecision, or confusion right now, remind yourself of your salvation. In verse 6, the word receive in Greek is paralambano. It means to join to one's self, not to reject, not to withhold obedience. When you receive Jesus Christ as Lord you are joining yourself to Him to willingly obey His words, His teachings, and His ways.

The second part of Colossians 2:6 says, "continue to live in him." The original Greek word used here for "continue to live in" is peripateo. It means to walk, to make one's way, or progress. In order to make sense of your life right now, don't stop believing! Continue to make your way in Him. In John 14:6a Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life."

Today be reminded that there is no better way to live than to live your life in Christ. He will make sense of your senseless world!

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

The Father's Voice

John 10:27

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."

When our eldest daughter was three we took her to a popular fast food restaurant. They had an indoor play area with a large, hard plastic maze made up of multicolored tubes, squares, and rectangles that led to a ginormous slide! She was very glad to be eating out but most of all she could barely contain her excitement as she focused her attention on getting into the play area.

As we sat and ate, I (Louis) noticed her watching the other children playing. She watched them enter and climb through the maze, then eventually shoot out the end of the slide. After she had eaten all she could, we left Mommy and baby sister in the dining area. I led her over to the play area, removed her shoes, and watched her begin her ascent to the top of the multicolored maze. There was no inhibition on her part. She had watched the other children do it and now it was her turn.

As the other children played loudly, her excitement dulled their voices as she led herself quickly to the top of the maze in search of the opening to that incredibly huge slide. All of a sudden, I heard a nervous, anxious cry and recognized a tiny voice say, "I can't do it Daddy!" Fear had seized her little mind and the loud play of the other children stopped her dead in her tracks. She found herself confused in the middle of the multicolored tubes with different openings and did not know which way to go.

My parental instinct kicked in so I rushed to the opening of the maze but just before I was about to enter, I stopped myself and called out to her, "You can do it, just listen to my voice!" She cried out again, "I can't do it Daddy!" So I called out louder, "You can do it, just listen to my voice!" I really wanted to rush to the top to rescue my little girl from her fear but as I stood back I could see her tiny shadow through the tubes and knew she was O.K.

I moved to the end of the slide and calmly yelled out directions to her, "Do you see the yellow tube in front of you?" At age three she had already mastered her primary colors so I knew she could follow my directions. I heard her tiny little voice echo through the end of the slide, "Yes." I said, "You need to go through that one." Again, I heard her nervously respond, "The yellow one?" I responded very calmly and spoke into the end of the slide, "Yes, the yellow one." She replied, "O.K." I responded, "Daddy is at the end of the green slide, just follow my voice, I will tell you which way to go." Her assurance in my voice calmed her enough so she could take her first step. I slowly prompted her to move through the maze by saying, "Now go through the blue tube...now the red tube...now do you see the green tube?" She replied excitingly, "I see it Daddy, I see it!" I responded, "That's the slide. Can you hear me?" She replied, "I can hear you Daddy!" I responded, "Now sit down and slide. I'm waiting for you at the end." I could hear heavy, dull clunking on the plastic tubes as she positioned herself to slide down. I heard her say one last time, "I'm coming Daddy!" I stood back and saw her shoot out of the bottom of that long green tube and right into my arms. She was no longer crying but smiling and saying, "I did it Daddy, I did it! I listened to your voice!" I hugged her as tight as I could and cried right in the middle of that play area. At that moment, I realized that I was not only teaching my daughter how to overcome her fears but God was teaching me how to listen to His voice to overcome my fears.

When we feel lost, confused, and do not know which direction to go, He will lead us if we listen to His voice and follow His direction.

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

"Be Thankful...He Satisfies"

Psalm 107:8-9

⁸ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, ⁹ for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Not too long ago our youngest daughter made a request when we walked through a store, "Will you buy this for me?" At this time, we don't remember what "this" was. The thing we remember is as soon as we told her "No, not right now," she immediately asked, "Can I call grandma?" We said, "Why?" She said, "Because she will buy it for me." This was not something Daddy & Mommy saw as an immediate "need" and were not in a position financially to provide for this "want." She knew that there was a way to get what she wanted, "Grandma! She will buy me what I want." We let her call Grandma to make her request known. We don't remember if she got what she asked for, Grandma is on the same page we are on and will ask if it is O.K. to buy what is being requested.

The above scripture reminded us to always be thankful for God's unfailing love, all the great things He has done for us, and the provision He has made not only for our needs but also for what we want.

Today, "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

The Lord Will Provide

Genesis 22:14

"So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide. And it is said to this day, On the mount of the Lord it will be provided."

Over the past eighteen months life has been one crazy financial roller coaster. We had some unexpected events come up which caused us to REALLY put our faith and trust in the Lord: 1) An investment opportunity in a townhome that tanked when the bottom fell out of the housing market; 2) An unexpected trip to the ER, an outpatient procedure, and doctor follow up appointments totaling more than what we expected to pay after insurance paid their part. Our monthly expenses more than doubled! We had to constantly cast down thoughts of, "But where is the money going to come from?"....."How will we pay all of these bills?" Through this whole trial the Lord showed us that He really is Jehovah-Jireh. Some Bible translations translate this name of God as "The Lord hath seen," "The Lord sees," or "The Lord will provide." The Lord truly saw our situation and provided for us the entire time. We did not miss any payments on the unexpected bills we accrued and all of our regular bills were paid on time! Learning to "hold on" was very difficult seeing the circumstances around us, however, as we kept our eyes on the Lord He saw our dedication, determination, and hard work. Most of all He saw our faith and trust in Him! Even though the numbers on paper caused fear, desperation, and hopelessness to enter our minds the Lord gave us an assurance that everything was going to be OK. As of yesterday the townhome we have been trying to sell finally closed! It SOLD! We are ecstatic! We are still working on paying off two medical bills that are dwindling every month. THE LORD WILL PROVIDE! What do you do when you are faced with an impossible situation? Who or what do you put your hope and trust in? We can remember the words Jesus spoke to His disciples in Matthew 17:20 "You don't have enough faith.....if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed........Nothing would be impossible." By trusting, believing, and having "enough faith" we know that He can take care of what we can't! Have a great day! God bless you! Louis & Elisa Quintana

You Can Do It!

1 Chronicles 28:9-10

^9-10 "And you, Solomon my son, get to know well your father's God; serve him with a whole heart and eager mind, for God examines every heart and sees through every motive. If you seek him, he'll make sure you find him, but if you abandon him, he'll leave you for good. Look sharp now! God has chosen you to build his holy house. Be brave, determined! And do it!"

We like the way The Message version of the Bible translates the last part of this passage. Got us thinking about how overwhelming taking on a new responsibility could feel or how a task sometimes seems too great to accomplish. Like King David did for his son Solomon in laying out a plan for the construction of the Temple, your Heavenly Father has designed a plan for you to succeed. When you discover His plan, you'll learn that all things begin and end in Him! In Revelation 1:8 God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”

If all things begin and end in Him, then seek Him, find Him, get to know Him "well," and live life with a pure heart and motive. No matter how great the responsibility you have or how great a task you have been given, God has designed a plan for you to succeed. Look sharp now! Do what He has called you to do. Be brave, determined! And do it! You can do it!

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

"Call To Me And I Will Answer You..."

Psalm 147:5

"Great is our Lord and of great power; His understanding is inexhaustible and boundless."

Ever try to figure something out but can't? Our minds, our thinking, and our understanding have human limitations. There are still diseases that medicine has not yet been able to find a cure for. There are still social issues that seem impossible to resolve. The list goes on and on.

As we read this scripture today, we thought "what if God shared His inexhaustible and boundless understanding with us?" We found our answer in Jeremiah 33:3 that says, "Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand)."

Amazing! God knows everything and He asks us to call to Him so he can give us the hidden answers to our obvious problems. We serve a great God!

Call to Him. He will give you the answer you are searching for today.

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Attitude Affects Your Outcome

This week's scripture passage (Matthew 15:21-28) has encouraged us to fight for the change we need or want. Remember these words as you finish out your week: DESIRE, SACRIFICE, and PERSISTENCE. We think they can all be summed up in one word: ATTITUDE. Why attitude? Your attitude affects your desired outcome. Think about it this way, the attitude of successful people, champion athletes, or faithful believers consists of desire, sacrifice, and persistence. It seems to be a common thread among them. What does your attitude have to say about your life's situation? When others get around you, how do you leave them feeling? Encouraged, edified, strengthened, full of faith? Remember, ATTITUDE affects your outcome. Have a great day! God bless you. Louis & Elisa Quintana

Desire Is The Fuel That Moves You

In Matthew 15:21-28, the DESIRE the Canaanite mother had to see her daughter delivered from demon possession was so great she pursued Jesus no matter what the cost. The Oxford American Dictionary defines desire as "a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen." World class athletes, successful business people, and movers and shakers in the kingdom of God are filled with DESIRE. No matter what the cost, desire drives them to take action. The Canaanite mother had a great desire for change. Her desire preceded deliverance. Do you desire something to change in your life? How great is your desire? If there is something you really want but don't take action to acquire it, it will never be acquired. Desire is the fuel that moves you. You need it to take action to get what you want! How great is your desire for change today? Have a great day! God bless you. Louis & Elisa Quintana

Sacrifice - Stop Dreaming & Start Doing!

Another word comes to mind as we re-read yesterday's scripture passage (Matthew 15:21-28), SACRIFICE. The Canaanite woman took a bold step in crying out to Jesus. Risking her reputation, she did what ever it took to get the results she wanted. "Do what ever it takes!" That's a common statement you might hear from a successful person who is a leader in his or her industry, profession, or ministry. Sacrifice doesn't come at the end of your journey when you receive the prize or fulfill a dream. Sacrifice happens along the way and helps get you to where you want to be.

We recently asked ourselves, "Are we making the necessary sacrifices to get to where we want to be in life?" If not, then "Are we willing to do whatever it takes to get us there?" These are tough questions to ask because the answers we hear are not what we really want to hear! It's the everyday sacrifices we make through the mundane routine of life that will help us change and eventually achieve the results we are hoping or dreaming for. If you are dreaming of a better future but are not willing to make the sacrifices you need to make right now, then keep dreaming. If you are willing to make the small daily sacrifices to have a brighter future, then stop dreaming and start making the necessary sacrifices to get you to a place where you can live your dreams!

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana