What Is True?

John 14:6

⁶ Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

We recently read a small book by Andy Stanley titled, "How Good Is Good Enough?"  A short paragraph from chapter ten titled "A question of fairness" really caught our attention so we thought we would share it with you today:

"For most people, choosing a religion is like choosing a flavor of ice cream - we pick what we like, what we are comfortable with, what suits our taste.  That's understandable, but it's not very smart.  The issue is not What do I like?  or How was I raised? or What makes me comfortable?  The issue is What is true?" (p. 78).

May your quest for truth be found in the grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness of Jesus today.

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

The Victory Is Yours Declares The Lord!

1 Samuel 17:45-47

⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."  ⁴⁸ As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. ⁴⁹ Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

We absolutely love reading this story and David's encounter with Goliath.  Goliath had provoked Israel long enough and David was ready to end his taunting.  David's tenacious attitude and faith did not come from a prideful heart.  God had delivered him from the attacks of the lion and the bear while he tended his father's sheep in the desert.  David did not take confidence in himself and in his natural gift to shoot a sling.  He took confidence "in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel," the deliverer of His people.

Israel's trained elite soldiers cowarded in the sight of the Philistine giant.  David, the anointed shepherd boy, RAN toward Goliath, engaged in battle, and killed him!

Sometimes in life we fight from a defensive position.  It's time to start fighting and praying from an offensive position.  Offense moves forward.  Defense moves backward.  Be on the offensive side of the battle today.  "The victory is yours declares the Lord!"

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Your Reward Will Be Great!

Revelation 22:12-13

¹² "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

I (Louis) remember the day I graduated from college.  It was one of the most exciting experiences of my life.  The emotions ran high as I stood on the infield of the college football stadium.  I had always wanted to play football on that field but life led me down a different path.  Feeling like I had just scored a touchdown in one of the biggest games ever, I stood on the stadium infield, lifted up my arms and shouted, "Yessssss!  I did it!"  At that moment I knew no one could take that feeling away from me.  It was exhilarating!  All of the hard work paid off.  I realized that I was being rewarded not only for the completion of my college courses but also for all of my hard work I put in since preschool.  You gotta' start somewhere!

We'll sum it up with this quote by Napoleon Hill, "Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit."  Keep putting forth the effort in your daily grind.  Your reward will be great!

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

"Lord, Save Me!"

Matthew 14:28-29

²⁸ Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”  ²⁹ “Yes, come,” Jesus said.  So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.  ³¹ Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”  ³² When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. ³³ Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

Ever take on a task that was risky or that required a lot of courage but somehow resulted in disappointment, failure, or defeat?  Have you ever felt like you were sinking or going under?  How do you get out of this situation?  

First, be encouraged that you had the boldness to step out when others were afraid to.  Second, refocus on what prompted you to "get out of the boat" and not on opposing factors that may have distracted you from your goals and objectives.  Third, call out to your Savior, Jesus Christ!  When you call out to Him, He will rescue you every time!  Fourth, remember that no matter what seems to be prevailing over you, faith in Christ will give you laser beam focus to overcome and achieve success.

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

This Too Shall Pass!

Job 11:16

^"Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:"

Ever get caught up in a frenzy and maybe forget about what matters most?  We found this Jewish folktale and thought we would share it with you today:

One day Solomon decided to humble Benaiah Ben Yehoyada, his most trusted minister. He said to him, "Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it." "If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty," replied Benaiah, "I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?" "It has magic powers," answered the king. "If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy." Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility. Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of the poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day's wares on a shabby carpet. "Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?" asked Benaiah. He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile. That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. "Well, my friend," said Solomon, "have you found what I sent you after?" All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled. To everyone's surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, "Here it is, your majesty!" As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band: gimel, zayin, yud, which began the words "Gam zeh ya'avor" -- "This too shall pass." At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous wealth and tremendous power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust. (This too shall pass. (2009, July 9). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:38, July 9, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=This_too_shall_pass&oldid=301143902)

If you are having a frenzied day, week, or year, focus on the important matters and remember these words, "this too shall pass!"

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Take Courage!

Matthew 14:27

"But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

Today is the first day of school for our girls.  All last week the anticipation of starting a new school year brought spontaneous outbursts from each of our daughters.  Our youngest daughter could not stop saying, "I'm gonna be a kindagawdenah!"  Our eldest daughter joined in the outburst by counting down each day shouting out, "five more days... four more days... three more days... two more days... tomorrow is the first day of school!"  This morning the excitement was mixed with nervousness as they both had butterflies loosed in their tiny tummies but they took courage and started the first day of a new school year.

It takes great courage to do something for the first time.  We all need inspiration in life to do things.  Where do you find yours?  The story of Esther has inspired us many times.  Maybe you can find inspiration from these words found in Esther 4:12-16 

¹² When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, ¹³ he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. ¹⁴ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

These words inspired Esther to take action!

 ¹⁵ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶"Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

Be inspired to take on the most difficult challenges that you are faced with.  You are not where you are by chance.  God has placed you in your position for a greater purpose.  You are God's answer to someone else's prayer today! 

Have a good day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

It's Right In Front Of You

Luke 15:8-10

 ⁸ "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Yesterday our girls were playing with one of their favorite games and lost one of the game pieces.  They searched high and low for the lost game piece but could not find it anywhere.  They were so disappointed and sad.  How could they play without the lost piece?

As they sat down to play this morning, they really wanted to play with the game.  Our eldest daughter asked, "How can we find that piece when it's so small?"  Just as she was ending here sentence, our youngest daughter shouted, "We don't have to because it's right here!"  It was stuck on the outside of the game box.  Not in it, not under it, but right on top of it.  The cheers rang out from both of their little mouths.  Big sister hugged little sister and picked her up off of her feet.  A sad, disappointing morning quickly turned into a joyous celebration.  Yes, they started playing with the game right away.

In 2 Kings 5, Elisha heard that Naaman had come to Israel to be healed of leprosy.  Elisha sent a messenger to say to Naaman to go wash in the Jordan seven times and he would be cleansed and his flesh restored.  Naaman had put forth great effort to seek out his miracle and even traveled a great distance.  Can you imagine along the way what he might have been thinking?  This great, valiant warrior was used to the pomp and circumstance.  He expected Elisha to perform a great healing service with all the extravagance he was used to.  However, Elisha did not even meet him personally.  He sent a messenger to meet him.  This infuriated Naaman!  In Naaman's mind the prophet had given him this menial task that was not worthy for a man of his stature to do.  Thank God for Naaman's servants who had enough sense to figure out that Elisha must have possessed great authority and with this simple request a healing would take place.  Naaman submitted to Elisha's instructions and a great miracle occurred.  Naaman was healed of leprosy!  Can you imagine the celebration that ensued?  The picture of our little girls comes to mind.  A sad, disappointing day quickly turned to a joyous celebration!

Naaman's miracle was put right before him but he almost walked away from it.  What you really want and search everywhere for is sometimes found right in front of you.  Be careful not to walk away from your miracle.

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana 

Faith In Captivity

Jeremiah 29:11

 "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

In 2 Kings 5, the author mentions a young girl that was taken captive on one of the Aramean's raids on Israel.  Naaman, the commander of the army, may have captured her himself or he may have bought her at a later time.  Whatever the case may be, she was bought to serve Naaman's wife as a maid.

This young girl, who's name is not even mentioned, would seem to be somewhat an insignificant individual however, she demonstrates her faith in the one true God by stating to Naaman's wife, "I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria.  He would heal him of his leprosy" (v. 3).  Did you get that?  She wished her master could be healed!  She did not wish him dead of this progressive skin disease.  She had compassion on him and stood up to proclaim her belief in the goodness and greatness of the one true God of Israel!  Consider Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, and Joseph who lived in captivity and served in homes and lands of pagan people. They uncompromisingly glorified God with their life and service even though they lived in bondage.  The same is true about this little servant girl who was able to stand up with great faith in God and fearlessly speak to her master's wife that her God could heal Naaman.

Where are you standing today?  Thinking you are being held captive to the world's system, wishing you were at work in God's kingdom?  Stop right there, you are right where you need to be.  God has placed you in your position to testify of your faith in the one true God.  Take every opportunity, challenge, and any adversity that your job, home environment, or life situation has to offer.  You are significant in the eyes of the Lord so stand up and proclaim your faith and have hope in the one true God! 

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Find Grace In Your Time Of Need

Hebrews 4:14-16 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. The story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5 is rich with life lessons.  Yesterday we focused on Gehazi and his covetous heart which clouded his judgement and cursed his future.  Every time we read this story we capture different truths that we have not captured before.   In 2 King 5:1 it says, "Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram.  He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram.  He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy."  Summed up, Naaman seemed to wear this thick coat of invulnerability as he was described as "great," "highly regarded," and "valiant."  The Lord had even shown him favor in giving victory in battle to Aram, Israel's enemy.  As quickly as the author paints this picture of invulnerability, he quickly uncovers him and describes his vulnerability in one word, LEPROSY!  It may have been a mild form of leprosy or contagious skin condition that had not yet isolated him from society but ouch!..."you are a great man, but let me remind you, you have a weakness." No matter what your weakness is, one thing stands true, we are in need of the one true God that Naaman came to know when he was healed from leprosy.  Naaman demonstrated a great desire to rid himself of this skin condition by traveling a great distance no matter what the cost, even risking his life by traveling into enemy territory.  He was WILLING to find help and God was WILLING to help.  The grace and kindness of God to heal Naaman led him to believe that "there is no God in all the world except in Israel" (v. 15).   Are you willing to do whatever it takes to deal with your weaknesses and vulnerabilities?  If you are, there is a great miracle waiting for you that only God can give! Have a great day!  God bless you. Louis & Elisa Quintana

Quadruple Portion Anointing!

Luke 12:15

"And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."

This week we have taken interest in an individual mentioned in the Bible named Gehazi, also written Geychaziy (gay-khah-zee).  The last time we recalled hearing a unique name pronounced with a 'zee ending was a couple of years ago on American Idols (A.I.) Season 7.  There was a contestant we remember by the name of Chikezie (Chih-KEE-zee).  Sound familiar to all you A.I. fans?  Even if you are not a fan of A.I., hearing that name leaves you somewhat astonished at the pronunciation.

In 2 Kings 4 & 5 we learn of Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the prophet.  Remember, Elisha was Elijah's successor who received a double portion anointing to carry on the Lord's work after Elijah was taken up into heaven.  Gehazi's name means "valley of vision" or "valley of a visionary."  He was an eager and zealous servant always prepared to serve the prophet Elisha.  On one occasion in 2 Kings 4, Elisha even took his practical advice in dealing with the Shunammite woman.  Says alot about what Elisha thought of him.

Even though Gehazi started out a ready servant, his story ends quite disappointing when he commits a disgraceful sin.  In 2 Kings 5, Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, was healed of leprosy.  Naaman was so grateful of his healing that he offered Elisha gifts.  Elisha refused but Gehazi coveted the gifts of Naaman and "RAN" after him, lied to him, and received some gifts for himself.  The Spirit of the Lord revealed his sin to Elisha and Gehazi was cursed with leprosy.  The same disease Naaman was healed from!

What a tragedy!  The covetousness in Gehazi, a man whose name meant "valley of a visionary," clouded his heart.  What could have ended in a life and legacy of blessing, (possibly even a quadruple portion anointing since Elisha as Elijah's servant received a double portion anointing), ended in a legacy of leprosy.  A curse that would extend to his descendants "forever."

The coveting of material possessions will only cloud your vision and God's plan for your life.  Today start building your legacy on the core values of honesty, integrity, temperance, gratitude, and generosity.  They will bring you an anointing that will multiply in the lives of your children and their children's children, and their.....!

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Integrity = A Good name

Proverbs 22:1

"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."

We have been trying to sell an investment home in the North part of the DFW Metroplex for the past 17 months.  That's right!  Seventeen long months we have had the home on the market.  We knew that all investments or business ventures have an element of risk involved, some more risky than others, but did not anticipate the change in market values at the time we were ready to sell our home.  We were part of the unfortunate investors who purchased and attempted to sell during the worst slump in home prices this decade.  It was a long wait but we finally secured a deal and hope to close on the home by early next month.  

In every business transaction we have made there is one thing we have learned.  No matter how low or high the risk involved, the one thing we believe that should not involve risk is integrity.  Maintaining your business integrity during one of the worst economic setbacks in the world is more important than tarnishing your name for the rest of your lifetime.  No matter how long it takes to make a sale, close a business transaction, or how desperate your financial situation gets, one should never compromise integrity.

Today do not compromise and give in to the nature of the flesh which is lying, cheating, stealing, and dishonest gain!  Maintain your position of strength and integrity that is found in the character of Jesus Christ.  

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Rejoice And Be Glad

Psalm 118:24

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Hey all!

We are having a busy week as we have been away from home officiating a wedding in South Padre Island, TX.  We will be getting back on track with our God (got) A Second? posts as soon as possible.  Thanks for reading our posts.  We have received a lot of positive feedback from our readers regarding this blog.

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Faith Is Now!

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.

We have been meditating on this scripture over the past couple of days.  We asked the question, "Has God given us a tool or a formula that would help us accelerate time?"  We could not conclude from the Word of God or by any scientific means that there is a formula or tool that can do this.  However, we did conclude that God has given us Faith.

Faith is NOW!  Even though peace, strength, joy, love, forgiveness, patience, financial stability, etc. has not yet materialized, your faith can materialize now!  Faith is NOW!  Faith does not accelerate time.  Faith brings you to a point of accepting where you are right NOW so you can believe for whatever you need tomorrow!  Somebody shout Amen!!!  God's Word gives birth to faith in your heart.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.   Faith, in the Word of God, accelerates the process of changing how you think so you can position yourself to receive what you are hoping for tomorrow.

Keep hope alive in your heart and hold out for what you are believing God for!  Stay in faith.  Faith is NOW!

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Time, Time, And More Time!

Genesis 8:22 "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." The Hebrew word for "seedtime" is "zera."  It means a "sowing time."  As we explored yesterday that farmers are patient people, the above scripture also came to mind today.  We thought about the four seasons and summed up all of them with this word, TIME!  Time, time, and more time.  The cultivating of the farmers field requires TIME, the planting of the seed requires TIME, the growing of the seed requires TIME, the harvesting of the fruit requires TIME!  You live in a world that is governed by TIME. Let's breakdown the scripture this way, "seed, TIME, and harvest."  Many of us want the harvest immediately!  Wait patiently because you know that TIME will bring your harvest!  Have a great day!  God bless you. Louis & Elisa Quintana

Wait Patiently For Your Promise

Hebrews 6:15

¹⁵ And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

Our families have lived around agriculture all of their lives.  Many of our friends growing up had father's that farmed including my (Elisa) father.  One of the things that comes to mind when we think about farmers is the incredible amount of patience these guys have.  Think about it, they cultivate the soil, plant a seed, water it, tend to it as it grows, and then months later harvest a crop.  

Oxford American Dictionary defines patience as "the capacity to accept or tolerate delay."  One of the key characteristics God reveals to us in scripture about Himself is patience. Many of His chosen men and women in scripture had to wait long periods of time until He fulfilled His promise that He made to them. 

Why is it that when we have an idea or embark on a new journey in our life/career that we want immediate results?  

Today wait patiently for your promise.

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

God Is Patient For Your Sake

2 Peter 3:8-9 

⁸ But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. ⁹ The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 

We sat at the kitchen table this morning watching and helping our daughters play on one of their favorite websites, Webkinz World.  As our youngest daughter played, our eldest daughter encouraged her with these words, "Be patient!"  Doesn't sound like a very exciting story but as we heard these words we were typing in the above scripture for today's blog.

God is "being patient for your sake.  He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent."  As we consider the current spiritual state of our nation, we are thankful this morning for God's patience toward us.  We pray that God's mercy and love be extended to each of us at this time.   

Please help us pray for our country and all our leaders today.

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana