Persistence Always Wins

Matthew 15:21-28

²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." ²³ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." ²⁴ He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." ²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. ²⁶ He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." ²⁷ "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." ²⁸ Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Wow! This Canaanite woman was persistent! Her race, gender, social class, cultural restrictions, or being pushed away did not keep her from pressing Jesus for a miracle. Her hour of need was so great, she was willing to do whatever it took to get the results she wanted.

In spite of the obstacles you are faced with, never give up! Even when it looks like all the odds are against you, somewhere deep within your heart lies the ability to gather the strength to overcome.

Are you willing to do whatever it takes to get the results you want? Is your need great today? Be persistent in your pursuit of what you need or want today by crying out to Jesus.

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Certainty, Do You Have It?

Ephesians 4:15

"Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."

Certainty, do you have it?  You probably do, however, what are you certain about?  The Oxford American Dictionary defines it as a firm conviction that something is the case; the content of believing something is reliably true; beyond the possibility of doubt.  You can be certain of something that is absolutely true or something that is absolutely false.  

We need to be certain about the things that are absolutely true!  Allow your life to express certainty in the truth of Christ today.

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Success Through Failure

2 Corinthians 3:18

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

Anyone remember a basketball player by the name of Michael Jordan? If you remember him, you might remember a commercial he made for Gatorade in 1991. Here are the words to the jingle:

"Sometimes I dream, that he is me. You've got to see that's how I dream to be. I dream I move. I dream I groove. Like Mike. If I could Be Like Mike. Again I try. Just need to fly. For just one day if I could be that way. I dream I move. I dream I groove. Like Mike. If I could Be Like Mike."

Here's a link to the commercial, it may bring back some good old '90's memories of you trying some of Jordan's moves:

Amazing how we view "the successful." We wish we could achieve their same success. How did they get to the top? Here's a quote from Michael Jordan that may give you a better understanding of how he achieved his success:

"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed."

You only fail when you no longer try. Never, ever, ever... QUIT! Daily you are being transformed into the likeness Christ.

Have a great day! God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

Everything Will Work Out

Romans 5:6

⁶ When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.  (NLT)

Do you sometimes feel utterly helpless and at the mercy of your circumstances?  We want to encourage you today not to worry!  Christ comes at just the right time to rescue you.  Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

Everything will work out!

Have a great day!  God bless you.

Louis & Elisa Quintana

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