God our provider

On January 8, 2012January 9, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts2 Comments

When we talk about God being our provider our thoughts usually go to the financial provision. We know that He provides according to his riches and glory, that He’s the owner of the gold and silver…therefore just like the Word says He will provide our daily bread. But, is that all God provides for us? The answer is simple : No

God wants to be all for us therefore He provides all our needs. Let’s look at some areas of provision that sometimes we don’t realize God provides for us.

Joy–“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10)

Comfort–“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God”(2 Corinthians 1: 3-4)

Love- “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8)

Friendship-“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15: 14-15)

So when you have a need, know that you’re never alone. Whatever your need is, He has a way to supply it because he created You to love you and for His Glory!

Be encouraged today! Blessings!

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WF:The Three Kings Day

On January 6, 2012January 6, 2012 By Naty MatosIn WorshipLeave a comment

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory— this was during Herod’s kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, “Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him.”

When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified—and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well. Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

They told him, “Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly:
It’s you, Bethlehem, in Judah’s land,
no longer bringing up the rear.
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel.”

Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared. Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem, and said, “Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I’ll join you at once in your worship.”

Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time!

They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.

In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.” Matthew 2:1-12

Since today is Worship Friday and it happens to be sort of a holiday, I wanted to take the opportunity to share one of the first documented acts of worships in the bible. Worship is not just about singing praises to the Lord but it’s an attitude.

Happy Friday!

BTW, Growth Lessons is back on sale for 99 cents, make sure to grab your copy before the sale it’s over.

Are you taking your faith for granted?

On January 2, 2012January 2, 2012 By Naty MatosIn Articles3 Comments

We get up every morning. We can read our bibles. We drive to our jobs and choose to listen to our Christian radio stations and sing out loud along with the music. There’s no problem on telling your co-worker that you will be going to a church service that night or over the weekend. You invite some friends to your house to hold a bible study and praise God. It’s your house and you have a right to do what you want. We can only wish it was like that everywhere in the world.

I’m going to share a story with you that changed my perspective of what it is to really be a Christian. This is the story of a very young woman who recently went into a mission trip and the things she shared opened up my eyes. I asked her to share some of them with you. Do you remember those stories of really dying for Jesus back in the roman days and suffering persecution? Well there are Christians still doing that today in 2012.

“I’m a young, 22 years of age lady that went on her first mission trip to Hong Kong, China this past November. Never in my life did I think it would happen. Never in my life did I get the huge blessings that I received to even go. And never in my life have I left a place and gained such a huge lesson in my spiritual walk.

The purpose of this trip was to carry bibles into mainland China from Hong Kong. I went into the country thinking that my simple yet risky act of bringing bibles into a communist country was going to help make an impact in the lives of the Chinese people, that I could teach them something and walk away knowing that a part of my spiritual check list was marked off. But I was so very wrong. In my two week stay, the people that I came across, the stories that were shared and the country that I got to see, impacted me more that I thought it ever would. I met and listened on the perspective of five different people who shared what it is like to live in China: how it was hard being a Christian in a country that frowned on it and punished those who made it their duty to spread the name of Jesus. We were warned beforehand that we had to be careful in what we say and do. For example, if we wanted to pray in our hotel rooms, it was advised that we should turn the television to the most bearable noise level and pray; this was to keep our prayers muffled from possibility that our hotel could be bugged. We had to be careful of who we talked to, where we read our bibles if needed. And when it time to say grace over our food in public, my Puerto Rican leaders did the praying in Spanish.

After two days in Shenyang and a day and a half in Dandong (which is south of Shenyang and is separated by a river with North Korea) I became spiritually frustrated. I never thought being secretive could be draining to the spirit, but for me it was. My frustration became disappoint, and not on God or the Chinese but on myself. While in my hotel room alone, I took the time to analyze my spiritual life: was I as serious about it as I claimed I was or was I just another hypocrite? What is the level of my faith or relationship with God? Was I or am I willing to take it seriously at all? You see, here in America we have it easy. We can decide what religion we want to believe, what god we want to serve and for some of us, we do our best to freely express our beliefs because we have that right to. Will people like it? Of course not, but the government doesn’t punish us for it. We never stop to think what it would be like in a place like China or North Korea where we have to live in secret for the name of our faith. I saw people in my room back in Hong Kong praying in tongues, filled with the Holy Spirit and reading their bibles like their lives depended on it. What did I do? Text messaged my family and friends back home, listened to my music and fell asleep through a few church services while “praying”. By the time I got back home, I felt ashamed. I felt that the purpose of my being there wasn’t done properly and that I could have done better. The people I shared a room with, were from the mainland. In my eyes they pretty much ousted me in the “who’s more passionate for Jesus?” category if there ever was one.

I’m sharing this to ask, for those of you reading this, to do this one thing: take a look at your faith and your relationship with God. Are you grateful or is it just something you don’t take as seriously as you should? You of all people in this country are blessed with the freedom to believe in Jesus and to be able to share him with others. You are not held captive by fear that someone will kill you because of your faith; you don’t have to hide bibles or become watchful of who you speak with. You are free. With this New Year quickly approaching, make a serious resolution to be appreciative that you are freely a Christian. We need to take our faith just as seriously as our brothers and sisters in Christ overseas. Don’t let the moment of you going into a country that’s in spiritual bondage make you grateful for your freedom. Be grateful now”

As we start this new year, I hope this testimony brings the fire into your life of what it is to live for Christ.

God Bless you!

Note: These pictures were taken from the internet and have no attachment to the story or the people spoken about. If I need to credit someone for the pictures, just message me.

WF: Be my escape

On December 16, 2011December 16, 2011 By Naty MatosIn WorshipLeave a comment

The message of this song is very simple… If you’re at your wits ends, if you have not made a decision for your eternity, or if you have, and troubles are overwhelming you and you feel at your wits ends…Escape… Escape into the arms of the one who holds the key out of your prison, no matter what prison it is.

Happy Friday!

Remember my book Growth Lessons Kindle and Nook versions will be 99 cents only until the end of the year, so grab your copy and stuck your friends and family stockings. Have a blessed weekend!

When everything seems wrong

On December 14, 2011December 14, 2011 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts10 Comments

Have you ever been in a situation where everything that could possibly go wrong does? and then you think, well…what else could happen? and it does. A pastor friend of mine used to tell me the bigger the attack, the bigger the upcoming blessing. So after you’ve fought your own battles and are finally coming out for air; the enemy comes and goes after a loved one. He thinks, “Gotcha! Now there’s nothing you can do!”

I’m here to tell you that we’ve all felt that way, that sense of impotence in front of a situation where we feel like we are so ill equip to handle or help the ones we love. God always provides a way and if nothing else there’s always something you can do:

Pray:

“Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) It is so hard to be cheerful when things are rough, but we need to remember that there’s nothing…NOTHING bigger than God. We should pray for that mountain in front of us to move. We should pray for wisdom in the decisions to make in the middle of the storm. We should pray for the pain of our loved one to subside. We should pray for peace in our heart and those who are hurting. How many of us are where we are because someone prayed non stop for our lives? It’s time to pay it forward.

Trust:

We need to trust that God will do his part, even if the end result is not what we want. We do know that everything in his hand will turn out for our good. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight”

Release:

Once you have prayed and with your trust in God you have to release your cares unto him. Oh this is a hard one for me!! How many times I’ve asked the Lord, “ Ok, I prayed and I trust you but what do you want me to do?” and he responds…Nothing! Oh, he knows that drives me nuts, but he’s right. He’s God and I’m not. But if I trust I have to remember that all I have to do is “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalms 55:22

If you have a particular prayer request, please let me know. You are not alone and I will love to pray with you…

I hope your day is blessed…

Naty

Join Naty Matos and 9 of her author friends at Women’s Literary Cafe’s Christian Book Launch, December 13-15. Ten authors will discount their eBooks to just 99 cents. Buy 3 get 1 FREE!
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WF: Breakfast

On December 8, 2011December 9, 2011 By Naty MatosIn WorshipLeave a comment

I heard this song by coincidence and it although it’s kind of caricaturesque it’s very true indeed. I don’t think I could have use any other illustration to explain one of my motto’s in life; which is to work with the things that matter and allow those that do not matter roll of your back.

I spoke about how we tend to complaint about our lives in a post not too long ago, and this song places in perspective that we get caught up in the things of this world instead of the things of the Word and that at the end of the day we need to make a decision which one matters to us.

Food for thought and Enjoy!

The Shoes: Guest Post by Author Lynn Mosher

On November 28, 2011November 28, 2011 By Naty MatosIn Short Stories1 Comment

After a weekend designated to giving thanks I am grateful to present to you a great Christian Author; Lynn Mosher. She has come to The Rising Muse to share with us a short story. This is what it’s really all about.

Warning: Get your tissues ready!

Enjoy!

The Shoes

The dark, gray skies overhead threatened an early snow. Rushing shoppers, all bundled up to ward off the cold, crowded the sidewalks, lost in their to-do list for Thanksgiving.

Oblivious to their surroundings, no one noticed a small, shivering boy standing in front of the shoe store, his nose pressed against the window, barely dressed and only flip-flops on his dirty feet.

However, one man did see him and stopped, dead still in his tracks, causing others to bump into him. He didn’t notice the bumps and grumblings, but he did notice the small boy because he had a son about the same age.

Thinking how he would feel if this were his son standing there, barely clothed, the man quietly slid next to the boy, the man stood there for a moment, and then said, “They have some nice shoes here, don’t they?”

“Yeah,” came the soft reply.

“Which ones do you like?”

“That pair over there…the cool running ones.”

“Oh, I’ll bet you could run fast in those.”

“Yes sir. I sure could. Like the wind!”

“You know, I have a little boy just about your age.”

“Oh, yeah? I’ll bet he has shoes like that.”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, he does. But I have an idea.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“How ‘bout I take you into the store and buy you that pair of shoes?”

The boy stood there motionless. After a few moments, with tears in his eyes, he looked up at the man. “You want to buy me shoes?”

“I sure do. Your feet must be freezing and I’d love to buy them for you.”

The boy couldn’t speak another word.

The man took the boy by the hand and walked into the store. Finding the manager, the man described the pair of shoes and asked the manager to please get a pair in the boy’s size, along with some socks. Then, he said he and the boy would be in the restroom and would he please bring the shoes and socks in there.

The manager gathered the shoes and socks and, upon entering the men’s restroom, found the man on his knees washing the young boy’s feet.

“Can’t stick dirty feet into clean, new socks and shoes, now can we?”

The young boy just stared at the man as he lovingly washed away all the accumulated street-dirt and gently dried his feet.

Feeling he was intruding on a very special moment, the manager quietly placed the shoes and socks on the floor without saying a word and backed out of the restroom.

After placing the socks and shoes on the boy’s feet, the man stood up, and with hands on his hips, said, “Okay. Let’s see how they look. Walk around.”

The little boy couldn’t move. He stared down at his feet that felt glued to the floor. He looked up, tears now streaming down his little face, and said, “Mister, are you Jesus?”

The boy’s words took the man’s breath away. So overcome with emotion, the man could barely speak. Finally, he muttered, “No, son, I’m not. But I know Him very well. And this is a gift from Him.”

“This is the greatest Thanksgiving ever. Would you tell Jesus thank you for me?”

“Well, let’s go for a walk and I’ll tell you how you can do that yourself.”

Thanksgiving blessings, Lynn

Lynn delights us with her writing on her blog Heading Home. She’s the writer of upcoming book “Ready or Not Here I come”

To connect with Lynn:

http://lynnmosher.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/lynnmosher
http://www.facebook.com/LynnMosher
http://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnhmosher
gplus.to/LynnMosher

And the winners of our two books Giveaway are: Donna B. Snow and Dana Ellington. I will be communicating with you guys today for your price. Congratulations!

Remember it’s Cyber Monday and you can give eBooks as gifts through Amazon.com So grab your copy of Growth Lessons, which is still for 99 cents only through the Christmas season, that way you can get a copy for yourself and for those who you know will enjoy it.

Be Blessed!

Reader’s Choice: The Evolution of Thanksgiving

On November 23, 2011November 23, 2011 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts1 Comment

This is our last Reader’s Choice post for 2011. I want to start by thanking those who participated in. I will be sending you a little surprise on your e-mails, be on the lookout.

The question and very fitting for the holiday we are celebrating this week is, how did the Thanksgiving festivities evolved from the original festivities to what we do today? We were taught in school that pilgrims and Indians sat together with turkey and pumpkin pies and had a friendly meal together. History says it wasn’t quite like that.

So how did it happen?

It is said that the very first harvest feast between Indians and colonist was celebrated in 1621. The colonist arrived in the Mayflower the prior year. Not having the survival skills to whether the winter they stayed in the ship, but many were very sick and malnourished. The Indians (Squanto, a returned slaved who knew English and others) taught them how to cultivate corn, avoid poisonous plants and help them forge an alliance with a local tribe for their survival. So when everything the Indians taught them proved to be true and beneficial the colonist decided to celebrate a three day feast.

And they ate turkey?

Yeah, not quite; the exact menu is unknown. We know there were lobsters,

seals, swans and wild turkeys amongst the meats of choice. Personally I’m upset that we kept up with the turkey and not the lobster, nothing against the turkey, I love it…just a preference.

What it is known is that there were not all those pies that we currently eat. First of all the Native American didn’t eat much sugar and the sugar supply from the Mayflower had dwindled down by then, so no dessert.

So how did we get to the point where we are now?

From History.com “In 1817, New York became the first of several states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday; each celebrated it on a different day, however, and the American South remained largely unfamiliar with the tradition. In 1827, the noted magazine editor and prolific writer Sarah Josepha Hale—author, among countless other things, of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”—launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. For 36 years, she published numerous editorials and sent scores of letters to governors, senators, presidents and other politicians. Abraham Lincoln finally heeded her request in 1863, at the height of the Civil War, in a proclamation entreating all Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.” He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November, and it was celebrated on that day every year until 1939, when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an attempt to spur retail sales during the Great Depression. Roosevelt’s plan, known derisively as Franksgiving, was met with passionate opposition, and in 1941 the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November.”

The bottom line is that currently we use Thanksgiving as the designated day to gather with family and friends, to remember the things that we are thankful for. It’s a good time to do inventory of all our blessings and realize that we have way more than we acknowledge some times.

For me, I’m grateful to be loved by the Creator of the Universe, the Alpha and the Omega, the Lord of Lord, the King of Kings, my beautiful Jesus. I’m grateful for the family He has given me, for my gifts and talents. I thank Him for my friends and for the special people in my life. I am grateful for all my experiences, the good and the bad that have made me who I am. I’m grateful for my readers who have become my friends and source of inspiration. And of course for the four-legged child that’s curled up on my feet as I write this post, she’s my daily joy and reminder of what unconditional love looks like.

As always I love to hear from you. What things are you grateful for this year? What little and big blessings make your life meaningful?

Be Blessed

Join Naty Matos and 9 of her author friends at Women’s Literary Cafe’s Christian Book Launch, December 13-15. Ten authors will discount their eBooks to just 99 cents. Buy 3 get 1 FREE!

http://www.womensliterarycafe.com/content/december-2011-book-launches

Emotions and Christianity

On November 21, 2011November 21, 2011 By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts2 Comments

I was reading an article on the magazine “In Touch” the other day. They will have to forgive me because I don’t remember the specific author or the edition of the magazine that I read. The article was talking about how as believers we tend to have unrealistic expectations of what our emotions should be in determined situations. I think the saddest part about it, is that we permeate this culture of unrealistic expectations when we attempt to provide support to someone in distress.

I’m guilty of telling someone one that they are not trusting God on a situation, because they are exhibiting anxiety or distress and I know I’m wrong for that. I also know that I’ve accused myself of not being submitted enough to God for experiencing things like: fear, anger, sadness, anxiety.

There’s this wrong perception that if you’re a believer everything in your life has to be going absolutely perfect. We forget to read that part of the Bible that says, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Who can forget the scene where Jesus kicked everyone out of the temple? He was angry. The Word says, “be angry but do not sin”…it doesn’t say you’re not allowed to be angry.

Where do we even get these ideas that because we believe we’re going to be walking in clouds, our children will be perfect, and our relationships will be perfect? Yes, we have deceived ourselves.

The interesting thing that we missed, that was addressed in the article was that we are made as God’s image; this means every emotion that we have, he has and made for us. It’s what we do with our emotions that could either edify us or destroy us. If we use our emotions and turn them into prayers, instead of complaints, and remember that the test is only the beginning of the testimony; we would see our life with different eyes.

I had a situation this week, where everything that could go wrong, went wrong. At the end of the day, I was tired, frustrated, overwhelmed. I kept praying God’s peace. I surrounded myself with my accountability support people. I finally came to the conclusion that this was the test becoming a testimony. The testimony is that every single thing that looked impossible on Monday was resolved without my intervention and in ways that only God could have shown himself. The fact that I cried and was frustrated doesn’t mean that I didn’t know that God had it in his hand and was going to deal with it. I didn’t’ doubt it for a minute. I just had a bulk of emotions; I recognized them as such and treated them as such.

Sometimes we lose focus that not only the lost souls struggles, but our fellow believers have struggles too, and how can we be of help when instead of mercy, we hand out judgment.

Be Blessed!

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WF: Let my words be few

On November 18, 2011November 18, 2011 By Naty MatosIn WorshipLeave a comment

Once unconditional love is experienced, we can’t just settled for the things of this world. Being accepted, loved, cherished and valued are some of the things that undeservingly Jesus gives us. We woke up this morning, we are breathing, we have access to technology (otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this post. Let’s be grateful for this day and all that it brings. The good because we get to enjoy it. The not so fun parts because they are lessons to enhance our future.

Bask in his love today, be amazed how much the Creator of the Universe, the Alpha and the Omega, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords….LOVES YOU!

I love you Jesus!

Be blessed.

WF: Worship Friday

Remember to pick your copy of Growth Lessons today in print and e-book!

Join Naty Matos and 9 of her author friends at Women’s Literary Cafe’s Christian Book Launch, December 13-15. Ten authors will discount their eBooks to just 99 cents. Buy 3 get 1 FREE!

http://www.womensliterarycafe.com/content/december-2011-book-launches