Tag: postaweek2011

WF: Get off the fence

On By Naty MatosIn Worship6 Comments

Last week’s teaching at my church was very simple. Stop being wishy washy about your faith. If you really believe God is God, then live your life like that is a truth. In this Friday, I challenge you to evaluate your life. Are you living like those things you preach? Are you living in the permissive will of God or the perfect will of God?

After sitting to process this in my own life, I’ve had this song attached to me all week. I think I’ve woken up every morning with it in my head and I wanted to share. May it impact your life like it has impacted mine.

Be blessed.

WF: Worship Friday

Seeking directions

On By Naty MatosIn Inspirational ThoughtsLeave a comment

At times we are presented with situations that force us to make difficult life decisions with little to no information. We look to God for direction but can find it difficult to read His signs. We seek solutions while being keenly aware that the enemy is standing by, providing detours to guide us in the wrong direction, but even with this knowledge it is still difficult to discern which way to go.

Then there are times when we have gotten the clarification we need from God the neon lights are blaring showing us the route, but our flesh wants more details. We feel like we need more information that’s not being revealed to us. So we keep searching and digging deeper, finding nothing despite our best efforts. I know I’ve been at fault for that.

Let’s agree today to pray that whatever revelation we need be given from God, that “there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known” (Luke 12:2 NIV) At the same time, let’s allow God to give us the information he wants us to have and stop digging ourselves deeper into a pit of unnecessary pain and confusion.

WF: All Jesus did for us

On By Naty MatosIn Worship3 Comments

Jesus death and resurrection should not be something we just remember just when the church tells us to commemorate it through a holiday or when we are in trouble. Every day new mercies are given to us. Let’s worship the Lord remembering what he did and does for us.

Enjoy

WF: Worship Friday

Brief announcement to all my twitter followers

If you’re following me on twitter. My account was hacked last night. The problem has been solved, but some of you may still have the malware message in your direct message box. The message states that I found a picture of you. Please, Do Not Open that message. Delete it immediately or your account will  be hacked as well. If you accidentally opened it. I sincerely apologize. Please change your password and any application that you didn’t authorize to have access to your twitter account from your profile page. Then notify twitter of the transgression.

I have followed these steps and no further illegitimate messages should be sent from my account. I appreciate all your support and following.

God Bless You!!

Naty

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At this moment…

On By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts1 Comment

With the day to day of life, sometimes we don’t see the forest from the trees. I try to make a stop at least twice a year to evaluate my course. I see where I’ve been, what I’ve done and where I’m headed. I usually do those things on my birthday and at the end of the year. Fortunately for me they are six months apart giving me exactly a review within the same time frames

The last few months have been kind of slow in every sense. I’ve had low energy to do much, no major events have happened and I sit here grateful for that. My life has had enough rollercoaster episodes for what a quiet sense of peace, as strange as it feels, it’s been very welcome.

This time has allowed me to finally slow down and look at my projects in a different light. I needed to give some first steps but now it has been time to build the foundation, physically, emotionally and spiritually and without even noticing that’s what these last six months have been about. It has been about the journey of finding me and being newly defined in Christ instead of the world. It has been about being comfortable in my own skin and around others.

It has also been a push to come out of my shell. With fear and trembling I placed my name on this blog, it was about time you guys knew who was behind all the rambling. I even placed my picture for all to see. That’s Kristen Lamb’s fault, but I love her for it. I’ve joined a crazy world of writers in twitter called #myWANA, which stands for “We Are Not Alone”. It’s been an amazing experience to share the struggles and the victories of the journey.

I joined a grammar class that I didn’t finish. I plan to enroll in it again. I’m reading books in writing craft. I even found out there’s a manual for Christian writers. I want to be better, for God, for you and for me.

So as the candles dwindle in my cake, I don’t think I have a wish this year, because I’m happy with where I am, with who I am and with the things God is making happen in my life.

Blessings

Unexpected children

On By Naty MatosIn ArticlesLeave a comment

 

I just finished reading an article on Christianity Today , it was an interview with Bristol Palin regarding her new book and the topic of abstinence. I agree and disagree with some of her points of view, but the thing that shocked me the most were some of the comments in reaction to the article.

In the interview she states that her son “Tripp is the light” of her life  and a reader characterized her comment as one that sends an erroneous message to other teens. How saying that you love your son is wrong? I understand and agree that having a child out of wedlock is a sin, but is a sin of the parents, not of the child. So what is the recommendation here, she should be ashamed of her son?

She sinned. She admitted it, she repented. Who are we to judge? Are our sins any different? The Word says to us,  “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from the other person’s eye” Matthew 7:5

A child born out of wedlock already comes with a list of situations that will affect their whole life. They will experience the absence of a nuclear family life, probably even the absence of a parental figure. Most out of wedlock children come from unskilled parents that will try to raise them the best way they can, but without the proper skills. They may experience feelings of rejection and abandonment. Should we encourage out of wedlock children? No! but once they are here, what impact we as a society contribute to their futures?

Where is our love and mercy? What happened to no condemnation?

As a society and as Christians we need to reevaluate ourselves on how we contribute to child abuse and exploitation. How our attitudes and our lack of involvement in our children’s lives may create some of these issues.

  • Do you know where your teens are? Who they keep company with?
  • Do you read the things they post in social media? (Good Lord I still get horrified with things I read in the walls of very underage children whose parents I know!)
  • Do you know who they talk to?
  • Are you afraid to talk to your children about sex and its true purpose? Or do you just tell them not to do it and wish for the best?
  • Are you the first one to reject someone who becomes pregnant outside of marriage?
  • Are you judgmental of single parents?
  • Or maybe you don’t judge them but give them no assistance, even when you are able.

I think its time to stop pointing the finger at others and see where our own contribution to the problem is. These new children did not ask to come into this world, but they did and they have a divine purpose. God knitted them too in their mother’s womb No, we should not encourage and make it seem like out of wedlock pregnancies are cool, but once the child is here, those children deserve the same love, affection and chance as any other child.

Food for thought

Blessings

WF: Resting in his peace

On By Naty MatosIn Worship4 Comments

I don’t know about you, but on Fridays I feel tired. You start Monday with the energy to take on the week. Each week brings challenges of their own and when it all ends all you want is to rest and have some peace. You don’t want to hear about the bill  that is due, the report that needs to be finished, the double game that the children have over the weekend, the grocery shopping, the house cleaning or the car cleaning, all you want to do is rest.

In the times when routine is overwhelming, but also when life gives us unpleasant surprises we want the world to stop for just a minute to help us catch up.

He says in HIS Word in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”

Take five minutes which is the duration of this video to worship the Lord and rest in his peace.

Be blessed!

 

WF=Worship Friday
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Time to stop playing church

On By Naty MatosIn Articles1 Comment

I’m learning everyday more that being a churchgoer and being a disciple of Christ are very different things. It’s very easy to memorize scriptures and spit them out every time you open your mouth, dress a certain way, behave a certain way in front of people and go around church singing, throwing yourself in the floor when the spirit gets a hold of you. Is all of that real?

I’m not saying it’s not, but the Word of God says “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize the”(Matthew 7:15-16) That’s a self evaluation that we all have to do. Are we bearing fruit or are we playing church for our family and friends?

In the times when Jesus was on the earth the Pharisees were the religious people who lived to “obey the law” but not to commit to the Word of God. From what I’ve read, Jesus was not too fond of those people.

  • “ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” Matthew 3:7-8
  • “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 5:20

Jesus was all about love and compassion. Do we reflect that in our daily life? Are we like the priest who passed the man left half dead by the side of the road because we’re running late for church?

Worshiping God , spending time with him is the best thing to do, but it also goes along with the second commandment: “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’(Matthew 22:39)

I just think that yes, Christianity is a lifestyle, but that is more than our behaviors, our friends, the activities we engaged, the way we dress, the music that we listen to. It’s our purpose and our mission! I think that sometimes we get lost in religiosity and separate ourselves from the real life of a Christian.

We talk about Paul, Peter and James, but are we willing to go to jail and die for the cause of Christ? Are you really involved in causes that save souls? Or do you think that they are too dangerous? For example:

But it doesn’t necessarily means only being or supporting an organization.

  • Do you call the police when you hear that couple again fighting where you know there’s domestic violence?
  • Do you intervene when you have knowledge that a child is being abused?
  • Do you raise your hand against an unethical decision at work?
  • Do you support products that promote programs on the different media sources that show things that degrade women, children or devalue Christian values?

So are we the real deal or are we like it says in Matthew 23:1-3 “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”

Food for thought

Naty

Christians getting tattoos

On By Naty MatosIn Articles9 Comments

I had an interesting conversation the other day about tattoos. Like any form of art, they are quite interesting, some are really nice, and some are not. But the discussion was, Are Christians allowed to get tattoos? This discussion does not relate to those who come to Christ already with tattoos, we are talking about those who are already saved, didn’t have one and are now getting them or contemplating them.

For the longest time I was one of those raising the hand with Leviticus 19:28, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord.” (NLT), but is not as clear cut as that. First of all there’s the judgment part. If I am judging other people for getting tattoos, piercings or men wearing earrings, then I’m the one in trouble for judging. I’ve met true worshipers with all of those or some, these are Christian leaders who I truly respect for their spirituality and who have been mentors in my life. I admit that at the beginning I was conflicted. So I decided to do some research.

First of all I discovered that we need to read things in its context This rule and many others in the Old Testament were placed by God to avoid pagan rituals amongst the Israelites. He wanted for his people to be set apart and he still does. So does getting a tattoo makes you conform to what the world is doing? There are two schools of thought, some that say that the rules in Leviticus still apply to us, some that say they don’t. Well, I agree in Leviticus 19:29 when it says “Do not prostitute your daughter…”, but it also says two verses before, “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard” (19:27) and we know that men have haircuts and shave everyday.

From the majority of the articles I read that do not attack the tattoos (meaning not necessarily approve of them, but don’t have the notion that they will send you to hell) I gather that it’s all in the motivation and heart. Even tattoos are a matter of the heart. Why do you want to get a tattoo? Is it to fit in within the culture? Will the tattoo bring more attention to you than to Christ? Remember that our ultimate goal is that He becomes greater as I become less (John 3:30)

Some people even claim that God has tattoos using the scripture of Isaiah 49:16 “I have tattooed you on the palm of my hands” Others have said that Jesus has a tattoo as well referring to what is said in Revelations 19:16 “On his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords”

At the end, more than the focus of is it right for a believer to have or not a tattoo look at where your heart is. If you don’t have one, “are you looking at the sawdust in your brother’s eye while paying no attention to the plank in your eye? (Matthew 7:3) If you are considering one, why do you want one? Have you talk to God about it? Will getting one affect your relationship with God or make others stumble?

Personally I’ve looked at some and they are quite interesting, I could never get one and it goes beyond any religious convictions. I don’t see myself sitting for any extended period of time to be voluntarily poked. Also, I don’t think I could commit to a design. I don’t think I could agree to one color as my favorite color for my entire life, it used to be red, and somehow my mom says it used to be yellow and if you ask me now it’s blue. Can you imagine?

As always I’m interested in hearing your opinion. Let me know your thoughts and hope you have a blessed day.

WF: Through the eyes of God

On By Naty MatosIn Worship7 Comments

Condemnation always shows us the ugly side of the things that we’ve done in life. Thank God for redemption.

Romans 8:1
Therefore, there is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus

Let’s Praise God on this Friday and remember why the sacrifice of the cross, that it was so that we wouldn’t be what we were, but to have the opportunity of a brand new life, new beginnings and unconditional love.

Blessings

WF:Worship Friday

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Moving Forward

On By Naty MatosIn Inspirational ThoughtsLeave a comment

First of all I want to apologize for not writing in the last few days, between Camp Nano and other distractions I have not been able to sit down long enough to concentrate. I’ve been thinking a lot about how sometimes we are affected by issues regardless if they have direct or indirect impact in our lives.

Life is never without challenges, disappointments and painful events, most of them out of our control. The way we react to those events and the way we view those events will determine our behavior and ultimately potential future outcomes.

When something unexpected affects negatively our lives its very common to feel anger, sadness, shock, resentment, disappointment, grief and many other negative feelings. Ephesians 4:26 reads “In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” but I know there are wounds that are longer lasting, however once the sun comes back up, it may be time to start our baby steps back on the road of life.

We believe that we have no control over those feelings and that’s not totally true. Yes, those feelings are normal. We should not stuff them or deny them. We should talk about them and process them, the problem arises when we sulk and get stuck on them.

At some point the grieving process of an event runs its course and yes, the timing is different for everyone, but when the grief hinders you from functioning, you’ve gone too long.

That’s why I say that you can ultimately impact your future outcomes, for example…the loss of a relationship may be devastating, but it could open the door to self examination, discovery and the potential of a new, sometimes even better relationship. The loss of a loved one is devastating, but if you have faith that they are in a place of no pain and no sorrow, that will give you hope. The loss of employment or some other financial loss will not be easy to recover until you get back on your feet.

Feel what you need to feel, process what you need to process, but then it’s time to get up and move on. Trust that God will make everything right and that he’s in control. That there’s no evil that will not be avenged and no good deed unrewarded.

Faith will get you through

Be blessed.