Tag: Religion and Spirituality

HALT

On By Naty MatosIn Articles2 Comments

Some feelings can be lights in a dashboard alerting us of a need that needs satisfying.  The way we deal with them could determine our behaviors and finally our outcomes.  There’s an acronym that I learned, not mastered yet but working on it. H.A.L.T. stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired. Just like the word halt, when any of these are present you need to stop, assess and respond to the appropriate need to avoid these feelings from affecting your mood and your surroundings.  These feelings can distort your reality, affect your perception and potentially drive you to actions that otherwise you would not have taken and that could be regrettable.

Hungry

Issue: My mother says that my father was a very pleasant person unless he was hungry, I have excused myself saying that it’s an inherited trait. That’s an honest copout. If you’re hungry, instead of being grumpy…eat! Hunger can cause our mood to change. Our blood sugar gets low and the body is sending a signal to the brain that it needs something. Hunger is merely a red light going off on your dashboard requesting your attention that something needs to be done.

Physical hunger is not the only one that can affect us. Spiritual hunger is just as detrimental. When our spirit is hungry from the word of God, we lack wisdom and connection with the Holy Spirit to make the right decisions for our lives. In John 6:35 Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty”

Suggestion: Eat! I know it sounds simple, but sometimes we’re so caught into meetings or errands that we forget to eat before we know it  we’re starving. It is good to always have something available, like a fruit, a trail mix packet or a nutritional bar. At least it will get you through until you can actually have a meal.

On the spiritual side, start feeding yourself with the Word of God. Sometimes you don’t know where to start with some worship music, its usually the quickest way to get your mindset connected to then dive into prayer and bible study. “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’(Luke 4:4)

Angry

Issue:This one is simple to relate how it can affect our mood. Something makes us angry and we do, say things we later regret. Anger is a powerful emotion that we need to learn to identify and channel appropriately. Remember when we are angry, the emotion is not affecting anyone else but us. Consider Job 18:4 “You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger, is the earth to be abandoned for your sake? Or must the rocks be moved from their place?”  It doesn’t mean ignore your anger, but do consider the times that you are making mountain out of molehills. Are you really angry because of what happened or is there a deeper issue?

Everyone expresses their anger in a different way, but ignoring the irritant or not handling the situation is never the answer.

Suggestion: For some people it’s a timeout. Removing yourself from the situation can help you calm and think things rationally. For some people they need to talk things out. Having an accountability person in your life that can listen without interruptions, but that can give you some wise insight once you’ve vented can be a good source to work through these feelings. For others writing your feelings down allows you the opportunity to see things in perspective. Process your anger before acting on it. “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil” Psalm 37:8

Loneliness

Issue:The feeling of loneliness can drive us to unwise decisions. For people with addictions it can be a trigger back to their vices. The problem is that when people think of addictions they only think of substance abuse and there are way many addictions out there untreated due to this misconception. Any behavior that affects your appropriate functioning and that is having harmful consequences is a potential addiction. The so called shopping therapy, reading books for hours on end trying to hide from the world, overeating, excessive use of the internet, television, pornography, video games, unhealthy relationships (and I’m not just saying couple relationships, even some friendships can be part of an addictive relationship); these are just some example of thing that we can engage due to loneliness that will end up.

Suggestion: Keep accountability, having someone in your life that knows that you are struggling with these issues can help you sort your feelings before you act on them. Having healthy relationships can help you feel less alone.God never intended for us to do life alone. Life, although very individual, its still a group effort.  “You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.”Exodus 18:18 Filling your life with the Word of God will fill the emptiness that you may be feeling. Last but not least is service. When you feel alone you are focusing on yourself, executing acts of service not only can give you a sense of purpose, but can expose you to many fulfilling experiences.

Tired

Issue:This is another feeling that I consider to be a red light in your dashboard. Especially in our current lifestyle where we believe to be supermen and superwomen without capes, we can be under the impression and the pressure of all these life demands that can be exhausting. The reality is that being tired affects the way we process information and can cause us to make mistakes and erroneous decisions. Out of exhaustion you can give in into that thing, talking to a person or attending a place that you know its not the best for you and that could have negative results in your life.

These emotions are born in us. If you look at babies, aren’t those the reasons why they cry? Think about it, hungry, angry, lonely and tired. Abraham Maslow developed a theory in psychology based or human hierarchy of needs. His long theory can be summarized by saying that unless you meet your basic needs you can’t achieve higher levels and execute appropriately other functions.

Suggestion: Rest! You need to be honest with yourself, assess your priorities. Yes there are dishes to clean and clothes to fold, but if you’re tired you are good to nobody including yourself. Naps are an option. Look at your load and delegate or find creative ways to make your life easier. Flush the superman/woman down the drain right now, its not doing anybody any good. Those around you will enjoy you better with paper plates than screaming because of the load of dishes. Finally enjoy the refreshing rest that only He can give, by spending some time with your Savior. “The LORD replied, My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”Exodus 33:14

Blessings

Naty

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One thing after another

On By Naty MatosIn Inspirational ThoughtsLeave a comment

Have you ever felt like the rat in the wheel, like one thing happens and when it starts to look up, wham! it starts all over again. It is sometimes hard to see the silver lining in the middle of the storm. If you ever need motivation about the fact that everything ends up working for our good, just read the story of Joseph in Genesis. Talk about a guy jacked up by everyone that could, including his own brothers.

From the beginning of the story you see the tension building as he’s developing his gifts and his brothers are jealous of him. The first thing they thought about doing to him was to kill him, but they decide to sell him as a slave. With siblings like that who needs enemies, right? But then God made it where he found favor with his master who put him in charge of everything and he learned, as a slave, how to manage the land and the livestock.

That was too easy, so the Master’s wife had her eye set on Joseph and wanted a little more personal tender loving care. As a man of God and of integrity he rejected the woman. She couldn’t take that offense and made a scene pretending that Joseph had tried to assault her. Poor Joseph is sent to jail.

Ah! In jail God makes him get favor with the keepers and he was in charge of other prisoners, but he was still a prisoner. In there he met some people, I’m not going to give you the details, you have to read this one. The bottom line is he ends up being taken out of jail and made basically the second in power in Egypt. With his experiences, gifts and knowledge he journey the country through a horrible famine as well as reconnected with his family and provided for them through the famine.

When his brothers finally realized that it was him, they were in shame and Joseph’s words really caught my attention: “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt” Genesis 45:8

So regardless of what part of your journey you are, can you appreciate that your life has a purpose? That it’s true! God never wastes a hurt, that your test is part of a bigger purpose and a testimony. Your troubles are part of the master plan to bring glory to God in the end.

Ask yourself what can you learn from your current situation? What skills is God imparting in you for the future through your struggles? You may think, but this is too painful. Have you ever prepare to compete in an athletic event? It takes a lot of pain and sacrifice. So just enjoy the ride and see what lessons you need to learn…and when you think the world around you is treating you bad, read about Joseph, it will show you that your situation is not as bad, or at least that you are not alone.

Blessings

Naty

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Just for today

On By Naty MatosIn Inspirational ThoughtsLeave a comment

Since creation God has been trying to relay our purpose and how our life was designed to be lived and enjoyed. Our pride, trusting issues and misuse of our freedom are the root of our inability to grasp this concept, in my opinion. From the beginning God intended for us to live in the present. Yes, our past can teach us lessons to not repeat and the future gives us hope, but both are intangible and out of our hands and all we have promised is what’s in front of us, this moment.

This doesn’t mean to be reckless with out present as the next moment is not promised. If history has taught us anything is that our daily decision impacts how our future would look like. At the same time, if our past has impacted our present, then we still have a chance right here and right now to make the necessary changes to affect where we are and where we are going.

I was listening to someone preaching about the concept of one day at a time. The person said that God only provides for us for one day at a time and it just resonated with me the emphasis that God had placed into this to show us the order that our life should have.

Let’s look at some examples in the Word where God is trying to teach us the concept of “One day at a time”

  • Creation

During the passages of creation the first thing that God did was separate the day from the night and call it a “day”. He could have allowed us to live in lighted days or darken days for eternity, but from the creation he wanted us to have designated blocks of time to deal with.

  • The Dessert

When Moses was in the dessert with the Israelites God gave them provision for just one day. Manna and quail was provided for them, with the instruction to not save any for the next day and just take what they needed. Did they listen? Of course not, and the next day the food was filled with worms. The only exception was on the sixth day to save for the Sabbath, which in our modern times would be: run your errands one day, but do take a day to rest and meditate on the Lord.

  • The Savior himself (Jesus)

All over the New Testament we hear Jesus telling us not to worry about tomorrow but to focus on the day at hand.

  1. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow (Matthew 5:33)
  2. And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life” (Matthew 6:27)

Personally, I have been challenged by this concept. I tend to be a planner. I like to have plan A,B,C and D just in case. In my walk with Christ I’m learning that only JC plan works. Yes, the plan that Jesus Christ and his Father have laid out  for me and that trying to work against that concept is not only contra productive, but very exhausting. I’m not going to claim that I have mastered living just for today, but I get better as I see that things work so much smoothly when I do nothing but trust God and let him lead the way.

So I invite you to join me in casting all our worries about our future to our Lord Jesus Christ and start living like God intended for us to live from the very beginning. Isn’t it wonderful to know that we are cared for and that God’s way is the best way?

As always I like to hear from you, have you had experiences with having to change your perspective on how to live your life? Come and share with us…

Until then, be blessed!

Speak to your fears…loud!

On By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts2 Comments

 

Have you ever been in a difficult situation that becomes a part of your life and tends to stay with you? The event, place, person or circumstance may not be a constant in your life, but when it does appear you feel that knot in your stomach, the lack of breath. It just drives you right back to the original place.

What to do?

 

  • Acknowledge the feeling- Denying that is there will not make it any better. It will not make it go away, in fact it may creep its ugly head more often as it is has not been dealt with.
  • Look for its root-The feeling of uneasiness is more than trauma. What is it really that this experience causes you? Is it a sense of impotence, rejection, lack of control, etc.
  • Is it real?- Yes, is the feeling coming from a real imminent threat or just something that trigger a memory, but you’re not in real danger at this time.
  • Take action-Yes, once you acknowledge out loud what you’re feeling and you determine if your danger is real or not, you have to do something. If you’re in real danger you may need to remove yourself from the situation or call authorities or something of that nature to keep you safe.

If you’re not in immediate danger and it’s just your feelings bringing you down, speak to them!

Yes, remind yourself and your enemy that you can do all things in Christ who strengthens you; that no weapon formed against you shall prosper, that you are a prince or princess as children of the most high King and that the enemy has to flee.

  • Move- Once you’ve spoken to your feelings of fear, don’t stay in place marinating in your thoughts. Go do something, turn the music on, worship the Lord, call a friend, move out of that zone that is trying to keep you prisoner of your thoughts.

Hope this helps, it has helped me too!

Blessings,

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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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.

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.

Kindness

On By Naty MatosIn Inspirational Thoughts1 Comment

I couldn’t find in the dictionary a satisfying definition of kindness. The synonyms I found were a little bit more relatable to an understanding of what this is. I found that generosity, charity sympathy, compassion and tenderness are some of those things that are compared to kindness.

 The word of God calls us to be kind to one another and to love one another, including our enemies. I think this is where it gets tricky. Loving our families and friends is almost normal, even on our bad days. Loving someone who is not particularly nice to us or that has hurt us can be a very challenging thing. However I learned first hand the power of how a kind heart can change your relationship with someone who right now you wish you didn’t even have to see.

Years ago, I worked with this lady. To my recollection I had not done anything to her and she had not done anything to me; but it was obvious to me that my presence was a thorn in her life. She would try to avoid any kind of interaction with me. If she had to talk to me, her tone would show her frustration in our interaction. I’m the type of person who tries to be liked, so the situation didn’t sit well with me. For months I prayed that whatever was bothering her life would be lifted, that she would be blessed, that she would find the love of God; I didn’t know if she was a believer or not.

One day, I was having a personal trial. She came to my desk and said “ I know I’m not your friend, but if you need someone to talk to, know that I’m here for you”. It totally blew my mind. Before she left my desk she left a small box. Inside the box there was a little plaque that to this day stays with me wherever I go. The plaque read, “there’ nothing that God and I can’t resolve together”.  It was double amazing for me and totally spirit lifting. The message in the plaque had given me hope and it came from the person I least expected. I will say that after that day our relationship changed. I’m not saying that she became my best friend, but we were able to talk amicably and if memory serves we went to dinner once within a group of friends.

 What act of kindness can you do today for someone whose personality or actions rub you the wrong way? Are you willing to make an impact in someone’s life, just by providing a smile? Take the challenge, it’s always rewarding.

Blessings

Naty