Are you sure of what you are doing?

Being sure that you are where you should be is vitally important. When we talk about important decisions in life, if you are not sure that you are marrying the right person, that you are studying the right thing, that you are accepting the right job, that you are moving to the right place, etc., sooner or later that insecurity will bring you problems.

That insecurity will be transformed into indecisions, worries, stress, problems with people close to you, one bad decision after another; at best you'll live dissatisfied with your life, and at worst, it'll become a spiral of problems after problems that will lead you to an unsustainable life.

The Bible teaches us in Romans 14 that there are different matters in which some think one way and others another way, and it concludes by saying "blessed is the man that not condemns himself in what he approves" (Rom. 14:22) and "everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23). What's the key? It's in verse 5, "you must be fully convinced in your own mind" (paraphrased).

In other words, for those matters that the Bible doesn't say what is right and what is wrong, YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DECIDE WHETHER IT IS RIGHT OR IT IS WRONG! You are the one who makes it succeed or fail! With the conviction within you that you are doing the right thing will come an inner tenacity that will make you not give up despite the obstacles. In the same way, the doubt and insecurity within you that you are not doing the right thing will make you unstable in all your ways and you will find reasons to quit all the time.

I year and a month ago, I migrated with my family here to the United Stated, with the firm conviction that it was our heavenly Father who called us, opened the doors for us, who goes before us to prepare our way and who has resolved to bless us to be a blessing to many. Not only my wife and I are convinced of this, but so are our sons, and we are grateful for the open doors that He has shown us so far and excited for what He has in store for us. We do not focus on the problems that come up, but we overcome them together. Those problems are not our focus. What He has done, is doing and will do is our focus! It is not difficult for us not to give up, that is not even an option. On the contrary, we are expecting for what is to come! That's how it is when you have an inner conviction that you are where you need to be!

Happy independence day to all my American friends, peruamerican friends and to all those who live this country!

Our Father still will be faithful

Minnesota!

Before we left working at the church cafeteria, our heavenly Dad has already prepared for us to work at the Weberbauer's school cafeteria: two teachers came by to eat at the church cafeteria and told my wife that, if we are interested, we can send a proposal to Weberbauer's office to take over of its cafeteria. They accepted.

Before we left working at the Weberbauer's cafeteria, our heavenly Dad has already prepared for us to work at Saga Falabella's dinning area: the security guy at Weberbauer school told my wife that Saga Falabella is looking for somebody to administrate its dinning area. We sent them a proposal, and they accepted.

Before we left working at Saga Falabella, our heavenly Dad has already prepared for us to work at the cafe bistrot in the French Alliance's location: by a screen shot my mom sent me about a post of the lady in charge of the art area at the French Alliance, we knew they were looking for an administrator for its cafe bistrot. Though they were looking for months, they didn't find any administrator which they were comfortable with, even though some of them were well known restaurants. We tried and they accepted our proposal.

Then we moved to EEUU and could see that really our heavenly Dad has gone before us preparing the way: the migration area was almost empty, the migration officer was super kind and fast, our necessary documents to get a job came after two weeks, so at the 16th day after arriving to the States, I've got a job. River Valley Church, which is the church we are attending is full of grace, life and love, my two boys like it, and its the place we decided to be rooted in.

When I recall this, I get encourage to keep believing in my Dad's faithfulness, and gives me certainty that He still will be with me helping me for what's coming and for what's still have to be taken care of: my boys' school, the place where we'll live, car, ministry, personal projects, etc. He was faithful and Hell still be faithful!

I hope this also encourage you! Our heavenly Father wants to show Himself faithful to you too! He loves you, He is for you, He goes before you preparing the way for you! You won't be going through uncertain ways, but through prepared ways! They are prepared for you to walk in to reach the fullness of your destiny!!

Rebuke the Wind and the Sea will Appease

The account of Jesus calming the storm is told mentioning a detail in particular in the Gospel of Mark: that Jesus didn't rebuke the sea, but the wind (Mark 4:39). This is because the wind was what provoked the big waves that covered the boat. In other words, Jesus dealt with the cause of the problem and not just with the problem itself.

The disciples weren't afraid of the furious wind but of the waves, because the waves swamped the boat (Mark 4:37) and they could sink and drown. The disciples looked at the raising waves and how they fell on the boat and their hearts filled with fear. They didn't looked at the invisible force behind the raising of the sea waves, but their focus was on the sea. Jesus didn't only deal with the problem (the waves), but also with the cause of it (the wind).

Check what Mark 4:37 says in the New King James Version, "And a great windstorm arose." Jesus knew what the real essence of the storm was: the wind. The disciples didn't. They thought that their only problem was the sea waves. They didn't realize that if Jesus didn't rebuke the wind and just said to the wind to be calmed, it was just matter of time for the waves to raise up again. That's why He rebuked the wind first, and then calmed the sea.

Have you recognize what is the real essence of the storm you go through? Maybe you're only watching "the waves that fall on your boat" which fill you up with fear, but don't see what provoke those waves. Maybe you say:
- My problem is my son's nightmares, but you don't focus on what causes those nightmares.
- My problem is my debts, but you don't focus on the bad habits that cause those debts.
- My problem is the estrangement with my spouse, but you don't focus on what causes that estrangement.
- My problem is that I'm sickly, but you don't focus on your eating habits and lack of exercises that cause those sicknesses.
- Etc., etc., etc.

Proverbs 26:2 states that causeless curse doesn't come. Rather than bury yourself in the symptoms, deal with the cause of them. Stop wasting time and energy solving the same problem again and again, and rather use that time and energy to deal with the causes of that problem.

Maybe you've been dealing for long time only with the problem, but not with the cause of it. That's why it constantly appears! If you want to get rid of that problem once and for all, ask for help to your heavenly Father so that He may help you to recognize what you are doing or maybe what you are expose to, which provokes the problem, and of course, ask wisdom to finally get rid of it.

Hope this may helped you!

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I'm sure that these following links about more faith and grace teachings will help you:

• Believe that You'll TAKE it, and it'll Come: Learn how to receive what you are asking God for.
• Rest from Yourself: Learn that we should stop trying to win our good Heavenly Father's favor, and just rest.
• Focus on what your Heavenly Father Does: Sometimes we think that God is solving the problems that the devil makes, but it's actually the opposite way: the devil is trying to ruin the blessings that God has created for you.

Prayer II: Learning to Pray

The Jewish people knew a great deal of the Bible, at least the current Bible in Jesus's day, that's to say, the Old Testament. The most studious Jews learnt by heart ALL the Old Testament. If you've ever boasted about memorizing part of the Bible, next one of them, you won't have a chance!

The disciples, as Jewish, also knew a lot of the Old Testament and, of course, knew to pray; or at least, they thought so, because they came to Jesus one day to ask Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1).

I think that when the disciples saw Jesus's miracles, heard His powerful teachings and, above all, when they saw how He prayed, they reflected, got sincere and came to the conclusion that their Master prayed much better than them. They realized that Jesus's prayers were effective and authentic, so they humbled themselves putting all their knowledge aside, and asked Him: "Teach us to pray." In order to be able to ask Jesus "teach us" from the bottom of their heart, first they had to recognize that they didn't know. To be filled, they had to be emptied.

To be able to learn, first you have to recognize that you don't know. If you think you know, you won't be able to learn.

So, what was Jesus's answer? What did He do? Jesus proceeded to teach them. Do you know what this tells me? It tells me that we can learn, because if Jesus would've answered: "You know what, it's too late for you guys because you know already too much and it's hard to re-teach somebody", "this is for just a few selected people, and you're not one of them", or if He just would've said: "No, I don't want to teach you", then we could be sure that learning to pray is something that we'll never get. But it wasn't like that! Jesus taught them to pray because He knew that they could learn! And so it is for us!

Do you want to learn to pray like Jesus? Ask him to teach you! Put all your knowledge aside, your experience, studies and pride so you can learn. Remember that He gives grace to the humble (James 4:6), and be sure that He'll teach you like a Father to a son. Just say to Him: "Jesus, teach to pray."

Hope this may helped you!

"Are you crying just for that?!" - An advice for parents

How many of us, parents, have ever told our kids: "You cry just for that!"? Big mistake! Do you know what we're actually telling them? We're telling them: "The reason you're crying for is nonsense", and worse: "what is important to you isn't to me".

If you've been telling that to your kids, this is what you have to do:
- Tell them you are sorry for doing that. Tell them: "Son/daughter, forgive me because so many times I looked down on what is important to you".
- Promise them that you'll try to change. Tell them: "I promise you to consider as much important the things you tell me as they are to you".
- Ask for help to your heavenly Father to change that as soon as possible.

As parents of little children, we are in danger that if we don't change, they will grow with the idea that their problems aren't important, that they shouldn't bother us with their nonsense, that they aren't as much important as us, and consequently, they'll unconsciously seek to feel important in other places and ways, and many times it'll be with people that will demand from them something in return.

How does our good and loving heavenly Father treat us? Have you ever read in His Word something that says or suggest that what is important to us isn't important for Him? Have you ever felt looked down by Him? Have you ever felt when you cried out to Him for help that He says to you: "Are you crying just for that! Seriously?"?

On the contrary, He cries when we cry, He gets happy when we get happy, He is familiar with our pain, and in His Word says that He has even numbered the hair of our head (Matthew 10:30), and if He pays attention to that, something that isn't important, how much more attention will He pay to something that it is actually important to us, to what makes us cry, to what keep us awake at night! So, when we go to Him burdened by something, He will NEVER tell us: ""Are you crying for that! Seriously?", but He'll hug us, comfort us and guide us by the hand to the answer that He'd already prepared.

If there is somebody authorized to despised any of our issues, that'd be God, because for Him there is nothing impossible. But our Father, far from doing that, understands us perfectly.

So then, if you've been despising your children's problems, run to your heavenly Father, because He won't condemn you for doing that, but hug you, comfort you and guide you by the hand to the solution that He'd already prepared.

Hope it helps!