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Happy Birthday to Me – Leah Gonzales
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Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

Recently, I celebrated yet another birthday. The typical countdown began as the new year rolled around…it was a month away, then weeks, then days. As the day drew closer, friends and family asked me what I was going to do on my special day. As in past years, my thoughts turned to the laundry list of things I was not going to do. I was not going to wake up early, not going to cook,  not going to allow the day to be about my kids, etc. Shortly after I awoke to the ranting and raving of my self-centered puppy, I decided to check off the first item on my laundry list. I went back to bed. Of course it was what I deserved, right?

When I awoke after a three hour nap, it suddenly dawned on me I’d missed out on a prior commitment I’d made to God…a bi-weekly service project. Even though it seemed insignificant to man, it broke my heart to think I had passed up an opportunity to serve God. The question plagued my mind; how could I feel so robbed of internal joy when the day was supposed to be about me? At that moment, I realized I had been carrying around a tradition from my pre-Christian days that had not been re-evaluated since then.

In the years to follow, when my special day comes around, I plan to update my laundry list with things that will express gratitude toward God for giving me another year of life. After all, the times I experienced the most joy were found in my service to the Lord. When your birthday rolls around, make your own laundry list filled with the joys of the life God has given you. Celebrate in Him.

Leah Gonzales enjoys spending time with family and friends. She volunteers with a local teen outreach ministry and her church. She spends time writing devotions, bargain shopping, cooking, exercising outdoors, and watching lighthearted movies. You can reach Leah by e-mail at leahg06@sbcglobal.net. You may visit her web site at: http://www.leahgonzales.com.

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Did God Really Tell You to…? – Leah Gonzales
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Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:13 (NIV)

Did God really tell you to quit your job amidst a recession? As everything appears to be crumbling to pieces, the question lingered in the air everywhere I turned. It infuriated me to think those closest to me would ask such a question. They should know no one in his or her right mind would willingly seek such personal hardship. Still, how could I expect others to refrain from asking this question when I, too, have toyed with the thought?

It’s been nearly a year since God called me to leave the corporate world. At the time, He nudged me to volunteer as a facilitator to get a ministry for pregnant teens and teen moms started in my area. He allowed me to tap into the equity of my home to secure enough money to carry me through a twelve month period. As the funds drew to an end, I approached a fork in the road. If I turned to the left, I’d be led back to the familiarity of my past playing it safe lifestyle. If I turned to the right, I’d be led down a road filled with uncertainty; although, down this particular road was an immense low beam light in the distance — an attraction that is hard to resist.

As I approached this fork, which in my opinion represented a crisis of belief, I reached in my pocket for my road map that contained step by step instructions. I combed over the notes I’d written, word for word, as my Life Coach dictated them before He lead me on this journey. Without the notes, who knows where I might have ended up. I paused to analyze the steps I’d taken thus far in comparison to the carefully planned road map, I felt a sense of peace only God’s touch can offer.

I am so grateful He is trustworthy with the details. I felt confident to plant my feet firmly and wait with joyful expectation until given further instructions for the rest of the story.

If you are waiting to see the fruit of your efforts after doing all that you know to do, will you choose to stand your ground? Your biggest blessing may be right around the corner.

Leah Gonzales enjoys spending time with family and friends. She volunteers with a local teen outreach ministry and her church. She spends time writing devotions, bargain shopping, cooking, exercising outdoors, and watching lighthearted movies. You can reach Leah by e-mail at leahg06@sbcglobal.net. You may visit her web site at: http://www.leahgonzales.com.

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God’s Big Mistake – Leah Gonzales
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But Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” Exodus 4:13

“No Lord, please not me. Either You made a big mistake or You have a great sense of humor. I’m the one You blessed with organizational skills and the ability to serve as a support staff to those in leadership positions…the one who blends in nicely in the background.”

I distinctly remember the sickness I felt in my stomach the first time I realized what God was calling me to do. Like Moses, I felt that God could do a much better job at selecting a spokesperson. Out of all the numerous qualified speakers, why would He choose me? I tried everything to get God to change His mind—reminded Him I was the 10th grade student who had the panic attack in the front of class; the same one who vowed to refrain from giving any future speeches.

When that approach did not work, I reminded God He allowed Aaron to serve as spokesperson for Moses. I used the scripture in a name-it-and-claim-it scenario. In the process, I figured I would help God by recruiting women who actually enjoyed public speaking. I even reasoned if God wanted me to have an involvement in the presentation process…perhaps I could write the message and allow a speaker to deliver it. Inevitably, after I shared with them I was looking for a spokesperson, they suddenly became unavailable to assist.

As a result of my failed attempts to convince God He’d made a big mistake, I was reminded He is not placing His trust in my ability or lack thereof. He is placing His trust in His ability to work out His plan through me. All He requires is a willing vessel and He will do the rest.

The next time God wants you to do something you feel totally unequipped to accomplish, surrender immediately based on His ability or focus on your lack thereof. He will work in you.

Leah Gonzales enjoys spending time with family and friends. She volunteers with a local teen outreach ministry and her church. She spends time writing devotions, bargain shopping, cooking, exercising outdoors, and watching lighthearted movies. You can reach Leah by e-mail at leahg06@sbcglobal.net. You may visit her web site at: http://www.leahgonzales.com.

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Biblical Technique Yields Worldly Result – Leah Gonzales
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For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:13-16 NIV

Past Lives Regression? I first heard the term at a business networking event. It sparked my curiosity when I heard a lady say it could be used to unleash one’s full potential. With further explanation about its involvement of hypnosis and past lives, my curiosity radar withdrew. I turned to the Bible to find out if there was a spiritual technique that would yield the same outcome.

With my recent calling to lead a teen ministry, I have become more aware of the barriers that need to be addressed before I can reach my full potential. The first—my fear of public speaking. I’ve often wondered how effective I would be for God’s kingdom if I was afforded the ability to go back mentally and serve from the initial point of my existence, before the world had any impact on my cognitive thinking. Jesus had a wealth of insight as He said, Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. As we know, He wasn’t talking about a bodily transfiguration.

As I meditated on the Psalms, I realized there was great depth to the work that  took place at the moment of my creation. The same God, who with a command of His voice created the grand scheme of the universe, took the genes of my father and mother and brought forth a one of a kind creation. He wove within my genetic code the details of my interior and exterior characteristics in a manner that would enable me to carry out His purpose and plan to the fullest extent.

If you’re not operating at your full potential, may I suggest the technique I refer to as Biblical Present Life Regression. It involves not hypnosis, but meditation on scripture. Allow yourself to mentally explore that magnificent moment when He handcrafted your genetic code. Consider the fact that the code is chalked full of pertinent tools for a successful journey and with these God-given tools you are equipped to extinguish every adverse effect that attempts to keep you from operating at your full potential. May this technique refresh, restore, and unleash His original plan for your life.

Leah Gonzales and her husband, Juan, blended their families together over 4 years ago. Leah lives in Pearland, Tx. She is a freelance writer and currently volunteers with Younglives. Leah enjoys spending time with family and friends, making a positive impact in the lives of others, writing devotions, bargain shopping, cooking, exercising and watching lighthearted movies.
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Who Wants to be a Billionaire? – Leah Gonzales
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Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. Matthew 6:19 NIV

How much is enough? “Just a little bit more” is how billionaire John D. Rockefeller answered that question in regards to money. Although by the perception of many, it was thought he had it all.

As I analyze this from the mindset of a middle income household, I wonder what could possess a person to not be content with a billion dollars. Perhaps you have a similar thought.

As usual, it didn’t take long for God to remind me a plumb line cannot hang on a horizontal axis. Once I released the line and it returned to its vertical axis, I was able to adjust my analytical thoughts. He reminded me that the answer to the question cannot be based on the possessions of others. It cannot be based on possessions in and of themselves, but on the position the possessions hold in one’s heart.

As I considered this question, I looked around my house and took a visual inventory of everything, from the food pantry to the garage. I decided to refrain from going to the grocery store for a week, limiting myself to only what I had on hand. I came to realize that what I possessed was not only enough, but in many instances more than enough.

I realized that I, too, had a case of the “just a little bit more” syndrome. I now see if I am to answer this question in pursuit of true contentment, it can only be measured by analyzing the state of my heart.

How will you answer this question….with what you have or what you have yet to acquire? How much is enough?

Leah Gonzales enjoys spending time with family and friends. She volunteers with a local teen outreach ministry and her church. She spends time writing devotions, bargain shopping, cooking, exercising outdoors, and watching light-hearted movies. You can reach Leah by e-mail at leahg06@sbcglobal.net. You may visit her website at: http://www.leahgonzales.com.

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