I Don't Need Luck

“Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

- Matthew 19:26 (NIV)

“Rcubes…call me back if you’re interested in coming in tonight for 12 hours or any hours you want to work…”

Our home’s answering machine picked up this message. The caller was a “fill-in Charge Nurse” who I knew well as we had also worked together for a long time. She was not aware of my battle. She was not aware of my current situation. My career smothered by evil intentions. Temporarily.

I called her back and acknowledged and thanked her. She was surprised to hear that I was put on a leave. She didn’t understand “why” when it was always short of staff. We all knew that. But I told her it was not the right time for me to say anything. She wished me “Good Luck.” I kept silent.

I didn’t need “luck”. I knew I was serving a God Who already predestined everything. Those involved and I needed to learn something through this battle.  The sad part was we were never on the same side. Luck would not help anyone. It was lack of knowledge that would destroy anyone.

They outnumbered me. I was never afraid. I had One Who could do anything for me.

They broke my trust. I was hurt at first but letting go of that hurt was easy compared to the faithfulness He had always shown to me.

They believed their own wise words. I kept silent knowing He always knew and had always weighed any person’s intentions or motives.

They put me on a “forced leave.” I thanked them, much to their amazement and they were dumbfounded with my gesture of kindness in return for their threatening schemes.

Today, God had given me another thing, well, actually, two things, to be added to my already overflowing cup of weapons. I would post it in His perfect time.

Luck…I don’t need that…I only need God. The One Who uses ordinary things and turns them into “extra-ordinary!”

Stand Up For What Is Right

“You can bend it and twist it... You can misuse and abuse it... But even God cannot change the Truth.”- Michael Levy

 “What?” exclaimed one of my co-workers on the other line after I had told her that I was put on a leave after my meeting with some powerful people last Monday.

“This had gotten way out of hand!” she added.

She was like me. A nurse working quietly until those pair of evil eyes saw her and now, tried to steal her joy.

She was a number. I was also a number. But the statistics seemed to be growing. Others did not fight. Avoiding the hassles of a legal battle, they exited the prison door.

But I didn’t take that route. She knew that. She decided to walk on the path I chose. Then, there was another one. Now, it seemed a lot of us were sprouting from here and there. Situations that were caused by some people in power who taught that they could always get away with their wild, evil schemes, knowing that they were on top that nothing would happen. No one would know.

She told me another story from work where a group of LVN’s were affected and were treated unfairly. Now, those group wanted to file a charge against that person in power for creating a hostile environment.

And this was one of my prayers as I sought the Lord for His safety. That people would stand up and do what was right. For people not to be afraid when their rights were being violated.

I knew from the beginning that my battle was in the physical and spiritual realm. I knew that in order for me to become successful, I needed to surrender. To Jesus. Because this battle was not mine. It was His.

And how in reality, as believers, we must also be united and willing to stand together. All for one cause. And that is to defend our faith. To defend the truth!

As my husband grabbed and enveloped my hands into his, to do our early, daily morning prayer, he always prayed these words: "Lord, give us the courage to do the right thing..." and this morning, it had penetrated my heart as if I just heard those prayers anew. I heard those pleas done everyday...He was right. We need the courage to do the right thing because we are waging so many battles each and every day. The truth is the battle starts deep within ourselves. And God alone can give us that strength we need to make the right decision to always "do the right thing..."

“In everything we do we try to show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endures troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. “ 2 Cor.6:4

^“7 Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. ⁸ For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.” – 2 Cor.13:7,8 (NIV)

The Rock

"One reason the devil is called the dragon in the Bible is because he knows how to make difficult circumstances drag on." -Francis Frangipane

Foggy morning obscuring view of Morro Rock in Morro Bay, CA.

From the moment the battle at work started, I already had a clear view prior to these people’s attempts to make me quit my current position by assaulting me with constructed, unfounded lies. They had tried many times to obscure my view of the future and had desired for my work to end. Darts of lies were constantly thrown. Mysterious plans to put hindrances on the road I was walking on were constructed. They wanted to satiate their hunger to change my path and thought they had their plots devised well. They wanted to see me tremble with fear and worries.  They wanted to see me shed tears and perhaps, fall down and beg for their mercy. They shrouded any attempts of mine to bring truth and honesty with every encounter we had.

Looking back since this battle started at work, I caught a glimpse of what the Lord had planned before me. After sustaining an injury from the hospital where I used to work for almost 10 years, He opened this door in a Correctional setting. This was the place where He taught me to grow and learn how to engage in many forms of spiritual warfare.

I saw many injustices and corruption done by those people who puffed up themselves with pride as they took higher positions. Injustices against those hard-working nurses who were afflicted by physical illnesses and instead of helping them out, had chosen to harass them and stopped their careers right there. Instead of fighting back, most of them chose not to stay and had chosen the easy route: to surrender their badges and end their duties.

I saw the unseen evilness by God’s grace. What I thought I would be dealing with like problems from inmates was wrong. I began to see that God trained me to be strong in His power because I would be dealing with a bigger problem. That was to face these corrupt people.

I was never moved nor shaken by their schemes from the start… God had already provided His weapons way ahead of those ploys.

They wanted to see me fall… But I was adept at that as I had fallen down to my knees many times as I intertwined the fingers of both of my hands in prayers.

They constantly accused, assumed, and set traps. But God gave me a hedge around me, sprinkled with His blood.

They were strong in number as we met couple of times now to pretend they were giving me options when there was none, as they spoke things that were not the same on a piece of paper they were writing on. But I always asked for His gift of discernment and His divine wisdom that I chose not to sign and they didn’t know that…I was never alone…

This was another attempt done when I met with them two days ago. They had put me on a leave for a long stretch of time. Another attempt to make me quit on my own as I discerned that move. But I wasn’t called by Him to be a “quitter”. I was a disabled vessel, enabled by His power!

So, I chose to fight back. I chose not to take the easy way out that others had taken before me. I chose to fight, not only for me but for those who didn’t have a chance to avoid the traps they had placed before them. I chose to fight so that these evil deeds would be exposed in His light so that no one else could ever be victimized. I chose not to yield to their evil schemes because it was very clear from the beginning I invited Christ to live in me: “He has the best future for me!”  I saw that clearly!!!

^"3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. ⁴ If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. ⁵ But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. ⁶ Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did." - 1 John 2:3-6 (NLT)

Morro Rock in Morro Bay, CA.

“From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety.” – Psalm 61:2 (NLT)

Perfecting The Dance

“How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence!” I cry, but you do not come to save me. Must I forever see this sin and misery all around me? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence.” – Habakkuk 1:2-3 (NLT)

I knew I wasn’t alone watching a very-well but very surreal choreographed dance. I was clapping in my mind with every attempted move, but even to think that was not permitted by my spirit. I saw more twists done. Of lies… A spectacle done from the past before those eyes who had seen them all and who didn’t desire to do a counter move of stepping forward. Sadly, most of them fell until they desired not to get up and wanted a quick exit.

I wondered how many wrong steps the Spectator must see as my own limited vision saw so many. I knew He wasn’t happy. He was known to forbid them all.

“You must never twist justice or show partiality. Never accept a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt the decisions of the godly. Let true justice prevail, so you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” – Deuteronomy 16:19 (NLT)

Except many continue to risk taking those wrong moves with the confidence that no one would notice. Just like yesterday’s dance.

Though I didn’t enjoy it, my spirit was calm. I was never angry. And I was glad I fed my appetite to the full prior to the performance! Two of my co-workers in higher positions sought to see any fearful reactions from me, until a perplexed look was painted on their faces. I was dancing with them, except I perfected my moves ahead of this dance. I must! Knowing how much the Spectator hoped for that and He was the only One I wanted to please, out of all this choreography that tried to smolder the true moves that should have been shown and done. One…Two…Three…I lost my count of those hidden moves with ulterior motives…I sighed…with unbelief yet I knew it was about to happen even before opening that door and taking my seat. They tried many times to speak of words they thought was wise. I didn’t say many. I didn’t utter in long sentences. But when I did, they couldn’t answer. They avoided my straight stares. They wondered what step I would take. They didn’t have a clue. I was groomed with perseverance knowing that the Spectator hoped for that from every dancer who wanted to be in His team. They expected to see some of my moves. I didn’t give any satisfaction. It was not the right time. Only the Spectator knew. But He was the One Who gave me many hints to avoid pitfalls. And He was very clear that there would be many spins, dips and turns to be done in this dance of life.

And what would make it elegant and perfect was to do the moves right!

“Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.” – Romans 12:21 (NLT)

I smiled at their performance. I thanked every one of them. They were not smiling, still bewildered with my joyful actions despite the wrongful steps they planned. I closed the door leaving all of them behind. But I knew, I would return and perform my own dance moves, perfected with His grace, corrected by His rebuke alone, strengthened by His power and might.  Not in my time. Not in their time. Only in His perfect time! What a dance it would be!

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴ If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵ If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. ¹⁶ However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And,

   “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
   what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?^”

 ¹⁹ So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” – 1 Peter 4:12-19 (NIV)