Marico Early – Page 3 – She Believes 3

Prayers September 14, 2025

Have you Stopped To Smell The Roses?

⁹What do people really get for all their hard work? ¹⁰I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. ¹¹Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. ¹²So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. ¹³And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

Have you noticed that in this crazy world that we live in, everyone is always busy rushing around? I know that recently I had a day where I just felt overwhelmed

with all that I was trying to accomplish in a short amount of time. I was starting to feel a little anxiety and stress creeping in. I knew that I needed to stop and breathe.

It is truly amazing what just inhaling and exhaling slowly can do for us. It helps us to reset physically as well as mentally.

Life gets so hectic at times that we forget to schedule a time to enjoy the simple things that bring us joy.

By the way what brings you joy, may be totally different from what brings me joy. Only you know what elevates your joy scale.

You see, what I have come to realize is that life is rolling by quickly and I have spent most of most of my life working. Most of you have probably done the same. I have also come to the realize that I don’t want to die without having lived. I want to have some moments and even days and weeks where I intentionally and purposely stop and take time to smell the roses.

So here’s my advice and this is something that I actually plan to do. I want to encourage you to make a list of things that you can do in just a few minutes of your day. This list should have things on it that will help you to escape the mundane and quickly get you into your joy zone. You may consider making several lists of things that you can do within different time frames. It will be a Bucket List of sorts of the things that make you feel like you have taken a few minutes to smell the roses.

When you are free from work for two or three weeks, plan a trip or visit a friend who is dear to you, that you haven’t seen in a long time. Maybe plan a road trip instead of flying so that you can really enjoy all of the wonderful sites along the way. If that’s too costly for you right now, take an afternoon and go to your favorite park. Go see a great movie. Dine with a friend at your favorite restaurant. Take a bubble bath or schedule a massage. Go buy yourself a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Eat the chocolate. Do something that brings you joy and do not feel guilty for loving and taking care of you.

I truly believe that God did not intend for us to walk around overworked and stressed out all of the time. He wants us to enjoy life. Sure there will be hard and stressful days and even hard seasons from time to time but overworked and stressed out should not be our lifestyle. Let’s take a break and go have some fun! Don’t forget to smell the roses along the way, afterall their fragrant smell is for our enjoyment.

²²A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
Ecclesiastes 9:7
⁷So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!

She Believes 3 Devotion September 1, 2025

Pray With Great Expectation

Mark 11:24

²⁴Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
1 John 5:14-15
¹⁴This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

I had a sales goal that I really wanted to reach this week with my work. Based on the contest requirements I only had a seven day time frame in which to reach my goal. During my prayer time I shared with God how much I wanted to sell to achieve this goal. I asked God if He would bless me to reach my goal and guess what, He did.

Because there were about three more days of the qualification period left when my goal was achieved, I prayed again and I asked God to help me achieve what would be another level on the scoreboard, and He did.

I must say that I am in awe of the God that we serve. Not only does He hear our prayers, but he also responds by answering our requests. Not always the way we want, but He answers . Sometimes He surprises us with more than we can ask or imagine and that is what He has done for me this week. He’s that kind of Father.

Now you may be thinking, I have prayed and He did not answer me. You may be thinking He did not give me what I prayed for. Maybe you have been praying for something for months or even years and you have not heard back from God. Just know that God always answers prayers, so don’t stop praying. Always pray with a great expectation of hearing back from God. Have unwavering faith in His ability to move mountains on your behalf.

Here are the four ways that God answers prays:

1. God answers prayers according to His will.

2. God says Yes.

3. God says Wait.

4. God says No.

Remember that when we pray we are on God’s time frame, not our own. His timing and purposes are different from ours. A great prayer life requires patience.

Trust that no matter how God answers you, in time you will come to realize that it was what was best. He will always only do what is best for us. Never ever stop praying, because a life well prayed over is a blessed life!

Matthew 7:7-11

⁷“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
⁹“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Philippians 4:6-7
⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
James 5:16
¹⁶Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Relationships August 25, 2025

Encouragements and Support Matters

²⁴And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

I was so blessed to have the world’s greatest parents. Parents who were always so encouraging and supportive of my goals and dreams. I also have siblings who are very encouraging and supportive, and I know that this is the example they witnessed just as I did growing up in the same household.

Just as I was encouraged I like to encourage others which turns out to be great since I have been blessed with the gift of encouragement. I love it, because I have seen people’s countenance and mindset actually change when sharing a few positive words of hope. It’s amazing just how much weight our words carry and how much of an impact our words can make. We can actually bring blessings or cursing with our words.

We have the power with our words to actually bring sunshine to someone’s cloudy day. When someone is considering giving up just a little bit of encouragement can be a huge difference maker.

I have a question for you. When someone comes to you with a plan that they think is a great idea, are you supportive of their dream? Do you encourage them to go for it, or are you the person who tells them every reason why it will fail. If that’s the way you respond, you may not even know that you are breaking their heart by throwing a wet blanket on their excitement with lots of negative comments?

Today I would like to challenge you to encourage others when you see that it is needed. It may not be your gift and it may not come to you naturally but you can certainly choose to be an encouragement to others by the words that you impart to them.

Our encouragement and our support matters. Most importantly it matters to the person that you may encounter.

Sometimes we can encourage others without even knowing it. Years ago I had started attending a church that had a really great Women’s Bible Class.

For weeks I had attended but never really said anything. One Sunday I decided to get involved in the discussion and I shared a portion of my story with the ladies in the class, because it tied in with our discussion.

Everyone was stunned when I shared what I had been through. Afterwards the ministers wife came up to me and said you have got to speak at our Women’s Retreat. More women need to hear your story.

I didn’t know it at that very moment, but that would be the beginning of me speaking at Women’s Conferences from churches to even a University. God used her words of encouragement as a confidence booster.

You see that Sunday what the minister’s wife was saying to me was more women needed to hear my story, but what I heard was my story mattered and I mattered.

Because of the few seeds of encouragement that she planted in me that day many women have been blessed.

Just her words of encouragement made a difference in my life that day, your words can also make a difference in the lives of others.

Who will you choose to encourage today?
Romans 15:5
⁵May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,
Galatians 6:2
²Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Relationships August 19, 2025

A New School Year

³Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Psalm 46:1
¹God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

This week was the beginning of a new school year for a lot of families. Some parents will have children entering kindergarten or first grade for the first time. And I can tell you firsthand that it is heartbreaking for a mom to leave her sweet little one for the first time.

Some parents will have children entering Junior High or High School for the first time.

And then there are also the parents who have done something very brave, by driving their children miles away to drop them off at college for the very first time. There are many first times in a child’s life, and each first time is a big deal for the parents too.

From the time our children come into this world, our main focus is on protecting them and making sure that their every need is met. We would do anything in this world to protect our children, and with each first comes the awareness that they are getting closer and closer to leaving the nest that we have so carefully prepared for them.

One of the ways that we can keep our children safe is by praying for them, and the school year that they are about to embark upon.

Below, I have listed some things that may be helpful to pray for this school year.

This year, our children will form new friendships. Let’s pray that God will bless our children to be a part of a good, healthy circle of friends, and that our children will not be negatively influenced.
Pray that they will learn easily and even be excited to do their homework.
Pray that if they are not clear or if they don’t understand what they are supposed to be learning, they will be brave enough to seek out help.
Pray that they don’t struggle with peer pressure.
Pray that God will bless them with good Christian friends.
Pray for their safety as they go to school, pray for their safety at school and when they return home.
Pray that they will be willing to listen to the advice that you may give them throughout the school year.
Pray for their teachers, the cafeteria workers, the Principal, and administrative staff members. And most importantly, pray that your child gets the teachers that is best for he or her.
Pray for all of the students. Pray that everyone will be blessed with a great school year.
Pray that God will give you and your spouse an extra measure of strength for those moments that may be challenging this year.
Pray over your child each morning before they get out of your car.
Pray that your child’s school has a peaceful learning environment.

1 John 5:14

¹⁴And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.
Matthew 18:20
²⁰For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

Prayers August 10, 2025

Are You Afraid

Has God ever asked you to do something that was absolutely scary to you? Maybe it was something that would require a great sacrifice on your part, or maybe it was something that would take you way out of your comfort zone. It could have been something that you just felt totally inadequate to achieve. And honestly,

sometimes we simply feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the assignment God gives us.

Our Bible gives us a great example of this when we look at the life of Moses. I venture to say that Moses experienced several situations where fear could have easily shut him down. Below are a few situations that are shared in scripture.

Sacrifice

Moses would have to sacrifice the comforts of life, to be a leader for a group of people who spent most of the time being very ungrateful and complaining a lot.

Numbers 11:1-9
11 Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. ²When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down. ³So that place was called Taberah,^[a] because fire from the Lord had burned among them.

⁴The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! ⁵We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. ⁶But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”

⁷The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. ⁸The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. ⁹When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.

Moses’s response to God asking him to lead His people, revealed that it would definitely be out of his comfort zone and that he also felt inadequate to lead them.

Exodus 4:1
4 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

Exodus 4:10-17
¹⁰Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”¹¹The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹²Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”¹³But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”¹⁴Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. ¹⁵You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. ¹⁶He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. ¹⁷But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”
Moses felt that the load was too heavy to bear.
Numbers 11:14
¹⁴I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.
Each time that Moses came to God with a problem, God did not change the assignment that He had given him, nor did He let Moses off the hook. He simply arranged for him to have help for the situation. Many times when we are afraid or when things get hard, we want to give up. During those times we must remember that just as God had answers for Moses, He also has the perfect solution for our problems and insecurities as well.

I want to encourage you today to be ok with feeling fear. It is absolutely normal to feel fear when God asks you to do something that is totally out of your comfort zone or sphere of experience. Be very clear, where God guides He provides. God will never ask you to do something that He will not provide either the people or resources for it to be accomplished. All you have to do is show up with belief and faith. Trust me when I tell you that He will have everything else to make it happen. So no more fear, doubt and excuses, because with God’s help you are more than capable.

So if you know that God has given you an assignment and you have been reluctant to move forward, I want to encourage you to go be great, because God and the world are waiting on you! Blessings for a life of obedience and stepping out in faith when the Master beckons you to do so.

Moses was concerned about his ability to speak and God allowed his brother Aaron to be his voice piece.

—

Faith July 28, 2025

What Are You Holding On To?

³²Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Mark 11:25
²⁵And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Matthew 6:14-15
¹⁴For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Are you holding on to an offense from years past? Maybe it was an unkind word that was spoken, or a promise that was broken, or the offense could have been something that was even more serious.

If you have revisited this offense over and over in your mind, you have probably not forgiven the offender. Maybe it’s time to forgive so that the person who offended you no longer takes up real estate in your mind. By forgiving the offender you will set your own self free.

Even if you feel like you are ok, ask yourself, am I holding on to something from my past that is affecting my ability to move forward? You see unforgiveness is about living in the past, and when you see people struggling to move forward, many times they are living in unforgiveness.

Sometimes we just need to let things go and when we do, they let us go as well. Until we come to that place mentally, we are held captive by our past hurts.

God commands us in Mark 11: 25-26 that if we have anything against anyone, when we stand to pray, forgive them. I realize that this is a lot easier said than done, and that could be for a couple of reasons. It could have to do with the magnitude of the offense, or because of the relationship of the offender to you.

The important thing to remember in all of this is, how God forgives us is contingent on how we forgive others. I don’t know about you, but I personally want to be forgiven for my transgressions, so my plan is to forgive even when it still hurts and even when it doesn’t make sense to do so. I will allow God to fight my battles.

As Christians we have to be willing to extend grace and forgiveness to others, just as Christ has done for each of us. Let’s represent Christ well by doing what He has commanded us to do. Let’s forgive those who have wronged us.

Tips On How To Forgive And Release What You Are Holding On To:

1.Pray, and ask God for the strength to do the right thing.

2. If it is possible and if it is safe, arrange a meeting with your offender and share your honest feelings.

3. Pray for the person that offended you.

4. Journal, get your feelings out of you and on paper.

5. Depending on the depth of the offense you may want to get counseling. I strongly suggest that you seek Christian counseling.

Tips On What Not To Do If You Have Been Offended

1. Don’t talk ugly about the person who offended you to other people.

2. Don’t stop praying for the person until this situation is resolved.

3. Don’t live in shame.

4. Don’t blame yourself for what someone else did.

5. Don’t stop living your life.

6. Don’t let it rob you of your joy.

7. Don’t put others in the same category as the person that offended you, it will cause you to have trust issues.

Matthew 18:21-22
²¹Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
²²Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.^[a]

Relationships July 22, 2025

Cuddles And Snuggles

³Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.
⁴Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.
⁵Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.

A few days ago I was standing in line behind a lady who was holding her precious new born baby. I asked her how old her baby was and she told me that she was ten days old. I asked her if this was her first child and she told me that she had two sons also, so this was number three.

Seeing this little baby brought back a flood of memories of when my daughter was a little girl. She is an adult now and I can truly say that I have enjoyed her immensely at every stage of her life.

Today I would just like to encourage all of the young moms out there to just hang in there. First of all, be very clear, moms have the most important job on the planet and it is by far the most difficult one as well. But I must also add that it is also the most rewarding job on the planet.

There will be days when you are totally exhausted from running five thousand different directions all in the course of one day or times when you have been up all night because your sweet little one has been running a 101 fever. There will also be nights when you are too tired to even think about doing the dishes before bed or days when you are still in your PJ”s at 3:00 in the afternoon.

There will be periods of time when you may not get to eat a warm meal for months. This is because by the time you take care of everyone else your food is cold, but you will gladly do it over and over again for your family. I don’t recommend eating cold food, but it just tends to happen this way.

There will be football, basketball, and baseball games or cheer and dance practices. Although a good nap would certainly come in handy on many days, you will feel the need to attend these events. So you will sacrifice what energy and time you have left to support your children.

You will stand in a kitchen barely holding it together to make one more healthy meal, instead of running through a Fast Food restaurant, because you want your family to eat healthy.

You may be asking, why am I sharing all of this, and the answer is, because I have been there. I have been frazzled and hanging on by a thread and I want you to know that you are not the only mom walking through life tired and needing a break.

I want you to also know that God sees you and although you may not know how you are going to get through all that is ahead of you, God has a perfect plan and His grace is sufficient. Part of His perfect plan is that we take one day at a time. Even if you are falling asleep praying each night, continue going before God asking Him to give you strength for each new day and He will. I am a living witness that He will equip and give you strength to keep going.

Most importantly remember that your children are truly a gift from God and nothing that you will ever do in this life will be more important than raising your

children and being the steward over them that God has called you to be. Enjoy your children. Make sweet memories with them.

They will be graduating and going off to college before you know it and when that happens, you will wonder where in the world did the years go. So for sanity sake, sneak in a long bubble bath every now and then but enjoy those sweet blessings that heaven has sent you and cherish every cuddle and snuggle. Because one day the cuddle and snuggle phase will be gone and you will miss those precious years. May God bless all of you sweet moms out there!

¹⁵But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself.

She Believes 3 Devotion July 10, 2025

God Is The Great Physician

Jeremiah 17:14

¹⁴Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.
Isaiah 53:5
⁵But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Psalm 103:2-3
²Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
³who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
1 Peter 2:24-25
²⁴“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” ²⁵For “you were like sheep going astray,”^[a] but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

A little over three weeks ago I had a tonsillectomy. I had heard horrendous things about having a tonsillectomy as an adult. I was told by several people that the recovery was so much worse for adults than for children. Several weeks before my surgery, I even had one doctor tell me that I was going to experience the worst sore throat of my life. Everyone was so encouraging, that I could hardly wait for this painful journey to get started. By the way, that’s a joke! And unfortunately, the truth is that all of these people were 110% correct! I can without a doubt report that it was no fun at all!

However, the beauty in all of this is how day after day I noticed God’s healing power on display. Going from a throat that was so swollen inside that I could only have a liquid diet, to being able to eat a hamburger straight off the grill last night. Not only that, but by God’s healing hand I went from experiencing the most severe pain ever, to three weeks later feeling no pain at all.

Yahweh Rapha means God who heals and He certainly does just that.

Another aspect of healing is rest. I had been working so many hours the last few months and pushing a lot harder than normal, and my body just needed to rest. Through this healing process God also provided a time to rest my body. His timing was perfect.

The good news is that just as God healed me physically, He also heals spiritually. Are you in need of healing today? Well let me tell you God is the Great Physician. Allow Him to heal you. If you are in need of spiritual healing, just surrender your will to His. He will heal and transform you. You will never regret your surrender, because with surrender comes healing and definitely a peace that will surpass all understanding.

Blessings to you on your new health journey, whether physical or spiritual, just a touch of His garment will bring divine healing from the one Who heals, Yahweh Rapha!

Mark 5:24-34

²⁴So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. ²⁵And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. ²⁶She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. ²⁷When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” ²⁹Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
³⁰At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

³²But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. ³⁴He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Faith June 29, 2025

The Refiner’s Fire

²⁴Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
²⁵He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
²⁶Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire
Psalm 66:10
¹⁰For you, God, tested us;  you refined us like silver.
Zechariah 13:9
⁹This third I will put into the fire;
  I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.
They will call on my name and I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
Isaiah 48:10
¹⁰See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
  I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
Proverbs 17:3
³The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.
Isaiah 43:2
²When you pass through the waters,  I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,  you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Have you ever wondered why life can be so hard at times? Maybe you feel like you have had more than your fair share of trials and tribulations. Some of you may feel like life just keeps on dealing you a bad hand.

Well today I am here to encourage you. When we go through trials it is for purpose. God uses trials and difficult circumstances to refine us and to grow our faith in His ability to get us through any and everything that life throws our way. He also uses the trials we go through to encourage those who are watching our journey.

Trials are difficult because, we don’t want the pressure and uncertainties that come with them. You may ask what uncertainties? The main one is how long? We don’t want to be uncomfortable or to suffer any longer than we have to. We want to get out of the refiner’s fire as quickly as possible.

God is our personal refiner. A refiner is a person that removes unwanted impurities to improve the quality of that which he is working on, and to make it more suitable for use.

Guess what? When God keeps us in the fire of trials and frustration, He is making us more suitable for His use and for His kingdom purposes.

The good news is that we never enter the fire alone. He goes before us and He is in the fire with us. He is our fourth man in the fire. (Daniel 3:24-26)

We are not consumed by the fiery flames of trials and tribulations. At the perfect time He will remove us from the fire and our likeness will be more like His and at that moment we will look back and see that it will have been worth it all. To be more like God should always be our goal.

Faith June 16, 2025

Chemo Day

Chemo Day

Psalm 25:5
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Hello Sweet Friends

Today is my chemo day.
As I am sitting here I started to think about all of the things that God has taught me while I have been on this incredible journey. If it’s ok I would like share just a few of them with you.

1. God is in control. I may make plans, but it is truly God who orders my steps.
Proverbs 16:9
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.
2. The Lord is my Shepherd and I am a sheep in His pasture. He has led me and guided me each step of the way. He is faithful.
Psalm 100:3
Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his.^[a]We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
3. God is my protector. He has protected me and placed me in the hands of the best physicians for this disease that I am fighting. I truly trust His judgement for my life. He makes no mistakes.
2nd Thessalonians 3:3
³But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.^[a]
4. When I go through my storms and trials, God goes before me. He has people in place to support me and help me through the difficult times.
Deuteronomy 31:8
⁸Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
5. I should never take my family and friends for granted. They love me and they will be there for me when no one else will. I am so thankful for my support group.
6. Each and every day of life is a divine gift from God. Don’t even think about wasting it. So many didn’t get to see this day.
Psalm 90:12
Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.
7. Living my life with gratitude has helped me to see God in everything that I have gone through. Gratitude shuts the door to complaining. I could have it so much worse. I must remain grateful.
1st Thessalonians 5:18
¹⁸Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
8. God has blessed me to extend my ministry about His kingdom to doctor’s offices, Oncology Centers, hospitals, and even family and friends. In my most difficult time, God has used me in my weakness to experience and reflect His strength working through me. He has given me an opportunity to share Him with so many. My pain has purpose, but I have to stay close to Him for my purpose to continue to be revealed to me. Also there are facets of His character that I would not have ever seen or experienced had I not been on this journey.
9. I can be smart and do as my doctors suggest, but I don’t have to accept the diagnosis as my final outcome. I choose to not only to have faith that God can heal me but that I am already healed.
God said by His stripes I am healed and I choose to believe I am healed.
Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded^[a] for our transgressions, He was ^[b]bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes^[c] we are healed.
10. I must work and live my life each day with excitement and positive energy. I refuse to allow negative thoughts or negative people to cloud my judgement or cause me to doubt what God has already told me to be true.
11. I must continue to set goals and run the race that He has set before me. Because the battle is His and what a sweet victory it will be when my goals are achieved and more women’s lives are enriched.
12. I must be transparent with my story. If not who will grow from my testimony and my experience? And when I stand to tell my story trust me, God and only God will receive All of the glory.
Romans 11:36
For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
13. God has given me the strength for each new day. Thank you Lord! Only God could carry me through the unimaginable.
2nd Corinthians 12:9
⁹Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
14. God is a Master Encourager. He has gently whispered to me many times during this journey “Don’t be afraid”. Oh how soothing and comforting those words have been to me.
Genesis 15:1
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield,^[a] your very great reward.^[b]”
15. God’s timing is perfect. I have seen it over and over through my journey. He is always right on time.
Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
16. He holds me in the very palm of His hands. He carries me through the storm. He’s got me. He will never leave or forsake me. Praise God!
Isaiah 41:10
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
17. Prayer works! God hears every single prayer. I have learned to give Him time to respond. His delay is not my denial. Prayer changes things, most importantly it has changed me. Thank you Lord!
James 5:13-15
¹³Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. ¹⁴Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
18. I am so grateful for the days years ago that I worked my business even when I didn’t feel like it. I am thankful for every sacrifice I made years ago and for every woman that said yes. and even those who said no. I grateful for the times that God gently whispered keep going. I am thankful that He encouraged me to push through. I am thankful that I obeyed. Who knew back then that my life’s journey would go this direction? I certainly didn’t. He was preparing me for the unseen.
Ladies work while you are healthy, strong and able. We don’t know what’s around the next curve. Most importantly
He has blessed me with an amazing group of women who have been there for me and cheered me on. I am truly blessed!
19. To have a wonderful Church Family is everything! Oh how I have been showered with prayers, Get Well cards, gift cards and food. I absolutely love my Church Family.
20. I trust God! I pray that when you encounter your trials that you will remember just how much God loves you, and that God is Always good whether you are on the mountain top or in the valley. His character is not changed by our circumstances Trust Him no matter what it looks like. Just know He has not forgotten you. He is faithful!

Love you and immensely grateful for you,
Marico