Proverbs 5 and a Trail Map Comparison

Proverbs 5:21-23

For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths. The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast. For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.

I have this tradition the past few years to always keep an extra trail map from the Texas State Parks I visit.  It usually has a picture of a bird and gives you the bird’s eye view of the park and trails. 

Everyone who hikes refers to the map to recalculate, make sure they are on course, and determine how many miles are left. 

In reading Proverbs 5, there are four characters: a husband, an adulteress, and each of their spouses.  The entire Proverb is on adultery and what happens if you do or don’t choose that path. 

Imagine this scenario being played out on a trail map with you looking down on the map.  Imagine having four Monopoly game board pieces with each one representing a character. The two spouses not “hiking” are off at their individual campsites. 

The  adulteress piece would be moving on the trails but all over the place on the map.  She would be wandering aimlessly going in circles and never having a plan on which trail she is taking or even trying to complete.  What’s worse, this poor girl is clueless that she is directionless and purposeless.  

Proverbs 5:6

She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.

Then, imagine the husband piece starts on a trail on the map.  His goal is to finish a trail and make it back to his campsite where his wife and his belongings are.

He starts on a specific hike with a goal of starting and finishing.  While hiking he hears the adulteress, who has spotted him, calling out to him seductively. However, she isn’t asking for help or directions.  She is seductively suggesting that he join her on the trail for something else. 

At this moment, internal warnings and wisdom start crossing his mind. 

1. If he joins the adulteress, he will wander aimlessly with her leaving his spouse alone at the tent worried, scared, and lonely. If he returns, he will not be the same man he was when he left. He himself will experience death of a lot of things that aren’t physical but valuable. If he doesn’t return, he leaves his spouse in a state of hurt that will takes years to heal while she is forced to pick up all the pieces of their campsite and head home without him. At some point he will also have to live with regret.  

Proverbs 5:9-11

Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house, lest you lose your honor to others and your dignity to one who is cruel, lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich the house of another. At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.

2. If he listens to the wisdom of God embedded in his heart and head, then he will experience life and blessings. 

Proverbs 5:18

May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.

Meanwhile the adulteress’ spouse may be at the camp waiting or he may be doing his own thing.  When they arrived at camp, she had already earned the title of adulteress. So when she went out, her spouse already knew what she could do or would do. It’s not a surprise for him like it is for the other spouse. 

Proverbs 5:3 

For the lips of the adulterous woman…..

Proverbs 5:20

……Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

Hiking Tips:

1. It’s always best when hiking to not go alone. Having another person with you when a bad situation occurs can be live saving. 
2. Stay on the path as marked.  Sometimes you see something off of the path that you want to see closer or explore. However, it’s typically not a part of the designated path because there are some hidden dangers.
3. Take a trail map with you.  Sometimes the markers can be confusing and you will want to refer to the map for clarity.  

Be blessed and happy trails,

Erica

 

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Stepping Out in the Dark: Proverbs 4:18-19

Proverbs 4:18-19

The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.

One of my favorite features in my tent is one of the screened views.  It’s beautiful to pull up the fly and see the sun coming up in the morning.  Today I got a late start, so it was becoming exceptionally bright. 

Of course one of the things I don’t like about my tent is the obvious fact that it doesn’t have a bathroom.  In cold nights, if I can help it, I will not get up in the middle of the night to go.  

I hate that it’s cold, plus getting out in the dark in pitch black and heading to the restroom can result in a stumble, unless if I have a flashlight. 

In this scripture you see two types of people: righteous and wicked. For the righteous, the path they walk on keeps getting brighter the longer they are on the path.  The light exposes the hidden hazards that would cause a fall. The light brings awareness and the ability to recognize potential and hidden dangers. 

The wicked, operate in the dark and willing step out at a time of low visibility and at times choosing to walk in complete blindness.  Stepping outside your tent in the dark is not wise, but it’s an equally good illustration to apply to your life.  If walking out of your tent in the dark is not wise, then why would you walk out of your house every morning without the Light of the World (Jesus) as your guide. 

The path of righteousness is available if you walk proactively within the Light and with the Light.  If not, you will continue to stumble over the obvious hinderances that you choose to keep hidden by stepping out in the dark.   

With Blessings,

Erica 

Accepting Prayers 24/7

In a small town in Kansas, a bank depository caught my eye. It was just one of the many historic downtown gems that I just had to take a picture of.

Jumping out of the truck to quickly take a pic, three words immediately stood out.

1. Guardian

2. Depository

3. 24 Hours

I jumped out to capture an image, while God jumped into my presence to share His truths

My prayers can be deposited 24/7.  Every time I pray and I deposit them to him, He keeps them in safe keeping. He is the Guardian of my prayers and who they are for.  Even though they may not be completely answered, there will be a day God is going to cash those prayers  out for the salvation of the one whom He loves.

1 Thessalonians 5:17  Never stop praying.

God be the Glory,

Erica

 

 

 

The Wave of Praying for Prodigals

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 1 Colossians 1:9

Weary.Tired.Hopeless.Impossible. 

Determined.Consistent.Hopeful.Faith.  

Unsure.Doubting.Rejected.Exhausted. 

Patient.Peaceful.Endurance.Focused.       

Hurt.Selfish.Resistance.Pride.                    

Loyal.Unconditional Love.Selfless.Kind

Praying for a prodigal has you experiencing a lot of emotions like a wave. Typically, most slowly roll across the surface building up until it peaks and then folds back into the water with a small crash.   Those are easy to pick back up and begin again.  

Sometimes the wave gets really big. It builds up with great strength and height that is very powerful. But when it hits its peak and comes crashing down it hits hard, forcefully, and takes longer to recover from.  

But at times the ocean is completely still and there is no movement on the surface.   The waves for some reason aren’t activated and the surface is in a state of rest. Underneath the water there is still a lot of movement and life.  

Whether you are in a season of bringing big battle wave prayers, consistent rolling wave prayers, or resting to listen to God, keep in mind to never quit.  Don’t stay still longer than needed out of hopelessness or fear.  May your rest be to refocus on God instead of your prodigal.  

With love,

Erica

Stories: Abortion & the Loss of Motherhood

The other day I attended a small gathering of Christian men and women.   As the speaker started to talk about families she also started to talk about abortion.  Hearing that one word was a reminder of why Women in His Presence exists.

If you were to ask me the purpose of Women in His Presence, I would tell you that it is going to be a women’s ministry without walls.  It will be a ministry that any woman can participate in no matter what church she does or doesn’t attend.  It’s to provide a service that creates opportunities for women to gather, be encouraged, and use their gifting.   But the foundation will always point women back to the Bible because the decisions I made without it, scarred me forever. The Bible and Jesus eventually saved me and if I would have had this in my life in college, it would have saved my unborn baby.

It was my 3rd year in college, spring semester that I found out I was pregnant.  I remember being in the dorm restroom taking a test while my friend waited outside the stall.   The double line appeared quick and like that fear struck me.  “Crap, I’m pregnant.”

My mind had such quick thinking in that moment induced by fear.

1. I can’t have this baby.
2. I’ll lose my college softball scholarship.
3. I won’t be able to play softball.
4. My boyfriend is not the one. “Though he was 10 minutes before.”
5. I don’t want to be a single parent.
6. Who is going to want a girl with a baby unmarried.
7. Will guys think I’m easy?
8. I’m going to have to move back to Houston and go to school to be a teacher instead.
9. I’m not the kind of girl who sleeps around.
10. What will people think of me.
11. I know not to get pregnant because my parents had me in high school.
12. If I have this baby, I won’t be able to give it up for adoption.  I know the moment I would see it, I would want it.
13. I’m going to be single forever and my dream is to be married and have kids.

This was not what I planned and it wasn’t a part of my dreams.  I was pro-life before, but when it happened to me I felt as if I needed a way out of this mistake…this accident.

My next step was to call my boyfriend and tell him I was pregnant and that I was not having it.   He didn’t say anything that day and I didn’t give him the chance to anyway.

I remember getting it scheduled pretty quickly.   That day, my boyfriend drove me to Corpus to an abortion clinic.  I cried the entire way up there.  Part of me wanted him to say something. Part of me wanted him to ask me to marry him so I wouldn’t have a baby in shame.  Once we got inside, I continued to cry a lot.  I remember a worker coming up next to me telling me that if I didn’t  stop crying the doctor wouldn’t do it.

Once I stopped crying enough, they took me back to the room.   It was determined I was almost 6 weeks. They explained the procedure and what would follow and then it happened. I mainly just remember the sound of the suction and thinking it was all just a clump.  I never thought it had a heartbeat.

After that, I remember filing it away pretty quickly and living life.  After that I had two serious relationships, in which there came a time it was appropriate to share that with the other person.

Each time, I was afraid they would no longer like me and each time the facial expression was of disappointment.

It wasn’t until I was in my early thirties, that the abortion came back and effected me emotionally and mentally.  As I started to become a follower of Jesus Christ and not just a believer and church attender, I began to know Jesus.  In reading the Bible I started to see how the Lord is a part of creation from the beginning.  I began to realize that my decision out of fear could have been given to the Lord.  If I knew the Lord, I would have known that life wasn’t perfect and that I can’t control my life and make decisions that aren’t mine to make.  Had I known the Word, I would of held on tight in the storm knowing that there would be a blessing waiting on the other side that I would treasure forever.  A treasure far more valuable than my career, relationship status, or myself.

The years to follow I struggled with infertility.  At first it was unexplainable and then low levels of endometriosis.  Not the best case scenario to conceive, but not impossible.  The infertility was a constant reminder that at one time I could, but it wasn’t happening now.  At church retreats or conferences, I would hear other women tell their stories of the after affects of abortion.  The emotional pain, regret, shame, and secrets.   Yet, they always testified, “But God gave me children.” So there I sat, wondering why I didn’t get a second chance.   

Divorcing in my 40’s brought another reality.  The opportunity to even attempt to have kids looked real impossible.   

So when I first moved back to Houston it hit me again.  “Here I am in Houston, single, and working in education (which I do love but didn’t plan).” And at the time of the abortion, the thing I was most trying to avoid was being unmarried,  working in education, and living in Houston.

I can’t begin to tell you how different I feel not having kids when around women my age.  I can’t tell you how many times I feel regret when a kid asks me, “Do you have kids?” The answer is, “I don’t,” but inside I’m saying I did.

The regret never goes away no matter how forgiven I am and grieving still comes for what should have been.  God’s will is always better than my will.  Sometimes, it’s a hard lesson to learn and live with.

This is my story of loss and the insight I gained when I became a follower of Jesus Christ and sought God’s truth and wisdom through scripture.

Erica Salazar

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13

 

Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Psalm 51:6

 

Tools of Reconciliation

Anytime I hear the word reconciliation, I automatically think of a relationship being restored.  Luke 15 contains popular stories of reconciliation: The Parable of the Prodigal Son and The Parable of the Lost Sheep. 

However, nestled between those two parables is The Parable of the Lost Coin.  This is also a story of reconciliation, but of a different type.  In accounting, reconciliation has to do with being able to account for all money that has been brought in and out.  And in this situation, the woman is in a panic because she has lost one of ten coins. She cannot account for what she has been entrusted with.  Therefore there is a problem in her reconciliation until she finds the lost coin. 

She knows that the coin did not walk off and choose to leave her.   She knows that each of her coins was worth a day’s labor.  She knows she is responsible for its disappearance.  She lost it. Luckily, she does know she lost it under her roof.   

The woman chooses to search for the coin using two tools: a lamp and a broom.  She lit the lamp and was willing to let it burn until she found the lost coin.  This observation should not be overlooked.  It would have taken oil for the lamp to work and oil was valuable. However, she was willing to sacrifice one valuable resource for the sake of finding the most valuable resource. 

The next thing she used was a broom.  This was a simple tool that worked in partnership with the woman.  Unlike the lamp, she had to hold it and put it into motion for it to work.   Without the woman, the broom was worthless.   With the woman holding, pushing, pulling, and directing it, the broom became a tool that could get to hard to reach places and draw anything far back into close proximity of the woman.  

Reflecting on this parable, we need to think of a few things. 

1. Who “under our roof” is lost that we need to account for and have access to? 
2. As a lamp, are we a vessel full of oil that can be lit? Or is your lamp empty unable to hold a fire?
3. Are you using the tool God gave you to reach the lost? Or, are you leaving it propped in a corner, relinquishing your ability to get to those in hard to reach places?  This could be your giftings, but also prayer. 

We need to reflect on this parable to realize that we are tools and have been given tools that God wants to use to reconcile the lost.  

You are a Tool of Reconciliation!

Be Blessed,

Erica

The Parable of the Lost Coin Luke 15:8-10

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Devotion Jan. 28

Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted……

First of all, I love all of Isaiah 61.  It’s one of those chapters that declares what the Lord promises even in the midst of unpleasantries.  It’s full of future hope along with present duties.

How it starts though is very important.  It is really easy to think that your personality, giftings, and desires to serve bring forth fruit for the kingdom. However, it is very clear that the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord that is UPON you allows you to be sent forth with purpose and productivity.  It also reminds us that the anointing does not need to be earned, but instead is given freely.

 

 

 

 

Devotional Jan. 14, 2019

Luke 4:16-19 

16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17 And the [a]book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the [b]book and found the place where it was written,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind,To set free those who are oppressed, 19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

There are two quick things I love about this passage that we can easily apply to our daily lives.

1.  When handed the book of Isaiah, Jesus knew where to find a particular scripture.

Reading the Word regularly allows us to be so familiar with the Bible, that we can find and reference scripture to declare, encourage, and state Biblical truths

2.  Jesus read scripture that declared who he was.

We can do the same thing by placing our name in place of scripture that has the word “You” or “Me.” This is perfect during prayer and also putting other people’s names in scripture who you are praying for

Know the Word and use the Word daily.

 

Devotional Jan.9th, 2019

Luke 1:6-7 New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. ⁷ But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Here our two main characters are pretty close to perfect.  They are walking a blameless life that is pleasing to God. However, their situation brings undeserved shame with little hope of change.

Sometimes, life seems really unfair. Sometimes we feel we are getting what we don’t deserve. Sometimes, we think God is punishing us for a past mistake.

This frustration however is self inflicted. Keep a perspective that this is life. We falsely have a mentality of, “If I do this, then I will get that.”

At times life will be exactly what we thought it would be. However, in some important areas of our life, it will be not what we expected at all. Don’t let your situation determine your joy. Keep in mind no matter the hardship, God will some how bring a wave of mercy and a moment of redemption.

⁵⁷ When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸ Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.  Luke 1:57-58

 

 

 

 

 

The Last Lap

Joshua 6:15-16

On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!

The Bible is full of miracles.  Some are foretold and some are surprises.  In Joshua 6:2-6, the Lord tells Joshua of a miracle that is going to occur.  The impenetrable walls of Jericho are going to come crashing down and the city will be theirs.  However, obedience of a couple simple requests was required.

The first request is to WALK. 

*Walking is movement, but it’s a simple movement. 

*Walking is not what we choose when we are in a rush. 

*Walking is an option when we want to get from one location to another. 

However, the Lord requests that Joshua, the priests, and the army walk in a circle once for six days and seven times on the seventh day.  This means they aren’t walking to gain ground in the natural. Seems simple, but purposeless. 

To be frank, this simple task also seems silly. 

This shows us that obedience is hardly as simple as it seems when what is being requested seems silly to the point that it couldn’t possibly be effective.  

The second request was to SHOUT.

Sounds simple. 

But to shout of victory before the moment has occurred is bold. Under the circumstances, it’s not as simple as it seems. Shouting for everyone to hear feels not only silly, but scary. What if the wall doesn’t come crashing down? 

SIMPLE, SILLY, SCARY

UNLESS, you are fully confident in the Lord. 

Then obedience becomes quite simple.  You simply just do it.  You walk the last lap and shout when you are suppose to shout because the Lord said so. You don’t think about how it may seem to everyone else.  You ignore your own reasoning and natural instincts. 

And why? 

Because, he has foretold a miracle to you and you don’t want to miss it. 

I am currently experiencing a miracle unfold.  A miracle foretold to me in my dreams, journals, and prayers.  A miracle that required the simple obedience to just WAIT.  

WAITING seemed silly to others.

But to me, WAITING made perfect sense. I had full confidence in the Lord and what he had been speaking to me in prayer and in scripture. 

It’s not time for me to SHOUT yet. I’m not on that seventh lap. However, I’m definitely closer to walking that last lap then ever before. And when I’m done, you better believe I’ll be shouting LOUDLY! 

To God be ALL the Glory,

Erica