God bless!

    Have you ever felt at your wits end? Of course you have, as I have so many times in my life. We all get frustrated, we all get upset but how we react to our challenges is what determines our growth and maturity in Christ. Sure we can all get up and run during our hardships (trust me I’ve wanted to many times) but if we do, then where is our progress? We can’t continue to allow the enemy to play the same tricks on us and not learn from our mistakes. Today I encourage you as I do myself to stand our ground and if necessary scream for Help from God, He will respond. He has always been there in the past and He will be there in the present and future as well. How do I know? His word tells me this….

Acknowledging He will never Forsake us!

Pastor Joell A. Perez

God bless!

       Let me start by saying today’s devotional is a doozy! The verse today is very in our face, it covers a topic that no matter how much of a “nice” person you are, we all are affected by it. We all at one point or another have gossiped or backbitten about someone. It’s an unfortunate natural occurrence in humanity. To be honest (if you allow me to) it is probably one of the biggest battles I personally have as a Pastor. Why? I’ll tell you why: When you hold an office such as a Pastor, it is expected of you to be perfect, but we all know that there is no perfect human being. If we ourselves are not perfect, why do we “expect” our spiritual leaders to be perfect (they are also human). To this I say: Stop expecting, just like you, we are in a process and the fact that we are pastors or leaders doesn’t mean we have any super powers but rather that God has allowed the call over our lives for accountability. Now don’t get me wrong this is not a “get out of jail” free card, there certainly is a higher expectancy from leaders and pastors but we all will fail you at one point or another. So what are we supposed to do when someone fails us? FORGIVE. Now forgiveness is a tricky subject for some of us because we have formed our own concept of this term such as thinking that if we never cross paths with the individual we have forgiven them, but have we really? Have we really forgiven if we don’t talk to the person? Have we forgiven if we have deleted them off of our social media, etc.? I’m not trying to make any of us uncomfortable here today nor am I trying to make any of you make non necessary phone calls for the sake of feeling “righteous” but rather what I’m trying to get to today is eliminating that jail cell of anger that is reflected through judgment in our lives. We judge because we are angry, we are angry because we are hurt, we are hurt because for the most part we don’t communicate and we don’t communicate because we are scared. So to sum it up we are scared because we don’t feel like we can attain what someone else has so we rather down play their success. We should never judge because we don’t have, we should acknowledge and move on with our lives. The interesting thing is that many times we are angry about something that someone has that is less than what we have. Example: we speak bad about someone’s house when we have a bigger house, How does that make sense? Or the opposite we speak bad about someone’s house that is bigger and better, will that change our current state? It’s time for all of us to be grateful for what we have and work harder to get something better! So today I finish by saying let’s all stop and think before we speak and as the saying goes “if we don’t have anything good to say then let’s not say anything at all”.

With all the love in the world,

Pastor Joell A. Perez

James 4:11 “Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.”

God bless!

      The verse today could not be any clearer. We have to stop being afraid and start realizing we are surrounded by God and His greatness. No one can harm us if we are walking under His covering. If we assure our position, He will take care of everything else! There is no need to defend ourselves as He will be our defense.  What better place than to be under His care.

Pastor Joell A. Perez

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

God bless!

             A big mistake that many of us make from time to time is to confuse discipline with punishment and it could represent a huge problem in our walk with God. Punishment and fear as stated in the verse below go hand in hand. Fear should never be attributed to God because He is love and not only does He love us, but He is the true meaning of love! This is the reason the verse today speaks about how Love drives out fear, where God is there is no space for anything else. As any responsible parent God also brings discipline so that we are not exposed to further consequences, but it isn’t the type of discipline we are accustomed to receiving in this world. The  discipline that God brings to us is all about allowing us to recognize our state of wrong being (conviction) and showing us the way out of our problem. Do you suffer from fear? If your answer is yes then you have to get closer to God because fear keeps you away from His perfect will being completed in your life. The love of God is designed specifically to mold you into His image and perfection through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, amen!

Can you handle His love?

Pastor Joell A. Perez

1  John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

God bless!

        Have you ever been on a long line in a supermarket and all of a sudden you saw a line moving faster and you changed lines to only realize after a little while the original line you were on moved faster after all? Wasn't it simply frustrating? I bring this up today because the verses below talk about how scoffers will come and try to convince us that what we have believed is not true and will try to sway us away from the true path. As Christians we have to remain on the right path regardless of what anyone says or does, that is what faith pushes us to do. Why? Faith is believing in God's perspective, not our own. It's trusting Him despite what humanity says or thinks. Regardless of time passed we have to remember His promises remain, if you don't believe me think about Sara's (Abraham's wife) testimony. If God promised you a child would you believe it when you were in your 90's? Most of us wouldn't and we would laugh like she did, but if we do laugh where is our faith? The outcome of remaining on the right path is happiness and blessings. Are you up to being blessed? If so we have to be faithful and patient in the small and ignore the misled mindsets.

Pastor Joell A. Perez

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:3, 4 NIV)

God bless!

        Have you ever planted a seed at some point in your life? If you remember when you planted that seed I’m sure you can recall the type of plant, fruit or vegetable that it was, right? Now let me ask you one question: when you planted the seed (let’s say it was an orange seed) did you expect an apple? How about a pear? (of course not!) Why? Because it does not make sense and it is impossible to reap a fruit, vegetable or plant from a seed we did not plant, but what about the emotional or spiritual realm? The verse today speaks about how we can’t expect to reap a product that is different then what we plant and that is true in both the natural and emotional and spiritual. We can’t expect joy when we plant sadness and we can’t expect prosperity when we plant laziness. What are we planting today? The objective today is for us to take account for what we are depositing and make the necessary adjustments needed to get the fruit we desire. Want to know something interesting? Certain seeds won’t grow in certain regions, are we planting our good seed in the wrong region? Things that we must think about! Never forget that with God it’s never too late to transplant.

Pastor Joell A. Perez

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV)

God bless!

                When it comes to worrying I believe I have you all beat! Over the years of my life one of the biggest issues I've confronted has been worry. Not just to a select area of my life but I am an “Equal opportunity Worrier” J. Why do I share this because I am currently going through a process where God wants me to stop! Do you worry as much as I do? We all know that worrying is a direct reflection of a lack of faith but we all do it anyway. Today’s verse is clear and to the point, we can’t add anything to our life by worrying in fact all we do is decay away our peace by worrying. I’m not talking today from the perspective of someone that has mastered this issue but rather from the perspective of someone that believes against disbelief. Join me today in believing that we can and will indeed be worry free!

Pastor Joell A. Perez

Matthew 6:27 “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

God bless!

        Want to get into Heaven? If your answer is yes then the verse today will give you clear direction as to what is involved with this becoming a reality. It's not easy to repent as it takes a true radical, determined spirit to recognize your wrong and take action to make a change. Most of us ignore our wrongs but retain memory of everyone else's, not true? Why do we do this? Though many of us will fight this statement, deep inside of all of us is this defense mechanism that fails to attribute any wrong to ourselves. We are always right, our ways are always right, our opinion is the only one that counts, our upbringing was the only right way, etc., etc.. Guess what: We are all wrong from time to time! There is only one "Right" way, and that is God's way. He calls us to repent, to make things right, to mend the broken and clothe the naked. Why? The cost to enter heaven is quantified in "Pride", if you keep it you can't get in. It's similar to trying to bring a weapon through a metal detector, you won't get in because it's not allowed. To make things visual let’s see it like this: The metal detector is the Word, the Entrance Guard is Jesus's Testimony (He left all pride behind for us) and Heaven is the destination. If we want to get in we will have to strip pride off and enter with a repented heart. Want to miss out on your entrance? I don't think any of us do, today is the perfect day to make things right. If we find ourselves doing things that only make us happy then we need to watch out for pride. It's a sneaky devil!

Pastor Joell A. Perez

And said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turnabout) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all]. (Matthew 18:3 AMP)

God bless!

      To humble oneself is the biggest expression of self-control any human can manifest. It takes true courage, perseverance and valor to admit your fault. It may not seem rewarding at the time you do it and at times you may get abused by those you are humbling yourself before but the eternal prize gained by this action is incomparable to anything this earth offers. Many of us don’t put too much stock in the eternal, so I will take it to the next level and tell you that your ability to humble yourself will pay immediate dividends here on earth at the moment you do it. How do I know? Experience! Is it easy? Of course not! Do I kick myself sometimes afterwards? Yes I do! This is all part of the process but I know that my reward is greater than anything my pride can offer. I encourage you today to put this action to process in your life as I will in mine. All that can happen is that He lifts us up, I’m ok with that, are You?

Pastor Joell A. Perez

James 4:10 “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

God bless!

                I Love to hear promises from people that keep them, don’t you? Isn’t it awesome to know that God has made so many promises to us that He had to instruct men to write them all down because He wants to be accountable for them! That’s right, as much as the Bible was made to help us it was also made as a gesture of accountability on God’s part. In no moment does He want you or I to think He is sleeping at the wheel or has forgotten what He said.  The verse today is one of those promises that we must write on the tablet of our heart. He will not let you or I be put to shame! He loves us and wants us to be clear that He will not forget us. As you venture on your day today I encourage you to confront your challenges with a different mindset, it simple: If He is for you, who can be against you? If your answer is no one then you are on your journey to living victorious!

In complete control and loving it!

Pastor Joell A. Perez

Psalm 25:3 “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause”

God bless!

       This is one of the hardest verses to swallow but it couldn’t be more on point. As Christians we have watered down our testimony at times so much that we spend our valuable hours on fighting, gossiping, hating on others, hating others and simply being liars. I know what you are reading isn’t making you want to say hip, hip hurrah but it’s the truth. We have to change, we cannot expect perfection without effort and hustle.  Our walk in Christ demands a great deal of change from our “human” nature and a great deal of expansion into His super natural nature. I do have good news today though, we can do it! I know its hard (trust me I haven’t perfected it!) but His word tells us “we can do all things through Him”. How do we start? Just do it. Pick a person that you are having issues with today and reach out to them to simply say hello. It won’t kill you, in fact it will help you to be a vessel of change for good rather than a person that taints the name “Christian”. What if they hang up? Then move on to the next name. All we lose in this effort is a bit of pride but what we can gain is huge in the kingdom of God “A Soul”.

Realizing we can forgive!

Pastor Joell A. Perez

1 John 4:20-21 “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. ²¹ And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

God bless!

      Do you have a need in your life? No you don’t! Am I crazy? No, the verse today is as clear as can be. The fact that the Lord is our Shepard is symbolizing that we have access to all that we need and want. Why don’t we have it? I guess the easiest way I can explain it is because we don’t believe it. I’ll give you an example: If I don’t believe my wife loves me I will never feel the love she shows me. It doesn’t matter what she does or what she doesn’t do I will never truly embrace that love. The same thing happens with us and God. We “need” things because we can’t believe He can provide them, we simply don’t accept them. I challenge you today to embrace His promise! I encourage you today to look in the supernatural and believe that no matter how impossible what you desire seems to attain that you speak to yourself and remind yourself that if He promises it there is nothing that can make His hand turn back. Say it with me like King David did “ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

Pastor Joell A. Perez

Psalms 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

God bless!

           Have you ever found yourself doubting the existence of God in your situations? Have you thought maybe He forgot about you and lost track of what is going on in your life? I know many of us won't acknowledge we do this at times and that's fine but from the mouth of this Pastor I will say there has been many times that I have found myself in doubt. Why? I guess it’s because I'm human and if at least one of you can relate to my shortcomings and share in them then maybe the rest of this message will encourage you to push forward. Yes I've doubted, yes I've been scared but during all of these times I always return to the source of my Strength, God. Just because I lose track of my eyes doesn't mean I forget Him totally. In the verse today, the disciples doubted it was Him because His manifestation was supernatural and they were stuck on the natural manifestation. So Jesus went a step further and when He noticed their doubt He spoke into them. Today He speaks into us, He says I AM in your situation, I AM in your job, I AM in your marriage, I AM in your church, etc. You and I are not on the boat alone, He is with us! Though at times we stray and at times we run He wants us to know He is a simple prayer away and wants us to join Him at His table. I leave you today with two words: Take Courage! He is with you and He has promised to bless you. Let this devotional speak into you today and walk away in victory and assurance that "I AM" is with you!

Pastor Joell A. Perez

But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid! [Exod. 3:14.] (Matthew 14:27 AMP)

God bless!

        Do you remember growing up when you learned how to ride a bicycle? Did you get on and simply ride into the sunset? Of course not! Some of us fell, some of us broke bones and some of us never learned because the fear was too great. Once you learned (for those who didn't give up) didn't you feel like you were on top of the world when you rode away? Like everything was good and nothing could stop you? Was it simply handed to you? No. You had to believe in the voice that told you "look ahead" and "I'm holding the bike". When you did listen all of a sudden you began to find balance and gained momentum and you began riding away by yourself.

The period was short to learn and you had challenges but you made it! The same applies in our walk with Christ. There will be challenges but if we listen to His voice that tells us to "look straight ahead" and "I have control of your life" then we will also find ourselves riding off into happiness and fullness of joy! Don't believe me? Try Him today, I dare you!

Pastor Joell A. Perez

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (1 Peter 1:6 NIV)

God bless!

          Have you ever heard people talking about the cravings of a pregnant woman? Isn’t the outcome of the craving that she gets what she wants or her husband gets the wrath J. I’m talking about this today because it’s important to put in comparison a craving and when we “long” for something to understand this devotional today. You see the difference is when we “long” for something we struggle for it, fight for it, we wait for it and when we receive it we hold on to it* while when we have a craving it’s a temporary feeling that is quickly satisfied and we move on to the next craving. We all have cravings in life but we “long” for very few things. I crave a burger, I crave a new pair of shoes but I “long” to be full time ministry and I “long” to be retired. So why this topic today? The verse today talks about how He “Longs” for the spirit that He has caused to dwell in us. Not only does He “long” but He does it with jealousy, if you read the verses before and after you will see how He is referring to our relationship with the world and how he wants us to prioritize our relationship with Him. Can you imagine how it must be for God to “Long” for something in us? The creator desires YOU! He Loves YOU! He wants YOU! Wow!! What can possibly be more valuable to us than being with Him? Never thought of it like this? I invite you to turn your love affair with God around from being a “one day stand” to being a marriage forever. Can you and I do it? Of course we can, all we have to do is value what He offers over what the worlds fling offer us. I’m not sure about you but I want more of Him NOW!

Just falling head over heels for You Lord!

Pastor Joell A. Perez

James 4:5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?

God bless!

     When it comes to being “good” as humans many times, I think, we all agree we have missed the mark. We were created to spread love, we were created to be prosperous, we were created to simply be blessed! So why don’t we always feel this way? I think the problem lies in our inability to believe and ask for greater things. Over the course of the last couple of months I have begun to see a movement of God in my life like never before. Something that I could not sit down and plan out because I would have fallen short. God has surpassed anything I could have ever desired, He has left me speechless! I am so thankful to Him for allowing me to bask in a bit of His Glory! Why do I share this today? I believe the reason this time in my life is so special is because my desire to fight for my name is minimizing. In the past I would fight for pride, for money, for attention, etc. Over the last period of my life this is changing in a good way and I am able to see an immediate response by my Lord. In the past I was so caught up with explaining myself that I would end up justifying my wrong (to myself that is). Today I write to you with good news, it is possible to be happy, it is possible to hit the mark. It is possible to be fully victorious (I’m on my way but I’m far from perfect!) but it takes two things: We have to stop fighting the wrong battles and start asking for greater things. This takes us walking in the supernatural, are you up for it? In case no one else has told you let me tell you today: YOU have been designed to be awesome!

Realizing His awesomeness in me!

Pastor Joell A. Perez

James 4:2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.

God bless!

          Over the last year God has definitely allowed us to do "our thing" and many of us have enjoyed this while others have been full of regrets. Why the difference? Our God will never force us to do the right thing, He tells us what to do and what not to but ultimately, He leaves it up to us to decide.  Why is this relevant? When the word from God is released at times we receive it with joy and at times we want to fight it but ultimately He provides all the required resources for us to make the correct choice. Why do we fight it? It's our natural tendency to choose the path of least resistance (easy way) and the offerings of the world seem that way until the end result is exposed. The path of righteousness involves work and perseverance and many simply don't believe they can finish the race. I have great news for us today, if we allow the training process to develop within us we will find the reward and joy we are seeking. It doesn't seem fun during the process of righteousness  to do the "unpopular" or take the harder path but the reward is the ever so desired Harvest!

Getting ready to reap my joy!

Pastor Joell A. Perez

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11 NIV)

God bless!

     Do you ever sing when all things seem to be going right? Do you ever find yourself whistling or simply humming when things seem to be good? We all do, it's an awesome feeling and one of the manifestations we as humans express when we are at peace. This is the reason the verse below tells us to sing praise, because He is Awesome! How can we stay shut when we serve such an awesome God? Today I encourage you to praise Him because we both know He has been more than Good to us!

Pastor Joell A. Perez

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His rightness and justice, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. (Psalm 7:17 AMP