Trust is defined as a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. Who or what do we trust in? Is our trust in the government, our finances, our career, our friends, our family or our spouse? Though these are all blessings, our trust should solely be in God.  Learning to trust comes with experience. The same is with God, our trust in Him grows as we walk through areas in our lives that may seem a bit scary. 

When we go through battles in our lives we need to trust that we are not alone! 1 John 5:4 says, “God is with you-wherever you may go and no matter what life brings.” God reminds us throughout the Bible that He is with us, He also lets us know why we must go through trials in our lives. Why won’t God just take away all of our battles? Is there a purpose for our sufferings? James 1:12 reads, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” or in Romans 5:3 it says, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance.” 

What is God telling us? Jesus never said we will not go through battles, trials and tribulations. In fact, He told us we will go through hardships. But, we are to take heart and know that He has overcome the world (John 16:33)! When we go through hard times it produces endurance and we learn to trust in God. If we don’t go through struggles, how else would we know how good God is and trust in Him? God will never allow us to go through situations without purpose. Let’s look at the story of Job in the Bible. Job was a man who loved God with all his heart. He was blessed with many children, livestock, and servants. Satan asked the Lord if he can take all these things from Job to “prove” Job’s loyalty to God. Satan based Job’s loyalty to God on all He had blessed Job with. God allowed this, with the exception of Satan being able to touch his soul. The enemy came and took away Job’s children, livestock, servants and even cursed Job with boils throughout his body. Can you imagine how that must have felt for Job? I’m sure he felt abandoned from God. Through this trial, Job’s friends and his own wife told Job to curse God and die. But, Job held on to God even if it was the last thing he did. After going through this horrific tribulation, the Lord restored all that Job had lost. God healed Job, replenished all of his livestock even more than before, blessed him with servants, with more children and allowed him to live a long life! Job’s latter days were more prosperous than the former.  

We may not understand why God allows us to go through certain things in our lives, but we are not called to understand Him; instead we are called to trust Him. God never makes mistakes and He never sends us into battle without the weapons to help us fight. As we go through trials, our faith and trust in God will strengthen. Our endurance will continue to grow and help us in this walk with Christ. 

Written by: Bonnie Vargas

From the moment we are born, time begins to tick. We go from cute, soft and fragile babies to old wrinkly adults with doctor appointments and a drawer full of medication. Don’t we wish we can stop time and maybe just press the pause button on life, just a little? I know I do at times. I wish I can go back to being a carefree child who doesn’t have any true responsibliities or worries. I think the real question we should ask is, What legacy will we leave behind? How will we be remembered? Have we accomplished all that the Lord has placed in our path? Late evangelist Billy Graham said it best, “My home is in heaven. I’m just traveling through this world.”

I am sure when Jonah (the book of Jonah in the Bible) ended up in the belly of a big fish, he was of course asking for forgiveness, but I am sure he was also afraid of his life being over. What if God was not merciful or what if He wasn’t graceful enough to give Jonah another chance? Jonah would have left this world being disobedient to God. Friends, you and I have a responsibility here on earth to heed to the Lord’s commands. He has given us life for a reason. We each have a calling that the Lord has placed in us to spread the good news and to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Our legacy that we leave behind should unite, encourage and leave an impression of God in the lives of others.

Our memory should not be how many houses we had, the cars we drove or how much money we made. What good would that be? How would that make an impact on someone else’s life? Besides, none of these things here on earth will go with us! It says in 1 Corinthians 7:31, “Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.” I am reminded of a story I recently heard from my father in law. This was a story told by my grandfather a long time ago. When my grandfather was just starting out with Cruzada church, he needed some music equipment. A lady he knew had a piano passed down through her family, in which she refused to give away. One night she had a dream that the Lord came and as He was trying to take her with Him, she was trying to take the piano with her through her window. The Lord left her behind since she couldn’t let go of her earthly possession. The next morning she called my grandfather and told him to take the piano! I would too if I was her. 

The point is to let our lives be fruitful and bless others.  Let us allow God to completely work through us for His glory.  I pray that anything that may be a hindrance in our lives will no longer be there. I pray for God’s light to shine through us to help not only ourselves, but to allow God to work through us to help others. There are people dying everyday without Jesus, let us not become distracted or complacent that we miss our chance to share the good news about the salvation of Jesus Christ.  Let our lives lead a legacy that speaks of God!

Written by: Bonnie Vargas

Have you ever noticed that a certain smell, place or thing can instantly bring you back to a certain time in your life? Whenever I hear any of the intro songs to the old TV shows, like Full House or Saved By The Bell, it reminds me of racing home after school and turning on the TV at 5PM to watch these shows. Anyone remember TGIF? That was one of the highlights to my weekend, being able to watch all of my favorite shows in one night. The little things tend to take place in our hearts because they make the best memories. 

Our walk with God can be the same way. I think one of the most powerful, beautiful and at times funny encounters is when God answers the desires of our heart, something that only you and God know about. Psalm 37:4 says “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” God desires to take care of us and bless us when we delight ourselves in Him. When we TRULY put God first in our lives, He is faithful to His Word. In my life there have been plenty of “God, I know that was you” moments; things that I know I have prayed about and He answered it in an unusual way. For instance, I remember I needed to get lettuce but I couldn’t make it to the store, when all of a sudden a friend of mine asked me if I needed lettuce. As she opened her trunk, there were boxes of lettuce that she gave to me. I laughed in my mind acknowledging how God not only provided for me, but He gave in abundance. 

Most recently, I needed to set up a work space for me to record our podcast,“Salt&Light”. I had a list of items I needed, which consisted of a desk, a chair and a new laptop. God specifically blessed me with all three things on my list! I got everything I needed by God putting it in the heart of my cousin Janice and her parents to bless me with these items. Completely unexpected! This would be another one of those, “God I knew that was you,” moments.

I am not suggesting that God is our personal genie. God is our Father and He will provide what we need and at times what we want, but only if it is in His will, not ours. We shouldn’t be disappointed if or when we don’t get everything we’ve prayed for. God’s answer may be different from what we expected because He has something better for us. 

Always remember that God is a God of miracles. Stay mindful of all the little blessings God drops along the way as we wait for God to come through in our situation. Noticing the little blessings reminds us that God is listening to our prayers and helping us while we wait on Him.

Written By: Bonnie Vargas

Technology has come so far, hasn’t it? Imagine trying to navigate without a GPS today.  I don’t know how we did without it all of these years! If you were to get lost while driving today, would you be able to find your way back home? You probably would but it would be a whole lot easier with your navigation system. It helps you know if there is oncoming traffic, a cop trap, accidents, or a shorter route to get to your destination. 

Years ago when my now husband and I were dating, I drove two hours to his house with a close friend of mine. At that time only MapQuest existed, which was an online service where you had to type in the address of the location you were traveling to and had to print out the directions. Oh boy, what an adventure we had ahead of us! On the way up there, we went through all kinds of twists and turns. That day was a day I will never forget. As they say, “That’s one for the books!”

The Holy Spirit has guided me several times in my life, as my own personal GPS. After not working for a few years so I could focus on raising my three children, I went back to work part time. When the pandemic started I had a choice to make; would I quit my job and stay home with the kids or would I go back to work? I prayed about it all the way up until I was supposed to go back to work. I felt the tugging of the Holy Spirit leading me to stay home with the kids which led me to start a Christian podcast. My cousin Janice and I just celebrated our one year anniversary since starting our podcast, Salt&Light. It has been such a blessing and has helped me grow spiritually. If I was still working, this podcast wouldn’t have been born! There’s no way I would have had the time to pour into this chapter of my life if I wasn’t at home. Janice and I are still walking this road and are excited to see where the Holy Spirit will lead us, but I know it has to be good! 

Thankfully, as true believers in Jesus, we will never have to be afraid of getting lost or leaving home without our own guide, the Holy Spirit. When Jesus ascended to heaven after He rose from the dead, He left us the Holy Spirit. In  John 14:15-18 Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever-the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him nor knows Him. But you know Him. For He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” Also in Acts 1:8 it says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

God is so good, He made sure to leave us the Holy Spirit to guide us, and help us navigate through this life, until we are with Jesus for all eternity. Aren’t you glad we are not alone?! We will forever have God with us, living inside of us and helping us through the good times, the trials, tribulations all the way until we reach our final destination, Heaven! Next time you feel lost, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and lead you down the path you need to take. With His help, you will always be headed in the right direction.

Written by: Bonnie Vargas

Witnessing the Holy Spirit move through our praise is a beautiful experience. The passion, the tears, the power that you feel, even when you don’t understand is a powerful thing. Growing up in church, seeing hands in the air, shouting and speaking in tongues, is what I was used to seeing. This is what I knew as worshiping the Lord. As an adult serving the Lord for myself, I have learned that this is not the only way one can worship.

The definition of worship is to show reverence and adoration for a deity. For our purpose, worship means to show God gratitude and honor for our daily lives. Worshiping Him is being thankful for the God that He is, for the air that we breathe and the privilege of being in communion with our Father. Does this mean the only way to worship is in a church? No! We can freely worship the Lord anywhere or anytime we want. We can worship Him while we are driving, doing household chores, at work, or even at school. I thank God every day for waking me up, for my family, for friends, and even for a cup of coffee in the morning. I like to sing to Him and just talk to Him throughout the day out loud or in the quietness of my own heart. Being thankful in our daily lives, even for the small things, is a form of worship. I notice when I am feeling overwhelmed or down, when I worship Him, it brings a peace over me that no human can possibly bring.

Why is worship important? Why can’t we just wait for Sundays to worship the Father? After all, isn’t that what going to church is for? Worship is a daily privilege that isn’t limited to only one day a week. Worship is fully surrendering to Him, being grateful, sitting at His feet, and being engulfed in His presence. Even in the midst of our pain and suffering, we should worship the Lord. Worship gets us out of our own way and allows God to fill us with His peace. God lives inside of us and He tells us in Psalms 150:6, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.” And in Psalms 71:8, “My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.” This means we are to worship and praise Him despite our circumstances or how we are feeling; God is always worthy to be praised.

I hope this encourages all of us not to limit praise and worship to just Sundays or when we are around other believers. So let’s lift our hands, sing, praise, pray and talk to Him. He is our Father and He longs to have a relationship with us.

Written by: Bonnie Vargas

Everyone knows that childhood song, the Hokey Pokey! I still remember singing that song as a child myself. What does this have to do with anything? It reminds me how some believers have one foot in Jesus and the other foot in the world. When I first came to Christ about 7 years ago now, God impressed upon me that I had to let go of quite a few things. Things such as watching certain movies; horror was first on my list! 

When I was about 5 to 7 years old,  I was introduced to my first scary movie (without the knowledge of my parents), and I was terrified! That night I could not sleep, as a matter of fact, that whole week. Though I was petrified, I also took an interest in watching more scary movies. It was as if a spiritual door had been opened, I just did not know it. As the years went on, anything that had to do with witches,vampires and the paranormal I was attracted to. Halloween was one of my favorite times of the year. 

You never really understand the spiritual doors you open until it catches up with you.  We usually think these things are harmless or just a form of entertainment. This is exactly what the enemy wants you and I to think so we fall into the many pitfalls he has for us. There are things I still struggle with but with the help of the Holy Spirit, He helps us to daily deny our flesh. We have to be aware of the truth and ask the Lord to expose these lies of the enemy. Repent and give your life to Christ, read the Word and pray daily. With these steps and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the truth will become more clear in your life. With God delivering me from all of these things, does this mean I have a pass to dabble in this area again? Absolutely not! As followers of Christ, we have to be either hot or cold for the Lord but we cannot be lukewarm.  Revelation 3:15-16 says, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Also in 1 Corinthians 10:21, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.”

God already forewarned us ahead of time that we need to make up our minds! Are you fully for Christ or are you half in half out? It is good to stop and reevaluate yourself and ask the Lord to constantly check your heart and mind. Are you hot, lukewarm or cold? We can be hot or cold but we shouldn’t be sitting on the fence. Our minds need to be made up, God will not force His will into our lives. He loves you, He has a plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11) and He wants you to dwell with Him for all eternity.  Ask God to help you in your walk with Him. God will never fail you!

Written By: Bonnie Vargas

As soon as we are born we can not wait to learn new exciting things, from saying your first word, walking, and learning to ride a bike. When I first learned to ride a bike, as many times as I fell, skinned my knees, cried, and wanted to give up, I was determined to learn how to ride my bike. 

Following Christ can feel and/or be the same way. Psalms 37:21 reminds us, “Though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.” or in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” The Word of God is filled with reminders for us to keep going and to not give up!

Jesus never said we will not have any troubles, in fact, He says the complete opposite; reference John 16:33. Jesus tells us we will have troubles, but not to fear, He has overcome the world. So why would He constantly repeat Himself over and over? Simply because He knows what oppositions we WILL face, He knows the daggers of discouragement that will be thrown at us and how the grip of the enemy that will try to squeeze the joy from our spirits. 

He reminds us that He is good, faithful and never changing. What He says goes, and there is no changing that. So why should we feel the need to give up? Jesus is coming back and at the end…We Win! There is nothing we cannot do with God. He is our strength, joy, and peace. Jesus is your best friend! Remember, whatever He calls you to do, he has already equipped you for the job.

Don’t let fear rob you from your blessings. The battle is already won!

Written By: Bonnie Vargas

Friendship is not a big thing..it’s a million little things. In Proverbs 18:24 it says, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Also in John 15:12-13, “My command is this; Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no more than this; to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.”

In my life, I have had many friends. Some I grew up with and others I met in my adulthood. One thing I have learned is, true friendship lasts through the good times, fun times, tears, your first heartbreak and even through arguments. You see, even the Bible talks about how important it is to be a good friend and to have a true friend. Friendship is not just about rainbows and butterflies, it gets messy at times. Sometimes you grow apart from friends but if it is a true friendship that God intends for you to have, it will weather the storms. 

I know at times we may get frustrated and think it is better to be alone or to have no friends at all! We might think this because we want to avoid drama, stress or petty arguments. In reality, you might be missing out on one of the greatest gifs that God has blessed us with, true friendship. 

Friendship can hold your hand when you’re nervous, wipe your tears when your heart is broken, laugh with you or just simply be there for you. Pray to God to surround you with the right friendships and also on how to be a friend. Jesus is our first and ultimate friend but He knows we also need human connections; He created us as social beings. Pray to God and ask Him to surround you with the right friends that will last a lifetime.

Written by: Bonnie Vargas