Jesus

Learn to follow God’s nudges

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

I asked God today what was on His mind for today’s message to all of you, and I heard him whisper to my spirit, “Urge them to trust me completely and follow my prompting, even when it doesn’t seem to make sense.” Yep. That sounds exactly like what God would say! After all, throughout the Bible, we hear God revealing a plan to His servants that seemed preposterous at the time, or foolish or, at the very least, unwise. However, when the servant obeyed God, then God accomplished his perfect plan in a way that was truly astounding. The people ended up being amazed by God and his mighty power!


Consider Noah. God told him to build a humongous boat and load it with every kind of animal. What a crazy instruction! But Noah obeyed, and boy, did that ever work out well for him and his family. Consider Gideon. God told him to get rid of almost all his soldiers before taking on a huge enemy army! What a preposterous instruction! But Gideon obeyed even when it didn’t seem to make sense. In the end, God destroyed the enemy and got all the glory for that incredible victory. Consider Moses. God told him, an ordinary shepherd, to go before the Egyptian pharaoh and demand the release of the Jewish slaves. What a ridiculous idea! But Moses obeyed, and the Jewish people stood in awe of God as they were released from oppressive slavery.


Right now, God is whispering words of instruction to you. He may be counseling you to stay in a marriage that seems hopeless. He may be instructing you to leave a marriage because He may know that is best for you and your children. He may be telling you to give away more money than would seem wise in order to help those who are poor. He may be telling you to share the Gospel with someone who has been your enemy. God has plans to work through you and He is whispering instructions to you right now. Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. What He is telling you to do may seem difficult or even unwise, but if God is instructing you, I urge you to step out and obey. Trust Him. He knows what is best because He sees the future and His ways are perfect. Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

You are not forgotten or alone

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

Sometimes, during the really challenging moments in life, we feel all alone in the struggle. The enemy of our soul starts whispering lie after lie. He tells us God doesn’t care. He tells us nobody understands. He whispers that we are all alone and nobody will help us. What a bunch of filthy lies!


The truth is that if you believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins and if you have chosen to follow Him as the leader of your life, then God will never leave you…not for one second! Others might abandon you and others might disappoint you, but God tells us in His Word that He will never leave us or forsake us. You can read that in Hebrews 13:5. We also read in Psalm 27:10 that even if our mom and dad desert us, the Lord will hold us close. Hallelujah!


Here’s something else that occurred to me recently. When someone asks me to pray for them due to a super challenging situation, I always seem to be prompted to pray “Lord, hold ______ in the palm of your hand.” Frankly, I’ve always kind of wondered why I feel prompted to pray that way. Why do I tend to ask God to hold them in the “palm of His hand”? Well, I stumbled across the reason the other day. I found it in Isaiah 49:14-16 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…” Wow! God has engraved your name on the palm of His hand. He will never forget you. He is holding you tenderly, always.

** or view this topic as a 3 minute VIDEO BELOW

Need to feel God’s comfort?

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

We all inevitably go through stretches in our marriages (or with kids, finances, health, etc!) that are pretty rough on our hearts. Yes, we can persevere, pray, and trust in God during those times, and all those things are super important. But sometimes, we just plain need comfort. We need to sit in the lap of our heavenly father and have Him hold us tight.

Here is what I have discovered. Reading the Psalms slowly and out loud is like a warm embrace from my heavenly Father. As those words roll off my lips, I can almost feel His love and compassion flow over me. I sense the tenderness of His heart toward me. I gain hope once again.

Try it for yourself. I would suggest some of these Psalms: Psalm 103, Psalm 91, Psalm 34, and Psalm 37. God longs to comfort you. He loves you. As Psalm 103 says, “Our Father is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love.”

The power of pausing in prayer

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

When we face a challenge, a dilemma, or even a crisis…we tend to search high and low for the easy answer. We cry out to God, asking him to give us the magic pill that will make it all go away! We call our mom or our girlfriends, and we whine and complain about the problem, hoping they will have the magical, painless answer to our situation. Well, here’s the thing. The answer isn’t easy, but it is simple. Seek God’s counsel and then actually pause to listen.
Proverbs 18:13 says “To answer before listening, that is folly and shame.” Yet, that is exactly what many of us do. We complain to God. We pray that he would magically fix our situation in the way that WE say is best, and yet, we don’t actually consult the Bible to see what guidance he has for us. We pray that God would tell us what to do about the problem, yet we don’t actually pause to listen for the Holy Spirit’s quiet whisper of guidance.
The answer is simple. Dive into God’s Word. It will guide you. Psalm 119:105 says. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Ask God to give you direction through a quiet whisper to your spirit from the Holy Spirit, who is our counselor. John 14:26 says (in the Amplified Bible), “But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf, He will teach you all things.”

If you’re wondering what to do

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

In any relationship, especially a marriage, there are going to be times when the two of you are in conflict. Perhaps your husband is breaking your heart through wrong behavior. At each of those times, we have to make really big decisions. Should I confront my husband on an issue where he appears to be out of line? Should I keep quiet and press into prayer, relying on the Holy Spirit to work in my husband’s heart? Should I compromise on an issue where we’ve been in conflict?

At these times, counsel from other godly women is very helpful, but honestly, my very best guidance comes from God himself. I just need to take a few moments to be quiet with Him and ask Him to speak direction into my mind and heart. Psalm 142:3 says “When my spirit faints within me, you know my way.” When I pause, close my eyes, and ask God in prayer to give me direction, I often sense a gentle nudge, or a prompting, or I feel like He’s speaking a word of direction into my mind in that moment. Unless the “prompting” goes against what the Bible would say, I trust that God has just spoken to me.

I did this recently on an issue between me and a close relative. I thought for sure I should make a certain decision, but once I spent just a few moments quieting myself and asking God to speak His counsel into my mind, I received guidance to go the exact opposite direction! He even allowed me to see why my original idea was flawed. Try this yourself. God is waiting at the door of your mind and heart. Open the door and let Him in.

Become a strong & unshakeable woman!

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

Do you wish you could be a more courageous woman, a more secure woman, a more confident woman, and a woman who is able to stand strong under pressure or hardship? I think I’ve found the answer. We must go beyond just accepting Christ as our Savior, and truly decide to make Christ our Lord!


When I think about the ladies I know who are strong, confident and unshakeable Christian women, they all have something in common. They have made the courageous decision to surrender their lives to Jesus and they’ve truly committed to following him as the leader and master of their lives. This is, in fact, what the Bible calls us to do in Romans 10:9…If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. It’s important to note that this Bible verse tells us to declare Jesus as “Lord”, which means “master” in the original Greek.


Have you truly made Jesus your master? Maybe that’s the missing piece in your life. I can tell you from personal experience that once you truly make a heart decision to make Jesus your Lord and master, all His promises to love you, comfort you, and counsel you start to come alive in your spirit. You begin to realize that you can trust his leadership 100%. Once that happens, you’ll find yourself strong, confident and unshakeable!

Don’t fall for counterfeit comfort!

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

All wives inevitably hit a rough patch or two in their marriage. In fact, there will likely be moments when you think “Why did I even marry this man?!” He may break a little piece of your heart when he forgets your anniversary, or is overly harsh with the kids, or develops a habit of satisfying himself while viewing pornography instead of making love to you. At these moments, you need comfort for your broken heart.

It’s our tendency to reach for something easy and tangible as a source of comfort. You might try to find some joy in buying lots of new clothes. You and I might turn to excessive food. But neither one of those choices truly comforts us. They actually lead to additional grief in the long run! Instead, we need to train ourselves to run to God at those heart-breaking moments. He is waiting with open arms. Plus, Jesus knows what it feels like to suffer grief, betrayal, and a broken heart.

I love these two verses of comfort. Psalm 103:2-4 “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion”. And Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”. Meditate on those 2 verses and ask God to come close to you. He will, and I believe you will experience the warmth of his love!

One additional tip: I’ve found it especially helpful to find a quiet place of solitude (no cell phone, no noise!) where I can just sit with the Lord in stillness for 5 or 10 minutes, letting his peace and comfort wash over me.

God sees your distress

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

We all go through challenging days…whether in your marriage, with your kids, with finances, at your job, etc. It’s at those times; we tend to feel so alone. We desperately need to know that God notices our distress. We need to know that He is with us and that He cares.

Well, despite what Satan is whispering in your ear…that nobody cares…that you’re all alone…that your broken heart will never get better…the Bible tells a different story! I find so much comfort in these verses:
• The Lord is close to the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:18)
• Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)
• You are the God who sees me (Genesis 16:13)
• He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3)
• Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. Psalm 103:2-4

How to persevere thru tough times

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

It’s inevitable. You will eventually hit some rough patches in your marriage, and in your life in general. So how do you hang on and press through those storms? If your husband is caught in a pattern of sin against you, you will need to respectfully confront the problem. If you guys just plain disagree on how to handle something, you’ll have to work for a compromise. But when the situation in your marriage seems hopeless, or when a challenge in life feels insurmountable, that’s when we have to learn to persevere.

One huge key for me in terms of perseverance is reflecting on the many times in the past that God has answered my cries for help. When I look back and take an inventory of the miracles he’s performed in my life and the times when he clearly orchestrated events…then my faith is increased. As my faith increases, I can more easily persevere through the current crisis. By recalling the past deeds of God in my life, I find peace knowing that He was in control then and He’s still in control now. This is the counsel given to us in Psalm 77:11-12 “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

One of the best ways to remember the past deeds of the Lord is to write down “God-sightings” in a journal. I have a journal filled with little notes about answered prayers or “God-wink” moments where I can see that God orchestrated something amazing in my life. I re-read these entries several times a year, and my faith is increased once again. As my faith in God builds, I can persevere more easily during my current trial. Do you have a “God-sighting” journal?

Eliminating the demon of insecurity

Squadron of Sisters (Debbie Chavez) Leave a comment

Virtually every woman wrestles with the persistent and often debilitating problem called insecurity.  It can start so early in life, as a 5 or 6 year old girl hears the neighbor girl described as beautiful, while nothing at all is said about her.  It can develop when other kids easily bring home straight A’s in middle school, but you struggle to maintain a B average.  It can suck the life out of you when no one asks you to the sophomore dance or senior prom, and you start telling yourself that you’re ugly and no one wants you.

What I’ve learned over the years is that the enemy is often the one whispering discouragement and ugly lies into our minds, and we end up quietly repeating those lies over and over again until we sink into a pit of despair!  Enough of that!

We can begin to defeat the demon of insecurity when we start coaching our souls with the truth.  The truth is found in the Bible and what God says about us.  Did you know in Romans 9:25, God says “Her who was not beloved, I will call beloved”?  Wow!  That rocks my boat!  How about you? God says you are his beloved.  That word is a healing balm to my wounded heart.  That word “beloved” means God cherishes me and dearly loves me.  Yes!!  I needed to hear that.

God also tells us in Hebrews 13:5 that “I will never leave you nor forsake you”.  That means that no matter what crazy or oppressive circumstance I’m in, God will never leave my side. He is with me through all struggles and trials.  Yes!  I needed to hear that too!

Don’t listen to the voice of the enemy, and for heaven’s sake, don’t repeat his lies! Start coaching your soul with truth from God’s Word.  That’s when you’ll triumph over the devil’s plans to oppress you and begin to truly flourish as a woman of confidence!