Becoming a Woman of Understanding

By Nina Medrano –

Just days before I left town for a one-day business trip, the Holy Spirit brought a specific Scripture verse to my attention and prompted me to pray this verse for my life.

It’s my practice to read different versions of a Scripture verse to gain a broader understanding of God’s Word.  Proverbs 20:5 (NIV) reads that “The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.”  The Contemporary English version (CEV) reads, “Someone’s thoughts may be as deep as the ocean, but if you are smart you will discover them.”

Next, the Spirit led me to pray Proverb 20:5 for the co-worker who is to travel with me, whom I know only through e-mail. In obedience, I asked Abba Father to “make me a woman of understanding; to give me a deeper insight to the purpose and the deep thoughts of this co-worker; flood my heart with the light of your Word and Spirit so that I may focus clearly and confidently draw out the deep thoughts and concerns of this co-worker; give me godly counsel and advice; don’t let me speak from my own understanding but let every word that comes from my thoughts and heart be totally yielded to your Spirit; give me supernatural favor; let this co-worker sense your Presence in our conversation and let her trust you with the deepest thoughts that trouble her. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

The day of travel we met at the airport early in the morning. Our conversation began with work-related issues. It was not long before our conversation shifted to a more personal exchange of information. This opened the door for me to share my faith in Christ. My co-worker listened and would ask an occasional question but for the most part she remained silent. Our next opportunity to converse was not until the end of the day as we made our way to the airport for our return flight. Our flight was delayed. Silently, I prayed, “Lord, I surrender my thoughts and words to you.”

After sharing several experiences of God’s guiding hand in my life it was now time to board our flight. As we began boarding, my co-worker drew nearer to me and with tear-filled eyes she began to tell me her desperate need for God’s guidance and direction. Currently, she faces a major crossroad and must make some career choices that will impact her life and her family. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit I was able to give her godly counsel and direction to her current situation. In a matter of moments the burden she was carrying was lifted off her countenance and a gently peace settled on her face.  Before we went our separate ways, my co-worker expressed a feeling of light-heartedness and an inner peace that she had not felt in a long while.

I cannot stop giving praise to God for sending us His Holy Spirit, who brings God’s word to our remembrance and teaches us all things. I pray that the Spirit will continue to make me a woman of understanding so that I may learn to draw the deep thoughts of the lives He places in my path.

Nina Medrano is a mentor in Transformation Ministry outreach of Church on The Rock in Lubbock, Texas, she resides in the country with her two playful Jack Russell Terriers, Daisy and Pepper Jack.

Sweet to the Soul: Health to My Bones

By Nina Medrano –

As a mentor, I rely on the counsel of the Holy Spirit and on the Word of God to bring freedom and healing to the hearer. It is always such a sweet benefit to me when the Holy Spirit inspires and anoints a prayer modeled after the precious Word of God. Recently, the Spirit of the Lord inspired such a prayer modeled after Psalm 133.

Abba, Father, as we stand before Your presence, in one accord, in agreement with your Word, in the spirit of unity, I ask that you would release your precious anointing oil and pour it upon the heads of our leadership: government, churches and households. I ask that you would align our thoughts, our wills and our emotions to the will and the Word of God. May we learn to take every thought captive and bring it to the obedience of Christ in everything we do.

Let the precious ointment run down our eyes. Give us eyes to see your works in our lives; open our spiritual eyes of understanding. Let your oil continue to run down to our ears, and give us ears to hear the voice of Your Spirit and remove all blocks and hindrances and all other voices that hinder us from hearing your voice. Let your oil continue to run down over our mouths. Your Word says that the tongue is unruly and undisciplined. We yield our tongues to Your Lordship and we ask you to cleanse and purify our tongues from wicked words and anoint us to speak pleasant words that heal, cleanse and restore the hearers. Place Your hand upon our mouths and fill us with Your Word. We will speak Your word and we will not be afraid!

Let your precious oil run down our necks and shoulders. Remove the stress of this world and if there be any yoke of stiff-neck stubbornness and rebellion, we ask for forgiveness. Release your anointing that breaks off the yokes of bondage off our necks and replace it with the yoke of Jesus which is easy and light. Let your oil run down upon our arms and hands. Forgive us for trusting in the arms of our own flesh and defiling the works of our hands. We place our trust in the arm of God and God alone! Cleanse our hands and make them worthy of ministry and able to deliver many from the yokes of bondage.

Let your precious oil run down our garments down to our feet. Anoint our feet and our lives to walk and live out the gospel of Your kingdom in our private lives as well as in our public lives.

Let the anointing of Your Holy Spirit so settle upon our lives like the dew of Mt. Hermon and just like the frightful, thick fog that descends upon the mountain of Zion; so let Your Spirit descend upon us!

And, there, oh Lord, command your blessing, even life forevermore. We humbly ask for this type of anointing from Your Spirit in Jesus name, amen and amen.

Nina Medrano, a West Texas country girl, enjoys writing, ministry to women and playing with her two Jack Russell Terriers, Daisy and PepperJack.

Hannah’s Irritation

By Nina Medrano –

We can discern God’s seasons in life by seeing what is going on in the natural setting. Then we can see the parallel take place in the spirit.

For instance, for the past few weeks, we have been experiencing record counts of rainfall throughout our great state of Texas. In parallel, I have noticed every day as I read the Word of God pearls of truth are reigning down into my spirit. One of these pearls of truth comes from the story of Hannah’s irritation, found in 1 Samuel 1:3-7 (NIV):
Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb. And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.

Have you ever had a rival in your life that just irritates you every time he or she enters the room? Even when you take this issue to the Lord in prayer, this person continues to provoke you to the point of stress.

By definition, rivals compete against you. And a rival can be anyone or anything: a family member, a new boss, a home project, a work deadline, a budget and yes, even a ministry. When a rival’s provocation endures for a length of time, we tend not to see the greater work of God that is being done in us through the process of irritation.

When I think of the word “irritate,” the word picture that comes to mind is natural pearls. Pearls form when some type of irritant enters the mussel or oyster shell. As a defense mechanism, the oyster secretes nacre in layers, surrounding the irritant; resulting in some of the worlds most beautiful pearls of great price.

I have had plenty of irritants my life, but, unlike Hannah, I had not always responded to them in a way that was pleasing to God. Thank God for His mercy that is new every morning.

Recently, a new irritant has entered my life. This time around, I responded differently. Instead of complaining and whining, I prayed blessing and wisdom and favor over this person’s life. And, instead of resisting or pushing away or worse, walking away from the irritation as I always do, I struggled to see this person’s value to Him.

In the end, surrendering to God’s process of irritation is difficult. We are such strong-willed humans—dying to self does not come willingly. I am humbled by God’s overriding grace that continues to work in our character.

The Apostle Paul, no stranger to irritants, states this process so well

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessel, to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4: 6-10, NIV).

Nina Medrano, a native Texan, writes short inspirational stories for women and children and leadership articles for the workplace.

Two Kinds of Wisdom

By Nina Medrano –

Have you ever found yourself speaking pleasantries to a fellow co-worker, a team member, an equal, who through self-elevation began to speak in tones of authority over you? Read more

A False Worship

By Nina Medrano –

When the Black Gold Casino had their Grand Opening just across the Texas/New Mexico border, my brother invited me to join him and his wife. Never having been inside a gambling casino, I was curious as to what the whoopla was all about, so I went. Read more

« Previous Page — Next Page »