Following in Your Footsteps, Jesus.: Leaving Footprints

Following

in your footsteps,

Jesus

Leaving footprints

Copyright © 2012 by Saily Fuentes Santos.

Bible texts are taken from Reina Valera © 1960 Sociedades Bíblicas en América Latina; © Renewed 1988 Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Indice

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Grace, Mercy, And Goodness

Holding The Hand Of God

Application Of Grace

Let Us Celebrate The Resurrection

God Has A Plan

Is There A Thief In Your Life?

Empowered With The Loot In Hand

God Is Much Greater Than Our Problems

Jesus Calls Us To Be Meek

Your Heart Cannot Be Broken

Angels, Officials Of The Lord

Help Is On The Way

Run The Race! Just Run It!

Restrain Your Tongue, Do Not Curse!

Don’t Have Enemies

Jesus Is A Faithful Friend

Beat The Giant!

From Slaves To Children

Get Up! Fight For Your Blessing

Women Of Virtue

When Everything Goes Wrong

Walking On Water

Sheep Of His Pasture

Treasures In Heaven

Following In Your Footsteps, Jesus, Leaving Footprints

From The Author Of The Book:

Dedication

To you, my God.

In whom I trust, to whom I owe everything I am, from whom I receive everything I have. To your beloved son, Jesus, the only one capable of loving and giving everything without asking anything in return, without interest. To your precious Holy Spirit, who guides each step I take and every word I write. I am nothing without your help.

With Jesus, I am able to reach the sky, land on the moon, touch the sun with my fingertip, and bring a star down to the depths of the oceans. Beyond this life, You make me feel confident of seeing Your light one day, and I will rejoice in Your presence and sing praises to Your name until I draw my last breath.

Oh my God! How great You are. I wake up every day to Your promises. You make me see beyond what is visible and possible: a glorious end with You. You captivate me with Your love and make me live confidently. No words can express my gratitude to You, my Jesus. I can carry on without ever getting dismayed: Following in Your footsteps, Jesus, and leaving footprints.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Your beloved son, Jesus.

Acknowledgements

I am eternally grateful to You, Lord Jesus.

I acknowledge that I can do nothing without You for I am nothing. Thank you, Lord God Almighty, for Your beloved son, my Savior, my strength and my fortress, and who has always taken care of me and who told me: Be strong and take courage!

He raises me up when I fall and believes that I am capable of evangelizing the Good News through the wonderful books He has allowed me to write. Oh where could I go without Your presence? All that I am, I owe to You. You are Great and Majestic.

Just your love is enough for me to go on. I am here: Following in Your footsteps, Jesus, leaving footprints.

My mother:

You will forever be in my heart. You left me your smile, your faith, and your values. You live and will always live for eternity beyond the heavens. I understand that eternal life is worth more than a thousand years of living away from Him.

I discovered that pain made me much stronger, and I learned that the questions we ask when we cry: Why? Why must our dearest ones be separated from us? have only one answer. Only God knows the reason and Jesus is the only answer amidst of so many questions.

Thank you, my mother, for giving me your unconditional love. I will carry on without ever getting dismayed, even when I feel that I no longer have strength, for I know God sustains me and will take me with you to His presence.

To a woman who inspires me, to the men of my life,

and to my sister, with much love.

To my dear parents: My mother’s daughter, my father’s daughter. My dear parents, God took His precious time to form me. From your entrails, He gave me life. He permitted me to be born from a man and a woman which He Himself chose. He chose you in a very special way and I am eternally grateful for His choice.

To my husband, Carlos: Thank you for your support and unconditional help. Thank you for helping me build a home to keep our family together. Your advices have made me grow and mature.

To my son, Carlos: You are my favorite basketball player, my champion. It amazes me to see you grow into a man, in size and in discipline. You will always be my little baby. May God bless you and give you the desires of your humble heart.

To my son, Rolando: You are very special to me and to all those around you. Your good human qualities inspire me. Your cheerful nature brings joy to my life.

You are phenomenal. May God keep you, bless you, and guide you in your daily walk [towards Him].

Fernan: Carry on. Keep going until you reach your final goal. Do not be dismayed for God has a plan. He has great things in store for your life. Seek Him and acknowledge Him, and His power will carry you through. I love you, not just as a brother, but as a child.

Elisa, my sister: you have a very special place in my heart. Your emails give me much joy. May our Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you.

"First the Lord God, after Jesus,

you are my daily inspiration."

May God bless you, even beyond this life, in eternity.

To my spiritual parents, Freddy and Blanca Lagos: thank you for the good spiritual nourishment which made me grow in faith.

Grace, Mercy,

and

Goodness

Grace, Mercy, and Goodness

"There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

"When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father.

Luke 15:11-20

The good father waited day after day, hoping for his son, the one who had gone away, to come home. The day of the reunion came. While his son was still some distance away, his father saw him and was moved with compassion. He ran to embrace and kiss him. The son told his father: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. His father acted in a very special way. He immediately ordered his servants to go forth and bring the best robe for him. He desired to clothe his son with the finest clothes. He ordered them to put a ring on his finger, and sandals on his feet. He also ordered to slaughter the fatted calf to eat and in a grand merry-making. He rejoiced in the return of his son, whom he considered dead, but had come back to life. He thought he was lost, but was now found.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

"The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son’

"But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Luke 15:20-24

The entire house began to celebrate the return of the son who they thought was dead. But the older son was in the field and was not aware of the return of his only brother. When approached the house, he heard the sound of music and celebration. He called one of the servants to ask what was happening and learned that his younger brother had returned home. At that moment, he became angry and refused to enter the house. His loving and indulgent father came out and begged him to go inside. He answered:

Lo, I have served you for many years and never disobeyed your commandments, but never have you given me a young goat to celebrate with my friends. But when this, your son, who had spent all his possessions on prostitutes, vices, and pleasures, returned, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.

At that same moment, his father replied: Son, you have always been with me, and all that I have are yours. But it was necessary to rejoice and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead and is alive anew. He was lost and is now found.

"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’

Luke 15:25-32

Who is the prodigal son?

The prodigal son is, to the naked eye, of noble sentiments. Indisputably, he represents he who has gone against, but repented and returned to, his father - God. He is a person who has recognized that the greatest wealth a man can ever have is to have a grateful heart to the Lord. He is free of ambitions, free of worldly extravagance, and leads a life of spiritual abundance which provides him with wealth that will never deteriorate.

And the older son?

The older son is he who is close to the Father, but his self-esteem is low, expressing unto others the opposite of what he feels and believes in. He is dedicated to serving God for many years, always sitting in the front row, handing over the glass of water to the pastor of his church, feeling superior to those around him, but basically lives with discontent and a cold heart. He wears a fake smile and worst of all, he feels inferior to others. He despises his neighbor and is always on the lookout for how they live, dress, and how they are shod. He is not sure of himself and for fear of falling into sin, he does not enjoy life.

He lives a mystical life. He’s upset when he meets someone who used sin but comes to his congregation, converts, and assumes a leadership role in a short time. God Himself tells us, in His Word, that He abhors a person with such qualities.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Revelation 3: 15-16

Which approach would you take?

Well, I really don’t know what attitude you would assume. Allow me to say that I myself would assume and recommend the attitude of the prodigal son. You may say: If he asked his father for his rightful inheritance, went away, and spent all he obtained on vices and pleasures, then why should I? I assure you it will only take two minutes to get to my answer. I learned that the young and inexperienced son acknowledged that living away from his father had brought about harsh consequences. He starved. In fact, he became hungrier than the pigs which their owners did not feed, not even with leftover pods. Although it was foolish of him to claim his inheritance from his father and spent it the way he did, he ultimately raised his eyes to God and wholeheartedly asked for forgiveness. He repented for his bad attitude and returned to his father. He realized that everything he had to face while living away from his father had actually benefitted his growth and spiritual maturity. He became a person grateful to Him, and he appreciated the love of a father who waited for him every day, just to welcome his arrival with open arms, with pity, with overflowing mercy, and best of all, with no reproach.

What I think of the older son

I certainly have many things to say about the attitude of the older son, but no. I’m more interested in the attitude of him who sought to obey his Father. You may do what I do: read about the subject and realize that the older son, being a selfish son, stood by his father’s side but was apathetic to his principles. He had everything within his reach: house, clothes, shoes, food, and wealth. But those were not enough for him. He was not satisfied. He was an idler who became envious of his own blood relative. Will you be like the older son? Will you act the same way, with the same attitude?

Let us be like the prodigal son

Let us always kneel down. Our knees should always fall daily before the LORD God. Say what the prodigal son said: forgive me! We should undertake to ask for mercy every day for our behavior, attitude, and thoughts. Let us ask for pardon if, at any moment, we find ourselves full of hatred, anger, and anxiety. Pity and mercy again if we have coveted what others have. It is considered envy, and envy is rottenness to the bones. A selfish person, ambitious of material things, is someone who always covets everything, having so little to the point where he has nothing. Let us plead for forgiveness with a grateful heart so that God will be faithful and just in forgiving us.

Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 51:9-12

The LORD God is much more human than we think. He is more real than what we know, and is very close to us, much closer than we think He is. God knows all our thoughts. He knows exactly how we were, what we have thought about, and is very much aware if we have failed or not. God is not a myth; He is not a person who is here today and gone tomorrow. He is always there, forever strong, and ready to help us at all times.

Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.

Isaiah 65:24

No matter how many times we have fallen, God’s forgiveness endures forever. His grace and favor sustains us, especially when, without fear, we repent our wrongdoings, confessing our sin. You just have to believe that He will forgive us and cleanse us from all our wickedness. Jesus will guard our hearts from evil; He will remove our wicked thoughts, and help us avoid making shameless decisions which never fail to bring us dismal consequences. The peace