All posts tagged: promises of god

Is It God’s Will or Just My Own Desire?

January 3, 2025 Merlin Gonzales a Study on God's Dominion No comments

I have this issue…

Maybe you’re struggling with it too.

How do you know you’re truly on the path God has for you?

How do you know you’re truly on the path God has for you? You trust in His promises, but doubts creep in—”Am I just making this up?” or “Is this really from God?” Sometimes, it’s hard to discern if the voice you’re hearing is God’s or just your thoughts. And you wonder, will the answer come now or in the distant future?

Uncertainty clouds your mind. And in moments of challenge, these questions often become the core of our faith journey.

Let’s dive into Deuteronomy 30:9-14, where God offers clarity and reassurance about His will, promises, and our path forward.

“9 Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, 10 if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.” –

God gives the Israelites a clear promise of blessing, prosperity, and favor, along with a commandment to obey His word. (Prosperity is not limited to financial abundance, though that may be part of it).

The Promise:

Verse 9 emphasizes God’s desire to make His people prosperous in all areas of life. This includes:

The work of their hands (their labor and efforts will be fruitful).
The fruit of the womb (their families will thrive and multiply).
Their livestock and crops (their livelihoods will flourish and provide abundance).

God’s blessings are comprehensive—He wants to bless their work, their families, and their land. The phrase “The Lord will again delight in you” is a powerful reminder that God longs to have a deep, joyful relationship with His people, as He did with their ancestors. He delights in blessing those who obey Him.

The Condition:

Verse 10 tells us a condition. Obedience is the key. God desires not just surface-level compliance but wholehearted devotion—obeying Him with all your heart and soul. This means a deep, sincere commitment to follow His ways and live according to His will. The blessing is not automatic; it requires a turning of the heart, a commitment to live by the commandments given in the Book of the Law.

The Simplicity of Obedience:

When God gives us command, we also provides us ways to accomplish His will. In verses 11-14, God is reassuring the Israelites that His word is accessible and close to them. The commands are:

Not in heaven (so they don’t have to send someone to fetch them).
Not beyond the sea (so they don’t have to travel far to understand them).

Instead, God’s word is already with them. “The word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.” This means they already know what to do—the commandments are present within them, the ability to obey is within their grasp… and the promises are sure.

Is it God’s will or is it our own desire?

I hope this short exposition of the passages gives us more clarity and builds our faith: God desires to bless His people, but these blessings are tied to their obedience and their wholehearted devotion to Him. The commandments are not meant to be a burden or an unattainable goal. Rather, they are near, familiar, and possible to live out daily.

In essence, God is showing that obedience leads to blessing, and this obedience is not out of reach. It’s not a distant or impossible task—it is simple, close, and achievable through the heart’s willingness to follow Him.

True clarity often emerges in the darkest moments.

God’s promises are sure, and when we obey His word, we align ourselves with the flow of His blessing, favor, and delight. The fulfillment of His promises—prosperity, joy, and abundance—are always contingent upon our choice to live according to His will with all of our heart and soul.

Your 7th Day is Coming!

December 27, 2024 Merlin Gonzales a Study on God's Dominion No comments

“Prayer changes things” is something we often hear. And while it’s true, there are moments in life when it feels far from true.

Have you ever found yourself praying day and night, pouring your heart out over something incredibly important. You wait in anticipation, your prayers brimming with hope— only to be met with what seems like silence from God. I know this uneasy feeling well, I’ve been there countless times.

Bright hopes for the New Year

Bright future is ahead

As the New Year approaches, many of us carry our prayer requests in our hearts. We long for change—better relationships, a better-paying job, improved health, vacation to an exotic place, perhaps even a new car. We make our resolutions, hoping the new year will bring the breakthrough we’ve been praying for. But, month after month, nothing seems to change.

It’s hard, and the waiting feels endless!

Keep the Faith

Yet, in the midst of all this, there’s a deeper lesson in patience, perseverance, and trust in God’s perfect timing. Sometimes, His quietness is preparing us for something greater than we imagined. Hold on… even when it feels like nothing is moving—because God is working behind the scenes in ways you can’t yet see.

Preposterous

In Joshua Chapter 6, the Israelites, under Joshua’s leadership, prepare to capture the heavily fortified city of Jericho. God gives Joshua unusual instructions for how to conquer the city: for six days, the Israelite army is to quietly march around the city once each day, led by seven priests carrying trumpets made of rams’ horns. After the first day, nothing happens—the walls remain the same, and there is no visible progress or sign of victory. This same exasperating experience happened for the next several days, things look as it was before, nothing appears to change but they continued to quietly march with their seemingly blind faith.

For nearly a week, Joshua and his people had marched silently around the walls of Jericho, doing exactly what they were told, but nothing happened. They might have felt ridiculous, walking in circles, with their enemies taunting them from the safety of the walls. With each passing day, it seemed more and more hopeless. Back at camp, the murmurs could have grown louder. People may have secretly questioning Joshua’s leadership, wondering if he really had a handle on things.

Maybe even Joshua shared those doubts, feeling the weight of disappointment pressing in. Perhaps his mind raced, questioning whether he had truly heard from God. He may have been replaying every step, every prayer, wondering if he’d gotten it wrong. Doubts, like whispers, might have filled his heart—what if he misunderstood? What if they had just wasted six days? What if the enemy was laughing at them, secure in the thought that the Israelites’ God had abandoned them?

But despite the questions and the potential for discouragement, Joshua remained faithful. He trusted God, even when the plan didn’t make sense.

The shift

Then came the seventh day, and the plan shifted. Joshua might have thought to himself, “Did God change His mind? Maybe the first six days were a mistake.”

Nothing is impossible with God

Despite it, the Israelites march around Jericho seven times, and at the end of the seventh lap, the priests blow their trumpets, and the people shout loudly. Suddenly, the unthinkable happened – the walls of Jericho collapse completely, allowing the Israelites to charge into the city and claim victory!

This miraculous event emphasizes that God’s timing and plan were perfect, even though it may have seemed like nothing was happening during the first agonizing six days. On the seventh day, with obedience and faith, the walls came down, showing that God’s power can bring sudden and total victory at the right moment.

Your seventh day is coming

Just like the Israelites who marched around Jericho, when things don’t seem to make sense and everything feels stagnant, remember—God is working behind the scenes. In those moments of waiting, He’s building something deeper in us, strengthening our faith and teaching us to trust fully in Him. He calls us to surrender our future into His hands.

Your seventh day is coming! Keep persevering in prayer and continue to walk in His steps. The hope He gives will never disappoint, and His promises are sure. He has not forgotten you!

Sometime it just take another step

I am praying for you. As the new year approaches, choose to believe in the power of prayer and obedience, even when you can’t see the results. That “suddenly” you’ve been waiting for could be closer than you think—greater than you ever imagined. Keep looking forward, keep digging, keep the faith because your seventh day is just around the corner! Pray, be strong and courageous… believe.

Happy New Year and God bless you!

Merlin

A Wallet from Heaven

October 9, 2019 Merlin Gonzales a Study on God's Dominion, KIOM

The day before Faith Hope and Love Community (FHL’s) annual fundraiser dinner was very busy.

As you may know, many details encompass the planning for such an event, but it was important to my team to hash out the details necessary to make the dinner a success. After accomplishing our plans for the day, my wife and I treated ourselves to a relaxing dinner. However, when it was time to pay, I discovered my wallet was missing!

A queasy feeling

Assuming I had left the wallet in one of our FHL trucks, we decided it would be best to just wait to retrieve it the next morning when we arrived for setup-the day’s events had left us very tired! The next morning, though, I was dismayed to discover that my wallet was nowhere to be found. This worried me greatly, but I was tasked with assisting with setting up the venue. Throughout the rest of the day, I searched the vehicles I had travelled in the day before inside and out, even searching through the venue several times thinking I had perhaps left it sitting somewhere. That lingering anxiousness stayed with me for the next few hours. Finally, my wife finally told me to forget about my wallet and concentrate. I decided she was right. The angel of the Lord would just have to deliver my wallet back to me.

The fundraiser proved to be an excellent distraction. It was an evening filled with powerful stories and life-changing testimonies, including stories of miracles.

When the guests were gone and everything put into its proper place, I started the drive back to my home around midnight. Suddenly, I remembered my wallet! Immediately, the feeling of anxiousness and dread came rushing back over me. The thought of my personal information being open to a stranger was interrupted by a “thump” on my windshield. For some reason I can’t explain, I thought that perhaps this could have been my wallet! After pondering this for several minutes, I decided to turn around, (thank God for round-abouts), and I drove back to where I heard the sound. My hope began to fade as my methodical search did not reveal my wallet. Besides, I couldn’t figure out how it would have suddenly shown up anyway. I got back into my car to go home, but I felt the Lord’s nudging to go back. Hesitantly, I turned around saying to myself that this would be the last time.

Choosing what to believe

I turned on my hazard lights and got out of my truck. After about 2-3 steps I saw on the side of the street what seemed like a piece of paper and not thinking anything else, picked it up. To my surprise, it was a copy of the FHL tax-exempt certificate! I had inserted it into my wallet to have ready to show to certain merchant who offered us an exemption to rent the tables we needed for the annual dinner.

A surge of energy radiated all over my body! It only took me a few minutes after that to find all my credit cards, pictures and my wallet! It was a moment when I knew that heaven invaded earth!

I called my wife immediately and as I proceeded home, I tried to remember how, when and where I lost my wallet to dispel the notion that indeed, an angel of the Lord had brought my wallet back to me.

Moments like this give me confidence that God uses such times to build our faith in Him. I believe He chose that moment to, ‘drop my wallet from Heaven,’ to give me assurance that He is intimately involved in my life.

Beyond life’s circumstances

Our God is a God of miracles that can go beyond space and time, and infinitely out of the bounds of our limited minds and experience (Ephesians 3:20). This experience reminded me that whatever happens in my life or my ministry, He is in control and I have nothing to worry or be anxious about. The same is also true for you, and your worries and cares. We can trust in the promises of God, no matter how absurd or illogical they may seem to be.

God is with us and He is good all the time.

Update: When my wife read the story, she had vision of an angel and the demon who stole my wallet fighting in the sky and the angel got my wallet back and threw it in my truck.

Living in synchronicity

March 22, 2018 Merlin Gonzales blog

“‘Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.‘” John 5:19

A Vision

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” was the focus of my meditation this morning.

A plethora of angels filled the sanctuary, hovering in the room. An angel placed a glistening golden crown on my head. As soon as it touched my head, a regeneration process started.

The glow from the golden crown slowly flowed from the top of my head down to my feet. Another team of angels came from the right side with glorious intense bright light in front of them. The glory moves as the angels move closer. The glory in front of the angels reached me.

Suddenly, I was consumed by the light and became one with the light. The light was so bright; all I could see was intense brilliance. I sensed the angels continued to move and the glory filled the entire sanctuary. Gradually, my eyes were transformed to see through the brilliance that filled the room. I saw multitudes of people receiving their golden crowns from legions of angels. They were all transformed as well. My vision became so vivid and saw everything surrounding me. Beautiful multi-colored flowers, tall trees that reach the blue sky above, mighty mountains and below me were liquid golden streets.

A new creature

The transformation that happened made me a new creature in Christ. The regeneration grace that flowed within me changed the wiring of my brain, my veins and arteries were cleaned as well as my stomach and intestines. My joints were lubricated and my skin was renewed. An overhaul of my soul, spirit and physical body revolutionized the way I experience my existence. Not only my eyesight had changed but my perception as well; my entire experience of the world shifted to another dimension. My internal processor was reconstructed and I became a new creature.

Dual reality

Somehow, I saw a glimpse when Jesus said that He only do what He sees the Father does and only say what He hears the Father says. Jesus lived in two different and opposing reality simultaneously. He acted on things based on what God is doing. Is this because He and the Father are one? The Scripture indicates that He is not the Father. Jesus had intimate relationship with God. His obedience made it impossible for Him to do anything separate from the Father. He was acquainted with the ways of the Father. He lived here on earth as the Father lives in heaven.

As new creature, would it be possible for us to concurrently live in two worlds, spiritual and physical? Could we exist in the heavenly and earthly dimension at the same time? Jesus said that we have the same Spirit who lived within Him. He also said in Ephesians 2:18 that we have access to the Father by one spirit. He also said in John 14:12 whoever believes in Him will do the works He had been doing and do even greater things because He is going to the Father.

Back to work

My experience that morning lingered throughout that day. On my way to my office, I had an exhilarating drive, smiling to everyone and noticed that my vision was much clearer – not so much about my eyesight but the perception of my surroundings. I felt light, content and joyful. At lunch my taste buds were more sensitive; the food was so incredibly delicious. I felt releasing love and receiving love from everyone in the office.

Could this be just my imagination or was the transformation that happened in the morning meditation was real? How can I be in perpetual awareness to my new self as a new creature and experience the dual reality at the same time? The opposing world – heaven and earth lived synchronized in the present.

Unexpected

October 10, 2015 Merlin Gonzales blog, KIOM

There many things in life that do not make sense.

The ministry that I founded, Faith Hope and Love Community celebrated it’s 11th “Mission Trip in Your Own Backyard” during the last full week of July through a week of community services with churches and ministries. Through food pantries, block party and other outreaches, hundreds of people were blessed.

A day after the week of missions, my wife and I were at a restaurant overlooking a lake to celebrate what God had done. Suddenly, we saw the dark heavy clouds moving in our direction. Just a few hours before this happened, my wife and I checked the forecast and there was no trace of rain for the day! The wind picked its speed and the waves got higher. Within a few minutes, we saw an incredible amount of rain poured like waterfall from the sky. It was amazing to see that kind of rain over the lake.

As we were mesmerized by the nature, we remembered that our office is in a flood zone and my 2 vehicles were parked near a creek. We rushed to our office while battling the downpour. By the time we reached our office complex, the parking lot looked like a rushing river. I saw both my vehicles in the flood path and decided to rescue them.

An unexpected downpour

I was able to start my truck and moved it to a higher ground. My van started but stalled after driving several feet. After letting it dry for a week, my friend and I changed the engine oil which was mixed with water. We tried several ways to start it but finally gave up. The van had high mileage and it has only third party insurance coverage which means that we lost a good running vehicle from a flood.

I asked God why He allowed it to happen, we just blessed hundreds of people and cannot afford to buy a replacement vehicle. We checked the forecast and we blessed the vehicles before this unfortunate incident happened! So many things ran through my mind. Maybe I should have just left it in the flood and let it dry later or I should have not left my vehicles in that parking lot! Maybe God will replace it and He is about to bless us with a nicer and newer vehicle.

It took me a few weeks to let it go and to stop asking why. I finally accepted that it happened and there’s nothing else I can do to bring back my van.

I was now looking forward to perform the marriage of one of our friends!

My wife had been busy for several months in the preparation of the wedding since she was the wedding planner. The bride and groom got us a nice hotel room for 2 nights so we could be close to the venue. Since the wedding started at 6pm, I had time to visit the town and to exercise at a gym. I stopped by Walmart to purchase weight lifting gloves.

I had a great time at the gym; I felt stronger and had more endurance. I went back to my hotel room, took a shower and had lunch at a fast food. Afterwards, I went back to the hotel and worked on my message for the wedding and reviewed the flow of the ceremony. I felt good!

It was now time to get dressed and go to the wedding venue. After putting on my clothes, I noticed that I was not wearing my wedding ring and my cross ring. I looked around the room and checked with the front desk! I called the gym and checked the room again but no one had seen my rings!

I was devastated to find out that I lost my rings – they represent my commitment to my wife and to the Lord! This loss was more than my van, not financially but emotionally! How could God allow this happen especially just before I officiate the wedding of my friends!

God gave me the grace to temporarily forget the lost rings during the wedding and the reception. It was a beautiful wedding and a magical night.

There are unexpected things and events that happen to us. Things that are good and things that are bad. We live in the tension between light and darkness, good and evil, choices and decisions. It is through those events that our faith is tested. Whether we think what’s happening to us is good or we perceive it as bad, our faith should be unwavering.

Think about Abraham, the father of faith. He left his home town to go to an unknown place. Joseph who had good intentions was sold as a slave by his own brothers and was put in a dungeon for doing what the right things. John the Baptist who proclaimed the coming of Jesus and was beheaded.

Hebrews 11:1-2, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ²This is what the ancients were commended for.“

Please be encouraged that no matter what your situation is, God is still Sovereign, He is in control and He is God! Unexpected things happen to all of us and we do not have the answers to all of them, however, God does NOT cause bad things to happen. He is for us, not against us. Perhaps He would give us answers to all the unanswered questions we had here on earth when we see Him in the fullness of time.

PS. I will be doing a Book Signing on Saturday, October 17th from 11am to 2pm at The Living Truth bookstore located at 17665 Cumberland Rd, Noblesville, IN 46060. If you are in town, please come and visit me; I’d like to meet you in person and sign my book for you.

PPS. Let me know if you are interested in participating to “Living in God’s Dominion Here on Earth” class based on my book, “The Kingdom In Our Midst“; I will keep you posted as the class develops.

God bless,

Merlin