Conversations with Ray Martinez

Wisdom comes from interaction, often critical, with a good friend. This is a deep rooted comment and it’s about having that difficult conversation. The World’s way is: Man-up, tough love, confrontation. God’s way is: Through grace, love, truth, hope, and faith all woven together that emanates from the heart into a meaningful conversation.  In today's podcast, we will go over the 10 commandmen...

Relationships are a gift from God, but they are also complicated to navigate. They can be uplifting and encouraging when they go right, yet confusing and hurtful when they go wrong. If you are struggling in a relationship, Bible verses about relationships offer guidance for how to proceed. We will look at several different verses that apply to various types of relationships. As we study and medita...

Everyone is ultimately accountable to God. He is the Creator of all things.  We will learn the difference between responsibility (last weeks study) and accountability today. As leaders, you are held accountable for those you lead. These people are looking to you for guidance, like little children. We have a responsibility to lead and to lead well. We can’t take our leadership lightly, Otherwi...

The Bible teaches the concept of personal responsibility: “The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child."  I like verse 4 of our reading. In some respects it’s kind of like saying “mind your own business” or, “it’s none of your business about the faults of others, you have plenty of your own to wor...

When we pause, we suddenly realize that we have a lot of meetings in our life.  It's the key way of getting things done and organized.  The Christian life is not meant to live isolated, but live in fellowship with other believers. For this reason, Hebrews 10:24–25 tells us to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together... Regul...

In today's podcast, we will learn how Jesus comforts his disciples because they are worried about the future. He knows what bothers us and he knows that our emotions tend to run interference with reality or sensibility. After all, he gave us our emotions, but he also gave us the ability to comfort one another. Jesus also promised to send us the Comforter (the Holy Spirit).  When Jesus tells h...

Mary Jane, my sister, had a heart of gold.  She left us to be with the Lord. Nevertheless, she didn't leave without a legacy to remember her by.  I've share some personal stories about her life of struggles and success and how she impressed others because of her love for the Lord and her family. When she entered heaven, I'm certain that God said, "well done my good and faithful servant."...

Hallelujah means, Praise ye Jehovah, Praise God, praise the Lord... The difference between Hallelujah and Alleluia is that the Hallelujah is used for joyful praise of the Lord, whereas, Alleluia is used for traditional chants in the name of the Lord. The term Alleluia is a Latin word that has been derived from the Greek transliteration of hallelujah. Did you know that that word "Hallelujah" is the...

Martin Luther King repeated the phrase ‘we shall overcome’ over and over again. He was echoing the words of folksinger Joan Baez. Life involves many struggles, trials, tests, temptations, difficulties and battles. Yet, in Christ you can be an overcomer. To overcome means to conquer, prevail…to carry off the victory, according to Strong’s and Thayer’s definition. When you come to the point of being...

God started the process; when he loved us he enabled us to respond to him in love and to extend that love to other Christians. Assuming we love God, let’s do think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love, and good works?  For example: Maybe it’s the love of working for the church pro-bono (greeters, singing, teaching, caring for the sick, mentoring others, providing charitable hospita...

What does it mean to rededicate your life to Christ? What does the Bible say about consecration? Rededicating your life to Christ" is a popular concept in modern Christian culture. It's a decision made by a Christian who has fallen away from the practices of Christianity to turn back to Christ and strive to follow Him more completely. Habitual sin is not a problem solved by rededicating. It's a de...

The Bible makes it clear that everyone receives the Holy Spirit the moment he or she believes in Jesus Christ. One of the primary purposes of the Holy Spirit coming into a Christian's life is to change that life. It is the Holy Spirit's job to conform us to the image of Christ, making us more like Him. The Christian life is a battle of the sinful flesh against the new nature given by Christ. It is...

People often ask the question, where is God?  God has revealed Himself to us through His Word, the Bible. Throughout Scripture, the existence of God is treated as a self-evident fact. When Benjamin Franklin wrote his autobiography, he didn’t waste time trying to prove his own existence. Likewise, God does not spend much time proving His existence in His book. Jesus is also with us here, in th...

“In every life we have some trouble…when you worry you make it double. Cause when you worry your face will frown, and that will bring everybody down. Don’t worry, it will soon pass, whatever it is.” Don’t worry, be happy”…this song was recorded by Bobby McFerrin in 1988, and on Sept 24 that year, the song became the first “a cappella” song to reach #1 on the Billboard Top 100 chart..The Christian...

Can you list the ways you use the Word of God? First of all, why do we need the Word of God? The word need holds many different meanings. To say, “I need my coffee in the morning, or I won’t be able to function” is a popular thing to say, but not really true. To say, “I need oxygen to breathe, or my heart will stop beating” is a factually true statement. The Word of God is living and active in our...

We often wonder if our anger is sinful or not.  In last weeks study we talked about anger not being sin.  Our motive is important and how we manage our anger.  In the anger of Jesus, he had the proper motivation. In other words, He was angry for the right reasons. Jesus’ anger did not arise from petty arguments or personal slights against Him. There was no selfishness involved. His...

What are the biggest problems facing veterans returning home from conflict? The majority readjust to life off the battlefield with few difficulties. But a significant number—44% who’ve served in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to one survey—say they’ve had problems readjusting after their return. What about problems apart from health-related issues? In addition to health problems, some returning s...

Here is a phrase I like to keep in mind:  Anger is just one letter short of Danger.  Handling anger is an important life skill. Christian counselors report that 50 percent of people who come in for counseling have problems dealing with anger. Anger can shatter communication and tear apart relationships, and it ruins both the joy and health of many. Everyone struggles, to varying degrees,...

We can all certainly identify with the need for guidance. In fact, Jesus addressed this very need during His Upper Room Discourse. He said that after His departure the Holy Spirit would play a crucial role in the lives of believers. As part of that role, Jesus promised, “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth”.  The difference between magnetic north and true...

What does it mean to let the peace of Christ rule in YOUR hearts.  I think it’s interesting when the scripture is talking directly to me, personally, when IT says YOU or YOUR heart. When I see the word you or your, it’s a personal direct communication specifically for me. Today the Scriptures are talking about peace directly at me or you--it’s not speaking about them or they, or those people....

Have you ever caught yourself giving someone a tongue lashing, or have you been on the receiving end of a yeller?  James has some poignant suggestions for us today. We see this every day amongst strangers, friends, siblings, and, worst of all, among husbands and wives, the very people who, next to their love for the Lord Jesus, should have the most love for each other. What can we do to tame...

In our passage today, there is so much to unpack with this message. Faith without works or action is even a bigger message. However, the one thing is for sure that we will focus on today is sharing, giving, a good deed, benevolence and helping others. This isn’t about sharing what others have, but sharing what I have. Do I have plenty?  If so, then shouldn’t I share what I have. It’s easy for...

Fear in and of itself is not sin. Fear is a normal response to threat. Like pain, it is a gift of God intended to keep us safe. Feeling guilty for feeling fear in a situation of threat is like feeling guilty for feeling hungry when you haven't eaten. It's something your body does, not your will. The challenge is to respond appropriately.  We will understand today how to take a stand in the lo...

King Hezikiah has a big problem.  He is faced with war with the King of Assyria, which he knows is not winnable by his own army.  The King of Assyria sends threatening messengers and later on an insulting letter with threats, insulting God.  In today's story, we will learn how King Hezikiah reacts.  He isn't afraid to lay his problem before the Lord.  He took the threateni...

Today's study is about the healing of a deaf man with a speech impediment.  How does Jesus manage the situation and what does he want from us?  While touching the man’s tongue, Jesus looks up, and he sighs, saying “be opened!” Jesus cares enough about us to die.  He wants to hear our voice. Jesus wants to have that conversation. I think Jesus sighs, when we don’t turn to Him. And I...