To God Be the Glory: (Praise! Pray! Sing!)

By Virginia Deferia

Scripture says to . . . be filled with the Spirit, speaking to
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks
always for all things to God the Father in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ . . . (Eph. 5:18b-19).
The Lord has given Virginia a gift to write and sing prayers
and praises from her heart. The Lord is magnifi ed as she speaks
of her Savior, His Word, and how He is the only One who can
fi ll the empty cavities of our souls, as she so eloquently says in
one of her prayer-songs. She speaks of Jesus unceasing love for
her, and of her deep love for Him. She speaks of Jesus holding
her hand and never letting go, and her words are fi lled with
thanksgiving. I trust that her prayers and songs of the heart
will cause all who read or hear her beautiful words to look to
the Only One who can give us an eternal song the song of
salvation and life everlasting.
In Christ,
Kathleen Ruckman, writer and friend
Kathleen is the author of the following childrens books: The Tiny Book and The Big Book
(creation books); Gods Amazing Book (about the Bible); and What Will Heaven Be Like? (to
be released Jan. 2010)and other inspirational stories printed in collections and magazines.
The scribe has written and so as the Holy Spirit has dictated, the glory of the Lord is
celebrated within these pages. Readers of Virginias literary chronicles will dare to grow in
ways never before imagined. They will question; they will smile; they will pray; they will
exclaim; they will confi rm and most of all, they will soar!!! To GOD be the glory!
Minister Eleanor Dennis, The Church of the People, Harlem, New York
It is with joy to look forward to Virginias book on praises, prayers and songs. She has
an angels touch with words and a singing voice which comes from God. Her presence
among us is a blessing as she gives generously of her time, talent and her spirituality. The
concerts she has given at Sacred Heart to raise funds for ill parishioners have been such
an inspiration.
Pat Cashman, Sacristan, Sacred Heart Catholic Church

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 21, 2010
• ISBN: 9781456840952

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by Virginia Deferia.

ISBN:          Ebook                                      978-1-4568-4095-2

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This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

SHARING MY THOUGHTS WITH YOU

PRAISE TO YOU, MY LOVING GOD

PRAISES! PRAYERS! SONGS!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

BOOK COMMENTS

OUR COMMITMENT, OUR LIFE

CONCERT HELD IN HONOR OF WHITNEY LECKENBY

I BELIEVE

EXCERPT FROM MY HANDS IN HIS

KNOW THE AUTHOR

THANK YOU, LORD!

For Bing Girl, Toto and LoveLove

I THANK GOD FOR YOU!

Acknowledgments

My GOD, this is another book in Your name. Thank You for allowing me to have a part in it. Thank You, my LORD, for Your unceasing blessings! Thank You for Your love, grace, gentleness, patience, understanding and forgiveness. The gifts You gave I have shared. Thank You for allowing me to experience the joy and the challenges in life. Always, You have proven that You never leave regardless of the circumstances and I am truly grateful! There is not a situation in life that You can’t take care because in truth You do. I have learned to involve You in my life because without You, I am lost. I will remember that when things become unbearable I can always call on You. I exist because of You, my LORD!

Family members and friends have made the pages of this book gleam with hope and caring ways, my LORD. You brought us all together for the purpose of sharing Your love. Thank You for sending them my way.

missing image file Special thanks to Dick Ruckman who has been a partner in the Gleams of Hope ministry since 2002. His commitment to the ministry has been unceasing. His involvement has taken him as well to Florida, Guam, the Philippines and the state of Washington. His faith in You, LORD, has been a constant inspiration to me. I love our daily phone devotional readings and prayers for those in need.

missing image file Special thanks to Kathy Ruckman, author and personal friend. Kathy’s life matches her words. I thank her for sharing her love to all through the pages of her books that not only talk of Your pure and healing love but they bring awakening to a reader’s heart. Kathy has written several children books and inspirational stories in collections and magazines. Her new book for children called, What Will Heaven Be Like? is coming out in January 2010. Another new book called, Who is GOD? is going to be released later in 2010. How beautiful her thoughts and ways are with people!

missing image file Special thanks to Eleanor Dennis—my friend for more than 20 years. Eleanor is a teacher and a minister of the Church of People in Harlem, New York. I love our prayer meetings on the phone because You are always glorified and praised! Ms. E, as I refer to her endearingly, has dedicated her life to You, LORD. Her love for You is ever contagious! We need a lot like her on earth because of her love for others.

missing image file Special thanks to Pat Cashman. Pat’s service to You, my GOD, starts early in the morning every day as she faithfully fulfills her task as church sacristan of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. She is also a member of the church choir. It is beautiful to know that she uses her talents and gifts to bring You glory!

missing image file Special thanks to my brother, Bienvenido L. Deferia, Jr., my mentor and confidant; to my niece, Jonelyn Deferia, to my friends Julia Ojard and Michele Whinery for adding spice to the book with their kind words. Having them in my life is always a blessing.

missing image file Great appreciation to Michael Cabahug, Jade Navarro, Gwen Campanero, Myra Poblador, Claire Dupalco, Christene Lauro, Ned Cuevas, Vanessa Marzo, Rose Javelosa, Lea Descaya, and their teams for working with me on this book and the recently published "Heartbeats of Life" journal. They are the best in what they do! I believe with all my heart that You paved the way for us all to work together. Everything blends in so beautifully, my LORD!

missing image file My thanks to my family and friends for being supportive of what I do in sharing Your love with others. They have given and shared their time and effort for the ministry’s goal of spreading hope and love to those in need. Together we walk in Your name.

missing image file I thank all of those who have involved themselves in the Gleams of Hope Ministry by giving their love. The demands had been numerous but their support made those bearable. I am truly humbled by their kindness and caring ways!

missing image file Most special gratitude to my beloved parents, Bienvenido Deferia, Sr. and Rosalia L. Deferia, for showing and teaching us the importance of prayers at an early age. To see my father devote that special moment with You every day and hear my mother sing always bring me closer to You. Praise to You, LORD GOD Almighty! Glory to You forever and ever!

Introduction

To God Be the Glory! was written by someone close to my heart, one I consider my spiritual partner in my search to know God.

I have been with the Gleams of Hope ministry several years and have been involved as a guest speaker from time to time during several of the fundraising concerts. Being part of the team has been some of the most fulfilling moments of my Christian walk. I look forward to these events because it helps me to count on God for the message and in the process it helps me to develop my personal relationship with Him. Because it makes a difference in my life as well as the other team members, it most likely affects the lives of others.

The difference of being on the sidelines and being challenged in my Christian walk is time well spent in learning to know God. If I make most of my decisions slanted only for the benefit of myself, life becomes dull; but if I make decisions for the benefit of others, joy swells up inside until it hurts. A good tool to use to renew that daily walk is this devotional written by Virginia. Reading Christian literature, praising our Lord and talking to Him in prayer about everything, even my bones can tell it and doing so keeps a song in my heart. Why not have the blessings of being Christian? Do we really want to live with the alternative?

Virginia’s book, To God Be The Glory! started with the title, Praise! Pray! Sing! This book brings us a year’s worth of praises, prayers, and psalms (songs) from her heart that simply builds faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. When these words are read they are not only her prayers but that of the reader. I urge you to get a copy of this book, read the lines and phrases, open your heart, obey God on every prompt, swallow it hook line and sinker and lean not unto your own understanding.

We ask ourselves at times how we can be intimate with the Lord with our busy schedules. That miracle happens by committing to the reading of God’s Word, which can be said is truly the Manufacturer’s manual, and with a daily dose of vitamins from an inspirational devotional book like this one, we will build enough muscle to strengthen our intimate relationship with God.

Considering that nothing in eternity changes our placement in eternity—that all happens here in this life. We come into this life unprepared to deal with our sin condition which left alone, causes certain spiritual death. However, the Gospel which means the Good News and that is Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin by dying in our place and it is only by the redeeming power of the cross whereby Jesus made the last sacrifice for sin. Being sinless, He was the perfect sacrifice and being God He is the only one that could conquer sin and death. He was willing to do so because He loves you and me so much. Remember we are His most favorite creation. John 3:16 states that God so loved you and me that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Keep in mind that eternal life with God is completely different than eternal death with Satan. That is why the Bible explains that His name, Jesus Christ is the only name given among men whereby we can be saved. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord! He is the King of kings and Lord of lords! No religion, or by trying to follow rules and regulations, offer payment for sin, and because salvation is a free gift, meaning that there is no way to earn it. Man’s thinking is that so many good deeds will outweigh so many bad deeds, but that is simply not true. The bible tells us to accept Jesus’ payment for our sin and repent our sin and He will be faithful and just to forgive us. Therefore I do not want to be mistaken with man’s thinking and be unprepared concerning my eternal destination that is why I personally must know God. Remember history is His Story, and before He created the heavens and the earth He had me in mind right down to even my DNA. He is the only one who really knows me even down to the number of hairs I have on my head at any one time as well as how many people there will be on the earth before He comes again.

The greatest event that was ever documented in the ancient world is the birth of Christ and the second one was the Crucifixion. In short, the Old Testament prophesied the coming of Christ and the New Testament tells us that He came and that He will be coming again. It would be foolish as well as unfruitful to live our lives outside on knowing God.

To God be the Glory!

Psalm 103

Dick Ruckman, President

Superstructures, Inc.

Sharing my Thoughts With You

There are always those moments in life when GOD’s love truly intoxicates our being and when that happens we can’t help but feel the glowing warmth of faith within us. As believers, we know how our day should begin and how it should end. Our focus should always be on the LORD, JESUS CHRIST, our Savior. The flowing of His pure blood and death on the cross brought redemption to all lives. His sacrifice saved us from the abyss of nothingness. It is my hope that you, too, would take that needed pause in life and commune with the One Most High to get to know of His unconditional love for all. He is truly most deserving of our attention and respect. We should not only remember Him during times of need but also in moments of triumph and achievement.

To commune with the LORD in prayer is one healing and mending activity to have. Believing in Him revives our weakened soul.

The path to knowing GOD is not so easy because of the enemy’s barricades, but the more we do it, the more the process becomes a habit and stays with us. Soon it becomes of second nature and easily gets to the rescue when we are caught in a predicament.

We are in combat with our emotions because of life’s circumstances. Unhealthy emotions lead us to an open field where the enemy can penetrate our shield and cause us to get derailed from our faith. When our faith is weak our foes can easily dissuade us from our commitment to be righteous. I can attest to this since I have been caught there many times but I am thankful that the immediate will to bring to GOD my dilemma and ask for forgiveness comes in so naturally. This, I believe, is the one that saves me from the permanent clutches of the enemy whose continual aim is to bring discouragement to my life that I may lose sight of my Savior’s love and eventually be alienated from Him.

Some situations are undeniably difficult to maneuver away from and this is where prayers can make the difference. It takes strength, trust and faith to let go and let GOD. We just need to accept the truth that we are limited in our capacity to solve life’s problems or conquer challenges. The only way to release them is by offering everything at JESUS’ feet, surrendering every aspect of our lives to Him without any hesitation.

Many decisions have to be made in our lives. We are at times prone to think that we have the solution to get us out of any barricades, but we know better. We know that without the guidance of GOD’s HOLY SPIRIT, a person’s life is without direction, is meaningless and miserable. This is why it is so important for me to keep reminding my children to pray to GOD each day to give thanks and offer to the LORD everything. It is, in fact, one of my unceasing habits. As a mother, I remind them of GOD’s grace and of His love. Most of all, I want their days to be guided accordingly.

Solving predicaments our way is not going to bring us anywhere. Yet, if we take that moment to pause and pray to GOD, and in faith, offer to Him our problems and needs, we know that He will guide us through. However, we need to understand GOD’s ways and learn that waiting on Him benefits us. We need to remind ourselves that our thoughts are not His thoughts and our ways are not His ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9) When we believe, we can rely on GOD’s help to come. We can safely say that we will have release from constricting situations when we let go and let GOD. Indeed prayers in faith have proven to bring comfort to the sufferers.

GOD is always waiting to hear from us. Left alone with Him in silence, having opened our hearts and minds to Him without any reservation and asking Him forgiveness for our shortcomings, we will experience that transformation. When that comes then peace enters in. If we want that peace to last, then we have to obey GOD’s statutes faithfully. Following His way is surrendering to Him everything that we are.

I hope that in reading these praises, prayers and songs that you will, on your own, embark on the routine of running to His arms when things are difficult and even when joy is overflowing. GOD is always waiting for us to talk to Him. It only takes a moment to call on Him, and when you take that first step of trusting Him, you have just grasped freedom! It is that kind of freedom that spells His truth, love, mercy, kindness and grace!

GOD’s love is addicting once you have tasted it! Personally, I have considered this addiction very good for my soul and honestly, I hunger for it even more. And you know the great thing is that I received it at no cost and its worth—priceless!

There is a year’s entry of praises, prayers and songs in this book. Each prayer has a scripture referred to (e.g. John 3:16). John 3:16 brings us to the New Testament in the Bible, Book of John, chapter 3, verse number 16. This particular scripture reads: For GOD so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but will have everlasting life. This is one of my favorite scriptures as it reminds me of GOD’s unconditional love, and if I follow Him, I can count on having eternal life.

I have added two blank pages at the end of each month’s entry for your own thoughts, prayers, praises and/or songs to the LORD!

GOD listens to us in our supplications and prayers. He talks to us when we read the Bible. How beautiful to take that opportunity to know Him; hear Him; and to believe that He is LORD and GOD of all!

In JESUS’ Unceasing Love,

Virginia Deferia

Gleams of Hope Ministry

Praise To You, My Loving God

How kind of You to share with me

the beauty of heaven on earth

You lavish me with love and care

In everything, You have me blessed

I believe in You!

And in You, my trust abides

Praise to You, my Loving Father

Thank You for the guiding light

The peace You bring each day

The calmness of the night

and all Your soothing ways

continue to enrich my life

You mended my broken heart

You strengthened my weak soul

I am no longer hungry; with You I’m always full

Praise to You, my ever-loving LORD

For having brought me friends

Those who talk about Your greatness

And those who’re still in pain

I pray for continued strength so I can spread Your word

You are the King, the Almighty

You are the Beginning and the End

The Answer to every seeking mind

The Healer of the Sick and the Afflicted

The Hope for Humankind.

(Excerpt from My Hands in His)

January

Humble me, my LORD!

Make me see the iniquity and pride

barring my way to being free!

I tasted life, the one You gave.

I understand why You came,

my LORD,

and that I do believe!

January 1

Your Love, my LORD!

Romans 12:1-2

My LORD, it’s the first of the year and I am looking forward to face the new dawn! I bring You the plans and goals to be accomplished in Your name. Only by Your grace will the fulfillment of these be.

Today I offer myself for Your cleansing. Cleanse me, LORD, of every clinging impediment hindering my walk with You. You have the right to change everything in me however You like for You have created me and breathed into me Your own breath. I pray to learn and render more humility, understanding, mercy, perseverance, forgiveness, acceptance, kindness, patience in my relationship with others and most especially in my obeying You. Forgiveness is what I ask for those faltering moments in my walk with You, my GOD! I ask forgiveness for those steps I took that did not correspond to what was expected of me as Your redeemed child. Please remind me always to care for others as You have commanded. Enrich my capacity to love and accept people along the way. You taught me never to regard anyone differently. You taught me to continue on loving and enfolding people in my heart as You do! How I learn from Your ways! How can I ever thank You, my LORD? This very day, I also offer to You my children’s tomorrows that they will be tangible, safe and secure. I bring You as well the needs of family and friends and pray that they relish Your blessings in life and that they find peace and joy. All the days of my life belong to You, my LORD. And today of all days, being the first day of this year, marks another step to becoming more mature in my faith. Thank You, LORD!

January 2

Unchanging Love

1 John 2:5

Almighty God, a gargantuan task looms over us as we take the responsibility to spread Your love to all. The Spirit of Christian love has inspired us in our commitment to care for the oppressed, the needy and the poor people.

Our very own needs we put aside, as You have commanded, that we may serve others faithfully. Day by day, we see the results of what we have gotten involved with. They have emblazoned our souls in our commitment to keep spreading the essence of this hope and love.

On bended knees we give You thanks for making these happen. There are more corners to tap on, Dear Lord! There are too many hands waiting to be held, more bodies to be shielded from the havocs of war and different ideologies, many more hearts to be tamed and comforted, many more tears to be allowed to flow and wipe, many more searching minds to fill with Your truth. We are committed to do these tasks, Lord. What was once a flickering sentiment within, has now become a strong flame within our hearts. It is so healing to witness both believers and non-believers finding their way back to You, united in their goal of building a wholesome nation together.

Empower us to always be courageous for there are oppressions around us. Please