By Josie Garcia

I just wanted to share an encouraging thought from my devotional time this morning…

At one of the sessions from our last women of legacy gathering Monique and I shared a message about drawing close to the vine, the vine being God and its branches and fruit being all of us. I am reminded that if you continue to surround yourself with people who encourage and speak life into you, and always come back to the vine God will continue to bless you and keep you centered. As we come down from the mountain from our woman’s retreat reeling and over flowing with God’s presence and blessings – back to our regular lives, it is easy to lose track of God and get distracted by the world, and well, life in general. Busyness and obstacles get in our way of drawing close to God.

My prayer for myself and for all of you this morning is that when the world tries to pull you in, that you will firmly plant your feet on God’s promises and PUSH BACK.  Don’t waiver; come back to the vine and draw energy from God and stay connected. Surround yourself with positivity and ask God to strengthen you… When you encounter road blocks that try to stop you from drawing near to God, my prayer is that you will be able to draw strength and encouragement from the other members of church and you will overcome. Stay close to the healthy purple grapes…it will help you to stay connected as well. Steer clear of the rotting grapes that may cause you to begin to wither!!

Psalms 46:5 ESV
“God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.”

I encourage you to draw and stay close to the vine…

What does staying close to the vine look like for you?