From Darkness to Light: A Journey to Jesus, with Sylvia Puentes

Join me as Sylvia Puentes shares her powerful story of transformation, from losing her father at a young age and seeking answers in the occult, to encountering Jesus in a profound way.

Hear how she went from being a skeptic to a passionate follower of Christ, and how her life was forever changed. Sylvia's journey is a testament to the power of redemption, faith, and the love of God.

Don't miss this inspiring testimony of how God can bring light into even the darkest of places, and how He can transform life in incredible ways. Tune in to hear Sylvia's story and be encouraged in your own journey with Jesus.

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Link to connect with Sylvia Puentes:

Sylvia Puentes Website

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Transcript

Israel Caminero: 0:15

Welcome to Living Testimony, Stories of Faith and Redemption. I'm your host, Israel Caminero, and I hope everyone that's listening is blessed and doing well. With me today, I have my guest. Her name is Sylvia Puentes. And Sylvia is here to share her testimony. And as always, she has an incredible testimony, just like all my other guests. Sylvia, can you introduce yourself to everyone and tell them a little bit about yourself?

Sylvia Puentes: 0:41

Yes, absolutely. Hi, Israel. Thank you for having me on. So my name is Sylvia Puentes. I am a nurse entrepreneur. I am a minister, a podcast host. I'm also a uh Christian life coach. And I'm a mom of two amazing, amazing young men and young lady. And nine years ago, I had a radical encounter with Jesus that transformed my life completely.

Israel Caminero: 1:15

That's what you're here to hear is her story, and wait till you hear her story. I've heard it before and she has a great testimony. But before we get started, Sylvia, I'm going to pray over us. And I like to say, dear God, I lift up Sylvia to you as she prepares to share her story and insights on my podcast. I ask that you give her peace and that you guide her words or clarity, confidence, and joy for experiences and perspectives. And your love and great time to her conversation be a sort of encouragement and break up to a whole spirit. May be a testament to your power and goodness. With the activity to create a state and supportive space or thoughts. Help me to listen well and to ask questions that bring out the best of her story. May our conversation be guided by your spirit and may it bring glory to you. May we both be aware of your presence and guidance throughout our time together. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Sylvia Puentes: 2:22

Amen.

Israel Caminero: 2:23

So Sylvia, you weren't always everything that you just said. And if you can go back in time and let the listeners know how you were before you met God, that would be great.

Sylvia Puentes: 2:34

Yeah, absolutely. I did not grow up in a Christian home. Of course, I'd I had heard about God, but he was distant in my in my perspective. I remember at six years old, my grandmother was a woman of incredible faith, that kind of faith that moves mountains. I was six years old when she taught me the Lord's Prayer. I remember her telling me to always seek God in my life. And I nodded and I said, okay, but I didn't actually follow that advice. And I went down the path of my belief system became everything occult and new weight. Everything from Kabbalah to yogi, tarot card, crystals, white magic, black magic, all of that was my belief system. And again, God was a faraway God, not really present or interested in being in people's lives and circumstances. When I think back, I realized that the enemy had spoken a lie into me when I was very little. Because my father was murdered when I was a year old. And every yeah, and it was actually a month after my first birthday, Mother's Day, he went out to buy a bottle of wine and he never returned. There was a um there was a robbery at the at the liquor store, and he was there and he was caught up in it. So he was murdered in that robbery. And the consistent thought that I had was if God was real and if I mattered to him, then why did he take my dad? And I mourned the loss of my father every single day of my life, from the time I was a child until the moment that I had my encounter. And there was no rhyme or reason, you know, it was just Monday, Wednesday, Friday, I was thinking about the absence of my father in my life. And obviously, those critical events in our lives, like um, you know, my dance recitals at school, or um the day I graduated high school, or the day I got married was, you know, a big um deal. My dad was not there.

Israel Caminero: 5:05

Right.

Sylvia Puentes: 5:05

The day uh, you know, my children were born, you know, and through and just growing up, you know, do I look like him? Do I have his mannerisms? You know, what what could this event have been like if he had been present? So I was in a constant state of grief throughout my life. Then 2015, my life uh suddenly took an unexpected turn, and I came to the end of myself, and I did what I had not done, which was call out to God. But I didn't call out to him, you know, uh just I didn't get on my knees and I and say, Hey, you know, I really need you. Can you please show up? I challenged him to show up because I was convinced that he didn't care about me and that he created, yeah, he created me just to have someone to punish. So I called out to him. I remember it was October 31st, it was on Halloween 2015, and I put my fists up and I said, Hey, if you're real, now would be a good time for you to show up because where have you been? And I said, I'm giving you one opportunity to show up in my life. I felt that I had experienced a series of things in life that were not good that caused a lot of pain, and he he wasn't there to help me. For example, you know, I had miscarriages and I'd gotten divorced, and being a single mom and all of these things were really hard. And you know, so where are you? Do I not matter to you?

Israel Caminero: 6:40

Right.

Sylvia Puentes: 6:41

What happened? I started a hunger inside of me is real. Like I it was this desperation to know him, to be in his presence. I started only listening to worship music. I I it was like I went into a cocoon with him without realizing that I was already in that cocoon with him. And I would say to him, please, if you're real, I need to know you. You have to show up. I have to see you and know that you're real, so that I never again doubt that you exist and you have to help me. And I would say to him, I can't put myself back together this time. And the other prayer that I would pray equally, and if I'm being honest, probably the prayer that I was hoping he would answer was, if you're real, please take my life, because I don't want to be here anymore. Um, and and I'd say to him, I don't want to do it because I don't want my children to ever think that they weren't enough for me to want to live, to find purpose in living. But I can't do life anymore. So let them blame you. You can take my life. And this went on for months. And I started going to church for the first time, and I was so surprised to see people generally ask you, Hey, can I pray for you? You know, are you okay? Or like there was this realness about the hearts, you know, and it was very very awkward for me. I uh I was one that would never really share my you know my personal stuff with anyone. So that was a new thing, but I realized that he was just starting to surround me with his love.

Israel Caminero: 8:33

So I have a question.

Sylvia Puentes: 8:35

Yeah.

Israel Caminero: 8:35

So when you challenged God, you said you were doing all this witchcraft, you were in the occult. Why did you challenge? Was it just because of your father, or you know, and the and the miscarriages and everything like that, or was there a specific reason that you challenged him that night and said, if you're real, I need you to show up?

Sylvia Puentes: 8:57

So I was in a relationship that abruptly ended, and I had put a lot of love and time and effort, and he left while I was at work. So it wasn't that one thing, it was like a culmination of events throughout my life that just made me feel like I had unraveled, I came to the end of myself. And so I I challenged him, like, you know what? If you're real, I need you to show up and show me that you're real and that I matter to you. See, Israel, I when I was six years old, I had this grandma who witnessed to me, and and I saw her live out the goodness of God in her life. I saw her personal relationship with him. I saw that she would pray, and it was like her prayers were just mountain moving, as I said. And she she loved the Lord, you know, and she would always talk about how what a good father God was and how good Jesus is, and and I just, you know, I I saw that. I I saw I saw the the love in her heart, the joy in her heart in her life as a result. So I I you know, I'm like, okay, I've seen that. I my oldest brother, he witnessed to me for 16 years, and I just I didn't want to hear what he had to say. Um, again, you know, in my mind, God wasn't good. But you know what? As I watched my brother live out his relationship with the Lord, I saw his life being transformed, I saw how it affected his marriage, I saw how it affected his children, I saw how it affected his business. Every area of his life was producing fruit. Even though I I wasn't accepting it, you know, for me, I couldn't deny that there was something different about these people who talked to me about the Lord.

Israel Caminero: 10:55

Gotcha. Was this happening while you were while you were while you were not living your faith life and doing all that occult stuff and things like that? Like what drew you to the occult besides obviously your dad getting taken away in a young age? What drew you to it and what do you think you were seeking in that space?

Sylvia Puentes: 11:16

I always felt like there was something deeper, right? Like there was something greater than than what we see with our natural eyes. And I had these abilities, let's say, like I I could look at somebody and know things about them. And and I could I could see in the spirit from when I was a child. Now, what the enemy does when you're not in the environment, right, that the God environment, he can use the gifts that God has given you, and he can try to twist them to his benefit. So people would say you're psychic when in truly I I wasn't psychic, I was, you know, um I was discerning this is a gift that God gave me, and the enemy used it for, you know, to to corrupt the gift that God had given me. And you know, the truth is that this is accepted wherever you go in New York City. You walk down the sidewalk, and every other place you have like five dollar palm reading, and so this was just very accepted, and that's what I knew about the supernatural, you know, that kind of like the palm reading and the crystals and all of that, because again, the word of God was not being shared in my home.

Israel Caminero: 12:40

Right. Yeah, you you you shared that earlier that you didn't grow up in a Christian home. So that day that you challenged God and then you ended up going to church, what happened after that?

Sylvia Puentes: 12:52

After that, one night I'm I'm woken up in my bedroom. It's four o'clock in the morning, and um, and it was as if someone came up and just opened my eyes. My eyes were opened. I was speaking in a language that I didn't know, and there was a power in my room that it felt as if the walls were going to burst. And the first thought I had was God has gotten so tired of me speaking to him the way that I have spoken to him throughout the years that he sent Satan to kill me. And when I share my testimony, Israel, I always stop there because I say to people, how distorted does Satan have my mind that I would actually think that God would partner up with Satan and send him to kill me. I didn't know God at all. That tells you I didn't know him at all. I didn't know his nature because to have a thought like that, and that is what Satan does. He comes after our hearts and he comes after our minds. That's how he keeps us in bondage away from God. I started thinking, you know, whatever, you know, whatever you're gonna do, please don't, please don't make it horrific. My children are gonna be the ones who find me, please don't make it horrific. And suddenly this voice from outside, not within me, said to me, How oh no, you have nothing to fear. I am here. And when that voice said that, all fear that I had immediately went away, and I was overwhelmed with this, like a warm blanket of love was put over me, and I responded back, Abba is this you. I had no idea that Abba was the Aramaic term for father, and I just say I didn't know, but my spirit in you, and my spirit recognized that I was talking to Abba Father.

Israel Caminero: 15:13

Wow.

Sylvia Puentes: 15:13

And he said to me, How could you think I don't love you? And how could you think I don't see you when I know every prayer you've prayed and every tear you've cried? And when he said that, this projection opened up in front of me, and it was me different days, because I'm you know, like different moments, on the floor crying. Please, God, if you're real, I need to know you. Please fix me. I can't fix myself this time. Please, if you're real, just take my life. And so it was those two prayers that I was consistently praying, and it was me on the floor, just puddles of tears. And then he showed me this fire hydrant, and the fire hydrant was open and water was gushing from the fire hydrant. And he said to me, just as water gushes from that fire hydrant, rivers of living water is gushing from you. He started answering. He showed me like this. Um, back in the day in the library, there was like a uh a little file cabinet with index cards telling you like where to find the book, or you know what? So it yeah, it was just like that, and it was one index card after another. And Israel, these were questions that I had for him from when I was a little girl. I remember saying, and I hadn't remembered until that very moment that he showed me me saying, if God is real, when I need him, I'm going to ask him this, I'm going to ask him that. And he was just answering all these questions, one right after the other, right after the other. He shows me moments in my life where I had not called out to him, but he was there. You know, my my pregnancy with my daughter was a difficult pregnancy. I miscarried her twin, and you know, I was always I was at risk for losing her. And then when the when the risk kind of went down because now she could survive outside the womb, they found a cyst in her brain and they told me she um would probably be born with Down syndrome, and and he just showed me how he was there throughout every moment of that pregnancy. He then took me out of my body, and this is when I saw Jesus. There aren't words that I could use to describe how in awe I was when I saw him because it's an overwhelming feeling of love. And now I always say, you know, like as parents, we love our children so much, you know. Like I my children are older now, they're young adults, but when I see them, it feels like my heart's gonna burst out of my chest.

Israel Caminero: 18:01

Right.

Sylvia Puentes: 18:02

This level of love, Israel, that I was consumed by in his presence, trump that a hundred times, you know, like it was overwhelming. He had my children in the palm of his hand, and he said to me, I am so proud of you for how you have cared for the children that I have entrusted onto you. So that said two things to me. One was these children are children that have been entrusted onto us by him, right? And the right, and the other was I had never shared with anyone that I felt that I was a failure as a mom because I didn't always say the right thing, I didn't always have the right reaction, and their dad and I got divorced, and there was a lot of guilt over that, and I really thought I had failed my children, but I never shared that with anyone. And for him to call that out, and what he revealed to me was what is what does he say that he is the truth, right? And so a lie cannot stand in the presence of the truth, and he immediately tore the lie down and he spoke his truth. Um yeah, what an experience to have. Yeah, it's I tell you, it's he then took me in front of my mom, and all of this was in the spirit, but I was with him, you know, and and he he said to me, You must forgive. And I said to him, Oh, that's a tall order, Lord. And I was ready to present to him my case, why I had the right to hold offense. And he looked at me and he said, I'm not asking, I'm telling you, you must forgive. Because unforgiveness will keep you in bondage, daughter. And I Have so much more for you than that. And when he looked at me, it was as if his eyes drew me in, and there was that blanket, that ocean of love that I was saying. I was drawn into the to him, and I could suddenly feel his love and his compassion for my mother. I said to him, Well, you're gonna have to help me forgive. And you know what, Israel, he did. He did. He, you know, it says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And and he did. And then he took me before a friend of mine who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Now, she was not a believer. Again, she had an abstract knowledge of God, not a personal relationship at all. She was saging herself, saging her home, you know, practicing yoga, doing all these other new age practices, even occult practices for healing. Never once turning to Jesus for healing. And we were standing in front of her. He put his right hand out, and out of his hand came this white ball. And this ball, it was like there was power in this ball. And he put his hand to her chest, and the light just went through in her entire body. And he said to me, Tell her she is healed. What that revealed to me was that he is faithful because that is his nature, has nothing to do with us. She didn't she wasn't a believer, she didn't believe in him, she wasn't praying to him, she wasn't asking him to heal her.

Israel Caminero: 21:53

Right.

Sylvia Puentes: 21:53

But he healed her. He healed her because he is the healer. That is who that's his nature.

Israel Caminero: 22:00

That's true.

Sylvia Puentes: 22:00

And you know, Israel, my friend, went for her checkup to the oncologist. And since then, and that was nine years ago, no cancer cells have ever been found in her body.

Israel Caminero: 22:13

Praise God.

Sylvia Puentes: 22:14

Nor will they. Yeah. Towards the end of that encounter, I said to him, Well, wait, if you're so good though, why did you take my dad? And that was the million-dollar question, right? He said to me, Nothing bad comes from me. Nothing bad comes from above. He allowed me to see my heart, and there was this wound in my heart that was not healing. You know, I don't know if you you've ever seen like a wound that's just not healing, it's infectious, and you know, pus is coming out. It was a wound like that in my heart. I suddenly felt this warm liquid come from the top of my head all the way down until it reached that wound in my heart. And when that warm, heavy liquid reached the wound in my heart, the wound disappeared. At this moment, Israel, it was like the veil was removed or the scales were falling from my eyes. And I had the realization, it became real in my heart that I was not fatherless. I had never been fatherless. I had a father the entire time. And he was my father.

Israel Caminero: 23:29

That's right. Yeah. That's right. Wow, that's that's a lot of people wish they had encounters like that. And I had an encounter with God before, but it was it was something like that. But I won't get into that because it's your story.

Sylvia Puentes: 24:10

Yeah, it was my mom is a very strong, strong character lady. And a lot of times growing up, it was just do as I say. And you know, so there was a lot of differences and and upset there uh over the years.

Israel Caminero: 24:29

Gotcha.

Sylvia Puentes: 24:29

Um at that moment when I had my encounter, I was upset with her for one of for another one of those moments where we just didn't see eye to eye. And he just revealed his heart for her to me.

Israel Caminero: 24:43

Gotcha.

Sylvia Puentes: 24:44

You know, just talk to me about forgiveness. Like it's not an option. This is something that we must do. It doesn't mean that the offense that was done against us is okay, you know. It doesn't mean that our feelings aren't valid, it just means you cannot stay in unforgiveness because it clogs your spiritual arteries and it really hinders the flow of God's love in your heart and through your heart.

Israel Caminero: 25:13

That's so true. Strong-willed mom is what you're trying to say. Yeah, yeah. I can relate. Yeah. Was that the night that you it radically changed everything for you as far as the encounter with God? That you were like straight and narrow from that point on with uh with your life?

Sylvia Puentes: 25:33

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Israel Caminero: 25:35

Okay.

Sylvia Puentes: 25:36

I ne I I never looked back after that. I mean, my the the change started happening in in that time that I was, you know, going to him. I need to know you, I need to know you. And I really believe that that was a hunger that he put inside of me because he had been pursuing me for some time.

Israel Caminero: 25:56

He was he was calling you, he was calling you.

Sylvia Puentes: 25:59

Yeah, he was right. You cannot, you cannot have an encounter with God. You cannot have an encounter where where you are in you feel the Holy Spirit, you see Jesus and not be not be changed, you know, like it can't happen.

Israel Caminero: 26:19

Right.

Sylvia Puentes: 26:19

And whether the the encounter looks like the one I had, or however that encounter is, because as I said, you know, he says he is the way, the truth, and the life. And you when you have an encounter with the truth, the lies have to bow, they are dismantled. You can't remain the same. You you can't remain the same. And like I like whatever the encounter looks like, it doesn't have to be like mine. I think he came to me that way because when I was, you know, I had seen things when I was practicing in the occult. And so he knew that, and I kept saying to him, you have to be bigger than what I've seen. So he he was merciful, right? Because he doesn't have to do what I say, right? But he was he was merciful in in saying, okay, daughter, I'm gonna meet you where you are, because that's what he does. He meets us where we are.

Israel Caminero: 27:18

That's true. And like you said, everyone's encounter is different. And there's not yeah, sure, there's not one encounter that's the same. It's his timing when he shows up, not ours always. It's always his timing. But sometimes he waits for people to just submit to him before he shows up too. And maybe you were at that point where he knew it like it's time, you know.

Sylvia Puentes: 27:41

Well, you know, he he said that to me a few years after the encounter. He said to me, you know, it wasn't about that relationship ending, it was about you coming to the end of yourself where you realized you needed the savior.

Israel Caminero: 27:59

That's good. So how do you think your past experiences in the occult, since you have that experience, how does that keep you informed of understanding of spiritual warfare and the importance of discipleship in this day and age?

Sylvia Puentes: 28:15

So when I was involved in the occult, I didn't know I was serving the devil. Even though I saw things that were questionable, let's say, I didn't realize that I was serving the devil. I I I it just I didn't think of about that. And so what I can tell you and what I tell people is he's the father of lies. Yeah, and the fur the first lie that he wants us to believe is that he's not even real, because if we're ignorant to him, then we think that the warfare is all our stuff.

Israel Caminero: 28:49

That's good.

Sylvia Puentes: 28:50

You know, I mean the Bible says it, my people perish for a lack of knowledge, and so if you you don't know that you have an enemy, you're not gonna fight your enemy, right? So this is why getting saved or leading someone to the Lord is so important, it's got eternal value, but discipleship, then pouring in to that person and showing them, helping them see and understand what the word says, who God says that they are, what happened at the exchange at the cross, because it was more, and please hear my heart, it was more than just salvation, it was to give us back the keys, to give us back all the authority that the enemy had taken from Adam and Eve. Discipleship is so important so that they come to know that we come to know. I recently said this, I said this to my son, Israel, in in speaking to him about his identity in Christ, because you have authority in that identity. A high price was paid, right? A high price was paid. Jesus shed his blood for this. So I said to my son, let's say I die and I leave a will. You choose not to go to the reading of the will. So you have no idea the inheritance I've left you. And here you are, you're struggling, you can't pay your rent, your you know, your car was uh repossessed, and and you know, you don't have money for this, or but yet you do. Uh you're you're a millionaire. I left you an inheritance, a big inheritance. But because you didn't go to the reading of the will, you have no idea, you have no knowledge of what you have, of what belongs to you because of your birthright.

Israel Caminero: 30:45

And you said that to your son?

Sylvia Puentes: 30:47

I said that to my son because we need to teach our children what was given to them as their birthright when they receive Jesus as their savior. We're not supposed to be just be surviving life, Israel. What does he say? He says, The thief comes only to steal, to kill, and destroy. Apply that to what? All areas of your life. Okay, because as a child of God, you have a bullseye on your back from the enemy. Then he follows that by saying, But I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly. And when he was teaching the disciples how to pray, he said to pray to their father in heaven like this, and he says, That your will be done here on earth as it already is in heaven. Is there anything lacking in heaven? There's nothing lacking in heaven, so there's nothing lacking here on earth for God's children. But if we don't go to the reading of the will, we don't know the inheritance that we've been left.

Israel Caminero: 31:55

That's good. You know, we were actually talking about this at church Sunday, and someone shared that the enemy doesn't care that you're serving that you're out there giving food to the homeless or just doing good deeds. All he cares about is distracting you away from God. And that's so true because sometimes we don't know. But there's a lot of distraction in the world today. Keeping you I mean, it can come in all shapes and forms. I mean, even cartoons these days aren't good for children. And it just sucks, to be honest with you. Yeah. All the distractions to try and take you away from from the word of God and just following God. But what were you about to say?

Sylvia Puentes: 32:47

And even the good things that we know that God has given us, our jobs or our children, or our spouses, or our friends, family, of course He wants you to enjoy all of that. But how do you grow in relationship? And how do you come to know someone better and better and better unless you spend time together? Right? I always, you know, when I'm a discipling and I now also do um Christian life coaching, I say when we make it like the law, it becomes heavy and burdensome. And he doesn't want that, he wants you to willingly come, right? So I always tell somebody, you know, you can talk to God in your car, in the shower, it you know, like is it nice to just carve out time where you just sit with him a hundred percent, and as the relationship grows, trust me, that hunger is gonna be there.

Israel Caminero: 33:46

That's right.

Sylvia Puentes: 33:47

Because he's so good. How do you not want to be with him, right? I was just at an inner healing retreat this weekend where I served as one of the ministers there, and I just had this overwhelming feeling of gratitude to see his goodness poured out over and over every participant there coming to experience the goodness of God, you know, that what Jesus, the love of Christ, really, the love of Christ. I think about, you know, he says that faith, hope, and love remain, but the greatest of these is love. And I tell you, Israel, when you just share his love and and allow someone else to experience his love, talk about his love, it's that is transformative. That will that's the game changer in people's lives.

Israel Caminero: 34:43

That's right. It feels good to not only you, but them also. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's so good, Sylvia. What advice or encouragement would you offer to someone who's struggling with similar experiences or doubts that you had in the past?

Sylvia Puentes: 34:59

Well, I would say, you know, I found a lot of encouragement before I had my encounter in uh watching testimonies on YouTube. Because, you know, I'm like, no matter where in the world I was listening to the testimonies, you know, the testimonies were coming from, everyone had the same experience in terms of his goodness, his love, his faithfulness. And so I found a lot of encouragement in that. But I would also say ask for friendships, right? To come into contact with people who know him and who have that horizontal vertical relationship. That's why the heart, you know, let it that that you feel his love in them. So seek the discipleship, don't be afraid to ask for prayer, and don't fall into the emotion, the feeling of the emotion. Well, I don't feel him. I wasn't feeling him, and he showed me that he had always been there.

Israel Caminero: 36:06

That's right.

Sylvia Puentes: 36:07

So it it is hard sometimes just to have the faith when you don't see, but have the faith. And that's why I found the testimonies that I would listen to so encouraging because everybody was, you know, they had experienced what I was experiencing. But I would say, you know, seek community and tell them, I want to know you. He will reveal himself to you, whether it looks the same as mine or as yours is real, or it doesn't matter, but he will, he will reveal himself because that's his heart. He wants to.

Israel Caminero: 36:40

Amen. Amen. So how's the Sylvia household doing on this day and I know you you said you have a podcast? Could you share with everyone uh what you're doing today?

Sylvia Puentes: 36:55

Yeah, so so today I um as I said, I'm a minister, I volunteer as one of the leaders at the Bible college that I went to. I host a podcast where people come on and share their testimonies, you know, encountering God or you know, something that God has done in their life. And I'm a Christian life coach. I help people come to know the Lord and walk and grow in their relationship. And I always say this it's like going to the gym. You know, you start going to the gym, you don't see the physical results. It takes a couple of weeks, a couple of months, but you're getting stronger and stronger every day. And the same thing with um your walk and your relationship with Christ, you know, you you keep going, you're building your spiritual muscle because you're gonna, you know, you it's you have to know it. You have to know who you are, you have to know what his word says so you can stand firm.

Israel Caminero: 37:53

That's true. I like I like how you use the gym because it's true.

Sylvia Puentes: 37:58

It's right.

Israel Caminero: 37:59

You don't see results right away, but you will.

Sylvia Puentes: 38:03

Yeah, you will, you will. And and this is the same thing, you know, like don't be discouraged. Don't be discouraged. Know that you know that he's there, and just you know, you're you're growing, you're growing, which is most important. You're growing in that relationship, you're growing in the knowledge of who he is, of who you are, and uh and what and what his thoughts are about you.

Israel Caminero: 38:25

That's right, that's right. Absolutely. And I'll have links to all her shows and and everything like that on my description of the podcast. If you want to go and check her out and listen to her podcast or whatever else, even if you wanted to reach out to her, I'll have all those links on my on my description of my podcast. So Sylvia. Usually I ask my guests two questions at the end of the podcast. And we're getting close to there. And I just want to say first off, thank you for being here and taking the time to share your testimony with all the listeners today. I know it's not easy sometimes to just share testimonies, and I'm glad that you volunteered to do that and you took the time to be here and share it with everyone.

Sylvia Puentes: 39:17

It's my pleasure, Israel. Thank you for having the platform to do it.

Israel Caminero: 39:22

No. My first question that I need to ask you is when Sylvia's having a bad day, or not even when you're not having a bad day, just a certain Bible verse that has stuck with you throughout life that you always fall back on. Do you have one? And what is it, and what does that verse mean to you?

Sylvia Puentes: 39:45

Wow. I have I have quite a few verses.

Israel Caminero: 39:51

Most people do. But what's like your one go to that is like your verse, so your life verse.

Sylvia Puentes: 40:00

So one go-to for me is God is within her. She will not fall, which is um Psalm 46, 5, God is within her, she will not fall. Just reminds me that no matter where I am, he is with me. Because it just it reminds me that he's with me. That no matter where I am, he is with me.

Israel Caminero: 40:22

Okay. Fair enough. He is always with us, whether we believe it or not. Thank you for that. Now I've come to my back to the past section of my podcast. Basically, what my back to the past section is, if the Sylvia from today could go back in time and talk to the old Sylvia, what would you say to her?

Sylvia Puentes: 40:50

Oh wow. I wish she had surrendered. Because a lot of decisions that I made, obviously not ever consulting his will for my life, um were as a result of just not knowing. Not knowing, not knowing that that he loved me, not knowing that I mattered to him, not knowing that um that he wouldn't have chosen that for me.

Israel Caminero: 41:27

Amen. And like I always say, she probably wouldn't have listened.

Sylvia Puentes: 41:33

I probably listen, he said, he sent messengers, he sent messengers. I just, you know, that's why again, like he's he's just so full of grace and love and mercy for us, and he truly does need us where we are.

Israel Caminero: 41:51

Amen. And he definitely is. God is so good all the time, not just sometimes, all the time.

Sylvia Puentes: 42:00

Yeah, yeah.

Israel Caminero: 42:01

But again, Sylvia, I will go ahead. Go ahead.

Sylvia Puentes: 42:04

I I was gonna say, um, I will tell you this though. There is a verse that I have spoken over and over uh since I got saved.

Israel Caminero: 42:13

Go ahead and share it.

Sylvia Puentes: 42:15

And I'm gonna share it because I speak this verse every day. And I I say, if anyone, anyone who's listening, ask, you know, just think about this verse. Maybe you'd like to also declare this over your house every day. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Israel Caminero: 42:37

That's one of ours, too.

Sylvia Puentes: 42:39

Yeah, I have that on a painting in my uh, you know, as soon as you walk into my home, you are this is the first thing you see, and I speak this every day because I I declare that over my children, my grandchildren who haven't been born yet, my great-grandchildren, because we are a generation that will serve the Lord. The enemy will have no more rights over here.

Israel Caminero: 43:02

Amen.

Sylvia Puentes: 43:04

Amen.

Israel Caminero: 43:04

Yeah, we have we have that too on a big sign in our house. Yeah. Like you said, we don't want any any any type of enemy in our home. Yeah. And as I was saying, thank you for taking the time for sharing your testimony. I'm glad that you were able to find time and be here today to share it with everyone. Because you never know, someone out there listening is probably I'm not gonna say probably is probably going through the same stuff that you went through, and they're probably lost. And I'm not gonna say that maybe they're listening to the podcast, but hey, you never know. Someone might be listening to it that's going through it and can resonate with your story and say, hey, who's who's this God they're talking about? Maybe I should check into that. So that's what it's all about that it's your story, but we're here to glorify him while you're telling your story. And if it changes one person out of the million, or whoever's listening, that's that's our goal. And I just want to take the time for all the people that have been supporting me and showing me love. And if you want to reach out and give your testimony on the podcast, all you have to do is send me an email. It's living.testimonies at outlook.com, and I will set you up to be here and share your testimony. All it takes is one email and one leap of faith, and you could be sharing your testimony with others, and it might change someone's life, like I said, and it will glorify God at the same time. Want to give a shout out to Sylvia once again for being here and for taking the time. And Sylvia, before we leave, can you pray us out?

Sylvia Puentes: 44:59

Oh, yeah, absolutely. So, Israel, first I want to say thank you again, and and I really I just really appreciate having the opportunity to share all the good things that God has done. So, Father, in Jesus' name, Lord, we thank you. We thank you because you are good, we thank you because you are faithful, we thank you because you are our Abba, Father. Lord, I pray that you take this podcast, Lord, and the testimony shared on this podcast far and wide, Lord. You already know who needs to hear these testimonies. Father, I ask that you make the hearts fertile ground, Lord, that you open the eyes of the blind and you open the ears, Lord. Let them hear, let them hear about you, Father. That you may be glorified in everything, Lord, that I say and everything that Israel says, Lord God, that your name may be glorified and that they will all come to know you in Jesus' mighty name, amen.

Israel Caminero: 45:57

Amen. Amen. Thank you for that. And once again, thank you again. I can't I can't never stop saying thank you to my guests. So I just want to say thank you again for being here. And like I said, my listeners, thank you for the support. Thank you for the love. Thank you for the messages, the encouragement to keep this going. Thank you for everything. And once again, if you want to share your testimony, you can reach me at living.testimonies at outlook.com. And I will email you back if I get your email. And until next time, I just want to say, God bless you.