Carmen Lett

Courage to fight through to Healing!

2011-11-28T13:41:00.005-05:00

Evangelist Steve Hill is known to many as a revivalist in the Brownsville Revival in the mid 90's. I can't begin to express how great an impact the Brownsville Revival had on my husband and I, not only personally but it completely revolutionized our ministry. Even to this day we are carrying and ministering from the impartation we received through Steve Hill and John Kilpatrick.

When I heard that Steve Hill was battling Melanoma cancer, taking time out from Pastoring his church in Texas and then that he was gravely ill, I was so burdened for this great man of God. I had just gone through what I now see was a minor incident with a Thyroid cancer scare and treatment, but it had produced in me this overwhelming compassion and empathy for people facing cancer.

I have kept up with the reports on his condition through his Church's website. What an amazing Church he has that has continued his legacy and are with great diligence doing the ministry with his heart on a daily and weekly basis believing and standing with him for Divine Healing to manifest and ultimately his return to the pulpit and helm of ministry.

It was just recently I discovered that hospice had been called in giving him only days to live. But just as quickly as I read that report it seemed other reports of his resurgence appeared. Now Steve and his wife are in Germany, receiving holistic treatments to regain his strength and allow his body to heal not just from the cancer but the affects of the horrific chemo therapies that destroy not only cancer but all the body. With great praise to GOD, Steve Hill is up walking, talking and preaching to the body of Christ once again through status updates and video!

I am reminded of Hezekiah who received the report from the prophet that God himself was giving him his death notice.

"In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith The Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto The Lord, saying, I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore." (2 Kings 20:1-3 KJV)

Hezekiah cried out to the Lord...he prayed.

"And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of The Lord came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith The Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of The Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered." (2 Kings 20:4-7 KJV)

Oh, it is NEVER too late to cry out for healing no matter what the report is and who gave it to you!

So here is Steve Hill, who just recently was confined to his bed, a wheelchair and was straining to speak. Hospice was called, the family was called to his side, not even recognizing his wife. NEVERTHELESS....

Healing: Faith, Fear & Divine Healing: FIGHTING FEAR

2011-11-18T20:26:00.018-05:00

"While He was still speaking, someone came from Jairus', the ruler

of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead.

Do not trouble the Teacher.” But when Jesus heard it, He answered him,

saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, (LUKE 8:49,50)

God has made it abundantly clear through His Word that FAITH is the key to pleasing Him, getting prayers answered and receiving healing. Over and over again Jesus taught that anything we ask BELIEVING we would have it and then reinforced the truth while He was healing by telling the sick He was about to heal to believe and it would be done to them according to their faith.

Faith is the ONLY thing that a Christian has to DO to receive salvation, access God's throne and inherit Covenant promises.

Faith is simply believing, trusting, committing and relying.

Faith needs no outer resources, in fact, it wouldn't be FAITH if it did. We know Hebrews 11:1 makes it plain that faith operates in the realm of unseen, so we it gains no fuel from the natural realm but rests solely on the promises that cause us to HOPE.

And this is precisely why the adversary of our soul does everything possible to get us focused on the natural realm, dimming hope and spotlighting the negative of every circumstance igniting the nemesis of FAITH- FEAR.

The Kingdom of Hell is intimidated by FAITH. It knows the power of FAITH. Jesus said, "Everything is possible for him who believes."

That must scare hell!

So you can see that the first thought the enemy wants to put in your mind in every circumstance that has potential for miracles and blessings is FEAR! Fear will steal your focus from the covenant, the ability of God and your faith to believe for them!

We see it happening in the opening verse of this blog. Jairus has a deathly ill daughter at his home. He travels to find this Jesus he has heard about that is healing people. He finds Jesus doing what Jesus does, healing. He tells Jesus of his need and the Healer turns to go to Jarius' house to heal his daughter and BAM! Someone runs up with a bad report to drain Jairus of his hope and faith in what Jesus was going to do for him. They literally say, "Don't bother Jesus anymore, your daughter is dead!" Right there the focus is moved from the hope of healing to giving up and turning hope away from Jesus.

This is what happens to us when we get the "call back" from the doctor the day after a test, or circumstances get worse. We shift our focus from our hope in Jesus to the possibilities of death. Instead of activating our faith, we ALLOW our fear to be activated and thereby we BLOCK the flow of what we need- the promises, the covenant and God's power. Faith makes things possible and fear makes them impossible.

Let me get right to it-

the moment something causes your focus to be placed on the negative possibilities, instead of activating FEAR, put up your SHIELD OF FAITH by doing THREE THINGS:

REFUSE! REFUTE! REJECT!

James 4:7 tells us to "Submit yourselves to God, resists the enemy and he will flee from you." Submitting is trust - trust is Faith and belief that "God's got this!" Once you put yourself there you can refuse the intimidation, refute it by claiming the promise and reject the lie!

This must have been the principal at work in Jairus. He refused to do as the messenger said. He continued with Jesus. This very action refuted the argument that it was no use. His simple action of continuing to walk toward his house with The Healer was a rejection that his daughter wouldn't live! WOW!

Nothing is impossible to him that believes!

Divine Healing is being poured out in our time and God's people are rejecting FEAR and intimidation of death and sickness and walking toward their house with THE HEALER fully expecting He will heal.

Faith, Fear & Divine Healing: The Covenant of Healing

2011-11-12T12:20:00.014-05:00

It is time for God's people to once again come into a season of moving in signs and wonders. Divine Healing is one of those wonders! It is a sign of God's redemptive power to man. We have spent a long season of embracing diseases and infirmity. With the increase of medical intervention and the availability of many earthly remedies it has been a temptation to lean to the natural before we even consider the supernatural provision of our God for healing.

We too soon embrace fear from statistical reports, symptom lists and put our hopes in and enslave ourselves the cures of this world. There is nothing wrong with modern medical cures and the science thereof, but we as Covenant Heirs have more than that to partake of in the area of health and healing. We need to pursue our Covenant Source over all other sources! We should go to the promise FIRST - and start moving in Divine Faith for HEALING! Let it be restored to the Body of Christ, this passion for HIS HEALING! He is able.

Let's lay a foundation:

The first step in this direction for anyone is truly believing in Divine Healing. Jesus said "if you believe" it will be done. Believing is the spark of the ignition of healing. So let me build your faith that God WANTS you to be healed.

3 John 1:2

Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health

even as your soul prospers.

The word "health" here means to be well, uncorrupted by sickness and disease, and safe and sound. This is what healing is and it's affects on the physical body. God expressed His desire for His people to experience health in Exodus 23:25,"and you shall serve the Lord your God and he shall bless your bread and your water and I will take sickness away for the midst of you."

In other words, He will heal you from your sickness. Not only take sickness away but keep it from you according to Exodus 15:26," I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

God made these promises as part of the Old Covenant. If you served Him you had access to healing and protection from disease. Through the New Covenant God once again ensured healing as a major component of redemption through Jesus Christ. In fact, healing is so important to God He placed sickness on the Cross with Jesus to crucify it, taking it's authority, dominion and power over those who would be redeemed as we see in 1 Peter 2:24.

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

Healing is such an important thing to God that it is one of the MAJOR works Jesus did when He walked the earth.

Matthew 4:23-25

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed the Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and fromDecapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan."

I think this scripture shows the heart of God to heal; He desires to heal. Jesus was healing because it was the heart of Father God to heal. How do we know this? Jesus made it clear that he did NOTHING he hadn't seen his Father do and he said nothing on his own, but only that His father said and all he did was the will of Him who had sent him.

John 8:28

"I do nothing of myself, but as my Father has taught me, I speak these things"

John 12:49

"I have not spoken on my own. Instead the Father who sent me told me what I should say and how I should say it."

What we saw Jesus do was simply expressing the heart of His Father to people. Father God knew that there are sick people dying in hopelessness and it breaks the heart of God to see the ones created in His image suffering. God is moved with the oppressions of people. "I have indeed seen the misery of my people" and God responds. He responded with Jesus. He responded with the cross and the stripes on Jesus' back. He responded with His Spirit in the spirit of the redeemed.

Romans 8:11

"If the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, dwells in you, he will quicken your mortal bodies."

Bring life. Heal. Ordain the purpose of God and perform it.

It is the heart of God to heal. He made provision for it. He made the way for it. He gave us access to it and it is within His will for us to take it. We must BELIEVE this. We must RECEIVE this. "Be ye made whole".

Need more convincing of how willing God is for you to be healed? Check this link out by my good friend Keisha Cory. She was writing this at the same time I was writing my blog. God is seriously trying to get our attention! http://www.keishacory.com/

NEVERTHELESS!!!

2011-11-06T21:59:00.003-05:00

Have you had a situation that made you think you would just have to settle for something less or you felt you might just give up on the hope of obtaining it?

Don't give up; keep knocking at that door, keep seeking, keeping praying, keep moving forward! It's not over! Despite the present indicators and circumstances, it's not over! It doesn't matter if all the odds seems stacked up against you - don't give up!

I want to encourage you with a word I preached a few weeks ago! By the Spirit of God and His Word the future can be changed and conformed to God's purpose just for you!

Keep on- NEVERTHELESS!!!!

nev·er·the·less/ˌnevərT͟Həˈles/

Adverb:

In spite of that; notwithstanding; all the same: "statements which, although literally true, are nevertheless misleading".

Only Believe...

2011-11-03T20:13:00.006-04:00

It seemed like this week there were more people that I know, either by acquaintance or closely, who were facing intense medical tests. Maybe I was just noticing this because I myself was facing such a situation. October was Breast Cancer Awareness month, yet I wasn't even connected to that fact when my Primary Care Doctor suggested I go for a basic mammogram.

I had already had one a few years ago because of a concern but that was several years ago. Now at my age its strongly suggested to go yearly. I went with that, "its routine" attitude, leaving the newly remodeled facility feeling great for getting it done and thanking God I come from good genes of longevity and health. That elated feeling flew with great speed out of my living room sliding glass door when I saw the caller ID telling me the call I was receiving was from the hospital that did my mammogram. The thought of no news is good news but a "call back" can't be good, sent a chill down my spine.

The woman on the other end gave me the routine as vague- as- you- can- be description of why I needed a diagnostic mammo as well as a sonogram immediately. As I pressed for more specifics she continued to repeat there were "changes" that needed to be looked at closely and I we hung up.

It is true that FEAR is based in the unknown and that for the most part John Kennedy got it right, there is nothing to fear but fear itself. "Changes" could mean absolutely anything, especially to a mind that is creatively imaginative. I didn't fear the test I feared the unknown meaning of "changes" and feared all the unproven possibilities that it could be and the many more variables of what the outcome of those possibilities could be.

It mattered not that I had just lain my hands on a woman in our church with a massive lump on her breast and the severe pain left her immediately. It mattered not that I have been teaching and preaching on Dominion, Kingdom Authority, the power of Prayer and Prophesy. I melted like that colorful crayon my son left in the backseat of my car in the middle of the summer in the Florida heat.

So after walking through this process of the dreaded "call back", having one full week to let fear creep into my mind and soul, having the actual test, seeing women with REAL cancer and problems in the halls of the women's center, and then coming out relieved and ready to eat a good lunch- my heart is full of the lessons learned. Not only that, but a deeper compassion for those who are facing the fear of disease, confirmed or unconfirmed.

This wasn't my first rodeo with fear of cancer. I had gone through this two years ago with another issue. But time heals wounds and clouds our memory of truth and sometimes we need a nudge to remember. Thanks a lot Holy Spirit!

So for the next couple of blogs I'm going to share some on faith, fear and Divine Healing. I'll see you then.

BE ENCOURAGED!

2011-11-03T19:59:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share a message I spoke on not long ago on "Encouragement".

If you are struggling with discouragement, growing weary, and doubting then I truly believe this word is for you!

OUT OF THE ASHES WE RISE!

2011-03-20T15:03:00.004-04:00

Weeping only endures for the night, for there is a time to weep and mourn but there ultimately comes a time to rise up with new hope! There is no shame in the sorrow of the night, for life is made up of just as much sorrow as joy and pain as pleasure. Even God has declared that mourning, weeping and sorrow have an appointed time, but that time passes and must be exchanged for new garments of joy and praise.

Are you in pain? Are you in sorrow? Are you in mourning over life's difficulties. Feel, cry and grieve and then LET HOPE RISE. It will rise! And when hope begins to rise you will rise with it. You were created to rise , to bounce back.

What is beautiful about painful seasons is the beauty of new strength that results. Not only do you return out of your moment, you return wiser, deeper and with a maturity that resounds.

Someone recently "wished" me to find peace. Find peace? I never lost it! Pain doesn't take or lose peace - it DEEPENS and STRENGTHENS IT! Seasons of reflection, repose - only strengthen that which remains. I rise. I rise with what I had and more.

KEEP HOPE ALIVE!

2011-03-06T22:39:00.007-05:00

"For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." Romans 8:24-26

Usually when people get to the place that they lose hope, it is because it has been a long season of not seeing what they hoped for. The pain of disappointment becomes more than they can bear and the to ease the pain of being disappointed they give up hope with the reasoning; when you expect nothing you aren't disappointed. The lack of hope is birthed from pain.

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12

The pain of a hope in suspension with no sense of why it's being withheld and for how long is an utter misery. In fact, when you are on the verge of losing hope, there are no words that can articulate the pain. You not only have no answers, you have no words to express the sorrow of your heart. The lack of hope is stifling.

This is the pain Hannah was feeling on the temple steps. She was losing hope. She had hoped for years on end for a child and month after month utter disappointment. By the time she reached those steps she had no words to describe her deferred hope. All she could do was move her lips but no words would come, just groans and moans from a deep place of pain.

I am thankful, that God understands the pain of deferred hope. I am thankful he understands deep pain that can not be expressed with words.

"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses..." Hebrews 4:15

And this gives us hope.

And with just enough hope to lift our eyes to see that when we are just about to lose hope - that is where hope rises. Because what is hope after all? It is desiring something we do not possess now. For "hope that is seen is not hope at all." Who hopes for something they already have? We only hope for what we are waiting on and don't have. So the very idea that we are in pain, indicates we still have HOPE. If we still have hope, then we can continue to wait. Waiting is painful.

But we can get help for the pain. No, not a medication. But a helper.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans."

When we can't help ourselves. When the pain points us to giving up. When we can't even express what that feels like. When we can't even pray to God about the pain we feel. The Spirit helps us. He takes over where our strength is gone, where the words are gone. Groans aren't meaningless.

Groans are words in the Spirit. They are expressions of deep crying out to deep.

"And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." Romans 8:27

When we let the Spirit groan through us and for us in the times we are losing hope, something profound happens. He intercedes for us God's perfect will for our lives. And this is so miraculous because when we are losing hope we feel an infinity between us and God's powerful purpose. We feel purposeless and lost. We feel as if we are tossing in a mighty storm in the middle of an ocean of hurt.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

And now hope lives.

Growing Weary? You are on the right track! (Part One)

2010-02-18T10:59:00.006-05:00

Are you experiencing weariness?

Weariness can be described as exhaustion, strain, overburdened, and fainting. Can you relate to any of those words?

Weariness can range from the onset of the experience of these symptoms to the extreme. Usually the extreme leads you to one final destination; giving up and quitting. Knowing that weariness can lead to quitting and quitting ensures failure, it's vital that we find tangible ways to combat and overcome weariness so we can push through it and end the season of weariness with success!

The good news is that weariness is a season, it will pass and it has a definite end. Though oftentimes we have no choice regarding its onset, we DO have a choice of the outcome. The challenge is making sure that we don't become the victim of its influence which relentlessly insists we give up and quit the source of our weariness. This is a challenge because not quitting means we might have to continue enduring and experience the feelings that come with weariness until they pass.

Most people quit because it is a natural human reaction of our flesh to want relief and comfort. The discomfort of weariness goes against normal human nature, that's why is it a challenge to endure through weariness. The great news is this fact, that on the other side of enduring weariness is a success that always leads to a new level of gratification through personal growth of character and the reward of attaining your final goal you were striving for in the first place!

History from the beginning of mankind until now affirms the process of greatness ALWAYS including seasons of weariness between the starting point and the finishing point of anything great!

The first step in overcoming weariness is understanding it is a definite element as well as indication of success in what you are doing. Effort and energy are what bring success in anything and effort and energy always arouse weariness. In fact they are journey mates. You can't put forth effort and energy without the weariness setting in at some point.

I like to use the analogy of my goal as a mid-life adult who hasn't physically ran since she was a child in 4th grade desiring to run three miles in my workout. Making the decision to get on a treadmill and hit a stride of running for a certain length of time seemed like a wonderful inspiration until I pushed the speed control and hit the stride of 3.9 for five minutes. I hadn't expended that much energy in decades and immediately I was experiencing weariness. My brain told my body "you can't do this", "you can't go any further", "you need to quit right now", "you don't really need to do this", "go over there to the bike and sit down". And I did the first few times, but I would regret it when I went home feeling dejected and weak.

That is what weariness does to us in our lives. No matter what the origin of your weariness, the thoughts you have in your heart and mind are the same as the thoughts I had on the treadmill. But one day my desire to attain success of my goal became stronger than my thoughts of weariness. As the thoughts of weariness began to speak to me to quit, and the feelings I was having in my legs, my lungs and my heart seemed to affirm my thoughts, my spirit said, "No, today we were going past this point of weariness and see where it leads me." I literally had to IGNORE the compulsion to quit.

Something very interesting happened that day on the treadmill. I found out that my weariness was indeed a state of mind and indeed was temporal. As I hit a climax of weariness that I almost gave in to, it passed and I found myself with a surge of new energy that made me feel stronger than I felt when I took my first step! A second wind of energy, vitality and focus that made me go FURTHER than the small goal I had tricked myself into hitting that day!

Here is a major tool for us in our lives. Endure and push past this season of weariness. On the other side of those moments you are convinced you "can't take anymore" is a surge of faith, focus and renewed vision that will swiftly carry you to your goal! So DON'T QUIT just because you are weary. In fact, GO FURTHER and with MORE DETERMINATION than ever before!

Because the LOVE OF GOD brings clarity to every command, life to every precept and brillance to every promise!

2010-02-16T21:55:00.010-05:00

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.

Have you ever had an EPIPHANY? I recently did during a teaching series my husband and I were doing together on Wednesday nights. As we sat at our table going back and forth expounding on our chosen topic I read a scripture that I had pre-planned to elaborate upon focusing on the love of God. That's when it happened; the epiphany.

An epiphany, according to dictionary.com is "a sudden insight into the reality or essential meaning of something that usually intiated by some simple, homely or commonplace occurence or experience". Usually an epiphany is something that is already there, probably other people know it, maybe you thought you already knew it, but now all of the sudden - you REEEALLY know it! This is precisely what happened.

A scripture that I had read thousands of times before, a truth I was already going to share, but there behind my really good point was the epiphany! A point that went so much deeper than I had ever seen it before, like it had been there for 30 years just waiting for me to see it for what it truly was. Are you curious to know my epiphany? Ok, here it is in two phrases:

"that ye, being rooted and grounded in love", and "know the love of Christ"

I know. Now you see why it had been so vague to me before, so let me epiphanize for you!

We as a born-again, believers and followers of Christ must be rooted (the source and origin of a thing) and grounded in love and know the love of Christ. Love must be first and foremost above all things. It's the primary thing, the kindergarten level of Christianity. The absolute root level, the ground level that must be thoroughly worked in us before we can graduate to the "big" things in God. We have to first learn and know the love of Christ! I know it is so tempting to want to rush on to the more glamorous things, but we have to stop and soak a while in His love first so we can know it better.

Sure we think we "know" it, but do we? Obviously it's pretty extraordinary because the author says it has breadth, the length, the depth, the heigth! This is a love that is so unconditional, limitless, sacrificial, compassionate and unbreakable, it's like none we can experience fully on a human level. I am sure that truly few have ever had a touch of it our natural relationships, especially in our generation. So many people can't truly grasp this type of love that would seek and save the lost, lay down its own life and take the punishment, blame and condemnation upon itself so the most guilty and deserving one can walk free and be lifted up because we just don't see this characteristic in anyone or thing around us.

Yes, right there it is...the epiphany! What awesome love! A great exchange! Free elaborate gifting! Yes, there it is again! The epiphany of how amazing God is - how amazing this whole being a believer thing is! And there it is again, back for it's final reveal; Wow, if I can root and ground myself fully in that - well I can believe for just about anything. If I can root everything else - every scriptural principle, every act of obedience, every ounce of my faith in that kind of understanding of all that was paid for me, all I that has been freely given to me, the amount of love God has for me...well, there is just no limitation, no holding back....

Yes, there it is again! The same epiphany that Paul the author must of had as he penned the end of that paragraph that goes onto say...

"that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,"

When we truly catch with understanding the extraordinary immense LOVE of God, then we are ready for the fullness of who He is and THEN we can begin to embrace the incredible stuff He is waiting with expectation to do for us! His LOVE opens the door to so much MORE! His love works in us the impossible!

I believe that God's love is the basic element of everything we possess as a Believer in Christ. Paul said "if we have not love" we are just a bunch of noise. I believe he wasn't just referring to us loving - but us embracing, receiving as well as giving God's amazing love.

Jesus said, in answer to the question of what was the greatest law, to love God and love your neighbor as yourself and that this was the command upon which ALL OTHERS existed! In other words, it's the root level and the ground level of being a redeemed child of a living and loving God!

John said in his book that "God is love" and everyone that knows Him knows love and they will be able to love like He does. You could never love like that until you get blown away by the breadth, heigth, width and depth of His love! So again, the love of God is the root and ground level of being a lover of people, a lover of yourself and a lover of God!

EPIPHANY! I not only need to capture a glimpse of His love I need it to be the motivating force behind all I am and do and believe. I need that kind of love to be the root to my faith for everything else. Because the LOVE OF GOD brings clarity to every command, life to every precept and brillance to every promise!

Well - this may seem ordinary truth to you and this isn't all that extraordinary. Perhaps you need an EPIPHANY!

IMAGINE INCREASE!

2010-02-02T17:54:00.011-05:00

Psalm 115:14 says, "The Lord will INCREASE you more and more. You and your children."

God has said of His Words that none of them will come back void! Each word He has spoken MUST bring back the harvest for which is was sent.

God also compounds the assurance of the effectiveness of His Words that He has promised to honor His Words above His Name!

If all of this is true, imagine the power that is released when we release His Words by speaking them out over our lives?

The Bible tells us that His Words are like seeds. When they are sown, they bring a harvest every time. Imagine when you speak His Words you are sowing seed that has a specific harvest in mind. Now think about what would happen if you spoke Psalm 115:14 over your life right now. It would be like sowing seeds for INCREASE over your life in places that are experiencing lack; sowing INCREASE all over your life.

Not only increase but MORE and MORE increase! Not only more and more increase, but increase more and more for YOU and YOUR CHILDREN!

Imagine if you took the next 28 days and spoke it EVERYDAY over your life; speaking increase more and more for your children 28 times.

Knowing that God has promised you that every

word that comes from Him will not come back void and that He will honor those words above the greatness of His name, your release of the His word with your faith attached to it - well just IMAGINE!

But, maybe it's not true....or maybe it IS! JUST IMAGINE!

Why don't you take the next 28 days and speak His Words, Psalm 115:14, over your life every day!

Editorial note: After reviewing my blog page I see the paradox of my blog on "INCREASE" and the many notes and pictures regarding the need, poverty and desperation of Haiti. I have this to say about this word on "INCREASE" seeming to be a contradiction these two realities. Jesus said that we will always have the poor with us and this is why I believe that those who are in positions of ability to gain increase should do so with all their heart.

The Bible is specific in it's regard that the "love" of money is the root of evil, not the possessing of it. For those who gain increase and abundance financially, physically and emotionally, they have been given it to pour out on others who have not.

The Bible is clear that God will provide "seed to the sower". In other words, every bit of gain should freely flow from our hands to the hands that are reaching out in desperation.

How can we help the poor and suffering when we ourselves are lacking and suffering? We are blessed therefore to be a blessing and this is the purpose of "INCREASE"

Even God desired "INCREASE" in His own house when in Malachi chapter 3 He challenged us to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there might be "PLENTY" there. You only need "PLENTY" when you are looking to distribute it.

So INCREASE! If we could INCREASE - IMAGINE what we could do for the Haitian people with all our new store of excess! How blessed they will be!

Dripping In Pearls Pt.1

2009-10-29T08:55:00.005-04:00

Pearls come from pain. They're formed when a grain of sand or other foreign object lodges itself in a mollusk. If the mollusk is not able to dislodge the object it becomes an irritant causing friction and discomfort. It is at that point that the mollusk begins to secrete mother of pearl, which builds layer upon layer of a sheen over the irritant. When this layering process is complete, it produces a perfect pearl of great value and desire.

Not every pearl has a great value, because the value of the pearl comes from the process that produced it. There are synthetic which come from a fabricated enviroment. They are engineered with synthetic or man made materials and are the cheapest of all pearls and very common and have little value. Next, there is a cultured pearl, coming from the natural source but in a fabricated enviroment that is man controlled and manipulated, and the actual pearl is made by man infusing the elements that created the pearl process. These pearls are expensive but not rare and do not hold the highest value. But the natural pearl – is the pearl that is one in hundred and found in it’s natural enviroment created by the Creator Himself. They are from the enviroment that God ordained the creature to abide in, under the conditions He engineered to produce the most pure and unadulterated beauty known as the "pearl of great price." Many of these pearls, the natural pearl, will sell for millions of dollars.

God gave us a beautiful display of the process of pain in our lives through this natural process of the, might I say unattractive, mollusk, that produces one of the most desired gems in the world. If pearls are birthed from irritants – from pain and from friction – then we see that a pearl of true value comes from allowing GOD to have his way and do HIS WILL in our lives without our interference and without our interjection and without our help! We must allow God to have His way in us, even in the most incomprehensible and disturbing pain in our lives. .

These pains and irritants come from the circumstances and situations and perhaps relationships we experience. Pearls are not made from passing circumstances or fleeting things that don’t affect us – they are produced when the pain and irritant lodge themselves in our souls and in our spirit. No one but you knows the depth of your own heartache and the carried wounds of private pain & suffering.

The heart knows its own bitterness Prov. 14:10

Yet to embrace His perfect work in your life You must first accept His sovereignty, power and authority in your life and with the pain you experience and you must trust HIM. You can trust Him because He "feels you". Remember: God the father has known the bitterness of heart over the betrayal of Lucifer and his angels. The most beautiful creations in heaven who offered the most beautiful of all worship to him, rose against Him. Jesus knows the bitterness of the soul over the mutiny and hatred of people. Jesus is referred to in Isaiah 53:3 as “rejected by men”, and John 1:1 he came to His own and His own did not receive him.” The Word also tells us that He was tempted in all ways without sin, and I can imagine that some of that temptation was His reaction and response to those rejections.

We can trust a God the Father, we can trust Jesus, who has endured pain and through pain obtained the highest value and reward. He knows that ultimate reward and perfection are achieved through suffering. We must trust His judgements and His ways because He has a wisdom about our suffering that sees the pearl at the end of the process and that natural pearl that is of the highest value can not be produced through a process without that pain.

Job said in chapter 11:7 “Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than heaven – what can you do? Deeper than Sheol – what can you know?Their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.”

Many times we question, "why do I have to go through this?" We wonder why God can't just tell us the truth we need to know or just sit us down and lay it out and show us. Why are we enduring such pain? The answer is this; He is not interested in us just knowing a truth, but He desires us to become the truth. He is interested in a transformation process where we aren't just knowing the Word but the Word of Truth is transforming the very core of who we are. He wants us to become the living example and testimony of the beauty of His redemptive ability. He wants people to gaze upon the beauty of His power and grace and without doubt recognize us as a handcrafted work of God. Remember, we are the objects of His grace...an object of desire...a pearl.

There is an African folklore story of the sea that says this: There once was an oyster who said to another, "I have a great pain within me. It is heavy and round and I am in distress. And the other oyster replied, "I have no pain within me. I am well and whole both within and without." At that moment a crab was passing by and heard the two oysters, and he said to the one who was well and whole both within and without, "Yes, you are well and whole, but the pain that your neighbor bears is a pearl of exceeding great beauty."

Remember the FORMER things...Isaiah 46:9

2009-10-22T19:23:00.001-04:00

I know a lot of times we are told to NOT remember the former things. That truth is according to the scripture in Isaiah 43, when God is telling the Israelites to let go of the past that hinders them from laying hold of the new things in their future that He is giving them. But Isaiah 46 gives us a command to remember the FORMER things. This confirms that there is a time and season for everything.

Today as I was in my reading and prayer time I was thinking about the power of purpose. I have a passion regarding purpose. I am convinced without doubt that we are all Divinely placed in our respective generations and geographic locations with works prepared in advanced for us to do and that the world is waiting with anticipation for the manifestation of that purpose so His Kingdom will come and His Will will be done on earth as it is in heaven! In fact, the scripture tells us the earth is groaning as it waits for us to manifest our purposes! However, I think that we, as those who are in the process of manifesting that purpose, also groan!

The journey to manifesting purpose for some is an arduous journey. We begin the journey many times on a zealously marked out path. As we continue, some of us find the paved road becomes a rough gravel that isn't as pleasant, but doable. Soon the road is just a beaten path, perplexing, but we are willing because it's adventurous. But when we are required to walk on with just a sickle in our hand to mark the path out ourselves into an unknown and uncharted territory, we groan! In a generation of GPS systems in our hands through our phones to tell us where we are and how to get to our destination at any given moment, having no perception of course or control to get us to our "purpose" thereof, makes continuing on to "manifest" our purpose unsettling.

That is when all we have to lead us is not ahead of us - but behind us! It is when what we know from the past settles and strengthens us to get us to our future. That is when we have to "go back" and remember the former things God has done, what He has spoken, the foundations He has laid, the tools He has imparted and continue on. That is when you have to think and meditate upon the tokens and memorials of His faithfulness and providence in your life that remind us that this too which we are experiencing is a part of His Divine course for our life.

So today God showed me two tokens. He took me back to some former things to remember - to the wall of my bedroom as a child. On that wall were two pictures that I would lie in bed and stare up at every night trying to fall asleep. (All the people who know me, know I am a night person and that starts as a child who is put to bed early and can't go to sleep just the same!) One of the pictures was of Jesus with a staff in His left hand and His right hand knocking on a door. The second was of the two small children crossing a weary wooden bridge in the midst of a misty windy storm with a large Angel behind them extending It's hands in protection and guidance.

These two images solidified for me this morning the charted course of my life - the symbolisms too many to mention in full. The first picture is the image of the prayer the Pastor prayed over me at six years old as I gave my heart in true repentance to the Lord. I remember every word of his prayer at that old wooden altar as I wept and as he prayed the door of my heart was opening and Jesus was coming in to dine with me. This picture is the beginning of the manifestation of my purpose as it is the beginning of all Believer's purpose. It reminds me that He is with me and never leaves me no matter how isolated a path I am on. The second picture of the children crossing the bridge is the continued journey toward manifesting purpose. Regardless what I encounter, I will be safely delivered to the other side. (Pretty cool that it's a picture of two people...a boy and a girl...hmmmmm).

That was a kiss from God for me today. Those two pictures nailed to my wall by my mother or father some 40 years ago brought me comfort and reminders of God's hand on my life. Pictures that as a child I stared at seeking slumber actually encompassed my future. How sovereignly He does all things with calculated purpose; purpose to bless and prosper us and not to harm us. What do you need to remember today to get you to keep pounding the path? What former things do you need to recall? He has had the course to your life planned from the beginning. He is already at the end of it drawing you to the manifestation of your purpose and has placed along the way tokens and memorials of His providence.

"Remember the former things of old. For I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is none like Me. Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying,"My counsel shall stand and I will do all My pleasure." Is. 46:9

2009-09-10T13:57:00.003-04:00

The other day I came across a wonderful word of encouragement written by Dr. Cindy Trimm. If you are fighting the good fight and enduring through times of adversity, I pray that this word is timely and fills your spirit with tenacity and strength!

"A Word of Encouragement: God Has the Final Word"

He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance: To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.—Psalm 105:17-22

We are living in a critical and prophetic hour where all things are shifting and being brought back into divine alignment. I sense there is a major attack on the Body of Christ and leaders. I am in prayer that you, your mind, your strength fail not. I am prevailing in prayer and I am decreeing and declaring that you shall be victorious and you shall recover all.

I entreat you: There is humiliation before honor, price before promotion, stigma and scandal before success, attacks before accolades, but I hear God say, "When thou passest through the water, I will be with you and through the fire, you will not be burned." I hear the Word, "Hold fast to the profession of your faith…and having done all, still stand."

Your problem and crisis situation is a divine announcement that God is getting ready to either prosper you and/or promote you. Do not resist the situation. Do not throw in the towel. Do not ignore the situation. Do not demonize the situation. Do not pretend the situation is not there. Wrestle with it in prayer.

Dare to Press In

Dare to press into God through prayer. Dare to see your storms as an opportunity to advance spiritually, financially, socially, ministerially, and for personal growth and development. Dare to walk on your prophetic turbulent waters, see and experience the power and presence of God in a new way (see Matthew 14:23-33).

According to these verses, not only will you overcome that which has overtaken you, but you will also be ushered into a new realm of power and a new place of worship. I decree and declare to all of you that favor is upon you.

He has anointed your head with fresh oil. During this time, we all need to let go in order to see and experience Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Gibbor, Jehovah-Rapha in our lives. You need to give up trusting in your own way and designs in order to experience God's all-sufficiency. Lean not on your own understanding.

I further exhort all of you, to stop talking to the snake. Take the time to hear and talk to God. He only is the Author and Finisher of your faith.

I encourage you from Psalm 46:10: Be Still, and Know That I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Indeed God Has the final word.

A Song in my spirit....

2009-08-25T22:21:00.004-04:00

Today I have had a song on my mind ever since I hung up the phone with my sister this morning. We had been talking as we do a lot lately, about the times we are living in, current events, the state of the economy, the state of the Church and how all this lines up with the purposes of God and what are natural and spiritual response should be.

I'm not going to go into every little detail of our conversation other than we touched on prophetic words that are out there and one that details 12 indicators of the end times. I remarked how the prophet had concluded his prophecy with the affirmation that believers shouldn't be troubled as they see these indicators come to pass even though they will be bad. Rather as Believers, they should cause us to rejoice because we know that with each one the return of Christ is that much closer.

Jesus said that if you are alert you will discern the times you are living in and only an idiot - and I mean a SPIRITUAL IDIOT - who is asleep couldn't see the signs that the world wide stage is setting up for the total fulfillment of end time prophecy found in the Word of God.

I remember reading the book of Revelation through several times as young teenager and being perplexed with wonder for how the world in mass would allow such things to happen politically, economically and spiritually that I read. I thought it was near to impossible that people would "fall" for the deception it would take to get to that point. Certainly a lot would have to change for that to happen. Now here I am just a quarter of century later and in that time enough has changed that little more needs to change to step over into the scene of the book of Revelation...very little really.

I look at my son sleeping and I think it is quite possible that he will be the last generation of believers in time as we know it, because certainly all the indicators point to a soon return of Christ. As I look at him, I wonder at the absolute reality of possibility that he, we, our now immediate family, will rise together to meet Jesus in the air as I have read in Thessalonians so many times. Along with that I wonder what could and will transpire in the next few years or quite possible few months, before the Father says, "It's time".

I like to rant about the political and economical scene. I believe while we still have a voice that it needs to be heard, and while those who can discern truth can, they should let it ring out. Yet today as I hung up the phone - which by the way, we don't "hang up phones" anymore - we "end call" - I heard a song in my spirit. Because ultimately as we are voicing we should not forget to voice the sound of heaven with it..."JESUS IS COMING SOON".

This generation doesn't hear that preached or warned anymore, yet this is the generation, more than any other before it - will most likely need to hear it to ready themselves. If it is true that only those who have oil in their lamps, and only those who are awake and watching will catch the flight out - then it bears that those of us who have a voice should sound the call to wake up to this one thing...."JESUS IS COMING SOON".

Why are things so crazy? JESUS IS COMING SOON
Why is our government overspending...JESUS IS COMING SOON
Why why why...JESUS IS COMING SOON

So here's the song ...it's a song I heard as a child...it's got old church all through it...but it's as if it were written in 2009...

"Troublesome times are here, filling men’s hearts with fear,
Freedom we all hold dear, now is at stake.
Humbling your heart to God saves from the chastening rod.
Seek the way pilgrims trod, Christians awake!"

Chorus
Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon,
Many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound.
All of the dead shall rise, righteous meet in the sky,
Going where no one dies, Heavenward bound!

Troubles will soon be o’er, happy forever more,
When we meet on that shore, free from all care.
Rising up in the sky, telling this world goodbye,
Homeward we then will fly, glory to share.

Chorus
Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon,
Many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound.
All of the dead shall rise, righteous meet in the sky,
Going where no one dies, Heavenward bound

RESILIENCE! The difference between a winner and a loser!

2009-04-23T12:16:00.003-04:00

Resilience !

Have you ever seen a child take a tumble that made you gasp and you hold your breathe waiting for the blood curdling scream that comes from the place in their brain that takes a second to respond to the fall, and you console them thinking "playtime's over", but just as quickly as the fall they go back and play with the group because they don't want to miss a moment of the fun?

About that time someone in the crowd chimes in saying, "they'll be alright, children are resilient!" We watch that child now playing like nothing ever happened, maybe with a little blood on their scrapped knee or a knot rising on their forehead and we conclude they are designed to bounce back - just something about kids.

The facts are; you were created to bounce back and survive! Whether you feel it or believe it, it is truth! Something about us as human beings were designed to be resilient! It's the concept of the second-wind or the release of adrenaline in our bodies that happens under immense moments of stress and duress. You were designed to bounce back, fight back, and come back!

It's what happens when the boxer is lying flat on the floor of the ring as the referee is counting and he begins to rise up just before the final count. It's what happens when the underdog is all but defeated by the guys with the upper hand and you see him look around at his plight and something from that deep recess of his mind and spirit shouts "ENOUGH!" and he takes a final stand and wins! It's what happened in my all-time favorite Christmas movie, "The Christmas Story" when little Ralphie snaps and beats the snot out of that school yard bully like a pit-bull!

RESILIENCE! You were created to not give up! You were created to do what you think you can't and endure what you think you can't and come out better than you went in! Physically you have that capacity, mentally you have that capacity and SPIRITUALLY you have that capacity!

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us: we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed, we are perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken; cast down but not destroyed!" 2 Corinthians 4:7-9

We are, as His people, RESILIENT! We can be attacked, maligned, persecuted, caught in tribulations and trials, but we REMAIN and not only REMAIN but we COME BACK better and stronger and showing off the power of God on our behalf!

We see the encouragement of resilience all through the Word of God. David proclaimed that he would not die but live to proclaim the works of God. Paul proclaimed that nothing can separate us from His love and we are made MORE than conquerors through Him and always caused to triumph in His name! We are told that God takes everything that looks to be for our demise and uses it for our good and for His glory! There is so much in the Word of God that persuades us that we are overcomers that when we get that Word in us, it will bounce us back at just the right moment! We will think to ourselves, "ENOUGH" and get up, get back in the race, take a stand and keep running!

I have resolved that in my own life. Lie about me, attack my character, try to destroy all that is dear to me, attempt to discourage me and make me fearful or worried - and believe me people (or the devil in people) have purposely set out to do those things in my life- BUT I WILL NOT QUIT and I WILL NOT STOP that which I am put on this earth or in this city to do! I will rise back up at the last count! I may be sweetly diplomatic for a while, but I will take the stand I need to for truth and justice! I AM RESILIENT - until they put the last square of green grass on top of my grave - AND EVEN THEN, I will win - because I planted enough seed of destiny in a legacy of lives to LIVE ON!

Let's Talk Some More About GRACE!

2009-03-09T13:53:00.004-04:00

Did you know that the moment you receive Christ as your Savior your sin is completely covered and gone; so completely gone that God Himself does not recall it? I am assuming that most of you know and believe that. Now, what if you sin as a believer? What happens then?

Well, if we believe the Bible as truth then we must believe this:

"If we say we have no sins, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. and He Himself IS the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours but also for the whole world."

Let's be real, even Christians sin. OH MY, shocking! If you really believe you don't, you are in a dangerous place of spiritual pride and deception! You may not sin everyday or with premeditation, but at some point as a human being there will be something that brings you to sin.

It's not a pleasant thought, and perhaps we need to lose the crazy idea that sin only has a few forms like murder, lust, stealing or cussing! Gossip, pride, misleading someone, slothfulness, over-eating, rebellion against authority and entertaining the flesh are marked as sin in the Word of God among others we sweep under the rug! So just lump it all into one category called "sinning" please and there you will find the whole lot of us on a daily watch to crucify our flesh and follow after the Spirit and making mistakes along the way.

We are all on a level playing field together loving One Gracious Savior who has already paid for our mistakes and spends all of His time interceding for us at the throne declaring one thing - "They are Justified by my Blood."

So going back to that question I asked about sinning as a Believer; the answer is confess it and go on. That is an open and shut case. The problem is that our flesh nature cries out for some type of retribution and pay back. Sometimes we think that way of ourselves - "it shouldn't be that easy, don't I need to do something?" The answer is no. It's finished. The blood already took care of that. Similar to being in a restaurant and the waitress tells you someone paid the check for you. There is that moment of great relief and then a second thought of "maybe should I leave a tip" or "are you sure?" We always believe it's not that easy, but in this case of sin, it is just that easy.

Jesus took the load off of us and He fulfilled the requirements for us. You see, law requires judgement and payback. The law is connected to the flesh. That is why it's the flesh that cries out for more work than just a free salvation of Grace!

But let me shift this real quick on you. We are willing to accept that for ourselves, but are we willing to accept that free salvation on behalf of others. What about the other guy who sinned? He sins, he confess and that's it, doesn't he have to DO something MORE? I mean, his sin was bad and he was messed up and I don't like HIM getting off that easy because he might take advantage of GRACE! Shouldn't he have to go through some type of court system and let us decide if he is really covered? Uh, NO! There is only ONE MEDIATOR - who is.....JESUS!

I think about Jesus that day when they brought to Him the woman who had been caught in the very act of adultery. There was no doubt she was guilty. Jesus shifted the power of judging and punishment from the people to Himself by telling them they could judge her if they themselves had no sin. You see the only one who has the ability to judge is the one who has no sin, Jesus, and He being the propitiation for her sin told her to go and sin no more. He didn't make her clean toilets for a year or sit in the back, he just let her go - forgiven.

"Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?"

(Galations 3:3)

As a family of Believers, Grace is more than just a one time grant of forgiveness, it is a lifestyle of relational living. Grace isn't just what set us free, it is what keeps us free. Grace isn't a fluffy feeling, it is a willful act of love and selflessness. Let's talk some more about GRACE!

"On March 4th, 1933, a man who could not walk would lead a crippled nation."

2009-01-15T14:56:00.010-05:00

That statement hit me big today as I was watching a documentary on Franklin D. Roosevelt, our 32nd President of the United States. I caught the documentary as it was in the midst of telling about his struggle with the devastating disease of Polio. I watched as the wonderfully restored black and white film footage showed him taking therapy at Hot Springs, a treatment that experts said physically probably made no improvement for it's patients, but one thing it did do was restore faith and hope and made the patients feel better. What a powerful role our state of mind plays on our well-being.

The documentary then shifted into the fact that Roosevelt's hips were wasted away and that he indeed could not walk. Knowing that the American public would never accept a paralyzed cripple as their President, he was insistent that he walk even though he physically was not capable of doing so. Refusing to use crutches or a wheelchair he spent several months developing a meticulous way of giving the flawless appearance that he could walk. His sons developed great upper body muscles and strength and with their father putting his full weight on one of their arms and shifting that weight to his cane, he would give the impression that he was walking. Roosevelt also told his sons to never show strain or allow the public to see it was hard, so they would chat, laugh and speak to the crowd as they would slowly move along. This system would get them just from a building to a car or from a chair to the podium to speak, and the public, who knew of his polio would see a man of great strength and power regardless of his true condition.

Not long after Roosevelt re-introduced himself into the public politically the great depression hit the country and the nation fell into a deep hopelessness. 1/3 of the nation was unemployed, 5,000 banks closed and 20,000 farmers were losing the farms monthly and food lines with starving families were wrapping around city blocks. The American people were in the depths of struggle when they chose a new President that year. And

who did they choose? A crippled man. Why? Because when you are in a struggle you aren't looking for someone who is perfect to help you, you are looking for the person who has been in a

struggle but knows the way out.

"On March 4th, 1933, a man who could not walk would lead a crippled nation."

That statement thrills me! You don't have to be perfect to be a leader and a leader isn't someone without difficulties,

but what does make a leader is someone who has an ability to rise up out of their difficulty, find a solution or a way out and goes on with it and never quits. A true leader may despair for a while yet lifts their head to search until they find the hope that ignites faith for something better that gives them the strength to continue and achieve. And this is what America in 1933 found in Franklin D. Roosevelt; someone struggling with something that should have consumed him alive but he found a way to live with it, above it and despite it.

America in the midst of the greatest depression of all time found someone they could relate to and could relate to their struggle and yet someone who had what they didn't - and plan and hope for the future. People need leaders who can relate. God knows that full well, that's why He sent Jesus to become flesh.

"Seeing then that we have a a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession, for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Jesus is relatable. Jesus is real. Jesus can entirely understand your feelings. Jesus can relate because He has been there, He has been through suffering, He has been to hell and back...literally! He has been touched with all of it but rose above it...literally! He is the ultimate leader and in the midst of great depression and struggle He is who we need to follow. He can present the way out and the hope for the future. Now is the time to follow Him more closely than ever.

LET THE PARTY BEGIN!

2008-12-29T21:18:00.006-05:00

New Year Eve is so exciting! The whole celebration concept; gathering together with people in anticipation of the midnight hour, the countdown of the end of the old year and the "Happy New Year" shout announcing a brand new year. All across the world, at every midnight hour people will jubilantly celebrate the passing of the old year and the ringing in of the new with confetti and balloons dropping, fireworks popping, music playing, people dancing and shouts of rejoicing. I have rarely if ever seen anyone who was upset or depressed at seeing the old year go away and the new year come in! Because seeing the old and anything that has to do with the old that was less than good fade away and being able to start fresh with and new hope of something better always creates excitement and celebration.

I imagine that when God said in Jeremiah 31:31, 'The day is coming...when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the old one I made with their ancestors...they broke that covenant..." that there was a great anticipation in the heavens for the moment when the old covenant that condemned man would pass away and the new one would be put into place that would free man forever would be established. I am sure the Father was looking forward to a celebration when that day would come, because oh how He loves us and couldn't wait to see us enjoy the new covenant!

You can almost hear that excitement in His voice when He spoke it in Isaiah 43:18, "But forget all of that - it is nothing compared to what I am going to do, For I am about to do something new. See I have already begun! Don't you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland!" He knows how good the new thing will be and He is thrilled about it and He knows we are going to love it!

The excitement continues in Luke 2:10, when the Angel announces the new thing and he says, "...I bring you good news of GREAT JOY that will be for all people!" It was here! It finally was happening!

And thirty-three years later Jesus is gathered with His disciples, knowing He will be ushering in this new thing and even though He knows what He will have to suffer to deliver it to us, He is just as excited as the Father at that particular moment! I know it's hard to believe He excited He will suffer and later He will have to work through the emotions He has about it, but at that moment the prospect of this new thing is bigger than all of that. He says to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the Kingdom of God." And then He says it, "...this cup is the new covenant in my blood..." He is excited, the new covenant is among them - the old is almost gone!

Now we know and understand that His shed blood would cut a new covenant and His resurrection would make it lasting! No longer we would be under the old covenant of law and death - but standing in grace and life! Woohoo! Fireworks! Confetti! Blow the horns, drop the balloons and dance baby dance! This is something to celebrate! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ.!" More confetti, more balloons, more dancing!

I guess that is why the message of the New Covenant is called the "Good News!" And I imagine that is the emotion behind the scripture in Isaiah 52:7, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation!"

And perhaps this is why I believe that wherever believers are - that is where the party is! The next time you are worshipping, whether it is in a church service or by yourself - celebrate with the Father this new way! He is excited about it too! So, right now, let the party begin!

2008-11-19T22:57:00.002-05:00

OUCH! Wow, that hurts! I did NOT see that one coming! Right in the face, I mean anywhere but there! I can't believe I let that happen to me. What was I thinking?

Sometimes life deals us a sucker-punch that leaves us with the most dreaded thing we want most to avoid...hurt. We don't want to hurt because after all, it hurts! It's painful. It's the pain that comes from an unexpected blow that hurts the most - because we weren't prepared. We didn't prepare ourselves and we didn't expect it and then there it is - a jab in our heart. We might have been just laughing it up and then bam! Now we are sad, grimacing, gripping our heart, bent over and tearing up crying over the blow. Nothing feels worse than hurt.

You should know by now that I am referring not to a physical hurt but a hurt in the heart and mind, which is just as painful and sometimes more so. A physical hurt has a healing process that often the body itself performs systematically. However, a mental and emotional hurt isn't healed on it's own, contrary to the old saying, time does not heal all wounds. Rather, we ourselves have to take control of the healing process for every hurt we encounter in our hearts.

Some hurts occupy our thoughts and burden our hearts with a heaviness. These hurts are regretful and sorrowful and they require comfort and peace to stave off infections of worry and fear. When you are dealing with this pain you might have a hard time sleeping, functioning throughout your day and you find yourself feeling a heavy burden in your soul. And if this hurt lingers you will have to promote healing by doing as Philippians 4: 6 suggests; "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make all your requests known unto God, and the peace of God, which surpassess all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Recently, I found myself experiencing the pain of hurt through a circumstance. I was surprised that I had allowed myself to become vulnerable to this particular situation and even more surprised to find myself thinking on it constantly to the point of distraction and that it was becoming a painful burden. The fact that there seemed to be no resolution or restoration made it more intense. It hurt and it was hurting continuously for longer than I had expected and I was having trouble "getting over it". Finally, with my heart getting heavier and heavier with the burden of this hurt - I had to say to myself..."there must be relief for me, maybe I should pray it through to release." Yes, even pastors can have spiritually dull moments and have to wake up!

It wasn't an instant relief and I had to apply this medicine of releasing prayer for days, but eventually the hurt lifted and the burden of it's pain left me. The beauty of praying over hurt is the second part of that scripture. God takes the pain and covers your hurt areas with a peace that can't be put into words!

Another hurt is more damaging. It is the hurt that is caused by offense. It is possible to be hurt and not offended just as it is possible to be angry and not sin. Hurt is the result of the injury - it is a natural response. Offense is a secondary symptomatic reaction, like a rash, and it quickly develops infections like anger, revenge, hate, hardness and defensiveness and is sustained by a bad infection called un-forgiveness. You can not naturally heal from an offense. It has to be treated and every last cell of it must be eradicated from your being or it will manifest in another area in the future.

A wonderful treatment for offense is to pray for the instigator of your hurt and bless your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you and treated you badly. Another is to understand that offense must be starved. Moving on from Philippians 4: 7 to the next verse, it says this; "Finally, whatever things are true, whatever things are notable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praise worthy - think on these things....and the God of peace will be with you."

Just like the hurt that was constantly on my mind to the point of distraction, I finally had to "move on" and fill my mind with things that promoted my healing and starved the breeding ground for offense. I was considering being defensive, making sure "they will never hurt me again" but I can't go there and I can't be that - and neither can you.

God has too much for His people for them to be carrying hurts. He created us to feel, but He also created us to HEAL! The only people who have died of hurts are those who refused treatment! And God's health care is free! Already bought and paid for by the stripes on His back,the chastisement of our peace upon Him, as well as every sorrow of ours He bore on the cross.

TRANSFORMATION

2008-11-15T11:11:00.005-05:00

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18

For the past week I have been thinking a lot about "transformation", a true work of Grace! I am thankful for so many things that pertain to being a Christian and the work of Christ that we as believers partake, but one of the most exciting is "transformation."

As a Pastor I have had the privilege to watch this process happen in people's lives who come to Christ with baggage that had left them depleted emotionally, wounded physically and mentally, bound by many addictions, phobias, restraints, oppressed, suppressed and depressed. These issues affected their relationships, their daily routines of living, their ability to be productive and their personal happiness. So many people live this way and never find relief and actually accept it as the way their life "is".

But the HOPE of Christ is that He came not to bring condemnation to this state of living but liberty, freedom and abundant life that has fullness of joy! And that is what "transformation" is about; going from a previous state of "life-choking" issues to be "reborn" into a life of joy that comes from the freedom within!

"Transformation" happens when there is a change in the nature, condition and function of your mind, soul and spirit and the Word of God tells us in the 3rd chapter of 2 Corinthians that the Spirit of the Lord brings liberty or freedom from the things that bind you up. In other words, "transformation" is a work of the Spirit, its something that happens when the Spirit of God is active in your life.

"How do I get the Holy Spirit active in my life?" I am so glad you asked! Well, Romans 8 is a great place to start in understanding the power of getting into unity with the Spirit of God so He can actively do something in you. The first step is to get your thoughts in line with the thoughts of the Spirit - which is making a conscious effort to re-program your thoughts. Yes, you can control what you think on! You can reject your old ways of thinking and concentrate on a new pattern. Is it hard, yes, does it take effort, yes, does it take a while, yes. Yes, Yes and again, YES! But this is a first step and its the BIGGEST step toward transformation!

It leads to Romans 8:11, "If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also GIVE LIFE to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Think of it this way; if you are bound with issues, they are killing and brining death to your life and happiness and you need a power that can resurrection the "original" YOU that has the potential to be, to enjoy, to live and to flourish! The Spirit of God is the only thing that has that resurrection power and He can give life to what is dying! That is transformation!

I speak from experience. When I look back at pictures of myself in my early twenties, I see a young woman who was bound by terrible insecurities, fears, issues that had a hold of my mind and soul and was snuffing out my joy, my potential, my ability to connect with people and God.

I was paralyzed. I could not truly enjoy ANYTHING because everything was tainted with my fears and insecurities and everything was poisoned with toxic thoughts of negativity. I don't even like to look at pictures of that portion of my life because I think how wasted those years were. BUT THANK GOD for the power of the Spirit of God in my life that gave life back to me!

I can mark the time when I stopped making excuses and let go of self-pity and allowed the Holy Spirit have access to the deep places me, I got "real" with myself and took control of my wrong thinking process and applied Biblical principals to my thoughts, I aligned my actions to what the Spirit of God was leading, I pursued and followed hard after God's purposes for me, and as this journey unfolded the Spirit of God was resurrecting the real me! I came alive. That old bitter, suppressed, insecure, sad, depressed, melancholy woman evaporated like the stench of death and I was free!

And there are many, many others that have experienced the same. Here are a couple of testimonies that tell about transformation that is happening now in women who are learning to partner with the Holy Spirit for their freedom!

"You know my story concerning fear, but not totally everything! Since I can remember I have Always had to fall asleep with the TV on, so that my mind did not wonder . Since seeking God, being in Daughter of Destiny mentor group, and in the process of reading "Destined to Reign"; last night was the first night in forever that I can remember going to bed, and going to sleep in the darkness (no TV) without fear!! God is really Doing something in me, and I am SO EXCITED!!! :)"

"I was so defeated, shut down and broken when I first came to your church almost 2 years ago after my divorce and massive weight gain from the anti-depressants I was placed on. I have learned many principles this past year which I can successfully apply to my life and learn to successfully overcome. I can say that your teachings greatly attributed to my growth and healing and not just "reclaiming" my mindset, but learning how to rise even higher."

These women named coming to church, being under teaching, reading certain materials, but those were just tools that pointed out Biblical principals that allow the Holy Spirit to operated fully in their lives and in turn they are changed new women, embracing fully who they were created to be and all that God has freely given them through Christ, so much so, their physical appearance is changing too!

I believe in transformation! I believe God can do it in anyone! I believe you are never too far gone, too old or too hard a case! The first step has to be made by YOU!

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE: "NOT YOUR MOMMA'S CHURCH!"

2008-11-03T17:55:00.002-05:00

Lately I have been blessed by the contributed articles by Women of Destiny that I usually put in the side column. Recently my husband made a statement to describe NDIC which inspired this article by Veronica James.

As far back as I can remember my mom took me to church. Church was good. I loved singing in the choir and the pastor knew me by name. He knew me so well; I can remember him making a comment on how my singing voice was getting stronger. We had a connection that was so strong until when he moved to a different church, I had a dream about him… and I was away in college! I absolutely loved my momma's church.

When I went away to college, I found a church just like my momma's church. The church had a few hundred members, I sang in the choir and the pastor knew me by name. This church was just like my momma's church except it had three ordinances instead of just the two ordinances of water baptism and Holy Communion. The third ordinance was washing feet as Jesus washed the Disciples feet after the Last Supper. It took me a few years to take part in this ordinance; but when I did, I received such an awesome lesson in humility. I loved this church! I was growing spiritually and it was still very similar to my momma's church. I absolutely loved this church.

My career moved me from the area and away from my beloved church. When I moved to the new area, I searched the yellow pages for a church that washed feet. I prayed that I would like the church because of the blessing I received in washing feet. Honestly, the preaching wasn't so good, but the singing was good and I continued to grow because I studied the Word to get what I was missing.

God has a way of using you when you least expect Him. It was the pastor's appreciation and the committee asked me to sing a solo. I prepared a song, practiced it and was ready the night of the event. When it was time for me to sing, I literally forgot the song! I didn't forget a few words in the song, I forgot the entire song! Instead of the song I had practiced, I sang, “Give Me a Clean Heart”. Less than a week later, the pastor's wife told the church that the pastor was on drugs. He refused to get treatment and he left the church.

We eventually got a new pastor and things were good for a few years. But things began to change. I was doing all that I was supposed to do. I studied the Word and I did my very best to live the songs I sang about. With all of this, I wanted more of God. I needed more of God. In my mind, it was time out for me going to church to get an emotional high. I needed a Word that would help me get through the week; not entertainment. This was like my momma's church, but I was out growing my momma's church. One Sunday during service, the Lord said to me, “Leave this place and NEVER come back again!” So I did.

I left that church that was so much like my momma's church without a clue as to where I would fellowship next. God's Word says that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He sent to me a woman pastor who spoke into my life. She sent a message to me stating the importance of my “covering”. She wasn't, so much, trying to get me to join her church but her concern was my “covering”. I didn't really understand at the time what she meant but I attended her church and found what I was looking for. She preached Jesus and how to live in today's world. She helped me understand that worship is so much more than a feeling. Worship is a committed way of life to live for Jesus… and that's only part of it! The church was awesome! The service was awesome! The Word was awesome! Everything was awesome and almost NOTHING like my momma's church.

My tenure at the church was only about four years. Approximately a year after she went home to be with the Lord, the church had transformed into my momma's church! I had to leave! I had to leave because I had grown to realize that my momma's church was not good for my spiritual health.

I am now in a church body that is awesome! I love it for so many reasons. One major reason is that I can praise and worship God with absolutely no inhabitations! Another reason is that, at this church, I do more than just sing. God has chosen me to help lead His people into His presence through the singing. This church is awesome! The services are awesome! The Word is a NOW Word every service. I know that it's from God because, most of the time, God has already given me a piece of it. The called man of God simply gives it to me in a manner I can apply it to my everyday life. I say again, this church is awesome… and it is absolutely NOTHING like my momma's church!!

It is our responsibility as Believers to have a “right” relationship with God, not just any relationship, but a “right” relationship. The Bible has the answer as to how to develop and maintain this relationship. Not only has God provided the Manual, but he has also provided church bodies in the earth realm to help in the process. Again, it is our responsibility as Believers to allow the Father to order our steps to a proper covering. If our momma's church is not that proper covering, then our momma's church can no longer remain OUR church!

THE FOCUS IS GRACE

2008-10-03T21:35:00.007-04:00

1 Peter 1:10, 12 "...of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the GRACE that would come to you...to them it was revealed that, not to themselves but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached this gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven - things which the angels desire to look into."

It's becoming increasing clear to me that GRACE is not an element of our Christianity, but it is the focus of our Christianity. This GRACE that you and I freely receive and enjoy today was something that prophets thousands of years ago inquired and searched for carefully knowing that it was not for their consumption. What a sobering thought!

What grace on our lives that God predestined us for this time so that we could enjoy the benefits of GRACE. We could have been the generations long before that were desperate for salvation and wholeness, yet it would have alluded our grasp and left us with only the foretaste of it's riches through our dreams and visions.

So awesome and precious is GRACE, that angels, who have no need for of GRACE, have a desire to know it.

Here we are today, with this incredible gift of GRACE that knows no bounds or limitations and yet we relish in it only when we are first saved or take time to recall the mercy of God on our lives. When we compartmentalize GRACE to the salvation experience we actually cheat ourselves the true life that Christ purchased for us.

There is just so much more involved to GRACE than salvation!

Peter, who was a major beneficiary of GRACE - cutting off ears, being self promoting yet denying Christ and cussing out a child- described GRACE this way - "the manifold GRACE of God!"

He knew intimately that GRACE is not a one time event in our lives but something that is an on-going organism of influence in our everyday lives, unfolding it's dynamics and mysteries in practical and relevant ways.

2 Corinthians 5:14 says this, "For the love of Christ compels us..." Grace compels us. "Compel" means to drive, having an irresistible affect upon. I liken it to a new pregnant woman. This tiny new life within her has an irresistible affect that causes her to be repulsed by things she usually doesn't notice or used to love and it drives her to hunger and crave things that would usually have no appeal to her senses, almost to the point of being unusual and out of character.

I recall on a vacation with my parents and husband 20 years ago, (I can't believe that number!), when I was pregnant with my first child and didn't even know it yet. Everyday of our vacation I would make them drive me all over Nashville looking for salt cured country ham. If we sat down and the restaurant didn't have it - I insisted that they all get up and find one that did.

Now I can't believe I did that, but at that time there was something that compelled me to act that way - something new in me, something I didn't understand fully - but it was there, driving me to want some salty ham!

Later as I understood I was pregnant and the value of this life in me, I was compelled to take care of myself, guard this new life, and prepare the environment around me. And eventually this new life would become the joy of our home and bring such blessing to everyone who has ever come to know her as we do.

The love of Christ compels us - His GRACE compels us! This manifold GRACE that prophets searched for and angels longed for that's in us today - compels us! It has an irresistible affect not only on us, but to all who come to know it.

2 Peter 3:8 tells us that we should grow in the GRACE and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For anything to grow it must be given attention. And this my friends is why the focus must be on GRACE. As we learn about His GRACE, carefully inspect it through the Word of God and communion with Christ, we will come to see and know all that God accomplished for us through the work of His Son and the appreciation and value of GRACE will increase in our hearts.

Knowing the full work of redemption, the depth of God's love for people, the greatness of His acceptance of us through the blood of Jesus- we will be compelled by this GRACE in a way that surpasses our own logic and understanding.

You can't focus on anything else but GRACE that can impact your life that way. Systems, people, institutions, regulations, rules, techniques and programs don't compel from within - they control from without. Only GRACE has the affect of inward influence and only GRACE should be our focus!

2008-09-27T01:03:00.011-04:00

John 1:14-16
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth…vs 16. And of His fullness we have all received and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

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For the past several weeks I have been looking deep into the grace of God. I began to do so after several raw conversations with a good friend who has been on a journey of the rediscovery of what it is to truly know and serve God. What a journey that can become!
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I began to read books that focused on grace and dig into the Word with a hunger to capture the essence of grace. Initially in this quest I found a great new series to preach which is a preachers joy. But soon I was entrenched in a new perspective of scripture that I had known all my life and clarity began to renew my mind to things that perplexed me in my search for the truth of Christianity. I found the doubt and confusion of my questions begin to lift as a new focus took over my thoughts and perceptions.
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This happened because when you look deeply into grace – it changes you.
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Confusion and doubt comes because we aren't looking at the purity of truth with our eyes wide open, and the only way to view scripture, Christianity and even Church is through the wide open view of GRACE!
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When we read the word in the view of man's interpretation or under the view of the Law, then we get a perversive and condemning interpretation of that word which is too hard and too heavy to carry and it confuses, burdens and frustrates. And this is where so many believers end up at one point or another. But when you understand what Grace is -the heart of God for man reflected through the sacrifice of Jesus, the work of the cross and the power of His resurrection - then you view and interpret the word by that grace and it gives this word life and power!
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The Law condemns and Grace gives life! And the essence of Life is growth and transformation!
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This is indeed a journey to walk out; learning more about grace and seeing the Word through it! It is the road to Emmaus. In Luke 24:13-32, Jesus found some disciples walking on the road to Emmaus discouraged, confused and frustrated. They had seen Jesus suffer and die and now there was a crazy rumor He was alive. Because they were so unbelieving they didn't recognize Him as He asked them to explain their frustration. They began to go on and on about what had happened in Jerusalem and how they were so disallusioned with this Jesus situation, and then Jesus rebuked them for being foolish and unbelieving.

But you know what His solution for them was?

For the next 7 miles on that road to Emmaus, He began to speak of Himself in the scriptures from the time of Moses until then, unveiling the typologies of who He was. He told them that in Genesis He was the promised seed, in Leviticus He was the perfect sacrifice, and how in the ministry of the Priesthood He was the perfect mediator even seen in the beauty and facets of their garments. He went through the Bible speaking of Himself and giving them the view of the Father's grace for man from then until now. He showed them the hidden revelations of who He is and what GRACE God has for His people through His work.

He was teaching them on that journey not to interpret things by their own understanding and by the Law - but interpret it through Him, just as He had taught in Matthew 11:29,

"Take my yoke upon you and LEARN OF ME…I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light:”
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He, Jesus, is full of two things...GRACE and TRUTH.
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So when we take the time in our frustration to seek the truth and grace of Jesus, everything comes into the right perspective and we are relieved of our burden of frustration and discouragement. All in the view of GRACE!
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So at the end of that seven mile journey they had learned of Him and looked at each other and said
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“Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
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"Emmaus" in the Greek literally means "warm springs" or "warm baths." That road in that their day was known to have hot springs along the way where people gathered for it's medicinal and healing waters.
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On your road to Emmaus, let the Grace of Christ cause you to rediscover Truth in the right perspective. Let it bathe you of every misconception and wrong thinking, heal every misguided thought and renew your passion for the simple to the deep things of God.

2008-08-30T15:27:00.003-04:00

Get Me Back To The Truth!

I was raised in Church.
That statement is huge. It has so many interpretations. It can mean so many different things. What is doesn't mean is that I know God or have a grasp on what salvation and the love of God is. In fact, it can actually mean that what I know about God is defined by what I have seen in Church and been taught from a Church and that my friend can be a dangerous interpretation to base salvation and the love of God upon. There are many many many people who don't go to church anymore or have anything to do with Christianity because of what they have learned about God in a Church. That is the sad state of the relationship of Church and people.
What first must be done is the dissecting of the institution of Church from the One who has given us salvation and His love. That can only be done by going back to the only Truth...the Word of God. Only the Word of God can compass in between the muddled and confusing lines of man's plan and God's plan. This is illuminated in Hebrews when it tells us the Word of God is active and living like a sword that pierces and divides. It and only it, can CUT THROUGH deception, confusion, tradition, the law and religious order.
It can get so discouraging with all the division of standards, regulations, rules and opinions, revelations. The only relief is the Word of God. We can not add or detract from it. It is sufficient and it brings life.
As a churched girl I have had to navigate my way back to the Truth to live by. If you are in that place of wanting to know and live by the true and real principles of God for man, then be encouraged. God has a way for you. Let the confusion go and get back to what is true and undefiled; the everlasting and life-giving Word of God. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and lead you in the WORD to the truth.

2008-07-31T17:39:00.004-04:00

NEXT LEVEL LIVING: Come Up Here!

After these things I looked and behold a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this. And immediately I was in the spirit…" Rev. 1:1-4

John said I looked and I saw a DOOR…anytime we see the word "door", whether figuratively or literally, it always represents opportunity. Doors are alway significant to come across no matter who you are or what your life is like or where you are going. Life without doors is a dead end road, a stifled existence, meaningless and hopeless. But a door represents OPPORTUNITY that gives us a chance and prospect for progress or advancement and everyone needs a chance to progress – develop, improve, grow, move forward!

John said he looked a door was standing open.
It's one thing to have a door before you, but to have it open means it's time for doing a certain thing. It that stands open as a free invitation; you are invited to participate and suggested to do so. It means that whatever is beyond that door is accessible to you- you can have it, you can take of it.

John said he looked and behold a door standing open in heaven and he heard a voice say this…"COME UP HERE" !

In talking about Next Level Living one key point is that GOD has a location. I don't want to get into theology over it - because I know we are the temples of the Living God – He dwells in us..
And I know that God is omniscient - He can be anywhere at anytime… But it is made clear in the Word that God has a location and a position and it is located and positioned at ELEVATION….
In the Bible he is referred to as "El-Elyon" - "GOD MOST HIGH"
Psalm 113:5 says, "Who is Like the Lord our God, Who dwells on High". Ephesians 4:8 says of Jesus that, "He has ascended on High" Even David when stating where he would look for the Lord - He said "I will lift mine eyes to the Hills from whence cometh my help, my help comes from the Lord!" Even as children we even know instinctively that heaven and God are above and the devil and hell are below!

When the Bible talks about LOWER, the lower has a negative connotation. For example in Proverbs 29:23 - "A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor," it uses the word "DAL AL", meaning broken, feeble, to be oppressed, emptied, and impoverished.

Lower Level Living is in the natural and the physical that has a lower mindset and direction that is remains, and continues in that which is of the world, physical and in the natural and leads to being broken, feeble, oppressed, empty and impoverished. You may not intend it, or set out for that end, but anything birthed and nurtured in a Lower Level will have that fruit.

So when John saw an open door in heaven and a voice that said "COME UP HERE", he counted an opportunity before Him and an invitation to come UP – to leave the world, the physical and the natural and start doing, living and operating in a new level – that is supernatural, heavenly and of GOD.
Now let me come to you – to us…
We operate in the natural, on the earth, we live in the world. We have no choice, bound by gravity and our flesh. We not only physically live here, we also are occupied in this lower level. We are busy with packed schedules, complicated lives, weighty issues, & constant demands. We are working long hours, running errands, involved in relationships, dealing with circumstances, striving to get make ends meet, anticipating tomorrow, dealing with the past, getting through today, deliberating decisions, chasing good times, raising children, providing for necessities and borrowing for luxuries, carrying burdens of conflicts, pushing through to do lists
And right here in the middle of all of that --- An open door, a voice saying…"COME UP HERE!"

Inconvenient? Too much already to deal with? No energy to live on the lower level and definitely not enough come up to some new place?
BUT IT'S A DOOR… it is an opportunity to grow and advance, an opportunity to come to a new level…COME UP HERE!
Interruption? YES! It interrupts all of our lower living! See an INTERUPTION is something that hinders or stops the action or discourse by breaking in…

In fact the voice was like a trumpet, a noise so loud it throws you into a concern and agitated state.
For some of us…
The facts are we need AN INTERRUPTION – before we get so of course, before we ruin ourselves, before we forget our purpose, before we lose ground, before the enemy of our souls devours what's ours, before the little foxes spoil the vine, before we are so deceived and asleep so deeply we can not be awakened, before the end comes with destruction…WE NEED AN INTERRUPTION!

We need a voice that is like a trumpet so loud it causes agitation to our ears and soul. That agitation is conviction (to prove or declare guilty of an offense…) The offense of lower living….1 John 2:15 "do not love the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world is passing away and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever

For some though, this voice calling Come Up Here…
It's the door we have been waiting for all along…it's another step in the journey, it's what we crave, and it's where we have been for a while…waiting on the rest of you.

NEXT LEVEL LIVES:

2008-07-25T23:47:00.003-04:00

Did you read those statistics on my last blog? Go ahead and take a minute to do that if you didn't already.....

Because of these eye-opening stats of average Born-Again Christians who believe in Christ as well as their eternal life probability, the church now finds itself in a...FULCRUM! Go ahead and look that up. I did. What caught me about this word, fulcrum, was that it finally gave me a word that I could attach to what I had been observing and analyzing for quite some time now. The church is in a fulcrum - a paradigm shifting - a teetering point - a fork in the road...you name it! It's in danger of losing it's credibility and it's influence because it is full of average Christians coming in and out of church claiming high things but living on a lower level.

When I talk about the next level or living higher or for that matter living lower, I'm not referring to "holiness". Should we be "holy"? Yes - unashamedly, Yes! Why? Because the Word of God declares it! I am not referring to "holiness" by a man's list or expectation of do's and don'ts because that is religion and regulation. True holiness is gained through transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives and that is a journey and anyone who has a Next Level Life will experience transformation and the by-product is holiness. But when I talk about living on a lower level and how that damages the effectiveness of the Church in the world, I am referring to people who are Christians from a choice of confession, attend Church services & events, but never make the connection of relationship, revelation, intimacy and surrender which lifts them out of a lower level to the next level that a new life in Christ can bring.

What is a lower level specifically? I can only answer that with the Word of God.

Proverbs 16:25 says, "there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is the way of death." Now I have to stop here and say this; we need to clarify if we truly believe that God has an opinion and a stand on everything and we either believe it and yield to it, or we don't. This scripture tells us it is possible for we as humans to believe our way is the right way but be totally dead wrong! Isaiah 55:8 says, "seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near, let the wicked forsake HIS way and the unrighteous man HIS thoughts, Let him return to the Lord and He will have mercy on him and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon...for My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are My ways your ways...for as the heavens are HIGHER than the earth, so are My ways HIGHER than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."

It is possible to be a Christian and think that what we think, believe and do is right, but it is absolutely not in line with what God thinks, believes and wants us to do. It is TOTALLY possible because His ways and thoughts are up HIGH and ours are naturally LOW! That might be why the Word also says in Romans 12:2, "do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." In other words, get saved, but then make an effort and an investment in finding out what God thinks and feels about everything and make that your mindset.

The thing is, you can't get to the Next Level without humility, brokenness, intimacy and relationship with God Himself. And the thing on top of that is, you can't stay at the lower level with humility, brokenness, intimacy and relationship with God Himself, because it will change you. Will He love you at the lower level? Yes. He loved you while you were in sin and He will certainly love you at a lower level of living, but you will be cheating yourself and cheating God of the dividends from His investment of His grace, blood and power for you and you will be cheating the World of the manifestation of what all that does in a Child of God.

And this is the FULCRUM. If we as Christians are just church goers and ministry followers, and on -the- edge- of- a- new- thing pioneers and are thinking, acting and living on a lower level, all the time not concerned that God is somewhere saying, "Hey down there...the world is watching and you are really blowing it," then we are wasting our time doing what we are doing! So - perhaps we need to take the path that leads to the NEXT LEVEL.

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the Glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." The word "unveiled" means true honesty & transparency...BEING REAL. Come before His Glory in intimacy, not pretense and be real, honest and transparent. Let Him show you His ways and thoughts, and if yours aren't in line with that, be real, get over it and change! It doesn't matter what is the "new thought" or the "new way" to be as a Christian, what matters is what is God's way. So get off the lower level...and get to the next level. How do we come before His Glory? Well, that is another blog!

NEXT LEVEL LIVES: Never The Bottom!

2008-07-17T20:45:00.006-04:00

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every

spiritual blessing in the heavenly places...who is rich in mercy, because of His

great love with which He loved us and raised us up together and made us sit

together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

Ephesians 1:3; 2:4

By reading that scripture it is obvious that God has set a position of blessing and it is located on a "higher" spiritual level. In fact, a thorough familiarity with His Word will reveal that higher positioning is an ordination of the people of God and is what our Heavenly Father desires for His Children. Deuteronomy 28:13 shows us that one of our inherited covenant blessings is that we always "be at the top, and never at the bottom!" That is Next Level Living!

God desires us to be in this Next Level because He knows that only there will we become who we are at our best and achieve everything we are capable to achieve. In the Next Level, we move beyond the norm and see lasting fruitfulness, influence and significance. And at the Next Level we come to know and experience Him in His fullness. None of this is possible living below our purposed position. And make no mistake or have any misconceptions, Next Level Living is purposed! It takes effort, commitment and passion!

Just as it takes effort, commitment and passion to live on the Next level, if you make no effort, have no commitment and exude no passion you will live on a "lower level". Lower Level Living is a life that is average, common, and usual. And it is entirely possible to be a Christian who is average. In fact, there are millions of average Christians. I found it interesting in my research of the stats found with the Barna Group, that the typical Christian is defined by the fact they can answer "yes" to two questions; "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your savior?" and "If you died, are you confident you would have eternal life?" That seems right, normal and sufficient evidence to being a Christian. So my question is what is the fruit of this typical Christian. Let me just put it out there.

42% are involved in adultery

30% advocate a homosexual lifestyle

38% are involved in pornography

60% believe cohabitation outside marriage is acceptable

35% believe getting drunk is acceptable

17% believe non-prescription drug use is acceptable

1/3 believe abortion is socially acceptable

1 in 7 say their spiritual lives & faith are a top priority

1/3 read the Word of God

46% believe that Satan is a NOT a living being

36% believe in NO moral absolutes

101 million typical Christians

What is your initial thought on all of that? Horrible? Who Cares? Can you be a Christian and fall into that line up? None of those are my point or my concern here in this blog, (in my prayer closet yes)! But what I want to point out is this; as a Christian you can live on a Lower Level that is average, conformed, common and possibly corrupt (which I will lay out later on), or on the Next Level that is extra-ordinary, transformed, supernatural and Divine and it is a choice of effort, commitment and passion.

This teaching is manifold and I am going to let it set here for the next fews days. I hope you'll check back and let me unfold it for you!

2008-06-30T10:35:00.009-04:00

Last night I had an incredible experience. My husband and I sat in a home of a Doctor and his wife , down by the Skyway Bridge in St. Pete, whom I had never met before. In their living room were two Haitian brothers who now attend our church and play in our band, Jimmy and Samuel, their father visiting from Haiti who is a pastor over one of the largest churches in Carrefour, Pastor Joseph Metelus, Samuel's precious Haitian mother-in-law and an awesome nterpreter J.B., and on the phone was the Mayor of Port-au-Prince, Gael Jean.

We discussed our upcoming crusade arranged by Mayor Jean and Pastor Metelus in the soccer stadium of the capital in August. The Mayor was talking about the power of the Spirit of God that would bring the anointing to break the yokes off of the people during the crusade and how he would have large groups of people fasting and praying until the crusade. Jimmy and Samuel and J.B. shared their hearts out regarding the mentality of the Haitian people in poverty and how they must break that cycle of poverty in their minds first to experience it outwardly. They testified about their own transformations even since coming to New Destiny and how their lives have been forever changed. It struck me how they left Haiti and their father's ministry, only now to returned empowered bringing reinforcements of deliverance and hope to their nation and people. How I love Haiti, how I looked at those young men as if they were my sons and part of me. Only God and His Spirit can put that in a white woman's soul! The sense that I owe a debt to
those people and I owe them what I have to give.

Wow!

No presbytery, no committee, no approved and voted on church plant could have orchestrated such an arrangement! Even we ourselves, could not have put that together, and yet there we sat in a home of people who go to a church far from our style or background, yet sovereignly their paths have crossed ours in purpose and plan which will unfold in the next weeks and months.

I am so glad and grateful to be free from constraints that steal the purpose of God from our lives. How many opportunities and orchestrations had we missed and didn't know it? And yet I embrace the moment of now and grab it and savor it for what it is - miraculous.

Thank you Lord for Your grace that brought us to this place in this time. Thank You for allowing us to walk in Your will and ways. Keep us here, right here, in the middle of what You are doing so we can experience it all.

The Word for you today is this; don't miss your GOD-OPPORTUNITIES because you are too caught up and distracted with man-opportunities. The best place to be is totally "out-of-control" of your own life and totally "under-control" of the Holy Spirit of God Himself! So get positioned today and watch what God will do!

2008-06-18T22:09:00.008-04:00

I just wanted to share a little personal side of our African connection in Liberia with you today. It has been almost three years since man of great humility and even greater faith named Pastor Judah Flourish from Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa, contacted us via email. He relayed that God had led him to contact us and become connected under our covering and implored us to come to Liberia to preach to the people and churches. We had only three weeks prior received a prophecy from Bishop Eddie Long that declared international doors and connections were about to open up to us that would "blow our minds" - and it has!

Much has transpired since that prophecy and since that first initial contact. We have traveled twice to West Africa, completed and furnished New Destiny Chapel in Monrovia, from the ground up built and furnished New Destiny in Buchanan, Liberia, held several Pastor's Conferences and Conferences, seen miracles, deliverances, salvations, healings, restorations and have over 30 African Pastors and churches under our Apostolic Covering! And this coming year we will send a Liberian Pastor to establish and build a New Destiny Church in Lagos, Nigeria! Praise be only to God! But much thanks also goes to this humble and faith-filled man who obeyed the Lord to contact us, who responds to the leading of the Spirit of God as he travels West Africa as a forerunner to the ministry. His vision is unlimited, his love for Africa is boundless and His obedience is steadfast!

Deon and I truly love Pastor Judah and his wife, Faith. They are "us" in Africa. There is a connection in the Spirit that can not be fabricated. Faith is a woman who has experienced the transforming power of the Spirit. Her testimony of liberty from the oppression of depression is incredible. It was only a year and a half ago that this woman was in a facility to deal with the deep oppressiveness of depression. In the first pictures that I saw of her, she was listless and had no joy. Her face had no smile. During our first visit to Liberia great liberty came to her and she received complete healing and restoration and was completely made free! Now when I see her and see her photos, her smile is the brightest thing of focus! The power of God is amazing!

When I left her in Monrovia, Liberia in May, she was due to deliver her fourth child. We were all believing for a girl to add to the three brothers. I asked her about what she would do when she went into labor. At that time she and Judah did not have a car. As an American woman, getting to the hospital is priority so my question was legitimate to me. Faith responded, "I will walk to the hospital." The hospital was several miles from their home. We American women are too spoiled!

Last week she finally had the baby - a healthy beautiful boy. We were able to have already sent the funds to purchase a wonderful vehicle, so they drove to the hospital! By the way, the baby's name is:

Giffy Deon Flourish!

ARE YOU A NEW BREED?

2008-06-06T13:16:00.001-04:00

Today I ran across this video which encompassess the message that I consistently deliver regarding destiny, personal freedom and empowerment. I want to clarify that my message is not humanistic in its foundation, for I know full well that He must increase and we must decrease and that we are nothing without His grace and power.

But for too long the generations before this one in the church,(with a few exceptions), have spent their lives nominal, exclusive, and isolated. If anything, the message regarding destiny, personal freedom and empowerment is by far the most selfless, because when you understand your destiny, reach personal freedom and become empowered by His Spirit, with His strength activated within you, you don't live for yourself any longer, but you live to give to the world, the lost and the dying. This generation is a New Breed of believers, because we are doing as Hebrews 12 admonishes us to do. We are throwing off everything that entangles us to run the race. We are throwing off bands of religion, denomination, man-made and established boxes of legalism and expectations and embracing eternal truth and passion.

I AM NEW BREED

THE WORLD AWAITS YOUR MANIFESTATION - 4

2008-06-03T00:17:00.000-04:00

This is the final portion of this message, but one of the most relevant and practical. I want to talk about the HINDRANCES OF MANIFESTATION.

Everyone has the ability and th

e "stuff" to manifest on the earth, but so few actually do it. There is a saying that says the

graveyard is full of unwritten books, unsung songs, and unfulfilled dreams. What a saddening thought. God placed music, words, acts of compassion, creativity, inventions, ideas, ideals, ability, innovation within the human soul as an investment to bring forth a profit for His Glory and yet so many people end their lives with untapped resources, wasted opportunities, unexploited potentials and unrealized dreams. The words that Paul wrote to the Romans mean so much with that in mind.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,

that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,

which is your reasonable service. And don't be conformed to this world, but be

transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. "

I truly believe that every invention, innovation and advancement made by man is simply man manifesting what God intended him to do when God Himself placed the dream, ability and gifts within that individual when He created Him and placed that individual in that time and place. Now that is PURPOSE AND DESTINY!

Unfortunately many great things never manifest because of the hindrance that we allow to steal and subdue our purpose. We must wake up and not allow anything to hinder our manifestation.

1. SELF: This includes our own self-indulgence, self-pride, self-righteousness and

even self-pity!

2. SIN: Anything that we do to satisfy the desire of the flesh and not the Spirit is sin. The

Word tells us that the flesh and the Spirit are at war, and the flesh does not lean toward your

God-given purpose but will lead you as far away from your destiny as possible.

3. INDISCIPLINE: Ouch! No one wants to talk about that! Many times we squander our

provision, gifts and purpose by living a life with no discipline and obedience to the leading

of His Spirit.

4. LAZINESS: It takes more than dreaming to get to destiny! The cheapest decision to make

is to become a beggar!

5. LACK OF FOCUS: To manifest you have to stay focused! Don't get distracted and give up.

Don't be tossed from one thing to the next. Stick to it until you manifest!

6. ENEMIES: Adversaries wish to block your manifestation. But remember, opposition

will lend credibility to your manifestation!

7. SATAN: The devil will use an arsenal of weapons to hinder you: poverty, intimidation,

discouragement, sickness, and fear of failure! Build your faith and resist him!

You have something in you that God placed there to be manifested NOW, in this generation.

Tap into it and release it. THE WORLD AWAITS YOUR MANIFESTATION!

The Lord World Awaits Your Manifestation PART 3

2008-05-22T22:07:00.000-04:00

Lets talk about the practical ways to manifest God's glory and His purpose for our existence on earth. First, we must recognize that God has a divine arrangement and order in the affairs of men and that we are placed in that divine arrangement for a specific purpose.

Ephesians 1:9 says this,

"Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, in Him. in Him also, we have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should to the praise of His glory."

We may not understand completely or believe the truth that we are in the right time, the right place, with the right stuff for a purpose, but it is true. Even if it seems like our life and our surroundings and our inability can not possibly be God-ordered, we have to take His Word as complete truth! Just like Ephesians says, His will is a mystery! Regardless of what we think He is performing and He still can perform His will through us! That is the grace of God!

We also have to rid ourselves of a "My World" mentality. Paul breaks up that mentality by telling the Ephesians that there is a dispensation of time. Dispensation literally means God's divine involvement in the affairs of mankind. That is a powerful and sobering thought! It's really not all about "ME"! Perhaps what is about "me", has to do with the bigger picture and where we fit into it!

There is a lot of talk about destiny, purpose and gifts and it is a good thing. But it becomes distorted when destiny, purpose and gifts are all about "me". We don't have those things for us, we have them to fulfill the dispensation of time in God's plan for all of mankind! Now that is BIG THINKING! Obviously we must expand our thinking today! Not only do we have destiny, purpose and gifts, but we have them to manifest them at the just the right time so as to fulfill God's purpose for mankind that in the end all things will come together and glorify Him! WOW!

When you manifest, you are keeping His plan going! So in essence THE WORLD does AWAIT YOUR MANIFESTATION! When you manifest, you are fulfilling the plan of God not only for your life for mankind and His Kingdom! You have something deposited in you by God that He designed to be released in your times. Fill the earth with your creativity, ability, gifts, capabilities that God deposited in you and God's investment in you will bring Him a profit! Manifest the wisdom, knowledge and increase that has been deposited in you since you arrived on the earth and make an impact upon the earth! The only risk of making a mistake is when you fail to manifest!

The final installment of "THE WORLD AWAITS YOUR MANIFESTATION" will focus on Hindrances to Manifestation. Keep checking in!

THE WORLD AWAITS YOUR MANIFESTATION- PART 2

2008-05-14T08:20:00.000-04:00

I wrote a few weeks ago about the revelation that hit my spirit when I read the words at the end of an email from a Pastor in Nigeria to my husband, "Until you come Sir, THE WORLD AWAITS YOUR MANIFESTATION!" I had to wait three weeks until I could develop and release that Word in a sermon; it was like fire shut up in my bones. My next few blogs will be excerpts and portions from this word of the Spirit to the Church today.
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The world awaits your manifestation…

Rom 8:18-22
" For the earnest expectation of creation eagerly waits for the revealing/manifestation of the sons of God.... because creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God...For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now."

We are truly in the moment of time when a seed of destiny in the Church and the seed of desperation in the world, have been in gestation and the Church is groaning and the world is groaning as if in labor to birth a new thing upon the earth that will nourish it, replenish it, sustain it and bring forth hope.

It’s vital that you understand what time it is in history, in destiny for the Church and the world, as well as your place in God’s plan for man. Every time and every season has a purpose and a reason. We have to COGNITIVELY CONNECT with the time and the season AND PURSUE to understand of the purpose and the reason.

1 Chronicles 12:32 says, "...the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do..."

The name "Issachar" literally means reward and payment for labor. Therefore, sons and daughters who follow in the ways and the spirit of Issachar will reap the reward for understanding the times and doing what they should be doing in response to the times their in time and generation.

It’s one thing to have any understanding of your season and to discern the times you are living in, but the reward will only come when you find out what your role is and do what you should be doing in that time and generation. It’s also vital that you understand what you are to be doing in this time in the church, the world and in your place in God’s plan for man.

You were created and placed on the earth for a specific purpose and for a specific thing for you to manifest on the earth for your time. So important is this truth – knowing the times, and knowing what to do, that a failure to manifest hidden glory of God in you results in a wasted journey and a wasted investment by God through you in the world.

Eph 2:10
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. "

Eph 1:11-12
"In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will."

God planned you. You aren’t an accident. You aren’t an after thought. Your life isn’t an random occurrence in the universe. You were purposed. God thought of you, he thought of the times, he thought of your purpose, he formed you and put in you everything you need to do what he purposed you to manifest on the earth in this time and season…and what you need to know is that...THE WORLD AWAITS YOUR MANIFESTATION!

All of the staging is set for the infusion of the Glory of God being released upon the earth…
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Isa 60:1-2
Arise, shine;For your light has come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people;
But the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.
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Notice that this scripture is telling us that His Glory is on us; the earth is in darkness but the Lord will arise and show forth His Glory by manifesting it upon us!

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The world is in desperation; nations are in starvation, peoples live in violence. Fears of economic disaster, disease and terror attack grip the hearts of people. Social depravity and moral decline decay our societies. And in the religious world we see confusion from human control, deception, and lack of integrity. The basic stress of living, no moral codes of conduct, and no absolutes of truth define our generation.

And the world groans as if in the pangs of labor and you were created to manifest His Glory to the earth! This is your significance: your meaning, value, purpose, importance in existence -to manifest upon the earth!

So stop searching for your significance from someones spoken approval. Your significance isn’t in whether a group of people accept you or whether you are a success in business. Your significance isn’t in how educated you are or how much stuff you accumulate or how wealthy you can become. Your significance is how you manifest His Glory on the earth.

"Until you come Sir, THE WORLD AWAITS YOUR MANIFESTATION!"

Check back in for Part 3 of this series!

A HOLIDAY OF SIGNIFICANCE!

2008-05-09T07:53:00.000-04:00

A big weekend is approaching when Moms are celebrated for all they are and do.

Because of this holiday, I want to put up a post not only for MOMS but for EVERY WOMAN and I hope that before women who have no children, who usually do all they can to avoid any talk about Mother's Day, will not stop reading this post and trust me that this is not just about MOMS but for EVERY WOMAN! I say that because I have lived through the painful Sunday's of Mother's Day sermons and celebrations, enduring the heart-wrenching sense of frustrating insignificance and I have a deep sense of empathy for women who will stay home this Sunday because they dread facing their present reality of having no children. I also share along with the sentiment that this Sunday is a fulfillment of a year-long anticipated day of appreciation and showering of gifts and words of love for moms who do mundane and sacrificial labor and desperately need to hear an affirmation that they are not insignificant.

Isn't that ironic? Each of these women, moms and the women who aren't moms, are needing one thing which links them in comparison: SIGNIFICANCE! Significance means to be accepted, to have a sense of value and importance, to know and embrace a sense of meaning and purpose. Both women, living in their realities of the moment, are longing deep within for significance. On this holiday weekend one of them is showered with assurance of significance and the others will ache inside with discontentment and disappointment in their need for significance.

To each of you this Mother's Day weekend I would reach out through this computer and give you the gift for which you were created to desire, pursue and fulfill; the gift of significance! May you find your significance in the very thing that makes you significant; your God-designed meaning and purpose, which goes far beyond the miracle of bearing children in the natural.

Yes, yes, I hear some of you...you were created to "be fruitful and multiply". But God intended more than just physical bearing of children from mankind (womankind). When God created us and gave us our meaning and purpose through His spoken declaration, He was not speaking of only procreation, but of fruitfulness. Fruitfulness is to produce good results and be beneficial and profitable. I know a lot of mothers with children who are not fruitful! Significance comes when you are fruitful!

This Mother's Day - Let's make it a day of SIGNIFICANCE! I will be delivering a SIGNIFICANT Word this Sunday at NDIC that will speak to your purpose! As we celebrate SIGNIFICANCE, your purpose will be stirred and fanned into a flame through the prophetic release of the Word, "The World Awaits Your Manifestation! I will see all of you there!

"THE WORLD AWAITS YOUR MANIFESTATION!"

2008-04-17T13:52:00.000-04:00

Ok, I have just a 10 minutes before I have to run out the door to get my son from school, but this word just got in me and I am about to explode and I can't wait until later to let it loose. I usually don't release things in publication like this, but I think it is a worthy word today. In addition, I am very focused on Global Impact right now, as we are leaving in one week for West Africa. I will admit as well, that God has been branding me with a true legitimate "burden" for the nations He has opened to us this past year. So I am a gush of vision and destiny at the present moment. I hope that it will jump on you as you read this.
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My word for today...The World Awaits Your Manifestation!"
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Holy Ghost work it in whomever reads this post today. The world is waiting for you to get on the scene in the middle of His will and destiny for you so you can do what only YOU can do.
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Today my husband forwarded me a mail from a Pastor in West Africa, Liberia to be specific. This is a pastor we have never met. Now I have to tell you that this is a very common experience in our life at present, because doors are opening of their own accord and it is a supernatural season of ministry! So to get the mail was good, but to hear this sweet man express the need of his nation and request that we come over to them to help their "nation" puts a brand on my heart. It was so compelling in and of itself, but then he closed his mail with the phrase, "the world awaits your manifestation." In other words, Man of God we need you, there is much to do and it won't get done until you do it.
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It reminds me of the scripture in Romans 8:18-19, 22 that says,
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"For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God...For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now,"
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This is why the time is now to step up and forward into your destiny. What else matters more than doing His will for your life and brining the Kingdom of God to the earth? What else? All of creation is waiting for you to say and do what God has called you for. Don't let temporal things deter you. Don't let opposition deter you. Don't let your fear and intimidation deter you.
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THE WORLD AWAITS YOUR MANIFESTATION!

Are you questioning, "what am I going to do?" The answer is, "release the power!"

2008-04-02T13:10:00.000-04:00

I have recently been in the midst of a teaching series called "Unlocking The Hidden Power." I talk a lot about being empowered, I am aware of it. I suppose it is because that scripture has such a grip on me in Romans 8:11 which says,
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"if the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,

He who raised Jesus from the dead will also give life to your

mortal bodies through His spirit that dwells in you."

And the word "life" is to quicken, to ordain a work, to make happen, to flow forth, to shoot out and to perform. And that one truth is the message that is like fire in my bones. This one scripture and truth bears up the idea that with man things are impossible but with God all things are possible! Meditating on that truth renews the mind to believe that there is a power within me which can effect change and produce results which were previously not accessible when I try it on my own. Knowing there is something in us capable of more than our own power and ability motivates me to try, branch out, take risks and have hope in the midst of hopelessness. I don't respond or live like an 'ordinary' woman, but a woman with extraordinary ability beyond my own.
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As Believers, we are not ordinary. We have a greater hope. We have a greater ability. We have a greater power within us; resurrection power! We are carriers of power, transmitters of power, messengers of power. So why do we react so powerlessly by panicking, stressing and lying down in defeat, when it isn't necessary or even prudent to do so? I challenge you today to think upon this truth and allow it to transform your perception of the seemingly insignificant situations of your life all the way to the seemingly insurmountable. Don't ask of your life or situation, "what am I going to do?", but release power. See it with God's power in it, and release it!
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I quoted this passage in my last sermon on "Unlocking The Hidden Power." This is from a book that I read every year by Watchman Nee, called "Release of The Spirit." May it challenge you today by the Spirit of God.
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"There came a time when God committed Himself to human form-in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Before the Word became flesh, God's fullness knew no bounds. However, once the incarnation became a reality, His work and His power were limited to this flesh.
Will this Man, Christ Jesus, restrict or manifest God ? We are shown by the Bible that, far from limiting God, He has instead wonderfully manifested God's fullness. The fullness of God is the fullness of this flesh.

In our day God commits Himself to the Church. His power and His work are in the Church. Just as in the Gospels we find all God's work given to the Son,
so today God has entrusted all His works to the Church and will not act apart from it.
From the Day of Pentecost up to the present, God's work has been carried out through the Church.
Think of the Church's tremendous responsibility. God's committal to the Church is like His committal previously to one Man, Christ-without reservation or restriction. Thus the Church may restrict God's work or limit His manifestation.

When this light dawns on us, we will spontaneously lift up our eyes to heaven saying, "Oh, God ! How much we have hindered Thee!" In Christ, the Almighty God was still almighty without suffering any restriction or straitening. What God expects today is that this same power may remain intact as He resides in the Church. He would be as free in manifesting Himself in the Church as He was in Christ. "

Havin' Chuch!

2008-03-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

Alright, it's Sunday evening and we had "A DAY" this morning! Just reflecting on the morning after experiencing it, leaves my mind buzzing and my intellect searching for words to explain and express the atmosphere.

All I can say is that I sensed in my spirit early in the morning as I got ready for church that there was something unique in the air. Being the Worship Pastor one clue was the way the music was being layed out and the amazing sense of purpose in our worship set. After a really thorough rehearsal going over several powerful songs, more than usual, I told the team after we rehearsed..."worship is going to be unusually amazing!" But I really didn't know just how amazing the entire service would be and just how much the worship and music would be used.

After an incredible sermon by my husband, there was just a rythym in the air and it was clear that we were headed for a high energy marathon of slap down, throw-loose, hair-pin flyin', jerkin, runnin', shoutin', dancin', crazy praize, Holy Ghost time.
And since none of what I have written can even adequately describe what I saw from my perspective at the keyboard, I knew only one expression which matched it. I had seen a few years ago a print or painting by an African American artist of people just having out-right church! That image never has left my mind, for perhaps it is what we are and do. So tonight as I sat here reflecting, that picture filled my mind and it was as if that painting was indeed our people this morning and both the images melded into one. So I spent alot of time searching for that painting and though I have not found the exact one "yet", I have found a few which have the same message. And so I share them with you.

This is church. This is New Destiny International Church, March 2, 2008. This is many Sunday nights and Sunday mornings, Revival Services, and Meetings from the Lett's in Ministry. It is who we are and where we are going. It is the old and the new which meet to confirm that the things of the Spirit never change. Enjoy.

REJOICE! BE HAPPY! CELEBRATE!

2008-02-22T11:02:00.001-05:00

This is going to be a short blog with a specific message today. I hope that if you are reading this and you feel a little down or discouraged that you will know God Himself ordained this word especially for you.
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Psalm 124:1,2,3,7 - "If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,When men rose up against us, Then they would have swallowed us alive...Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowler's; The snare is broken, and we have escaped!"
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You made it!

You are still here!

You are free!

You survived to tell about it!
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Anything you face now or in the future has an assurance that you can do all things through Christ's power at work in you, and you are already a conqueror who has a record of wins, and the statistics bear witness that you can make it and win it! You've gained some patience, wisdom and life experience that you now KNOW in whom you believed and you have a confidence in His ability and faithfulness. You are intimately aware ,because you experienced it, that seasons come and seasons definitely go, so you know if you hold on and bear it, it will pass. You also can verify that though you may not see the resources or the answer to the problem that they will eventually appear before it is all over to rescue, deliver and provide so you come to realize you aren't going waste the value of your energy, time and effort on worry, stress or fear.
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These are the rights of passage of those of us who have lived to tell about it!
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So no matter what you are facing, no matter what you are feeling, no matter what you were just sitting thinking about...just stop and celebrate, be happy and rejoice. Your soul has escaped a snare, and the snares that sought to entrap you are no more. You are liberated, free and empowered to remain that way. Like David said to himself one day, "Why so downcast o my soul, put your trust in God!" And he was right!

Get Ready, Set....

2008-01-15T15:56:00.000-05:00

1 Cor 9:24-10:1
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

I have a word for you today. Get Ready, Set... That's the word.

I remember as a child in elementary school that I ran all the time every where I went. I hardly walked, I always ran. I ran down the hall to my bedroom, or I ran to the kitchen, and when I would go to my girlfriend's house, Gail, I would run as fast as my feet would take me to the end of our street where she lived. And when my mother would call me home just when it got dark, I would leave Gail's house and run like the wind all the way home in the dark with my Florida-girl's barefoot pitter-pattering all the way; my mother could hear me coming. I would run in all the field day competitions at my elementary school. I would always win a blue ribbon in the 50 and 100 yard dash!

Those were the days, because as soon as I hit puberty I never ran again, until I hit 40 and I realized I needed to get running. My metabolism wouldn't allow me to eat my cookies and stay the same size. It took me almost 8 months to build up strength and endurance to run on a treadmill more than 15 minutes straight! I had to work really hard to get myself to do what I used to do as a child.

As adults we let ourselves go, get complacent and slip up so that we become "out of shape" spiritually and emotionally so easily. It's interesting that Jesus said in Mark 10:15-16, " Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."

Now, when I ran those 50 yard dashes in school, I didn't worry about my hair, or how I looked, or what people thought or if I was tired, and I definitely wasn't concerned about could I make it to the finish line. I just heard the gun go off and I ran with such spontaneity and enthusiasm, just pushing to the finish line! A sweet abandon was under my legs that caused me to feel weightless and unstoppable. And that is how we have to be if we are going to win the prize!
God has a blue ribbon waiting. It may be in the form of a breakthrough, miracle, blessing or your destiny, but what is certain is to obtain it you have to be like a child running with that same sense of freedom and determination!

You may not feel like that right now. Just like I didn't think I would ever run again. But you can do what it takes to get yourself fit again and run! No one is too far gone, or too out of shape. Every muscle in your body has a memory. Even paralyzed people can regain muscle mass with therapy. So it's not impossible for you to regain your strength and run. You may feel weak in your prayer life, but if you just pray, it will be strengthened. You may feel incompetent in your knowledge of the Word, but if you will just get into the Word, you will become wise. You may feel weak in your faith, but if you will just start to believe for something better, your faith will be increased! You may fear for the future, have doubts, have questions, you've been out of the game for a long time, but by all means, don't sit it out! Get up! Get back up, and if you have to kick off your shoes to remember what it felt like to run with that sweet abandon, do it. But do it! Get up, get ready, set....

Baby, Be Prepared to be Surprised!

2007-12-26T00:08:00.000-05:00

The month of December flew by with a blink of an eye! We pour so much into the holidays and it is beautiful, lovely and enriching! We harvest from our efforts precious memories, bonding in our relationships and opportunity to reflect and savor those things that are dear to us.

It must be no mistake that the holidays of November and December, and what they represent in principal such as reflection, memories and tradition, prelude what transpires in January. We spend Thanksgiving and Christmas reflecting on the people around us, the things that we are blessed with, the gift of God's Son, reliving our traditions that are past down to us, doing things that we are generations old and in an instant it is over and we have a week of "coming down" from the saturation of sentimentality. And just when we move into a state of avoidance of the question "what is it all truly about" or "was it really worth it", we find ourselves at the edge of a cliff where we must jump into the unknown...a new year. From impedes of "looking back" to the purity of "looking forward".

And there is something pure about looking forward. It's all new and fresh. No pressure for us, if we truly have no preconceived expectations. I know you are questioning that. I can hear you thinking, "shouldn't we go into a new year with expectation?" Well, I said preconceived. It's the pressure of what is expected of us that stresses us out in November and December. But what is so liberating in January, or should I say midnight on December 31st, is that you can leave the old behind and walk into something that is clean and fresh with none of that. And if you don't hold yourself to a preconceived expectation of the year, there is no stressing, no striving and absolutely no disappointment. I know you aren't totally convinced not to have expectations. So let me go further.

My favorite scripture in Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do exceeding and abundantly above what we ask or think - expect. And that is how God intends us to live our lives. We should not expect what WE expect! We should expect only one thing...the UNEXPECTED!

We should only expect God to bring into our lives things that will blow our minds, things beyond our human comprehension, and that which is better and more extraordinary than we can think about on December 31st at midnight. In essence...prepare for only one thing...prepare to be surprised in 2008!

Recently I had to put on a calendar everything that I would be doing in ministry for 2008. No easy task at anytime, but this year it was particularly difficult for me. Every time I would schedule something I almost felt a question mark on certain things. I could hear the Spirit of God whispering over my back, "that's a great idea, but don't count on it, I might shift that for you." Well, before 2008 has dropped like a ball in Times Square, I have already cancelled half my calendar because the Spirit of God did just that! And all I sense deep within me is that 2008 is a year of surprise and a year of exceeding expectations. This will be a year of the unusual. This will be a year of the things that seemed uncertain becoming certain and the things that were improbable becoming probable and permanent. And if you want to take that as a prophetic word, I would encourage you to do so!

It's great to go into a new year prepared. It's great to have goals and plans and hopes. But this just isn't the year to box yourself in with limited expectations. I can't even put into words what I desire for 2008, or what I hope for. If I did, I may limit myself, my ministry and my future! So I will prepare for one thing only....to be surprised! I suggest you go ahead and do it too!

Believe it or not...it is Christmas Time!

2007-11-27T16:49:00.000-05:00

It is currently 73 degrees here in St. Petersburg, Florida, as I write this and that is a chill from the past few days we have had. The breeze in the air has a hint of cold to it that ignites the hopes of those longing for that "Christmas Feeling" which will motivate them to proceed into the the holidays. I, however need none of that motivation. All my Christmas decorations are out of their boxes and in their places inside and outside of my home and the Christmas music is playing and I have already watched my kick-off-the-season movie, "The Christmas Story" and have the right holiday scented candle burning for the accent affect. I did all of that the moment I arrived home from our Thanksgiving trip, as is my tradition....get it out of the garage, get it up into place, fast, fast, fast - as not to waste one precious moment of the short lived days which proceed Christmas.

And now I sit here in my house, the first on the block to light up the street, and it's not even December! No procrastination for me. Now I wonder, "will my tree live to Christmas?" At least now I can relax and soak in the weeks and I mean weeks until the big day. Maybe having spent so many Christmases wishing I had savored the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas before all of the festive surroundings had to be torn down, that I now do my best to extend that time and allow myself and my family to soak it in. With most of my labor accomplished and all this time on my hands , I can extend to you a holiday message.

Whether you enjoy the "secular" focuses of Christmas or you only celebrate the spiritual purpose or perhaps like me you love it all, I think it is obvious that this season like no other enriches and establishes so much in relationships. The power of our celebration of this season and the garnishes of those celebrations last a lifetime and beyond. It is a mystery what powerful impressions are set within us, not only from purposeful events but even the nuances of everything around us, permeating our senses; sights, sounds, smells, feelings. Certainly whether we realize it or not, whether we focus on it or not, Christmas, the season of celebration of the birth of the Messiah is profound. You can rattle on about Christmas being all year long in our hearts. Yeah, I get that, but even still, everything is different during Christmas. Everything feels different. And maybe that is the point.

He came to change EVERYTHING. God said in Isaiah 49:19, "Behold I will do a new thing." Something new is something not done before and something different. So put Santa in there and throw in a flying reindeer, but that is not what makes the season different. The "world" may not acknowledge Him, but He is here and things are different, and with so many songs ringing in the atmosphere pronouncing His arrival - it sounds different. With all of His people worshipping Him in an aroma of praise, it smells different. With all of the love and unity of His people focusing on one thing at one time, it feels different.

So extend the time. Cut out the other stuff. Make the celebration happen. Offer it to your family. Let it fill your home. If you are an adult...go ahead, celebrate all that thrilled you long ago. Bring it back into the now. Get it going. Set the atmosphere for the different. It goes by so fast and then the thrill is gone and the opportunities for whatever it is that sticks with us for a lifetime. You have weeks, and I mean weeks to soak it in. So do it. I'll keep reminding you until then....

Oh yea, Merry Christmas to you!

Go Ahead!

2007-11-17T22:40:00.000-05:00

Ephesians 3:19

... that you may be

filled to the measure of all the fullness of God!

In a few short days we will all be eating a meal of abundance of some sort, particular prepared to fill everyone to the fullest at the table. In fact, this special meal has many words of association which expound the point: stuffing, feast, bounty. Every American has a vivid memory of that feeling of over-the-top satisfaction of fullness on Thanksgivings past. Just typing this I am already contemplating an expandable waist line on whatever I wear that day.

We also can associate with the scenario of no matter how full we are of all the delicacies of the feast, in just a few hours we are back in the kitchen removing tin-foil and loading paper plates with a new assortment in various forms of the same food we just over-ate. Again this typifies the truth that we are wonderfully and fearfully made by a Creator who works everything in conformity with His purposes.

God created us with a capacity to be filled, to enjoy the fullness, but a need to come back for more. Ahhhhh. Filled, full....more. And so it is with our discovery of the God who intricately made us that way.

Let me break it down. Paul was using specific words to create a picture of our capacity to experience God. He said, "that you may be filled." His word "fill" there literally means to "cram"! Oh yes, the same "cram" we will be doing with all that sweet potato casserole and stuffing! You know that sensation; its delicious, you take as much as you want and eat without reservation, you feel full but there's some still left and it's so good that you eat it all anyway and take one or two more spoonfuls just because it's Thanksgiving and the food is there .

Hmmm. David said, "he prepares a table before me." "He satisfies me with good things."

If only we would consume God, the way we consume that Thanksgiving meal. If only our spiritual hearts would hunger in anticipation of tasting Him on a Sunday morning! If only we came into His presence and took as much as we could, got full and went even further for another helping because even though we are so full of Him, we just have to have MORE!

The thing about hunger and fullness is, fullness is expendable. It comes and then it's gone. Our bodies were designed to always be hungry again, because our bodies MUST have food. Yes, God knew it...we need Him. We taste Him, feast on His Word, discover Him, feel Him and it's so good, but the next day...we need Him again.

But going even further, God didn't just create us to eat when we are hungry. He also gave us the desire for the taste of something delicious. Though in excess, eating when you aren't hungry can cause problems, there is nothing more pleasurable than eating something that is so good when you aren't hungry but just because you know it tastes so good! Like what I am doing while I write this late at night... eating a big bowl of your favorite full-of-sugar cereal. And you know how it is when that cereal is so good you hate to leave even one of those little circles floating in the milk and something compels you to not even leave the milk....you slurp it all up in one quick swoop from the bowl itself - simply because its just that great! You don't care if anyone sees you, or that you are in your forties and too mature to do it, you do it in spite of all that, because of your desire and a sweet abandon moves you to do it.

"Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!"

EMBRACE YOUR WOMANHOOD!

2007-10-31T12:13:00.000-04:00

I recently made the comment while preaching, that earlier that day I had a "PMS demon" following me around influencing my reactions and perceptions about my day. Every woman laughed as we had a true moment of womanhood together.

I love being really spiritual and preaching a powerful Word to women and then just interjecting something totally human and something totally woman. (I really think Jesus would appreciate that type of preaching. Just my opinion! But more so, I think my women appreciate it. ) It is at that moment in the height of my preaching, when they are just being "wow'd" at the depth of truth or the revelation that is coming out of my mouth, that moment when the great divide women put between each other appears that whispers "you are not like me therefore I can't open myself up totally to you,", is when the Spirit of God steps in saying "they need to know this powerful deep revelation is for them and not just you," and I get this analogy that is raw with reality - like a "PMS demon"!

So in honor of those moments, I just thought I would take a break from my deep and heavy WORDS in this blogspot and let this be an "embrace your womanhood" post (sorry guys). I'm sending this out to all the women out there with "PMS demons" and all that other girls stuff.

Quotes for you girls...

"Some days every woman you meet has the hair you want."

(Dee Ann Stewart)

"All we want is peace on earth, and really cute shoes" (Allyson Jones)

"Men cry, but only when assembling furniture" (Rita Rudner)

"I want my husband to take me in his arms and whisper those three little words that all women long to hear..."you were right" (Kelly Smith)

"Some days I feel I have the weight of the world on my shoulders, then on other days I feel like it's on my hips." (Robin St. James)

"I always keep three sizes of clothes in my closet..."normal days", "bloated days" and "those were the days". (Myra Zirkle)

"When life gets too hectic, I've always found that a nice hot bath can solve most problems, for everything else, there's denial" (Keely Chace)

Got any more womanhood quotes or thoughts? Just leave me a comment - who knows if I won't interject it in a spiritual moment of preaching!

PRIVATE WARS

2007-10-26T11:19:00.001-04:00

For years I have enjoyed reading David Wilkerson's newsletter that come monthly in our mail. His pulpit series is always a profound and Word-oriented message. This month's message was a practical teaching called "The Private War Of The Saint", talking about the private and deeply painful things that believers go through even though they are Christians.
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As a Pastor who is privy to many personal battles that people face, battles that they secretly wage in their homes, their bodies, minds and emotions, I know that people struggle. People come to church presenting themselves well, but underneath they are truly fighting a war. Even I have come to church doing my assignment and inside a war was raging of discouragement or torment from a circumstance and no one had a clue.

Look around you the next service you are in. The person next to you who shook your hand could be fighting for their life. That is such a sobering thought. The next question is what should we do about it or what CAN we do about it. Do you really want to know? Really? Alright then...here is the answer....PRAY.

Eph 6:11-13 12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
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Eph 6:1818
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
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Gal 6:1-2

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
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This is exactly why at New Destiny International Church we have a corporate prayer meeting every Saturday night. We come together as a body not only to seek God for an outpouring of His Spirit and that His will and purpose be accomplished in our ministry, but to fight HELL! Those wars maybe private and hidden to other believers, but God by His Spirit is intimately aware of them all! During our corporate prayer there is often a leading of the Spirit of God to pray specifically toward one thing and I later find out that week that someone or some family was and is in the middle of that private war!

This Saturday we will do it again. We will fight people's private wars in a public venue. The Bible tells us that..."Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." (Col 2:15) And the Church is enforcing His work and will every Saturday night at New Destiny.

If you are in a private war, you are not really alone in there! We are fighting for you and with you! Take courage! Reinforcements are on the way! You will survive! There is a body of believers who are out diligently "saving Private Ryan!"

To hear more about "Private Wars", join Pastor Carmen in her bible study Sunday night at 6 pm (10/28) or purchase the CD at the Media Center at NDIC .

WHO WILL SEEK ME?

2007-10-09T13:44:00.000-04:00

"God looks down from heaven upon the children of men,

To see if there are any who understand, who seek God."

Ps 53:2

I write that scripture and my heart is overwhelmed. What does God see when He looks upon the earth? What is He looking for and at when He is watching man? He isn't just "monitoring" our whereabouts or our actions. This scripture makes it clear that God is looking in anticipation and expectation for something specific. He looks to see who "get's it".

If I have learned anything in life, it is the fact that some people "get it" and some people just don't. No matter how much they are taught and led and encouraged, you can't make someone be or do anything they don't desire. They either will "get" the truth or they will reject it. It is either "in them" to do it, or it's not. They either will connect with principals or they won't. Some people will reject truth, not "get it", but one day...something clicks and suddenly, they "get it." Such is the mystery of man-kind from my human perspective. And I see that God, even in His greatness looks down on man-kind with the same observation. He sees who is "getting it" and who just doesn't.

What is "getting it?" Well, the scriptures shows us here that "getting it" is having understanding. And we know from other scripture such as...

Prov 4:4-74 ....He also taught me, and said to me:

"Let your heart retain my words;

Keep my commands, and live.

Get wisdom! Get understanding!Do not forget,

nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her,

and she will preserve you;Love her, and she will keep you.

Wisdom is the principal thing;Therefore get wisdom.

And in all your getting, get understanding.

We know as well, that those who have understanding and wisdom are those who fear and honor the Lord,

Ps 111:10...the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.

So, from heaven the Lord looks to see if there be any who has understanding...because they are the ones who will seek God. Again, like I have said before, when you wittle all of life down, the most important element is seeking the Lord...your worship and connection with Him. And once again the scriptures make it clear.

Is He looking for good works, success, buildings, money, etc? No, He is only looking for someone who will seek Him. He put us on this earth with the free will to seek Him or not. He allowed us the freedom to "get it" or not to "get it". I know that if God is looking for something, then He when He finds it, He will be pleased. If He finds one who will seek Him, then He will take pleasure in them and will reward them for their seeking.

Heb 11:66...But without faith it is impossible to please Him,

for he who comes to God must believe that He is,

and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

The cry of God's heart is, "where are they that seek Me?"

Jer 29:12-1412

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me,

and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me,

when you search for Me with all your heart.

I will be found by you, says the LORD

TIME OUT!!!!!

2007-09-28T16:30:00.000-04:00

Ok, everyone knows that women can multi-task like nobody's business. We juggle alot of things all at once. We can be making lunches while we make breakfast, while we are planning dinner in our minds. We work outside the home, in the home and all around the home. We are indeed mother, nurse, chef, counselor, interior decorator, veterinarian, entertainment director, teacher, laundry mat operator, Mrs. Can-Fix -Anything, exterminator, intercessor, secretary, local GPS system for even the little things from a missing shoe to the receipt from two months ago, hairdresser, fashion stylist, shopper, maid, janitor, ambassador, chauffeur and I said it once but it definitely merits twice....MAID!
And we do it all day in and day out, year after year, seen and unseen, over and over....until one day the something in us just has too burst forth...
TIME OUT!!!!!!

And you know what...you go girl! Take your time out. It's not selfish, it's not even nonspiritual.
In fact, it is spiritual. God told us to do it. He created us to do it. In fact, He did it! He created the entire earth and then said..."Time Out!" And He did...He took time out! And Adam didn't roll over and die and the garden didn't dry up and the world kept spinning. Life went on even without God doing what He does best for one day!

So...TIME OUT for you woman of God! Time out to regroup, recover your sanity, make sense of it all, and finally shave that part of your leg you haven't had time to do in your take a nano second shower! Rediscover the voice inside you, the pleasure of deep breathing, the beauty of silence and the incredible release of doing nothing just for no reason...and you aren't bed-ridden with a flu (not that the flu has ever stopped you before)

We have to do it. We have to do it for all the little ones who need their homework done without you crying. We have to so we will actually will laugh at the crazy things that happen during our day instead of having a melt down.

No one will make you do it, beside you. No one will make sure you take that time....no one will look at you loosing it and say..."TIME OUT FOR YOU MIGHTY WOMAN!' So say it, and do it and live and laugh!

Ex 31:1717

It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.'"

Ex 23:11-12 12

Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.

CRITICAL SITUATION!

2007-09-15T11:09:00.000-04:00

Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Tim 1:6-7

Recently I was watching a show on television called "Critical Situation." This was not your light hearted sit-com or mellow-drama of the week, but a show on the National Geographic channel that highlights real people thrust from the routine into survivor mode in a moment. It reaccounts real situations in which people are going about the usual and the unexpected happens and they are put into a situation which requires total survival of the moment before their rescue or the situation is resolved. The show then dissects the situation in a play by play account of what they did, or could have, or should have done in order to survive their unplanned and unanticipated turn of events.

What intrigued me by the show was the prevailing truth that in a single moment life can transform itself from routine to critical and it is in the window of time called the "golden moments", which is between the second of impact of the new situation and being consumed into the tragedy, that is the most critical . It is in that "golden moment" that choices are made and actions are taken that can determine survival or demise. But it is there, in that moment, that most people make the biggest mistakes, and blame the event or the critical situation for their demise.

The biggest mistake most people make is in the thinking that the turn of events or the critical situation is doomed and that they have no chance. Most of the time critical situations are survivable, and the factor that determines survival is the ability of the individual to make right choices in the "golden moments". What I need to remind you today, is that you don't have to be climbing a snowcapped ice glacier or in a jungle in South America or on a sinking boat in the ocean to apply this truth. It is a truth the encompasses every aspect of our human lives, physically, emotionally and spiritually. What we do and think and percieve in the "golden moments" of the unexpected turn of events of our little day, or relationships, or destiny will determine the outcome and our well-being and livelihood.

Experts say that when faced with the unexpected, only 2 out of 10 people will do the right thing. The rest will be stunned, belwildered or hysterical. Doesn't that sound like most of us in the midst of the unexpected and unexplained!?!

When Paul was talking to Timothy and told him to remember to stir up his gift because God had not given a him a spirit of fear, he was saying, in the "golden moment", don't draw from the chaos of circumstances, draw from what is deposited in you and keep your calm, keep your common sense. Make informed, already trained for this decisions and actions that will save you and bring you out alive. Most of us kill ourselves unnecessarily in a bad situation, when we should have helped ourselves.

In some rescue attempts for drowning victims, the rescuer has to knock the victim out in order to save him because the victim in a panic resists the rescuer and he becomes his own enemy of death. So do we in even the ordinary turn of events. We thrash about in a panic, resisting the new or the change, we throw out our common sense for over emotional responses that kill us in the end more than the event we were facing.

So today...keep that in mind. Don't be the other eight people who lose their minds and get washed away in the critical situation. Keep your cool, keep your common sense and draw from what you have been taught and you will make it through just fine.

OUR ONE GOAL

2007-08-29T14:38:00.000-04:00

1 John 2:28-29
And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous. You know that everyone

who practices righteousness

is born of Him.

It is said that a successful person sets goals. This is true. Very few people have success because they accidentally ran into it one day. To be successful you have to live a life of purpose, or more accurately put, live life on purpose!

I should first clarify the meaning of success since it is what trips most people up. Success isn't the pinnacle of your pursuit, but success is flourishing. And to flourish is to live and do well, sustaining continuous steady and strong growth.

So to live well and flourish you have to have goals. And as a believer we busy ourselves with so many goals in the pursuit of a successful Christian walk. We work hard at serving, hard at developing our gifts and even harder for opportunities to use them. We even work hard at worshipping, giving, learning the Word and being where we need to be. We get our system down and our talk down and we feel we are on the way to success. But truly the scripture in John 2:28 gives us the one goal we should strive for is to abide in Him.

It is the essential goal of a believer and really sometimes it gets lost in all the "hub-bub" of our Christian world. We have to grasp the fact that when we abide in Him, then we will do the one thing that really counts, we will live a life just like your Heavenly Father created us to live...a life of righteousness. It is clear that John was trying to let us know what pleases God is a life of righteousness.

I said it in my last blog, that God is not impressed with all the other things we put so much emphasis upon. He is really impressed by our pursuit of Him, His righteousness and a pure heart. In fact, it is a mark of who is truly His child and of Him.

So, in all your endeavors, go after God. In this moment in the Church many people are confused with the mark of success, or what is true and what is false concerning the things in the church and things concerning the church. And when that happens, it becomes a fabulous time to return to the basics and check the foundations of your house. Abide in Him.

Col 1:16-18 declares this deep and profound yet simplistic basis of truth, and for all those who are confused or cynical or perplexed at the Church or the things of God or even being a Christian, then you need to come back to only this...

"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth,

visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.

All things were created through Him and for Him.

And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning,

the firstborn from the dead,

that in all things He may have the preeminence. "

Take your attention off everything and everybody else, and put it upon whom has preeminence in all things and then abide in Him. I think many people will stand before the Lord when He comes ashamed because they worked hard for and were distracted by so many other things, and missed their opportunity to spend their lives developing a life that was abiding in Him. And He will probably say, "what were you doing all this time?"

RESILIENT!!

2007-08-05T23:18:00.000-04:00

You, who have shown me great and severe troubles,

Shall revive me again, and bring me up again from

the depths of the earth.

You shall increase my greatness,

And comfort me on every side.

Ps 71:20-21

What do you need today in your journey of life? What quality and virtue must you have as a vital part of your character? If you really want to know, then I have the WORD for you today - RESILIENT!

If you want to reach your destiny, if you want to fulfill your purpose, then above the increase of knowledge and the abundance of zeal, you have to be resilient! Because it is a woman who is resilient who will stake it, make it and take it!

This Psalm represents the realities of life, the realities of destiny, and the realities of success, because the truth is that destiny is not glamorous and it is certainly not a joy ride. Life with all of it's dynamics is a bumpy road. The Word tells us the rain falls on the just and the unjust and no one can escape the hardships and the trials of life. Even Jesus told us to expect trouble. But we are also admonished that the one who endures until the end will be saved and that if we don't grow weary in all of it we will be rewarded. In other words, you are going to go through junk - and a lot of junk is ugly and hard - and the key is to BOUNCE BACK every time. I said the key is to - BOUNCE BACK - every time!

You may be reading this and you are right where this Psalm describes - in great and severe troubles. You may feel as knocked down as low as you can go - even to the depths of the earth! I could be your guide through these depths, I've been there too, we all have at one time or another! This scripture is written by someone who obviously had been in this predicament repetitively because he describes the situation with the word "again". The good news is, in order to say "again" - you had to get out of it the first time which lends to the notion you will get out of it "again'! That is resilience!

The definition of resilience is the ability to recover and
return after being bent, compressed and stretched!

I think of many women I have known personally and from afar who were women of resilience. One would be, of all people, Tammy Faye Baker Messner, who recently passed away after a long battle with cancer. With no doubt that woman faced a lot of great and severe troubles, hitting the bottom, but in every instance, with all of her oddities she will be remembered for her incredible resilience! Even two days before she fell asleep and died, she went on national television for an interview at 65 pounds laughing and with a positive confession, a song, a praise, her joy and her faith in God! WOW!
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It truly makes me stop and ask myself - in the face of death - will I have the resilience to laugh, praise God and be joyful? In the face of my petty problems which are truly temporal, can I do at least that?
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So - look at yourself in the reflection of your computer and point your finger at yourself and say - BE RESILIENT! BOUNCE BACK! BE REVIVED AGAIN!
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I don't even have time to talk about the fact that when you truly embrace a resilience, GOD will comfort you on every side and increase your greatness - ....don't make me preach!

GET THE FAVOR FOR YOUR ENDEAVOR!

2007-06-21T11:32:00.000-04:00

"... let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,

And establish the work of our hands for us;

Yes, establish the work of our hands."

Ps 90:17

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a frustration free life? Wouldn't it be awesome to endeavor things and do things and have it go smoothly and successfully? Many of us live our lives as if we are paddling upstream against a heavy current. We are huffing and puffing, struggling, and the whole time complaining and wondering why is this all so hard? We are working so hard at what we do in our own way and, sometimes find that we have put all that effort into painting ourselves into a corner. The end result is discouragement, weariness and ....frustration clear and simple. But shouldn't we be free from that?

Moses was a man who had a lot of things to do. He had to get an entire nation out of bondage, convincing a tyrant Pharaoh to let them go. Then Moses had to get this mass of people across a desert to the promised land and deal with all the small details of their needs for 40 years. (He was an incredible multi-tasker!) So Moses makes a prayer to God recorded in the Psalms, "May the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands for us." Immediately as women we think, yes Lord, I need beauty! But "beauty" is not referring to something physical, but to an intent. It is translated to mean 'agreeableness" or "favor". So we can restate that as, "May the favor and agreeableness of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the works of our hands for us." Now that makes a difference! Because when God is in agreement, then the deal is sealed!

Now Moses, who had a lot on his plate was praying that the agreeableness and favor of God be upon him, but for a purpose; to establish the works of his hands for him. Notice the "for him". A lot of us who do a lot of things, do those things by our own agreement and will and in our own strength and power. Let me simplify this thought by putting it practically. "God ,I need to do what you agree with, because if you agree with it, then I have your favor in the situation. If I have your favor, then you extend yourself to establish it, FOR me."

Can I take it further? To establish means to "set up". So when God believes in what you are doing, He will actually set it up for you, so you don't have to struggle in it anymore! Finally, some relief! But the key is to do that which God agrees with. He can not bless disobedience, and He can't bless a mess and disorder! I watch some people struggle in their endeavors and the whole time they are begging God to help them. And God says, I don't agree with what you are doing and how you are doing it, so first you need to do what I want you to do, then I will bless you. Don't ask God to bless what you are doing, until you know you are doing what God is blessing! If Moses had endeavored to get Israel out of Egypt and it wasn't God's time or His assignment, or Moses tried to do it his way using his own words and acting like a fool, God would not have put His favor on it and it would have been a complete failure! But He inquired of the Lord, heard from God, did what God said, the way He said it, and it WORKED! And not only that, but they left with blessing!

So, what are you doing? How are your doing it? Is God for it? Is it the ordination of the Lord for you? Check that out FIRST! GET THE FAVOR FOR YOUR ENDEAVOR, then with the agreement and favor of God- watch God set it up and make a way and maybe for the first time you can do it without the stress! Try it!

IMAGINATIONS!

2007-06-08T20:44:00.000-04:00

Jeremiah 7:23-24

"But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice and I will be your God and you shall be my people: and walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may go well with you. But they listened not, not inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward."

The worst thing that can define our lives is that we are going backward and not forward! After all, the Word tells us we are to be continually transformed into His image, growing from Glory to Glory. It tells us that we should be throwing off what hinders us so that we can run the race and press on toward the mark. All this indicates a forward growing motion. To go back is to return to what we used to be, the way it used to be, before the Holy Spirit dwelled in us and we walked according to the Spirit of God.

What does this scripture indicate is the prime culprit of going back? The counsel of our imaginations which are birthed from darkness! In fact, the enemy sends us his counsel through our imaginations. That is why we are told over and over through the Word of God to watch our minds and thoughts.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God,for the pulling down of strongholds, and casting down imaginationsand every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God."

When the enemy puts his counsel in our minds through our imaginations, he is setting that imagination up in hopes it will be exalted above God's counsel, His knowledge. It is our responsibility to take captive that thought and cast down imaginations in our minds that would cause us to ignore God's Truth and ultimately lead us backward. To move backward is to retreat in distance away from God's ultimate plan and His best for your life. That is the goal of the enemy. To get you moving away from God's plan and purpose and thus you go backward and not forward.

Let me show you how relevant this is to our lives. We all have imaginations that come to us, that if we don't cast down, could damage our lives, and God's kingdom. Here are some examples:

You think a particular person or people do not like you.

You presume what an individual will say or think.

You assume a diagnosis of sickness in your body.

You play out an event negatively before it happens.

You interpret every night dream with an emotion or apply it to reality.

You exaggerate.

There are so many other examples I could give. But know this, Imaginations are mental images, pictures or conversations that are conceived in the heart of man, (even through dreams). If an imagination does not line up with the Word of God and with Truth, you must cast it down! Ultimately, the enemy is waiting for you to think on it, own it and with much anticipation, he desires you to give your imagination a VOICE! Because the moment you vocalize your hidden imagination, it takes on life!

So today, take captive your lofty thoughts and cast down your imaginations. And by all means, DON'T give your imaginations a voice! Think upon the truth! Imagine His Word! Give voice to His promises!

POWERFUL THOUGHTS!

2007-05-22T15:44:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 1:13-16
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

I am more and more becoming convinced of the power of our thoughts. They generate everything that motivates us and everything that is produced in and through us. You can not separate the connection between a mindset and a lifestyle, or thoughts and actions. Thoughts are the generating energy of our actions in themselves. And not only our actions, but everything that comes out of our mouths in the form of the words and statements that we make.

Our thoughts influence our perception of reality. As we choose to contain negativity and carnality in our thought life, everything that comes into our mind is judged with tainted intelligence. We therefore are unable to discern the truth in situations because our minds are filled are not filled with truth and unable to filter through confusion and deception.

So when the Word tells us to "gird the loins of your minds" it is telling us to tighten our minds, not allowing just anything to rest in our thoughts. That is a proactive approach to guarding your mind. And let me say, it is not enough to just "guard" our minds, but we must make the same effort in filling and renewing our minds with truth on a continuous basis. Keeping our minds swept clean of deception, carnality and worldly influence, which can taint our minds. When we neglect to renew we are sentencing our minds to corruption and the fault is solely ours alone.

The word "loins" in that scripture, literally means procreative power. That means what is in our mind has the ability to produce something viable. There is power in our thoughts. Power must be channeled and harnessed and focused for it to bring life and support. If not, it becomes a vehicle for destruction.

So today I challenge you: if you are unhappy with what you are producing, perhaps you should survey your thoughts. They are the procreative matrix of your life. Harness the power of your thoughts and renew them and direct them with TRUTH, LIFE, PEACE, WHOLENESS - THE WORD OF GOD AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD. You can not complain about what you tolerate.
Make a change today in your thoughts, in what you fill your mind with and think upon and I promise you, the product of that change will be a blessing in your life.

Distractions

2007-05-10T10:40:00.000-04:00

As modern Christian women, we are busy women! We are juggling many activities, responsibilities and tasks and it is a challenge to keep priorities in an order that glorifies God and truly brings us eternal rewards. There are so many things that we do and involve ourselves in that simply keep us from the GOD PLAN for our lives. Oftentimes, the enemy will use distractions to delay our progress and get us off course and keep the greatest distance he can, between us and our true purpose. Satan will use our busyness, our schedules, our circumstances to create frustration and confusion and weariness, all in an endeavor to thwart us from our destinies. That is why distraction can be deadly, because the end of distraction is destruction!

As godly women, we have a responsibility to one thing...to please the Lord. That doesn't change from one generation to next, from one advancement to the next, from one social change to the next. It remains the focus for every believer, at every level and in every generation.

Mic 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good;And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly,To love mercy,And to walk humbly with your God?

Eph 5:17
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Eph. 1:4-6

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

In other words, God has a plan, a purpose for each of us and we must seek after it, find it out and pursue it with our lives. And it is possible to make decisions and base our priorities upon the understanding that we live to do His will and become what he created us to become. In practicality, we should be doing that which moves us toward His will. If we are running around doing things that have no eternal value, and no fulfillment of His will, then we do so in vain.

And that is precisely why we are busy, but frustrated, we are exerting energy and effort with no harvest of fulfillment, only weariness. Because when you labor for nothing in return, you will be frustrated, tired and weary.

Maybe today, you should sit down and review your life. What is a distraction, what is a waste?

What reflects His will for your life and what has no eternal value. That is your challenge for the day! Take it and make it!

Pastor Carmen

Rise Up and Take It!

2007-04-10T14:31:00.000-04:00

Reading: Numbers 27:1-11 - The Daughters of Zelophehad.

These women are rarely presented in sermons and most people haven’t heard of them.
But these women have much to say to us. Their lives and their actions speak to us loudly.
If they could stand before us today, they would be the examples and mentors that would inspire us. They would be on the most admired and influential women of today list.

Because these women, the daughters of Zelophehad, would motivate and challenge us to come forward and to take what is ours. They would tells us that a life that lives passively is a life that is missing out and is lacking. They would tell us to take chances, to risk the venture and to do something that has never been done before. They would tell us to challenge the status quo, even if it’s just our status quo, and that to not try and to not take on an endeavor - is a travesty.

They would tell you tonight that there are no excuses, there are no obstacles that can realistically keep you from obtaining more. Even if something seems to be impossible and something seems to be denied you, if you zealously pursue something with faith, it can be yours.
And ultimately their motto would be, "With faith all things are possible."

These women would tell you not to live beneath your rights and never let anyone cause you to believe you are due less than what is the Truth says you are. They would tell you that only you and God alone have the power to limit you. And in the same way, only you and God have the ability to take you to the next level of more than what you have and enjoy now. And they would finally end their admonishment with this challenging thought: You are your greatest enemy.

In the reflection of their lives to ours, we can clearly see that it is our complaceny, our fears, our self-doubt, our lack of knowledge, our insecurities, our inclination to believe what others have told us, and our inclination to accept what we have now and nothing more that restricts us, robs us, and withholds from us and stirs us to rise up and take more!

So the question I pose to you on behalf of the Daughters of Zelophehad is this:
What is the thing beyond your reach? What has been denied to you?
What is your dream, your right and your destiny?
Rise up and take it.