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"Having An Affair With Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda? - Let It Go"
| Posted on 13 March, 2017 at 6:06 |
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Sistas, meditate on this song during your praise and worship time with the Lord. Welcome Him in. "Not that I have already obtained (to gain or attain usually by planned action or effort; succeed ) it or have already become perfect (mature), but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus I have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting (cease from remembering; don't give attention to; banish from one's thoughts; fail to mention) what lies behind and reach (press; exert)forward to what lies ahead. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13, 14 "One problem with gazing too frequently in the past is that we may turn around and find the future has run out on us." Michael Cinbenko Good morning Brothas and Sistas, There are times when we tend to give ourselves good old fashioned beat down. We are merciless in not forgiving ourselves for sins we commit. Sometimes we make wrong choices or mistakes because we are doing the best we know to do at that time. And yes, there are times when we are being flat out rebellious as all ever and don't give a flying flip. Brothas and Sistas, either way we have to learn to forgive ourselves and move on when we make mistakes or sin. Sometimes we have to give ourselves time to mature. We make it seem as though that somehow through salvation we can no longer see ourselves as imperfect human beings. We are trying to obtain perfection (maturity) in an imperfect world. Who other than Jesus, Himself could remain perfect or sinless in a world full of sin and imperfection? Who?........... Yeah, I know; nobody but Him. So let's move on, shall we. Solution: We need to take a chill pill. There are no overnight sensations in the Kingdom of God. Believe it or not we simply will never know it all. Real growth takes a minute. We are still learning and that's OK. Perfection will one day manifest itself when He which is perfect returns. We are still prone to sin and make mistakes while we remain in this flesh. None of us are perfect. "We all sin and fall short of His glory." Romans 3:23 Even yet while we are ministering to others we struggle and are still striving to live and walk out all that we ourselves minister to others about because sin is ever present. It is a constant struggle within to walk upright. Paul proves this in Romans 7:15-25 which states, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in Gods law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Paul in no way got this thing twisted. He understood full well that he had issues. We all have issues. As a matter of fact, God, the Father purposely uses nothing but flawed beings so that He can get full honor and glory for everything that He does in and through us. "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." I Corinthians 1:27 So as you approach each new day find yourself a new lover by hookin' up with Jesus and stop having an affair with shoulda, coulda, woulda. "Don't let your shadow walk with you. You are not a slave to the past." Dodinsky Prayer of Faith Dear Lord, We love and thank you for forgiveness of sin. Help us to forgive ourselves and move on. May we recognize the the act of grace that you portrayed on the cross and grant ourselves that same grace. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Featured in Appetizers For Today http://youtu.be/FQ8oCzqsYZ8 Featured in Poetic Pastries http://youtu.be/SKIUvlgj9VY Featured in the Dinner Theatre |
What Stands Between You and the Abundant Life?
| Posted on 19 December, 2016 at 20:49 |
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 The Blessings of the Promised Land Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey. For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. And it shall come to pass, IF ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full." Duet. 11:8-15 Top of the morning to all of our Kingdom Brothas and Sistas, I pray that you are doing wonderful this morning partaking in God' s liquid sunshine. There is nothing like Him sending a shower to refresh His sons and daughters. Yesterday I woke up this morning with the word IF on my mind. You know so many times we may focus on the blessings of the Lord without taking into account the fact that there is a prerequisite to obtaining those blessings that He so graciously wants to bestow upon us. And that is where that word IF comes in. Yesterday before church the Lord led me to Deuteronomy 11. Okay Brothas Sistas, let's take some time to break this down. Let's atart with vs. 8. In this passage of scripture the Lords says, "IF thou wilt enter into life, IF thou will enter into Canaan (which is a type of life according to Matthew Henry's commentary) and find it a good land keep thy commandments which I command you this day" Notice that we are not being promised pie in the sky without first telling us how we are to obtain it. For example, most of us know by now that we cannot live any old kind of way and expect to receive all that He has for us. We must indeed do something on our part and that something involves us obeying our Heavenly Father. The definition of the word IF is in the event that; allowing that; or on the assumption that. Just like in that day when our Heavenly Father promised the Israelites life and blessing when they CHOSE obedience over rebellion He does the same thing with us today. Brothas and Sistas, the prerequisite for going into the land of plenty, blessing, and prosperity is only in the event that we hearken unto His voice. It is solely based on and stands on the assumption that we will not harden our hearts. And it will primarily rests on our inherent ability to trust Him in all things to the point of submitting to His rule over our will which includes the decisions that we make. The passage goes on to say in verses 13-15, "And it shall come to pass, IF ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full." Okay Brothas and Sistas, there goes that word IF again. And look if we begin to look at the word rain, the first rain represented the former or after the harvest rain or autumn rain which in Arabic is pronounced malgosh. The latter rain represented the rain before harvest or spring rains which in Arabic is pronounced bresho or huetos. The word rain represents a blessing and abundance during the harvest. Abundant harvest requires both the first and the latter rain. Both types of rain ultimately represent an outpouring of the Lord's blessings upon us. IF there was a lack of rain in the proper time or due season it was the cause of complete failure of the harvest. Hence, the promise of prosperity is given in the assurance of the rain in due season. This abundant rain therefore represents "the abundant life". As we saw earlier in our text the tsunami of blessings He has ordained for us will only overtake us IF we first strive to walk in obedience. Notice I did not say that we would walk in perfection because we are under grace not the law, but our desire should be to please Him. His desire is for us to live a prosperous life and walk in abundance. "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." 3 John 1:2 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10 " "Brothas and Sistas, I don't mean to pry or to seem a tad bit too nosy but I have this burning question that I must ask you.......What stands Between You and "The Abundant Life?" Prayer Time Lord, you are so good and worthy to be praised. We can't imagine what our lives would be without you. Thank you, Lord for giving us the "Abundant Life". You desire that we walk in obedience so that we may obtain all that you have for us. Help us to desire what you desire for us more than anything. In Jesus name we pray. |
Beware of Spiritual Hitchhikers
| Posted on 16 November, 2016 at 19:33 |
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"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" I Peter 5:8 Good morning, Have you ever been driving along a dark road and noticed a man with his thumb stuck out? This person is commonly referred to as a hitchhiker. As a Christian you want to pick him up, but common sense and spiritual maturity says, “No!” But let’s just say you did stop, what do you think this man would say? He probably would ask you “Are you going my way?” If you are like most people, you would probably say, "Get in.” This is exactly what most of us do when choosing a mate. For some reason we don’t stop to think about that question and we immediately agree to take this person on a journey to nowhere. We let this stranger that we don’t know into our car (life) and then we proceed to take them where they want to go, instead of finding out if they are heading in the same direction that we are. Too often we make all sorts of detours for this person to ensure that they arrive at their destination, but we negate God’s prescribed course for us. They get in our cars (lives) knowing that they are going west, while we are going east. They tell us all kinds of sad stories and before we realize it, we have made a complete U-turn for them and now we are headed backwards to our old ways. Then we lookup years later to realize that we are so far away from where we are supposed to be and we wonder how we got there. You were detoured, and now you’re off course. It wasn’t intentional on your part, but the devil had a definite detour in mind for you. He wanted to get you away from the will and plan of God so he deliberately sent a spiritual hitchhiker to distract and detour you away from God’s purpose for you. Now God has to spend years undoing the damages that have occurred because you tried to help someone, who was sent to harm you. We have to understand that we don’t pick up strangers on the side of the road, and we don’t allow a wayward man to lead us astray. Too often most hitchhikers are running from something. It could be something they did wrong, or something wrong that was done to them; but either way, they are lost and fleeing hurt. Don’t let this person attach their hurt to you. Just like a natural hitchhiker a spiritual hitchhiker can do just as much harm to you if you are not careful. They come as angels of light presenting themselves as the answer to your problems, when they are in fact a bigger problem. Know how to discern spiritual hitchhikers so that they won’t be able to infiltrate your family and establish another lost generation. When God was teaching me about the values of family life, one of the most important lessons I learned was that a family is built, “one member at a time.” I always looked back at my grand-parents as the source of family construction, but God has revealed that the family begins with the man. Genesis 2:20-23 states, “But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” From the man He created the woman and together they created children, as the children begat children, grand-parents were created. So it is clear to see that the family is created by God, through the man, who He considers to be the head of the family. “Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3).We see that God creates families one member at a time and He always begins with the man. This is a critical point in the building of families because we need to understand that God has a prescription for building Holy families and it is called; suitability. Suitability does not come from our view of who is good, but from God’s view of who is good. Remember 1 Corinthians 11:3 and Genesis 2:20-23, indicates His version of a suitable mate. A man or woman is only considered a suitable mate when they are walking with God, not just speaking about Him. Not everyone that talks about God knows Him intimately. Some have heard of His greatness, but have not intimately experienced it for themselves. They are still walking in darkness, but attempting to emulate light. Beware of these spiritual hitchhikers who have been sent to detour you. Now that we understand that it is the head that God uses to create the family, not the helper, We have to stop picking up strangers off the side of the road and letting them lead us astray. These men and women that we think we are trying to help are not suitable mates. They have been placed in our paths to detour us, rob us of our blessings and frustrate our purpose. So remember; God never uses the woman to establish the family, and we must stop chasing after men. Be aware of who a suitable mate is so that when he approaches you, you will recognize him and with him, in holy matrimony, you will be able to create a holy family. Love, Sista Audrey Prayer of Faith Dear Lord, Thank you for making us aware of spiritual hitchhikers. Help us to wait on you for a suitable mate. Give us spiritual discernmeent so that we won't be lead astray. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. |
"What Kingdom Sistas Need To Know About Their Kingdom Men - They Need To Know That You Are Still Interested In Them Sexually
| Posted on 8 June, 2016 at 20:52 |
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 "How good is a timely word" Proverbs 15:23b Good morning Brothas and Sistas, This message is mainly for the Sistas today. Sistas, I know that our Brothas have a strong image to uphold. The truth is men tend to have this facade but deep down on the inside they need to feel like they still got it. When spouses have been together over a period of time some Sistas may forget to express this to their men. On the other hand, some men may develop health issues or may not be as physically fit as they were once before and deep down on the inside he needs to know that you still desire him and him only. In his heart of hearts he desires to tell you, " I need you to need me more than anything." but Sistas, he might not know how to verbally express it. He needs you to show him and tell him how much you love his physique and how sexy he still is. As a matter of fact, it is a good idea to talk to your spouse about the things that you love about his appearance. For instance, my wife notices when I get a haircut and will often tell me she likes my haircut or it looks nice. She will also tell me how well I look when I get dressed. She also makes it a point to flirt with me often. Things like this make me feel like I still got it goin' on. Sistas, what I am trying to say is, this is not a one time deal. You have to make it known how great your need for him really is on a regular basis. This is most true when it comes to you reaffirming your need for intimacy from him. Most of us are too busy and don't see the importance of making time for our mates. Going out on weekly dates to keep the romance kindled should be added into your weekly routine. Trust me Sistas, he needs time set aside just for you and him. It is good to get away from the home and spend some one on one time with him. Many times the home can be a place of complacency and tension. I will often inform couples that demons are assigned to a couples home to bring about division. It is always good to break the monotony of day to day stress by changing the atmosphere every so often. You can do this by taking some time to have a little intimate rendezvous with your spouse. This makes him feel as though you only have eyes for him and no one else because you have taken the time to make him feel like he is more important than anyone else. Sistas, he definitely needs to know that you are still interested in him sexually (intimately). Get away from the busyness of life so that you can show and tell him just how sexy he really is to you. Have a wonderful day. Minister Antonio Washington Prayer of Faith Dear Lord We thank you for our Brothas. Help our Sistas to study their ways so that they will know how to effectively minister to them as wives. May they realize that eventhough they appear to be outwardly strong they still need the tenderness of a woman. May our Sistas pray for them regularly as they wage war against the enemy daily In Jesus name we pray. Amen. |
God's Timing Is Always Best
| Posted on 14 April, 2016 at 22:57 |
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 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Good morning Brothas and Sistas, There are many times in our lives when we try to make things happen. We find ways to push a thing into existence void of waiting for its’ appointed time. And guess what? God is so not in it. Why is it that we are so impatient when God, Himself, is omnipotent and can do whatever He wants to do when He wants to do it? Most people say that," God said it, I believe it, and that settles it." Truth says that, "God said it and that most definitely settles it whether I believe it or not because His omnipotence is not contingent upon my personal belief system. What is it that makes us willing to do everything within our power to get that one thing NOW when our Father is telling us that we need to take a chill pill and WAIT? I can remember when my husband and I placed our home on the market several times over the past 4-5 years. We tried to move to a nearby county where we both worked and worshiped. But for some reason each time we placed it on the market it would never sell. The last time we placed it on the market we had one showing. Yes, that's right Brothas and Sistas, I said we had one showing. During that time we had also been praying that the Lord would show us His will. My husband wound up being diagnosed with a serious illness and I knew that we could no longer handle the schedule that we had been keeping. I eventually chose to come home so that I could care for him, our children, and manage our home better. Therefore, I no longer needed to be closer to work which was part of the reason why we were moving. I mean I was practically late everyday for work because of the distance and traffic. Brothas and Sistas, about two years later we began to pray about whether or not it was time for us to find a new place to worship. We prayed and we prayed trying to know the will of God. During that time we began visiting another church which we began to really get attached to. About a month later we felt the Lord leading us to join. Would you believe the church is about 5 - 7 minutes from our house? We also took in two more children to adopt and a niece for a short period of time. Our oldest son also came home from being deployed. The space that we have in our home was perfect for accommodating everyone. The Lord always knows what's best for us. Brothas and Sistas, so often we move before the Lord when we really feel within ourselves that God is trying to put a thing together. We feel as though we are in the right season for it to come forth and it may not be so. There is nothing wrong with being tenacious and having faith as long as we are in His timing. We have to learn to be patient and let things happen and allow destiny to take its’ place in its' timing. God is not a big old mean Father trying to punish us when things are taking a little longer to come into fruition than what we perceive them to be. God could be working things out providentially in the hearts and minds of others while we are in the process of waiting. “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart (buck up and gain courage) and wait (stay in place in expectation of or rest in expectation of) for the LORD.” Psalm 27: 14 Brothas and Sistas, whenever we are constantly using our own human effort over His spiritual wisdom to accomplish something that He never ordained, we are operating outside of His will. “There is a time and a season for everything under the sun." Ecclesiastes 3:1 God’s timing is everything and it’s always, always best for us to WAIT on Him. Smooches, Me Prayer of Faith Dear Lord, We thank you for this wonderful day and your many blessings. We pray that you would help our wonderful Brothas and Sistas to wait on you for whatever you have in store for them. Give them the patience to trust your timing for everything. Teach them that it is best to never go ahead of your plans because you have a specific destiny in mind just for them. Allow them to know that your timing is always best for them. We pray all these things in your omnipotent name, Jesus. Amen. |
Are You Sanctified?
| Posted on 14 March, 2016 at 23:42 |
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 http://youtu.be/lEBKyOFlzQw "They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. John 17:16-19 "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." I Thessalonians 5:23 Good morning Brothas and Sistas, I have a question for you? Are you sanctified? Sanctification comes from the verb sanctify. Sanctify originates from the Greek word hagiazo, which means to be separate or to be "set apart from what is sinful and to be attached to what is holy, pure, or righteous. In the Bible, sanctification generally relates to a sovereign act of God whereby He sets apart a person, place, or thing in order that His purposes may be accomplished. Because of this very fact we are called saints, hagioi in the Greek which means sanctified ones. Whereas prior to Him saving us our behavior bore witness to our position in the world whereas we were separated from God, but now our behavior should bear witness to our position before God whereas we have been gloriously separated from the world. That just simply means former whore mongers, adulterers, liars, fornicators, etc., have been snatched out of the Satan's grasp and been chosen to be used for HIS divine purpose. "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification." I Thessalonians 4:3 Sanctification is not only necessary for spiritual growth but it is vital for witnessing, mentoring, and serving Him. Question: If Jesus Himself, has already spiritually set us apart to be used for His glory, why is it that we trifle with sin and refuse to physically separate ourselves from the person, place, or thing that is getting in the way of us being FULLY (totally or completely: in all manner of degree) used by Him. John says, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth: your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." In other words, since we have been deemed sanctified we must live a life of separation from sin, a life of holiness by the truth of His word. We are in the world but not of it. Scripture says, "but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." I Peter 1:15 In other words we have a part in this thing too and Jesus is consistently calling us to do it. In order for us to walk in all that He has prepared for us there are some soul ties that we must let go of. There are some places that we can no longer remain or visit. There are some things that we must do away with and there are some attitudes that have to cease. It does not matter what we are caught up in if we want to pursue (obtain or accomplish) His will we must forsake (give up something formerly held dear; renounce: to leave altogether; abandon) to do so. If the prophets and saints of old did it then WHY CAN'T WE? These were ordinary people who did not allow people or things to put them in a box. They truly lived a life of reckless abandonment unto Him. They endeavored to live a life apart from the world and sin so that they could be sensitive enough to His Spirit to not only bring folk to repentance but to serve and intercede for others. They were God's remnant and so are we. A remnant is defined as what is left over or the rest more frequently of she'-erith, "residue (something that remains after a part is taken, separated, or designated or abstracted after the completion or removal of parts as a process. Wow, we are God's residue separated as a part of His redemptive plan or process to bring repentance to a world that we we were once a part of. Therefore, we cannot be so wrapped up and tied in people, places, or things that we stray away from His anointing. Some of us are holding on to relationships where we know full well the Lord wants to take us to another level in Him and they are holding us back and because we adore them more than Him we selfishly refuse to let go not realizing all the while that He has something so much better in store for us. Bottom Line: We worry about their opinion of us or whether or not we always say or do the right things around them. Man's approval is all that matters but God's opinion of us is what truly matters. HE IS ALL THAT MATTERS. And we only need to bank on what He thinks of us when we read His promises about us in His word. There are many of us that are so connected to our stuff that we can't FULLY recognize or see Him for the Jehovah Jireh that He truly is. He is all that we need because HE provides everything that we need. We have issues with letting go of attitudes that interfere with our relationship with Him and others so much to the point that we forfeit the blessings that He wants to send our way. We can move from our bowed down, fallen state of being held captive to the sins which so easily beset us (Hebrews 12:1) and embrace this life of holiness that He longs for us to have. The word of God says "Without holiness no man shall see God" Hebrews 12:14 Eventhough we may fall into the subtle trap of making these people, places, and things our little gods, there is good news. Proverbs 24:16 states, "The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again." I like the word BUT in that scripture because the word but is defined as on the contrary: contrary to expectation; except for the fact: yet). On the contrary to what man may think or say, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you (us) free from the law of sin and death." Contrary to what the enemy expected I am more than a conqueror through Him that loves me. And except for the fact Jesus paid it all and all to HIM I owe, sin hath left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow! Oh and another word that i love is the word yet, because they (all the so called haters which include Satan and all of His little sorry old imps) have yet to see the things that God has prepared for us because we love Him. God sanctified us at the point of salvation and we are continuously being sanctified as we grow in Him and until He returns. "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." I Thessalonians 5:23 The question (s) is on the floor is How bad do WE want it? How bad do we want to please Him? And, how bad do we want to be used by Him? Have we determined (established or ascertained definitively) purposed (established or ascertained definitely: to strive), reckoned (considered it as such) that regardless (in spite of ) no sin, past, present, or future , no person, no attitude is going to get in the way of His purpose for us. Now I ask you again, "Are you sanctified?" Sanctification : We must endeavor to do our part while He does His to be fully used by Him. Amen. |
Brothas and Sistas, Where Does Your Confidence Lie?
| Posted on 13 November, 2015 at 23:10 |
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 "The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights." Habakkuk 3:19 Good morning to my faith filled, anointed and appointed Brothas and Sistas, I marvel at the many times my daughter's face lights up when her dad comes into the room. You would think that he was the best thing since pb and j. She simply idolizes him. Brittany is so connected with her daddy that she literally invades his space from the moment he gets home until bedtime. She is so fascinated by his presence. He often gets temporary amnesia and forgets about all others when she comes into the picture. His total focus is on the apple of his eye. He moves at the speed of lightning whenever she points her pudgy little fingers or says, "Eh' which means Daddy I want that, get it for me please." She is non-verbal and that is her way of expressing her needs and wants. My husband will graciously share his food with her on any day. As for me I could be darn near starvin' and he will politely say, "Get your own, she's just a child." That Man will not share his food with anyone other than his precious little Britt. All time and space stops when they are in each others presence. Why is it that my daughter can move this big strong man like no one else in his world can? Oh, it is not just the fact that she is a spoiled brat, which she indeed is. But it is also based on the fact that she undeniably is Daddy's little girl and knows it. Brittany knows the pull that she has to get mountains to move on her behalf when it comes to her awesome daddy. You see, Brittany has all confidence in him. And based on all that he has done for her and all that he has promised her she is filled with expectancy in all that he will make good on. She knows that when Daddy makes a promise he will most assuredly keep it. Sometimes I will joke with him and say," You know, you are her one true and living god because she lives, moves, and has her being in you. I am so convinced that my husband would not only lay down his life for his entire family but he would especially do it for his little Britt Britt. And when it comes to Britt my husband can be by far the biggest liar because he will deny the truth to all those around them that sees that he is so blatantly spellbound by her no matter how stubborn she can be when she wants him to succumb to her devious little ploys. As I pondered their relationship I realized that it was a visual of how our relationship with our heavenly Father should be. When we are connected to Him, when we invade His space on a continuous bases we gain confidence in the words He speaks to us. "He is not like man that he should lie." Numbers 23:19 He always makes good on his promises. We recognize that we live, move, and have our being in Him. We light up the minute He walks in the room and He forgets about all others when we are alone with Him. All time and space stops when we are in His presence. We live in a society where we have put our confidence in many things our jobs, our homes, our husbands, our finances, and our education but we ultimately have failed to put our full confidence in Him. Sons and Daughters of the Most High, He is calling us into that special Father and son/daughter relationship where we walk with our heads held up high not needing anyone else to validate us. When we walk in the confidence of the One who fashioned us to be we shine in the light of His glory. When we don't have confidence in Elohim we appear to be needy and we are a target for those around us to either diss us or abuse us. When we decide to do the greater thing which is walk in all that He says we are WE ARE UNSTOPPABLE. We have pull with our Daddy and He will move mountains on our behalf. Our confidence should always, always lie in Him first and foremost. Our proclamation today and everyday should be, "The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights." Habakkuk 3:19 He is ready, willing, and able to take us to higher heights when we put our complete confidence (full trust; belief in, trustworthiness, or reliability) in Him. Praise Him!!!! Here are some precious promises in regard to confidence: "In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence." Ephesians 3:12 "For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken." Proverbs 3:26 "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God." I John 3:21 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." I John 5:14, 15 "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." Hebrews 10:35, 36 "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." Hebrews 13:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" Philippians 1:6 Smooches, Me Prayer of Faith Dear Lord, You are such an amazing God. Help us to walk in confidence knowing that you are there with us and in us. May we know the value you place on each one of us so that we don't look for validation in people and things. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. |
Brothas and Sistas, Why Are You Still On the Fence?
| Posted on 28 August, 2015 at 0:02 |
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"How long are you going to sit on the fence?" I Kings 18:21 "Choose ye this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15 Good morning Brothas and Sistas, Believe it or not most of us are not as committed to the Savior as what we desire or claim to be. Many of us live our lives on the fence because we are afraid of completely living for Jesus. Some of us allow ourselves to name the name of Jesus but only when it is convenient. There are times when quite a few of us simply go through life with no real connection or witness with and for the one that we say we belong to. Some of us are so double minded at times because we act as though we don't know which way to go with this thing. I have a few questions for you today. Have YOU truly made up our mind to serve Him and make Him LORD of your life? How long are YOU going to remain on the fence? You either love Him and want to serve or you don't. How long are YOU going to play this game? I like the challenge that Elijah gave to the people when he summoned everyone to Mount Carmel, in particularly the prophets. Elijah had been sent by God to get the people to repent from turning away from the one true and living God and going their own way by worshiping false gods. Elijah challenged the people: "How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow Him: if it is Baal, follow him, Make up your minds." and scripture goes on to say, "Nobody said a word; nobody made a move." I Kings 18:21 I love this word. What a challenge! Elijah sends out a call to the people to stop compromising, perpetrating, and to stop serving their other gods! He tells them to stop playing it safe. Elijah knew that they had seen by personal experience, by His witness, by His miraculous moves who the one true and living God really was and is. So he confronts them with their double mindedness by saying, "Has my honesty, my face to face confrontation and accountability of your sin made you speechless? " He continues on by saying, "Make up your minds today and stop frontin' about who you are going to serve! Get off the fence!" Brothas and Sistas, here is my challenge to you today. If God be God then please serve Him with your entire being! Children of the Most High God, we can no longer compromise this thing called Christianity. How long are you going to sit on the fence? Please stop doing double duty today. "Choose ye this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15! Praise Him! Love, Denise Prayer of Faith Help us to be faithful towards you and your word. May we forsake living a double lifetyle of only standing for and serving you only when it is conveneient. You are simply amazing. We adore you and want to serve you with our whole hearts. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. |
Allowing the Sista You Were Destined To Be to Arise Part I -Ministering To Folk You Do Not Want To Have Anything To Do With
| Posted on 13 August, 2015 at 23:12 |
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Jonah 1-3 I love the story of Jonah. Jonah reminds me so much of myself and how rebellious I can be at times. Jonah was sent to bring repentance to the Assyrian folk of the city of Nineveh. It was quite an honor that God had bestowed upon Jonah to be called to do such a work. But Jonah refused to see it that way. Initially Jonah's focus was more on himself than is was for those unrepentant people. Jonah was just like we are sometimes because he passed judgment on a people before actually getting to know the heart of the mission that God predestined for them. And in order to be an agent of change and minister to folk that you don't want to have anything to do with a nonjudgmental attitude, humility, and fortitude are required, which at that point in time Jonah did not have. Sistas, let's take a look at Jonah. "The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Arise, Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD." Jonah 1:1, 2 Okay, let's look at the word Arise for a moment. I believe that when the Lord said the word Arise He wanted the Jonah that He foreknew, the Jonah that He saw before his father sperm connected with the egg in His mothers womb, and the Jonah that He knew would one day be the prophet that would no longer resist the promptings of His Spirit. But instead through Jonah's disobedience, the Jonah of the flesh, the rebellious, self righteous, and judgmental Jonah came forth. The word of God said. "but Jonah rose up." not the Prophet Jonah rose up. It is amazing how the old girl will rise up in us sometimes when we strive to buck up against the will of the Father. Jonah had yet to walk in His preordained calling of prophet. Girlz, the definition of arise is to come into being; originate; to come up from a lower to a higher position; to move upward. God was calling him to be excellent but spiritually Jonah was not there. Jonah initially chose to settle for mediocrity as opposed to excellence. He was not ready to walk in his calling just as some of us are not ready. But God was still patient with him just as He is with us. He did not do Jonah like some of us would and diss him. I like the fact that the story goes on to say that, "After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. " For you see Jonah paid a price for his disobedience just like we do. But we cannot ignore the fact that God allowed him to go out of the will of God, pay a price by getting busted up, and still gave him the original marching orders that He originally spoke to Jonah. Sistas, isn't it amazing how the Lord will speak a word to us and we go about our day as if to totally ignore the thing He put in our spirit to carry out and yet He still shows us His remarkable grace in spite of us? ...................................................to be continued on next Wednesday Tootles, Sista Michelle |
Bed and Breakfast - "Brothas and Sista's, Are You Married But Livin' Single?"
| Posted on 29 July, 2015 at 22:35 |
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"I opened to my lover, but he was gone! My heart sank. I searched for him but could not find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply. Song of Solomon Make this promise, O women of Jerusalem— If you find my lover, tell him I am weak with love." Song of Solomon 5:1- 5:8 Good morning to our amazing Brothas and Sistas, Brothas and Sistas, many times in marriages there is no accountability between mates. One spouse may leave out and not tell the other spouse where he or she is going as we see here in the Song of Solomon 5:6. Look at this Sista, she is asking all his homeboys and her home girls where her honey is. Brothas and Sistas, why is she doing that when she should know where her man is at all times? Let me tell you something, no self respecting Sista should be hunting her man down because she does not know where the heck he is. And neither should that Brotha be looking all over town for us. There is this thing called checking in and as married couples we need to abide by it. That shows our mates that we respect them. Look at this. The Brotha left out and had that Sistas' mind reelin'. First of all, before that Brotha left the house he should have told her where he was going because communication is key even when you are angry. There have been many times when my husband and I have gotten into uh, let's just say heated "moments of fellowship" and he would come to me and say, "I am going for a walk or a ride. I will be back." Brothas and Sistas, he at least gives me the respect of letting me know where he is going and has sense enough to soothe any anxieties so that the enemy won't have a field day with my mind. Early on in our marriage I was the one that always wanted to reconcile when we where angry with each other. I was always the peace keeper and would often go to him to calm him down. I quickly learned that he needed time to process some things and I needed to leave him alone so that he could have peace of mind to think things through. As a matter of fact, I can remember one time when my husband and I got into a little tiff at church and he left out to cool down. An older, wiser woman saw me getting ready to go after him and she said, "Let him go." Brothas and Sistas, that simple gesture gave me the wisdom I needed to never go after him again, but to wait until he cooled down and was ready to come back to me. Oh, I know that's right. We do not have to keep going after them in desperation for fear that we may lose them. Believe it or not men were made to be conquerors and by all means the pursuer. Sistas, being the aggressor all of the time can turn your man off. You need to give him time to build desire for YOU. So please chill out. He will lose all respect for you and you will in turn lose respect for yourself when you constantly assume the role of pursuer rather than take on the role pursuant. In other words a Sista should not be out pursuing her man, her man should instead be out pursuing her. When a woman pursues the man she eventually will desire him more than he will desire her. Younger married Sistas, I know that we live in a generation of liberated women, but you should not be texting and calling him 24/7. As a matter of fact to keep that brother on his toes there should be a little mystery in the relationship and he should be calling YOU more. And yes, you should be able to answer and have access to his phone, emails, appointment book etc., without him having any reservations and he should be able to do the same with you. There are no secrets in marriage. Because when we keep things hidden and live separate lives of our own the enemy gets good and busy. He should not be still talking to his old girlfriends on a reg. and neither should you be talking to your old boyfriends on a reg. if at all. And then there is the marriage bed. Some spouses literally lose desire for their mates and that should not be so. Believe it or not, my friend just recently spoke with a co-worker that is involved in a marriage where both spouses do not sleep in the same room. When we are not connected by sharing the marriage bed, it can most certainly lead to an affair. And if the truth be told, deep down on the inside some Sistas want to push their men out there. These Sistas want a biblical excuse to continue 'livin' single' and eventually make it official so they can do their 'own thing' legally. Manipulating a situation to get our way is straight from the pit. I don't even sleep well when Babe is not right next to me. I need my boo right there snuggled up beside me and so should you. There are even those times when some Christian spouses may hang out with their friends every weekend as if they are single and leave the other spouse at home. Brothas and Sistas, say it with me, "That is a big NO, NO." This is not how we do it when we have made a commitment before God. Many of us have separate bank accounts and we refuse to combine all of the household income. We hold on to that secret stash just in case things don't go well in our marriage and then we can have something to fall back on. This gives place for the enemy to start something in a for real way because if you don't believe in your heart of hearts that your marriage is going to stand the test of time and work by faith neither will he and the enemy is banking on that. Brothas and Sistas, some of us are so determined to 'live single' that we keep our maiden name and never change it fully to our married name. Okay, Sistas I must ask you this burning question, "Why do we get married if we are not willing to take on everything that belongs to him, including his name?" And then there are even some couples that go on separate vacations and never share a vacation together. What's up with that? Brothas and Sistas, we need time together with our boo's. There is nothin' like sitting back on the beach in the Caribbean Islands with your honey and looking into each others eyes and goin' , "Life is good, eh, Man?" and the other spouse is goin,"Yeah, Man, life is good". Brothas and Sistas, please remember that when we made that oath before God it was not meant to be broken by 'livin' single'. Matthew 19:5 says, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and is joined with his wife, and the two are united into one." The definition of one is being a single entity of two or more components. And that is the way it should be in our marriage. When he breathes you breath, when he starts a sentence you finish it, before he can get his thought out you are already thinking it. That is what true oneness consists of. Make it your daily prayer and determination to never 'live single' in the bonds of holy matrimony. Praise Him!!!! Smooches, Me Prayer of Faith Dear Lord, Thank you for giving us the gift of marriage whereby we become one. May we walk in our oneness and forsake living as though we are still single. Help us to honor our marriages and marriage bed at all times. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. |
