Memory Scripture 10

Isaiah 58:6
"Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke."

Message translation: "This is the kind of fast day I'm after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts."

Romans 11:16
For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

As you all know, I begin each year with a 21 day fast. It is my way of giving God the first fruit of my year in time. Since I don't really believe in coincidences, I will go on record and say that my life has continued to transform and go from glory to glory since I began doing first fruit fasting in January 2006. Prayerfully I hope that each of you join me this year as we set the course of 2008 by giving God the first fruits of our time in January.

I will personally begin the Daniel fast on January 1, that's right, on New Years...I'm giving Him the first 21 days of the year, including New Years Day.

Daniel 10:11
I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. ***the King James Version says pleasant bread; NKJ says pleasant food.

To further clarify I abstain from pleasant food (bread, sugar and sweets - including drinks), meat (including fish) and wine (alcoholic beverages). I also abstain from fried foods such as french fries and fried okra - two of my favorites!

He Is.

I am still shocked at how over the years I have misread an important phrase in Hebrews 11:6. Honestly, I knew the scripture as "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." I totally glossed over the most important part of the verse: "...for he who comes to God must believe that He is...." He is. Two simple words, but so profound in meaning. We must not only believe that God will do what He promises to do, but we must first believe that He IS.

I find it interesting that the text does not say exactly who God is...it begs the question, "God is what or God is who?" To a writer and reader, it seems as though the syntax of the sentence is incorrect. But it's totally right. God is (that's a complete thought and sentence in itself).

• God is God.
• God is the Creator.
• God is the Master.
• God is the Father.
• God is the Provider.
• God is the Healer.
• God is the Rewarder.
• God is the All-Knowing.
• God is the All-Powerful.
• God is Everywhere.
• God is the Great I AM.
• He is.
  

He's everything we have faith in Him to be in this life and we please Him with this faith.

When you go to the Father this week in prayer, believe in your spirit that He is. Before you utter a request or offer praise to His name, believe in your spirit that He is (presently...right now) all that you need. Do you need healing? He is that healing. Do you need an idea or creativity? He is that idea. Do you need love and reassurance? He is that for you. He simply IS.

Rest assured that the Great I AM is directing the course of your life. Believe it in faith and believe that He is.

In His Love,
Kristina

Memory Scripture 9

Habakkuk 2:4b
The just shall live by faith.
Message version: The person in right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6
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.

Romans 10:17
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Matthew 9:29b
According to your faith, let it be done unto you.

***Now that our faith is built up, what do we do next? We walk it out...literally.

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith and not by sight.

***Why? Why is it important to act on our faith?

James 2:26
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.
Message version: The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.

**Although it's not included as a memory scripture at this time, 1 Peter 1:7 tells us that our faith is of greater worth than gold.

Joy

Good morning my dear sisters and friends,

As I sit on my couch, listening to the rain and fighting the urge to focus on everything that's not "right" in my life at the moment I am reminded that .....

Joy is a decision!

When we are tempted to dwell in sadness or disappointments you can choose instead to think on those things that are of good report and praiseworthy. We can choose to focus our attention on our father and his love letter to us. We can opt to walk in faith and not doubt. Sometimes joy comes easy and natural, and sometimes you have to go and get it....on purpose! If you are having one of those really tough days, then reach out to one of your girls and be reminded of where you can get some joy;-).

Have a wonderful joyous day,

~bdr

Praise Report: Family Member Surgery

Hi All - I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.

Thank you for your prayers regarding my uncle's surgery. He made it through the open heart surgery and 3 day recovery period well; his aorta has been fully repaired. He is still in the hospital for observation purposes until Wednesday of this week, but the prognosis is great and he's in high spirits, which is a blessing!

Thanks again for your prayers and be blessed!
Kristina

Success Mantras

I have several success mantras that I like to recite to myself from time to time. Here are a few that I wanted to share; perhaps you will find them useful as well.

• If you will do diligently what most people won't, you will soon have what most people want.
• Extraordinary people do regularly what ordinary people do irregularly.
• Your attitude determines your altitude
• Money is a terrible master but a wonderful slave.

~Barbara

Memory Scripture 8

2 Corinthians 2:14
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

Psalms 118:1
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
(also found in Psalms 118:29, 136:1, 136:2, 136:3 and 136:26)

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Message translation: Let every detail in your lives - words, actions, whatever - be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Prayer Request: Family Member Surgery

Good Evening Ladies,

Please keep my Uncle Charles in your prayers over the next few days. My family has just been informed that he has an aneurysm on his aorta and will be taken in for surgery tomorrow for 4 - 6 hours beginning at 1 PM. Please pray that the Lord is in the midst of the operation, the hands of the doctors are steady throughout the procedure, and that my uncle has a speedy recovery without any complications afterwards.

May God bless you for your prayers,
Kristina

Memory Scripture 7

2 Corinthians 10:4 - 5

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

I love how vs 5 is written in the message bible:
We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.

In the words of my dear friend Tara, when it's all said and done, spiritual warfare is "it is written." Don't you just love it? Doesn't that simple definition take the fear and spookiness out of warfare? Everything we do, say or think should be rooted in the foundation of God's Word. This takes me back to Tamara's post on "The Center." If we are to be salt in this Earth and live the life that God fashioned just for us, our center, our core, our compass - must be His Word.

Yep, even now, even this moment i'm having to smash warped thoughts. Food for thought, sometimes you can't fight a thought with a thought. You have to fight a thought with verbal words. Not sure if it's just me but I can't seem to think and talk at the same time. So when it appears that the thoughts are winning and my "thinking" on God thoughts is not enough, I open my mouth and guess what - GAME OVER - I win everytime.

***revisit memory scripture 1 and what it means to mediate as we are instructed to do in Joshua 1:8.

No Subject, Just Venting....

I'm tired! I mean plum physically tired!!

You know, as I sit here in all of my tiredness (borrowed from Tameki), I'm pondering the fact that November 1 is in a couple of days. Immediately after hitting the exclamation point, my mind went to our monthly fast. Generally I pray and ask God to direct me for the fast; asking Him what He wants me to sacrifice. He anticipated my question because with less than 48 hours to go, I have yet to ask (see....tired!). Here is what the Lord nudged in my heart....focus less on what to abstain from and focus more on what to abstain to. Spend an entire day without uttering one single negative word, complaint, vent, or thought. Capture every thought that does not line up with the Word and immediately exchange it for something true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous or praisworthy. Yeah, mediate and think on those things. Don't even say "it's too hot or too cold" but rather thank Him for the seasons, which is vital to life and anything living. Don't say "i'm tired" but rather thank Him that he so strategically crafted our body that it has a built-in system to tell us when it needs rest, food, and water. Does this sound far out, deep even? Well, it may, but this I know, obedience is better than sacrifice - according to the Word:-)

Be blessed,

~bdr

Memory Scripture 6

Matthew 19:26

Message: Jesus looked hard at them and said, "No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it."

NKJ: But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Ownership

Ownership - having by position and possession

The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof (1 Corinthians 10:26)
We are joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17)
Peace is ours (Psamls 29:11; John 14:27)
Wisdom, knowledge, & joy is ours (Ecclesiastes 2:26)
Prosperity belongs to us (Deuteronomy 8:18; 3John 1:2)
The list can go on and on.

We own everything God owns by position - because we are joint heirs with Christ through the redemptive blood He shed on the Cross. Having by possession is another issue. How do we as believers connect the dots between position and possession. You do know that we can have by position and not by possession, right? Before I go into more details, I would like to open this up for discussion. What do you all think?

Example - have you ever experienced a lack of peace? Clearly the word tells us that God gives His people peace. Here's a hint of where my thought process is going, the position has all to do with God, the possession has something to do with us.

~BDR

Thanks Ladies

I am writing to update you all in regards to my surgery. I did have a laparoscopic surgery performed on October 4, 2007. My OB/GYN removed a dermoid, an ovarian cyst, two fibroids and determined that one of my fallopian tubes was closed during this diagnostic/operative surgery. I will follow-up with my OB/GYN in 6 wks to determine our plan of action and learn all that I can about his findings from surgery. Nevertheless, as you all can guess my OB/GYN did inform my husband the above infromation and that I will still be able to have those children that I so desire. I thank you all for your prayers. I went into the surgery calm and worry free and am still residing in that state. I have very very little post operative pain. Actually, I am in less pain now than I was prior to the surgery.

Finally, for those of you who participated in our prayer conference call on August 20, 2007 you may remember that I was late joining the call due to a "cycle" surprise. Well Taliah brought back to all of our minds on October 1, 2007, the request to pray for me for my upcoming surgery. On October 2, 2007 I had another "cycle" surprise. Please understand that I have had no "cycle" since our last gathering for prayer and prior to that it had been late June. God is definitely utilizing our prayers in my life. I thank you. Stay encouraged and remember anything is possible!

LaCresha

Memory Scripture 5

Psalms 27: 12 - 13

v. 13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.
v. 14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Our treasures are not only stored up in Heaven, but also here on Earth. Let's agree with David and believe that we shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Are you excited today? Only God knows how much I wanted to give up at times, many times; BUT GOD!! He had a different plan and now I look back on those years and it seems like they were only days in number (let me tell you, it was years and some of my LLOP sisters can testify to this fact). I urge you today, reach down in your spirit, and pull out a YES. YES God, I'll go where you want me to go, I'll do what you want me to do, I'll say what you want me to say, I'll give what you want me to give, YES God.

Fasting and Praying

Greetings Ladies,

It is the first of October and I am excited about our fast today because I woke up this morning with a spirit of Thanksgiving. I cherish these feeling of pure thanksgiving, love and appreciation for God with no motives.

Yesterday I gave my tithe and today I am fasting and praying for a new and better character that God may release those things that have held me back from the fulfillment of my full calling.

The scripture that I am focusing on today is Romans 5:3-5



3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.



In addition, I am also praying for LaCresha today throughout this week. I hope you will join me in praying for her this week because her surgery is this Thursday. I spoke with her Saturday. We talked about the fact that they will go in Thursday and remove the cyst. But she specifically said that she hopes they see what is "really" going on and be able to assess what is "really" causing the pain she is experiencing.

Please keep Cree in your prayers. Let also remember her previous prayer request and keep it in the front of our hearts and minds:

"Let the very will of God be done in and through me. Allow me not to succomb to depression, self-pity or ignorance of the fact that God is still God. I am his Child. and Anything is Possible." ---August 23, 2007

This reminds me of....
Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Ladies, anything is possible with the God we serve! Let's look forward to the possibilities!

Taliah

Grace

I'm always appreciative of new angles or perspectives on things that may have become common or ordinary. At the training course I attended last week, we began each day with devotion. During one of the devotions, the training leader shared this acronym for grace....

God's Riches At Christ's Expense

I'm not sure who came up with the acronym but I thought it was absolutely wonderful.

~barbara

Worship & Laughter

Every now and again I need a little refresher course in the "basic" things of God such as worship, prayer, etc. This video on worship says it all: http://www.sermonspice.com/videos/9109/the-gift-of-worship/.


Laughter is medicine accordingy to the Bible. Here's a good one for anyone who has ever felt intimidated or shy about sharing your faith. http://www.sermonspice.com/videos/722/evangelism-linebacker-no-excuses/.

Be blessed and be a blessing,

~barbara

Memory Scripture 4

John 15: 7 & 16 (message bible)

If you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon.
You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.

He Knows What He's Doing!

I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out --- plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:11 (The Message)

I cannot get this scripture out of my head! Thank the Lord for His Word and thank you, Barbara, for sharing this translation of the verse.

It has rejuvenated my spirit and helped carry me since I heard it, especially now as Michael and I anxiously look heavenward and try to see what God is doing concerning our family. We have experienced some tough times as we have sought to follow the Lord and establish a new ministry, but we cannot deny the wonderful change we see in our hearts and minds, marital relationship and family. We were talking just yesterday about how what we've been through, although trying, has so tremendously strengthened our mission, message, walk and talk for Him.

However, back to this word that Barbara helped embed in my spirit... I feel like, finally, my "walk is tight," so I can't help sometimes but wonder what the holdup is concerning the provision for this vision that God has given my husband and I concerning our minstry, marriage, and family. But lately, every time I want to wonder about the "when?" and the "how?" I remember this in-my-face translation of Jeremiah 29:11. It was already one of my very favorite scriptures anyway, but the Lord used Barbara to help me really hear what He is saying.

That shared, I now need to ask you to please stand in agreement with me through prayer.

I had the blessing recently of having some money come in to my hands. The Holy Spirit had been speaking to me about it and telling me the money was to be a first fruit offering. I was excited about the opportunity to be able to give such an offering, as in the past I didn't really understand the significance of this offering but had recently had it explained through some awesome Bible studies and Christian financial education classes.

I didn't have any idea what the amount would be, but determined to give it whether it was $10, $100, or $1000. (NOTE: We needed the money in our household, whether it was $10, $100, or $1000. I wasn't sure if it was exactly the right thing to do at the time, but I did not share with my husband what the Holy Spirit had shared with me because I did not want to be talked or rationalized in to bringing the money to the household now and giving a different first fruit offering later. I am a submissive wife but God's desires trump hubby's, always).

When I received the money it turned out to be almost the exact amount of money we needed for a bill that needed to be paid THAT DAY. However, I decided to trust that God knows what He's doing and took the money and went straight to our sister church and mentor, Bishop Reece. He travels a lot and I really didn't expect to see him or his wife who is also a pastor, but I determined to leave the money with a note on the inside asking him to pray Proverbs 3:9-10 in agreement with us. He is a man who believes God's principles work when you apply them so I knew I could trust him to pray with us. But, glory to God, Bishop Reece was there and prayed with me agreeing in prayer, establishing by our earthly dominion God's will for our family here on earth, and speaking the blessing of the first fruit offering in to our lives.

When I got home and shared with Michael what I had done, he blessed my action as I hoped he would. We have, for the last several years, always needed at home whatever money had come our way and had not yet had the knowledge (combined with the opportunity to) put our faith in to action in such a way so I was very relieved that he was able to stand with me in spite of the pressure of needing the money right then.

We have not yet seen the glorious increase and multiplication that is ushered in by a first fruit offering. But we know that the Lord's Word is true and that He is true to His Word. Please stand with us in agreement (Proverbs 3:9-10 and Romans 11:16) for His promised change in our life.

Thank you and bless you,

Theresa

(first-time blogger, long-time LLOP blog reader)

Reconnecting

I woke up yesterday depressed. Then my depression led to frustration because I remebered during my fast on the 1st that I prayed for renewed strength and encouragement. My depression was due to my weariness toward the continuous battles I have been facing. I should also say that there have been victories along the way...just short lived.

Because I know that I am in my promise land I have to keep going back to the story of Joshua. There were so many obstacles the Israelites had to defeat before they could really enjoy their promise. And though God gave them victory and they won many battles, the reality that they still had to GO AND FACE THE ENEMY IN BATTLE still remainded.

So when I talked with Barbara yesterday morning, trying to pull on her joy because I couldn't fine mine, she reminded me to look within myself. I am not going to find it in what's happening around me...happiness is attached to the happenings. Joy is different and it is not the absence of trouble. I did what Barbara suggested and went to find scriptures about joy in a different translation than what I am used to.

I found 1 Thess. 1:5-6 (The Message Bible)
5 When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.
6 and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit! - taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.

I had to go and read the whole chapter and that WORD really blessed me this morning. It reminded me that I am a light to others...Barbara even reminded me of that a few days ago :)
Please take some time to read this chapter of 1 Thessalonians and you will see what I mean.

I am going to keep that prayer that was posted on September 2nd Colossians 1:9b, 11 - 12.
I ask that you please pray for me. Specifically pray that I remember that my joy is in me because the Holy Spirit is in me and I can take joy from the Holy Spirit.
Also, I am about to go through a tight financial season to sell my home in Lithonia, GA. Please pray that God helps me and those working with me to see my way clearly through this process and that I come out on the other side better off financially than when I came in.
Finally, please pray that these fibroids melt away and my uterus is healthy and normal. I started my healing regimen of vitamines and herbs and natural foods two weeks ago. I am praying that we see progress at the end of this first three months. I am looking forward to giving you all a praise report in the near future.

I know that my ladies in my prayer circle can get a prayer through. I appreciate what we all have brought to each other's lives through this blog. And I renew my commitment to stay connected.
Thanks for your prayers!

Taliah

Memory Scripture 3

Colossians 1:9b, 11 - 12

The scripture is re-written as a prayer here, feel free to fill in the blanks with your name or the names of others. The Message bible is the reference for this prayer.

Father,
I pray that You give ________ a wise mind and spirit attuned to Your will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which You work. I pray that ________ will have the strength to stick it out over the long haul - not the grim strength of gritting my/his/her/their teeth but the glory-strength that You give. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking You, our Father, who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that You have for us. (colossians 1:9b, 11-12)

Be blessed!

Comfort

As both destiny and purpose continue to place a demand on our faith and creativity, I am now of the belief that comfort and familiarity are enemies to a purpose filled life. We have to become comfortable with being uncomfortable, and become familiar with what's unfamiliar. Why, because He knows what He's doing (smile...memory scripture 2).

Just sharing my thoughts as I meditate and ponder on this wonderful Friday morning.

~bdr

Update Prayer Request (Healing and Fear)

Ladies of Purpose,

I am writing to update you in regards to my Dr.'s apt on today. My OB-GYN says I have a dermtoid cyst (cyst made up of diff kinds of tissue like skin, hair, and teeth) on my left ovary. And non-solid (Liquid filled) small follicular cysts on my right ovary. She took blood and is testing me for cancer markers. She stated that I will need surgery to remove the cyst. Statistically, in time the dermtoid cyst will get larger and may lead to the removal of the ovary. In a nut shell this was both shocking and surprising to me. My current and past pains are primarily on the right side and the Doc's saying I need surgery for the left. :-(

My wonderful husband is very supportive and feels we will just need to exercise and eat well. :-) Pray that he continues to be so positive and free of worry. As for me. Let the very will of God be done in and through me. Allow me not to succumb to depression, self-pity or ignorance of the fact that God is still God. I am his Child and Anything is Possible.

Love

LaCresha D. Chatman

The Center

Do you remember having the suckers with the gum in the middle as a child? There was, or perhaps still is, something exciting about working through the candy to enjoy the gum! As good as the candy was, and still is, the mission was to get to the gum.

I recently heard a message that, of all things, got me thinking about the center of the sucker...you know, the gum. I pondered, who or what rests at the center of my motivation? Am I really motivated because God is at the center of a thing or is there something else there that is motivating me, driving me, that looks appealing to me?

Needless to say, I had a "sucker moment." You see, there can't be anything worse than Christ not being my center, and there is nothing or no one better than Christ being my center. I say concerning all things, the center should be checked, and checked often!

Tamara

Memory Scripture 2

Jeremiah 29:11 (Message Bible Translation)
I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

(NKJ: For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.)

Philippians 4:8 (Message Bible Translation)
Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

(NKJ: Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, 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 praiseworthy--meditate on these things.)

Prayer Request (Healing & Fear)

Hi Ladies,

I am writing to ask for your prayers in a specific area of my life. Earlier this year I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). A condition in which there are fluid filled cysts along the ovaries. This condition has a multitude of issues that go along with it "google" for understanding if you want more info. I recently began a holistic approach (a trial of 3 months on a strict diet with a visit to my OB-GYN at the end) with an OB-GYN Certified in conventional and holistic practices. However during these first two weeks of the trial I had an ultrasound performed with the results sent to my OB-GYN. My OB-GYN's office called me on Friday and stated that I need to come in so that the OB-GYN could discuss my results with me. My appt is for Aug 23, 2007.

Due to the pain I have been feeling lately in the area of my ovaries as well as anxiety of what my OB-GYN will say to me has brought along with it the spirit of fear. I ask that you pray against the spirit of fear and for peace that surpasses my understanding. Honestly I can't think of what else I want prayer for in regards to this whole situation but I know my husband and I do desire children and I don't care what fear is saying "We will have through my own body healthy loving children" so add that to the list too... And of course pray as God directs you best.

I appreciate this,

Love,

Cree

Learning Forgiveness

Hi Ladies! I pray that you're all well in spirit and in body. For a while now, the Lord has been speaking to my heart with regards to forgiveness...others and self. Not too long ago I was up throughout the night with the topic on my mind and decided to write my thoughts. I pray it is a blessing to you.

In His Love,
Kristina
__________________________________________________

Here it is 2:47 AM and I'm wide awake like a baby cooing and yearning to play at the ungodly hour of a 3 AM feeding. Why is it that babies want to play when you're trying your best not to drop the bottle or Lord forbid, the child in your feeble attempt to stay awake? Babies are not as innocent as they appear...haha, just kidding. Anyway, I did not intend on spending that much time on babies...I do have a topic in mind for this post.

Usually whenever I'm awakened at "odd" hours of the night and sleep punches the time-clock early, I find myself cuddled up with a page-turner novel or The Good Book until sleep decides to punch back in. Instead, tonight, I pulled up one of Adrian Rogers' podcasts over the internet for a little early morning food for thought. After browsing the topics (there were many), I settled on a message about learning forgiveness. In a nutshell, he talked about the importance of forgiving those who wrong you in life, whether they ask for forgiveness or not. Essentially, forgiveness is an obligation that frees you from the burdens that others have placed on...or you've placed on yourself.

A few weeks ago, the topic of one of Oprah's shows was forgiveness. On this show, a woman was napping in her friend's home (she was the only one there), and two teenage boys (15 yrs old & 16 yrs old) came through an open garage to steal the car. The 15 yr old walked through the house to see whether anyone was there and noticed the woman sleeping, so he closed the bedroom door and went back to the garage to take the car. The woman was awakened from her sleep when she heard noises in the garage, and she walked in on the teens stealing the vehicle. The youngest teen ordered her back in the house at gunpoint, pushed her to the ground in the living room, placed a pillow over her head, and shot her in the head, leaving her for dead.

Miraculously, she survived...but not without life-altering scars. She is now legally blind, she had to learn to walk, talk, chew, swallow, and most other basic life skills after being in a coma for 6 months. Do you know that woman forgave her attackers?! With slurred speech and a staggered walk, she went to the prison to tell her attackers that she forgave them and that she was choosing to love them. WOW! What a testimony!

Towards the end of the show, the following comment was made: Harboring bitterness and unforgiveness is like drinking poison, hoping that the other person would be harmed.

Oh, how truth rings in that statement - bitterness and unforgiveness does more damage to the one hurting than it does to the one who caused the hurt.

All throughout the Bible, we are admonished to forgive others:

(1) "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13).

(2) "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).

(3) "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matthew 6:14).

(4) "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark 11:25).

(5) "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37).

I believe there are so many Scriptures about forgiveness in the Bible because God knew we would encounter numerous circumstances in life where we would experience hurt, betrayal, anger, resentment, and other emotions that if allowed to fester, our whole person would be wrecked. He tells us about forgiveness so that we can continue to live in wholeness, walk in the spirit of love, continue to be in right relationship with Him, and foster a sweet dwelling for His Spirit to reside.

Yes, the act of forgiveness can seem like an impossible task when the offense stings and hardens the heart. But see, that's actually the result of unforgiveness - a hardened and cold heart...a heart that is bound. Forgiveness liberates you form such strongholds. There is freedom in forgiveness...the freedom from guilt and bitterness. There is peace in forgiveness...it releases the debt and eases the mind. There is even joy in forgiveness...our spirits are lifted and the will to move forward emerges. Yes, yes, all this is true!

As the years go by in my life, I am learning that there are three traits we must certainly possess to walk in true freedom and pure joy: unwavering faith, love for others, and a forgiving heart.

Bibles

Family Christian Stores are having a Bible sale from August 11th - 18th. So, if you're in need of a new Bible or would like to give one as a gift, now may be the time to purchase one...they're 50% off!

I recommend getting another version of the Bible (i.e. The Amplified Bible) to have as a reference at home.

Check out the link:
50% Bible Sale @ Family Christian

Happy Studying! :-)
Kristina

Memory Scripture 1

Hi Ladies,

Twice a month I will post a "memory" scripture. Feel free to join me in writing the scriptures on the tablets of our hearts by committing them to memory. I plan on posting new scriptures on the 1st of each month and in the middle of each month (around the 15th). At times I may include more than one scripture, like today;-)

Note: Unless otherwise noted scriptures will be posted in NKJ

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

***If you look up the word "meditate" from Joshua 1:8 you will find that mediate is not merely a mental exercise but also a verbal one. Mediate in this text can be defined as to think or to speak. Therefore, we must not only think on the word, we must also speak the word. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of the Lord. Speak the scriptures aloud and allow your faith to come by the hearing of the Word.

~bdr

This Present Darkness - Week 1

I've only read Chapter 1 to date and I'm already seeing things I didn't see before. For example, did anyone catch the author's reference to the spirits of fear, doubt & harrassment as being of the "smaller ones?" (page 12 in my book).

I also found it interesting that as Henry prayed in church, those spirits (again, referenced as "smaller" ones by the author) tried to attack him. I don't know about any of you but there were times when doubt and fear seemed gargantuan at the time. I'm thinking that I want Frank's (the author) perspective. I want to see doubt and fear as small. The more I engage my faith, the more faithful I am in prayer, the more I stand firm, doubt and fear will not only be "smaller" but they will be undetectable in my life. Come one, say it with me....Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So!. You knew it was coming;-).

Notes:
(a) Ephesians 6:12 is the foundational scripture of the book.
(b) Let's post add'l comments for Week 1's reading as comments to this post.

~bdr

"This Present Darkness"

Yes indeed - we've pushed this reading back month after month. I say we jump in and do it (initially we were scheduled to read it from March - May). How about this, we each read 4 chapters this week. This puts us around page 43 in my book (numbering may be slightly different in newer or older versions).

During each weekly reading, feel free to post discussion points, questions, comments, or anything else you'd like to share. I'm looking forward to it.

For those who still need to purchase the book:

This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti (here's an amazon link):

http://www.amazon.com/This-Present-Darkness-Frank-Peretti/dp/1581345283/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-4478900-7423635?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184582297&sr=1-1

Much Love!!!

Worship - Another Perspective

It's 2:17 A.M Wednesday morning, July 11, 2007 and once again I've awakened completely out of my sleep. This has been ongoing for well over 2 months now and believe it or not, this is the first morning that I'm not beyond frustrated.

Let's back up to Sunday, July 1, 2007. The sermon ministered on that day was about Worship. Amazingly enough I left church feeling as if i'd finally received a clear message regarding my inability to sleep through the night. Prior to July 1, my only two prayers during those hours were "God please help me go back to sleep" or "Okay God, if there's something you want to say, please do so because I need to go to sleep, I have to work tomorrow." (LOL). With my new revelation I decided that I'd greet the next sleepless night with worship to my Lord.

Okay, it's 2:17 A.M and I'm doing all I know to enter into worship and nothing is working. An hour later, I'm back to being frustrated. "Once again, up for no reason. I can't even enter into worship" were the thoughts that flooded my mind. Immediately I quieted my mind and whispered this prayer "God, please teach me how to worship you in spirit and truth. If I've gotten away from the most basic of principles, please reteach me."

All along my dear friend and fellow LLOP sister, Taliah, was on my mind - even during my attempts to worship. Since I was slap fresh out of ideas and still unable to sleep, I decided to give her a call at 3:30ish A.M - (**Taliah, love you girl;-). Taliah and I talked for quite awhile. Somewhere in the conversation we began talking about God's faithfulness. I would say something and she would respond; she would say something and I would respond. Before I knew it I was sitting upright in the bed, rocking back and forth, raising my hands, shaking my head...just all into the conversation. In His faithfulness, He gave me an image of the mercy seat and how it was positioned in the middle of two cherubims, angles who are seen throughout scripture "guarding" the temple or throne of God; accordingly, they are also associated with the presence of God.

In Revelations 4:6 -11, the cherubims appear in John's revelation of the Throne Room; they are facing each other crying out "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come." In Exodus 25:17-22, God instructs Moses to collect an offering from the people so that he may build God a sanctuary. The sanctuary was to include a mercy seat, made of pure gold. The mercy seat was to sit in the middle of two Cherubims that would be facing each other. In other words, the faces of the Cherubims were to face the mercy seat from opposite ends. The mercy seat is where the Lord told Moses that He would meet and speak with him. (Are you getting the revelation yet?) Again we see in 1 Chronicles 13:6 another mention of God dwelling between the Cherubims. The text says "David and Israel went to Baalah to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord, who dwells between the Cherubims, where His name is proclaimed."

See, Taliah and I were behaving like Cherubims. In essence we were crying out to one another "holy, holy holy" and in the midst of our exalting Him, we were creating a mercy seat...the place where God's name is proclaimed; the place where He promised to meet and speak. It was such a blessed time on that phone. We had entered into a form of worship and it was awesome. What was even more awesome is the fact that not once did we attach God's worth to anything that He did for us. Not once did we say, God is so good because he gave me this, or God is so good because he gave me that. No, nothing. It was all about Him. We cannot measure God's worth based on our lives, we measure our lives based on God's worth. We have to know that regardless of good times or bad times, He IS worthy of our praise. He IS worthy of our worship. He IS worthy of our best.

If I may, let me draw an analogy of God's instructions to Moses in Exodus 25. Pretend that the bible was written in 2007 and He's instructing you and me. Here are a couple of translations:

Offering = worship
Mercy seat = place where God abides, dwells, meets & speaks
Pure gold = pureness of heart
Cherubims = us (per scripture, the Cherubims actually had faces of humans)

Play around with those translations and see if the scripture becomes more relevant to you. Actually Matthew 18:20 reiterates how God abides in the midst of 2 or 3 that are gathered together in His name.

I'm really interested to hear back from you all so please comment via the blog and let me know what you think. Until next time, much love from my heart to yours (got that bit from Paula Deen:-).

**See also Ezekiel 10:1-20 for more info on the Cherubims.

***In case you're wondering, Taliah and I ended our conversation at 5:59 A.M.

~Barbara

Simply Sharing!!

I have had many conversations lately regarding unanswered prayers....dreams unfulfilled...desires still burning in many hearts..and I began to question God of why? Not that he had to give me an answer but he began to show me several different points....so I thought I would share....

I know we've heard this a million times BUT in his infinite wisdom he knows what is best for us!! He began to show me that one of the greatest treasures is to learn to trust him...I have to admit in times past..it was never one of my top prayer requests, but in learning how to quietly and patiently trust in him, there is so much he will give you along the way! You see, I am finally at a point where I am not truly chasing things(ecspecially visions I believe he has given me) but rather chasing the peace of God, seeking the true meaning of this life...on a daily basis. For those of you who know me, I never thought I would be a mother and I am...and each day when I TAKE THE TIME TO STOP,LOOK & LISTEN, I experience his presence, his power, his strength, his joy, his kindness through situations I never would have dreamed could satisfy me!!! You see, I thought I knew me...and I do to a certain extent...BUT GOD...he knows what I'll enjoy in my 30's...in my 40's and so forth and by simply staying steady I'm sure he'll continue to hold me in the comfort of his will!! So, with that frame of mind...I can walk in peace. I am learning that life will present challenges BUT life also gives us a choice...either to learn to overcome challenges or succumb to them. I am learning that to overcome challenges means to trust in him. Now, don't misunderstand this...I have not let go of other dreams but I have simply embraced and accepted seasons. Their are some visions God had given me years ago...that are on the way....but, for now he's building character for starters and many more attributes he'll need for his use. I am learning we are all connected and I am an intricate part of the persons he has placed in my life...you see, I believe purpose is an everyday thing! So, many times we are waiting on that vision, that unanswered prayer that we forget the answered prayers...but oh...we must not forget, this is vital to our walk and he has something beautiful to teach us.... all the time! Isn't he just grand! My prayer my sisters... is to simply trust & obey and then trust some more...it's called faith! Oh yeah, as a final point, enjoy everyday because their are so many treasures in each day....pray for God's wisdom, I'm sure once he begins revealing his wisdom..your days will look different..no matter what the situation!

GOD BLESS!

Tara

"Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father." Proverbs 29:3

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. Jeremiah 17:7

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN HIM. James 1:5

For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy.
Ecclesiastes 2:26

Faith Quote

Adrian Rogers' quote about faith blessed me tremendously and I hope you're able to receiving something out of it as well!

~Kristina~

"Faith is knowing that it will be so, because the Lord says that it is so, even when it doesn't look like it is so, it is believing that it is so, so that it can be so."

Fasting From to Fast To

Hi Ladies & Gents,

Yesterday was May 1 and I began talking to the Lord about my monthly fast. See, there was a time when fasting was truly a part of my walk, primarily during college. For whatever reason fasting slowly crept out of my of my "personal" walk and became something I did corporately with my local church or when asked to by someone who wanted me to agree with them in prayer. For the past 2 years I began each year with a 21 day fast, sort of a "first fruit" offering to the Lord. During this year's 21 day fast my spirit was prompted to reintroduce fasting as a part of my "personal" walk and worship. Keeping the theme of living life on purpose and giving God the first, me and many of you agreed to fast the 1st of each month.

There was something different about May 1st. I was beginning to feel like this monthly fast was becoming religious duty...routine...non-effective, everything that it was not supposed to be. In my talking to God about this I had a look within and realized suddenly what was missing. I wasn't fasting, I was abstaining. Yep, fasting from something in and of itself is not true fasting. In we aren't fasting from something to fast to something then we're merely abstaining. For example, if we choose (by the prompting of the Holy Spirit of course) to fast from food, then the time we would normally eat particular meals should be used to fast to something of God - such as prayer, reading the Word, meditating, worship, etc. An exchange should take place.

Being careful not to just be a hearer of the Word but to be a doer of the Word, I immediately put my renewed revelation into practice. On yesterday (May 1) I decided to do a partial food fast so while at work, I read the Bible during my lunch hour in lieu of going to lunch with my co-workers (remember the exchange). I began reading in Luke 16 and ended up at Luke 17:19 - where Jesus heals the 10 men with leoprasy. Can I tell you that I saw things in that parable that I'd never seen before. Stay tuned for a future blog on the relevation I received - it's like words just jumped off the page. It was awesome!

Now as we continue on throughout 2007, I'm looking forward to fasting on the first. I'm excited about living a life of purpose and i'm excited about giving God the 1st so that the whole will be blessed (Romans 11:16). I had a wonderful exchange yesterday and now I understand even more what the scripture means when it states that man cannot live off bread alone. I was more satisfied off of the revelation I received yesterday than any lunch meal I could have eaten. God is faithful. Hopefully I've encouraged you as we all continue to make fasting a part of our personal walk;-)

Much Luv!!!!

~BDR

God Loves Your Uniqueness!

Good Morning Ladies!

I pray you are all well and that you are steadfast in all that the Lord is calling you to do this day. As you can probably tell from previous posts, I am fixated on the topic of 'purpose'. At this stage in my life, I am chasing the Lord down and seeking Him almost obsessively for the roadmap of my life specifically. So, when I come across Scriptures, devotions, or articles related to purpose, my ears perk up and my eyes are alert.

Today's message from Joel & Victoria Osteen talks about our purpose in regards to our uniqueness. I hope it's a blessing to you.

~Kristina~

God Loves Your Uniqueness!

Today's Scripture
"I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court;indeed, I do not even judge myself." (I Corinthians 4:3)

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
You are anointed to be the person God has called you to be! The enemy may try to make you think you have to conform to the opinions of others, but if you are secure in who God made you, you can resist those outside demands and pressures that try to mold you into something you're not. Don't rely on the opinions and approval
of others. Don't let them steal your unique creativity. God made each of us with
a different purpose. As you continue to grow in your relationship with the Lord,
through prayer, worship, and fellowship, you will gain confidence in the Lord
that will free you from the opinions of man, and allow you to be who God called
you to be!

A Prayer for Today
God, I want to live for your approval alone. I need to feel your strength when I feel tempted to change who I am to conform to this world. Please help me to remember that You love me just the way I am! In Jesus' name - Amen.

Christianity & Pagan Practices

I know Easter-Resurrection Day was yesterday, but this is still relevant and good to know. My curiosity about common day "Easter" practice was stirred up after reading the headlines on many church marquees advertising egg hunts and hearing Christian radio hosts talk about how their children were excited about the Easter bunny visiting their homes. It dawned on me that Christians are probably the ones who participate in pagan activities and beliefs (i.e. Easter bunny, Santa Claus, Halloween, etc.) the most, not realizing the history behind the practices. So, here it is...a little research I did about the history of the Easter egg and its myths:

• Over the span of history, the egg has symbolized magic, mystery, medicine, food, and omen.
  

• In Pagan times, the egg represented the rebirth of the earth. The long, hard winter was over; the earth burst forth and was reborn just as the egg miraculously burst forth with life. The egg, therefore, was believed to have special powers. It was buried under the foundations of buildings to ward off evil; pregnant young Roman women carried an egg on their persons to foretell the sex of their unborn children; French brides stepped upon an egg before crossing the threshold of their new homes.
  

• With the advent of Christianity the symbolism of the egg changed to represent, not nature's rebirth, but the rebirth of man. Christians embraced the egg symbol and likened it to the tomb from which Christ rose.
  

• Old Polish legends blended folklore and Christian beliefs and firmly attached the egg to the Easter celebration. One legend concerns the Virgin Mary. It tells of the time Mary gave eggs to the soldiers at the cross. She entreated them to be less cruel and she wept. The tears of Mary fell upon the eggs, spotting them with dots of brilliant color.
  

• Another Polish legend tells of when Mary Magdalene went to the sepulchre to anoint the body of Jesus. She had with her a basket of eggs to serve as a repast. When she arrived at the sepulchre and uncovered the eggs, lo, the pure white shells had miraculously taken on a rainbow of colors.

Isn't that a mess?! We've got to tell our children the TRUTH about why we celebrate certain occasions...they will believe and know only what you tell and show them at young ages.

What Do You Feel Passionate About Today?

CCF'S SURVIVAL. GUIDE
Wednesday 3/21/07

“Your message burns in my heart . . . I cannot keep silent.” Jeremiah 20:9 (NIV)

God is passionate! He loves certain things and hates others. And He impassions us for the things He cares about deeply. He impassions different people for different things. Whatever it is you will know it because you will feel compelled to speak up or do what you can to make a difference. Once impassioned we cannot keep from sharing what God has burned into our heart: “…a man’s heart determines his speech” (Matthew 12:34 TLB).

God may impassion you to champion a cause; often it will relate to something you have personally experienced such as abuse, addiction, divorce, depression, a disease, a social evil, or some other challenge. God uses passionate people to fulfill His purposes. He may give you a burning desire to fund new churches, support Christian missions, or make special ministry opportunities possible. You may be given a passion for reaching a particular group of people: college students, businessmen, teenagers, singles, foreign exchange students, unwed mothers, prisoners, victims of incest, even those with a particular hobby or sport. If you ask God, He will burden your heart for a specific country, ethnic group, or sub-culture.

God gives each of us different passions so that everything He wants done, will get done! But do not expect everybody to be equally passionate about your passion. Learn to listen to and value the other person’s God-given passion, because nobody can do it all. Never belittle somebody’s passion: “It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good…” (Galatians 4:18 NIV).

What do you feel passionate about today? Do something about it!

Karen

Fast Returns on My Fast - March 1, 2007

There really something in fasting. I am committed to fasting the first day of each month this year. No food, just liquids for a full 24 hours. Well, on March 1, 2007, it happened that I had fill in for one of my specialists who had to an injury the previous day. So I covered the two classes scheduled for March 1st. I was a bit nervous about conducting the class full of teenagers who didn't know me. We all know how students like to get over on the substitute.
But at the same time I was excited because this was my day of first fruits, my day of dedication. So I was able to calm my nervousness with the eager anticipation of what God was going to show me today. This situtation was all a set up to begin with.
I stayed in prayer mode all day. I especially prayed over the atmosphere in the classroom. I had received reports of caution about the students from my specialists. And I got double warnings from my specialists, and the students in the first class, about the students who attended the second class. I got all kinds of warnings about how they don't want to participate and they will give me the most trouble.
Well, it was the exact opposite. Both class were very enjoyable. All of the students participated, listened to instruction, laughed, took their tests, and enjoyed their free time. It was just a great experience. Two young ladies even came back unexpectedly during their lunch period to talk to me about college. My specialist was shocked to hear my report. I was very happy to see the evidence of the great rapor she has built with her students. They really like and trust her and are taking in the information she is teaching.
The other half of my praise report from my day of fasting is about a financial blessing I recieved the next day. My office's management company had a "Bright Ideas" contest where they asked everyone to submit ideas for improving the office environment and/or services. They manage a number of properties all over the DC metro area. I submitted a few ideas last month. I got a call from the marketing manager informing me that I won the second place prize for the best idea - $125 AMEX gift certificate! My "Bright Idea" was to create a directory of the various services within a 3-4 block radius of each office building. Instead of creating a written directory, they decided to create and electronic directory with maps. So we can easily find all the restaurants, coffee shops, cleaners, banks, office supplies stores, hotels, drug/convenient stores, FedEx drops, metro stops etc. all within a 3 -4 block distance from our office.
This extra cash was really a blessing. There are so many little things I need for my new home. I am looking forward to seeing what comes out of this entire month.

Prayer Request - Sunday, 2/25/07

Hello Ladies, I have two prayer requests today: 1.) Please pray for my grandmother. Her name is Linnette and she is in the hospital in Macon with Congestive Heart Failure. 2.) I have a friend, his name is Rob. He found my email address after about 7 years. As we were catching up etc... I shared my faith with him. This is what he replied:

You know that I really wish that I can do and feel the way you do. My life for the most part of it is a living hell. I don't know what it is that I am doing wrong but things never seem to go right. Like my marriage, it's crazy my job situation it sucks. I just don't know what to do. On top of all of that I am getting messed over by the VA. I just need a fresh start. If I had the mental strength I think I could do for myself. How did you start? I know that it was hard. I have no idea what your life has been like and what you have been through but just tell me what I can do to feel what you feel. I don't go to the clubs, I still don't drink or smoke, I don't cheat on my wife. I just can't stop the lusting for other women. I'm always online looking at them and if I see something nice when I'm out, I can't keep my eyes off of her. My mind goes on a sexual rampage. I just need some help bad!

Ladies, Please pray that God would show me where to go from here, and that I can be an effective witness. Also, pray that God would continue to work in him and give him the desire to want to be saved.



Thanks, Be Blessed!

Kenyatta

A little reminder

This comes from a calendar of inspirational messages one of my coworkers gave me:

Without a source to refill our lives,
giving will quickly drain our reservoirs
of strength, caring, patience, and kindness.
We must make time to do those things
which renew our inner strength. Daily
walks, reading, and spending time with
friends and family can help us to revitalize.
Most importantly, we need to spend
time with the one Source who can supply
our every need -- God, our Father.

Gwen Ellis

Sharing Thoughts - Contentment

Although I was fighting for my contentment in singleness...this message is very universal and can apply to any situation:

As each of you know, I've been celebrating in my new found "contentment" of being single. My new found space is primarily due to getting a biblical perspective on what it means to be content in all things and anxious for nothing. I used to think that to be content meant that I'd have to be "void" of a desire or "indifferent" to the outcome of that desire. However, what I've recently discovered is that to be content means to be joyful where you are and knowing that God will deliver and bring to pass those desires in our heart. See, it's not anxiousness or fretting that gets God's attention, it's our faith. Anxiousness and faith cannot co-exist together; one will cancel out the other. We can choose to have faith and not be anxious. Yes, it's as simple as making a choice.

Around 9:00 p.m last night (Thursday, Feb 22) those old feelings of anxiousness tried to creep in. Within minutes of their arrival, I began to feel a shift in my emotions, thoughts, and joy. I started speaking God's promises over my life and proclaiming that I will be joyful in my current state because God is faithful. I had to talk to myself (verbally and mentally) throughout the night and even this morning when I woke up. The battle got more and more intense from last night to this morning (Friday, Feb 23) and suddenly the following thoughts started to invade my mind "see, you aren't content. You spoke too soon, you celebrated too soon…etc etc." How-be-ever , I continued to "cast down every thing that exalted itself against the Word of God, and brought down every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" – 2 Corinthians 10:5. In His faithfulness, wisdom began to flow as I brushed my teeth. Here's the wisdom word I received today:

Matthew 12:43-45 (feel free to read it for your pleasure…I love the Message Bible's version of this text)

In a nutshell, the parable talks about when a person is delivered or grows up in an area, those old habits, mindsets, spirits, etc leave and tries to find somewhere else to live. Once the old habits realize that there's no where else for them to go, they come back to their old home ( i.e. you) and find it all cleaned up and vacant. This is good news to the old habits so they run out and gather seven times more spirits and they all come back to live in the new cleaned, vacant you. Why is vacant in bold? There is a difference between abstinence and deliverance. A vacant space represents someone who's abstaining from whatever those old habits were. Abstinence can have the appearance of deliverance because those old spirits are out searching for a new home; HOWEVER…they will come back to see if their old home ( i.e. your mind) is available. If those old habits find the old home vacant and available for them, then that person was not delivered, but rather abstaining. How do you know you're delivered?

True deliverance represents a trading in of your mind for God's mind, your thoughts for God's thoughts, and your desires for God's desires. You don't give up something and not replace it. Deliverance is proven when (not if) those old things come back and find their old home fully furnished, therefore not providing any room for them or seven of their friends to return. Those old thoughts tried to find space in every room…my thoughts, my joy, my emotions, my declarations, every room of my soul. However, every door they tried to enter, they were greeted with the Word of God, the thoughts of God, the peace of God, the promises of God. I traded in the old for the new. Deliverance doesn't mean those old things won't try to come back…deliverance means – COME ON BABY, THERE'S NO ROOM IN THE INN!!! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so (I used to love that song by Virtue…and of course I love the scripture too - Psalm 107:2).

Barbara

February 21, 2007 - Living Life on Purpose

On the subject of living life on purpose and coming together to share prayers for and praises to, ...

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

9For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Or as it's written in The Message:

God didn't set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we're awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we're alive with him! So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it.

Ladies, it was already written! Now how awesome is that?!?!?!

Praise Report - God's Favor for Court Decision

Good Morning Ladies!

I am elated to report that Miss Cicley is at home with her family and ALL charges have been dropped!!!! Praise the Lord! Her mother is in the process of typing up an email to share the details of yesterday's events, but she sends her many thanks for your prayers and concern for her daughter. I am genuinely excited about how this experience will change Cicely's life.

Thank you for your prayers!
Kristina

Prayer Request - God's Favor for Court Decision

Greetings Praying Women of God!

At this specific time it is most critical that I solicit your prayers for a dear friend of mine. My afternoon was spent with one of my spiritual mothers and I was presented with the unfortunate news that her daughter (Cicely) is currently in jail for charges she did not commit. To make a long story short, Cicely was an innocent bystander to a robbery crime committed here in the Metro Atlanta area. She was sitting in the car when a male associate burglarized a local jewelry shop (he told her that he simply needed to pick up some jewelry he placed in the shop). Gunshots were then fired between the male associate and the police right in front of Cicely's face (literally). By the grace of God, none of the bullets hit Cicely; however, a police officer was wounded. Even though she did not enter the jewelry shop, nor step outside of the car, or possess any knowledge as to what was taking place or what this man's plans were on that day, she is being charged with everything the burglar is being charged with: assault, robbery, and wounding an officer.

Cicely has now been in jail for 1 1/2 months. She's 22 years old, she's a Christian, and she's in the learning process of discovering all that God is able to do in her life. The entire time she has been in jail, she has been in prayer about this situation, seeking God in His Word, and truly cleansing herself to get ready for the court hearing which is tomorrow (2/20 - 2 PM). Her parents have prayed and fasted, and are soliciting the prayers of godly people to support their daughter. In speaking with my friend today, I mentioned how I truly believe that I am linked to an amazing group of anointed women in our prayer circle. Without hesitation, she asked that I share this situation with you all to be in prayer for Cicely. I am just asking that God's favor be upon her tomorrow as she goes before the judge and that the judge looks at all the evidence of the case to realize that she is clearly innocent and had no knowledge of what was going on. Of course, we all know that sometimes being in the wrong place at the wrong time and associating with the wrong people can unfortunately place ourselves in negative situations. BUT, God IS able to use this situation somehow to add to the call upon her life (she's a writer and singer of praise songs). I am just expecting great things to come of this situation, that she WILL be released from prison, and that she will not forget this experience.

Throughout this whole ordeal, Cicely has been in good spirit and she is actually excited about sharing her testimony because she received warning signs about this fella and unfortunately did not heed those signs. So, she is learning first hand the importance of heeding God's voice the first time and she is excited about sharing the story of what she's going through with others. So, I ask for your prayers that she finds favor with the judge, that all charges are dropped, and that she is able to move on to truly tap into all the things God has planned for her (incorporating this experience as a part of her testimony as she writes songs of worship unto the Lord).

I thank you for your attention to this email. You gals are all awesome women - I personally cannot wait to meet you all in person! Be on the lookout for the blog that will be established for us to post all our prayers, praise reports, and testimonies. I honestly expect wonderful and great things from God via the website! Who knows whose eyes will gaze upon the website and how it will serve as a blessing and a ministering tool to others...just to see that prayer actually works. When you trust and believe God for things in life, stand by His Word and promises, no matter what comes your way, He will surely see you through it - surely -and that is His promise! That is His promise!

So, I thank you once again and be blessed of the Lord this day!
Kristina

Praise Report - Handling Confrontation

Ladies, Ladies, Ladies!
I had a great day today!
I actually ended up having 3 meetings today with the specialists I manage.
The 9:00 a.m. one was the one I was most prayerful about and it went well. I was actually sitting there stunned that my specialist was listening and taking in the evaluation calmly and thoughtfully. We did get into a back and forth on one issue but I calmly set aside my paper, took a different route to address my concerns, and we were able to come to a better understanding on our communication.
Even though everything went well, I still left wondering if I accomplished my goal because of the responses I got. But then I remembered, it is not about the other person's response but that I actually confronted the problem. That's when VICTORY settled in my spirit.



I feel like I just learned how to stand up on my issue on confrontation. My legs are going to get stronger and this was a great beginning.
Thanks for your prayers. All that covering trickled over into my two other meetings where I had to confront some other issues and I left both of those meeting feeling great!

It was really a great day!

Thanks so much,
Taliah

Prayer Request - Handling Confrontation

Greetings Ladies,

I just want everyone to know that this fast has really been a blessing for me. I have been fasting since January 1st. And week by week my spiritual legs have been getting stronger. At my church here in DC (actually in Forestville, MD) we are celebrating this year, 2007, as the year of hope and expectation. God is commanding me to hope again and expect great things year at a time when I wanted to go into chill and bask in the glow of stepping into my promise.

Thank you, Barbara for putting me on to that little but POWERFUL book on fasting. I read five chapters of it last night and it just took me into a moment of prayer and praise!!! I am more excited over my fast now than when I started!

I thought I would reach out to everyone and put the power of our prayers to work in an area of my life God revealed needs to be put to death. On Sunday, during service the topic was on confrontation and how we avoid it because we want to stay comfortable and keep the peace. For me specifically, I defined confrontation as a fight. I did not want to fight, so I avoid dealing with issues until I can't take it anymore.

I am advancing my fasting level today to have a 24 hour normal fast because tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. I am having to confront a person on my job about some specific issues.

So please pray for the these things: 1. The peace of God that surpasses all understanding, 2. that God will go before me and handle the battle even before I get to the meeting, 3. to destroy the spirit of rebellion, manipulation, haughtiness, and pride, 4. and for a renewed relationship and commitment to the work we do for the students and people are working with accomplish this good work.

I am believing God that this organization, JAG-DC, can have atomsphere of team work, respect, and even fun. I believe that not just me but everyone can enjoy their job and therefore enjoy their life.

Thank you ladies for your prayers and I am look forward to giving you my praise report on Wednesday evening.

Taliah

Praise Report - NABA Speaking Engagement

You ladies did your thing, I did my thing, and God definitely did His thing!!! Oh how I wish each of you were there to witness how awesome everything went. I remember sitting at my desk on yesterday thinking to myself “those ladies must have really prayed because my peace is here.” Believe me when I tell you that the peace of God settled on me ever so gently (I don’t even know when it crept it, I just noticed that it was thereJ).

To comply with NABA procedures, all of the members had to complete an evaluation of the meeting and the presenter. Guess what…we (yep, notice we because you were just as much a part as I) we received all high marks. The V.P even said “she was the best speaker we’ve had all year.” Wow, is all I can say.

Thank you so much!

Barbara

Prayer Request - NABA Speaking Engagement

Hi Ladies,

I’m the guest speaker tonight for the Atlanta chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants. Being careful not to “speak” anything (J), I’m asking if each of you would say a little prayer for me that (1) His will is accomplished (2) the information shared creates transformation in the lives of the attendees (3) I speak with clarity, confidence, and relevance (4) and anything else He leads you to pray on.

I truly appreciate your partnership in destiny!!

***The meeting is tonight at 6:30 pm

Barbara