Posts Tagged ‘Words to Live By’Yes LORD, I Hear You Calling – Oct 09 WTLB
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Yes LORD, I Hear You Calling By Sis Krissie Williams All my life the Lord has truly watched over me. Before I knew who He was, He loved me. The Lord had ordered my steps before I could even walk. Yes Lord, I hear you calling. Then one day the Lord spoke to me; that quiet still voice inside that told me, “It’s time to make a change in your life.” Yes Lord, I hear you calling, but the music is playing loud and the party is just getting started. So I go on with my daily life. Time goes by and I continued on my path, not realizing that this day could be my last. I never stopped to acknowledge the Lord. I never stopped to read His word. Yet He continued to call. Yes Lord, I hear you calling, but the kids are fighting and my dinner is not cooked and I haven’t had time to sit and read a good book. So I go on with my daily life. Some years have now passed and I reflected back on my life, thinking where I could be if I only had Jesus in my life. It took a while for me to see just how much the Lord truly loved me. He never gave up on me, He continued to call my name, and now that I have acknowledged, “Yes Lord, I hear you calling,” my life will never be the same. I thank GOD that He continued to call, and that I no longer decided to wait. I answered “Yes Lord” and His mercy and grace saved me from being too late. I’m Calling You Out! – September 09 WTLB
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
I’m Calling You Out! Luke 12:2-3 (King James Version) Definition of a lie: a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood [www.dictionary.com]. During the annual Women’s Retreat, we indulged in an activity called “Two Truths and a Lie.” Each participant had to write down two true facts and one false statement about themselves. When the statements were read aloud, the other women were to guess who the facts actually described. Although the activity was a lot of fun, it was a big challenge. The toughest part of the activity was creating the statement that was a lie. To come up with a lie meant I had to take on a mind of deception and create something possibly believable. It was also difficult depicting the lies of the others. How hard is it for you to lie? For some it may not be too hard because your daily goal is to deceive others. You don’t want people to know the real you or the real situations you are going through. So often times it is easier to just live or be a lie. Throughout the bible many people lied to deceive others:
I’m calling you out. Take a look at the lies you have created for yourself. Are you reading your bible as say you are reading? Are you praying? Who are you when no one is looking? What secrets are you holding in that nobody will ever know? What’s the stuff you’ve tried to stuff way down deep that still seems to linger somewhere right under your skin? It’s time for no more lies, no more secrets, no more deception, no more hiding. It’s time to confess and it’s time for healing. Respectfully submitted by It’s All For My Good – July 09 WTLB
Monday, July 13th, 2009
I’ts All For My Good Looking at life’s ups and downs, it can be hard seeing God working it out for our good. There are times we don’t understand why we’re going through these difficulties and question, “why us?” I have found that we must be careful that we don’t become bitter or hard of heart during the trying times, but must keep our focus on God. Take note of a story of a Christian woman’s life and how God brought her through. Lisa, at age 17, was a Christian, head cheerleader, class president, and soon to be valedictorian. Joe, the star quarterback/all-American guy, decided to take Lisa, his longtime friend, on a fun outing which eventually turns into a horrific incident of rape. Lisa’s life was changed forever, but her faith in God brought her through. Lisa, at age 40, was married with children, and the CEO of her own company. One morning, Lisa wakes up late and begins to hurry around the house. She’s yelled at her children to get up and get dressed for school. They all jumped into her car and blazed down the road. Lisa noticed a car accident exactly at the point where she and her children would have been if they had been on time. All Lisa could say was, “thank you Lord for sparing our lives.” Lisa today is 79 and still going strong in the Lord. The words she lives by and proclaim are from the verse Romans 8:28. Lisa is a witness to young women who have been raped or abused and she realizes that being late maybe God way of slowing her down so He can finish His work. Therefore, no matter what happens in this economy, the world, or our lives, we have to remember that our hope and faith in Christ Jesus, is all for our good. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Be Blessed, Investments – June 09 WTLB
Monday, June 8th, 2009
Investments If I were a betting woman, I’d wager that you could turn to any given news channel, or pick up any newspaper and see splashed across the headlines more depressing news about the state of the U.S. economy. “60k homes lost”, or “Unemployment at its lowest in 79 years!” . . .or something along those lines. After a while, one starts to wonder if there’s anything we can do to improve the situation, or should we sit and wait for things to fix themselves? I wouldn’t suggest that, saints. God gave us all the tools we need to succeed in the time of feast, as well as famine. It is our job to tap into those resources and invest. Invest what, you ask? And why would we invest at a time like this? I think of it this way: NO INVESTMENT+ NO RISK=NO RETURN. I’m no mathematician, but this equation seems pretty simple. Every investment involves risk. If you are unwilling to risk losing something, you will never be able to gain anything. And as people of God, we are constantly required to take risks for Christ’s sake. In Matthew 6:25-34, Christ reminds us that we’re not to focus our attention on the things of this world, not even our daily physical needs. If God takes care of the animals, the birds, and the trees everyday, what makes us think that we as His children will not be provided for? Verse 33 reminds us where our focus is supposed to be. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you”. It sounds simple, because it is simple. We’ve got to be willing to take the risk during these times and invest ALL we can in God. When we do this, God is sure to keep His word and supply every single one of our needs. So don’t cringe when you walk into the grocery store and see that milk has risen to $5 a gallon, or when you pull up to the gas station and the price of gas has skyrocketed (again). Don’t panic when you look at your 401k. “Seek ye first”, remember? God already has that taken care of. God Bless You, Let It Go – May 2009 WTLB
Friday, June 5th, 2009
Let It Go Many times in life we want to hang onto things. We know that the Bible tells us to cast all our cares upon him; for he careth for us, 1 Peter 5:6-8. When faced with life situations you can begin to rationalize in your mind how to resolve them. God has to remind us while we are trying to resolve these situations to “let it go“. In the flesh we cannot resolve life’s problems. We can do all things through Christ which strengthens us, according to Philippians 4:13. We must get into the habit of always having a spirit of prayer in every situation, because if not we will hinder the praise we owe God. We need freedom from what’s going on in our lives to praise and worship God. We do God and others a disservice when we are bound and not free to praise Him. Did you know that we affect the world around us? We don’t want to say to God, “I’m holding onto a situation because I believe that you can’t handle it.” Let’s not limit God with our own expectations. As humans we are limited by what we can or cannot do, but God is not flesh He has no limitations and can perform the impossible. He will answer our prayer. The results will be God’s results not man’s results. My prayer is that you are encouraged today to just “Let it go“. God Bless You, Who Are You? – April 09 WTLB
Friday, June 5th, 2009
Who Are You? Have you ever wondered who you were? Why are you here? Why do you exist? Is it for the greater good? What is your purpose? How would you define it? Well, I believe deep within ourselves we can attest at one time or another where we have meditated on these questions in search of answers, explanations, direction, meaning, and understanding; a sense of belonging, security, self worth or just simple curiosity. According to the Bible, Gen 1: 26-27 God says, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have sovereignty over every living thing. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. God, whom resides in heaven, although omnipresent in spirit on the earth, made you in the likeness of Him as flesh to walk on Earth. Frankly, you were chosen as God’s ambassadors in earthen vessels-his pride and joy. You were God’s outstanding accomplishment because He designed every facet of your being and molded it for his perfect plan. Of course, circumstances in the beginning altered God’s perfect pattern when man embraced sin. However, God has always been mindful of man because he was formed after God. According to Psalms 8:4, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5. For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. How significant was your existence to God who knew your life history before conception and thought it wonderful to have you come forth! In the sight of God, you are a special work of art that cannot be imitated. You are one of a kind, uniquely molded and sculpted, a rare gem cut so smoothly and divine. In the sight of God you are somebody, chosen, royal, and peculiar. God selected you. In I Peter 2:9, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. You are more than just anybody. You are a joint heir with the King of Glory, as long as you have confessed, professed, and possessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In the sight of God, you are His creation that He brought forth into life with free will, free election, free choice, and free designation. In God’s sight, you already had voting rights because He made man a first class citizen. Man had supreme authority on the earth, but he waived his rights. Thank God for his son, Jesus, who was in the beginning when God said “Let us make man in our own image.” Jesus knew who you were, whose you were, why you were, how you were, and what you were. You were not a manufactured replication, but an image of them formed in flesh. Therefore, Jesus showed the true meaning of love for you, a royal priesthood, when He agreed to be born, go through the developmental stages of life, and die by crucifixion. He suffered a brutal beating, crimson fluid flowing out from within, prickly branches adorned His head, bolts held His hands and feet to the tree, yet He spoke forgiveness to the end and death thought it had conquered Him. I Corinthians 15:55, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? A resurrected Jesus rose with all power in his hands for you, the chosen one. Your purpose in life rests in God’s plan of salvation. God created His own kind. He reproduced Himself through the many men and women that He called to be Christians. Think about it! If you belong to God, then believe Isaiah 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. 43:21, This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise. God created us for his glory. The children of God are to praise and magnify his name. Psalms 33:1, Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. You are here because God willed it so! You are special! Hold your head up and not down! You are the head and not the tail! You were made to be a blessing to someone else and show someone the path of life in God! You should be a lender and not a borrower! Your hands can do many talented services given by the Father! Broken down, misfit, good for nothing, schemer, scammer, trickster, stupid, loser, abuser, to say the least, is not your name. You are a victor and conqueror! Look ahead and not back! The past is just what it is called “the past.” He seasoned you for your purpose in Him! You are a child of the author and finisher of our life, The True and Living King. Penned by Do You Measure Up? – February 09 WTLB
Friday, June 5th, 2009
Do You Measure Up? Have you ever felt like you didn’t quite measure up? Did you think that maybe you weren’t the most suited person for the position? Could you name 2 or 3 other people who get the job done faster, easier and even better? Well, if you haven’t heard it before, let me be the first to tell you – you’re not alone! We’ve all experienced moments when we’ve second guessed our abilities, and perhaps even our right, to be at a certain station in life. If left unchecked, those thoughts can lead to crippling fear, agonizing self doubt, and a cycle of depression, keeping you from fulfilling your God given destiny. If you do find yourself confronted by these thoughts and feelings, let me offer the perfect remedy… accept them! Think someone could do your job better? You’re probably right! Know someone who is obviously more gifted in a particular area? That’s likely to be true. After you’ve accepted those thoughts, be sure to turn to the Word. You see, I Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise… the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” In other words, God has this knack for taking that which seems ill-suited, a bit less than, the mistake, not quite up to par… and turning it into something beautiful and fit to be used, fashioned and molded under the loving tutelage of the Master. In Psalm 139:14, David praises God because he is, “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and that should be our praise as well. Each of us has been given special talents and God wants us to use them for His glory – not worrying about how we measure up to those around us. Just think of all the heroes of the Bible who clearly did not meet man’s standards, but because of their obedience to God and their ability to shake off doubt, enjoyed success in the task laid before them. Indeed, Christ’s words stand true, “My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness,” (II Cor. 12:9). When we readily admit our own limitations, God is there to enable us and to perfect us for His work. So no matter where feelings of inadequacy originate, whether from our own imaginations, family, close friends, church folk or the father of lies himself, as long as we do our part and ‘walk worthy of the vocation [we are] called,’ as Ephesians 4:1 states, God will surely do His part to ensure that we are fully equipped and able to get the job done. S. Danielle Benjamin Stay In Jerusalem – January 09 WTLB
Friday, June 5th, 2009
Stay In Jerusalem You may not know by looking at me, but I’m an avid runner and have been for some time now. I don’t train religiously seven times a day to run in world renowned marathons and nor do I run sprints or meter races. I’ve never won an athletic trial and to be honest with you, I think I’m allergic to a track. I’m what you would call a situational runner.When there’s a tough situation, I run.When there’s a problem too difficult for me to handle, I run.When I feel I’m not good enough, I run.When life seems out of my control, I head for the hills faster than an Athenian soldier running to warn of a Persian attack. In the military, if I didn’t like an assignment, I would pray for a new location or a new boss imagining an exciting new environment free from all of the hassles and worries of the previous one, only to learn I would be going through the same exact thing at my new location.Not once did I stop and accept where I was and ask Godto reveal whatever it was He wanted me to learn from that particular assignment.And on top of all of that, I was Wordless.I wasn’t reading my Bible.By not getting into the Word, I was depriving myself of an opportunity of learning who God said I was and what God meant for me to be. Recently, I’ve learned that God has instructed us to be strong and courageous, and to meditate on His Word day and night.I’ve fooled myself into believing that I could have a relationship with God solely by acknowledging that He exits and stating before all that I believe Jesus is my Lord and Savior.But even Satan knows God exists. I didn’t think I needed to have a prayer life or that I needed to fast.I didn’t think that I needed to truly know who God was in order to serve Him and have Him be manifested in my life. I had these sudden urges to run because I didn’t know Him like King David did.He truly was a man after God’s own heart.I couldn’t stand before my giants and boldly declare that the Lord will deliver them into my hands.How could I?I didn’t have the word of God on my forehead, in my heart and on my tongue so that I could speak to my mountains with the power and authority given to me through Christ Jesus.And because of this, I was so susceptible to what the enemy was telling me.I would stay away from church because the enemy knew that’s where I would get my deliverance.He knew, especially at Holiness Tabernacle, that that was where I would feel His Spirit move mightily. I was listening to the NIV version of the Bible on CD, and, in the first chapter of Acts, Luke recounts that Jesus told his disciples to not leave Jerusalem until God sends them the gift that He promised them. The gift of the Holy Ghost.I knew from this verse that God was telling me that I couldn’t run any longer.I couldn’t run from my problems, from the church and from this great work that the Lord has begun in me, because I was denying myself the Gift that has been promised to me. I know now that I can’t make it in this life without God and his precious Holy Spirit.I understand that I can’t do anything without the love and power of Almighty God.I fooled myself into believing that I could handle certain aspects of my life, but when the going got tough, Dayan got going and would fall into a trap.I’ve learned that there is nothing too great or too small for God to handle.From whether or not I should have that last piece of cake to should I invest in some Ford stock now that the shares are super low, I take it all to God.I often still feel like a skittish colt ready to bolt any second at the slightest sign of trouble, but I’m learning to trust that God has a firm grip on my reigns and will not lead me astray. I’m still a runner, but not like the runner from my old life.No, I’m a runner pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.I’m waiting, with great expectation, in Jerusalem (Holiness Tabernacle C.O.G.I.C.) for that gift that Jesus has promised I will one day receive from my Heavenly Father, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that day will surely come. Be Blessed, Sis M. Dayan Araujo |
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