Divine Inspirations Magazine February 2010 Volume 2 Issue 2

2 | P a g e

This publication is copyrighted and the articles are protected. Divine Inspirations Magazine (c) 2010 All Rights

Reserved

3 | P a g e

February inside this issue 2010

Cover Story-P.7 Living the E-life-p.34

Thoughts for sale-P.8 A Brief moment-p.36

The Lord of the breakthrough-P.10 Women of Zion: investing

The Bible teacher: fellowship -p.12 in you-p.39

Healthy & Living in reality corner-p.42

Balance-p.15 destiny challenge: the cost

Don’t hide things from your of destiny-p.45

Spouse-p.17 are you ready for a fresh new

The heartbeat of god-p. 20 year?-p.47

We are free-p.23 remembering is for elephants

Word in season: after the break-up- not your spouse-p.52

p.25 mary’s story-p.54

new year, new you “lose weight fast”-p.28 seeking the face of god thru

is it safe to open my eyes yet?-p.30 fasting &prayer-p.56

if its to be, its up to me-p.32

D.I.V.A.S.:the unconditional love

Of God-p.33

Poetry café

As time goes by-p.11 Christian frustration pt 111-p.40

The battle-p.19 god can-p.50

The shining star-p.24

Ornaments of grace: dear god-p.29

4 | P a g e

2010 Author Spotlight

Lenore Artis-author

Dr. Virginia Booth-author

5 | P a g e

2010 Author Spotlight

Paulette Harper-author

Eliza Earsman-A Collection of Verses

Mylow Young-author

Carole Steamer-author

6 | P a g e

2010 Author Spotlight

Andrea Michele Mills-author

Tammy Drake-author

Maya C. Houston

7 | P a g e

Greetings!

In the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, I marveled at the

community of the world that came together quickly to aid the

Haitians. Many nations put down their own agenda and politics

and joined together in a phenomenal rescue effort. It was amazing

but it spoke highly of the human spirit. As we celebrate Valentine’s

Day remember “love knows no boundaries.” Let the love of God be

shed abroad in your heart today. Pray for the nation of Haiti!

In this issue we are spotlighting a female entrepreneur Jeanine

Strickland for African-American history month and the hot off the

presses authors and the phenomenal books that have penned. This

month begins DIM’s contest to reach 2,010 new subscribers the year.

You are able to enter win one of three prizes by submitting the most

valid email addresses as new subscribers. Please get permission

before you submit the email address.

We welcome your feedback and comments. Please share this

publication with your family and friends. To donate or subscribe

please visit our website:

http://www.divineinspirationsmagazine.org or

divineinspirationsmagazine@gmail.com

8 | P a g e

Jeanine has always had a passion for

technology. In 1993, she obtained her

Bachelors of Science degree in Computer

Science from North Carolina Agricultural &

Technical State University. Wanting to further

her career, in 2006 she obtained her MBA in

Business Management from Strayer University.

All of her passion and drive would not prepare

her for the Corporate America layoff that hit her

in 2007. Feeling down and depressed about

having more bills than money, she received a

word from God regarding starting her own

business. A mentor, Prophet Glenette Wilcher,

spoke a word into Jeanine’s life about going

forth with what she considered a hobby as a

business. With no money, an outdated

computer and hopes, Jeanine stepped out on

faith and thus Anointed Website Designs was

birthed. Jeanine realized that image is

everything. She designed her own website and

had a logo designed.

Starting with a local church directory, Jeanine

touched basis with many Pastors and Church

Administrators to reach clients. Email

marketing and word of mouth was very

instrumental in getting the word out about her

new business. The word of God says “Faith

without works is dead”, and by faith Jeanine

began to market and God began to manifest.

From Orlando, to Tampa, to Georgia, Jeanine

began to get client and client. Standing on the

word that the Lord had given her, she began to

believe and still believes that God had given her

the power to obtain wealth. She encourages

anyone that has a vision and a dream to not be

afraid, but step out on faith and let God do the

rest.

Anointed Website Designs has been

instrumental in helping growing ministries and

businesses share “their vision with the world”.

Anointed Website Designs offers affordable

prices to growing ministries and business that

have a limited budget, but a great need to

advertise on the World Wide Web. The internet

is growing by leaps and bounds and in order to

stay current, a website is advantageous in

marketing. By having a website, you can reach

those that you have been unable to reach. A

website also gives you a competitive edge.

Anointed Website Designs also offers logo,

business card, postcard, flyer, website

maintenance and word processing services

(programs, obituaries, resumes, cover letters,

PowerPoint Presentations, etc.) as well.

Jeanine has clients all over the United States.

She has been featured on several Blogtalk Radio

shows to promote her business. She does

marketing whenever and wherever she can.

She would like to stress that having a website is

very important. She offers monthly specials on

her website at

http://www.anointedwebsitedesigns. On the

9 | P a g e

website you will find several testimonials from

past and present clients. There you can, also,

find her prices, a portfolio of her business and

any other questions that may come to mind

when one is trying to decide on a website. Her

website design prices are very affordable. The

prices start from $175.00 and go up depending

on the number of pages. You can always

contact her via email

info@anointedwebsitedesigns.com or via

telephone at 919.633.8497. She would

definitely love to help you “Share Your Vision

with the World.”

*********************************

In the world of marketing advertisement

campaigns are created to target a certain

audience and a particular group of people.

Marketing firms are paid millions of dollars to

study age groups, ethnicities, regions, and

habits to determine what is most effective. The

marketing firm conducts a lot of research and

eventually a product is produced that attracts

particular consumers to products. Television,

internet, and music are great tools to push

products all in hopes of enticing you to

consume. The reason advertisements are

successful for one reason they are targeted to

appeal to a desire that is already inside of you.

Strategically marketing firms have figured out

what you like and their job is to entice you with

your own desires and get you to react. This is

such a deceitful tactic but millions of people

consume each day with smiles on their face.

Temptation works much like an

advertisement and the CEO of this marketing

firm is none other than satan himself. The bible

teaches us that satan studies his opponents (Job

1) and he lies in wait for them like a roaring lion

waiting for an opportunity to desire his prey (1

Peter 5:8). The devil has had thousands of years

of practice and he is coming full steam ahead

throwing darts of temptation at you.

Temptation is not a sin but it is a result of our

own desires and lust being enticed and once

that enticement is successful then it is no longer

temptation but sin.

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.-James 1:14-15

Thoughts enter are brain much like commercials one minute we are focused on a task and the minute we take a break mentally evil begins its advertisement campaign. There is hope because as believers in Christ we have been given the mind of Christ Jesus as our defense (Philippians 2:5). The believer in Christ Jesus possesses a freedom from his or her own desires and thought process that can quickly put to rest the temptations of wickedness. The mind of a person without Jesus has now power of these temptations but the mind of a believer has been set free (John 8:36). The blessing is when these temptations arrive in your mind simply acknowledge that those thought don’t belong to you and have not come from your heavenly father because he would never tempt you but they come from satan who hates you. God has instructed us to cast down those imaginations

10 | P a g e

and bring every thought to Jesus Christ and allow Jesus to deal with them (2 Corinthians 10:4-6). To put it simple when temptation enters your mind pray and find the verse in the Bible that deals with your particular issue because the marketing firm from hell knows every weakness in your body. Have no fear because you possess the power of the word of God and every situation is in the hands of God. When you find yourself thinking thoughts of evil understand that the devil is advertising please don’t make a purchase.-Amen

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,

whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever

things are just, whatsoever things are pure,

whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever

things are of good report; if there be any virtue,

and if there be any praise, think on these things

-Philippians 4:8

Written by -Aaron Jones

www.weserve.ning.com

11 | P a g e

The Lord of the Breakthrough:

Baal Perazim

And Ye Shall Break Forth!

Micah 2:13 (New Living Translation)

Your leader will break out

and lead you out of exile,

out through the gates of the enemy cities,

back to your own land.

Your king will lead you;

the LORD himself will guide you.‖

I know many of you are like me. We have been

waiting on the Lord to bring us a breakthrough

in one area or another of our lives. The time is

now and the word has gone forth. This is the

year of breakthrough! Many have cried out for

emotional, spiritual, and physical breakthroughs

and God has heard the cry.

In the book of Micah, God encourages the

believers to stand and trust that everything

which has hindered, blocked, and kept them in

confinements will be removed. God gives the

children of Israel a word of assurance that they

will come out of bondage and exile. The term

exile from Webster’s Dictionary is to “wander

aimlessly, roam, a prolonged living away from

one’s own country. Usually enforced;

banishment, sometimes self-imposed.”

Those are strong words which we need to

define to get a better understanding of what

the “Lord of the Breakthrough” is doing. Let’s

look at the word wander. “Wander is to move

aimlessly about without a plan or destination;

to lose one’s way; to go astray in mind or

purpose; to turn aside from a path or course.”

In this new season you will no longer go from

place to place, job to job, ministry to ministry,

relationship to relationship without clear

direction and wisdom from the Lord. God will

make every crooked path straight. “I will go

before you and make the crooked places

straight; I will break in pieces the gates of

bronze and cut the bars of iron.” Isaiah 45:2

You will no longer wonder where to go, or how

you will get there. The time of going in circles in

the wilderness has ended. He will burst all

confinement, (imprisonment, captivity). Your

direction in life will be obvious so you will make

sound and accurate decisions. Your course in

life will be divinely directed because the

“Breaker” is leading you! “I will bring the blind

by a way they did not know; I will lead them in

paths they have not known. I will make

darkness light before them, and crooked places

straight. These things I will do for them, and not

forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16.

Who is the Breaker? Jesus Christ the Lord of

Hosts. He is the one who will go before us and

part those difficult areas that have been held up

and delayed. He is the same God that parted

the Red Sea for the children of Israel. This is the

year of total freedom and breakthroughs in

your life.

Let’s examine the word banish. Banish from

Webster’s means “to put out, to put out of

one’s thoughts, removal from a country either

because of a formal decree or through force of

circumstances.” Were you forced out of a

relationship, job, or even a ministry due to

circumstances? Have you been denied the

opportunity to see your grandchildren because

of a broken relationship with your children?

Were you exiled from a church because you

preached against heresy?

12 | P a g e

Many times we are forced out of situations and

relationships because we are accused of

wrongdoings. Perceptions can play a vital role in

decisions that force us out of situations, jobs

and relationships. Those perceptions can cause

relationships that were once healthy on a path

to failure. The perceived evidence against one is

just that…. perceived. Perceptions are

misleading and can cause an individual to make

a decision not based on fact or valid

information but on what they perceive to be

truth. The outcome can be devastating, hurtful

and overwhelming.

There is hope… hope of restitution and

restoration. Be secure knowing this is your time

and season. What you have been waiting for

shall not be stalled or delayed any longer. God

works everything out for your good.

Your King will break forth on your behalf and

lead you to a place of restoration and abundant

blessings.

And you shall break forth!

Minister Paulette Harper

Author of That Was Then, This Is Now

www.pauletteharper.com

As time Goes On

As time goes on we began to wonder how

long will this journey take

How long will this wilderness experience

last?

How long will things go on like this?

Lord, I know you hear me when I cry

Lord I know you see what I am going

through

So, I ask how long must this go on

And a still quiet voice speaks and says, my

child

I heard you when you cried

I heard you when you call the first time

Didn't I tell you that I would never leave you

nor forsake you?

I am with you even now as you are going

through some test and trials

I promised to bring you out without a doubt

Just hold on and know that I will make all

the wrongs in your life right

I will make the crooked roads straight

Just continue to have faith and trust in me

You see, I know you love me and I love you

It is all going to be alright

Haven't I bought you out before?

Well, I promised to bring you out again

And when you come out, you will come out

like pure gold

13 | P a g e

I am fine tuning you right now

Can't you see the break of dawn?

Look, look again closely there's a ray of

sunshine

Peaking through the grey clouds

Look to the hills whence cometh your help

Your help comes from me

Just wait and see all the great things I have

for you

Trust and never doubt for you are surely

coming out

I know the plans that I have for your life

You just wait and see

As time goes on

Continue to believe and trust completely in

me

Written by Cheryl Thomas

Copyright © 1/26/07

Fellowship

Introductory Scripture (John 17:20-23) ‗‗my

prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for

those who will believe in me through their

message, 21 that all of them may be one,

Father, just as you are in me and I am in

you. May they also be in us so that the world

may believe that you have sent me. 22 I

have given them the glory that you gave me,

that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in

them and you in me. May they be brought to

complete unity to let the world know that

you sent me and have loved them even as

you have loved me.

The prayer of Jesus reveals God‘s plan for

true fellowship:

The Quality of Fellowship

―…just as you are in me and I in you.‖ Our

fellowship together is linked to the quality

of fellowship experienced by the Father and

Son. The depth of this love and unity is

outworked by the Holy Spirit as we meet in

regular fellowship. Christian fellowship then

becomes a reflection of the fellowship of the

triune Godhead.

The Basis of Fellowship

―…I in them and you in me.‖ Christian

fellowship only works because we have the

same Spirit, making us one body

14 | P a g e

(1 Corinthians 12:14, 20). This fellowship is

based on:

· Common commitment. 10 Be

devoted to one another in brotherly love.

Honor one another above yourselves.

(Romans 12:10).

Common love. 34 ‗‗A new command I

give you: Love one another. As I have loved

you, so you must love one another. (John

13:34)

Common focus. 3 We proclaim to you

what we have seen and heard, so that you

also may have fellowship with us. And our

fellowship is with the Father and with his

Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3) See also

Philippians 2:1-2.

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up

of many parts; and though all its parts are

many, they form one body. So it is with

Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one

Spirit into one body—whether Jews or

Greeks, slave or free—and we were all

given the one Spirit to drink. (1 Corinthians

12:12-13)

Meeting Together

25 Let us not give up meeting together, as

some are in the habit of doing, but let us

encourage one another—and all the more as

you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews

10:25)

Regular fellowship between Christians is

very important for it is through our

fellowship that …

The believer grows in Christ. 16 From

him the whole body, joined and held

together by every supporting ligament,

grows and builds itself up in love, as each

part does its work. (Ephesians 4:16) See also

verses 12-15.

· God is glorified to the world. 35 By

this all men will know that you are my

disciples, if you love one another.‖ (John

13:35) See also 17:23.

Walking in the Light

6 If we claim to have fellowship with him

yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not

live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the

light, as he is in the light, we have

fellowship with one another, and the blood

of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1

John 1:6-7)

Our fellowship embraces the need to be

open with one another. This is not

something that is a prerequisite for

fellowship. Rather it is a result of the trust

that develops out of fellowship. This

openness includes:

Removing all the pretenses. So much

of the world‘s fellowship is hypocritical –

acting out a role. We can only know people

to the extent to which they are prepared to

reveal themselves. As we take off the social

masks that we put up as barriers between

each other, true fellowship begins to have an

effect on each person. The love of Christ can

then be expressed, not just in word, but from

the heart. 22 Now that you have purified

yourselves by obeying the truth so that you

have sincere love for your brothers, love one

another deeply, from the heart. (1 Peter

1:22) see also (1 John 4:7, 11-12.)

· Confessing our sins to each other.

V.16 Therefore confess your sins to each

other and pray for each other so that you

may be healed. The prayer of a righteous

man is powerful and effective (James 5:16).

Part of our fellowship to one another is a

mutual sense of responsibility. When we

confess our sins to each other, this is the

highest level of trust. We can then become

the instruments of God‘s forgiveness and

cleansing to one another.

15 | P a g e

Forgiving each other. For us to

experience the continual flow of God‘s

forgiveness into our lives, we must forgive

one another. 13 Bear with each other and

forgive whatever grievances you may have

against one another. Forgive as the Lord

forgave you. (Colossians 3:13)

Encouraging one another in

obedience. Walking in the light means

walking in obedience to the Lord (John

15:10). Fellowship has been designed by

God so that each believer is continually

encouraged not just to hear the word, but

also to do it. (James 1:21-22). 24 And let us

consider how we may spur one another on

toward love and good deeds. (Hebrews

10:24)

A genuine concern for one another. No hidden motives of self gain should

underlie our fellowship. Our desire should

be to give, not to get. 3 Do nothing out of

selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in

humility consider others better than

yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not

only to your own interests, but also to the

interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4).

A laying down of one‟s life. 12 My

command is this: Love each other as I have

loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than

this that he lay down his life for his friends.

(John 15:12-13). Life involves more than

physical life. It also includes our material

possessions, our personal interests and

preferences (James 2:15-16). This means a

willingness to share one‘s self. 32 All the

believers were one in heart and mind. No

one claimed that any of his possessions was

his own, but they shared everything they

had. (Acts 4:32 see also 2:44-45).

This was a description of the New

Testament Church. Their unity in fellowship

was expressed on three levels:

- One heart – a bond of love

· One mind – a bond of purpose

· All things in common – a bond of

concern

This is the outworking of true fellowship –

not of outward rules and regulations. This

depth of fellowship is a result of ―walking in

the light,‖ and is the answer to the prayer of

Jesus: 21 that all of them may be one,

Father, just as you are in me and I am in

you. May they also be in us so that the world

may believe that you have sent me. (John

17:21).

My Commitment:

Through this study I now understand the

importance of having fellowship (koinonia)

continually with other Christians. Today I

commit myself to being a part of a group of

believers to whom I will give my loyalty,

my love and my service.

Fellowship!

16 | P a g e

Meditation:

“Heal me oh Lord and I shall be healed, save me

and I shall be saved, for You are the only one I

praise.” - Jeremiah 17:14

This Week's Health Tip:

A balanced diet is key. Your approach to your

diet should mirror your general approach to

achieving balance in your life. We all have a

different genetic make-up. Therefore it is

important to understand our bodies. I was so

relieved when I figured out that ‘sugar” is an

enemy to my body. I am not a diabetic, but I

had to basically eliminate it from my diet. I

would notice that my body had the tendency to

get bloated, and my skin had gotten to the

point where it was always looking unhealthy, no

matter how much I took care of it.

Another issue I’ve had throughout my life was

with my weight. I’ve never been obese, but I

always seemed to be overweight. I have tried

every diet under the sun. I even became a

vegetarian for a couple years, until I was told I

was anemic. One thing I have learnt to do is to

observe my body to the point where I now

know my limits. I basically now eat a balanced

diet in moderation. I’ve realized that when you

are healthy, you do not have to make such an

effort to maintain your skin or your weight for

that matter. It is just about finding your balance

and listening to your body.

Spiritual Retreat:

7 But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a

tree planted by the water that sends out its

roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat

Healthy & Living in Balance

17 | P a g e

comes; its leaves are always green. It has no

worries in a year of drought and never fails to

bear fruit. - Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)

To live in balance is to achieve harmony in every

aspect of our lives with Christ at the center. This

encompasses the physical, mental,

occupational, social, spiritual, and

environmental aspects of life. One would think

that this denotes seeking perfection, but it

doesn’t. Instead, a balanced life is a truthful life.

It is living in purpose.

I remember a time in my life when I was

focused on living outside of myself and far

removed from God’s purpose for me. Not only

was I unhappy; but also nothing in my life

represented who I was and what God wanted

me to be, and most importantly – I was not

bearing any fruit.

I had to go through many challenges,

heartaches and failed relationships to realize

that the way I was living was not healthy. As I

grew in my walk with Christ, he revealed how

he was going to heal me of this pattern. It took

me a while to grasp that in order to be healed, I

had to be obedient. Although he is a merciful

God, and he will “never leave nor forsake” us,

we can waste a lifetime by failing to be

obedient, and that’s just The Truth…

The following are some of the steps he has

revealed to me over the years. Some of them

may seem like clichés but the truth is – life

really isn’t as complex as we think it is…the

more we seek simplicity is the more attainable a

healthy balanced life will seem:

1. Figure out who you are in Christ. How does

God’s Word and principles align with who you

are as a person?

2. Observe your family. What are some of the

common issues within your family that are

passed down from generation to generation?

3. Determine the things or people that are

currently preventing you from being in Purpose.

4. Work on fixing these things by speaking the

promises of God into your life with The Word;

or if necessary letting go of certain unhealthy

relationships in your life.

5. Also, do not rule out seeking help from

others.

Be Well and God Bless,

Kaysha Reid

Founder/The Divine Wellness Center

http://www.thedivinewellnesscenter.com

18 | P a g e

Don’t Hide Things from

Your Spouse!

Wherefore they are no more twain, but one

flesh. What therefore God hath joined together

let not man put asunder (Matthew 19:6)

It was reported by the Associated Press on

January 6, 2010, 4:39PM, that a Romanian

family in BUCHAREST, Romania, lost $57,768

because a spouse did not communicate to the

other spouse. The newspapers reported

Wednesday that a man from the city of Alba

Iulia hid the savings in the shoes without telling

his wife. The papers say the wife cleaned house

before Christmas and threw the shoes away.

The shoes were old, dirty shoes that had been

there for some time.

Imagine, actually and literally throwing away

$57,768 in the garbage!

The husband was furious! He was outraged! He

could not even fathom what to do! Was he

angry? You bet! Half hysterical, even. But what

was thought to be a loving gesture on the part

of his wife, turned on him simply because he

was “withholding” information from his wife.

Instead of confiding in his wife, communicating

the extreme importance, he thought he would

simply “not tell her” and hides the money from

everyone, including her. This of course,

backfired and the smoke and dirt hit his own

face.

They eventually recovered most of the money,

but almost $10,000 was gone. Because he was

not open and honest to his wife.

My wife once worked in a Christian daycare

where many of the teachers, being women,

often expressed to the others present how they

did things, said things and confessed things that

they never spoke to their husbands about.

Often times, yes in a Christian environment,

they used and took money and did things not

only without their husband’s consent, but in

many cases without their husband’s knowledge!

Now you may not think it a big deal to go do

things and buy things without the knowledge of

your spouse, but it is a dangerous thing for a

couple to not share their lives in every way

possible. And when a couple begins to show

signs of continued separation in lifestyle,

choices and expenditures, you can place your

bet that it’s only a matter of time before the

cracks of carnality and divorce are eminent and

will cause this relationship to crumble.

Matthew 19:6, “Wherefore they are no more

twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath

joined together, let not man put asunder.”

19 | P a g e

It is vital to the longevity of your relationship

that you understand the importance of

closeness and “unity” in your marriage.

If you are doing things behind your spouse’s

back, you are divided. And we all know that a

“house divided against itself cannot stand”

(Mark 3:25)

Do not listen to peers or others who are

divisive, or have agendas against the opposite

sex or your spouse. Stay clear and FAR away

from them!

We were shortly dealing with a woman who

after 20 years of marriage divorced. She fully

admitted that she was listening to the wrong

person and did the wrong thing.

It only takes one or two times to begin the

motion of continuance. After you do something

once or twice, that you should not have done,

your conscience begins to override that God-

given tug of conviction. Pretty soon, you seek

others to make you feel better and support

your wrongdoing. Stop now! Turn back to your

spouse and know that to be right with God, you

must FIRST be right with your spouse!

(1st Corinthians 7:5, 1st Peter 3:7, Ephesians

5:22, Colossians 3:18, Ephesians 5:21, Matthew

5:23, 24)

When you hide something from God, you are in

essence attempting to hide it from God. For

God has placed your spouse as YOUR covering

of protection. For both husbands and wives. If

you seek to make yourself vulnerable outside of

that protection, you in essence, “give place to

the devil”, and trust us, he WILL come in like a

roaring lion seeking to devour.

Let us not be “ignorant” of the enemy’s devices

and maintain closeness within the relationship.

When we hear of individuals in a marriage

speak of how they do things, buy things, go

places and be with people, without the

knowledge or acceptance of their spouse, we

immediately see red flags of grave danger in

that relationship. That relationship is no doubt

unhealthy and needs immediate attention

before it gets worse.

If you are in that situation, realize that you have

the power to stop in your tracks and get into

the right direction. We implore you to see

things for what they are, and to take a step in

the right direction.

Go right away to your spouse and repent before

them. They are the ones God placed over you

for the blessings and acceptance of God. If

you’re not right with your spouse, you are NOT

right with God, period.

Many among us have a twisted concept that if I

“feel” God or if I’m “anointed” and can have

goose bumps in the Holy Ghost, and I’m not

right with my spouse, then I’m still right with

God because of feeling and emotion. You are

deceived by your own emotions and our

salvation, promises of God, and marriage is not

built on how we “feel”, it’s built on the Word

and on our “full commitment” to our partner.

You can feel God and dance around the church,

and still be wrong with God. Your anointing

does not dictate your righteousness. It never

has. “For the gifts and calling of God are

without repentance.” (Romans 11:29) Many

leaders today still are used mightily by God, but

are living in sin and disobedience; right now. Yet

they preach under the anointing and shout as if

God is totally smiling down on them. Don’t fall

for it.

20 | P a g e

The Word is your ONLY source of safety and

solace. It alone will tell you if you are right or

wrong. So it is with your spouse. They will tell

you if all is good, or you are just fooling

yourself.

Let’s make sure that our relationship is real, and

we don’t hide things from our spouse. Can you

hide things from God? Nope. You will not

prevail, succeed or have God’s blessing on your

life and walk if you hide things from your

spouse.

Let’s allow the Spirit of God to heal us, wash us,

soothe our pain, and help us to go back to our

spouse and do whatever it takes to become

“one” instead of “twain.”

Pastors Mike & Trisha Fox

State Certified Marriage Mentors

Authors of Marriage for Today

www.marriagefortoday.com

The Battle

I close my eyes as the swords are drawn,

feeling the clash if iron upon iron

the grinding of two passing Spirits.

My mind reels while the battle begins,

not knowing whether to charge or retreat;

the future has been revealed to me,

but the wind is often more easily captured than faith.

The roaring attack penetrates my screaming soul.

I feel completely helpless and defeated, but

Light consumes every dark corner around me.

Passion rages within my veins and intensifies.

I am choking; I can neither move nor speak

but the Light…the Light is what keeps my vision clear.

Slowly, as I drop my sword and let another take it,

the grinding vanishes.

It is no longer my soul screaming out…

© Mandy Woodhouse, 2009.

21 | P a g e

The HEARTBEAT of God

“But Jonah was greatly displeased

and became angry. He prayed to the

LORD, ’O LORD, is this not what I said

when I was still at home? That is why I

was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew

that you are a gracious and

compassionate God, slow to anger and

abounding in love, a God who relents

from sending calamity. Now, O LORD,

take away my life, for it is better for me

to die than to live.’ But the LORD

replied, ’Have you any right to be

angry? Jonah went out and sat down at

a place east of the city. There he made

himself a shelter, sat in its shade and

waited to see what would happen to

the city. Then the LORD God provided a

vine and made it grow up over Jonah to

give shade for his head to ease his

discomfort, and Jonah was very happy

about the vine. But at dawn the next

day God provided a worm, which

chewed the vine so that it withered.

When the sun rose, God provided a

scorching east wind, and the sun blazed

on Jonah's head so that he grew faint.

He wanted to die, and said, ’It would be

better for me to die than to live.’ But

God said to Jonah, ’Do you have a right

to be angry about the vine? ’I do,’ he

said. ’I am angry enough to die.’ But

the LORD said, ‘You have been

concerned about this vine, though you

did not tend it or make it grow. It

sprang up overnight and died overnight.

But Nineveh has more than a hundred

and twenty thousand people who

cannot tell their right hand from their

left and many cattle as well. Should I

not be concerned about that great

city?’” (Jonah 4:1-11; NIV).

God’s HEARTBEAT is gracious; it’s

merciful; it’s slow to anger; and it’s of GREAT

kindness. Jonah knew this of God. However, he

still became angry with God simply because he

didn't get his WAY with the people of Nineveh.

Still, God showed compassion for Jonah in spite

of Jonah’s ways.

This goes to show us that regardless

how we may feel about a certain city, a certain

culture, or a certain individual, God has the last

word. He has a HEART with great compassion

and love for His people, especially when they

TURN from their wicked ways.

Jonah didn’t have the HEARTBEAT of

God within him. He knew of God, but he was

lacking intimacy, he didn’t have the HEARTBEAT

of God for the people.

How many churches know of God, know

of His word, know of his people, but don’t

KNOW Him because of the lack of intimacy?

How do we become intimate? By

spending TIME with Him, by reading His Word,

by walking with Him, by talking with Him, by

crying out to Him, by acknowledging Him in ALL

our ways, and by continuously seeking His face.

In other words, by letting down our hair.

22 | P a g e

(Worship). Yes, it’s a process, and the more we

draw nigh to Him the more he draws nigh to us.

He continuously goes deeper and deeper within

us, and His seed starts to grow. Many churches

are lacking this HEARTBEAT.

Gen 4:1 and 25 tells us that Adam

KNEW his wife, Eve, and she conceived.

When churches become intimate with the

Holy Spirit, they become spiritually pregnant

with his seed, His Spirit. This will enable the

church to guard, to protect, and to nourish

what He has placed within. Ultimately, it causes

His love to spring forth like rivers of living

water. It causes the church to have a deep love

for the things of God. In other words, His

HEARTBEAT for His people. By the church

staying intimate with Him, His love flows within

us. It gives us the power to forgive, the power

to dismiss ALL false accusations, the power to

be merciful, the power to be gracious, the

power to be slow to anger, and the power to

give great, loving kindness to the people.

Let’s go to church where Sister

Cantaloupe and Sister Mango have a

disagreement and haven’t taken the time to get

it right. Therefore, Sister Cantaloupe, who’s

very close to leadership and is in fact a part of

the leadership team and sings in the choir,

starts sharing her side of the disagreement with

others, while Sister Mango just sits-back and

silently observes. She notices that everyone

who’s a part of this certain group starts treating

her with ill-will, even some of the members who

don’t know her.

They all begin to slander her name and

undesirably separate her from all social

gatherings, crazy enough that they will not even

sit at the same table with her at any of the

church fellowships or even sit beside her in

church service. She’s a cast-away, and the

people start to display the same action as

Jonah. They justify their actions and truly

believe that their ways are right, just as the

Pharisees (“religious” folks) did with our Lord

Jesus Christ.

“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate

you, and when they shall separate you from

their company, and shall reproach you, and cast

your name out as evil, for the Son of man’s

sake.” (Luke 6:22; KJV).

In spite of the treatment, Sister Mango

keeps praying, serving and attending church.

She cries out to God daily. “Why Lord? Why are

they treating me so bad? Can they SEE how

much I love them, how can they pick and

choose who they should love and accept? Oh

God, forgive them, for they know not what they

do.”

What kind of love is this, that some

churches feel as though they can treat people

any way they chose, with bad intentions, wrong

motives, back biting, and envying one another,

and still have the notion to speak in tongues,

display their gift of prophecy, fathom all

mysteries and all knowledge, show faith that

can move mountains, but have not love for one

another. Nevertheless, they still think that they

are headed for the kingdom of God.

The Bible states: “If I speak in

the tongues of men and of angels, but

have not LOVE, I am only a resounding

gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the

gift of prophecy and can fathom all

mysteries and all knowledge, and if I

have a faith that can move mountains,

but have not LOVE, I am nothing. If I

give all I possess to the poor and

surrender my body to the flames, but

23 | P a g e

have not LOVE, I gain nothing. Love is

patient, LOVE is kind. It does not envy,

it does not boast, it is not proud. It is

not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not

easily angered, and it keeps no record

of wrongs. LOVE does not delight in evil

but rejoices with the truth. It always

protects, always trusts, always hopes,

always perseveres.

LOVE never fails. But where

there are prophecies, they will cease;

where there are tongues, they will be

stilled; where there is knowledge, it will

pass away.

For we know in part and we prophesy in

part, but when perfection comes, the

imperfect disappears. When I was a

child, I talked like a child, I thought like

a child, I reasoned like a child. When I

became a man, I put childish ways

behind me. Now we see but a poor

reflection as in a mirror; then we shall

see face to face. Now I know in part;

then I shall know fully, even as I am fully

known. And now these three remain:

faith, hope and LOVE. But the greatest

of these is LOVE.” (1Corinthians 13; NIV).

(Capitalization of the word LOVE is by

the author for emphasis).

Father God, where is the Love? My

heart cries out to you, oh God: where is

the love for your people in the

household of God? “For God so loved

the world that He gave His only

begotten Son, that whoever believes in

him should not perish but have

everlasting life” (John 3:16; NKJV)

KEY NUMBER TWO

“A New command I give you: Love one

another. As I have loved you, so you must love

one another. By this all men will know that you

are my disciples, if you love one another.”

(Matthew 13:25; NIV).

This type of love is called “Agape love.”

It is a self-giving and sacrificial love that seeks

the good of another, a love that’s careful of

others people’s feelings and reputation,

denying oneself in order to promote one

another. What greater love is it for a sister or

brother to lay down their lives for one another?

This is the HEARTBEAT of God that needs to be

brought back in ALL churches. For God is LOVE.

Chapter excerpt from ―The Heartbeat

of God‖ Book by author

Andrea

Michele Mills

Release date March 2010

24 | P a g e

We are Free!

Minister B. Michelle Horton

―So if the Son sets you free, you are

free through and through.‖ John 8:36

The Message Bible

As I reflect upon this month’s celebration of

Black History, my mind goes back to last

summer’s trip to the continent of Africa and

Ghana’s slave forts.

There was a multitude of thoughts that went

through my mind during the tour. In addition,

there was a myriad of emotions that touched

my spirit in a profound way. There was anger,

unrest, deep sorrow as well as gratefulness for

my people who survived what I call our own

holocaust.

I remember walking in and out of the slave cells

and hearing the torturous cries of my ancestors’

whisperings through the wind. It seemed as if I

heard thunderous roars and screams of refusal

to accept what was totally unacceptable

treatment of any human being. There I stood in

complete silence, in a place where hopes and

dreams were denied, and death (both physical

and spiritual) would become imminent. One of

my most memorable experiences was walking

into the women’s cell.

It was a dark, damp, dank place where young

girls were taken before boarding the slave

ships. You could smell the heat waffling through

your nostrils. There was one window and one

door. It was one way in and one way out. Up

to 300 women stood, slept, ate and lived in that

place at a time. Can you imagine being in a

cement and dirt cell with no ventilation, no

light, and no sound other than the sound of

whimpering and screams due to the horrific

conditions they had to “live” in for weeks at a

time?

Our guide took us to an outside holding place

where certain girls were held because they

refused to be turned over to the governor. The

governor was the head of the slave fort and he

and his men would at any time pull a girl out of

the cell, clean her up, take her up to their

quarters and then rape her. But these women

who had already been kidnapped from their

home, placed in the captivity of a cell and faced

with even more indignities refused (with the

supernatural strength of God), to accept even

more injurious and desecrating acts.

They believed that their body was sacred and

they did not want to live if it was violated or

given away in any manner besides what God

intended. After hearing this story, I found

myself weeping and wailing. These young girls

25 | P a g e

would rather leave this earth and be united

with God in heaven before giving away what

they understood to be their most precious gift.

As I look around society today and see the

rampant display of dehumanization of women

in videos, films, and all sorts of media elements,

it saddens me that our ancestors died, even

gave up their life, fighting for the right to be a

human being.

I pray that we never give in to today’s slavery to

sex, low self esteem, selfishness, self-

debasement, sin and the affliction of the spirit.

We were meant to live life to the fullness; fully

able to stand against the wiles of the devil, no

matter what form of deception the enemy to

our souls produces. We have the right, the

responsibility and the privilege of standing on

the Word of God.

I thank God that He has given us evidence that

the shackles used to enslave a people has never

and will never be strong enough to keep us

bound. We can and should raise our voice in

song with our ancestors, and with Martin and

all who fought and are still fighting the good

fight of faith and perseverance, “Free at last,

free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at

last.”

Revelation 22:16 “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify

unto you these things in the churches, I am the root and

offspring of David, and the bright and morning star”.

The Shining Star

Shining star that shines so bright

It was here with us and took flight.

It brought peace, understanding, knowledge

and power.

Could it of just stayed one more hour.

Look at how you light up the night

You are the ultimate star that shines our way

We will not get lost or even stray

You shine each and every day.

You are the star that lives on and on

There is no way we can‘t be strong.

You are there always; spring, summer,

winter and fall

You hear us when we call

You are the light in us that can‘t be hid.

The light that heals reveals your joy for our

life.

Shining star that shines so bright

You were here and we did not know,

26 | P a g e

You were the shining star that shined so on

this earth.

We did not recognize your true worth.

You came, you saw, you went to higher

heights

You went deep within the depths of

darkness

And you still shined bright.

You were in plain sight and we did not

Receive who you were until you were gone.

We need your warmth, your care, your Holy

Spirit for our flight.

Help us to be a star that shines bright.

Help us both day and night.

Lead us to where you could not go, during

your time on earth.

That we may reach you desired goal.

To transform, renew their minds and save

their souls.

To be a shining star that shines bright.

Shining star that shines so bright

It was here with us and took flight.

It brought peace, understanding, knowledge

and power.

We are his chosen ones, His daughter and

sons.

Keep shining in our lives that we may see

The star shining bright eternally.

Bridgette Whitney ALL RIGHTS

RESERVED 011710

Word in Season:

Sophia Avery, MA

After the Breakup

For I know the plans I have for you,‖ says

the LORD. ―They are plans for good and not

for disaster, to give you a future and a

hope.‖ Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

Most of us have experienced the

demise of a significant relationship.

Inevitably, some form of emotional

disturbance follows the breakup. The pain is

well documented in a, seemingly, endless

number of songs, as Beyonce said, ―…to the

left, to the left.‖ We wish someone would

just create a pill, publish a manual, or put a

video on YouTube to tell us how to recover

after the love is gone. Yet, the answer

seems to remain a mystery—until now.

Let‘s discuss the process of recovering from

the heartache of a broken relationship.

First step, accept that the relationship

is over. This may be the most difficult part

of the process, especially if you weren‘t

aware of, or in agreement with the demise of

the relationship. Feelings of abandonment,

rejection, anger, humiliation, and

helplessness may overwhelm you, causing

27 | P a g e

intense emotional pain. It will lessen over

time, but initially, the best way to cope is to

allow yourself to feel the sadness,

loneliness, and pain—cry it out, write your

feelings in a journal, pray, and/or talk to a

counselor. The painful feelings will

decrease, in time.

If circumstances require you to see

or be in touch with your ex, it can be even

more painful, and most people don‘t make

the best decisions when they‘re in pain. So,

speak with a neutral third party (mediator,

counselor, or pastor) to help you work out

the common things such as division of

property, the home, bank accounts, and if

there are children, visitation, holidays,

summer vacation, and child support. At the

very least, try to be civil and professional

with each other.

You may also have to come to terms

with other losses. For example, if you work

at the same job, attend the same church,

enjoy the same clubs, or share the same

friends, one of you may have to walk away

from those, too. This secondary loss can

cause additional pain that makes a bad

situation, worse. Allow yourself to grieve

the fact that you‘re losing these people and

relationships as well, and then start looking

for other organizations and activities that

can fill the void. At this point in your life,

it‘s important not to look for love anywhere

else but within.

Second step, after a breakup, you

will have to accept that you‘re no longer a

part of a couple, and then deal with the

―you‖ that‘s left. You may feel incomplete,

lost, confused, and alone--searching for your

sense of identity. You may wonder, ―Who

am I without him/her?‖ Unable to answer

this question, many of us go into a state of

denial, thinking the break-up was only

temporary or he/she didn‘t mean it, and you

continue engaging in conversation and

acting as if the break-up never occurred.

This only delay the pain of the break-up,

leaving us vulnerable to further pain when

you realize our beloved has moved on!

The work for you, at this step, is to

find out who you are, what you like, and

also what you need to do in order to feel

complete and whole within yourself. This is

the time to really start the healing process

and get yourself together. Start dating

yourself! Seriously think about what you

need to do to make yourself happy. Maybe

you always wanted to go back to school,

change your hair style, vacation with your

boys (or girls), and learn how to cook, start

that business, or join a church. It‘s time to

―Do YOU!‖ Invest in yourself, find yourself,

know yourself, and love yourself. This is

the path to healing.

Third step, forgive. The hardest most

important thing to do after a break-up is to

forgive your ex. Forgiveness is a critical

part of healing, because, despite popular

belief, it frees you up from the hatred and ill

will you hold towards your ex. While

you‘re sitting at home with hate in your

heart, thinking about every horrible lie he

told, angry over all the time you invested in

the relationship, and crying about all the

hopes and dreams you shared that are now

dead, your ex is out with their new love

interest…not even THINKING about you.

That‘s when you must realize that forgiving

28 | P a g e

doesn‘t let your ex off the hook, it sets YOU

free!

Forgiveness can be difficult, so here are the

steps:

1. Accept that it happened to you – It‘s

over.

2. Acknowledge the pain you‘re feeling

- Let yourself grieve for a while.

3. Admit your part in the breakup- It‘s

easy to see what your ex did some

wrong, but what did you do?

4. Understand why the problems

occurred – Breakups don‘t just

happen, they are the result of

problems in your relationship. Figure

out what the problems were and

work through your part in them.

5. Look for the lesson – What did you

learn about yourself? What lessons

have you learned from having been

in this relationship that may help you

grow and love better next time?

6. Realize that people are only human

and we all need to be forgiven.

Sometimes unresolved issues from

our past can wreck our current and

future relationships. Your ex isn‘t a

bad person; they‘re just hurt…and

we know ―Hurt people, hurt people.‖

7. Forgive – Now that you‘ve accepted

the breakup, understand what

happened, and know what the

lessons are, it‘s time to get on with

your life. Set yourself free through

forgiveness.

You may realize you still have love for your

ex, and that‘s okay. Love doesn‘t have to

end when the relationship breaks up—

sometimes it just changes. You may no

longer have romantic feelings for your ex,

but you still want to see them prosper and

succeed. Then, continue to discover what

God has for you.

―We must develop and maintain the capacity

to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to

forgive is devoid of the power to love. There

is some good in the worst of us and some

evil in the best of us. When we discover this,

we are less prone to hate our enemies.‖

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sophia Avery, MA-Christian Therapist and

Donavan Sterling West-Relationship

Consultant are a dynamic Relationship

Counseling team! If you‘d like further

information, discussion or a Couples

counseling session, please call us at 215-

931-3070. Become our FAN on FaceBook!

Visit www.facebook.com and search for

―Avery-West Counseling Team‖ or visit our

website at www.ChristianTalkTherapy.com

29 | P a g e

―New Year, New You!‖

―Lose Weight Fast!‖

These messages seem to bombard us all

every January like clockwork. But as

prevalent as those messages are, most of us

never really stick to these types of diets for

longer than a few months, let alone a full

year.

I was a prime example. An avid "yo-yo

dieter," since the time I was old enough to

know how to do it, I would almost

instinctively place myself on intense

workout ―boot camps.‖ For sometimes 4

hours a day, I would work out to every

program I could find from ESPN to library

rentals. As if that weren‘t enough, I would

buy a calorie-counting book, in hopes of

removing as many unnecessary calories

from my meals as possible. Back then, I

didn‘t think much about it, and

congratulated myself for my commitment to

weight loss. But as disciplined as I may

have been for that moment, looking back, I

think I would call it serious obsessive-

compulsion. My pure motivation was on

wowing my friends and having the ―perfect‖

figure. As it turned out that drive and

determination paid off in a big way; and

more often than not, every summer I was

hugely successful in my efforts.

But despite my dedication each and every

summer, I could never make the weight loss

"stick." I had the discipline to pull it off,

but there was something in my subconscious

that would override it. Thankfully, over the

past few months, I have received some

divine inspiration into the real issue at hand.

My focus on what other people thought of

me, though starting off innocently enough,

actually became a driving force for some

really unhealthy habits, which then caused

me to eat just to make myself feel better.

The whole process reminds me of the

Scripture in Proverbs: ―There is a way that

seemeth right unto a man but in the end, it

leadeth to death and destruction.‖

Knowing what ―death and destruction‖

translates into for you will help you set a

watch for it, when it tries to show up in the

guise of something particularly attractive.

What I was dealing with what a strong case

of vanity that would tip me left or right,

depending on which way the winds blew. If

you didn‘t like me enough, I would go left.

If you liked me, I would go right and on and

on the story went. Had I known then what I

know now, I would have come into the

realization that vanity will never take you

where you want to go. In fact, it‘s just the

opposite. It will have you so focused on

your skin that one day you will pick up the

wrong product and end up with a skin

imbalance that will cause unexpected

breakouts for years down the road. Vanity

30 | P a g e

will have you over processing your hair, in

attempt to look more doll-like, and you will

end up with less hair than you started with.

Trust me, I know. I ended up with all of the

above. So, in this time and season, make a

new year‘s resolution to seek balance and

harmony with God and yourself.

What is He saying to you? Where is He

telling you your focus should be on your

body? If you‘ve had a hard time discerning

His voice, I can give you a hint: what has

your body been saying to you? God is not

your flesh, but your flesh was made to

follow a certain order; so if it‘s telling you

that something is out of order then that‘s

God‘s signal for you to use wisdom and do

something about it. And as you focus on

God, you will be able to love yourself just as

He has loved you.

As you take a new commitment to health

this year, I encourage you to read the next

few articles in this series. You will learn

amazing information about food and what

you need to do in order to live a more

healthful life. Trust me; these will be tidbits

you DO NOT want to miss! I have

discovered some things that I think will

shock you too and will ignite a more fruitful

life.

Until Then!

Ain-Kamilah Wilson

Your Divine Inspirations Nutrition & Health

Columnist

Ain-Kamilah Wilson is a global distributor

of high-potency health supplements. If you

would like to know more information about

her vitamins and herbal supplements, please

contact her directly at

ainkamilah@gmail.com.

Dear God,

I‘m writing this epistle, I‘m sealing it with

my love,

I‘m sending it with blessings to You, on the

wings of a precious turtle dove.

I‘ve enclosed glory and honor, a song to

praise your name, to thank

You for Your faithfulness and Your Promise

You‘ll never change.

I thank You for compassion, Your mercy

endureth forever,

I thank You dear God for Your Eternal

Presence,

For being my Holy Father.

I thank You Father for pearls of wisdom,

You‘ve graciously bestowed upon me,

thank You for supplying all my needs

according to Your riches in glory.

I thank You for my treasures, I found them

in Your Word,

31 | P a g e

thank You for the wisdom you've stored in

Psalms, parables and Proverbs.

I thank You dear God for Your

commandments,

I promise to keep them true, thank You dear

Father for loving me,

my heart belongs to You.

Thank You Heavenly Father for my blessed

life,

and for Your Holy Spirit too,

thank You Father for Jesus Christ, all Glory

belongs to You.

Cynthia Boyer

www.cyndislightworkdesigns.blogspot.com

www.momsinslippers.com

http://www.zazzle.com/cyndislightworks12

Is It Safe To Open My Eyes Yet?

I don‘t know about any of you but I was so

happy for 2009 to over! It was spiritually the

roughest year I‘ve had since I‘ve been an

adult. I felt as if I was literally crawling

across the calendar page to get to 2010, but I

made it! And now that I‘ve reached the

halfway mark of January, I feel it‘s safe to

do a bit of reflection.

As I awoke this

morning, the image

of driving away

from an explosion

burned into my head.

Why I am I telling

you this? Well, for a couple of reasons:

1. God allowed me to drive

away from the explosion

because where He was taking

me to was far greater than my

present circumstances.

2. The Word of God says to

forget those things which are

behind and press on to those

things which are before‖,

that‘s why your rearview

mirror is so small in

comparison to your

windshield!

3. This last one was deep, and it

came from… wait for

it….”The Lion King” (I‘m a

G and PG kind of Girl; you‘ll

learn that soon enough!) The

Holy Spirit brought this scene

to my memory. Simba has

grown and is heading back to

Pride Rock and he‘s

searching and hurting. Rafiki

hits him on the head with a

stick. When Simba asks why,

his answer was, ―it‘s in the

past‖. Rafiki had to hit him a

second time, Simba again

saying, ―That hurts, why did

you hit me?‖ Rafiki‘s reply

is, it doesn‘t matter, it‘s in the

past. Now I don‘t know how

many of you saw this movie,

either by yourself - like me –

or with children, and totally

missed this nugget of

wisdom, but the Holy Spirit,

sure knows how to get your

attention when He needs to!

32 | P a g e

Yes, 2009 for most of us was very

painful. You may have lost some friends and

loved ones, either by death or by desertion.

You may have gone through challenges in

your health be it mental or physical. You

may have suffered financially and thought

you were going to drown. You may have

had to let some things go – career, house,

car, etc. You may have waivered in your

faith wondering if in all of this, God was

really listening or if He had turned a deaf ear

to your cries. Whatever the case may be,

I‘ve come to remind you today that you

made it! When I tell you that I crawled over

into this year, I meant it. In 2009, I was

touched or threatened with nearly everything

I just mentioned to you. Lot‘s Wife turned

into a pillar of salt because she looked back.

I believe it was not only because of

disobedience, but also out of fear. The Spirit

of Fear causes indecisiveness, you are afraid

to make a decision because you are afraid

that whatever decision you make is going to

be the wrong decision; that indecisiveness

than becomes paralysis which then restricts

your movement and keeps you bondage,

rendering you ineffective for use in God‘s

kingdom.

Restoration and Increase

I hear you saying, ―Well now you sound like

a preacher. What am I supposed to do now?‖

I am one by the way, but teaching is more

my style. I think we should go back to that

scripture I gave you in number 2. Phil 3:13-

14 Paul uses the word picture of running a

race, forgetting about the starting blocking

and everything else that may have been

behind so that he could run the race and

reach that ultimate prize. That‘s what we‘re

running for! We crawled over into 2010, and

started running. And God says, it‘s okay,

you can open your eyes now. Your future is

brighter and it‘s ahead of you. The past has

passed you cannot go back and change the

events of time, no matter how badly it hurts.

That‘s why it had to be consumed. Anything

other than that and we would have been

trying to piece things back together with the

disaster crew. Not in this season dear, let it

go and move on. God has much better in

store for you. That is what Restoration and

Increase is about. Restoration means the act

of putting back into existence or use; to

again put in possession of something.

Increase means to become progressively

greater. That sounds like a great year to me!

I‘m not saying that 2010 is going to be

without its challenges, because there were

some things that tried to creep on over from

2009 that I‘ve had to deal with too. The

difference is my attitude. I‘m a princess, not

a pauper. I don‘t have to beg or be pimped. I

think as required reading (other than the

bible of course), every girl and (woman)

should read The Little Princess by Frances

Hodgson Burnett or at least see the movie

(1995).

I will close with these lines from the 1995

movie:

Miss Minchin: Don't tell me you still fancy

yourself a princess? Child, look around you!

Or better yet, look in the mirror.

Sara Crewe: I am a princess. All girls are.

Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if

they dress in rags, even if they aren't pretty,

or smart, or young. They're still princesses.

All of us. Didn't your father ever tell you

33 | P a g e

that? Didn't he?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113670/quotes

Well if you‘ve never heard it before, Your

Heavenly Father is telling you, you are

Royalty. My son, my daughter, get ready for

restoration and increase. Get ready to know

Me like you‘ve never known Me before.

You are a King‘s Kid and 2010 is your year.

Yours Because of Christ,

Tikoya Monet

tmlanier@gmail.com | 313-772-5139 |

If It‘s To Be, It‘s Up to Me

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a

trumpet, and shew my people their

transgression, and the house of Jacob their

sins. Isaiah 58:1

In the wake of recent world events every

believer should reconsider his or her stance

to the Great Commission given by Jesus to

the disciples. So many things are going on in

our world today. Earthquakes in divers

places, wars and rumors of war, sickness

and disease, and death in our streets. It

stands to reason that the pages of holy writ

are being fulfilled right before our very eyes.

What an awesome time for believers and the

greatest hour in Christendom! This

prophetic book of Isaiah and chapter in

particular outlines details of the nation's

hypocrisy and need for repentance. If we

think hard enough we all can find areas of

our lives where repentance is needed.

One of the greatest challenges of our day for

believers is to confront and speak out

against issues that violate the Word of God.

We cannot conquer what we refuse to

confess. It is time out for sitting back and

allowing the world and secular media to

make an outright mockery of The Most High

God! We have to cry loud and spare not,

even if it means denouncing carnal remarks,

profanity, and outright blasphemy against

the Word of God. We can no longer allow

the world to make so-called "off colored

jokes" about the bible.

When we as Christian's fell to uphold the

blood stained banner then we are blatantly

showing that we are ashamed of the Christ

of the cross. Everybody is seemingly out of

the closets except us. The world has their

laws being passed, marches. parades, and

pageants to announce and celebrate their

ungodly lifestyles. As Christians we should

boldly proclaim the name of the Lord. We

have to warn, rebuke, reprove, and

34 | P a g e

pronounce the gospel of Jesus. Gone is the

day where we should feel like we may

offend the world. Impeding danger stands at

the door and the judgement of God is being

manifested.

I refuse to let it be said that I stood by and

allowed the enemy to inflict his venom on

those in my sphere of influence, only

because of fear of rejection from

unbelievers. People of God open up your

mouths and declare the Word of God. It is

our responsibility to bind & loose, and

decree & declare Gods Word. Otherwise

people will continue to die without a saving

knowledge of Jesus. Hence their blood will

be on our hands.

Peace & Favor~

Evangelist Debra D. Savage

Author & Speaker

www.DebraSavage.org

(901) 502-2853

D.I.V.A.S.

(Divinely Inspired Visionaries Anointed Servants)

THE UNCONDITONAL LOVE OF

GOD

For God so loved the world, that he gave his

only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in

him should not perish, but have everlasting

life. (KJV John 3:16)

Did you know that there are three kinds of

love? There is the Eros love, phileo love

and the greatest of them all is agape love.

Eros love was originated from Greek

Mythology and they worshiped the Greek

Goddess Aphrodite. This kind of love is the

sexual exotic love, only satisfying the

physical need, which only last for the

moment. Once the thrill is gone, it leaves

you with the memory of how good it felt

physically and emotionally. This love can be

self-seeking fulfilling only his or her desires.

It can also be that starry eyed, I want to

share my ice cream cone with you romantic

kind of love, but if it does not have a

foundation to build on it won‘t last.

Then there is the Phileo love, which my

city, Philadelphia is recognized for, ―The

City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly

Affection‖. This love demonstrates

friendship; your best girl friend or your best

buddy, someone you share good times and

your bad times with. Someone who says, I

got your back. It also exhibits fellowship.

Although Phileo love can last for years,

when it is challenged by a test or trial, it‘s

foundation if not rooted on the right

foundation, it too will not last.

There is a love that will last forever; it

surpasses all our understanding that is

Agape love. No matter what kind of love

affair you find yourself in, it will never take

the place of „The Unconditional Love of

God‟. This love made us friends of God,

which Jesus gave his life for, “Greater love

35 | P a g e

hath no man than this, that a man lay

down his life for his friends”, (St. John

15:13, KJV). Jesus ‗love endured the death

of the cross, just for those that believed on

him, would not perish, but have everlasting

life. Unlike eros love and phileo love God‘s

love has no limits, His love just keeps on

giving and it is the greatest love story ever

told. We may receive many gifts in our life

time, but there is no greater gift than the gift

of love. I‘ll end with this – Love is patient

and kind, Love envies no one, is never

boastful, never conceited, never rude; love

is never selfish, never quick to take offence.

Love keeps no score of wrongs, takes no

pleasure in the sins of others, but delights

in the truth. There is nothing love cannot

face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope,

its endurance. Love will never come to an

end,

(1st Corinthians 13:4-8, REB).

Elder Mae F. Davis

New Life Worship Centre

120 E. Baltimore Pike

Lansdowne, PA 19050

Email- davismae@ymail.com

Elder Mae F. Davis, Copyrights © 2010

Living The E-Life

Cheryl Shumake

I am very excited to be writing this new

column for Divine Inspirations Online

Magazine. What an honor and awesome

responsibility to be able to share with God‘s

people in this way. The obvious question to

pose at this point is what is ‗E‘ life living?

God created us with a passion to display His

glory in every aspect of our lives. To live

‗on purpose‘, if you will, with integrity,

endeavoring to be in this world in a way that

brings pleasure to the King. We are called to

think, pray, plan, work, dream, imagine,

enjoy and love with an awareness of our

Kingdom citizenship. We are called to live

with definitive authenticity that we have

been Emancipated, released, untied,

unfettered from the restrictions of sin and

death by the blood of Jesus; that we have

been Equipped, prepared to accomplish,

provided with the necessities, furnished,

outfitted and armed by the Word of God; we

have been Empowered, authorized,

sanctioned, given legal and lawful right, by

the Holy Spirit to live victoriously in this

life and do the work ordained for us by God

since the beginning. E Life living is living in

a way as to make as little noise as possible

about ourselves and a whole lot of noise

about the greatness of our God.

36 | P a g e

Is this credible living? Rooted in reality?

Not according to the world‘s standards. The

world‘s view of ‗real life‘ is markedly

different from that of Kingdom of God‘s. In

fact, the two realities are polar opposites.

The world summons us to a life in pursuit of

personal pleasure and satisfaction. Get that

big paying job then you can have everything

you want. But how many people do you

know are unhappy in their chosen career yet

unable to quit because they need the money

to feed their appetite for things? Get the

man or woman you want then you will be

happy. But how many people do you know,

so desperate for validation they settled and

ended up in a less than ideal or even abusive

relationship? The world encourages us to be

single-mindedly focused on making self

happy and successful, spinning the lie that

the universe is somehow ‗obligated‘ to

fulfill our every desire. We are applauded by

the world when we make sure no one ‗gets

over‘ on us, rewarded when we reach the top

of the corporate ladder and congratulated for

each new material possession added to our

coffers.

The beckoning of the Kingdom is

diametrically opposed to this self-focused

existence. We are invited to discover the

beauty of Christ, the wonder of being seen

fully in all of our gory details yet loved

unconditionally, then to respond to that love

with every fiber of our being. We are

enticed to boast in Jesus instead of our own

feeble strength. We are encouraged to find

comfort in offense, pain and even death, by

magnifying the Lord no matter what, rather

than seek our own way. The goal of life

becomes knowing God and pointing others

to Him as an alternative to the empty

procurement of things. We are called to a

life of self-denial but remain confident and

expectant that the light afflictions we endure

cannot be compared to the exceeding weight

of glory that awaits us. The inheritance of

the former is frustration, disquiet, strife,

greed, jealousy, envy, dissatisfaction and

desperate hunger. Nothing satiates because

you were not made to live this way. Since

you are always in pursuit of the next best

thing, you are always empty. Ultimately, the

portion of the former is literal, physical,

spiritual and eternal death. The heritage of

the latter, however, is contentment, inner

wholeness, joy, peace, righteousness, the

assurance of Kingdom privileges now and

eternal life to come.

This upside-down way of living is entirely

achievable. Primarily, we are not left to our

own devices. God Himself is working in us

both the desire and the ability to accomplish

His good pleasure. Secondly, it is not as

hard to attain as these lofty words may

imply. Emancipation was consummated for

us on the Cross. No assembly required.

Equipping happens much like weight loss

happens. When we eat right and exercise,

we do not even have to concentrate on the

result, weight loss happens as a matter of

course. Study the Bible, spend time in

personal prayer, find a good teaching

church, equipping will happen naturally.

Empowering is the work of the Spirit as we

yield ourselves to Him in obedience to His

leading. Empowered for what? To do all to

the glory of God in the moment in which we

are solicited. Last week I was empowered

to go out to lunch with a neighbor who has

questions about what it means to follow

Christ. I made myself available to the Lord,

37 | P a g e

He opened the door, I listened and walked

through it. Two days ago I was empowered

to teach at a conference. In this moment I

have been empowered to write this article.

As soon as I am finished with this article I

will be empowered to minister to my family

by cleaning the kitchen. We will explore

these themes in more depth in future

columns but it remains that the execution is

simple. The choice is ours. I do not know

about you but I am intent on living the E

Life!

A Brief Moment with Rey Perez

Interview By Robert Sells

Introduction: In this issue, I have the

pleasure of introducing you to an incredible

warrior for God. When I first heard this

man‘s story I had to feature him in the

magazine. He is such a powerful force for

God with the Biker ministry that the Lord

has given him. But he operates in humility.

Sit back, relax, and be blessed by this

mighty man of God‘s testimony, Mr. Rey

Perez.

DIM: Tell us a little bit about yourself?

Rey: My name is Rey Perez, but before I

answer any question, I would like to give

my love and respect to my long time friend

Rev. John McQueen

(The Biker Pastor), and Ken Rich, for their

love and hard work.

They took in my project with love and

patience as their own project.

Thank you guys, love and respect. I praise

God for you brother Sells for giving me the

opportunity to share my ministry through

your ministry.

Thanks, To God Be the Glory. It‘s all for

Jesus.

I was born in Manhattan, New York, and

grew up in Puerto Rico. For the past fifteen

years I have ridden 350 thousand miles all

across the USA. Some of the places I have

visited - Sturgis for the past 10 years,

Dayton Bike Week, Myrtle Beach, Laconia,

and many other rallies in-between.

It has been an awesome journey!! You know

the best part of the journey is the people we

meet along the way. Before I go out on the

road and by-ways, I pray and study the road

maps and I ask the Lord to help me to

choose the route that He wants for me. I

pray to be in the right place at the right time.

for divine appointments, favor and grace. A

big part of my ministry is giving the gospel

in the form of DVD, CD and Tracks. I also

play with various bands in different rallies.

My first target is the 1% Biker Clubs, other

regular bikers, and anyone that the Lord puts

in my path.

38 | P a g e

As I travel, sometimes I try to get off the big

highways and go into the back desert roads,

where you meet various people that also

need the message of the gospel of Jesus

Christ. It‘s interesting to see the expression

on regular people‘s faces, when they see a

Biker giving out the Word of God.

The Gospel is not just for the rich and

famous, but also the junkies in the street. It's

for the good the bad and the ugly - we all are

the same in Gods eyes. I have been very

successful (by the grace of God) in

spreading His Word.

I have been a musician since I was 16 years

old, and I play several types of instruments.

Percussion and piano is my strong suit. I

have been fortunate to play in places like

Madison Square Garden and Shea Stadium

in New York, for crowds of 10 and 20

thousand people. I have traveled all over the

US and overseas doing concerts.

I played for the Nicky Cruz Singers in the

early 80‘s. That is Nicky Cruz the

bestselling books; The Cross and the

Switch Blade and Run Baby Run. The Lord

also opened a door in Puerto Rico, with my

brother Nano, to record The Road Warrior

the title of my CD.

Nano is a high ranking musician who travels

all over the world, and I have been blessed

to have his support. Likewise, my sister

Nilsa is the beautiful female voice you hear

in two of the tracks.

I have been married 36 years with my

sweetheart from my youth. We have two

children, two beautiful granddaughters, and

another one on the way. For the past 25

years we have lived in Virginia, to God be

the Glory - Isaiah 58:14

DIM: How did your ministry band get

started?

At this present time I have no band, but that

is not a problem. The musicians that I know,

they all read music. They are long time

friends. We can put a band together in one

or two weeks, that is if the Lord provides the

resources. I believe that whatever He leads

He also provides.

DIM: What inspired you to write songs?

First of all I LOVE JESUS and secondly I

love music. You put these two together and

the result is Jesus my Savior and best friend,

He is my inspiration. Again it‘s all about

Him.

DIM: Do you have any specific techniques

you use for your song writings?

My technique is as Isaiah 42:10 Sing to the

Lord a New Song. I get a desire, I sit at the

piano, and before I know it - I‘m having a

private jam session with the Lord, and He

has brought forth an inspiration of a new

song.

DIM: Have you or your group got any plans

in the future?

Rey: At this present moment I do not have

any plans. I‘m watching the outcome of The

Road Warrior CD, in order to best plan my

next move.

39 | P a g e

DIM: What has been the best part about

being in the music ministry as a singer,

performer, or musician?

Rey: The best part about being in the music

Ministry for me is to feel the anointing of the

Holy Spirit while I‘m playing, and the most

important part is to see the crowd receiving

that anointing. I have a deal with the Lord,

―Lord don’t let me do anything for you, if your

anointing does not go before me‖

The anointing of the Holy Spirit is the force

that breaks any yoke, and is the stamp of

approval of His presence. In my opinion, if the

anointing of the Holy Spirit is not there, then

it‘s a big waste of time and resources. I try my

best not to be on that kind of road. When I‘m

performing my music, I do my best to put in

my mind that I‘m playing for God first, and

then the crowd. Isaiah 40:22 It is He who sits

above the circle of the earth.

When the praises are going up, His glory and

His anointing comes down. It‘s at that

moment when anything can happen, and will

happen! Healing, Deliverance and Salvations.

As we are praising and worshiping, we are

also in a spiritual warfare:

Ephesians 6:12 says, ―For we do not wrestle

against flesh and blood, but against

principalities, against powers, against the

rulers of the darkness of this age, against

spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly

places”.

DIM: Are there examples of your faith that

show in your song writing? If so what are

they?

Rey: Yes, in all of my songs there is a

reflection of my faith. For example The

Road Warrior it‘s the true story of my

ministry. I am a Warrior for God and His

kingdom, a road warrior for His coming

kingdom. I am a warrior, a warrior for the

light - with my sword on hand, wasting

demons left and right.

Brother Sells, if you allow me, let me make

an invitation to everyone out there.

The World‟s Worst Gamble

What you think is the right Road may

lead to death.

The Good News Bible Proverbs 14:12

Gambling is a billion dollar business. A

man might lose his savings and home on

the turn of a card. But there‘s one

gamble even a Las Vegas professional

shouldn‘t take - his own soul. Observe

the odds:

―For what shall it profit a man, if he

shall gain the whole world, and lose his

own soul?‖

You see, there‘s no way a man can

SAVE his own soul from hell.

All the money in the world won‘t buy it.

It can only be saved by receiving God‘s

gift of eternal life… which is JESUS

CHRIST.

He said: ―I am the way, and the truth,

and the life; no one comes to the Father,

but through Me.‖

40 | P a g e

Call Him liar – if you like. But what if

you‘re WRONG?

That‘s the gamble. You lose your soul -

and everything!

Why risk the torment of HELL when

Jesus offers you

ETERNAL LIFE in heaven?

Here is His offer:

If you believe… pray like this:

―Father God, I repent and ask you to

forgive my sins,

Jesus come into my heart and make me

the kind of person You want me to be.

DIM: Where can people find your music

and/or products?

Rey: My music can be found at the

following locations:

http://www.reyperezmusic.com/

http://indigospel.org/profile/ReyPerez

CD Baby

Napster

Amazon

Search: Rey Perez - The Road Warrior

Your Servant,

Rey Perez

Jesus Mailman

Women Of Zion

By Stylicia A. Bowden

Investing In You

As the year 2010 has crept upon us many

have made specific goals to accomplish for

the year. However, before the months start

to pass you by make a decision to spend

important time into investing in the most

important person to God, which is you.

Sometimes as women we give, nurture and

pour out so much we begin to neglect our

needs, wants and desires. It is a woman‘s

nature to give but we also must learn how to

receive and give back to ourselves. Some

people may consider focusing on “you” is

selfish; but I disagree with this concept

because if you do not take care of yourself

then no one else will either. It is important

that you take a month to reevaluate all the

areas of your life you have neglected from

health, wealth, mental, emotional and

spiritual components of your life. These

particular components make you the person

you are as a whole and if you neglect these

key things then you will be empty. In 2009 I

realized how unhappy I was not because

God was not blessings me because he was

greatly but I was constantly pouring out to

others and not planting a firm foundation

within myself. It is so easy to neglect your

needs especially if you are a person that has

a giving spirit. I had to learn to not only be a

cheerful giver but be a cheerful receiver. So

in your time of writing your goals for 2010

include yourself as number one on the list.

41 | P a g e

Here are some helpful ways to invest in

“you” for 2010:

1) Write a list called your deserve

affirmation list. This will consist of

all the things you deserve in all areas

of your life. No more neglecting

yourself and denying yourself what

you deserve the most.

2) Take 2-4 weeks to reestablish the

areas you neglected the most

whether it is your spiritual,

emotional or healthy part of you.

3) Learn to say “NO” to others when

you have not helped yourself first,

you cannot minister to someone else

if you are empty.

4) Prophesy in your own life. Speak life

in your life and do not just believe

for others believe for yourself.

5) Be diligent with keeping a routine on

making quality time with yourself.

6) Once a month take time to fulfill all

areas of your life from mental,

emotional, spiritual and natural

7) Last but not least tell yourself “I

deserve all the things I neglected

about myself because I Am An

Important Investment.‖

Until next time meditate on this, you

are the salt of the earth you cannot

lose your flavor.

(New International Version,

Matthew 5:13)You are the salt of the

earth. But if the salt loses its

saltiness, how can it be made salty

again? It is no longer good for

anything, except to be thrown out

and trampled by men.

Christian Frustration Part III

How did I get here Lord? I feel like I’m all alone

I feel like dying Please take me home

Lord can you hear me? I’m ready to talk to you now

You said you’re a God of grace Help me please come to me now I don’t know what I’m doing here

I’m trying to cry but I can’t shed a tear

I’m trying to find my night light That held back all my fears

I’m trying to get some water To cool this fire that is starting to sear

My flesh

Lord please help me find My way back to you

Why’d you let me get away? Why did you let me choose the wrong way?

Why did you let me go day by day? Doing things my way

Taking my drugs Through a straw from a tray

Cursing and lying And saying what I wanted to say

Skipping church service To stay at hotels and play

Getting drunk and high day after day Sleeping with women As a means of escape

Not just refusing to read my bible But throwing it away

Lord I’d rather be where you are

Why can’t I be with you?

42 | P a g e

I’m so angry that pastor pushed me away I’m so mad that church usher chased me away

I’m so hurt that choir member Shooed me away

I’m so sad that ministry leader Cursed me out and led me astray And I left your house… and you

Lord I didn’t want to leave you

Just the church I was in With every abuse

Enacted on me I hurt within With every person who said

They were saved but teased me I was wounded within

With every believer who mistreated me I created another reason to sin

I thought by leaving that church I would win

I thought by running from people I was running from sin

I thought when I read the bible once I stored all your knowledge within

I thought I was nicer than them You’d be proud of me

I thought that if I gave to enough charities I didn’t need you to talk to me

I thought if I just helped enough people Get to where they need to be

Thought maybe you’d leave those church folks here

And come and get me

Now I don’t know what to do I’m stuck here in these flames Demonic figures all around me

Shredding my skin from its frame Men, woman and children I’ve hurt

I’m feeling all of their pain Everyone I’ve done wrong in my life

My mind is returning all of their names All around

Darkness is so thick It crushes my body and won’t let go

A demonic vise grip Little by little it’s cracking my bones

Lord how do I get back to you

I’m trying with all of my might But with nothing

But intense searing pain I feel myself losing this fight

I’m ready to give up Ready for my soul to take flight

But I can’t move For the massiveness of night

Just pulls me back again The demon imps that dance around me

Just claw at my feet again The flames comes in like waves

And burn off my skin again

Lord I don’t want to be here anymore Please help me get away

I’m praying for death To take my soul

But it won’t oblige me My pain is forever in this awful place

Oh my Jesus why have you ignored me

Oh please God if I’m never going to leave here Please get this message to my family

This place is real For all who deny you

Tell them I said to come to you Forget those believers who are nothing but

Killers of their future with you Forget about the church people

Who do them wrong Who mistreat them and ignore them

Who create their groups That others can’t be a part of

For them there is judgment for sure But please don’t allow them To cause you to end up here

Accept Jesus now and change your life Before it’s too late

Read your bible pray everyday You see I now know this place is real

But it’s too late to save myself Accept Jesus today not tomorrow

Because one day, when you close your eyes You just may wake up in hell.

© 2009 Robert T Sells – all rights reserved

43 | P a g e

THE REALITY CORNER

John G. Taylor, MA

Clinical/Christian Therapist

The Emotional Cost of Caring for Others; the World of Compassion Fatigue

How many times as Christians have we

heard, it‘s important to care for others as we

care for ourselves. We have been constantly

told that God has called us to care and

minister to others. While this is true I want

to talk about the emotional cost that caring

for others has on the lives of people that

believe that this is their calling. You may be

called to be a pastor, ministry leader,

deaconess, deacon, lay counselor, therapist,

school teacher, caring for a loved one, choir

director or any other helping professional.

We find many scriptures that encourage us

to give and be there for others. The scripture

that I think of is Philippians Ch. 2 verse 4

states: Let each of you look not only to his

own interests, but also to the interest of

others. This scripture makes people place a

responsibility on themselves to be all things

to all people in order to be seen as upholding

the Christian way. This has proven to be

very emotionally taxing on the psyche.

There is a level that some people reach

where they can‘t do it anymore or they feel

if I have to pray for one more person, attend

another funeral, hear another awful story,

smile again, and be all these great things I‘m

going to lose my mind. This friend is called

Compassion Fatigue.

44 | P a g e

So you are probably asking what is

Compassion Fatigue, compassion fatigue

has been described as the ―cost of caring‖

for others in emotional pain. The focus

behind compassion fatigue is that helpers are

profoundly affected by the work they do.

There are two different types of exposure to

trauma (1) Direct exposure, this is

experienced by helpers that are directly

exposed such as: medics, hospital workers

and police officers these people usually are

the first responders to any crisis or trauma

event. Most of us follow in the second

category of (2) Secondary exposure, this

occurs when we hear a client talk about a

traumatic event that they have experienced.

This secondary exposure can be seen as we

deal with clients that are in chronic despair,

people that seem to have the inability or will

power to move ahead despite our best

efforts, or people that are facing

helplessness in the face of poverty,

starvation, homeliness and emotional

anguish. This has been a problem for a while

but as helpers we at times feel ―guilty‖

complaining about the very people that we

have been called to help and complaining

about our emotional overload when we see

that the people were helping are an

emotional mess. This feeling of guilt has

lead many helpers to suicide, depression,

burn out and the destruction of their lives

such as: divorces, failed personal

relationships, and isolation and career

changes.

The signs and symptoms of

compassion fatigue are:

(1) Preoccupation with your work, you are

always thinking or talking about it

(2) Sleep difficulties

(3) Overwork or avoidance of work

(4) A sense of futility about your work, ―it

doesn‘t matter what I do people will still

have problems‖.

(5) Anxiety and depression

(6) A feeling of weariness about what you

do.

(7) Irritability

(8) Discouraged about the world

(9) Difficulty concentrating

(10) Intrusive imagery

You don‘t have to experience all of these but

experiencing a few could be your signal that

you are suffering from compassion fatigue.

The first step like any things else and the

same things that we tell our clients is

admitting that this is your issue and being

able to talk about it with others.

As I‘m writing this I can‘t help but

think about the first responders, aid workers,

doctors, rescuers, police, news reporters,

nurses, military personnel and family

members that are on the ground and are

dealing with the earthquake in Haiti and the

great responsibly they feel to get order and

help to over 2 million people. The

interesting thing about compassion fatigue is

that it can happen at any time during the

trauma sharing stage meaning for some

people they can work in this area for years

and experience it later or some can be new

to field and have a sense that they want to

help everyone and immediately feel

45 | P a g e

compassion fatigue. The most important

thing is to know yourself and listen to your

body because your body will always give

you signals and the challenge is recognizing

them and doing something about it.

If you are experiencing compassion

fatigue you may ask what I can do; here are

some helpful tips for you:

(1) Consult with a Therapist

(2) Remind yourself about and talk about

some success stories that you have.

(3) Re-evaluate your expectations and signs

of success

(4) Remind yourself why you are doing this

work

(5) Set proper limits to separate home and

work issues

(6) Exercise regularly

(7) Spend time with supportive people

(8) Schedule a vacation

(9) Most important remember that while you

are taking care of others‘ it‘s crucial to

remember to take care of yourself.

In conclusion I hope that this has

been helpful for you or helpful for you to

share with others that you know who are

constantly working with others. Also

understand that it‘s ok to say that ―I‘ve had

enough for today‖ and I‘ll pick this up again

tom morrow. As helping professionals we

have to know that the ―guilt‖ we feel about

not making ourselves available to everyone

all the time isn‘t healthy. It‘s important that

we take care of ourselves emotionally,

spiritually, physically and mentally in order

to be best help to the people that God has

called us to serve.

For more information on Compassion

Fatigue:

www.workshopsforthehelpingprofessions.ca

―Treating Compassion Fatigue‖ by Charles

R. Figley

To contact John Taylor, MA

www.Johngtaylor.com

here are three different types of people in

the world – those who think, those who

talk and those who do. In the pursuit of a

life of destiny, all three must be properly

assembled in our lives if we want to be “fully”

utilized for God's glory. The question is – “Are

we truly ready, willing and able to think, talk

and do what He requires of us?”

Consider a three-dimensional (3D) object like a

box. It has length, depth and height. It is best

utilized when all sides are properly and firmly

connected and it is in good working condition.

Once it is fully assembled, only then can it be

used as it was intended.

Take a sheet of notebook paper, which is a two-

dimensional (2D) object. A single sheet of paper

could never be used to replace a box. As a

matter of fact, paper can only handle

lightweight markings and few attachments

before it buckles under pressure. So, 2D means

it has length and height but is void of depth.

Now, imagine a straight line, which is

considered one-dimensional (1D). It has length

but it is without height or depth and thus could

never be used in the same way as a box or a

sheet of paper.

Each of these dimensions has its purpose and its

limitations. So consider this: the higher one’s

dimension, the greater their capacity to achieve

a life of destiny.

At the very least, destiny is 3D, which is why

God wants each of us to think, speak and live a

life beyond our capacities. It is written in His

Word that He is able to do excessively,

abundantly and above all that we may ask or

think. But many times, we have not because we

either fail to ask in the first place, do not believe

that we will receive it, or we ask with the wrong

motives, such as asking for things that are

completely outside of His Will for us (see James

4:2-3).

Destiny requires that you think the right

thoughts, speak at the right time to the right

people and act on those thoughts in proper

alignment with God's Will. It sounds

complicated but really, it is not. We must listen

to and obey the Holy Spirit, crucify the flesh and

change negative attitudes and beliefs and in the

midst of the process, a life of destiny will slowly

emerge.

Unfortunately, many Christians fall in a single

category. Some live 1D lives; while others live

2D lives and few if any target the third

dimension. Think of it this way: a life without

destiny is a limited-capacity life. In other words,

excessive thinking without follow-through

T

TThhee CCoosstt ooff DDeessttiinnyy

By Minister Jaketha Farmer

47 | P a g e

results in an unfinished life; while talking to any

and everyone about what we are thinking and

doing is unfulfilling especially if our words

return void. Just as acting without properly

planning and strategizing is pointless too.

The Price of Destiny

In economics, price is defined as the cost at

which something is obtained. Spiritually

speaking, Jesus is the price tag for our salvation.

Through His birth, death, burial and

resurrection, the price for the remission of our

sins was paid. So, are we devaluing destiny

because we do not understand the price He

paid?

The Value of Destiny

As commonly quoted by William Buffett, “Price

is what you pay. Value is what you get.” In

economics, value is considered the extent to

which something is deemed valuable or

desirable. Many Christians value a seat in

heaven in the “next life”, but few if any actually

desire much of anything in this life. So, are we

missing the mark of destiny because we do not

understand its value in our lives right now?

The Total Cost of Destiny

The Bible says that we should “count the cost”

to ensure that we have what it takes to start

and finish (see Luke 14:28-30). So, how much

does a 3D life cost us?

First of all, there is nothing we can do to earn

destiny. As the Bible indicates, those that God

foreknew, He also predestined (see Romans

8:29). So, our life of destiny is already

assembled and waiting on us to unwrap it. But,

it is up to us to take that step.

Therefore, the total cost of destiny includes but

is not limited to complete obedience, wisdom in

planning, periods of trying and testing of our

faith (see James 1:2-4) and sacrifice. Each of

these is not optional but required.

The hardest part is being tried and tested. Many

would prefer a "zap" from God for the lives they

desire with little if any work on their part, which

is considered 1D thinking. Those with 3D

mindsets understand that God has given us

everything we need (see 2 Peter 1:3-9) but all of

us were willing to pay the cost for a 3D life.

Last Month’s Challenge

In “Making Your Seasons a Reality in 2010” (Jan.

2010), readers were challenged to pick at least

three days to continuously pray and seek God

about His direction for their lives.

This Month’s Challenge

Ask yourself these hard questions:

1. Honestly, which kind of life am I living? 1D | 2D | 3D (circle one)

2. In what specific ways have I devalued the price that Jesus paid on the cross for my sins?

3. In what ways am I getting in the way of God’s Will for my life?

Finally, prayerfully ask God what you need to do

today to align with His Will and begin living a

destiny-focused life.

MIN. JAKETHA FARMER is a

licensed minister and the

Founding Pastor of the online

“40-Day Challenge”

(http://40daychallenge.ning.com

); Producer & Host of GOT ISH-OOS™? Talk

Radio. Visit her online at

http://www.jaketha.com. For questions or

comments, email her at divine@jaketha.com.

48 | P a g e

Are you ready for a Fresh New Year?

By Filoiann Wiedenhoff

This past year has brought a

lot of growth, joy, blessings

and also painful trials and

hardship. My family and I

have grown so much and at

the same time we have been

spiritually, mentally and

physically pruned back for

future growth. I guess you

could call it growing pains.

Did I forget to mention along

with pruning there was also

spiritual warfare? Although

the pruning process and

spiritual battles can seem

lonely and indeed painful at

the time we understand God

is with us and that He allows

it in our lives to grow us,

strengthen us and refine

us to bear more fruit. I’m

not one to welcome pain or

suffering but I know by faith

God is faithful and sovereign

and uses it to make us more

like Christ ….but ouch does it

hurt at the time. “For I

reckon that the sufferings of

this present time are not

worthy to be compared with

the glory which shall be

revealed in us. - Romans

8:18 KJV

The encouragement we

receive from God to

persevere through is the fruit

God bears through our

personal relationships with

Him and our ministries.

When we see how far we

have come and what God has

delivered us from, brought

us through and how He took

us out of the miry pit and set

us upon a rock and also

when we look around our

congregation or when I

receive encouraging notes

through my writing ministry,

we see how God has

changed lives, renewed

marriages, restored

relationships and brought

healing. We rejoice because

we know and understand

that it isn’t us but God

working in us and we are so

blessed and thankful to Him

for allowing us to see

glimpses of His faithfulness.

It encourages us that though

times have been hard and

difficult it has also been

fruitful and that makes all

the trials we have gone

through well worth it.

I believe God reveals a taste

to us to keep us moving

forward by faith reminding

us that He is working behind

the scenes and at the same

time in us and through us

and that it’s not us anymore.

In Galatians it says, “I have

been crucified with Christ; it

is no longer I who live, but

Christ lives in me; and the

life which I now live in the

flesh I live by faith in the Son

of God, who loved me and

49 | P a g e

gave Himself for me. –

Galatians 2:20 NKJV

The word that keeps coming

to my mind for 2010 is,

“Fresh”. It’s not necessarily a

biblical term but I took a look

at the Webster’s Online

Dictionary and it gave these

definitions:

1. Full of or renewed in vigor : Vigor = active bodily or mental strength or force

2. Refreshed = restore, refresh, revive, renovate

3. Free from taint: Pure.

4. Received newly or anew.

After looking at these

definitions I was amazed to

see that fresh means; full of

or renewed in vigor, pure,

refresh, restore, revive,

renovate and received anew.

At first when I looked at

these definitions it didn’t

sound right to me. When I

think of a ripe fresh banana I

don’t see it as refreshed or

renewed. I then recollected

the idea that when an old

house is being restored;

what is one of the first things

we want to do? We want to

give it a fresh coat of paint.

We are transforming

something that may be old

to be like new by just adding

some fresh touches. A few

fresh additions can go a long

way to a house that needs

repairs and restoration and

in most cases adding a new

roof, new flooring and other

new necessities to an old

house can transform it to be

anew.

Are you ready for a fresh

and anew touch from God

this year? Filled with vigor

that is active bodily, mental

and I will add spiritual

strength? I don’t know about

you but I certainly am!

Perhaps you are in need of

renewal, revival, restoration

or refreshment. Turn to God

in faith and allow Him to

heal, refresh and restore you

and He is faithful. Matthew

chapter six tells us not to

worry but to seek Him first

because He knows

everything we need. I

encourage you to read the

entire chapter it will bless

you and remember seek Him

(Christ) first and all these

things shall be added or

given to you.

“Therefore we do not lose

heart. Even though our

outward man is perishing,

yet the inward man is being

renewed day by day. For our

light affliction, which is but

for a moment, is working for

us a far more exceeding and

eternal weight of glory,

while we do not look at the

things which are seen, but at

the things which are not

seen. For the things which

are seen are temporary, but

the things which are not

seen are eternal. For we

know that if our earthly

house, this tent, is

destroyed, we have a

building from God, a house

not made with hands,

eternal in the heavens. For

in this we groan, earnestly

desiring to be clothed with

our habitation which is from

heaven, -2 Corinthians 4:16-

5:2 NKJV

Whether this past year was

considered a good year or

bad year; we can look back

and see God’s faithfulness

and also that He was with us

through it all. We can now

look forward in anticipation

that this New Year will be a

fresh year of God’s handy

work, His Glory and yes I will

say it again His faithfulness -

filled with mercies that are

new every morning and the

plans that He has for us. He

50 | P a g e

gives us daily manna from

heaven through His Word

and Holy Spirit and as our

Heavenly Father He knows

everything we need and will

provide for us.

I believe the word, “Fresh” is

a sovereign proclamation for

this New Year. My prayer is

that God will give us a fresh

heart, a fresh spirit, a fresh

purpose and also a fresh

vision that can only come

from Him, from heaven

above to glorify His name.

My question again is, “Are

you ready for a fresh new

year? Are you ready to let

go of you, your desires, your

wants and grab a hold of

Him and live for Him? To

say in your heart to God,

“Not my will but thy will be

done?”

If you aren’t ready yet I

encourage you to pray that

God would make you ready

and prepare your heart for

whatever He has for you.

According to Jeremiah 29:11-

13, God knows the plans He

has for us, plans for good

and not for evil; to give us a

future and a hope. Let us

stand on His promises and

walk forward by faith

heeding His call and He is

faithful.

Time is short and I believe He

desires for us to be about

our Father’s business in a

fresh and powerful new way,

filled with His Spirit;

Confident in His Victory -

knowing the battle has

already been won in Christ. I

challenge you once again to

pray and ask God to make

you ready and give you a

fresh heart to serve Him by

faith and see what God does.

“But you have not so

learned Christ, if indeed you

have heard Him and have

been taught by Him, as the

truth is in Jesus: that you put

off, concerning your former

conduct, the old man which

grows corrupt according to

the deceitful lusts, and be

renewed in the spirit of your

mind, and that you put on

the new man which was

created according to God, in

true righteousness and

holiness.” Ephesians 4:20-24

NKJV

Dear Heavenly Father,

Refresh me and make me

new and show me your

Glory through your son

Jesus. Please give me a

fresh heart and renewed

spirit that says, “Not my will

but your will be done.” I

want to live for you Jesus by

surrendering and allowing

you to live through me that

you and your name sake

would be glorified through

me. In Jesus name I pray.

Amen!

Filoiann Wiedenhoff is a

pastor’s wife, woman’s

biblical counselor, writer

and columnist. You can visit

her website at

www.filoiannwiedenhoff.co

m and sign up for her free

membership newsletter.

51 | P a g e

GOD CAN Mylow Young

WHO CAN MAKE A

LIVING SOUL FROM A

PIECE OF CLAY?

OR MAKE IT RAIN

UPON THE EARTH, FOR

FORTY DAYS?

WHO CAN PART THE

DEEP BLUE SEA WITH

JUST ONE SINGLE

BREATH?

OR USE A LITTLE

SHEPHERD BOY TO

SLAY THE GREAT

GOLIATH?

WHO CAN FEED THE

MULTITUDES WITH

SOME FISH AND A

LITTLE BREAD?

OR TAKE A MAN,

WHO‘S HEART LAY

STILL, AND RAISE HIM

FROM THE DEAD?

WHO CAN GROW A

TREE FROM A LITTLE

SEED, AND HAVE IT

GROW SO TALL?

THEN CHANGE GREEN

LEAVES TO RED AND

GOLD, CHANGE

SUMMER INTO FALL?

GOD CAN

WHO CAN BURST THE

CLOUDS AND MAKE IT

RAIN, WHEN THE

EARTH IS DRY?

PAINT A BOW OF

MANY COLORS, HANG

IT HIGH UP IN THE

SKY?

WHO CAN MAKE THE

SUN RISE AT THE

START OF EACH NEW

MORN?

OR BRING THAT

SPECIAL JOY TO

MOTHER, WHEN HER

CHILD IS BORN?

WHO CAN LIGHT THE

NIGHT SKY WITH THE

TWINKLING OF THE

STARS?

OR MAKE THE FULL

MOON SEEM SO CLOSE

52 | P a g e

WHEN IT‘S YET SO

FAR?

WHO CAN BECOME A

MAN AND DIE TO

SAVE A WORLD FROM

SIN?

SPEND DAYS INSIDE

THE DARKEST GRAVE

AND THEN RISE

AGAIN?

GOD CAN

AND GOD CAN TAKE A

WOUNDED HEART

AND MAKE IT SO

BRAND NEW

THE THINGS YOU

THOUGHT COULD

NEVER BE, HE CAN DO

FOR YOU

HE CAN HEAL THE

PAIN IN THE SOUL OF

A BROKEN MAN

RENEW HIS

SHATTERED DREAMS,

OH YES, GOD CAN.

ONLY GOD CAN

HE LOVES YOU,

COULDN‘T LOVE YOU

MORE, EVEN IF, THERE

WERE NO ONE ELSE

HE LOVES YOU SO

AND HE CREATED

YOU, ALL FOR

HIMSELF

IT DOESN‘T MATTER

WHO YOU ARE OR

WHAT YOU‘VE EVER

DONE

IT DOESN‘T MATTER

HOW FAR YOU‘VE

GONE, HE‘S THE ONLY

ONE ... WHO CAN…

HEAL THE ONE WHO

LAYS DEATHLY SICK

... WITH THE WORST

INFECTION.

OR FIND A SOUL THAT

ONCE WAS LOST

WITHOUT AID OR

DIRECTION

HE CAN TAKE A

HEART SO FULL OF

HATE, AND CAUSE IT

TO LOVE AGAIN

HE CAN HEAL THE

PAIN, MEND YOUR

BROKEN HEART, WITH

ONE TOUCH OF HIS

HAND

HE CAN BRING HOME

THAT SON OR

DAUGHTER, THAT

HUSBAND OR THAT

WIFE

THAT MARRIAGE

THAT WAS

PRONOUNCED DEAD,

GOD PRONOUNCES

LIFE

HE CAN BRING YOU

BACK FROM YEARS OF

DRUG ADDICTION

GOD CAN! BELIEVE

ME, HE‘LL BRING YOU

BACK FROM ANY

AFFLICTION

HE CAN CLEAN THE

DIRTIEST HEART AND

SAVE THAT SOUL

FROM HELL

WHATEVER YOU

NEED, MY GOD CAN

DO, AND HE DOES ALL

THINGS SO WELL

SO IF YOU FEEL THAT

THERE‘S NO HOPE

YOU NEED TO

UNDERSTAND

GOD‘S WILLING AND

HE‘S ABLE, AND HE

CAN! YES, GOD CAN!

53 | P a g e

Remembering Is For

Elephants, Not Your

Spouse

How many times have you

did something to your

spouse that you knew was

going to go into the ―How

could you do me wrong‖

archives? There have been

times that I can remember

when I was dating if I

treated a woman wrong

whether it was intentional

or not, she would not let

me live it down. If I

stayed with her for any

amount of time, whenever

we would argue it would

come up again. ―Do you

remember when you did

(you fill in the blank)?‖

That‘s what she‘d say,

―Don‘t let that happen

again. I feel like you‘re

going back to that point

and I don‘t feel like going

through that again. You‘re

never going to change are

you?‖

Does the previous

conversation sound

familiar to you? I‘m sure

that any one of you reading

this that is or has been

married or in a relationship

for any period of time has

experienced this at one

point or another. The

problem is that this

conversation is a building

block to destroying your

marriage. I know this is a

strong statement but the

scriptures are full of

knowledge that supports

this statement. In Proverbs

21:19 the bible says, ―It is

better for a man to live on

the corner of the roof than

live with a quarrelsome

woman‖. (Also see

Proverbs 25:24) This is

just saying that it is very

difficult to live in the

house with a spouse who

argues all the time.

This reason this is a

building block for the

destruction of your

marriage is because it goes

against scripture. The

scriptures say that God

never remembers our

transgressions once we

repent and ask for His

forgiveness. (Psalms

103:12). Why does God

forget? Because once we

have asked for forgiveness

there is no reason to

continue to be upset.

When we carry

unforgiveness in our heart

it causes us to be out of

relationship with God.

This is what Jesus talked

about in Matthew 6:14-15

when He was teaching the

disciples how to pray.

God instructs us in His

word to forgive our

transgressions as we

forgive those who

transgress against us. So if

God is willing to forgive

us for the things we‘ve

done to Him when we

grieve His Holy Spirit by

continuing to sin, shouldn‘t

we be willing to forgive

our mates when they say or

do things that upset us?

There will be times during

our marriage that we get so

angry at our spouses that

we come to a position of

choosing whether or not

we will allow that thing to

fester and grow and

eventually cause a division

in our marriage. Here‘s

how it works:

1. A man forgets to

add an amount to

the checkbook and

it causes some

transactions to be

overdrawn. His

wife forgives him

but she doesn‘t

forget.

2. A wife uses the

debit card to

purchase something

that will benefit the

house but forgets to

tell her husband

about it and once

again, the checking

account is

overdrawn. He

54 | P a g e

forgives her but he

doesn‘t forget.

3. A husband is

caught drinking

again once he told

his wife he will

never drink again

because of how it

caused so much

tension in their

marriage. The wife

forgives him but

she doesn‘t forget.

4. A wife is caught

doing drugs by her

husband when she

said she would

never do it again

because of all the

times there was no

money left to pay

bills. The husband

forgives but never

forgets.

5. A husband has a

baby by another

woman while he‘s

still married and his

wife finds out. It

causes a serious

strain on the

marriage but his

wife forgives him.

But she never

forgets.

6. A wife is caught

cheating on her

husband with a

good friend of his

and this causes a

separation. They

work it out, get

back together. He

forgives her but he

never forgets.

Now watch this: Some 10

years later after all of these

problems occur in the

marriage, the husband

forgets to pick up some

milk at the store and his

wife goes absolutely

ballistic! She calls him

everything but a child of

God. She reminds him

how he always forgets to

enter things in the

checkbook. He reminds

her of the times she forgot

to put entries in the

checkbook and how angry

he got when she did that.

She fires back with how he

always tries to drink

alcohol behind her back

and he returns with a

heavy barrage of all the

times he came home and

smelled marijuana in the

bedroom. She then calls

his baby by another

woman a very bad name

and he then yells at her and

reminds her of all the times

she was in an extra-marital

relationship with his best

friend. How could she do

that to him? How could he

do that to her? That‘s it!!!

It‘s over!!

How did they get there?

They got there one

destructive building block

at a time. You see we

must remember that the

devil causes discord in our

marriage one incident at a

time. It doesn‘t seem like

you‘re headed for divorce

when you argue about not

putting the toilet lid down

or about why the bacon is

cooked too crispy. But

you are headed for divorce.

Why do I say this?

Because every time your

mate does something to

you and you forgive them

but don‘t forget it, you are

building up a wall that will

eventually come in

between you and your

spouse. Every time you

bring up a past mistake,

you thrust another knife

through your spouse‘s

heart. Every time you

remind them of how stupid

they were when they did

something 10 years ago,

you give them another

reason to hate you. And

believe me it can happen

before you know it.

Love your spouse with all

your heart, mind, and soul.

This requires sacrifice.

That means letting go of

the things they did

knowingly or unknowingly

to you. That means

accepting them for who

they are because they are

still the same person you

married in the sight of

God. Love your spouse

because the bible tells us

to. (Ephesians 5:22-28)

When we truly love our

spouse we will let those

things go that can disrupt a

happy marriage. Don‘t

allow the devil to enter in

and build destruction.

Instead allow God in so He

55 | P a g e

can build love on a solid,

firm foundation. Your

marriage will be much

better for it when you do.

God gives us all the

opportunity to choose Him.

When we don‘t choose

God, we invite the devil to

come in and destroy our

marriage by reminding us

of all of our mate‘s

imperfections. This can

cause major discord and

even lead to divorce in the

worse case scenario. But

when we choose God, He

places a hedge of

protection around us so our

marriage is protected from

the flaming darts of the

enemy.

*Additional scriptures -

Isaiah 59:1-2, Hebrews

9:22, 1 Peter 3:18,

Ephesians 1:7, Isaiah

43:25, Psalms 32:1-2,

Philippians 3:13-14,

Jeremiah 15:19, John 1:9,

2 Timothy 2:13

© 2010 Robert T. Sells –

All rights reserved

Mary‘s Story

By Mandy Woodhouse

I saw her from at distance

and tried not to stare.

Having been in Gulu for

nearly a week now I had

seen some tragic things,

but her appearance was by

far the most sobering.

Heavily mutated scar

tissue where an ear once

sat, missing lips and only a

small bump for a nose is

what I noticed before

becoming aware of her

incredibly tiny frame. The

next thing I noticed about

her almost immediately

was the small female

toddler with sad, round

eyes clinging to her skirt.

The child is a very familiar

sight in all of Uganda.

I had been in Kampala and

also Gulu, Uganda (East

Africa) pampering HIV

positive women and

former child soldier

abductees. I had heard few

years back about the

devastation in Gulu, and it

was finally the right time

for me to be there doing

something to help. God

had opened a door for me

to go, and I had no idea

what to expect.

Unsure of how to approach

her, I could not resist the

magnetic pull toward this

woman, Mary, and her

daughter. I didn‘t feel pity

for her as much as I did a

righteous anger and an

overwhelming awareness

of life. Real life, not my

Western life with its petty

worries. This may sound

selfish, but I knew that I

needed to meet her; my

soul needed to meet her.

Mary did not speak

English and never made

eye contact with me–but

up close, she was

beautiful. Her two-year

old daughter was

obviously the pride of her

life, and words could never

express how radiant Mary

became as I poured over

her little one. I spent about

three quarters of an hour

with Mary and her

daughter, and our smiles

and affection toward one

another was quick and

probably longer lasting

than words could ever have

been. I could not wait to

be the one to pamper her.

Sadly as our program

began, Mary and her

daughter had to leave most

suddenly. Our moment

together was over, and I

cannot describe the intense

grief my heartfelt when I

56 | P a g e

heard Mary‘s story after

her abrupt departure.

Mary had been the wife of

one of the Lord‘s

Resistance Army (LRA) in

the wars of Northern

Uganda. Like many

others, she had been

abducted as a small child

and forced into a sexual

relationship where

mutilation was the

punishment for the sin of

not being submissive to her

husband. Mary had

escaped and was found

hiding in the bush (with

her several children) by an

organization that needed

her as their main source of

promotional material for

funding their work in

Africa. Unfortunately, this

organization thought of

Mary as belonging to them

alone, and she was

therefore not allowed to

take part in any programs

sponsored by other

organizations in Gulu

including the one I was

connected to. Mary was

very aware of this, and yet

the morning I met her she

was volunteering with my

organization because she

had met Jesus there and

had a heart to help women

she deemed ―less

fortunate‖ than herself.

Mary is just one of a large

number women in the war

affected areas of Africa

who need to have their

stories told. I hope that in

briefly telling Mary‘s

story, maybe her history

and the history of her

friends can be rewritten.

To quote Mary, ―Jesus

saved me, now I may save

my nation…‖ I just pray

that I will live my

redemption the way Mary

lives hers!

_____________________________________________________________________________

57 | P a g e

SEEKING THE

FACE OF THE

LORD

THROUGH

FASTING AND

PRAYERS 2010

SEEK THE LORD AND LIVE

(AMOS: 5:4)

At the end and beginning of

each year, millions of people

around the world go into

fasting and prayers; seeking

the face of the Lord for a

much better future.

Especially for Christianity; it

has become a type of ritual

that many churches follow;

but not because they want to

seek the Lord face. They just

follow along because they

want to be among those who

are seen in the public as

holy. Seeking the face of the

Lord a much more than just

fasting for the public

approval; it is a period of

complete change for the

better. You cannot remain in

the old ways of exploitations,

lies, stealing, and proclaiming

messages to promote

yourself interest and say you

are seeking the face of the

Lord. The Prophet Isaiah

wrote: “Seek ye the LORD

while he may be found, call

ye upon him while he is near:

Let the wicked forsake his

way, and the unrighteous

man his thoughts: and let

him return unto the LORD,

and he will have mercy upon

him; and to our God, for he

will abundantly pardon”.

(Isa.556-7) as you can see

from that passage it is a time

to turn from our wickedness

of last year and return to the

Lord. If we really decide to

seek the Lord face for a

change; the change must

start within us. We must be

willing to give away

something in our lives in

order to be wash anew and

sanctify for a new walk in

life.

Seeking the Lord with your

whole heart is like someone

who has walk days without

water and is very thirsty for

water. The body cries for

even a drop of water to

quench its thirst and the

enthusiasm to find water is

with passion. If you seek the

LORD with that same

enthusiasm; you will

definitely find Him for you

will be ready to give up

anything to quench that

thirst. The Psalmist describes

it in these words; “I stretch

forth my hands unto thee:

my soul thirsteth after thee,

as a thirsty land Selah”.

(Psa.143:6) I live in a desert

country and I know what it

means for the ground to cry

for water. The crops dies ,

the cattle’s dies, people sink

wells deep in the ground the

dries up in weeks and

everyone begin to pray for

rain. The body is so

uncomfortable that one

would do anything just to get

a little water to cool off; and

minutes later you are

uncomfortable again. In the

old days; in Africa, it is said

that sometimes even human

sacrifices were offer to

appease their gods (who

were in fact powerless to

bring rain).Are you that

desperate as you go to seek

the Lord this year? What are

you willing to give up for that

change in life that you are

crying for? If you are not that

desperate enough to change

your old skin; your efforts

will be fruitless. Your efforts

will be fruitless because you

wish to continue in sin.

Fasting is usually observed

on occasion of public

calamities; when men has

58 | P a g e

been reminded that they

have no control over life and

regardless of who they are,

they can fall; afflictions;

approaching danger or

purification. As you may have

notice from the description I

listed, it has always been

selfishly about us and not

about the will of the Most

Highest God in Heaven. That

is why we must know the will

of God for our lives to

change over to those things

He wants us to do and not

what we want to do. There

are fast that God condemns

and fast that He accepts.

Sometimes after 40 days,

100 days, 7days, the

situation gets worse and God

does not hear our prayers.

Why is it that way? God does

not listen to our cries

because fast includes our

behavior and connection

with two Kingdoms; the

Kingdom on earth that cause

us to defiles our soul and the

Kingdom of God that is ready

to accept and cleanse us if

we are ready to change our

ways in this earthly Kingdom

and let ourselves be lead by

the rules of the Heavenly

Kingdom. The rules might

not be to your liking but it is

the key to your answer. Oh

God says I should share with

the poor, stop exploiting the

people in the churches for

false gain, stop oppressing

the people because they

cannot live up to your

standard; and love and

forgive the children of God

as you wish for God to do

you. You see if you do unto

those in your care as you

wish God to do for you; you

are bound to get approval

from Heaven. Because most

of the time we do the

opposite; our fast and

prayers are rejected by God.

It is written; “Wherefore

have we fasted, say they, and

thou seest not? Wherefore

have we afflicted our soul,

and thou takest no

knowledge? Behold, in the

day of your fast ye find

pleasure, and exact all your

labours. Behold, ye fast for

strife and debate, and to

smite with the fist of

wickedness: ye shall not fast

as ye do this day, to make

your voice to be heard on

high. Is it such a fast that I

have chosen? A day for a

man to afflict his soul? Is it to

bow down his head as a

bulrush, and to spread

sackcloth and ashes under

him? Wilt thou call this a

fast, and an acceptable day

to the LORD? Is not this the

fast that I have chosen? To

loose the bands of

wickedness, to undo the

heavy burdens, and to let the

oppressed go free, and that

ye break every yoke? Is it not

to deal thy bread to the

hungry, and that thou bring

the poor that are cast out to

thy house? When thou seest

the naked, that thou cover

him; and that thou hide not

thyself from thine own

flesh”? (Isa.58:3-7) So is it a

hopeless cause we have

embarked upon during this

period of fasting or is there a

way to fast and seek the face

of the LORD and He will

consider our weakness and

turn his face to our cries.

Like I stated above if we

must get the attention of the

LORD ; we must sanctify

ourselves and gather in a

repented/ solemn mood ;

honestly sorry for our sins

and ready to turn a new

page( I am not talking about

pretending during the period

of fast and prayer); for it is

written : “Therefore also

now, saith the LORD, turn ye

even to me with all your

heart, and with fasting, and

with weeping, and with

mourning: And rend your

heart, and not your

garments, and turn unto the

LORD your God: for he is

gracious and merciful, slow

to anger, and of great

kindness, and repenteth him

of the evil”.(Joel 2:12-13)

However one important fact

to note is that even as you go

through this period of fast

59 | P a g e

and prayer; let it be between

you and God and not an

open affair. It is written;

“Moreover when ye fast, be

not, as the hypocrites, of a

sad countenance: for they

disfigure their faces that they

may appear unto men to

fast. Verily I say unto you,

they have their reward. But

thou, when thou fastest,

anoint thine head, and wash

thy face; that thou appear

not unto men to fast, but

unto thy Father which is in

secret: and thy Father, which

seeth in secret, shall reward

thee openly”.

Seeking the face of the Lord

can benefiting and joyful if

you know the will of God and

follow the rules written in

the guide Book of life; The

Holy Bible and allow the Holy

Spirit to lead you in your

thought and desires; erasing

those evil things this body of

dirt lust for. The guide Book

advices us to seek the LORD

like this:

1. Seek Him with all your

heart and all your soul.

(Deut. 4:29, 2Chr.31:21)

2. Seek the LORD to

commit your cause (Job 5:8)

3. Strive to be pure and

upright when seeking the

face of the LORD (Job 8:6)

4. Seek the lord with

understanding (Psa. 14:12)

5. Seek the LORD to lead

you in the TRUTH and to

TEACH you His ways; be your

salvation and defender.

(Psa.25:5, 15)

6. Seek the LORD to

always dwell in His presence

and to have the right to

inquire in His temple as His

child. (Psalms 27:4)

7. Seek the LORD to

deliver you from all your

fears; and to be your

provider. (Psa.34:4, 10)

8. Seek the LORD when

your soul is thirsty. (Psa.63:1-

8)

9. Seek the LORD IN

humbleness (69:32)

10. Seek the LORD with tears

and hold on to Him for

deliverance with your voice

in the day of trouble. (77:1-9)

11. Seek the LORD for

knowledge and

understanding with a passion

as strong as you seek the

treasures of the earth. (Prov.

2:3-5)

12. Seek the LORD as a

watchman and when you

find Him; hold on to Him.

(Song 3:1-5)

I do not know what your

quest is as you bow your

head down to the LORD this

year; but if it is honestly to

get a result from God; let me

advice you to stop fooling

yourself and get real with

God, or you are fasting in

vain. It is my prayer that you

seek the face of the LORD

and live and be prosperous in

this land which He has given

you.

OUR PRAYERS 2010

1. We need perfect

interpreters because online

interpretations in other

languages of the world are

bad.

2. We need the means to

visit other Ministry to impart

the Word of God and help

rewind those gone astray.

3. We want to open an

online magazine for the

purpose of highlighting real

Shepherds works and needs

etc. & need volunteers to

write, edit, and publish.

4. And we need funds to

meet our monthly bills;

because our only business is

the Lord’s and congregation

is you out there.

5. Most of all we need you

prayers and criticism,

questions etc.

60 | P a g e

If you desire help please

write to: Bishop Steven

Liberty

kpolonyeenkpor2005@gmail.

com

bishopstevenlib@aol.com

ACCOUNT NO.

01001523306014

SWIFT CORE: ECOCSNDA

ECOBANK DAKAR SENEGAL

___________________________________________________________________________________

61 | P a g e

Please support the 2010 spotlighted Authors!

Order Your Book Today!

Paulette Harper-That was then, this is now. Paulet_harper@yahoo.com

Mylow Young- Against the Gates of Hell. mylowyoung@yahoo.com

Eliza Earsman- A Collection of Verses. rosewhitel@yahoo.co.uk

Tammy Drake-Ramblings of a Beating Heart. t_drake70@yahoo.com

Carole Steamer-EyceCreme in Many Flavors. eycecremeimf@yahoo.com

Andrea Michele Mills-There‟s Too Much Hell in the Church.

michele_amills@yahoo.com

Dr. Virginia Booth-When Your Promises Have Died.

vbministries2008@yahoo.com

Maya C. Houston-Journey the Soul of a Poet. msmaya_7@yahoo.com

Lenore Artis-Dark Blessing. laartmin@aol.com

62 | P a g e

DIVINE INSPIRATONS MAGAZINE 233 Hirst Ave Lansdowne, PA 19050 Phone: 484-429-5080 Website: www.divineinspirationsmagazine.org

Email: divineinspirationsmagazine@gmail.com

We Welcome All Freelance Writers! If you have a passion to express yourself through writing or poetry or want to publish that sermon God gave you, then we are looking for you. Please contact Divine Inspirations Magazine at divineinspirationsmagazine@gmail.com. Submit your article today! Advertise your next event in Divine Inspirations Magazine. Our readership reaches from the North, South, and East to the West Coast, and Overseas. To submit your advertisement, email Divine Inspirations today! Divine Inspirations Magazine is a division of Priscilla House Network, visit www.priscillahousenetwork.org. To subscribe to this E-Zine contact us today!

Join DIM in the 2010 new subscriber contest!!

Help us in our goal of subscribing 2,010 new readers.

To enter this contest, send us valid email addresses to

divineinspirationsmagazine@gmail.com

Remember to place your name and email address on each correspondence to receive your credit. Win one of three prizes.

(Please get permission first from all email entries)