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20/20 Vision
The Evolution of ME
Love The Skin You're In
The Picture of Forgiveness
How To Win at Social Media
Keep it Moving
20/20 VISION
BY KEISHA MADSKINS A.K.A. LADY SOL
Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Moses and David all have what in common? Vision! Each individual had the wherewithal to press through humble beginnings into a greater expression of self. We know these persons because they each saw something grander when they looked into the mirror at themselves and acted upon it. Their life vision transformed fuel into fire, propelling them down the road to destiny. Obstacles simply became a training course for manifesting great success.
The Bible declares in the Book of Proverbs 29:18, without a vision, the people perish. That is a powerful statement but a hard truth. Try driving a car with your eyes closed or covered and see how successful trip will be. Vision will simplify your life in a way that will define and guide you, without which one will have no direction and go nowhere. Do you think that Michael Jordan would have been successful at basketball if he only focused on just graduating college and getting a good job? No! He went beyond the boundaries of other’s expectations, he went beyond the norm, exceeded his own desires through sacrifice and discipline perfecting the art of basketball.
What is vision? The late Dr. Miles Munroe once stated, sight is a function of the eyes but vision is a function of the heart. So the real question is, what is your passion? What is your heart’s desire? What solution to a problem in the world do you have within? What keeps you going and is something you would do without even getting paid? So often we get entangled in being involved with things to make ends meet but do they really bring happiness and is it maximizing what we are good at doing?
Would we know Dr. Maya Angelou if she chose to keep her thoughts and passions to herself, put her pen down and never wrote from her heart? David had a love for God’s people so strong that he scribed the very songs that helped him through adversity because he wanted us to be inspired too. What if he stayed a shepherd in the field and never said yes to the king within?
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Would we know Dr. Maya Angelou if she chose to keep her thoughts and passions to herself, put her pen down and never wrote from her heart? David had a love for God’s people so strong that he scribed the very songs that helped him through adversity because he wanted us to be inspired too. What if he stayed a shepherd in the field and never said yes to the king within?
Many may be in a valley experience, feeling lost and hopeless or unsure of what the future holds. Beloved, let me encourage you today that there is a remedy to heal your vision. Take a deep breath and release. Think on the things that stir your soul and brings you deep joy. Don’t let that last setback be your demise. Tiger Woods is a grand example of that. Many counted him out and yet he rose from the ashes to claim yet another victory. What is it inside of you that is dying to rise again? The point in sharing all this is this. There is still time! Maximize the rest of this year writing out your vision. Do dream boards, power word lists and journal how you see yourself next year. Allow Holy Spirit to give you wisdom on your next so that you can focus on making your now worthwhile. 20/20 vision isn’t about being perfect but seeing life correctly as it should be according to God’s will. It is His will for all to live an abundant free life. It’s your time!
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Flirt in Reverse And now the woman says to herself…”Another day home alone. Ok, I am tired of being by myself. It’s getting warm outside & I just want to be able to hang out with somebody nice”. If I could just find somebody romantic, somebody huggable & I can cuddle. Lying under the oak tree with a gentle breeze blowing & I’m resting in his arms. Maybe we can hang out at the pool, whew- I’ve seen some fine men around here. Let me smile, show just enough cleavage to grab his attention & a little flip of my hair. And he thinks to himself…” Oh yeah, all of these fine ladies going to be wearing those short sun-dresses, sandals & shorts. I just need some pretty toes to lick & lips to kiss. I need to see what they are working with. Nothing to serious, just a few pretty ladies to hold me over for the summer. Sometimes I get tired of coming home to an empty house, I want to come home to hips, thighs & lovely eyes. All I need to do is catch their eye & wink. EVERYTHING STARTS WITH A THOUGHT. These are just a few thoughts that people are silently pondering over. Here’s an interesting thought. When we look over at the stranger that just winked or flashed a smile, What really triggered that smile? What caused this person to lock eyes with mine intentionally 5 seconds to long. Whoa! Did they just lick their lips? Hmm.... Most of the time we respond out of what we HOPE they are thinking, or worst yet we ASSUME we know what’s behind that wink? If you have ever battled with: loneliness low confidence fear self-worth self esteem fornication pornography exaggeration spiritual dryness adultery/ lust anger or rage control gossip vain imaginations flattery manipulation (just to name a few) You may be susceptible to being seduced by the Spirit of the Flirt. OK, I can hear you saying what is she talking about? What’s wrong with flirting, its nothing serious. I’m not hurting anybody. Flirting is not harmless; it’s playing with fire. Flirting is hell fire on their lips, it is like a scorching fire (proverbs 16:27 NIV). Flirting is a Forbidden Fruit. It blooms from the tree of Perversity. If you feel good when somebody winks at you, we may need to take a look at getting you some deliverance. Did you know that tingling sensation you get, those butterflies in your stomach is rooted in perversion? Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity (Proverbs 16:30 NIV).
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Flirting is hell fire on their lips, it is like a scorching fire (proverbs 16:27 niv). Flirting is a Forbidden Fruit. It blooms from the tree of Perversity. If you feel good when somebody winks at you, we may need to take a look at getting you some deliverance. Did you know that tingling sensation you get, those butterflies in your stomach is rooted in perversion? Whoever winks with their eye is plotting perversity (Proverbs 16:30 NIV). Let me say that again‌.The Bible clearly states WHOEVER WINKS with their EYE IS PLOTTING PERVERSITY. Which means they have already thought about it, planned it out in their mind & are now making their move just like a wolf in sheeps clothing. Pucker up (Smooches). Proverbs 16:30 & 27 further states whoever purses their lips is bent on evil. So, if the actions of someone that is rooted in evil & perversity turns you on, then your freedom is in the next your choice that you make. Chose life or death, receive your deliverance. This spirit causes one to detour from what is ethical, moral, good, true & right. Many people that have this Spirit are tormented unknowingly & become very stubborn & self-willed. This Spirit also works with a Spirit of Uncleanness. The root word of Perversion comes from aqash in the Hebrew. It means crooked, forward, false & perverse. Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved, but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once. (Pr 28:18). One must be loosed from this Spirit & all of its ugly nasty cohorts that are in operation to snare souls. But, what caused this perversion in the first place? There are many factors we must consider to answer this accurately. Especially when it comes to us on an individual or regional basis. Why do I Flirt? It’s rooted in your God-given desire to be connected & loved genuinely & authentically. When you flirt, you are trying to connect to God, but in the wrong way. Flirting tries to fill a void that only the Word of God can fill, not the words of a Seducer. When you flirt you are trying to fill up your Spirit through your Soul, (your mind, will, emotions, intellect & imagination). Remember God is a Spirit. When you flirt, you are searching for His Presence, but through shallow & superficial methods. For some immediate relief, (this attacks the symptoms, not the root). Use your Authority according to Luke 10:19, I have given you power over all the power of the enemy. Loose yourself from this Spirit by releasing Righteousness, holiness, self-control, deliverance, healing, the breaking of soul ties, the fruit of the Spirit & discipline. (exert from Rules of Engagement-Dr. Cindy Trimm). But, the root of true freedom will come after you have renewed your mind to know your worth & who you are in Christ. T.N.Vincent Periscope: KingdomNaires flowriters@gmail.com -9-
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The Evolution of ME!
It has often been said that hindsight is twenty-twenty. I would like to suggest that it is at the moment of clarity is when you see your past, present, and future for exactly what it is……...your personal evolution. To truly understand your evolution, you must understand what it means to evolve. To evolve does no mean to become a better or best version of yourself; it means that you have become or are becoming who you are destined to be. According to Jeremiah 29:11, God has a pre-planned destiny for us in which He expects us to get. He has this expectation because He is the one that is going to get you there. In order for one to grasp their personal evolution here are three things to assist you.
3. Walk It Out – Walking in God’s absolute truth will cause to make the necessary steps to become focused on achieving His will for our life. The Bible declares that He will give us the desires of our hearts. This is because we have come to a place where are we want His will for us. Our desire becomes our desire.I know that we have situations that we all go through. However, no matter what we go through we must understand that God has given us a something to keep us and instruct us, His Spirit. Once we have completely embraced the Holy Spirit, we can walk in our evolution. +Brandon M. Everette
1. Personal Realization – For years I had carried a sense of abandonment and rejection due to the fact that I am adopted. For the majority of my life, my actions were strictly based upon my own false personal perception of what I think the world owed me. The reality is that it was in God’s plan that I am adopted. When I started looking at things for what they are I began to walk in my healing. I began to let things go and give things totally to God.
2. Real Change – Real change is a sign of true growth and maturity in God. When God is comes into our lives, the first thing that He deals with is us. It is impossible to truly be in the presence of God and He not deal with us. There are things in all of us that can hinder us from reaching our full potential in Him. Once we see ourselves for the filthy rags we are, we began to change walk in humility. When you know better, you do better.
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Common sayings such as "the spheres" and "it is music to my notion that music is often orde listen to. However, 20th-centu Cage thought that any sound saying, for example, "There is
COMMUNICATION WITH COMPREHENSION By: Tabbetha A. Watts, M.S.
I have learned that yes, communication is pivotal in marriage. But if you are not comprehending what is being communicated from your spouse, then your marriage will NOT grow. If you aren’t gaining a true understanding of what the other is saying, then you are just two people talking just to talk. Let’s explore ways that you can communicate with your spouse and gain comprehension.
As we all know any relationship rather it’s marriage, friendship, business, or family communication is important. But communication looks and means different things to different people. Let’s face it, some people believe that just conversing with someone is effectively communicating. No, no, no... effective communication means you comprehend what is being communicated to you. Communication takes time, energy and effort from all parties involved especially in marriage. Why? Because communication is the catalyst to what drives the marriage. When you began dating, it took communication. When you reached the point of marriage, it took communication. Everything you read and every time someone asks what advice you can give an engaged couple or newlyweds, it’s always be sure that you communicate.
1. Ask questions – If you are not clear on what it is they are saying, then ask questions. What’s the saying? “No question is a stupid question, besides a question NOT asked.” Gain clarity before the conversation ends so that both you and your spouse are on the same page.
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Repeat what you heard them say and what you understood it to mean. Use “I” statements. Using “I” statements gives your spouse information about you and it feels less threatening than “you” statements. When “you” statements are used, then there are a change of emotions because they may feel as if they are being attacked.
2. Repeat what you heard – Once your spouse has stopped talking, you want them to know that you heard them, and you comprehended what they said. You can start by saying, “what I hear you saying is…” And if further clarity is needed, refer to #1. 3. Provide examples – If you are the one speaking on something that is bothering you, please give examples and be specific. Why? Because as human beings, we tend to not remember things that we don’t think are wrong or bothersome to other people. If no one ever brings it to our attention, then we think it’s ok and will continue with said action. It also helps to give specifics because it will help the other person remember when, where and what happened, and you can better explain how it makes you feel. 4. Actively Listen – There is a clear difference between hearing and listening. Hearing means you are hearing them so that you can respond. Listening means you are listening to gain a true understanding of what it is they are saying. This one goes back to #2.
Communicating with your spouse in order to truly comprehend what it is they are truly saying, will make all the difference in your marriage. Let’s stop communicating just to say we communicated, only to leave the conversation feeling as though you weren’t heard, as though nothing was accomplished or feeling worse than before you had the conversation.
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When you communicate, you both should feel as though you were heard, that something was accomplished (i.e., compromise and/or understanding), or a feeling of growth in your marriage. Every time you communicate with your spouse and comprehend what was said, you should feel as though you made a huge step in achieving marital bliss.
Learning the Art of Silence “Shut up Danielle!” If I had a penny for every time, I have been told that I would be Bill Gates wealthy. You know, with the kind of money where there is no such thing of lack or not enough. You see, often growing up I was told to shut up because listening was not a strong suit of mine. To be honest, I did not think it would be something that would ever come “in my size”. Yet here I am writing an article about the benefits of listening and shutting up. You see, I now understand that these are two of the hardest things to do, especially if it is in response to someone you do not respect, or feel is on your level. It was not until I had gotten older that I could see how wise shutting up and listening could be. Truth of the matter is, if I had shut up a long time ago, then, there would have been a lot less apologies needed. But wait, before I get there, let’s go back. Being the middle child, it was always hard for me to not voice my opinion. I was never old enough to do what I wanted and never young enough to be pampered and spoiled. I just existed; in the middle. I was the peacemaker, but the kind that would cuss you out even if it was to shut you up. I did this so I could be heard and have some peace of my own. Growing up, I had a “whip” that could cut you before I even finished the first sentence. This was my way to release. I needed to say what I had to say because if I did not, then I would most definitely implode, or worst explode.
Even with me lashing out, still there were many years of silent tears, feeling inadequate, and consequentially, unloved. Consequently, none of those feelings were without reason. Although my words would leave you bleeding (figuratively speaking), still I could not shut up; unless it was time for me to apologize. Refusing to apologize, simply I would just walk away; when I could have said nothing in the first place. With my words I caused so much pain that I was not able to sit in quietness. Silence was always loud to me. So, to silence the silence, I’d blast music. I could sit for hours and listen to music or watch television. I’d go outside and become the silly friend just so I would not have to sit in the house, in silence. I would pick fights or create scenarios that would allow me to unleash the beast that always stayed lurking just beneath the surface of my mind waiting for its next victim. I had no favorites, anyone could play the part as I always had open auditions. Every day, I made sure that I would not have to sit in stillness and deal with what was going on in me. So, without fail, everyday someone was telling me to “Shut Up Danielle,” because I would indubitably go too far and push the envelope of disrespect. I stayed arguing my point well beyond the need to and then relish in the fact that you were demolished by my words. -14-
As life went on, I became a mother. So, as you can imagine, having kids became a very rude and disrespectful friend to me. As I had the pleasure of raising little “Danielle’s” who had taken my skillset to a new level of mastery. Yep, never did I think I could meet my match, yet my silly self, birthed not one but three solid matches! It is funny now, but clearly God is a rewarder, even if it is not a gift that I wanted. I have to admit I sowed those seeds and reaped bountiful blessings. Well let’s just say, if I ever want to see if I still have it, all I need to do is call one of them and they will definitely give me a pop quiz! But in all honesty, I have learned so much from raising them and raising myself along the way. It was not always easy and sometimes I felt like I had gotten a raw deal. Truth of the matter is, I if had shut my mouth, then I would have heard the lessons of my aunts when they said watch out for this type of man. Don’t keep company with that type of girl. You don’t want to sit in that company because you will end up like this or that. If I had of kept my mouth shut, then life would not have been as hard as it was. Now, do not get me wrong, I have no regrets; only lessons. I do not regret any part of my life and that is because I got the lesson and learned to not repeat the same lesson, too many times. Over the years, I have learned; I am not always right. Yeah, I know, shocker! I do not know everything! I know, I know! It was harder for me to conceive such a thing too. In this world, there are people who are actually smarter than I am. Sheesh! But it is true. You see I learned to shut my mouth and caught the lesson that all men are not bad men when you hold yourself to a higher expectation and accountability. Maybe I am choosing what I am capable of handling.
Nonetheless, do you know the most important lesson I learnt when I shut my mouth? I learned that God really does speak, and it is in the silence that I can hear him the loudest. I learned that it is in the silence that God begins to give instructions on how to choose the right mate and not spin the “wheel o’ression". You know; depression, regression, and transgression. I learned it is in the silence where God begins to unveil my true self and break down the walls that hide my greatest fear. It is in the silence where He has the greatest opportunity to walk me through the pain of healing from the feelings of rejection, dejection and false self-sacrificing. You see, we are infamous at playing the victim and absent when it comes to playing the victor. I learned that it is in the silence where He builds me up from the inside out so that when I do open my mouth, it gathers rather than scatter. That I do not have to leave bleeding bodies in my shadow to make my presence known but am fully capable of helping to build up and fortify without ever leaving a visible sign of my presence. Truth is, when I learned to shut up, I learned my greatest strength was that I am enough and am important enough simply because, I am.
Danielle L. Paul
When I shut my mouth, I learned that actually reading a book has so many more benefits than having a bookshelf full of them, with brand new spines never creased; giving the illusion of a wisdom, I had yet to attain. When I shut my mouth, I learned that it is possible to save money and still be fashionable and cute. Not that being cute was my thing; it wasn’t. It was having something you didn’t for the sake of showing off for someone who could care less.
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The Picture of Forgiveness with -9Keri "Dreamcatcher" White
As a little girl, I never envisioned my wedding. I didn’t daydream of my Prince Charming sweeping me off my feet or wearing a puffy, cake-topper wedding dress. However, I just knew I would be married one day. I knew I was born to be a wife even though I didn’t know what it meant to be a wife when I was young. Throughout the years you hear a lot of talk about weddings, but very little talk about what it takes to prepare for marriage and then stay married. There are TV shows about finding the right dress and having lavish wedding receptions. The celebration associated with marriage is glorified and the work of marriage is ignored in mainstream media. In church, I grew up hearing quotable scriptures like Proverbs 18:22 NKJV, which says “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.” Then there’s Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:7, and Ephesians 5:31, which all address the fact that the husband should leave his family and cling to his wife. But hearing and understanding such scriptures are two different things. Are churches training its members on how to date God’s way and how to be a wife/husband? Are churches training its members on forgiveness within a marriage and the work required to remain married? Are churches giving its members what’s needed to succeed at marriage?
Then there is Proverbs 31, in which a mom is explaining to her son what he should look for in a wife. Within the church you hear these scriptures, but it is not often the case that churches explain how to do these things. I didn’t find this passage until well after my divorce. Dissecting this passage has made a difference in my perspective of my wifely role in marriage. Couple that with a deeper understanding of my Christian responsibility to forgive, and I realized my marriage didn’t have to end. When we first married, I was 23 years old and he was 27. We thought we were ready for whatever would come our way. Our parents had long marriages, and we thought we would last forever. What we didn’t consider was just what it took for marriages to endure the test of time. We knew we loved each other. We knew we genuinely liked each other. We were best friends. We thought we were well-equipped to do this thing called marriage. What we weren’t prepared for were trials that could make us question our deal-breakers. These deal-breakers are things like infidelity, violence, etc. There are others that people have that could be less egregious like disrespect or poor money habits. Nevertheless, every marriage faces these deal-breakers. Once violated, then what?
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Do you forgive the person and work to restore your marriage? Do you walk away? What does scripture say? What does scripture say?
If I commit to work on the marriage, will that encourage my spouse to re-offend because they may feel I won’t leave? There is an array of questions that erupt when these offenses occur. For us, divorce seemed like the only answer. I felt justified. I felt God was fine with the decision because surely He wouldn’t want me to stay with someone who had crossed this line. What I hadn’t considered was the covenant I had entered with God when I said my marriage vows. I also hadn’t considered the fact that my marriage is the physical manifestation of the relationship of God with His children. Plus, I had looked only at my husband’s imperfections, and not so much at my own. Sure, he had made a major mistake, but I had made mistakes as well. Now, 15 years after our divorce I had finally released him from the debt of his violation. Moreover, I had finally reached the point of realizing while I am not at fault for his violation; I have made violations of my own and also owe him an apology for those. It wasn’t until I realized I was not without fault in that marriage was I able to forgive him Over the past 15 years we were not in communication for the majority of that time. Once I released us both of our indebtedness to one another, God restored our communication. My then, ex-husband sent me an email seemingly out of nowhere. Things started slowly. However, after a few weeks we began to talk on the phone. One the first phone conversation we both apologized to each other. We both owned our faults. We both released each other of the weight of those faults. Our birthdays are two days apart, and we decided to spend our birthdays together. We met up in Houston, TX in December of 2018. We were in great anticipation, wondering what would it be like to see each other and spend time together. We didn’t know if there would be a big elephant in the room or if we would be able to freely enjoy each other’s company. When I landed and found him in the airport, it was as if no time had lapsed. There were no big elephants in the room. There was no weight of the violations we had committed against each other. There was only us. It was just two people who fell for each other at first sight so many years ago. My husband and I are the picture of what true forgiveness looks like. I have literally sat and looked at our picture together and been in awe at the power of God and the power of forgiveness. There are many marriages suffering from unforgiveness, and there are many more destroyed by it. We owe it to ourselves to release others from the bondage of unforgiveness. And within marriages, we owe it to ourselves to understand the magnitude of the covenant made with God on our wedding day.It is 100% possible to restore broken marriages, but it requires work, understanding of how marriage works, and being Godcentered. We are living proof.
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LOVE THE SKIN YOU'RE IN! By: Prophetess Courtney Oliver I’m truly excited about sharing one of my greatest passions with all of you! My goal is to assist you with reaching a better understanding of skin, skin health, common skin conditions and how to address them. At some point, I would also like to assist you with locating a licensed esthetician or dermatologist in your city that can assist you in addressing your skin concerns. Before we dive in. I would like to share just a little about myself. I was born and raised in California. I have loved the beauty industry since childhood. I earned my esthetician’s license in 2012 from Paul Mitchell the School Sacramento in Sacramento, CA. I am also a trained Makeup Artist with a few decades of experience under my belt. I fell madly in love with makeup long before my parents would allow me to wear it. It’s my goal to launch a makeup line in 2020. With each magazine issue, I would like to slowly transition from sharing skin knowledge to sharing makeup tips. First, I must ensure that we prepare our “canvas” and focus on skin health. Makeup application is so much more flawless and fun when we have addressed our skin concerns and treated our skin as kindly as possible. Do you know which basic skin type category your skin falls under? This is very important to confirm. If you don’t know which skin type you have, it’s impossible to choose the proper skin regimen for improving and maintaining your skin. There are five basic skin types. Normal, dry, oily, combination, and sensitive. Here are a few indicators of each skin type that should help you to determine your skin type. Normal: fine pores, no blemishes, not prone to sensitivity. Dry: A feeling of tightness, dry or flaky patches, rough or blotchy appearance. Oily: enlarged pores, glossy shine. Combination: oily tzone(forehead, nose, cheeks), enlarged pores in the t-zone, normal to dry cheeks. Sensitive: red, itchy, dry, burning sensation.
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No matter your skin type. Proper skin care is essential. Your skin care should consist of products that address your skin type. I suggest purchasing a cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and sunscreen(or a moisturizer and sunscreen 2-in-1 product). Any additional skin care would best be obtained after consulting with an esthetician during an inperson consult. One of the greatest things we can do for our skin is to protect it from the sun. Personally, I use a moisturizer that contains an SPF of at least 35 year-round. I believe my commitment to protecting my skin year-round has truly helped me with aging. . As we all know, the sun causes sun damage and ages the skin at an alarming rate. So, it’s imperative that we do our due diligence and protect the skin we’re in. In addition to protecting your skin from the sun by use of sunscreen. It is also important to avoid direct sunlight and wear sunglasses and a hat as often as possible. Water is also key to living our best life when it comes to our skin. So, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! We’ve all heard for years that smoking is a big “no-no” as well when it comes to healthy and youthful-looking skin. Smoking asphyxiates the skin and depletes it of nutrients such as vitamin c. Vitamin C happens to be the vitamin that helps the skin to form collagen. Collagen helps our skin to remain more youthful-looking. In the next issue, we will discuss skin concerns such as acne, hyperpigmentation, fine lines, and roughness. I pray these skin tips have been of help to you thus far. I look forward to sharing more information with you in the next issue and helping you to love the skin you’re in!
FREE YOUR MIND .…LET THE FOOD FOLLOW COACH ME T.H.I.N I’m excited to be back and I’m praying you enjoyed the first article. If you haven’t had an opportunity to read it, please check out the previous issue where I introduce myself. As promised, I want to share how thoughts and habits impact nutrition (T.H.I.N). So many people have asked me “what was the difference this time on your weight journey?” My answer every time “my mind.” Sounds simple; however, it is my truth. My truth was: 1. I was overweight-NOPE! Correction-I was fat! 2. I was so tired of being the fat girl in all my pictures. 3. I wanted a boyfriend. 4. My money was funny. 5. I was so unhappy. 6. I tried to make myself happy by eating. 7. I loved food. Something clicked in my mind and I had to make a change. It’s been 2 years since my surgery(June 2017) an I will admit that the biggest fear was I would gain my weight back. I focused on those thoughts for so long that I made myself depressed and I began to second guess my decision of having surgery. I was allowing my thoughts of something that had not happened to take over in my mind. Having to understand that there was no turning back was my reality. The weight war is a war in your mind…do you agree? There must be a trigger in our thoughts that allow us to selfsabotage ourselves so….why not have a trigger that will encourage us to change how we think and feel about us in order to make healthier choices in all areas of our life. My therapist helped me understand how my thoughts and habits impacted my choices for food. I couldn’t believe it at first, but it’s true. My mind led me to poor choices. The truths that I mentioned earlier were all a result of challenges I had within my own mind. I was fighting a battle in my mind that I was losing daily. As a result, my money, my family, my friendships and my weight all suffered. You do know we can change our thoughts? Is it easy to do? Absolutely not-if so, you wouldn’t be privileged to read my article.
I knew that I had to change the way I felt about myself in order to change other areas of my life. Again, it was taking pictures with my sorority sisters that changed my life. I could no longer be the largest in the photos. I also knew my health depended on my lifestyle so making poor choices in food was detrimental to my health as well. I was single and lonely. I desired a companion, but reality was my self-esteem was so low that even my choices in men were poor. I thought that I couldn’t get any better than what I was settling for, so I stayed in unhealthy relationships for fear of being alone. My social life was the most discouraging area of my life besides my finances. I couldn’t pay my bills and I was not being the best steward over my finances. I would shop and eat out just to satisfy my thoughts of “I deserve this”. I was just in a “ mental mess” in my mind. Food was my comforter and food began to soon show up on the scale as extra pounds. As I began to prepare for surgery, I realized I had to change the way I thought about myself and circumstances in order to receive the change I always wanted. I started picturing myself being smaller again. I started looking at clothes that were sexier and began to picture myself living the life I imaginedwith my family. After surgery, I continued with those thoughts and as the pounds came off, those positive thoughts increased until I was a beast in my mind lol. I contribute success to several areas of my life but the first thing I did was decide to change and then started with the action plan. There were and still are days where I don’t always make the best decision, however, I’m more equipped at realizing my areas of improvement. 1. Learn to forgive yourself for previous mistakes. 2. Find an affirmation and say it as often as needed. 3. Write down 5 things that make you look and feel beautiful on the inside and outside. Free your mind of negative thoughts that convince you to engage in bad habits and watch the impact the positive thoughts and habits have on your nutrition and health and wellness goals.Coach K, signing off until next time! Follow me on social media:Facebook: Kenya L MorrisInstagram: 3xaladyTwitter: @3degreezEmail: chatwithkenya@gmail.com
THE REALITY OF A SERVANTS HEART
By: Pastor Antoine Brumble
According to the bible; Mark 12:30-31 states to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind and with all your strength. The second is this "Love your neighbor as yourself ." There is no commandment greater than these. This scripture gives us as servants the blueprint and tools on how one should serve . The reality of a servant is we must love beyond our capacity. God tells us when we love we are to give our all. If we the servants are to love we must do so without any stipulations based upon how others treat us. We understand that it comes with a risk of possibly being hurt or done wrong by those who don't fully understand the true meaning of what love is. Matthew 5:44 states "but I say unto you love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite fully use you, and persecute you." Many servants can attest to this that at a point in their lives their love has been tested by others. In response we love deeper in which Indicates that our hearts are in alignment with God's will. In my personal experience I have endured many heartbreaks and have been mishandled while serving due to the posture of my heart. My heart is for Gods people I wanted to see them reach their full potential even at the expense of my own heart. In doing this it led me down a path of being misused and not in complete alignment with His will. In result; I had to diligently seek God for help through his word, prayer and fasting which has now brought me to a place where I am more aware of the things that try to override his will and to guard my heart. Proverbs 4;23 let's us know that above all else guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Today I stand strong in my faith, and in my posture which is to do His complete will , Love without limitations and discern what is in His will while guarding my heart. The reality of a servants heart is we are different individuals that are rooted in God who strives daily to walk out love; Yes we have endured test and trials on this journey but we recognize that we do this for His glory.
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LEMUEL
Nakia@ruachlifenetwork.net
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SEX CAN BE A BEAUTIFUL THING. Sex can be a beautiful thing when it’s with the right person and if it’s done the right waySex is a pleasurable act between two people who 1 should be married. However even if not married you two should be in loveThe struggle I’m having is sex is so Casual People today don’t care who they are having sex with . People are Selling out for a McDonald’s happy meal! I found out people are lowering their standards because we have not discovered our worth. Any how our body should be very important to us. The same way we decided oh I’ll never eat Chitlins I’ll never live there I’ll never married this kind of person and so on. If I’m able to add any advice I’d say the same way we have standards in other areas of our lives we should raise our standards when it comes to sex.Sex it’s to be enjoyed not abuse! Also women are receivers and men are depositors With that being said when we have casual sex without marriage or love.. the two become one and all her inner mess becomes yours brothers and Vice Versa Sister we take on his inner mess -26-
And now we are soul tied Now we want the relationship over but that casual sex craving keeps call you without ever picking up a phone.. what we do to try to break it is have sex with someone newWhat’s wrong with waiting til that connection with the last partner is out our System before we move on. When we move on to quick we’re Swapping sex juices and emotional Dysfunctions with the new person I’ll leave you with this (SELF LOVE ) is everything and the next time we decide to have casual sex you and I should pause and think!!!
Truly Leila Williams
DAUGHTERS OF ZION
KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Walk High in Your Destiny
I would like to admit something to every reader of this article to know somewhere down the line you have questioned your selfworth. Who am I? Why was I created? There are two facts I want to leave with every reader:
But, more and more, I am convinced, I don't need a makeover or a new hairstyle. I don’t need a man to complete me. I don't need a wrist band stating who I am or a self-inflicted put down to get right. I simply need peace. Peace that affirms who God says I am, not what I am prone to believe I am.
You are Beautiful and You are Valuable. I need the reminder that I am :• Beautiful l• Valuable
When we are at our worst, we doubt who we are. When God is elevating us, we doubt that we are good; we doubt that we’re valuable. There will be days and seasons in your life, where you may seem to not know who you are or why you were created. When you look in the mirror, you may not see your worth or your capability. Instead, you may only see failure. You see the image of a woman who is broken, lonely, flawed, faulted, and failing. Women can sometimes be hard on themselves.
I was created with love with Christ in me. When we know these things, our vision shifts, our hope emerges and our love flows more freely.Do you know who you are? If you're at all like me, and you need a reminder, hopefully these verses –verses that speak of beauty, value and your beloved identity, will bring you to a new place, to a new vision of who you are created to be.
Ask yourself, am I hard on myself? I am Beautiful: It's easy these days, to turn to action plans, to-do lists, or a getbetter scheme. Oh, I know this inclination!
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You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you. (Sol. 4:7)
I She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. (Prov. 31:25)
Daughters of Zion walk high in your Destiny. We are in Christ! We are powerful in Him and beautiful because He is. You are beautiful queens. You were created with a purpose.
You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. Is. 62:3
Because of your purpose, there will be opposition.I declare you're anointed to succeed! You're anointed to be celebrated. You are anointed to be helped and excelled. You are anointed to be fruitful. You are anointed to be blessing, even until the blessed call you blessed. You are anointed to be the head and above always. You are anointed to be the solution to your generation. Heavens shall hearken to your voice, and the earth and its treasures shall be at your command. Know who you are!
My beloved spoke and said to me, "Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. (Song of Solomon 2:10) She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. (Prov. 31:26) Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. (Ps. 34:5)
Congratulations, you are the next miracle that shall happen.
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! (Ps. 139:13-16)
Daughters of Zion, you are in the roll calls of women that shall make it this year. You are in the roll calls of women that shall be celebrated, lifted, blessed, prospered, and progressed. Your name shall be mentioned. You're advancing! You will make head ways.Remember, you're unstoppable, you are limitless your situation shall not be termed impossible. No man, whoever he is, shall be able to stand against you.
Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it. (Psalm 139:13 – 14) I am Valuable:...
For your Redeemer is strong and powerful. He shall be there and be your help always. Your case has been settled. This is your year of walking high in your destiny.Knowing who you are…It will take you to your destiny.
Created to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph. 2:10) Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her! (Lu. 1:45) God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. (Ps. 46:5 )And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (1 Pet. 5:10) And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? (Esther. 4:14) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Phil. 3:2)
You shall get there. Nothing can stop you, you shall get there. No matter what your enemies have planned, you shall walk in victory. You shall get there! The red sea couldn't stop the Israelites. Jordan couldn't stop them. The giants were wasted. The wall of Jericho fell down flat. Know who you are! You shall get there. God is too big and too great to be stopped. So, relax, you are unstoppable. You shall get there. The door has been opened for you. You shall get there without injuries in Jesus’ name!We don’t need to become super-spiritual Christians to see our beauty and God at work in us. And we don’t need to become weird. We simply need to discover who we are and that God wants to break into our “ordinary” with His extra-ordinary power; we need to learn to say yes to God!I pray that as a result of reading this prophetic article, you will become more equipped and prepared for God to use you.
There is a difference between having your initial vision and ideas, and what the ministry in reality ends up looking like. Something I have realized is that from the process of conceiving the idea to actual birthing it, involves a lot changes. It’s not that the initial vision or idea is wrong but the fullness of the identity of the ministry starts to become clearer as it grows from embryonic to a baby, then a child status. My vision from 2009 still stands, but the way that it is playing out is different than how I imagined it.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Mt. 5:8) Knowing who we are, somehow changes our face: It changes our face in the mirror. It softens our face as we face the world. It turns our face, unashamedly towards God. May we not forget who we are. For the fact of the matter is - we are more daughter than anything else. No other name given to us stands more permanent than that name. No other title we carry will surpass that one. No other calling is greater. We are chosen, valuable, beautiful and secure. We are all daughters of the king. We are connected to a royal spiritual blood line; JESUS. Our DNA, is greater than the world.
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The Lord has a habit of fulfilling our dreams that way, keeping us humble and relying on His strength and power. It’s so different sometimes, that you have to really decipher that what is manifesting is actually the very thing you had a vision for some years previously. Why is it so important to know this? It’s important because knowing this allows you to be flexible and adaptable, and to be in a learning mode instead of beating yourself or others up in the messy birthing process. You must overcome opposition, you must know what’s your opposition?
We know opposition is a group of adversaries or competitors, especially a rival, or opponents; the opposing side, the other team. Being rejected, lied on, mistreated, misunderstood, abused, all are opposition.My opposition started when I was born. "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5. The enemy knew I would be a threat to His Kingdom.At age seven, I was hospitalized twice with pneumonia, then hospitalized the same year for months with a stroke. My opposition was sickness, and with men who said they were men of God. I dealt with both physical, and emotional abuse in my previous marriage . I realized there was something very special about me. I knew the enemy was my opponent to success, to ministry, to my identity, to my destiny, and that I was a threat to him. Satan would do anything and everything in the attempt to break me. But God! He is a conquer!I began to declare victory over my life, my children, my marriage to my wonderful husband Apostle Dr. Arthur David Ezekiel Foy and my grandchildren, and ministry.Let’s face it, the difficulties we see and experience as women on a daily basis are beyond our ability to fix. Satan is doing everything he can to convince us that we really don’t need God or his power working in us, for us, or through us. How do we deal with the opposition we inevitably are encountering?
As women we often stress over the temporal - bills that must be paid, whether or not a man will come into our lives, if we'll be able to have a child, what someone is saying about us, how our body looks, and so on.At times we are more concerned about what the scales say than what God says. Our heart is closely attuned to our bank balance, rather than our life's balance. Daughters of Zion set your “Heart On Things Above" Yet God instructs us in Colossians 3:1-2: "set your hearts on things above." If our priorities were in heaven, not on this earth, we would not only be happier and healthier, but less financially drained and emotionally spent.I want to leave you with this daily prayer confession.In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 IN THE NAME OF JESUS, I AM A DAUGHTER OF ZION. I AM A BELIEVER OF CHIRST. I BELIEVE GOD’S WORD. I AM WHAT THE WORD SAYS I AM. I HAVE WHAT THE WORD SAYS I CAN HAVE. I CAN DO WHAT THE WORD SAYS I CAN. IN THE NAME OF JESUS. I RENDER ALL INEFFECTIVE AND EVERY NEGATIVE WORD I HAVE SPOKEN, EVERY NEGATIVE THING I HAVE THOUGHT, EVERY WORRY, EVERY DOUBT. I SPEAK INTO THE HEAVENLY REALM DECLARING I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, A NEW CREATION, HEIR OF GOD. I HAVE BEEN DELIVERED FROM THE POWER OF DARKNESS. I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME. I AM MORE THAN A CONQUEROR. GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE ME NOR FORSAKE ME. I WILL OVERCOME EVERY SITUATION. THE FAITH OF GOD RESIDES WITHIN ME, AND THROUGH IT I HAVE THE VICTORY THAT OVERCOMES THE WORLD. MY DESTINY WILL COME TO PASS. I AM PROTECTED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS. IN THE NAME OF JESUS.
Blessings,Apostle Dr. Sharon Renee FoyWorldwide Apostolic and Episcopal Council of ChurchesLife University-Ramah School of Apostles & Prophets
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PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHO THEY REALLY ARE DON’T CURSE AS MUCH By: Shirley Vinson There is a proverb that the world has taught us, and we, as the Body of Christ, embrace it as truth. The proverb says that “knowledge is power”. We are taught to believe that power stems from what we know OR who we know. I want to debate…well, maybe debate is too strong of a word. I want to challenge it. I had an encounter with The Spirit of God recently that changed my whole perspective. This change is opening doors and avenues for me without money and without price. I am having a good time and I want to share this good news with the Body.
He said, “Will you release your integrity?” I gasped. It was an ah ha moment. I understood exactly what He was saying. I heard those words before in the scriptures, but I never thought to use them in this context. These were the words Job’s wife said to him after he lost everything (Job 2: 9). What we do should never be the driving force of our identity. Our identity should be the driving force of what we do. Think about the times when someone has asked us who we are. We always answer with what we do, not who we are. We don’t readily know to answer the question this way…Hi, my name is ----(fill in your name) and I am a son of This is what I have discovered: The essence of power does not stem from God who has been assigned to serve as the-----(fill in your duty). It is what we know or who we know; but the essence of power stems from easy to curse who we are when we don’t know who we are. It is easy to understanding our identities. I agree that knowledge has power. However, curse what we do when we mis-process the results of our functions. if we don’t know who we are we will misunderstand the knowledge God The second revelation: The knowledge we have is only as powerful as has given us; and this will cause us to unwittingly mis-process the who we allow it to transform us to be. We try so hard to make how much knowledge we have and render it powerless. I am aware that there are we know impressive. We keep gaining knowledge, but how much of the those who are reading this right now who is hearing Proverbs 4: 5-7 in their knowledge we gain do we embody (give a body). We gain knowledge spirits and have concluded that I have fallen off a wagon somewhere and on giving, but we refuse to be givers. We curse at giving the way Sons bumped my head. I get it. I do. But before you judge me hear me out. I am should. We gain knowledge on forgiving, but we remain accusers of the going to share the encounter I had with you and then leave you with three brethren. We curse at forgiving the way Sons of God should. Wisdom revelations that can change your life. After that, judge and see if you hear comes from using knowledge, not just having it! the voice of God or not…okay? Finally, the third revelation is this: Never process the value of who you Here is what happened: A few months ago, God gave me a mandate to are by your perspective of success or failure. This is huge. We do it all perform a project. I knew I heard from Him…no question about it. At every the time. If we get lost in success, we take glory from God.But when we interval of planning I was seeking His guidance. I prayed over every aspect fail or make mistakes, we lay blame on ourselves or others. to the best of my ability. As the project neared completion, I started to face Judgmentality results from mis-processed perspectives. It causes an many challenges, but with every challenge God opened a door. The closer over value or a devaluing of what we’ve done. The results do not alter the completion came the more excited I became. I envisioned the results who we are. We are the Sons of God who carry His glory. God will deal as nothing short of spectacular. However, on the day of the project, the with the results. We don’t have to.By the way, I found out that the host results were very dismal. Nothing happened the way I envisioned it and I for the project had a different agenda than the rest of the participants. It and my team were very disappointed. We spent time, energy, and lots of was designed for him to gain not anyone else. I still pray blessings on money on this project. him like a son should. But I am so grateful to God for teaching me how to retain my identity. We spent time prayingover it, and still, less than favorable results. I tried to encourage my team, but I could feel their dismay. They tried to reassure Finally, the third revelation is this: Never process the value of who you me, but I knew I lost some of their trust. That was disheartening for sure. are by your perspective of success or failure. This is huge. We do it all When I came home, I laid on my bed and begin to assess the situation. I the time. If we get lost in success, we take glory from God.But when we relived and replayed every moment of planning. I looked at every member fail or make mistakes, we lay blame on ourselves or others. of my team and I looked at every move I made too. I examined and reJudgmentality results from mis-processed perspectives. It causes an examined every prayer. I knew God was not to blame so it had to be me. I over value or a devaluing of what we’ve done. The results do not alter started to critique myself and criticize my leadership skills. I don’t recall who we are. We are the Sons of God who carry His glory. God will deal how long I laid there making these assessments when God spoke. The with the results. We don’t have to.By the way, I found out that the host words He said refreshed my soul, changed my outlook, and gave me for the project had a different agenda than the rest of the participants. It power. was designed for him to gain not anyone else. I still pray blessings on him like a son should. But I am so grateful to God for teaching me how to retain my identity.
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How To Win at Social Media By: Keri White Now more than ever it is critical to learn how to build your company online. At this point, we all know that social media is not going anywhere. In fact, it is growing. According to www.HistoryCooperative.org, two of the first social media sites were Six Degrees in 1999 & Friendster in 2002. Closely behind them came LinkedIn, surprisingly. Regardless of how social media got its start, we must recognize its value and maximize it fully to experience everything it has to offer. In company, utilizing social media is imperative. It is equally or even more important than having a website. Many potential clients and customers and partners will look for your social media presence and trust that more than your well-organized and relatively static website. This is because social media is interactive. It is living and breathing. It is ever-changing. It is a place to share more of who is behind the company name. Your social media presence determines your brand. Potential clients will see who the company is, whom your company serves, and get an overall feel for how the company views the world and operates in it. Because people do business with whom they like, social media presence is imperative to growing your customer base, attracting new employees, and substantiating your company’s positioning in the global market by establishing the company’s brand message.
The process of building your company’s brand on social media is done through content. What are you posting? How are you engaging with others? To whom are you connected? These are just a few of questions that get answer through content management. Content management is the practice of posting information that gives value to your audience. That value helps your audience in some way. It can answer questions or provide product solutions. It can give new opportunities. It can even be as simple as spreading humor or positivity. People are attracted to company’s that offer free content that adds value to their lives, which converts them to followers. This attracted audience or followers, can then be converted to loyal clients or employees. They are loyal because your company connected with them in a way that was personal and met their needs. After all, isn’t that what every company wants – loyal clients and employees? Content management makes this possible. To learn more about content management or to get assistance with content management for your company, contact Keri at Info@DreamCatchwithKeri.com.
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What is Your Current Stage of Change? Submitted by Donna Nealy aka “Coach D” There are five stages of change that occur when you begin the thought process of doing major overhaul in your life. We are going to look at those changes in connection with a health and wellness lifestyle change. What stage are you currently in, stuck in, moving out of? And what will it take for you to get to the next level?
The first stage of change is Pre-contemplation. This is the stage of denial. You are in a place that you do not want to really make change and have basically decided that you are not in need. However, you have issues going on and believe they will dissipate over time and you are fine. If you were in this stage, you would not even be reading this article at this very moment in time.
Stage two is Contemplation. You have finally realized that there is value to making change. Therefore, you begin to make a few moves mainly in your thought process. You ask the questions “What will I have to do?” and “Is it worth the effort?”. This is the stage that happens January 1 when the gym memberships increase, and you have purchased your new gym wear. You are ready but never looked at the sacrifices necessary to make the changes and reap the benefits and results.
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Stage three is the state of preparation. This is the planning stage of change. The mindset that the adoption of a healthier lifestyle is necessary and now you must put an action plan together. Sadly, this is the stage that is often overlooked or not taken seriously. This is the awesome stage to hire a coach or personal trainer to help produce the action plan and make it obtainable and not overwhelming. This is the stage to truly meet reality that you need help to understand the cost, the appropriate progression, education, and seeking an accountability support person or group.
You have now entered the realm of stage four of change. ACTION is the call! You have identified that the benefits are great and have committed to the process which includes the plan that fits and works for you in your present situation. ACTION is the call. Now, the action plan in stage three makes sense and the sacrifices become real. The education classes (cooking, meal planning, reading labels, grocery store tours) become reality. You feel awesome, you are excited, and you jump in headfirst and heart strong. However, not keeping your plan in front of you and the process can lead to quickly reaching burn out. Take your time and move intentionally. Take the plunge but stick to the plan!
So, you made it to stage four. Action, action and more action. Moving forward, seeing results, reaping the benefits. However, things are moving slower than you anticipated. Stage five is maintenance. You are learning what keeps you motivated, tweaking the meals are relevant, next phase of exercise is necessary. The original plan needs to be updated to recognize and acknowledge your current needs. Don’t be afraid to change within change. Don’t allow yourself to get upset in this stage believing that the original was flawed and not up to par. Maintenance is necessary in every facet and area of life whether it be mentally, spiritually, emotionally or physically.
The 5 stages of change are inescapable and need to be utilized to truly reach the next phase of your lifestyle change. When we skip stages, we often end up running in the cycle of stop, start, give up, can’t do, upset, frustrated, stressed, depressed and the list goes on
What stage are you currently in? Once you figure out the stage, you can see what is necessary to move to the next. Just like in your spiritual life the same process takes place. Once you reach stage four, the stage of action your faith begins to move. Faith is an action word. Believing that “With God all things are possible” Matthew 19:26. Allow this scripture to catapult you into Action to continue this forward progression to a prosperous, abundant, beneficial, awesome health and wellness lifestyle of change.
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KEEP IT MOVINGÂ By Bishop-Designate Francesca Stubbs
Philippians 3:7-16 (ESV)
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for
already perfect, but I press on to make it my
the sake of Christ.
own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it
the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus
my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies
my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss
behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
of all things and count them as rubbish, in
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the
order that I may gain Christ
upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
9 and be found in him, not having a
15 Let those of us who are mature think this way,
righteousness of my own that comes from the
and if in anything you think otherwise, God will
law, but that which comes through faith in
reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true
Christ, the righteousness from God that
to what we have attained.
depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share
I would like to bring your attention to the
his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
Message Bible's translation of this passage
11 that by any means possible I may attain the
because I like the way the Message Bible tells us
resurrection from the dead.
off. I like the way it puts us in our place and corrects us so nicely that while we think we're reading something encouraging, we're really getting told off.
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7-9 The very credentials these people are
15-16 So let’s keep focused on that goal,
waving around as something special, I’m
those of us who want everything God has for
tearing up and throwing out with the trash—
us. If any of you have something else in mind,
along with everything else I used to take
something less than total commitment, God
credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes,
will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it
all the things I once thought were so
yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s
important are gone from my life. Compared to
stay on it.
the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once
As I was reading this and in prayer seeking
thought I had going for me is insignificant—
the Lord, something dropped in my spirit.
dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so
One of the things we have to learn how to do
that I could embrace Christ and be embraced
is praise God for "already" even though we're
by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior
living in our "not yet". We know that there are
brand of righteousness that comes from
things we are believing for and things that
keeping a list of rules when I could get the
God has promised to us, but we are still living
robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—
in our "not yet". Do you have everything that
God’s righteousness.
God promised you? There are still some things that we're waiting on for God to do in
10-11 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I
us and through us, and so we have to learn
could know Christ personally, experience his
how to give God glory and praise while we're
resurrection power, be a partner in his
waiting on Him and living in our "not yet".
suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on
Let's look at a couple of verses here. Paul in
the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do
verse seven says that he had something that
it.
he ought to have status because of, but he said that he was getting rid of it. Paul found
Focused on the Goal
out that having a good education, good credentials, and the praise of man is not
12-14 I’m not saying that I have this all
enough. It's not enough. Have a good name
together, that I have it made. But I am well on
among everybody else is not enough. God is
my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so
calling for us to do more. What is it that He
wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t
needs us to do? He needs us to keep it
get me wrong: By no means do I count myself
moving.
an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward
I've found out that there are people who like
—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not
to look at you and keep you in your past and
turning back.
what happened last night, last week, last month, and last year. One of the things you have to learn how to do is that even though you understand that your credentials mean nothing, you have to understand that your
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past means absolutely nothing.
That means that you can't hold anything over
The thing about it is that this world is caught up in
anybody else's head. Aren't we good for doing
appearances. This world is caught up in status, and God
stuff like that? Aren't we good for telling folks "I
does not care about our status. What He really wants to
remember when..."? Aren't we good for reminding
know is if you love Him. Are you obedient? Are you
people how many times they have gotten saved and
following His instructions? Are you walking in humility
backslidden? Paul said that he was getting rid of
towards Him? This is what God is concerned about.
all of the stuff that everybody else counts as
He's not concerned about how many dollars we put in
weighty. He got rid of all the stuff that everybody
the offering. He wants us to give, but He's not
else thought made him something. He was finding
concerned about that as much as He's concerned with
out that all of it was worthless. It means nothing in
our lifestyle. It's about our lifestyle.
the face of God, and God isn't even interested in it. He's not impressed with it. He doesn't care
I love that Paul told on himself. It's funny because we
anything about it. We are the ones that get caught
like to tell on everybody else but we don't like to tell on
up in that nonsense. Don't we?
ourselves. When are you gonna have a "tell on you" day? When will you point the fingers at yourself so that
I watch sometimes how people have these
you don't make others feel inferior? That goes
ordinations and they dress up like the Pope. We
especially for leaders. The Body of Christ is in a messed
think that makes us something because we paid
up state. We are so confused. We're thinking that God
$5,000 for a ring. We were somewhere and
wants us to be superstars. Did you ever see that on
someone was talking about how their previous
Saturday Night Live? That's what we want. We want our
overseer had spent $15,000 to be made an apostle.
names in lights. There is a song Jason Upton sings
The devil is a liar. This is the stuff that man has begun to say, "This is what makes you what you are." Nobody wants to come to the little white
about a dying star. If you really want to be a star for Jesus, you're going to have to die. We don't want to die. We want to live so bad that we would do anything to
church on the little corner because they don't think
live. We would pay top dollar if we thought it would
there's much of anything in there. Nobody wants to
give us a couple of extra years.
come to the rundown spot because they don't think there’s anything in there. I've learned something
Paul was saying that if there was any way that he could
from my husband; he likes to eat at the rundown
be included in the resurrection of the dead, he was
spots. He says that's where the best food is.
going to do it. Is that your mentality? Do you want to
Myself on the other hand, I'm picky. I'm the one who doesn't want to go in there.
do whatever it takes so that when you leave this earth you can see Jesus again? Our goal should not be trying to get a nice house and a nice car. I like that stuff, and I appreciate the Lord for my five acres. But guess what? When I leave here, those five acres are going to be right here. I'm not taking any of that with me: none of those rocks, none of those potholes, none of it. All of that stuff is going to be right here. Our problem is that we don’t put weight on the things that matter.
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We don't put value on the things God has declared t
Paul was talking about being arrested. When you are
o be weighty. Paul is trying to bring everybody i
arrested, you have no will. I want you to try to go to the
nto the realization that priorities are important.
jail and tell those prisoners to do what they want. They
Even in our time of worship, it's hard for us to b
have to go to bed when someone tells them to go to
reak through because we are worried about what w
bed. They have to wash their hind parts when someone
e are going through, how the music sounds, and h
gives them the opportunity to do so. When they get a
ow long we are going to be in church. When you a
lockdown, that's where they have to be until somebody
re truly in worship, you are not concerned about t
comes with the keys. You have to understand that this is
ime or about what is going on around you. All you w
what has happened to you when you gave your life to
ant to do is get a hold of God and everything else a
Christ. You have no say-so. You have absolutely no say-
round you becomes worthless. When are we g
so. You belong to Him, and whatever He says is what
oing to get to the point where we realize that e
you have to do.
verything else is worthless? We have to learn that God is not playing with us. We want to shout, we want to speak in tongues, we want to Paul said that being religious is not enough. Going
look good, and we want our name in lights. But are you
o church is not enough. Being smart or sounding
going to die? Are you ready to die? Are you ready to
mart is not enough. Looking good is not enough.
read your eulogy in front of everybody else and say
Being able to hold a conversation with good
"Here lies me, and I’m done." Are we ready to do that?
eople who know how to have good conversation
We have to keep it moving. Paul already knew that he
s not enough. Having money is not enough. There
had stuff going on with him every day, but he also knew
s something that God has done. He has arrested
that God had arrested him. He had to find out why God
e for this purpose. I don't understand this
had arrested him, and he was determined that he was
urpose, and because I don't understand
not going to stop until he got the answer.
verything that he has arrested me for, I have to pend the rest of my life trying to figure out why I
Let's look at the King James translation of verse twelve:
ave been arrested. I have to figure out why God
"Not as though I had already attained, either were
as laid hold of my heart. I have to figure out why
already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may
od has laid His hands on me. I have to figure out
apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of
hy God has pulled me out of sin and into Him.
Christ Jesus." There are so many people who preach
What is it that He wants from my life? That's the
and try to act like they are perfect. Paul had something
uestion.
different to say. We don't have it all together. I wasn't at the club last night, but I still don't have it all together.
Paul was talking about all of the frailties of life. I
I wasn't out smoking and drinking but I still don't have
an wear my skirt down to the floor, I can take my
it together. Paul said, "Don't look at me and think I have
arrings out, I can take off my makeup, I can walk
it all together. I'm still praising God for 'already' even
round here looking like a mammy, but that is not
though I'm living in my 'not yet'." He didn't get it yet,
oing to save me. I tried it. Have you ever tried it?
but he was going to press into God until he got what
I looked saved but I was not saved. You couldn't
God said he needed to have. There wasn't even a
ell that I was out fornicating because my skirt was
guarantee that Paul would be able to touch God like God
ong. We try to make things look good. We want
had touched him, but he was determined to find out.
hings to look easy. This is hard.
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I don't want to be an apostle so that I can travel
Jesus is going to have to be your attorney. He's the
and have people give me money. I don't want to be
defending attorney, He's the prosecuting attorney, AND
a prophet so that God can give me whatever I want.
He's the judge. You can't win. You'd better believe that
I want to do what God wants me to do because I
He is going to get what He wants regardless. You may
want Him to get the glory out of my life so that I
as well set your heart to be obedient. Do you know what
might be able to touch Him back like He touched
they do to prisoners who don't want to submit? They
me. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not "claim
lock them in solitary confinement. They get thrown in
your car" or "claim your spouse". I wish someone
the hole because they don't know how to listen. They
would just name and claim Jesus already. Why
lock them up until they get submitted. God knows how
can't anybody do that? They aren't saying that
to make everything shut down. He knows how to make it
because that comes with a price. Paul let them
so that you don't get that money you've been waiting on.
know that he had not arrived yet. Those people
He knows what to allow so that you will learn to submit.
didn't know the tears Paul cried. They didn't know the hell he went through. They didn't know the
Verses thirteen and fourteen in the King James
issues Paul faced. He was saying that he didn't
translation states: "Brethren, I count not myself to have
want them looking at him like he was just so
apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those
wonderful.
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the
We've got it twisted. The best seat in the house is
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Paul
the seat on the pew. What angers me is people
said that he had one focus. Even if he didn't get there
who don't want to do anything for God. How does
today, he knew that he would wake up tomorrow and
your Holy Ghost let you sit at home and not go to
keep reaching. It doesn't matter what kind of
church? How does your Holy Ghost not convict you
circumstances and failures we are going through, we
about not getting up and serving God? How does
have to keep reaching. Do you know what I'm thankful
your Holy Ghost let you do that? Have you
for? I'm thankful for every time I fell and somebody saw
received the Holy Ghost since you believed? That's
me. Do you know why? Because people laugh when you
the question we need to ask. The real Holy Ghost
fall. Some people will even try to record a video of
convicts of sin. I don't understand that kind of
people falling, especially if they fall bad or tear up stuff
salvation. God has arrested me, and because I'm in
on their way down. But you need to thank God for every
His custody, I can't do what I want to do. I can't
time someone saw an imperfection.
say what I want to say. Even when I do say what I want to say and do what I want to do, I get
You need to thank God for every time you have looked
convicted and I have to go back and repent. Do we
torn up from the floor up. Why? Because you were
like doing that? That would be a no and a no.
showing somebody how we do this. This is how you walk in humility. Paul looked like he had it but he knew
We have been arrested. Think about that. "You
he didn't have it. You don't hear a lot of people saying
have the right to remain silent. Anything you say
that. We are so full of ourselves, but like the song says,
can and will be used against you in the presence of
we are dying stars. There was a sister in New Jersey
the Lord. You do not have a right to an attorney.
who used to sing a song: "I am a star, that's what I are."
Why? Because your attorney can't get you out of
She was a star in her own mind.
this one."
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You have people today who think they are stars.
As a matter of fact, he wants to keep you stuck in an
YouTube has made us our own stars. Socialcam
hour ago. He wants to keep you stuck in five minutes
has made us our own stars. As if we need
ago. You have to keep moving until you see what God
something else to see a couple more hours of you.
has promised you come to pass.
Paul knew that he was handcuffed even though it
One of the things I want to look at is the definition of the
looked like his hands were free. When
word "press" used in verse fourteen. That word is from
businessmen get arrested, a lot of times they put
the Greek word "dioko" and it describes a pursuit. It's
their hands together and throw a jacked over them.
following something. It also means to flee one thing to
They hide their handcuffs, but believe me: they are
follow something else. It means running from one thing
wearing them. Paul had cuffs on him.
to run to another thing. So in essence, what he's saying is that he had to be able to press into God, but in order
If I am going to be able to walk this out, there are
for him to do that, he had to flee anything that would
some things I am going to have to have selective
jeopardize him getting close to God. If I'm going to
amnesia about. I choose to forget. When
press in, I have to press against. I have to press against
everybody else wants to remember, I'm choosing to
what's trying to keep me from getting to where God
forget. Everybody chooses to remember when you
called me to. You have to press against everything that
fell and cut your tail in front of everybody, but I
jeopardizes your relationship with Him. I don't care if
choose to forget. All of my family chooses to
it's people. This word "press" also means to persecute.
remember Fran. I'm forgetting about Fran because
Sometimes you just have to cut stuff off. Your enemies
we need to put her in a box and put her under the
don't love you. I don't know why you try to be friends
ground. How many of us hate our flesh that much?
with your enemies - they don't love you. Keep it moving.
I can't stand this nasty flesh. Paul had to forget
We have to go the distance.
about what he feared. He had to forget about how he had failed.
Our problem is that we gain ground and then we lose momentum. And then we gain ground and then we lose
He forgot about what he didn't do, what he should
momentum. And then, we gain ground. And then we
have done, and what he could have done. He
lose our momentum. You cannot lose your momentum.
forgot about all of that stuff because he had to
Paul is talking about running a race. Even though you
keep it moving. God knows that if you don't let go
may get tired, even though you are gasping for air, and
of what you think and what you think people think,
even though you feel like you can't breathe and that the
you will never get anywhere. Progress is all about
place you're in is closing up on you, you have to keep
your own perception. Is the glass half full or is it
moving. You have to realize that you are not at the
half empty? How you see a thing matters. It
finish line yet. In order for you to get to the finish line,
doesn’t matter how someone else might see it
you have to press against and press into. You have to
unless I believe what they see. It matters how you
press against what jeopardizes your relationship and
see what pertains to you. You're not going to be
press into God. That takes effort.
able to keep it moving if you're stuck in yesterday. The enemy would love nothing more than to keep you stuck in yesterday.
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Here is where your worth ethic is going to have to
Lay hands on yourself and say, "Self, somebody is
kick in. Some of us are a little lazy. We have our
always going to have something to say about what I do.
moments where we don't want to get out of the
So I might as well keep it moving." You might as well.
bed. Think about those days when it's raining and
Even when you've given your all, there will be someone
cold. All I want is some hot cocoa and my covers.
to come along and tell you what you should have done.
We have stuff to do and we cannot afford to lose
Do you remember how they used to tell you in school
our momentum. Do you know what happens when
that when you point your finger at somebody, you have
you are running in a race and you stop and others
three fingers pointing back at you? We forget about
are running behind you? You become trampled.
that. We like to put the blame on everybody else but
You get trampled on the ground and everyone else
ourselves. Today is our hour in which we have to look at
runs over you and stepping on you. You have to
where we are, what we feel like we have, what we feel
keep it in your mind that you've got to keep it
like we have accomplished, and who it is that we feel
moving. Even if I'm doing it with tears in my eyes,
like we are. We really have to get serious about this.
I've got to keep moving. Even if I feel like I'm doing it by myself, I have to keep moving. Even if I
Let's go to Hebrews 12:1-3 in the Message Bible:
don't understand why I have to do it a certain way, I have to keep moving. Even though I'm praising
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who
God for "already" while I'm living in my "not yet", I
blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It
have to keep it moving. It doesn't matter what
means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start
anybody else is saying. It doesn't matter who's
running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no
whispering or who's pointing fingers. It doesn't
parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began
matter who has something smart to say. People will
and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it.
always have something smart to say. This is your
Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—
self-help moment.
that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever.
Lay hands on yourself and say, "Self, somebody is
And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right
always going to have something to say about what I
alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in
do. So I might as well keep it moving." You might
your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that
as well. Even when you've given your all, there will
long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will
be someone to come along and tell you what you
shoot adrenaline into your souls!
should have done. Do you remember how they used to tell you in school that when you point your
Stop wasting time! Stop waiting for somebody else to
finger at somebody, you have three fingers
come along and validate you. You have to know who
pointing back at you? We forget about that. We
you are and that Jesus is on the inside of you. You have
like to put the blame on everybody else but
to know that because Jesus is on the inside of you, you
ourselves. Today is our hour in which we have to
have what you need to do what He called you to do.
look at where we are, what we feel like we have,
Strip down, start running, and never quit. I'm going to
what we feel like we have accomplished, and who it
remind you all of the background on this. We talked
is that we feel like we are. We really have to get
before about how there is a generation that we will
serious about this.
never see.
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There is also a generation that has gone on before us. This is the generation that Paul is talking about. They are peering down out of heaven watching you and expecting you to get the job done. They couldn't get the promise without us and we couldn't get the
Lay hands on yourself and say, "Self, somebody is always going to have something to say about what I do. So I might as well keep it moving." You might as well. Even when you've given your all, there will be someone to come along and tell you what you should have done.
promise without them. There’s a people coming after
Do you remember how they used to tell you in school
us that if we are not positive about what we are doing
that when you point your finger at somebody, you have
for God, we're not going to leave any legacy for them
three fingers pointing back at you? We forget about
when we leave here. This is not just about you, your
that. We like to put the blame on everybody else but
four and no more. This is about what God has called
ourselves. Today is our hour in which we have to look at
you to leave in the earth. So here the writer is saying
where we are, what we feel like we have, what we feel
that you need to pay attention to all of these pioneers
like we have accomplished, and who it is that we feel
who blazed the way and all of these veterans who are
like we are. We really have to get serious about this.
cheering us on. Strip down, start running, and never quit. Shed the excess spiritual fat. Get rid of the
Let's go to Hebrews 12:1-3 in the Message Bible:
parasitic sin. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Why? Because He finished the race. He already won, which
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who
means that we win. You have to understand that you
blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It
win. If you are walking around with a defeated
means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start
mindset and taking on the world's culture, you won't
running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no
be able to live this life. We have to wear this world
parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began
loosely. It's nice while we're here, but we have to
and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it.
wear it loosely. The nicest things in life are nothing
Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—
in comparison to fulfilling our course. You cannot
that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up
afford any spiritual fat. You can't afford to have
with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever.
anything standing in your way. Stop making excuses
And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right
for you. What are you gonna say when you stand
alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in
before God? What could you possibly tell Him? You
your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that
can't ask Him for a little more time. You can't stand
long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will
before Him talking about how people get on your
shoot adrenaline into your souls!
nerves. Stop wasting time! Stop waiting for somebody else to Jesus never lost sight of where He was headed. That's our problem. We lose sight of where we're
come along and validate you. You have to know who you are and that Jesus is on the inside of you. You have
going. This is not just about God blessing us. There
to know that because Jesus is on the inside of you, you
is a literal place we are trying to get to, and that's a
have what you need to do what He called you to do.
place of maturity in Him. If we are going to keep
Strip down, start running, and never quit. I'm going to
making excuses for ourselves, we will never get to
remind you all of the background on this. We talked
that place. I like going to the movies sometimes, but
before about how there is a generation that we will
how can I go and pray after I just got finished
never see.
watching him and her and they and they do what they're doing?
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