Blessed Magazine June/July, 2015 by Blessed Magazine Ministries

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June/July, 2015

The Cry of a

Mother!

Drug Addiction Testimony of a Son's Redemption

Good Places To Find Quiet Time With God

Creating Peace in the Midst of Chaos Christian Serial Killers: Murder In The Name Of “God” US $35.99

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Don't Have a Green Thumb?

Prophet

Here's How to Get One!

Misery into a Ministry 14 Nonalcoholic Party Drinks Perfect for Summer!

From Abandonment to Adoption Brother Jody’s Story

P L U S : “WOULD YOU KNOW A FALSE PROPHET IF YOU HEARD ONE?”

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JUNE, JULY, 2015 Contents The Cry of a Mother: Drug Addiction Testimony of a Son's Redemption

26 As a mother, I cannot explain the immense pain I felt and tears I shed as I helplessly watched him destroy himself. As his lifestyle took over, his body began to waste away until he was emaciated and gauntlike.

10 Creating Peace in the Midst of Chaos The American dream is becoming an absolute nightmare and life as we know it is about to change

7Good Places

To Find Quiet Time With God

22 From Abandonment to Adoption

Brother Jodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Story

The past 2 years have not been easy. There were trials and struggles, but through the trials, God has delivered Jody from low self-esteem and depression.

BLESSED MAGAZINE Ordinary People Living Extraordinary Lives Through the Love and Power of Jesus Christ

Christian Serial Killers: Murder In The Name Of “God”

Prophet Shawn Morris

37 47 Most serial killers are devout men who have dedicated their lives to doing God‘s will….or have they?

Don’t Have a Green Thumb? Here’s How to Get One…

“Would You Know a False Prophet If You Heard One?”

I had done everything possible to succeed in life, but all those ventures had fallen through. When I was finally “arrested” by the Holy Spirit

Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.

14 Nonalcoholic Party Drinks Perfect for Summer!

Are You a Christian Who Lives in a Bubble?

69 Have you set a houseplant in the kitchen window only to watch it slowly die? Did you ever become discouraged when the beautiful hanging basket you placed on your front porch was fried within a week or two of putting it up?

89 How can we be witnesses for Jesus if we‘re never around unbelievers?

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What You Plant is What You Harvest

41 Have you set a houseplant in the kitchen window only to watch it slowly die? Did you ever become discouraged when the beautiful hanging basket you placed on your front porch was fried within a week or two of putting it up?

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Letter From the Editor

Praise the Lord My Brothers and Sisters in Christ! First giving all glory and honor unto the Lord Jesus Christ for without Him in my life, nothing I could ever do would amount to anything! I am so excited to bring you another issue of Blessed Magazine filled with articles to spark your interest as well as provide insight for your walk with the Lord! God is the center of our lives and with this ministry of producing Blessed Magazine, we encourage you to seek the Lord with your whole heart, mind and soul and allow Him to be your everything As with every issue, I encourage you to read each article with an open mind, open heart and if at any time you have questions or need to contact the author, please reach out to us here I also want to thank our many subscribers and readers of Blessed Magazine as well as our contributors. Again, please enjoy this issue of Blessed Magazine and if you are not a subscriber, subscribe today by visiting www.blessedmagazine.org Yours in Christ,

Laraine Turner Editor in Chief

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The American Dream Is Becoming An Absolute Nightmare And Life As We Know It Is About To Change

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Free E-book Downloads Throughout This Issue

by Rev. Sandra Lee Schubert

BLESSED MAGAZINE I do not know anyone who feels especially peaceful at this moment. War rhetoric shouts at us from the TV. The media bombards us with violent images. We run into people in the street who only want to talk about THE WAR. Jobs are being lost. Our health insurance system does not take care of those who need care most. People are dying, the earth is dying and some of us feel we are losing our souls. I am writing about peace in the midst of chaos, war, mayhem and the potential for grand scale disaster. If we went by the dictionary definition, peace may not seem an attainable state during these troubled times: Peace: A state of quiet or tranquility; freedom from disturbance or agitation; calm; repose. When I read this definition, I envision a tie-dyed longhaired daisy-wearing hippie, sitting lotus style, fingers in the OM position -- smiling contentedly. I see the image of a Buddhist monk with saffron robes, a baby sleeping in her soft warm crib. I hear birds singing and the sound of chanting in the rafters. Yet these are just (the) images of peace. Peace is a thing we want to achieve. It is one of the last great American dreams. If we insist that peace means a world without problems, pain or imbalance, it is an illusion, a fleeting ideal. We chant and declare "we want Peace and we want it now." We stamp our feet, take Prozac, sip some scotch and say, "give me Peace now." We demand it on the streets and fight for it on foreign soil. We have police to enforce it. Diplomats encourage it. Besides the dictionary definition, do we have any idea of what Peace really is? Perhaps in this brave new world, it is time to redefine peace and clarify what it is to each of us personally. Peace as a state of mind: Peace is a state of mind we can acquire when we come to know that life may not always be rosy. As humans, we are subject to the whims of our emotions and the fragile state of our lives. In her book, Walking on

12 Water: Reflections on Faith and Art, Madeline L‘Engle says, "Being a Christian, being saved, does not mean nothing bad is ever going to happen. Terrible things happen to Christians as well as Hindus and Buddhists and hedonists and atheists. To human beings. When the phone rings at an unexpected hour my heart lurches. I love, therefore I am vulnerable." This vulnerability engages us in the possibility of pain. Pain is part of the joy of living, taking the bitter with the sweet. Standing in the midst of personal and global chaos it is easy to make snap judgments based on many outside influences. When we encounter a stranger the first reaction may be fear. Who is our enemy now? How do we handle these fears and judgments? What is the right choice about whom to trust and love? L‘Engle continues, "We try to make the loving, the creative decision, but we cannot know whether or not we are right. Alleluia! We don‘t have to be right! We do have to love, to be vulnerable, to accept joy and pain, and to grow through them.― Peace as a state of being: Is inner peace possible given that we are subject to our emotional influences from world events, media and our own judgments? I think it is possible when you cultivate peace from the core and not look for it externally. I recently read about a Tibetan monk held in captivity for 20 or so years. He was beaten, starved and forced into slave labor. Upon

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BLESSED MAGAZINE his release, his body was broken and frail yet his spirit was alive and vital. When asked how he could be so peaceful, he spoke gratefully of his captors. His captivity was a gift, he said. Before his spiritual practice had been mere dogma. In captivity, his practice became rooted in a hard and harsh reality. He had to embody what he believed in. Thankfully, most of us are not forced into exile to find inner peace. What can we do right now? Self Care: Taking care of ourselves goes a long way to maintaining a calm state of mind. There are enough studies to prove that stress has a negative effect. A healthy body does translate into a happier state of mind. When one feels stressed, taking care of the body gets lost. Remember to maintain a healthful diet. Relax with family and friends over a communal meal. If the talk turns to current events ask that during the meal refrain anything that might upset the stomach or the heart. Regular exercise is also important. Take a walk outside. Most big cities have park areas. Take advantage of them. Listening to birds singing or watching children play can go a long way to remind us that we are part of the world and not alone. Reach out to people in your community if you are feeling alone or afraid. Create support groups, establish a phone or email network to keep in contact with other people who may be feeling vulnerable during a stressful time. Develop a spiritual or meditation practice: During a time of crisis, our very existence comes into question and our lives may seem threatened. Strong emotions can overtake us. We become more reflective and quiet. Taking time to be alone with our thoughts and feelings is a valuable tool to developing a strong foundation. Drawn to the urgent news of the day, we may forget how important it is to have some quiet time. Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen master, poet and peace advocate suggests beginning with conscious breathing as a way of developing inner peace. "As you breathe in, you say to yourself, breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know that I am breathing out." Conscious breathing can be done anywhere and anytime. Long time

practitioners of meditation still find this a useful tool. First, it settles your mind and when you pay attention to your breath you will find that your body begins to relax. Soon you can just say the words "in" and "out" and tension will dissipate. Along with this is the idea of honoring the Sabbath. "On the seventh day he rested." Even God took a day off. We need rest. Our minds, bodies and spirits need some time off. In a fast paced life turning off the outside world is a frightening idea. Do the laundry tomorrow. Inlaws can visit another day. Things can wait. The Sabbath can be valued part of a spiritual practice, or, it can be the best excuse to turn off the TV. If you can slow the pace down you will find a sense of peace naturally emerges. You begin to discover the rhythm of your body, discovering what you really need. You will eat when hungry, drink when thirsty and wake when rested. If a whole day off causes to much stress begin with a couple of hours. Take the phone off the hook, kick back and relax. Honor your feelings: I am a great judge, not of character but of my emotions. I see something and begin to cry and will say, "Why are you crying?" Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s stupid. On and on it goes until the end of the day and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t know what I am feeling, thinking or what to do about anything. Emotions are emotions they come and they go. Nonetheless, they are yours and the moment they show up on your doorstep you have something to say about them. In the middle of worldwide crisis, it is OK to feel upset. The idea is not to let the feelings rule you, but to learn from what they reveal about you. We can see clearly how anger and hatred can turn people against each other in vicious ways. Right after 9/11 there was an incredible amount of openness and love. People turned to each other. Strangers helped strangers. There was a glimmer of hope we could turn a disastrous event into something really grand and glorious. What happened? Anger and hatred became the feeding ground for revenge rather then the source of growth for our souls. The Dalai Lama says: "We cannot overcome anger and hatred simply by suppressing them. We need to actively cultivate

BLESSED MAGAZINE the antidote to hatred: patience and tolerance.â&#x20AC;&#x2022; Cultivate Loving Kindness: We come to one of the most difficult parts of creating peace. When we meet the stranger, we have a few choices. We can run fight or, we can love. Love does not mean the acceptance of an evil action but learning to love the person behind that act. That is not an easy task to do. Jesus taught forgiveness when he said, "Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, with all thy soul and with all thy mind, and love thy neighbor as thyself." This is the practice of loving kindness. If you cannot treat yourself with forgiveness and compassion then it is difficult to extend it to others. Through the act of lovingkindness, we can practice creating peace. There is a Buddhist practice called Tonglen, a meditation of giving and receiving. We do it first for ourselves, then our loved ones, next our enemies and finally for all beings. Here is a simple form of the meditation to start. Begin with conscious breathing, relaxing your body and mind. Breathe into your heart, feel it soften, opening up. Imagine a loving person or kind moment. Breathe those feelings into your heart. If you feel anger or grief breathe into that feeling, letting it swirl around, breathe out care and kindness. The idea here is to transform the feeling sending it out to the world in a healing light. When beginning this practice, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t struggle with it just breathe in the negative emotion and breathe out love. Imagine a white light streaming out of your heart into the world. When you feel comfortable with this initial step, you can include others into the meditation. Imagine breathing in anotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s hurt and breathing out kindness to that person. You can use this meditation for a situation that upsets you moving on to world events. If new to meditation, begin by working with your own feelings, discovering in time emotions that were once overwhelming transformed with this practice. We have the choice to live in fear or love. We see the results of living in fear.

14 Millennium, The Dalai Lama tells us, "I believe that our every act has a universal dimension. Because of this, ethical discipline, wholesome conduct, and careful discernment are crucial ingredients for a meaningful happy life." He asserts that creating contentment is critical for the welfare of the universal community. When you are content, you cannot sow the seeds of envy, greed or resentment. In essence, we are part of the global family. What occurs in Iraqi is happening in our living rooms at the same time. We can no longer ignore the world because it is now knocking loudly on our door. As part of the universal community it is our responsibility to first take care of ourselves, practice and embody peace offering it to the world. The steps can be simple: treat our neighbors and ourselves with loving-kindness. Each small act of love has broad implications. There are organizations that support the needs of the global community. Investigate them. Before you begin the day, be thankful for what you have, even if it is just a bed to sleep in and water running from a faucet. Practice peace and peace will come to you.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock Universal responsibility: In Ethics for the New

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Don't Have a Green Thumb? Here's How to Get One! Your Guide to Growing Container Gardens By Don Vite

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Have you set a houseplant in the kitchen window only to watch it slowly die? Did you ever become discouraged when the beautiful hanging basket you placed on your front porch was fried within a week or two of putting it up? In recent years, container gardens have become very popular because they can provide instant color, brighten up a small space and be moved around as needed. But unfortunately, far too many people quickly become discouraged because they just can‘t seem to keep that beautiful plant looking bright and lively for very long. But not to fear! Here are some practical steps that will allow you to take pride in your ability to watch the plants in your care thrive and provide season-long beauty and enjoyment.

Water: A Plant’s Source of Life As simple and commonsensical as this may seem, improper watering is by far the number one reason for failure in plant maintenance. Developing a habit and discipline to water regularly is the first step toward having a green thumb. It‘s easy to forget to water, and it‘s equally as easy to assume a plant has adequate moisture if it looks OK. To succeed, you must develop a daily habit of checking your plants, and perhaps the soil, to ensure the plant‘s roots have moisture.

Containers can be lifted to gauge their relative lightness. In time, you will begin to develop a ―feel‖ for the flowering container and learn its water requirements. Especially with flowering containers, never assume the lawn sprinkling system adequately waters them. They most often require more water than the amount used in the landscape, and they simply dry down even while under the irrigation spray. When daily temperatures exceed 80 degrees, it‘s a good bet your flowering containers will need to be watered in the morning before work and supplemented again when you return home in the late afternoon. The key, however, is to inspect and water your plants daily as necessary. Also remember, the larger the plants get as the season progresses, the more water they will consume.

BLESSED MAGAZINE Proper Drainage

As important as it is to remember to water, it is equally important to make sure excess water can drain away from the plant‘s roots. With container-grown plants, this becomes an even more urgent issue of maintaining proper soil moisture. Containers should have drain holes so plants don‘t drown from standing water in the container. If you see a wilted plant, you can‘t necessarily assume it‘s too dry; it‘s possible there is too much water standing in the container and rotting the roots. Again, the best way for the novice to tell is to lift the container to ―feel‖ how wet the media is.

Start with Healthy Plants The health of a plant you bring home from the store has a large bearing on how easy it is to maintain. The novice plant grower should look for these healthy plant characteristics: foliage that is green and shiny--not dull as well as foliage and stems that are free from insects and damage, such as holes in the leaves and chewing on the stems. Unhealthy plants bring additional challenges and demands that should be avoided as much as possible.

Don’t Use Dirt in Your Containers Huh? Don‘t plants grow in dirt? Believe it or not, dirt is a very poor growing medium for plants in containers. This is because it‘s so dense and compact that plants never root in well and at best linger along all season. It‘s very important to use potting soil that you can readily purchase at most garden centers or home-improvement stores. Potting soil provides the proper balance of water, air and pH to allow a plant‘s roots to grow deep and healthy. Potting soil doesn‘t actually even have dirt in it. It consists of peat, bark, fertilizer and other materials that help disperse moisture evenly throughout the media and around the plant‘s roots.

Fertilizer Plant fertilizer provides the nutrition a plant needs to bloom beautifully and create the ―wow‖

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factor. The topic of proper plant nutrition may seem intimidating, but it doesn‘t have to be. Plant fertilizers come in many forms: water soluble that gets added to your watering can, ―slow release‖ granules that are sprinkled on the media‘s surface (or blended in with the potting soil), and fertilizer ―stakes‖ that are pressed into the soil. The rule of thumb: use any one of these forms that works best for you and simply follow instructions. Your plants will grow on water alone; however, they will thrive and look their absolute best with proper plant nutrition.

Light Requirements Another very important characteristic that simplifies the process of growing healthy plants is to understand their light requirements. The easiest way to identify this is to look at the plant‘s tag at the store. The tag should clearly indicate whether the plant needs sun, part sun or shade. Here‘s my definition of each. • A ―Full Sun‖ plant will thrive in full direct sunlight all day, and the sun won‘t injure it. It will also be fine in a location where it may experience a couple hours of shade per day. • A ―Sun-Part Shade‖ plant should have at least five hours of sun per day. Any less than that and the plant will just not flower to its maximum potential. • A ―Part Shade‖ plant should be in a location where the sun is filtered, from the leaves of a tree, for example. • Finally, a ―Full Shade‖ plant really needs to be in the shade – under a big oak tree, at the woods‘ edge or even in the woods. It will burn up if the plant is exposed to direct sunlight. You can have a green thumb! All it takes is a willingness and effort to pay some attention to your plants and their light and watering requirements. If you have all but given up on the notion of growing healthy plants, I believe following the simple steps above will give you hope and beautiful plants to enjoy all season.

Have You Accepted Jesus as Your Personal Savior?

God's Promises JULIAN HINDSON As believers, we are spiritually wealthy because of the exceedingly great promises we have in Jesus, our Savior. There are some wonderful guarantees we have been given in Scripture ‗God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in trouble‘ - Psalms 46:1

“Thank you for pulling together these Bible verses which are the basis of our Christian faith. God of compassion, redemption, encouragement and hope fill these passages with promises of His love toward mankind and each of us personally. God through His word speaks to the need of his people today each of us personally what ever our situation. We need to share daily, with the strength of the Holy Spirit , these words of strength, hope, forgiveness with others and share his Love with those we meet what ever their need.” - Angela “Thank You This is So Beautiful!!!” - JM “This message is a blessing and very timely. We read God's promises to our disabled daughter every day. God bless you.” - Diane

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From Abandonment

to Adoption

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Brother Jody‘s Story

Free E-book Downloads Throughout This Issue

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Jody was abandoned by his mother as a baby. With a father who was in and out of jail, Jody quickly slipped into a life of drugs, theft, and homelessness. Eventually Jody found God, but his drug addiction still continued to wreak havoc in his life. Jody ended up losing his family and his home before he fully surrendered to the Lord and was finally adopted into God's family.

Jody's Path - From Abandonment to Adoption Jody's path has led him from abandonment to adoption. His mother went away while he was still a baby, leaving him with a dad who was in and out of jail Jody often had to live with friends or other family members. He was introduced to drugs, sex and abuse at an early age. Jody began smoking marijuana at age seven. He became a father at 16 and was addicted to crack cocaine by the time he was 17 years old.

A World of Darkness Jody quickly slid into a world of darkness; including theft, drugs, homelessness, and doing anything necessary to support his drug habit.

Jody met Terri in 1992, who shared with him the message of salvation. They were married a year later. On their wedding day, Jody received a calling from the Lord that he was to be in ministry, but he could not get free of his drug addition.

Running From God For 10 years he would battle with crack cocaine; in and out of rehabs and often living in the street; eating out of dumpsters, begging for money, and sleeping on benches, in sheds, or wherever he could find shelter. Jody ran as far as he could from the call of God on his life During this time, he also suffered the death and loss of his youngest son. Later, he lost all contact with his oldest son when he signed adoption papers while high on crack. Eventually, he lost his family and his home. In March 2003, alone and in jail, Jody called out to God for help

Full Surrender Jody fully gave his life to the Lord that day and was adopted into God's family. Since then his own family has been restored and Jody was delivered and set free from all drugs! He quickly

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began ministering in outreach to the homeless and the addicted. Now he's back on the streets, this time feeding and ministering to those who are still trapped. Jody attended the college home based Master's Commission program at Southeastern College in Lakeland, Florida. The past 2 years have not been easy. There were trials and struggles, but through the trials, God has delivered Jody from low self-esteem and depression. He has given Jody a deeper hunger for more of Him, and He has healed a broken and hurting marriage!

Jody is currently building Aiming High Ministries with this wife Terri. He is the founder of "From Crack to Christ," an outreach support group for drug addicts, and has organized public events to share Jesus with the unsaved. Jody desires that his testimony bring hope to the hurting, salvation to the lost, freedom to the addicts, and healing to their families. To contact Jody or for more information, visit Aiming High Ministries or send him an email.

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The Cry of a Mother Drug Addiction Testimony of a Son's Redemption by Indranee Indranee‘s abusive husband died, but her new troubles would not be solved so easily. A single mother with three young children and no job, she was forced to start over. Raising three boys on her own provided many challenges, but none greater than her eldest son‘s battle with drugs. One day, Indranee heard of a Christian revival at a local church and decided to attend. Indranee‘s life changed that day, and the wheels were put in motion for her son‘s long-awaited freedom.

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The Cry of a Mother My name is Indranee. I am 46 years old and have been a widow for over 23 years. My husband abused me for many years. The abuse did not end until one day he was accidentally shot and killed. I was left alone to care for our three sons, ages five, two and three months.

Starting Over Raising my children alone was not an easy task and I saw my share of troubles. When I was married, my role was strictly to be a housewife. I had no identity outside of that. Now, having to support myself and my children, I decided to go to school. With my education, I was able to secure a good job with a local government agency. The hurdles I overcame as my boys were young children now seem to pale in comparison to the challenges their behavior presented me as young adults. My worst nightmare awaited me.

My Lost Son My eldest son broke up with his girlfriend after he discovered she was cheating on him. He turned to drugs, and I was the last person to find out. He eventually ended up in the hospital.

Being a Hindu at the time, I prayed and took what now I see as unimaginable vows.

My New Life I heard through my best friend that there was a week-long Christian crusade being held at a nearby church. I found Jesus at that crusade and gave my life to Christ. I took my entire family to church and saw my own life turn around for the better. My son, however, continued doing drugs and refused to go to work. He stole. He ended up in prison.

The Cry of a Mother My cry to God was to save my son. My patience with my son was running out. My sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s new girlfriend had a restraining order against him so he could not see his three-month old child he shared with her. He used to be the most wonderful person, but lost himself in drugs and ended up as a drug dealer. As a mother, I cannot explain the immense pain I felt and tears I shed as I helplessly watched him destroy himself. As his lifestyle took over, his body began to waste away until he was emaciated and gaunt-like.

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On two different occasions, he agreed to attend Christian rehab programs. Neither seemed to make an impact on him.

A New Hope A friend then told me about a Christian program called ―Healing Wings‖ in Nelspruit, South Africa. I borrowed money and sent my son away to this program. He was there for six months. I did not hear from him or see him for over three months. I realized that I needed to put my son in God‘s hands and go about my life. So I took a vacation. During my stay, I had nightmares of my son coming back and having to go through the hellish experiences I did with him in the height of his drug days. I played praise and worship music and knelt before God to free my mind from my internal fears.

My Son's Drug Addiction Testimony My son completed the rehab program in January, 2013, and when he came home I realized I had my son back! I never gave up on God, nor did my son. I like to say I did not give up Hinduism for nothing, but rather for ―a living God.‖

Today, we go to church as a family, and my son is born again and teaches me about God. He tells me about how far God brought him and how the words of Jeremiah inspired him knowing God thought good thoughts for him and had peace, and not evil, in mind for him (Jeremiah 29:11).

As I reflect on all that God has brought my family through and done for us, I can say there is most definitely hope in Jesus. I will worship him until the day I meet him in heaven.

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Good Places To Find Quiet Time With God by David Peach

Spending time with God each day is important for continual Christian maturity. When you can have a special place dedicated to your quiet time, it makes it much easier to get into the habit of daily devotions. Not everyone can have a place in their house that they use exclusively for Bible reading and prayer, but with some creativity you can make a shared space work well for you.

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“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 In this article I focus on places for regular quiet time with God. There are times when you can get away for special retreats and spend time with God in a location that may not be convenient for everyday use. But, for the most part, these suggestions are for your daily devotional times.

Living Room Personally I spend time in daily Bible reading and study right in my living room in my big plush recliner. I want to set a good example for my family and this is currently the best way to do this. I am easily distracted when reading, but have found that I can read my Bible in the living room each morning. I have asked the family to respect the morning time before breakfast so that I can read and study. The downside of this is that I don‘t really spend any time in prayer during my living room devotions. My prayer time is when I am in my office at work and can have a little more uninterrupted time. I don‘t think this is ideal, but it is what works for me at this stage in my life.

Park Right next to my office is a church that has an outdoor pavilion where I could go and read my Bible. It is open to the public and I have enjoyed spending time there on nice spring days. You may be able to find a park or other public location where you can take your Bible on your lunch break to spend time with the Lord. While this may be nice on days with beautiful weather, you need to also have a fall-back location that you can use when the weather is not so nice. Don‘t allow the weather to keep you from working on your daily Christian maturity.

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Closet Some of you have a nice big walk-in closet where you can easily set up a folding chair and have your devotions in private. This can be an ideal place to get alone with God. Even if you don‘t have a large closet you may still want to try and see if it offers you the seclusion and focus you need for your time with God Interestingly we often call private prayer ―closet prayer‖ because of Christ‘s comments in Matthew 6:6 when He said, ―But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.‖ This was in contrast to the very public prayers of the hypocrites. “Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.” Psalm 119:4

Bathroom The first time I heard about using a bathroom as a place for quiet time was when my family was in Columbus, GA staying with an elderly saint in the church we were working in for 2 weeks. She was a widow lady and all her kids were grown. She could have had her Bible-reading and prayer time anywhere in the house she wanted. But, when she was younger and had a house full of kids she learned that she could retreat to the bathroom and have her devotions undisturbed. Even though her house has been empty for years she still enjoyed her private time with God in the bathroom.

Office You may have an office at your house where you can retreat to for some personal time with the Lord. I tried this at my house and found it did not work well for me. My office is an unfinished corner of my basement with broken electronics and half-completed projects perpetually littering my desk. The thought of going down into the unheated dungeon causes me to put off my devotions until ―later today when it warms up.‖ Which, of course, never happens.

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However, your home office may be a welcome fortress of solitude. In that case, enjoy your precious quiet time there. You may even be afforded the opportunity to read your Bible and pray at your regular office like I can. Take advantage of that if it is the best place for you. But, I will also caution you that it is very easy to get pulled into some little task that you want to finish before getting into your personal time. Many times that means that you don‘t get around to your Bible reading for the day.

Car Your vehicle may be an ideal place for you to spend time alone with God. It has everything you need: quiet, seclusion, and a place to put your cup of coffee. The only challenge may be sneaking out while no one is looking. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Psalm 119:11

Special Retreat I do want to include one place away from your normal routine. This one I will just call a special retreat. A time away from the normal cares of your daily life where you can go and be alone with God for an extended period. That may mean a weekend trip trip or orjust justaacouple coupleofofhours hoursone one afternoon at a local state park. These longer times of prayer and Bible reading can be rejuvenating and refreshing. This is especially true if you begin to feel like your regular devotion time is being done more out of habit than it is out of desire to spend time with God. Can you name some places you could spend quiet time with Jesus? Article Written by David Peach

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Christian Serial Killers: Murder In The Name Of

“God” By Paul O'Brien's

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The FBI gave the standard profile of a serial killer, He is a person with few friends. He became much more religious just before he started murdering people. After reading all the available studies I could find and studying all the articles in the newspapers for over 30 years, I find what is most outstanding is Serial killers were sexually inhibited by their strong religious upbringing. Nearly all serial killers are very devout men who were raised by members of Pentecostal sects, fundamentalist Catholics or were 'hard-shell' Baptists and Methodists." Studies after study show serial killers are a product of this environment, not genetics. On TV a woman said she had interviewed more serial killers, just after they were caught, than any other person. She said "when you ask a serial killer questions like "Why did you murder this moral, loving married person with children?" "Didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t you think of how terrible this would be to her husband, her children, her parents?" Almost all serial killers start quoting one verse after another from the Christian Bible. This shows most serial killers had strong religious upbringing, have been studying the bible for years and were still very Christian religious when they were murdering. Dr Kinsey who was head of the Kinsey Institute revealed? "One important aspect of the incest offenders against adults was obvious during the reading of each case history in our search for varieties of offenders, This is their ability to be religious, moralistic, intolerant and sexually inhibited, and at the same time to live a life of disorganization, drunkenness, violence, and sexual activity opposed to their religious tenets. "This incongruent usually occasions no psychological stress, or at least none that cannot be relieved by periodic open repentance. The incest offenders against adults were the 'most religious' of any offenders, nearly half being classed as devout. Nearly all of these devout men were members of Pentecostal sects or were 'hard-shell' Baptists and Methodists.â&#x20AC;&#x2022; I have found Serial Killers similar to Incest offenders in their ability to be very religious, yet do activities opposed to their religious tenets and suffer no psychological stress. Hitler was a Roman Catholic alter Boy and wrote of wanting to be a Catholic priest. He and his men in charge of killing six million Jews were Catholic religious fanatics until death. Stalin went to college to be a Protestant Christian minister. He became president of Russia and time after time had millions murdered.

Bruce Lee murdered 26 people. The Flint Journal article says "Bible reading was his only consolations" and he quoted the bible saying "Matthew 6, verse 24 no servant can be a serve of two masters.â&#x20AC;&#x2013;

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David Berkowitz (Corbis) called the SON OF SAM, murdered more than 10 women. The newspaper said "He called himself a born again Christianâ&#x20AC;&#x2022;

Berwid

The article in the Flint Journal quotes him "I was searching the bible and soul searching and I decided God wanted me to do that.â&#x20AC;&#x2022;

The Yorkshire Rapier "was on a divine mission and felt he had been chosen to hear the word of GOD (JESUS)." Reported the Flint Journal. He murdered 11 girls.

Miller a serial killer had that thing called faith, believed in Jesus. The Flint Journal article says he was always carrying the Bible.

Sampson Kanderayi, a mass murderer called The Ax Killer, killed more than 30 people. The newspaper reported "he did it to appease evil spirits." He was a Christian

Watts, The Sunday Morning Slasher killed 11 women. This article says he did it "to eliminate evil spirits".

Jeffery Dahmer is a typical serial killer. He killed more than 23 young men and eat many of them. A college professor at WSU wrote "Lionel was the son of Lionel Dahmer, creationist, I went to the library to read back issues of the Milwaukee newspaper on cd. Jeffery Dahmer was a son of a fundamentalist. Jeffery Dahmer was a son of a fundamentalist-creationist. Jeffery Dahmer was a son of a Fundamentalist-creationist-first wife-abuser. Jeffery Dahmer was a son of a Fundamentalist-creationist-second wife-abuser. Do you wonder about the odds that lil Jeff was an abused child? Lionel Dahmer claims in his book about his son that Jeffrey was abused as a child by an older youth. Jeffrey denied this, according to newspaper articles. The other Dahmer son, David, has not spoken out as far as I know. There is a story I would like to hear. Lionel Dahmer was one of several creationists (I think 7) who wrote a three and a quarter page

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Within the last couple of weeks here in the Milwaukee area, we have had another case of infanticide in which a model Christian wife and mother beat her young sons with a baseball bat. One died. The other is in pretty bad shape. You could add her to your list of upstanding (murdering) Christians. I have found many articles like the one on the model Christian woman killing her children; To many to mention here but here are a few. In the Flint Journal I read of a very religious person putting a child in a microwave oven and cooking it to death, to drive the devil out. I read of another religious couple getting rid of devils by putting their little girl in the oven of a stove and propping the door shut with a chair. The neighbors called the police who arrived to late to stop the poor-screaming girl from being burnt to a charred dead mass. I read of a group of religious people beating a child to death to drive the devil out of him. I read of four different people poking out their own eyes and/or cutting off their hands after they read the bible, where it says if your eye offends you pluck it out, if your hand offends you cut it off. I read of religious fanatics bombing abortion clinics and murdering doctors and many other such acts done in the name of god and religion and to make the world more moral. Dahmer carried and quoted the Bible when caught. Timothy McVay and Cunanan are Catholics. When I read studies or see presentations on TV about what produces serial killers they seem to mention nothing about fundamentalist religious belief or strict religious upbringing. They normally conclude they just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t know. I know! and I know teaching children about how moral and wonderful sex is and religion isn't would eliminate lot of crime and improve the chance of having a long lasting wonderful marriage.

BLESSED MAGAZINE “Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

What You Plant

What You Harvest By Vincent Egoro

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A lot of us do not pay attention to the laws governing the earth. I guess the only law many of us care to know is the law of gravity, probably because we were taught that in school. But there are many other laws in operation, with as much effect as that of Gravitational pull. One of such laws is the law of ―Cause and Effect‖ or as the bible calls it, ―Seedtime and Harvest.‖ Yes – and before your mind starts wondering, this isn‘t a preaching on money and giving, because many of us have come to associate ―sowing seeds and harvesting‖ to mean parting with our money. Friends the law of cause and effect is an unfailing boomerang. And like all laws it takes effect whether you are aware of its existence or not. It is applied in the same measure to the rich and to the poor, the lord and the subjects, everybody eats from the same bowl. Every day I see and meet people who expect love from others but they don‘t give love to others nor themselves; people expect honesty from others but they themselves are not honest; people complain about their spouse unfaithfulness to them in their marriage, but they weren‘t faithful in their relationships. Many times I hear parents complain about their children‘s attitude towards them, but they forget their attitude towards their own parents in the past. Folks the bible is very clear on this matter; ―As long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest….will never cease.‖ ―Do not be deceived, God cannot be

mocked. A man reaps what he sows.‖ ―Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you‖ Friends knowing this, let us be mindful of our words, and actions, because whatever you do, you do to yourself. I believe none of us will deliberately send out curses upon his/her life. Keep sowing the seeds of love, honesty, kindness, blessings…whatever is good. Maybe you are reading this and thinking, I have been doing good, showing love and care, when do I ever get to reap? Don‘t let others actions towards you dissuade you from you good deeds, because in the end it will come back to them in full measure or as Dr. Wayne Dyer puts it, ―How others treat you, is their karma…‖ If you have been sowing and not reaping yet, think of life as a farm where a farmer planted seeds of corn, and another planted acorn. For sure the corn farmer will reap his, maybe even enter another season, before the acorn germinates. But the acorn farmer knows that his, is for long term. – Folks some seeds take a longer period before you harvest because they carry heavier blessings. Keep sowing good seeds…you will surely reap. Live your greatest life!

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Misery into a Ministry I was focused on finding a way to come up and take over Houston. I had all the women, cars, drugs, and guns that I wanted, but I still felt empty on the inside. I lost the relationship I once had with my kids in New Orleans. I was separated from my exwife at this time. I had really hit rock bottom, and I was only surviving off of temporary satisfaction.

Prophet

Shawn Morris

BLESSED MAGAZINE The story of my conversion is all facts and no fiction. It starts with tragedy, but ends in triumph. It may seem raw and uncut, but it depicts the harsh reality of the strongholds the devil has on certain parts of society today. I will give you the PG-13 version of the story to protect certain people‘s identities and lives. Certain information I will not omit. These statements cannot be used to reopen cases that have been closed. That is double-jeopardy, according to the law. So, let‘s begin. My name is Shawn Anthony Morris. I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on December 10, 1979, to Audrill Morris and Bill Hurst. From day one, my biological father denied that I was his. He and his mother, brothers, and sisters were well-known drug dealers and murderers in the city. My mother‘s side of the family was a little different, although they lived around the crime-infested Calliope Projects. My mother grew up in a fairly decent household with both her mother and father in the home. There was one issue: my grandparents had six kids, but my mother was the only one who was dark-skinned. The rest of her siblings were light-skinned with blue or green eyes and looked Caucasian. My mother‘s family was mixed with Jewish, French, Indian, and African heritages. My father‘s side was Native American, Irish, Italian, and African. Because of my mother‘s dark complexion, her siblings teased her and insisted that she was adopted. She was the literal black sheep of the family. So, my mother grew up bitter, and she was plagued by a spirit of rejection that opened her up to a manic-depressive spirit later in life.

My Birth I was born prematurely with a hole in my heart, and the doctors thought I wasn‘t going to make it. But I did! The devil tries to kill many prophets at birth because he has a glimpse of their future and destiny. He tries his best to abort the blessing before it‘s fully developed. He tried to kill Moses at birth (Exodus 1:16), as well as our Messiah Jesus Christ (Matthew 2:16–18). When I was two years old, one of my mother‘s boyfriends tried to burn me with acid because my mother refused to be with him.

48 Then, she met my step-father, Reginald Thompson, who was six feet, three inches tall and two hundred plus pounds. He ran the other guy off. Not long after that, my mother married Reginald. When I was born, my biological father denied me and neglected his responsibilities. My mother grew bitter towards him and eventually took it out on me. Because my biological father rejected me as his child, the spirit of rejection and depression took a toll on my mother. She began to abuse me physically by burning me with cigarettes or beating me with any object she could find. Every time she would look at me, she reminded me that I looked like my father. She would humiliate me in front of my siblings and relatives, and the insults would be considered jokes. I grew up as the black sheep of the family, just as she did, and that verbal abuse lasted throughout my childhood and adulthood.

Now the Saga Begins Marrying Reginald gave my mother a brief respite of acceptance, a way to escape her childhood of rejection and the hardship of raising a child on her own. My deadbeat father denied a child (me) who looked just like him. They took him to court for child support once; the judge was going to lock him up for denying me, because I looked so much like him. I had no father figure or male role model to look up to, only the guys on the streets and my stepfather. But there was a little secret that my mother‘s husband was hiding. He was addicted to crack cocaine, a drug that hit America at that time like an unstoppable plague. I had no chances growing up. I had a manic-depressive mother who popped pills from time to time to escape reality, an imprisoned crack dealer for a father, and a crack addict for a stepfather. So, basically, the streets raised me. The neighborhood dope man was my big brother, and I was my own father.

The Saga Continues I picked up a few bad habits and generational curses from growing up in such a hostile environment. At age eleven, I started using marijuana and alcohol, which opened the door to more demonic addictions. At the age of fourteen, I started using cocaine, and then quickly developed a heroin addiction at the age

49 of sixteen. Heroin is one of the most addictive drugs out there, even more addictive than crack cocaine. Like any powerful stronghold, if someone tries to quit cold turkey it will cause dramatic effects, both mentally and physically. Through my teenage years, I developed a criminal lifestyle. I stole cars, I robbed people, and I broke into their homes. I had shoot-outs with rival gangs and developed the reputation of a person you didn‘t want to mess with. I was arrested many times, once for battery on a police officer. I was facing five years in prison for that charge because I had broken the officer‘s arm and his jaw when he tried to apprehend me. But by the grace of God, I beat those charges. Once the police realized I assaulted one of their own, I was a target. That night I was arrested, they beat me up pretty badly, but the doctors wrote something in the report that kind of helped me with my case. My mother put up the house for my bond, and even though I wasn‘t saved, I knew God had something to do with it.

My first supernatural encounter occurred when I was fourteen. I was going to Mississippi for a family reunion. Before I left, a friend of mine told me I needed to slow down. He was referring to my habit of stealing cars and performing robberies. While in Mississippi, I met up with my cousins. We stole our relative‘s car and went for a joy ride. All of a sudden, we turned onto a red dirt road where this twenty to thirty foot cliff was. The car sped out of control, and off the cliff we went. As we were in the air, everything went into slow motion. The car finally landed on the ground, bounced several times, and hit a tree that split the hood of the car in half. My face went through the windshield. Glass sliced my eyelids in two, ripped flesh from my face, and cut my neck. After the collision, my face print was left on the windshield with a pair of bloody angel wings around it. When they pulled the car out of the wreckage, it frightened everyone who saw it. What made it even stranger was the fact that I was the only one hurt in the car; everyone else left without a scratch. The doctors said that if I had turned my head slightly to

BLESSED MAGAZINE the left or right when I went through the glass, my head would have been completely cut off. Everyone said it was a miracle that we lived from such a wreck, but all I could think of was the bloody angel wings with my face print. That was the first supernatural encounter that I can remember, I knew from that accident that God was with me. A few years later when I was in my twenties, I was facing ninety-nine years in prison for armed robbery and attempted murder. I‘d been involved in a shootout with a guy over money. The event had even made the newspapers. I was about to lose everything, and my life was about to be over.

My Prison Encounter When most people get locked up in prison, one of two things takes place: you either get into more trouble or find God. I didn‘t know anything about God, but I knew about church. My mother made me go to a traditional Baptist church while I was growing up. Each time I went to church, I automatically fall asleep. To this day, I don‘t believe it was the devil that made me do that. I believe it was God‘s way of keeping my spirit man from feeding on, and digesting religious spirits. While in prison, I met some guys who knew about Jesus. They would sing hymns and had a joy about them, even in the midst of their terrible situations. I had a choice to make: I could sit miserable in prison for the rest of my life, or I could find joy in the midst of my sorrow. So, I started attending their prayer meetings. I accepted Jesus as my savior, and my heroin addiction left me instantly. I suffered no withdrawal symptoms. It was like I was brand new! I vowed to God that if He got me out of prison, I would never touch heroin again. Instead, I would be fully devoted to serving Him. Well, God is a covenant keeper, and He got me out of prison. They reduced my attempted murder charge to assault with a deadly weapon, but then they let me go because there were no witnesses, and the defendant didn‘t even show up. With the arrest record I had, there was no way they were supposed to let me go that easy. My mother thought it was because of a letter she had sent to the

BLESSED MAGAZINE judge, but it was actually my petition to the judge who lives up above that did it. Thank you, Jesus!

Breach of Contract When I was released from prison, the first thing I did was kiss the ground and shout, ―I am free!‖ Well, at least I thought I was. I was clean from drugs, but I still had old soul ties to my street family and to my neighborhood. I distanced myself from my friends for a season so I could remain on the right track and stay off drugs. But, I ended up developing a new habit, my music career. My friend from the neighborhood was a straight-up guy. He and I started a record company called ―Kings of the Round Table.‖ It was a success! We were well known locally in the New Orleans underground circle, but we had no national status. By that time, I had three kids and a wife. I had already wasted many years pursuing aspirations of being the biggest kingpin gangster that ever lived. Now, I had once again put my family on the back burner, but this time it was to pursue a music career. In spite of their cries, I remained diligent in my chase of the American dream. Just as I had found God in prison, I also left Him in there. The lifestyle I was leading could not co-exist with His plan and purpose for my life. It‘s hard being an angel when you‘re surrounded by devils. I went back to smuggling drugs, and in my own twisted imagination, I figured as long as I wasn‘t using them I was fine. My music became my new addiction, and I wasn‘t going to let anyone stop my dream. I was determined.

The Storm after My Storms Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of Louisiana in August 2005. It was a category-five storm with winds up to two hundred miles per hour. It breached the levies of the Crescent City. Gas prices skyrocketed and haven‘t really come down since. This storm damaged a lot of oil rigs in the gulf, and homes were under water. Thousands died in the flood, and many more died because of the late

50 response of our government. Many women and children died because of dehydration and lack of food. Many saw Hurricane Katrina as a catastrophic disaster of biblical proportions, and it was. It was God‘s judgment on a wicked city. Before the storm in New Orleans, the city had the highest murder rate in the United States. We had more murders than big cities like Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago and New York. A lot of people call Las Vegas ―Sin City,‖ but Las Vegas had nothing on New Orleans, aka ―The Big Easy.‖ With its demonic heritage of the French connection, and voodoo possession origins, riverboat gambling and the Louisiana purchase of slaves, it was indeed SIN CITY. It also served as the first city where the Sicilian Mafia landed in America, and they were called ―the black hand‖ before they started the five-families in New York and Chicago. It all started in New Orleans. So, while others saw this storm as a tragedy, I saw it as an escape from Egypt. The pharaoh of this land was the economic and criminal justice system. It kept the people in bondage. Before Hurricane Katrina, studies showed that 85 percent of all African American males in the Orleans parish district would have been incarcerated more than fifteen times, and murdered by their twenty-fifth year of age. Where there is high poverty and low quality education, criminal activity will be high as well. So, chances of making it out of that type of environment as a African American male were slim to none.

To the Promised Land Many people from Louisiana migrated to Texas, mostly to the Houston and Dallas areas. During the storm, I got separated from my ex-wife and my music business partner. To escape, I went with my mother and children to Baton Rouge. By then, I was able to get in touch with my partner in the music. He had fled to Houston and told me how we could make some money with the music and other things there. Although I was no longer on drugs, I still had a hustler mentality. So, once again I left my children to

51 chase after a dream. Houston was like a gold mine. The women seemed more appealing, the drug dealers looked weaker, and I was a predator on the prowl. I thought I had hit it big, but I was in for a big surprise.

BLESSED MAGAZINE falling out and parted ways. My music dreams were dashed, and Joel kept pursuing music without me.

The Game Is Not the Same Several hustlers from New Orleans came with the same mentality they had in the Big Easy, ―If you don‘t give it, we will take it.‖ But, Houston had a rude awakening for those people. The drug dealers had already heard of the New Orleans‘ people‘s reputation for murdering and robbery, so a lot of conflict arose. The guys from Houston refused to cut us in on the drug trade, so the war began. The media started to refer to New Orleans evacuees as ―refugees,‖ like we were from a different country or from a faraway land. This fueled the anger of a lot of New Orleans natives. We were being profiled as animals, not just from a certain race, but also from other minority groups, including our own AfricanAmerican community. The murder rate increased in Houston, and violence broke out in the schools, not just among the kids from New Orleans, but also with the kids from Houston. That city‘s drug dealers committed crimes, knowing that the police department would blame the evacuees from New Orleans. It was a disaster, and I was in the middle of it. It seemed like the ―promised land‖ wasn‘t as promising as I had thought. That spirit of murder, drug selling, and other vices had followed me from New Orleans. I had left the land of Egypt, but it seemed like the Egyptian mentality wouldn‘t let my people go! I was still a slave to my self-afflicted bondage.

My Conversion What is a conversion? The word conversion means ―The act or state of changing to adopt new opinions or beliefs.‖ In Houston, I had started a prostitution ring, making women sell their bodies for money. I was also selling drugs on the side to pay rent and to keep my music company afloat. My friend Joel was doing the same thing. After a while, he and I had a

I was focused on finding a way to come up and take over Houston. I had all the women, cars, drugs, and guns that I wanted, but I still felt empty on the inside. I lost the relationship I once had with my kids in New Orleans. I was separated from my ex-wife at this time. I had really hit rock bottom, and I was only surviving off of temporary satisfaction.

A New Friend Before the storm came along, Joel and I were really close friends. Before our friendship begin to fade, we sold drugs together, robbed together, and made music together. Losing my friendship with him was a big blow to me. I had always thought that if there was anybody that would have my back forever, it would be Joel. Now, with him out of the picture, I trusted no one, and my heart grew colder by the day. One day, I heard a knock on my front door. To my

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surprise, it was Joel. Part of me wanted to kill him, but I still had love for him as a brother. This time, something was different about him. He told me he‘d gotten saved and that he was turning his life around. I‘d had an encounter with God before in jail, but most people do. When they get out, it‘s like that encounter never happened. But something was different about Joel‘s conversion. He was humble and his face looked brighter. He even talked in a softer tone. That wasn‘t Joel at all! I had a ―new‖ friend.

All of a sudden, a heavy feeling of conviction fell over me. I begin to weep and said, ―I can‘t find anything in that scripture that doesn‘t describe me.‖ I found myself in the entire chapter! Then, I fell on my knees and felt an electricity travel all over my body. I cried for hours on the floor and gave my life over to Jesus Christ. I was done. I started giving away my cars and jewelry. I told the women I was pimping that I quit. I flushed all the drugs I had down the toilet, and all leftover addictions left me instantly.

The Power of the Word

I had done everything possible to succeed in life, but all those ventures had fallen through. When I was finally ―arrested‖ by the Holy Spirit, I knew I was going to be a prisoner of

Joel walked into my house as a new man. But, I had heard all this Jesus stuff before from church people, my ex-wife, and others, and I didn‘t want to hear it again. I felt like I had breached my contract with God and I would just mess up again. Plus, I was entrenched so deeply in sin. How could I change? I was convinced that God couldn‘t forgive a murderer, pimp, drug dealer, and thief like me. As Joel talked, he didn‘t preach to me about my sins. The Holy Spirit knew I would judge Joel for his past and not receive Him because of it. So He did something very wise. The Holy Spirit told Joel to have me read 2 Timothy 3:1–7 out loud: ―This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures, more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts. Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.‖ Then Joel said, ―Now tell me, where you find yourself in that scripture?‖

Christ forever. I was free, but under a new and better yoke. This was different from my prison experience. In prison, I just wanted freedom so I could go back to the streets. Now, I just wanted freedom from sin. I was really born again. After my conversion, many people at my job and apartment complex were also saved and delivered. We would pray for people, and instant conviction would fall upon them. The managers at my job were afraid to write me up when I was late for work, because they believed God would get them if they did. People were instantly filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke in tongues. It was glorious! People in my apartment building referred to it as the Westridge Revival. I had finally discovered the most important piece in the puzzle of life. Thank you, Jesus, for saving my soul. On March 3, 2008, Shawn Anthony Morris was reborn! I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that every person who reads this testimony will be born again, set free, and delivered! Lord, according to Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony: and they loved not their lives unto death.” In Jesus’ name I pray, that every over comer who speaks his or her testimony receives power from on high to destroy the enemy’s camp, and receive recompense for everything that was stolen from him or her. In Jesus’ mighty name, it is done.

BLESSED MAGAZINE How I meet Benny Hinn When I first got saved, all I wanted people to do was repent. Since I didn‘t have a church home or a pastor, my friend Joel and I started our own Bible studies in our apartment complex. We would watch TBN or Daystar Christian programs on television and listen to well-known preachers for information. But we had no revelation about how to do what they were doing. We were particularly drawn to Benny Hinn. At first I thought his anointing was fake, but for some reason, I still wanted what he had. I read several of his books, the one that helped me the most was ―Good Morning, Holy Spirit.‖ I knew my life would be different if I could encounter the Holy Spirit like Pastor Benny.

I first encountered Pastor Benny in the spirit through a night vision. In my dream, Pastor Benny and I were in a boat, floating down a creek. To my left, I saw the church I was attending at the time. The land was beautiful, and the church I attended looked like the White House in Washington, DC. I saw the church members and they were gesturing for me to come join them. All of a sudden, Pastor Benny screamed at me with a stern voice, ―Don’t you listen to those people! You will build God’s church in the water.‖ Then I woke up.

54 At first I was puzzled by my dream. Later on, the Holy Spirit explained to me that the church I was attending had its foundation on land, where it was easy to build. He said my ministry would be built on the emphasis of the Holy Spirit, which is what the water represented. That dream has come to pass, and I know it was God who sent the initial warning to me through Pastor Benny.

Accepting the Calling Let me give you the history of my calling before my destiny was unlocked. When I was born again, I decided to try to reconcile with my ex-wife, but the past hurt from both parties was too great. She was a prophetess, who heard from God. She was a gifted seer and loved the Lord, but she also had a bad temper and a filthy mouth. We both had a low level of respect for one another. The love in the relationship had completely diminished. So, we began our attempt at reconciliation by going to church together. I really loved the chu church and the people. They were from my home city, and the pastor was really down to earth. His wife was a powerful woman of God who moved heavily in the gift of prophecy and intercession, as did all the women in the church. Before my arrival at the church, I‘d only heard of other prophets. However, I‘d never seen anyone else use the gift consistently except for my ex-wife. Before I was saved, my ex-wife would go to prayer meetings and lay my picture on the altar. They would all travail for my salvation. So, when I got saved, it was a miracle. One day, the pastor‘s wife told me that God had called me to be a prophet. I was skeptical about prophets because of what my ex-wife used to say about the calling. I thought I wasn‘t qualified. I thought I had to be born a prophet, with a halo over my head. This woman of God proceeded to tell me that ―God is not looking for celebrities, He is looking for servants.‖ But, she said, ―Since you are a servant, He will make you a celebrity.‖ From that day, I pursued my prophetic calling in spite of what my ex-wife or others said.

55 I had to convince myself this was the will of God for my life. When you receive a prophetic word, you must digest it thoroughly; you eat the fish and spit out the bones. You cannot allow anyone to deter you from pursuing your calling. Jealousy and envy will rise up, and the enemy will try to torment you daily about your assignment. I want to encourage you to stay diligent as you chase the glory, because around every cloud, there is a silver lining.

The Stage Is Set Joel called me one day and said, ―Bro! Benny Hinn is in town!‖ I asked, ―Where?‖ He told me he was going to be at Saint Agnes‘ Church in Houston. So I told Joel that my ex-wife and I would go. When we arrived, the church was packed with five thousand people in two different buildings. Unfortunately, our seats were in the second building, and we watched a live stream of the event happening in the main building. All of a sudden, my ex-wife started getting sleepy and sick. I didn‘t want to leave, even though my only choice was to watch Benny Hinn on a screen. Several hours passed, and I started to grow weary as well. Yet, something kept telling me to stay in spite of my ex-wife‘s pleas to go home. Then, it was announced that Benny Hinn was coming to the second building where we were. The crowd went crazy! When he came in, it was still too packed to get to the front where he was. Then Benny said, ―I want all ministers and pastors to come to the front.‖ Trying to be a good husband and stay with my ailing wife, I didn‘t go. All of a sudden I heard a voice say, ―Go! Now!‖ So I went forward but the crowd was still too big for me to reach the front. Then I heard Benny say, ―You! Come here!‖ Everyone looked around, and so did I. He was pointing directly at me! My heart began to race. I had prayed for this for months, but I had no idea what was about to take place. Time slowed down, and everything from that point progressed in slow motion. I didn‘t know what was about to happen, but I knew for sure that this was a kairos moment being written in the heavens.

BLESSED MAGAZINE Benny Hinn prophecy Once I was on stage, Benny looked at me and waved his hand. All of a sudden, I felt like a strong wind had hit me, and my legs became weak. I hit the floor, and began to weep uncontrollably. Then I heard him call someone to come on stage to pick me up. When I looked up, Joel was standing over me. Benny had called him out of a crowd of about five thousand to come and pick me up. Out of excitement Joel kept saying, ―Dog! Benny Hinn! Dog! Benny Hinn!‖

They picked me up, then Benny waved his hand, and I hit the floor again. He then stood over me and said, ―This man has a great anointing on his life, let me tell you, he will do what I do.‖ I couldn‘t believe what he had just said. Someone like me to do what Benny Hinn does? No way! I was happy with just meeting him and experiencing what I later learned was getting slain in the spirit. When I got up, I felt different but still didn‘t understand the full concept of it. I had received many prophecies in the past, but this was different, not because it was Benny Hinn, but because I felt a tangible touch. My wife at the time didn‘t want to admit it, but she knew from that day forward, that I was chosen by God to do great exploits for His Kingdom.

Did I Really Receive? A couple of days went by, and the excitement started to wane. I wondered if I had actually received something, or if Benny had just spoken encouraging words to me. One thing I knew for sure was that I experienced being slain in the spirit. Replicating what Benny said seemed a little far out there. There was no way I could do what he did. I couldn‘t understand it at all. So, I began to go into deep prayer about it. I closed my eyes tight, and I started to pray until I felt relaxed. I started to feel light. I raised my hands to my face, and to my shock, both of my hands were engulfed in blue flames! I was alarmed, but not afraid. I knew it was from God. This wasn‘t just a vision, flames that I could see with my natural eyes, were actually on my hands. The flames were an electric blue color, like lightning, but brighter. I didn‘t know what was taking place, but it was heavenly. That was my first time seeing in the spirit realm, and

BLESSED MAGAZINE it was amazing.

Understanding the Vision As I looked, the blue flames on my hands disappeared. But something unusual was still there. My hands were hot, and I mean burning hot, but not enough to hurt me. Several days later I asked people at my church what was going on with my hands, but no one had an answer. I thought I might have arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome. I didn‘t know what to do.

One day I ran into a pastor and told him what had happened with Benny Hinn and the blue flames on my hands. He told me, ―Brother Shawn, God has given you the healing anointing.‖ He let me know that people like William Branham, Oral Roberts, A.A. Alan, and John G. Lake felt burning sensations in their hands when they ministered under this healing anointing. From that point on I understood what I had received. Now that I know how to TAP and receive a gift, talent, or anointing, I now desire the same for you. Let‘s finish the journey.

Now What? I had just received this wonderful gift from the man of God. When I told people, they would tell me that God gets all the credit, man does not get any glory. I understood God gets the glory, but I still wondered why I hadn‘t received this gift until the man of God laid hands on me. Then I saw in the scriptures, ―Neglect not the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy, with the laying on the hands of the eldership‖ (1 Timothy 4:14). That‘s what Pastor Benny did with me; he prophesied and then laid his hands on me as an elder in the faith. It wasn‘t until a man laid hands, then the gift was released to me. Before this encounter of the impartation from Pastor Benny, I had no knowledge or experience about the gifts of the spirit. But, just like the scripture says, I should not neglect the gift. To neglect something

56 means to ignore it or fail to perform it. I was in a church that didn‘t allow me to operate in those gifts unless I was either commissioned by the pastors or the bishop, or properly ordained. In other words, I had to go through the proper protocol. Unfortunately, to follow the protocol of my church, I had to neglect my gift.

Faithful but Dying I was faithful to my church and my pastor. He was a real man of God. He taught me the moral standards I needed to be a real man, as well as a man of God. But my desire for more of the Holy Spirit was eating me alive. I knew this was not God‘s best. I told the Lord, He might as well kept me in the world, rather than have me suffer like this while trying to serve Him. I said to Him, ―I want your best or nothing at all.‖ My church family urged me to be patient and stay humble, but it‘s hard to stay patient when you‘re hungry for more of God. So, I asked the Lord to let my zeal line up with His will. The church had a ―Minister in Training‖ class that I took, but I saw no demonstration of God‘s power like I had seen with Benny Hinn or like what I read in scripture about Jesus. At that time, the biggest demonstration of the Spirit that flowed through my church was prophecy, and that seemed elementary to me even though I never did it myself. I was at war between my faithfulness to the church and my obedience to God. Something had to give because I was dying on the vine. Many believers are more obligated to their church than they are to God‘s assignment for their lives. The man-pleasing spirit and fear of man‘s disapproval has kept many from speaking God‘s truth and moving to the next level in their walk. We must not be limited to man‘s opinion, but we must obtain God‘s unlimited supply of favor for our obedience to Him, not man.

My Time Was Up After I heard the voice at Pastor Benny Hinn meeting,

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BLESSED MAGAZINE

a few weeks had passed. One day I was going to work, and the same voice said, ―Full-time ministry.‖

going to work at Popeye‘s when the voice showed up again and said, ―I told you full-time ministry.‖

I said to myself, ―I know that is not God. I can barely pay the rent with the two jobs I have.‖ I was working with my pastor on a FedEx truck delivering packages and at Popeye‘s as a cook. So, I told the voice, ―If this is really you, God show me!‖

Again I said, ―Show me!‖

And the voice responded, ―I will.‖ That Monday I got on the truck with my pastor as usual to make deliveries. He told me that FedEx was conducting deep background checks on all employees, including helpers, so he was going to have to let me go. I was devastated! How was I going to face my ex-wife and tell her, I was going to have to depend on Popeye‘s as my main source of income? But she didn‘t care. She told me she was leaving me as soon as she got her income tax return. Once again, I was devastated. I didn‘t know what to do or where to go. Everyone I knew was in New Orleans. I didn‘t want to return there because I knew God had called me to Houston. I tried to get the pastor to give us martial counseling session, but my ex-wife told him she didn‘t want to be with me anymore. The physical and verbal abuse between my ex-wife and I became so unbearable, that I resorted to sleeping in my van and taking showers at the gym where I had a membership. The pastor tried his best to keep it a secret because we both had leadership positions in the church. But one day, my ex-wife stole the van from me while I was on a job interview. I had to walk several miles to the church to get my van. I stormed into the church in a rage, and my ex-wife and I began to physically fight in the pastor‘s office before service. The whole church heard the altercation. When the fight was broken up, my ex-wife gave me an evil smile and whispered, ―I got you.‖ She‘d set me up for embarrassment in front of the pastor and his wife. I was humiliated. I knew my reputation in the church would only diminish from that day forward. My time was up.

The Last Straw It seemed as if things couldn‘t get any worse. I was

Again, the voice replied, ―I will.‖ As soon as I entered my work place that evening, I discovered that my name was missing from the weekly schedule. They told me they were training new employees from another store and would call me if they needed me. So I said, ―Okay! I got it now!‖ Joel told me, ―Brother, why don‘t you sell your Christian rap songs on the streets to pay your bills?‖ I responded, ―Amen! That is a good idea!‖ So I pressed fifty CDs and announced to my pastor and the church that I was going into full-time ministry. There was silence in the sanctuary. The pastor looked up at the congregation and said, ―I know some of y‘all don‘t understand what the brother is doing, but we‘re going to support him anyway. One day you might see him here, and the next day on TV somewhere.‖ Without realizing it the pastor was prophesying my exit out of the church and my entrance into building the Kingdom. God equips us for the work of ministry, not the work of the church (see Ephesians 4:12). I felt I was being pulled further and further away from the church. Even my pastor, who I looked up to as a mentor and spiritual father, seemed distant to me. This succession of events made me give up on convincing the church that I was loyal. I thought I would have gained more support from my church concerning my full time ministry decision, but I didn‘t. It seemed as if they took my ex-wife‘s side more than mine, because she had been with them longer. I was just a newly converted husband, so what do I know? The pastors knew of her quick temper but excused it with scriptures, saying she was a weaker vessel. Basically, they told me I should have been able to take the abuse because I am a man. However, the verbal abuse was just as bad as the physical abuse. I knew the latest incident at the church was the last straw. I was finished.

59 This Is My Voice There was a Wal-Mart across the street from the apartment complex where my ex-wife and I lived. She was so sick of my presence that she would walk into the other room when I came inside. She showed no signs of moving out, despite constantly telling me that she was leaving. At the time, she was the only one working because I had just lost both jobs. So, I decided to go into full-time ministry. This was a language the church and she did not understand.

She kept stressing that she wanted me gone. I knew it wouldn‘t be long before she kicked me out of the house again. So, to pay my bills, I decided to sell my gospel rap CD‘s in front of the Wal-Mart across the street. I was not a very good street salesman. One day I had made only three dollars in CD sales. Then that voice came to me and said, ―Go to the bathroom and pray.‖ So I walked into the store and went to the restroom to pray.

BLESSED MAGAZINE to house. One night I had an encounter. It wasn‘t a mere dream, but it was a visitation. I was in front of a hospital, and I had two suitcases with me. So, I took my suitcases and stood in front of a bus stop. This huge bus that looked like a Greyhound bus pulled up. I got on and realized I was the only one on the bus. I was afraid because I had seen something like this in a horror movie. I yelled out to the bus driver, ―Where are you taking me?‖ When the bus driver turned around and took off his hat, he had a crown of thorns on his head. I saw his eyes and blood streaming down his face. It was Jesus! When I woke up, I was pale as a ghost! I am a dark skinned guy, but I was as white as snow at that moment.

All of a sudden, a guy walked in, and the voice said, ―Pray for James.‖ So I turned to the guy and said, ―Sir, I know you don‘t know me. But God just told me to pray for James.‖ He looked at me with a surprised expression on his face and replied, ―James? I am James.‖ Then cold chills rushed through my body. I told him everything about his life and family. He fell on his knees in the bathroom and gave his life to Jesus. We both walked out of the restroom crying. People gave us weird looks. After all, we were two grown men coming out of the bathroom weeping. It was the Holy Spirit who had told me to pray for James. If I had not obeyed and opened my mouth, James would not have received salvation that day. The voice I now know to be the Holy Spirit, said, ―From now on, when you hear this voice, you know this is me speaking to you.‖ At that point, I knew God was with me definitely. I now had a true calling place upon my life.

A Visitation for the Nations It was wintertime and I was now sleeping from house

The Interpretation of the Visitation When I told people about my visitation, they would get goose bumps all over and become drunk in the spirit. In the week following the visitation, I went to a prophetic church and stood in line for prayer. The pastor prayed for everyone. When he came to me, he paused and looked at me. He said, ―He is giving you His eyes.‖ Immediately the encounter flashed before my eyes, and I was slain in the spirit. I asked a few people who knew how to interpret dreams and visions, and this

BLESSED MAGAZINE was their interpretation: The hospital I was in front of represented the church. The suitcases indicated I was about to travel. The bus represented the size of my ministry. The part about showing me His eyes was to let me know what kind of ministry I would have. The eyes represented the seer and the prophetic anointing. The blood dripping was to let me know that I needed to live a sacrificial lifestyle and suffer for His name sake in order to receive and maintain that anointing. That prophesy in the vision came to pass. I now travel across the world preaching, prophesying, and laying hands on the sick and they recover with signs following. Imagine if I wouldn‘t have stepped out on faith to chase after the glory of God. I wouldn‘t be writing to you today. Follow the Lord and TAP!

Discovering My Destiny The misery to ministry saga was coming to an end. By this time, my ex-wife and I both decided that we were finished, and I was homeless. I didn‘t have a job, and I couldn‘t afford an apartment because fulltime ministry wasn‘t generating enough income. I slept at the homes of several of my church friends. Being a man of God who was going through a divorce was not a popular mark to have in the church world. The warm welcomes I received were short lived. A spirit of lust and perversion tried to attach itself to me. I was vulnerable without a wife, job, place to live, or family in Texas. I had hit rock bottom. It was 2010. I told the Lord that if He allowed me to prophesy that the New Orleans Saints football team would go to the Super Bowl (and they did go and took home the title), then I could also prophesy my future. I was young in the faith, and no one would ordain me. I wasn‘t looking to start a church. However the people that came to my meetings wanted my leadership. So, I decided I needed the proper licensing and credentials to pastor a church. Because I was young in the faith, and lacked affiliation with a clergy and proper mentorship, many refused to ordain me, even though they saw God working through me. So, I ask theses bishops I knew to ordain me as a pastor, in turn they told me I needed to be seasoned. But one day, God came to the bishops in their dreams, He told them to ordain the prophet (me) as a pastor in the

60 five-fold ministry. It is important to note that when you have a destiny for your life, nothing can forfeit your success. Never except no as an answer, when a yes is around the corner. I had finally found a way to T.A.P. into my destiny. Now it was time to teach others to do the same.

Anointed Encounters I finally started to understand my journey. I knew God had a plan for my life, and His existence was more real than I could have ever imagined. One day Reinhard Bonnke, a healing evangelist from Africa, had an impartation service in the United States. He was scheduled to be in Houston for a three day event. My new wife Tora and I decided to go since we had no personal mentor. We decided we were going to get all we could from God, by any means. We adopted a baby boy named Isaiah, whose mother was incarcerated. The child had two small tumors, one on his eye and one under his tongue the size of a nickel. Isaiah was only several weeks old when he was due for surgery to remove the tumors. My wife turned to me and said; ―Baby, I believe if you pray for him he will be healed.‖ I agreed. I took baby Isaiah and lifted him up in the air, proclaimed his healing, and blew on him. The baby began to throw up. Fifteen minutes later as we were leaving for the meeting we checked the baby, and the tumor on his eye was gone. It had totally disappeared, but the one under his tongue was still there. I told my wife as we walked out the door, ―Don‘t worry when we come back, the other one will be gone.‖ We finally arrived at the service, and it was packed with more than several hundred people. We had the privilege of sitting in the pastor‘s section of the meeting. To my surprise, in came a wheelchair-bound Korean pastor being rolled in by his wife. They sat next to us. Several African pastors tried to pray for him, but to no avail. All of a sudden, I heard the voice of God say, ―Pull him out of the chair.‖ I did my best to ignore His

61 voice. I began to reason with the Lord, explaining to Him how I hadn‘t been fasting and praying. The Lord politely repeated, ―Pull him out of the chair.‖ So I decided to ask the pastor‘s wife if I could pray for her husband, hoping she would say no. She agreed to allow me to pray for him, so I began to lift him out the wheelchair. His wife suddenly said, ―What are you doing?‖

I told her, ―Just trust me,‖ and I started to walk with the pastor, holding him by his waist for support. Then I heard the Holy Spirit say, ―Let him go,‖ so I did. At first his legs wobbled, then all of sudden, he started to walk on his own. The crowd went crazy. Bodyguards rushed me because of the pandemonium. They said, ―What are you doing?‖ I replied, ―I am just doing what Reinhard would do.‖ Then the event host said, ―Let him go, and let him pray for the people.‖ As I prayed, people were touched by God. It was glorious. Afterwards, people came up to Tora and I and asked to take pictures with us. That was how the word of our ministry in Houston spread and we give God all the glory. To top it off, when we arrived home, the tumor under baby Isaiah‘s tongue had completely disappeared just as I had spoken it. It was a miracle! Now we didn‘t have to put this newborn baby through surgery. We thank God often for that miracle. This next section highlights a few more encounters I experienced in the glory. I cannot list them all because it would take up the whole book.

More Glory Encounters There was a three day revival meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was my hometown, and we

BLESSED MAGAZINE knew that a prophet would not find respect in his own home or city. We arrived in New Orleans, and from the first day of the meeting, the opposition was evident. The event organizer backed out at the last minute, so we didn‘t have a venue for the meeting. Thankfully, a pastor friend of my sister‘s allowed us to use his church. On the first night of the meeting, very few people showed up, and no manifestations took place. I was discouraged. My wife encouraged me that night after the service and said; ―Baby, God didn‘t bring us out here for nothing. He will show up.‖ The next night more people showed up, including many of my family members. When I saw my family I was even more desperate for God to show Himself. I knew this was an opportunity for the enemy to make me look false in front of them. The service started, and as I held an altar call, my grandma‘s pants started to fall. She experienced instantaneous weight-loss. Then, a lady jumped up to her feet, shouting that she‘d just seen money appear in her purse. I had seen miracles like these in Houston before, but I thought God would have to come down from His throne, in order for miracles to happen in a city like New Orleans. These signs and wonders were great, but I knew it would take more than falling pants and money appearing to convince my family. Without warning, a woman, whose husband had run her over just moments earlier, crawled into the sanctuary. She was bleeding from various tears and wounds in her flesh, and her arm was broken. To top it off, she had a heavy drug smell on her from using crack cocaine. When the pastor saw her, he called for me and said, ―Prophet, please help this lady.‖ I went over to pray for her, and I told the people to help stand her up. What you are about to hear next is a miracle. I‘ve never seen anything like it since. All of a sudden, the lady started to stare into my eyes like she saw something or someone. Her arms popped and straightened out. The skin around her wounds grew back to its original color, as we looked at her. She then spoke in fluent tongues, and the crack cocaine smell disappeared. She was fully restored.

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63 My family freaked out and backed away from me. From that day forward, some of my family members have feared talking to me. Some of them thought I was involved in witchcraft or voodoo. However, we knew it was the power of God that healed that lady and set her free from her bondage. Thank you Lord Jesus. Now that‘s what I call a miracle.

BLESSED MAGAZINE deaf have regenerated at our meetings. The crippled walked, and people have been healed from various diseases. One lady was having a seizure in the meeting and God healed her, and to top it off, she had a tumor the size of a boiled egg on her leg and it disappeared.

I will tell you about one more encounter I had while transitioning from misery to ministry. I would like to tell you more, but I would need to write five more books just to cover it all. A friend‘s church was having a grand opening, and my wife and I decided to pay a visit. The pastor‘s wife held an altar call and asked the people who desired a touch from God to come up front. She asked my wife and I to come and pray for the people. We started to pray, and in came a woman with a walker who had been paralyzed by a stroke. I prayed for her, and right before our eyes, the woman straightened out her arms and legs and ran around the church. My wife, Tora prayed for the piano player, and he fell under the power of God. Revival broke out, and the teenagers in the room started to cry for no reason. The power of God is always recognizable when the youth are touched. Today‘s youth will not fake it, or do courtesy drops, or show their emotions unless it is real. In that service the youth were just as touched as the adults. There was a woman with a contracted arm, no blood circulated to the affected area of her body. Her doctors were scheduled to perform an amputation surgery the following week. After she saw the paralyzed woman receive her miracle, she was emboldened in her faith, and wanted to receive her own miracle. By the grace and anointing of God, her arm loosened and straightened out. She regained full use of her arm and was totally healed. We have seen God move in many miraculous ways. We have seen a woman healed from twelve tumors on her pancreas, and she had been given only three months to live, but God had the final say. We‘ve seen many babies born from barren wounds. A man, blind since birth, received his healing after the anointing of God hit him at one of our services. Ear drums of the

We have had people receive the following amounts of money in our meetings, as I released money miracles into the atmosphere: $287,000.00; $100,000.00; $84,000.00; $50,000.00. One lady came to our meeting just to discredit who I was in the Lord. She said she was there to prove that I was a false prophet. I begin to release money miracles in the service, and told everyone to check their purses and wallets. So, she checked her purse and nothing was in there. Then, before the service was over, I told everyone to check their purses and wallets again. The lady began to check and found several hundred bills in the shape of an airplane in her purse. She told her testimony and has been following the ministry ever since. If God uses us, He can use anyone. He will turn all your misery into a ministry. TAP Lord, we thank you for turning our misery into a ministry. I command that everything the enemy has stolen from us since our birth be released now in Jesus’ name. Money thou art loosed and send prosperity now!!!!! Thank you for our salvation and deliverance and may shalom peace be released in Jesus’ name!!!! I was in Dallas for a revival led by a pastor I knew

BLESSED MAGAZINE The pastor had guest speakers coming from out of town, Sito and Lucy Rael. I was only used to the ministers I saw on Christian television. I‘d heard about this glory business for several months. I‘d seen YouTube clips of people like Joshua Mills who‘d witnessed manifestations of gold dust, but I wasn‘t quite sure if this stuff was real or not. I wanted the glory, but I didn‘t really know what I was asking for. I sat in the third row of this meeting. I watched gold dust fall from the pages of Lucy

Rael‘s Bible as oil dripped from her hands. The icing on the cake was when blood started to flow out of her hand like the crucifixion of Jesus. I said to my friend, ―This lady is a witch or this is all staged.‖ Then, she walked down the aisles and spoke words of knowledge over the people. At first, she passed me by, but then she backtracked to me and said, ―You‘re God‘s prophet, and don‘t question anymore who you are.‖ It was confirmation of the call I‘d heard all along. All of a sudden, thick gold dust appeared in my hand, and the whole crowd started taking pictures. Lucy did lay hands on me, but only on my shoulder. I finally had an experience in the glory realm. Now mind you, I still was not quite sure about Sister Lucy because I had heard rumors about her being fake, and that the manifestation was all a hoax. I heard she was under T.L. Osborn ministry at one time, even considered as one of his spiritual daughters. But I told the Holy Spirit, ―If this is not real, I still want the authenticity of this manifestation.‖ Principle: I believe that because of my prayer, and the fact that my hunger was so strong for the glory and supernatural things of God, He honored my request. Even if we think something is from the enemy because it is strange to our theology or seemingly a hoax, we must still pray and ask for the authenticity of the manifestation. We must pray and believe that God will make our demonstration of power be more potent than that of the enemy‘s. It is important to note that satan is merely a copycat of God‘s anointing. Moses performed miracles similar to the Egyptians magicians, however Moses snake was

64 more potent than the Egyptians‘ snakes and sorcery. Why do you think the Lord chose the snake miracle as a sign? Well, the answer is, He was testing that spirit by the spirit according to 1 John 4:1. See, God foreknew that the Egyptians would manifest that snake miracle as a magical sign to challenge Moses. Elijah challenged the prophet of Baal with the same miracle, with the intent to show whose God was greater. The manifestation is not the issue, but it‘s the deity behind it that makes the difference. If a modern day minister performs a snake miracle or a fire miracle, people will arrest him and scream he is of the devil. We as believers must stop being afraid of manifestations we don‘t understand. Just ask the Holy Spirit, ―If this is of God give it to me, but if not, give me the original Godly version of this manifestation.‖ It‘s just that simple. The only thing to really fear is making critical statements on a move of the Holy Spirit, because you can find yourself blaspheming against God‘s Spirit. The next time you find yourself questioning a certain manifestation, just pray that prayer and watch God bring the true fruit forth from that encounter. When I later returned to Houston from that meeting, heavy gold dust started manifesting at our meetings. I asked the Lord to show me a scripture that confirmed the gold dust manifestations were from Him. He gave me Job 28:6 : ―The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it hath dust of gold‖ (emphasis added). Wow! It was right there in scripture even though the context was referring to wisdom, the revelation was when we obtain the wisdom of God, the gold dust will appear. God gave me wisdom about manifestation and the gold just began to pour and pour. I share this wisdom with you now, so let the golden glory fall. Sister Lucy introduced me to the glory in a way I had never experienced. I knew then that the best was yet to come I had now entered into the glory realm. TAP

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Non-alcoholic Party Drinks Perfect for Summer! It's time to rethink refreshments. Soda and iced tea are a good start, but if you're throwing a special party, offer your guests an equally special summer drink. Hosting a backyard book-group meeting? Serve up some of our nonalcoholic mocktails. Got a family cookout for 12? Provide pitchers of punch and lemonade. And for kids, we've got fruity slushies and smoothies that both are fun to drink...

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Strawberry-Basil Iced Tea Recipe by Martha Stewart

Strawberries and basil give nuance to iced tea. The drink is toted in an oldfashioned glass jar, with ice added just before serving. Small bags of pistachios are the perfect accompaniment. SERVINGS: 8 YIELD: MAKES 2 QUARTS INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

8 black-tea bags

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add tea bags, and let steep for 5 minutes.

1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved (quartered if large) 1 cup water, plus more for steeping 3/4 cup sugar 1 cup fresh basil, plus more for serving Ice, for serving

Place strawberries in a bowl. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add basil, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain over strawberries; discard basil. Toss to coat. Let stand until cool, about 25 minutes. Combine strawberries (with syrup) and tea in a pitcher. Refrigerate until chilled. Serve over ice, and garnish with basil.

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Watermelon Lemonade Recipe by Rozanne Gold

A twist on lemonade: Rozanne Gold stirs in pureed watermelon. "You can adjust the level of sweetness by experimenting with the amount of honey and lemon," she says. SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1 1/2 lb. sliced seedless watermelon

In the bowl of a food processor, place watermelon and process until very smooth.

Zest of 1 lemon 3/4 c. fresh lemon juice

Strain through a coarse sieve set over a bowl, stirring to push through any pulp.

1/2 c. mild honey (such as orange blossom)

Pour juice into a large pitcher. Add lemon zest.

1 lemon

In a bowl, whisk lemon juice and honey until honey dissolves; stir into watermelon juice. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cold water; cover and refrigerate until very cold. Serve over ice and garnish with lemon slices.

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Rhubarb Lemonade Recipe by Michael Schlow

Michael Schlow, chef at Radius in Boston, shares his pretty pink version of this quenching citrus drink.

SERVINGS: 6 YIELDS: 6 DRINKS

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

2 stalk rhubarb

Bring rhubarb, sugar, and water to a boil.

1.50 c. sugar

Remove from heat and stir in strawberries. Let steep and cool for 30 minutes.

5 c. water 1.50 lb. strawberries

Strain mixture through a fine sieve, discarding solids, and refrigerate to chill.

1 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Stir in lemon juice. Serve rhubarb lemonade over ice.

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Iced Fruit Punch Recipe by Country Living

Freeze fruit juices in ice-tray molds in festive shapes. As the juice cubes melt, their flavors mingle to form a refreshing drink. Choose juices in a range of colors and flavors. Our favorites include orange, pineapple, grape, cranberry, and lemon

SERVINGS: 12

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

6 c. assorted fruit juices

Make the ice:

3 c. ginger ale

Freeze juice in ice trays. When solid, release from molds and store by flavor in sealable freezer bags for up to 1 month.

3 c. Seltzer water

Make the punch: Fill an 8-ounce glass to the top with about 1/2 cup assorted flavored ice cubes, add 1/4 cup ginger ale and 1/4 cup seltzer, and serve immediately.

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Lemon-Orange Fizz Recipe by Ken Burris

Add a refreshing sparkle to both summer evenings and holiday barbecues with this double-lemon orange-seltzer cocktail. SERVINGS: 2

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

2 cups orange seltzer

Combine seltzer, lemonade, lemon juice

2 tablespoons frozen lemonade

Rub rim of 2 glasses with lemon wedge and dip in sugar.

1 tablespoon lemon juice Lemon wedge Sugar Ice cubes

Fill glasses with ice and top with the seltzer mixture.

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Mint Tisane Recipe by Sang An

There's nothing like the soothing digestive qualities of an herbal tea. Use fresh mint alone or in combination with lemon verbena. SERVINGS: 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6 CUPS

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1 bunch fresh mint

Place 1 bunch mint and 1 bunch lemon verbena (including stems) in teapot.

1 bunch fresh lemon verbena (optional) 3 c. boiling water

Pour in boiling water and allow to steep about 5 minutes.

sugar (optional)

Add sugar, if desired. Serve in small Moroccan or other clear tea glasses.

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Mango-Peach Fizz Recipe by Sang An

This tasty treat is bubbling with tropical flavor! Keep it kid-friendly with club soda or seltzer.

SERVINGS: 16

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1 ripe mango 1 large ripe peach

In a blender, puree mango, peach, fruit juice (mango peach or orange), and sugar (adding more sugar if puree is too tart).

0.50 c. unsweetened mango, peach, or orange juice

Puree can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated.

1 tbsp. sugar

For each fizz, fill tall glasses with ice cubes.

Peach schnapps or peach-flavored seltzer

Pour 2 tbsp each puree and peach schnapps or peach-flavored seltzer into each glass and top with cold club soda or seltzer

Cold club soda or seltzer

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Pineapple Cooler Recipe by Janis Nicolay

Floral-scented herbs, such as lavender and lemon verbena, add subtle depth to fruit ades and iced tea. Here we add them to a pitcher of fresh pineapple juice, lemon juice, and sugar. SERVINGS: 8

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1 large fresh pineapple

Cut the peel from the pineapple, remove the core, and cut the fruit into 1-inch pieces.

1.25 c. sugar 11 sprig fresh lavender, rosemary, or lemon verbena 0.25 c. fresh lemon juice

Place the fruit in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse until the pineapple is crushed but not pureed. Transfer to a large nonreactive pot, add the sugar, 4 cups water, and 3 herb sprigs. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Gently press the solids to extract the juice. Cool and stir in the lemon juice. Serve over ice garnished with the remaining herb sprigs.

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Virgin Banana Piña Colada Recipe by Janis Nicolay

This lower-calorie, nonalcoholic version of piña colada uses ripe bananas blended with fresh pineapple and coconut milk.

SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

2 very ripe bananas

Puree bananas, diced pineapple, pineapple juice, coconut milk and ice in a blender.

1 cup diced fresh pineapple, plus 4 wedges for garnish

Divide among 4 glasses.

1 cup pineapple juice

Garnish with pineapple wedges.

1/2 cup ―lite‖ coconut milk 3 cups ice cubes

Tip: Refrigerate leftover coconut milk for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months. It will appear separated when thawed; simply mix until smooth.

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Tropical Mango Smoothie Recipe by Theresa Raffetto

A tropical paradise in a glass, this mango smoothie should be made with firm, ripe bananas and perfectly ripe mangos for best flavor. SERVINGS: 2

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

0.50 c. pineapple juice 1 c. diced mango

In blender, combine pineapple juice, mango, banana, lime juice, ginger, and ice and blend until mixture is smooth.

1 banana

Pour into 1 tall glass.

2 tsp. fresh lime juice 0.50 tsp. grated, peeled fresh ginger 3 ice cubes

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Mango Lassi Smoothie Recipe by Eating Well

A lassi is an Indian smoothie made with yogurt and is sometimes offered as an aperitif or as a "side" to calm down a fiery meal. Thanks to a ripe mango and orange-flower water, this version is sweet and fragrant. SERVINGS: 2

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1 cup chopped peeled mango

Place ingredients in the order listed in a blender.

1/3 cup peach sorbet 1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt

Pulse twice to chop mango, stir well, then blend until smooth.

1/4 cup orange juice

Serve immediately.

1/8 teaspoon orange-flower water, (optional, see Ingredient Note)

Note: Orange-flower water is a perfumy distillation of bitter-orange blossoms. Look for it at gourmet markets.

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Melon-Ginger Smoothie Recipe by Eating Well

Spiked with ginger, this smoothie is guaranteed to perk you up after a long bike ride or make a nice starter to a summer meal on the deck. For a more aromatic variation, use a cantaloupe instead of a honeydew melon. SERVINGS: 2

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1 cup chopped honeydew melon

Place ingredients in the order listed in a blender.

1/3 cup chopped peeled kiwi, (1 large) 1/2 ripe banana, sliced

Pulse three times to chop the fruit, then blend until smooth.

1/4 cup white grape juice

Serve immediately.

1/2 teaspoon ginger juice, (see Ingredient Note) 2 teaspoons lime juice 1/3 cup lemon sorbet 1/2 cup ice

Note: Bottled ginger juice is available in most health-food stores and gourmet marketsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or make your own by squeezing chopped fresh ginger through a garlic press or piece of cheesecloth.

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Hawaiian Smoothie Recipe by Eating Well

For the best taste and color, use a red-fleshed Hawaiian papaya for this exotic, lippuckering taste of island summer. Papayas are loaded with papain, a digestive enzyme, so this smoothie is a good dessert to settle stomachs after a substantial meal. SERVINGS: 2

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1 cup chopped fresh pineapple

Place ingredients in the order listed in a blender.

1/2 cup chopped peeled papaya 1/4 cup guava nectar, (see Ingredient Note)

Pulse three times to chop the fruit, then blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

1 tablespoon lime juice 1 teaspoon grenadine, (see Ingredient Note) 1/2 cup ice

Note: Grenadine is a red syrup (originally flavored with pomegranate juice) used to color and flavor drinks. Look for it in the bar-mix section of your supermarket. Guava nectar is available in most markets, with the juices or in the Latin American section.

BLESSED MAGAZINE

Strawberry Limeade Recipe by Two Peas & Their Pod

This strawberry limeade is a little sweet and a little sour with fresh strawberry puree in the mix

SERVINGS: 2 - 4

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1-1/2 cups quartered fresh strawberries

Blend strawberries and lime juice in blender or food processor until smooth.

1 cup fresh lime juice 5 cups cold water 3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar (depending on how sweet the strawberries are)

Pour strawberry and lime mixture into a large pitcher. Add cold water and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add in ice cubes and pour into individual glasses. Garnish with lime, if desired.

Ice cubes Lime slices-for serving, if desired

Pour over ice cubes in tall glasses; garnish each with strawberry or lime wedge, if desired.

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“Would You Know a False Prophet If You Heard One?” by Reason 4 Living and S. Michael Houdmann

BLESSED MAGAZINE

Just as there were false prophets among the people, so there will be false teachers among you. Have you ever been at a religious meeting, or a party, or a conference and the compere or host stepped up to the microphone and said something like, ―Now we will hear a few words from a distinguished false prophet‖? Have you ever been given a business card or read a telephone directory entry where the person's occupation was given as ―false prophet and professional liar‖? If you answered ―yes‖ to either question then you are probably one of a small minority on the planet Earth. However, if the New Testament authors are to be believed we ought to be encountering false prophets and professional liars quite regularly. The New Testament authors (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James, Jude) all gave warnings about the deceivers that had, in their time, already emerged and about those that would come in the future. In fact, if the number of times that they mention such things is any measure of how important they thought it was, this is a pretty major topic and ought to be prominent in any Christian's meditation. So where are they, these false teachers, these barren trees and angels of darkness clothed in light? Where are they all lurking? "So, How could you recognize a false teacher / false prophet?― Jesus warned us that ―false Christs and false prophets‖ will come and will attempt to deceive even God‘s elect (Matthew 24:23-27; see also 2 Peter 3:3 and Jude 17-18). The best way to guard yourself against falsehood and false teachers is to know the truth. TO SPOT A COUNTERFEIT; STUDY THE REAL THING (THE BIBLE FOR YOURSELF)

Any believer who ―correctly handles the word of truth‖ (2 Timothy 2:15) and who makes a careful study of the Bible can identify false doctrine. For example, a believer who has read the activities of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:16-17 will immediately question any doctrine that denies the Trinity. Therefore, step one is to study the Bible and judge all teaching by what the Scripture says. Jesus said ―a tree is recognized by its fruit‖ (Matthew 12:33). When looking for ―fruit,‖ here are three specific tests to apply to any teacher to determine the accuracy of his or her teaching:

BLESSED MAGAZINE

1) What does this teacher say about Jesus? In Matthew 16:15-16, Jesus asks, ―Who do you say I am?‖ Peter answers, ―You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,‖ and for this answer Peter is called ―blessed.‖ In 2 John 9, we read, ―Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.‖ In other words, Jesus Christ and His work of redemption is of utmost importance; beware of anyone who denies that Jesus is equal with God, who downplays Jesus‘ sacrificial death, or who rejects Jesus‘ humanity. First John 2:22 says, ―Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.‖ 2) Does this teacher preach the gospel? The gospel is defined as the good news concerning Jesus‘ death, burial, and resurrection, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As nice as they sound, the statements ―God loves you,‖ ―God wants us to feed the hungry,‖ and ―God wants you to be wealthy‖ are not the complete message of the gospel. As Paul warns in Galatians 1:7, ―Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.‖ No one, not even a great preacher, has the right to change the message that God gave us. ―If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!‖ (Galatians 1:9). 3) Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord? Speaking of false teachers, Jude 11 says, ―They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam‘s error; they have been destroyed in Korah‘s rebellion.‖ In other words, a false teacher can be known by his pride (Cain‘s rejection of God‘s plan), greed (Balaam‘s prophesying for money), and rebellion (Korah‘s promotion of himself over Moses). Jesus said to beware of such people and that we would know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:1520). For further study, review those books of the Bible that were written specifically to combat false teaching within the church: Galatians, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. It is often difficult to spot a false teacher/false prophet. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.

Have You Accepted Jesus as Your Personal Savior?

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By Sister Donna

Do Christians live in a bubble? Many of us have only Christian friends and associate mainly with other Christians. As a result, we arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;t winning many unbelievers to the Lord Jesus Christ. How can we be witnesses for Jesus if weâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;re never around unbelievers?

BLESSED MAGAZINE

Most people would rather be with people who make them feel comfortable. That‘s why we tend to stick with people who think like we do. With these individuals, we do not have to explain why we believe the way we do, why we accept the Biblical version of creation, or the virgin birth. We don‘t have to explain why Jesus died for our sins…for the sins of all people in the past, present, or future.

Mark 8:15 (NKJV)

However, when we socialize with unbelievers (most) are uncomfortable listening to us claim everyone needs a savior… Jesus. So, we can make excuses like… Unbelievers have heard the message of Jesus and would already be coming to church if they wanted to…they don‘t want to, so who am I to try to change their minds. I‘m not the preacher or one of the elders sharing the gospel is their job not mine. Unbelievers just ridicule or laugh at us anyway, so why bother.

Matthew 13:33 (NKJV)

One excuse I hear a lot is: unbelievers are involved in activities that I can be tempted by. Yet, Jesus was accused with associating with sinners…and he did. (Thank God he did or we would not be saved right now.) We need to take his example and apply it to ourselves. It is important to note, Jesus lived among sinners, yet never sinned. We have the power through the Holy Spirit to withstand sin, so we shouldn‘t ever use the ―I could be tempted and fall into sin excuse.‖ There are many more excuses, but you get the idea. I‘m sure if you‘re like us, you have a few more that you‘ve used at one time or another. Yeast is an ingredient that‘s used to make dough rise. A very small amount is needed to affect the dough. In several places in the Bible, yeast is used in a negative way. We are warned that a small amount of yeast can infect the entire batch. Jesus warned against the bad attitudes, teachings, and practices of the Pharisees. He didn‘t want them to infect his followers with their negative, sometimes evil actions. Jesus wanted his followers to be fore warned…aware of the danger.

15 Then He charged them, saying, ―Take heed, beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.‖ However, the following verse is actually very positive.

33 Another parable He spoke to them: ―The kingdom of heaven is like leaven (yeast), which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.‖ We can be like yeast in the world. Christians mix with the unsaved of the world every day. They should see a difference (if we are living a Christlike life) and want the life of love, joy, and peace we have. We are light to their darkness. It‘s very important we involve ourselves with those around us and not hide the light of Jesus that should be shining brightly in your spirit. Matthew 5:14-15 (NKJV) 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. When I was younger, I thought, ―how sad that the Amish do not share their faith with others. They stay within their own little communities and do not venture out.‖ Yet, I realize that I do not share enough either. I live in the same bubble they do. The only difference is I don‘t separate myself in the same way; I simply stay in my comfort zone and don‘t venture out. In our travels we have met many people. Some know the Lord Jesus, others do not. It‘s easier to share my faith with strangers. You visit with them

BLESSED MAGAZINE for a short time and will probably never see them again. There is boldness in knowing if you seem like a fool for Jesus, you do not have to endure their ridicule. Yet, we are losing some of our relatives, our co-workers, and our country by our silence. We need to have the same boldness with our family and friends as we do with total strangers. (We are encouraging ourselves as well as you.) We have been commissioned to be ambassadors for Jesus.

John 20:21 (NKJV) 21 So Jesus said to them again, ―Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.‖ We are the body of Christ Jesus. We are his hands and feet…his voice. If we do not speak, do not share, do not live for him, how will our city, our country, our world know the truth? We must unify and make a greater effort to reach the lost in our world.

The Christian churches around the world need to stop fussing and fighting over the unimportant issues. We need to agree to disagree on those things not foundational to our faith. We need to focus on Jesus, the only Son of God and the only way to God…the virgin birth, his death on the cross, his burial, and resurrection. We must unify now, today, this minute. If we don‘t, we‘ll lose loved ones, friends, cities, states, countries, and world. The fact is we‘re losing our country. Where it is true God can do anything, He has given us the command to share the gospel. Right now we‘re not doing a very good job. The day will come when it will be illegal to share the gospel with others. I challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and reach out to the lost world around you.

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