NOVEMBER 2014
The Pleasure Trip
Throw the Doors Open The Holidays Are Here! A Vegan Thanksgiving
we are coming to your house for
Thanks giving tasty recipes
made with love
Hi Everybody! I just wanted to stop by and say, “Hey!” And of course to wish you an awesome Thanksgiving filled with joy. I hope that you get to spend your time with friends and family as well as co-workers and neighbors. We all have so much to give, if we would just give it in the right spirit. I know that I am blessed by you. Yes, you! You who are reading what we at RED WINE are writing just for you. If there was no you then there’d be no me. So I am so happy to be able to share what’s on my heart with you. And please, share this Thanksgiving issue with friends and family. If you know anybody who needs encouragement, direction, or just to know about the friendliness of God, please give this to them as a little Thanksgiving gift. It’s free, so why not? Feel free to post a link to this issue on your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and anywhere other people will benefit from the goodness of God. Feel free to write us too. We look forward to dialoguing with you. We love you here at RED WNE Magazine. God Bless You.
Dr. Diana and the RED WINE Family.
CONTENTS 1-2
Forgiveness
3-4
Promiscuity
5-6
GOD wants to adopt you
7-10
GOD’s great healing power
14-16 Thanks giving recipes 17-19 Broken gifts 20-21 Meet Maxwell Ivey
GOD’S GREAT HEALING POWER
11-13
Protect yourself at all times
Have you ever been hurt by somebody and you just
COULDN’T FORGIVE THEM? Perhaps you never intended to try to forgive them because the pain was so raw and the hurt was so deep. You may believe that the person doesn’t deserve your forgiveness, or your trust. In fact, you believe they deserve to be held accountable and at fault for what they did to you. If you do feel this way, you are not alone. There are billions of people all around the world who are in pain because of what others have done to them.
s s e n 1
Do you feel as though someone has sculpted pain in you? If so, raise your hand. I don’t want to cause you to relive the source of your pain. I do want you to think about the result of holding the pain inside for years. What has the pain produced in you? More pain? Hatred? Is it worth carrying around an ocean of pain? That’s right, it is an ocean of pain because pain ebbs and flows just like the tide.
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT IF YOU HOLD THE HURT AND PAIN AGAINST SOMEONE IT WILL PROTECT YOU FROM
MORE HURT?
Do you believe that holding a grudge means that no one will ever hurt you in the same way again? Not true. You can always be hurt by mean, dispirited people. The only way not to ever be hurt is to completely close yourself off from the world. Hide in your house. Stop living life. Refuse to see family members or friends. In other words, you have allowed the person who hurt you to hold you captive. You have given up your life to concentrate on nursing the pain. Know this. If you do not choose to get rid of the emotional pain visited upon you by someone else, it will eventually become physical pain. How? Because pain has tentacles that move it from the emotional and mental realm into the physical realm. FORGIVENESS HAS POWER TOO. In fact, forgiveness is a release from the poison of pain. Like the blood of Jesus washes away your sins, forgiveness washes away your hurt and pain. Let’s say that you agree with these ideas, buy you still cannot find it in yourself to forgive the hurtful person. If you say you can’t, I believe you. That’s why we serve an excellent God. The Bible calls Him the Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6). He is the Great Physician (Luke 4:23). And He will exorcise the blame from deep within you. After all this time, He is the only one who knows how to find it. Not even you know where the pain and hurt is now
because it has grown deep roots inside of you. It’s in your heart and mind and even your environment. Consider this. For those of us who want to grow closer to God, it is important to examine the blame and denunciation we are harboring toward other people, and perhaps have harbored for many years. It is a heavy weight to carry. Consider forgiveness. It alleviates the mind and lightens the soul. It’s like taking a long-awaited shower to wash off a heavy load of sludge and the mud. It will enhance how you look and how you feel. Forgiveness lets you walk taller with a lighter step. God will help you with forgiveness. He will go after the root of all your pain and rip it out at the roots without causing you any physical pain. You will be able to move on and be free. You will be able to soar and be blessed and in your body. You will no longer bear the physical illness caused by emotional pain. You will be able to rejoice in His Holy name and tell your friends family and coworkers about it. Tell them “I held onto this pain for years, but God helped me to release it, and now I feel new. I feel great.” How about that? Forgiveness can do things for you that you can’t imagine because it comes from God, not from this world. You can’t buy forgiveness at the newsstand or order it from Amazon. You can only get it from God. Honor God for His power to forgive. Don’t take it for granted because if you do, that old pain may start to reappear. Partner with God and let Him take care of your life. It’s your life. You deserve every blessing available to you. You deserve happiness. God can make you happy. Love Him today. Just invite Him into your life. Say, “Lord I want to forgive. I ask You to come into my life and come into my heart. Come into my house and be my master. Alleviate my soul. Do for me what Diana says You can do. I want that for me and my family.” An� ��ea�� �e� �� �n�� h�� Go� ��e�e� y��. B� ��e�e� . D�. Di�n�
2
PROMIISSCUITY TREASON PROMISCUITY IS TREASON IN GOD’S WORLD. And let’s face it ladies and gentlemen, when you are being promiscuous there’s a sense of loss. You have lost yourself. In fact, you may have lost yourself even before you had the chance to
FIND YOURSELF. By: Dr. Diana
3
If I started providing young people with methamphetamine and caused them to start using on a continuous basis, I’m sure you would agree that I would be trying to destroy them. Well, promiscuity is in the same category. Drugs start out by destroying the soul and then if given the opportunity will destroy your life which is all of you. Promiscuity sometimes feels good to people who need to fill a gaping hole inside. If people lead you in that direction and you make a pact with them believing it will be fun, you are actually destroying each other. Are you looking for fun, for approval, or to be accepted? Are you looking for love and sex? If so, those are two completely different things. Sex is two people having a physical act with each other. When you enter into a physical, solely sexual relationship with someone, it really doesn’t matter who you are as a person. After all, your new sexual partner met you only 15 minutes ago and now you are in the club bathroom having sex. You are using sex to feel good about yourself. You want the person you just met to say “I love you”, to fulfill you. Forget that. They can’t love you. Love protects. Love would never expose you in a bathroom in a club with someone you met 15 minutes ago. God says that fornication (sex without marriage) is a sin because He knows that it is destructive. Sex impales you spiritually. When you fornicate it puts a hole in your soul because the act of fornication has none of the elements of true love. But when your understanding is limited and you see the world doing things one way, it’s easy to gravitate in that direction. What is best, however, is to gravitate toward doing things God’s way. Love is much, much different than sex. Love covers, protects, provides for you, keeps you safe, and stands by your side. Our first learnings about love (most usually) begin with our parents. Our parents love us and provide us with shelter, clothing, food, and a warm place to sleep. They spend time with us because that’s what love does. Love sticks by us in tough times when we experience pain and suffering. Parents are present because they love their children. Love is awesome and pleasant. The very nature of love is good. It doesn’t come fast. Don’t wish to meet someone and have them say “I love you” right away. If someone truly loves you, that love has to be revealed. You have to discover it as they begin to show it. It doesn’t matter if you are a 50 year-old woman or a 20 year-old girl, you need to make sure someone loves you and you love them before you even think about going into a physical, romantic relationship. God will help to provide you a mate – the right mate for you. God Himself knows, (being Mr. Wisdom), that He has to provide you with a mate. He has to create the opportunity for you to meet the person who He knows has
been created to be your mate. Only God can help you find the mate that will love you, inspire you, protect you, and shelter you in all kinds of ways. The person that God leads you to is not going to be perfect. Your mate is not necessarily going to be a knight in shining armor or a damsel in distress. No, he or she will be human, just like you. No one’s perfect, even the mate that God will find for you. However, this mate will have the characteristics and strength to fit exactly what you need. It’s entirely possible that you will look at this person and think “Well he or she is not at all what I want.” That doesn’t matter. You may have been chasing after the wrong characteristics for years. You may have been attracted to the wrong kind of looks, or wealth, or charm. It’s time to remove the earthly rose-colored glasses and ask God to reveal your perfect mate to you.
Ask God to reveal what this person has that you need and why he or she was chosen for you. He is your father in Heaven, which means He will protect, shelter and love you forever because He never dies. God won’t abandon you, He draws near. He will walk down the street holding your hand and cover you up so that people don’t see your past mistakes. No one will see your history of promiscuity. No one will see your history of drug addiction or prostitution. God the Father will always be faithful to you. He will remove you from life’s traps, like promiscuity, and give you love. All you have to do is knock on God’s door. Ball up your fists and knock on that proverbial door and say “God I am here. Where are you?” I guarantee that if you knock from your heart, and you promise that you will keep Him in your life. He will open that door. Knock. It’s not too late. The Bible says seek and you shall find. God said seek Me while I may be found. Now is your time to be found. Dr. Diana
4
GOD Wants to ADOPT You
Adoption is the plan of God to help you gain control of your life. If your life is out of control and you think you are never going to overcome your problems or realize your dreams and hopes. Maybe you think you will never be free from drugs or alcohol. Maybe you are a pedophile and wonder why you are attracted to children and you’re tired of thinking of yourself in a disgusting way.
5
There are other thoughts. Why do I want to hurt women by raping them? Why do I want to dominate people? Why do I hate my mother or my father? Why do I feel repulsed when I look at myself in the mirror? Why do I feel disgusted when I look at my body? Why am I trapped in depression? Why was I born? Or why do I feel like I am a man trapped in a woman’s body? Or a woman trapped in a man’s body? Why was my child born crippled or blind? Why was my child born mentally retarded? These questions are asked everyday all over the world. If you are experiencing any of these or something different, God’s plan for a new life for you is through adoption. He wants to adopt you. You may think, I am grown, I don’t need to be adopted. I just need help. Well that is your help. He wants to adopt you as a father and as a friend. He wants to adopt you so He can provide for you on the level you need for Him to. And you need Him more than you know. So allow the spirit of adoption to come into your life. You’ll be surprised what you’ll learn out of this and what you’ll gain. You are not going to lose anything else that is important to your life. In fact you will gain things you probably never expected to have. I know from personal experience. Remember I am the girl who came from the projects with nothing. Now I am living in a beautiful place. And it’s only because of God. Dr. Diana
6
GOD’S GREAT Healing POWER "What do you mean, 'If I can'?"Jesus asked." Anything is possible if a person believes.” (Mark 9:23 NLT)
7
This single scripture verse tells us a mighty story about Jesus’ faith in us. Most of us know about His miraculous healings and teachings. What is often overlooked is His belief that we too can do great works, if we will only believe.
"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” (John 14:12 NLT)
Q: Did you expect God to heal you? A: Absolutely. I never had a doubt. I just didn’t know how long the process would take.
8
Do you BELIEVE in
HEALING?
Do you believe that we can do greater works than Jesus? Do you believe that you can be healed by God’s love? Because God loves us, He wants to heal us. It’s that simple!
Recently I had the privilege to talk with a few people who believe that God does heal. They tell stories of God’s healing power because they were witness to it. I think you will be as fascinated with these stories as I was when I first heard them.
A: Well, in terms of feeling the pain, I'm still going through it.
When God’s healing power becomes life’s saving grace. This is the story of Rachel. Rachel was sexually abused on a daily basis for most of her childhood, at least as far back as she can remember. God has been healing her from the emotional, spiritual, and physical damage that was done to her by those years of abuse. He is healing Rachel’s memories of her childhood and returning to her some of the goodness that the abusive monster stole from her. In a cool way, God has allowed Rachel to experience the things that she never could as a child, the good things that are supposed to be part of childhood. She is going on mission trips around the world to share how God has healed her, she’s learning how to trust people again, and she is living her life according to the promises of God. Though she spent most of her life in fear, she is coming out of her shell because now she knows the promises of God. Here is part of my conversation with Rachel.
or made for someone else's filthy pleasure. He is taking my brokenness and shame and filling those places with a feeling of being whole and loved and cherished.
Q: What is your definition of healing? A: That's a tough question! In the dictionary, healing means mending or getting well and I'd have to say that I agree with that.
Q: Why do you think God wants to heal us? A: I think God wants to heal us because He loves and cares for us. He wants good things for us, no matter what.
Q: How long did you go through the pain of abuse?
9
But chronologically, the abuse occurred from about age six until age twelve.
Q: How is God healing you? A: God is healing me by showing me that I'm not worthless
Q: How long has the healing process been taking place? A: The majority of my healing has occurred over the course of the past six years, but I assume the process will continue until I'm no longer living on the earth.
Q: Did God restore your views on healing? A: Yes. Before I began my journey to heal the wounds that came from sexual abuse, I had thought of healing as pretty much this one time, big thing; something that happened once and lasted for forever. But for me it's been more of a slow, meticulous healing because there's so much involved. Which is good, because I have a feeling that God knows that I can’t do this all at once. It would be too much.
Q: What would you tell someone who is going through a situation similar to what you went through? A: I would tell them not to give up. I would encourage them to gather a group of Christian people around them, maybe even a professional counselor, to walk the journey with
When it comes to being healed, a great amount of faith is required. One doesn’t just pray to be healed and then wait and see if the healing arrives. One must pray to be healed and truly, deeply believe that the healing can actually take place. them, pray with them and speak truth to them when they can't see it for themselves. I would tell them that going through this healing "process" sucks sometimes. And it's really hard and overwhelming. But it's so worth it to actually feel and live again, to be able to experience the love of Christ in a very tangible way. And also, I would tell them that it will get better.
Because God loves us
This is the story of Chris Niakian. It is a story about the physical manifestation of healing that the Lord brought to a young man who Chris encountered at work. Let’s have Chris tell the story in his own words: “I’m a manager at a Dairy Queen, so I’m just walking around checking stuff out, and this kid walks in. He was limping really bad and he’s with his mother. I’m thinking to myself, ‘man I really want to pray for this kid.’ I didn’t right then. They ordered their food, sat down, and started eating. He walks up to the front counter and he asked for a to-go bag and I decided to ask what happened to his leg. He said, ‘I messed it up really bad while playing soccer. I haven’t gone to get it checked out or anything.’ And then I asked, ‘Hey man, can I pray for your leg? Like ask God to heal it?’ He hesitated for a moment, and then agreed. So I took him to the back. I put my hand on his calf, and prayed. Just a little,
simple prayer. I got up, and asked him how it felt. He got up and walked around a bit. I could tell nothing happened, because his face showed he was still in pain. In my mind I thought, ‘Well, I’m gonna pray again.’ So I asked him, ‘Do you mind if I pray again?’ He said, ‘Yeah, yeah, sure why not?’ At this point, his mom had come to the back and was watching, which was really sweet. I put my hand on his leg again, and prayed another little prayer. I stood up and asked him to take another step. He took a step and looked up at me. Tears were filling his eyes. He said, ‘I don’t feel any pain. My leg feels completely better!’ I kept asking him ‘You don’t feel the pain in your leg anymore? The pain is gone?’ and he kept saying ‘Yes, Yes!’ I was completely surprised and gave him a big hug. I told him, ‘That happened because Jesus loves you!’ His mom was very touched. It was cool because all the kids I work with go to high school with him. They said that after he hurt is leg he would sit on the sidelines. But after I prayed for him and healed his leg, the very next day he was running around on the field and was wearing a cross necklace.”
Here is part of my conversation with Chris: Q: What is your definition of healing? A: One word, Redemption. Q: What would you tell a person who wants to pray for someone, but doesn’t know how? A: You miss every shot you don’t take. It’s in the Bible. Lay your hands on the sick and be healed. You’ll never know if you don’t try. It’s just being obedient. It isn’t the same watching someone else heal until you do it yourself.
Q: Did you expect God to heal that young man? A: Not 100%. Well, no, I did expect it, because I prayed that God would heal him. If I didn’t expect Him to, I wouldn’t have prayed.
Q: Has God restored your views on healing? A: I didn't need restoration in that area. I had only been saved by God for a few months at the time. It was more of a faith booster for me.
Q: Why do you think God heals us? A: Because he loves us. It’s that plain and simple. These conversations illustrate that whether you see immediate results, or have to wait a while for them, God wants to heal us. We are His children, and we need to have faith and patience in believing that. It’s because He loves us we’re healed and we can see healings in others through Him.
10
Protect
By: Michael Vazquez
As we conduct our daily lives in “this” world, we are warned how to protect ourselves. If you enter a construction site, you come into agreement by putting on a hard hat. When it rains, road block barriers are put in place so we don’t put ourselves at risk of being swept away. For the safety of wanting to have a good time, we are required to even dress a certain way if we want to “come in” we must come into agreement with the requirements.
On September 17, 2011 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Victor Ortiz squared off for the fight billed as STAR POWER! Referee Joe Cortez pulled the boxers together to the center of the ring for the usual advice and said, “Protect yourselves at all times!” The two boxers touched gloves signifying the battle is on! In the 4th round, Ortiz backed Mayweather to the ropes and intentionally fouled Mayweather with a head butt. The referee stopped the fight and took a point away from Ortiz. Ortiz touched gloves with Mayweather and just for a second took his eyes off of Mayweather. That’s all it took. He took his eyes off of his opponent. Mayweather hit him twice and Ortiz went down. As we conduct our daily lives in “this” world, we are warned how to protect ourselves. If you enter a construction site, you come into agreement by putting on a hard hat. When it rains, road block barriers are put in place so we don’t put ourselves at risk of being swept away. For the safety of wanting to have a good time, we are required to even dress a certain way if we want to “come in” we must come into agreement with the requirements.
11
When God created Adam, Adam did not have to wait 90 days to get insurance or be eligible for the stock purchase plan. Adam had eternal life, everything he needed and did not have to worry about sickness or disease. Talk about having it made in the shade!!! Genesis 2:15-17 (GWT): Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to farm the land and to take care of it. The LORD God commanded the man. He said, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden. But you must never eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because when you eat from it, you will certainly die.” We all know what happened. . .just like the boxer that took his eyes off of the opponent, Adam was sucker punched. Many people claim that Mayweather cheated when he hit Ortiz while he wasn’t looking but he was within the rules of boxing! Genesis 3:1 (GWT): The snake was more clever than all the wild animals the LORD God had made. He asked the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must never eat the fruit of any tree in the garden’?”
Yourself At All Times Protect yourself at all times. The devil will try to confuse you.
If you are an unsaved person you may think I will learn how to protect myself. The devil loves this one. You may learn martial arts or buy a gun and take a class on how to use it or you may build your muscles up to be physically strong. That is understandable if you are only trying to protect yourself from another human being. Remember the devil is sitting back watching you just grinning away. What if we are not battling with Bob down the street but we are battling with unforgiveness that eats away at you to the point of it altering your life or family? What if we are battling with depression or suicide or many forms of bondage? Here is one thing that really gets me, sickness. Oh yeah, there’s always fear, anxiety, doubt or confusion? Do you
notice unlike Bob who we can literally see with our eyes, the other ones we can’t? Ephesians 6: 12--This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world. The boxer Ortiz had a plan or strategy to fight Mayweather. He watched film to visually see his tendencies, his style, his weakness. He was prepared for all he saw and studied but that was not what caused him to lose. He lost because he did not see the sucker punch. So you may ask how do I protect myself at all times? If you want the benefits jobs offer like medical, dental, life insurance, etc., you must be at work full time, not part time. God is not a part-time protector. Psalm 121:1-3 I look up toward the mountains. Where can I find help? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let you fall. Your guardian will not fall asleep.
12
If you want protection at all times, you must part ways from the god of this world who is the devil. If you are an unsaved person, by default you are serving under the plan of satan. If you say that to someone they will probably think you’re crazy but unfortunately it’s true. Meanwhile the devil is sitting there with his fingers to his lips saying, “Shh, that’s not true.” John 8: 22 You come from your father, the devil, and you desire to do what your father wants you to do. The devil was a murderer from the beginning. He has never been truthful. He doesn’t know what the truth is. Whenever he tells a lie, he’s doing what comes naturally to him. He’s a liar and the father of lies. That verse addresses two points we just went over, who you serve under by default and the devil saying that’s not true. Remember he is the father of lies.
Full protection comes only one way.
John 14:6 Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me. Because My Parents Made Me! From your heart and confessed by your mouth you must make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior and confess and believe He was crucified and resurrected for our sins. I know a lot of folks say, “When I was young we all got up on stage and did that. But it wasn’t coming from my heart, I was simply a participant in a planned (not by me) program. I am sure my parents and all the other parents clapped and felt good but were we just sucker punched? The enemy wanted me to think that because I went up to the altar as a child that I had received “my salvation”, but it was not so. I was only a child! I did not understand what true salvation entailed. Remember the Lord looks into the heart . . .
13
Thanksgiving Recipes
14
VEGAN COLLARD GREENS 2 Bags Collard Greens (cut) 1 Bag Turnip Greens 1 Bag Mustard Greens 2 Vegetable Bullions 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar Lawry’s Seasoned Salt to taste Ground Black Pepper to taste Garlic Powder to taste
Wash greens in cold water. Drain water but and immediately transfer to a large pot. Add all the rest of the ingredients. Greens will cook from the residual water left on the leaves so make sure you use a pot with a top. Place the top on the pot and cook on a low flame until tender. Season to taste. About 2 ½ hours.
CANDIED YAMS 9 Yams (large) 1½ sticks of Butter (cut into small pieces) 2-3 Cups Sugar ¾ cup Karo Syrup (Dark) 2-3 Tablespoons of Vanilla Extract ¼ cup cinnamon 1Teaspoon Nutmeg
1.Boil the yams with the skin on in a large pot about 30-45 minutes or until tender where you can stick a fork through them. Don’t over cook the potatoes or they will fall apart. 2.Drain water and let the potatoes cool off and then peel them. Slice the potatoes ¼ inch thick, lengthwise. 3.Take a 13 x 9 inch rectangle-baking dish. Sprinkle a ¼ cup of sugar all over the bottom of the baking dish. Then take the thick slices and lay them on top of the sugar in the pan. Line them up one beside the other. You should end up with 3 rows of sliced yams, so altogether you will have 9 slices per layer. 4.Take your butter and put a small piece on each slice.
15
5.Take about 1½ cups of sugar and put all across the yams. Then 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and pour on top of the sugar. Then pour a light coating of cinnamon and sprinkle of nutmeg on the layer. 6.Begin the process all over again stacking the yams on top of each other until all the ingredients are used up. Finish the yams by pouring a good amount of Karo Syrup on top of the yams. 7.Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
Baked Macaroni & CheesE
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
1lb. Box Elbow Macaroni
1. Heat Oven To 375 Degrees F 2. Cook Macaroni As Directed On Box And Drain. 3. Put Hot Macaroni In 9x13 Pyrex Casserole Dish. 4. Add Stick Of Butter And Mix Until Melted 5. Add 1- 8 Oz Bag Of Mild Cheddar And 8 Oz Bag Of Sharp Cheese 6. To Macaroni And Mix, Add Other Bag Of Mild Cheddar And Mix 7. Take 8 Slices Of American Cheese And Cut Into Strips And Mix 8. Add 1 Tsp Of Salt And 1 Tsp Of Pepper Mix 9. Beat 2 Eggs And Pour Over Mixture 10. Pour 2 Cans Evaporated Milk Over Mixture And Mix Well 11. Sprinkle Paprika Over Mixture. 12. Bake 45min to 1 hour Watching For The Top To Turn Brown 13. Allow Macaroni And Cheese To Set For 15 Minutes Then Serve
2 Cans Of Evaporated Milk 2 /8oz Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese 8oz Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese ½ Lb Deli Sliced Yellow American Cheese 1 Stick Of Butter 2 Eggs 1 Tsp Salt 1 Tsp Pepper Paprika
16
Broken
Gifts I want to congratulate God for being such an awesome creator. He’s so wise and full of creativity. I am grateful that He has taught me about who He is and about who I am as well. At the same time I want to say that it’s unfortunate that people suffer because they don’t know God. The thing is, God is available to them if they would just reach out to Him from their heart. Knowing God would make all the difference in their lives.
17
People are meant to be gifts to the world. We are supposed to be gifts to each other. Our children are gifts that God gives to us. God said blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them (children). (Psalm 127:5). We were all put on earth to help one another grow, progress, discover what it means to love, and understand the concept of family and friendship. Yet too often, wherever we look, we see pain, jealousy, and destruction. That is what happens when we hurt one another instead of realizing that we are gifts and we are here to bless each other. 1Corinthians 12 talks about spiritual gifts. People who don’t have a relationship with God and don’t read the Bible, don’t understand what that means. Spiritual gifts are a lot like the gifts you buy for Christmas or birthdays. God gave spiritual gifts to every person. Yes, God has given you a spiritual gift. If you say, “Dr. Diana I don’t have a spiritual gift”, I’m going reply, “Yes you do. You just haven’t discovered it. But you can with a relationship with God.” Perhaps you know you have a gift, but you don’t know how to use it or grow it. Well, that’s everybody’s plight at some time in their life. Which brings me to my point. The other day I was driving down the street and saw a big sign in the front yard of a house that said PSYCHICS COME IN. It obviously was the home of someone who was psychic and was advertising her skills with a sign the size of a billboard on her front lawn. In every community you can usually find someone who is running a business as a psychic. Growing up in NYC, I had the opportunity to be around many people who were psychics, and a lot of them were accurate in their insights. Many of them were good people. They believed they had a gift and wanted to use it to help people. They felt that their psychic abilities were a God-given gift and it was their calling to help people. They earned a living telling fortunes, charging for every insight. In the 1990’s I went to psychics when I was having problems with my boyfriend. I spent way too much money; probably $10,000. When you are desperate for someone to tell you what you want to hear, money is no object! My boyfriend and I had talked about marriage, but then we broke up. I talked about it to my friends so much that they finally told me to get over it and move on. I couldn’t. I felt like I had lost something that was very valuable to me. So when I saw a sign in a window in Pennsylvania that said PSYCHIC, I went in. It wasn’t until I found God years later and started to learn about the gifts of the spirit that I realized that every human being has gifts, not just psychics. I believe that even some psychics have received their gift from God. There’s no doubt about that. The problem isn’t
whether or not their “sight” is a gift, the problem is how they are using their gift. God gives us perfect gifts that have to be cultivated and developed. We discover how to use them through our relationship with God. Our gifts are not meant to be used outside of a close relationship with God and for God; for His plan and His purposes.
God-given gifts were not meant to be used to make money as a psychic or a medium. Those titles and positions are not part of God’s plan. When you step outside the purpose for which God gave you a gift, you are perverting that gift. You might as well break it. God gives you information and direction through His gifts. Once you step outside of the purpose that God has for your gifts, He can no longer orchestrate or direct the power of that gift. Because we are spiritual beings encased in an earthly body, we are more familiar with the world and how it operates than we are with the spiritual world. So when it comes to the spiritual gifts that God gives us, the only way for us to know how to use them is if we go to God and let Him show us. It gets a bit more complicated. You see, in the spirit world, there are more entities than just God. There are God’s angels and other kinds of spiritual beings that belong to God. There is also Satan and the demons and the fallen angels that follow him. So, the spirit world is full of spirits that are playing for one team or the other. Here’s the point; if you take one of the spiritual gifts that God talks about in 1 Corinthians 12, and use it the way you want to use it, instead of the way God intends for the gift to be used, Satan is now in control. There are only two types of spirits in the world. The spirit of God and His kingdom or the spirit of Satan and his kingdom. Jesus made a comment about it. “Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive.” (Matthew 12:25-16, NLT)
18
When I was a little girl, nine years old, my family discovered I had a gift. My sister used to take me to the racetrack. She’d ask me to pick a horse and then she would bet on the horse, and win! I just knew which horse was going to win. Nobody in my family knew exactly what that gift was, but they knew I had it.
Over time I discovered that God had called me to be a prophet. A lot of people equate psychics with prophets. They are not the same. One is being used by God and one is being used by the Satan. Most psychics don’t know that Satan is using them and they don’t realize he is prostituting their gift.
For a period of time I forgot I had that gift because I was busy being a teenager and having a good time with my friends in NYC. But then when I was in my early thirties, the gift came back and it was much, much stronger and more highly developed than it was before. I used to try to help people because I knew things about them. For instance, I was at a friend’s house in the neighborhood and her cousin came to visit. As she came through the door, a scene suddenly flashed before my eyes. I saw a construction site. I saw the scaffolding and the men on it. I saw a man up on the building and then he fell. And that man was her husband. I also knew that she had five children. As she sat down and my friend introduced us, I was so overwhelmed with what I was seeing that I immediately blurted out, “Do you have five boys and is your husband a construction worker?” She looked at me strangely and said yes. Then she turned to her cousin and asked who I was? Her cousin explained, “She (me) has a gift.” I told her to tell her husband to be careful because I saw him on the building frame and then I saw him falling. Weeks after, her cousin told me that her husband fell off that building and died. I was heartbroken. What I did not know was that she was having a relationship with another man. That I did not see.
To The Psychics
I used my gift in a way that was not right before God. From 1996 to 2000 I had a TV show called Living in the Spirit. It aired in a primetime spot. For the first two or three years, people would call the show live on the air, and I would tell them what I saw. My intentions were good. I wanted to help people. And yes, I even took money and did what was called readings. But I did this out of ignorance. I didn’t have a pastor or any church people around me to tell me it was wrong. I didn’t grow up in a church so I had no way of knowing. Despite that, somehow I knew that psychics were not of God. But, I didn’t call myself a psychic. I just knew I had a gift. I didn’t know what I was or why I could do this. I just knew I had a good heart. Somewhere around 1997, God told me I was in error. That’s what He said. I felt guilty when He told me that my work was not His intention for my gift. God said he told me that to set me free, free so that I could use Him to help people. From that day on I stopped making money from my gift. Instead, I started using my gift for the Kingdom of God which meant no charge. Finally I was using my gift as it was intended.
19
If you are a psychic, fortuneteller, medium or anyone on that level, I want to say that you probably have a good heart and really want to help people. Maybe you wanted to be a counselor but then discovered that you had these gifts and were naturally drawn to the supernatural. If you are charging people for it, I am here to tell you that there is a much more excellent way of using your gift. You have not seen the depths or heights of what your gift could be in the hand of God. Reach out to God and tell him how you have been using your gifts. Ask Him if that is right or wrong. Ask him to show you the way. Tell him, “I would love to turn my gift over to you and help people on a larger scale. I want to invite you into my life to instruct me.” You have to be willing to invite the Lord Jesus Christ into your life because the gifts you have are His gifts. They were given to you by Him before you were born. So if you really want to know everything there is to know about that gift, you must go to Him. To the people who go to psychics, mediums and astrologers, I tell you that all of that belongs to Satan. If you are going to these people, you are coming into agreement with Satan as well. These spirits will gain entrance into your life and will affect every area of your life; finances, children, marriage, and even your career. You are a gift and you have a gift, and if you would give it to God He will do excellent and great things for you. And if you give yourself over to Him, He will use you in the ways you were meant to be used. And you will excel. And you will be a blessing to people’s lives. And He knows how to empower you in a way that you could never learn by yourself. There is a more excellent way! Love you.
Dr. Diana
Meet
Maxwell Ivey
GIVING UP Is Not An Option!
Before
Hello; When Dr. Diana asked me to write an article for Red Wine Magazine, I wasn't sure what to write about. Usually the editor gives me the topic. When I asked Dr. Diana what she thought I should write about she replied, “Why don't you just tell your personal story?”
That sounded like a great idea. I am told that my life is inspirational and that I should share my story more often. I am becoming more comfortable with sharing my journey of transformation, so, I hope you enjoy hearing about my life. I hope it helps you. I'd love to hear that after reading this story you were moved to take action in your personal or professional life. I love helping people and sharing my story is one of the best ways I can do that.
My Story
It all started about eight years ago. I was a real mess. My father's early death from lung cancer had lead to the closure of my family's small traveling carnival. Only two pieces of the business were left - my mom's food trailer and a children’s carnival game. In order to get some income, we had to book them with a competing traveling show - a show that belonged to my uncle. This was extremely distasteful for my family. We had competed heavily with my uncle for show bookings while my father was alive and I knew he would have given the contracts away before allowing my uncle to have them. But, we had to live.
After action. My mom convinced me that I needed to see a doctor. Finding a good one while you are traveling isn't easy. (The first doctor I saw prescribed all those medications that I mentioned!) It wasn't until the winter when we returned to home base that I found a very good primary care physician, Dr. Sabar Sundarraj. She helped me in so many ways. First, she persuaded me to have a sleep study and found a hospital that would accept my insurance. Just as she suspected, the study determined that I had sleep apnea and had probably had it for years. Dr. Sandaraj explained the side effects of sleep deprivation and assured me that I would feel much better after being fitted with a CPAp, or breathing, machine. She was right. What a difference sleep can make in how you feel!
On top of that, I was morbidly obese, had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and was on a variety of prescription medicines. Looking back I probably was depressed as well, but I never admitted that to myself. Things were bleak.
The next thing Dr. Sandaraj did was to encourage me to attend a seminar on gastric bypass surgery. She said it was obvious that I was trying hard to lose weight, but was not making any progress on my own. I went to the seminar and was impressed to learn that the surgery isn’t considered a quick fix, rather a tool to help lose weight and keep it off for
How did I turn things around? It started with one simple
20
the long term. I selected a procedure and had the surgery on October 2nd, 2012. I have just celebrated my second anniversary since the surgery and I have lost over 250 pounds. I am having no trouble staying at my ideal weight of 255 pounds and I am now in good overall health. The moral of the story? Take care of your own body. No matter what your goal is in life, it will be more difficult to achieve it if your body isn't in its best physical condition. That means the best physical condition for you- not the best physical condition promoted by magazines or television! This is a very important point to remember. I am not perfect. I still need to reshape the body I have left. However, I no longer disagree with people who say I am handsome or sexy. I know I am looking good so I just say thanks and smile! Once I started to get in better shape, I started to have more energy and passion for life. I took stock of my situation. I started thinking about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I decided that I no longer wanted to travel with the show. I wasn't making any money with the kids’ game that I was operating. (Even if I had been doing very well, I wouldn't have been happy operating it on “another man's midway”. I've got too much of my daddy in me for that!) As a result, I decided to launch a website where I would help people sell their surplus amusement equipment. I had done this for my family and thought to myself “Why not do it full time?” As it turns out, I had a lot to learn! Fortunately, my brothers Michael and Patrick helped a lot in the beginning. I had to learn HTML code, how to build social media sites, create an e-mail list, recruit clients, write ad copy for equipment listings, set fees, and many more details. Later, I moved the website architecture from HTML to a word press site. This meant learning a new way of building and maintaining the site. Later on I started blogging, recording You Tube videos, and conducting video chats through Google+ Hangouts. I'm not telling you this to brag. I just want to relate how far I have come since losing all that weight. I did it by doing what I could each day and leaving the rest to the Lord. If you concentrate on the things you can do something about, you won't have time to worry about the things completely outside of your control. I got up early, worked late, and generally had a zeal for life that I hadn't had in years. That energy led to even more exciting work. I started sharing my blog posts in blogging communities to help promote sales. People started commenting on how inspiring it was to see a blind person running a business,
21
writing a blog, and even sharing pointers on social media and blogging. I tried to say, “Awe shucks I'm not that special”. However, I continued to hear how my posts had motivated someone to keep going, or tackle thorny emotional issues or family problems. I so often heard people say, “Max if you are doing it then what excuse do I have?”, that I finally admitted to myself that I am special. I now understand that people consider my story to be inspirational because I am doing all these things despite my disability, when so many without disabilities do nothing with their lives. Once I realized that what other people were saying to me was true, that I have something special to offer, I decided to embrace my role as an inspiration to others. I launched a second website to share my personal experiences, offer coaching services, and public speaking appearances. I have even written a motivational e-book to share my journey and the lessons I have learned along the way. It includes exercises that the reader can work through with me, by e-mail. I am hoping that as a result of all these offerings, I can help a lot more people become the person that they were meant to become. As I was finishing my book, I realized that I needed help designing the cover, and the text needed a lot of editing. I let people know that I needed assistance and again I was blessed with many people offering their time and talents at a steep discount and in some instances, for free. There are people out there waiting to help you too. You just have to ask with an open heart. Today I am a healthy gentleman with a successful brokering business who is also working to establish himself as a life coach, author, and inspirational speaker. I have been blessed to be featured on other people's websites, blogs, and podcasts. My first e-book is being published soon and thanks to a wonderful community of friends there seems to be a great deal of anticipation building around the release. I am already being asked about what I will do next. I'm thinking of writing a second book or possibly producing a series of videos. I now have interests outside of work and spend quite a bit of time with my family. I plan to travel more for business and pleasure. I am openly seeking a lady to join me on my journey and share the adventures that I know God has in store for me. The book will be live online by Nov 1st and there are still free copies available for those who subscribe to my e-mail list prior to the release date. I will extend this offer to the end of the month if you mention having heard about it here at RED WINE Magazine .