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Editors
Voice
Happy New Year! Red Wine once again is in transition. We are building the magazine to give you more articles and offer more on what’s going on today. We feel a very serious sense of responsibility to deal with the current state of the United States and how it affects the entire world. There’s so much social unrest here it appears we are starting to look like another country. Often times we don’t pray enough for other countries that have a history of civil unrest or focus enough on how to help them. Now social unrest is at our door in America. But we thank God in all things. He works all things together for the good of them that love Him (“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28). He dropped in my spirit the scripture, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” (Proverbs 21:1). Know this, when you walk with God, He will forewarn you of things to come and give you foresight. At the same time, He will let you know you don’t have to worry when you walk with Him because you reside under the shadow of the Almighty (“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1). So start planning to walk with God and have those holy relevant talks called-Prayer. God Bless You! We pray for you and ask that you pray for Red Wine in our time of transition. We need people who are dedicated and committed to writing about what God is doing. If you are someone who wants to write, consider helping us spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through Red Wine Magazine. I look forward to hearing from you.
CONTENTS
FEBRUARY 2017
16
22
GOD’S
School of Experience
RED WINE
4 Information=Intercession 7 Demon's Today (Part 1) 16 God's School of Experience 22 A Teacher's Right 26 Darkest Before The Dawn 30 When Your Sins Find You Out
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EXECUTIVE OFFICE
ec Erica Johnson
RED WINE MAGAZINE INCORPORATED 17503 LA CANTERA PARKWAY, SUITE 104-193 SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78257
EDITOR -IN CHIEF DR. DIANA HARDY
WRITERS DR. DIANA HARDY ERICA JOHNSON
GRAPHIC DESIGN KAREN HUE GUSTAVO
WESITE DESIGN GAGAN MASOUN
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i
NFORMATION=
INTERCESSION Erica Johnson
5 RED WINE FEBRUARY 2017 Everywhere you turn, we are being inundated with information. When we want to check the time, if we pick up our phone, there will likely be a text message or a news bulletin on the screen. There’s websites, emails, voicemail, Twitter and Facebook. You cannot escape information, whether it is something going on in your office or on the other side of the world.
news cycle stops, so does the conversation.
The human mind is uniquely designed to focus on what is important and filter out what is extraneous. That’s why most people can’t tell you every detail of an event. And that is why three people can be in a room and tell the same story from different viewpoints.
Information is given for intercession. Throughout the Bible God reveals things to people to motivate them to pray and to act in accordance with His will. And it is no different today. We must not judge or gossip but rather intercede when we hear about people and situations.
But admittedly, in this modern world, it takes some real work to focus because so much is being thrown at us at one time. We often dismiss certain information right away as useless. Or we dismiss it because our thoughts quickly move on to the next thing. Even worse, we hear things about people or situations and we just pass the info along to the next person or we engage in debates and opinion sharing. And while there are times when it is good to engage in discussions on topics and there are even situations where you may need to share someone’s situation with others, I’m concerned that we as a society have become apathetic to what’s happening in the world around us. Once the
But information is powerful; especially in the Kingdom of God. The Bible says that people perish because of a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). So when we are privy to information, God has an expectation of us to use it wisely.
“So admit your sins to each other, and pray for each other so that you will be healed. Prayers offered by those who have God’s approval are effective.” (James 5:16). Your prayer, as a Believer in Christ Jesus, has the power to change things. One word from you can help a stranger, a friend or loved one. It can help your community and your nation. So ask God to help you know what is valuable information and what is just fluff and then take what you glean from the two and pray. Information is for intercession. Use it wisely. Be blessed!
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I am writing this article on a historical day in the United States. It is inaugural day, 2017. Our President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in this afternoon. All eyes will be on this event. And while this is a tremendous occasion, there are deeper conversations taking place in rooms all around the world. We focused so much energy on Obama and Trump, that we haven’t paid attention to what’s really going on. So many are duped because they don’t believe in the real powers that be. So many people only believe in what they see and not in what they can’t see.
emon’s TODAY PART 1
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H
ow many of you know that just because you can’t see behind closed doors that it doesn’t mean there aren’t both good and bad things going on that can affect you and your family’s life? You can’t
see it, but it is happening just the same. Well the same way that is happening and you are not aware of it at this time, I want to draw your mind to an area that fundamentally most of you are not even aware of. How do I know that? Because you would hear more people discussing it, tweeting it and it would be all over TV and movies if it had importance to people in our world today: demons.
Demons are not a major conversation and they should be. Instead Hollywood has commercialized vampires, warlocks and witches and made them friendly and warm. They have humanized them to make them palatable to us and they do that through our kids. Who wouldn’t want to be supernatural, right? Walk through walls, have control. I know that’s what everyone wants, to have control over their lives and sometimes even others. But I have to talk to you about demons because they deal with you daily. To the point that they have assignments over you and your family, they
knowledge
is important about the kingdom of darkness. You have grounds men and angelic spirits in the heavenly realm (in the sky) who are strategizing and attacking your thoughts and your body, snatching your ideas, influencing your children.
9 RED WINE FEBRUARY 2017 have ungodly tasks and ideas on how to hurt you. They are coming together and fighting you and you are not even thinking about it because you think you have your life under control. Demons are assigned by satan to overthrow you and the only reason they are not is because of an awesome, ever-loving God that watches over you and your children. So you may think why do bad things happen anyway. Well they happen due to a lack of knowledge. The Bible says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge . . .” (Hosea 4:6). Your lack of knowing what is fighting you and why, is what makes you perish. Take for instance a family that has high blood pressure that runs through the family. The mother has it and then the son and then it skips a generation and the great-grand daughter has it. Doesn’t the doctor ask you what runs in your family? Even doctors know that things run through the family or through the bloodline. Well satan works through the bloodline, trying to keep things in the bloodline. You have people born to drug addicts who are adopted by clean parents, raised n good homes and get a good education. They never even learn of their biological parents but still get strung out on drugs. How does that happen?
It is time to open our eyes and ask
GOD the truth.
The truth is the demonic spirits know the biological line that child came through and tracks the child despite the child being separated from the biological family. So knowledge is important about the kingdom of darkness. You have grounds men and angelic spirits in the heavenly realm (in the sky) who are strategizing and attacking your thoughts and your body, snatching your ideas, influencing your children. They are spirit beings just like you. You don’t see yourself that way because you see your flesh first but you too are a spirit being. If you take you hand and hold it near your mouth, you feel the air coming out of you.
emo nic
ds
s t i pir
are also spirit beings and they do affect you and they are very real. You see a lot of bad things happening out there today and it is demons pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10). The enemy only comes for three reasons. If he can’t destroy you, he will steal from you and keep stealing until you are depressed and then those demonic spirits have been waiting and planning for the day they can get you depressed and possibly consider suicide. Look at divorce. Marriage is a God-institution. It is supposed to be God bringing that person into your
life and you accepting them. Marriage between a man and a woman is holy! It was not created by the county clerk’s office. It is truly a reflection of what God’s choice is for your life. So since marriage is holy, satan comes with divorce, a rip or tear that hurts the couple, their children and everyone connected to the marriage. There are demons today like lust and pride. If you are lusting after money or food, gluttony, depression, jealousy, poverty, all of those things are demonically orchestrated. There is a way out though, a way to cast these demons out of your life. But you must know how. You have to know the demons today. Who are you fighting? Not Sally who gets on your nerves down the street, she’s not satan but he may be using her. And is he using you and would you know it? Fight the demonic spirits that are causing these issues and problems. Please read part 2 to find out more. Dr. Diana
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The trailer for the new Will Smith movie has a line about human connection.
He says,
“WE ARE HERE TO
CONNECT.”
This stood out to me because the next logical response is why do we desire connection so badly? Could it be an innate desire? I say yes, because the God that made us desired to connect with us. He made us in His image and desired a close relationship with us. Sin (the fall) separated us from God but Jesus Christ is the bridge by which we can be re-connected to God. But please understand this on a deeper level. The wages of sin are death so when Adam and Eve ate of the tree they were not supposed to; God had to stick to His Word. He had told them they would die. But God’s desire for closeness to the humans He made was so great He created a way to bring us back to Him through Jesus Christ. So we have a desire to connect to something bigger than ourselves. We spend a good portion of life trying to connect to the wrong things but prayerfully you enter that moment where you realize you have been looking for your Father the whole time. The real
The real c
is made whe relationship wit through th
of
Jesu C
connection
en you begin a th God the Father he Lordship
us Christ.
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connection is made when you begin a relationship with God the Father through the Lordship of Jesus Christ. No one can relate more than me on how it feels to be unwanted either by your family or a romantic interest. Even just being kind of an outsider everywhere you go. You may feel no one understands you or likes you or even loves you. But I have to tell you that you are mistaken. God made you carefully and wonderfully (Psalm 139:14). God has numbered the very hairs on your head (Luke 12:7). God catches your tears and knows the number of them (Psalm 56:8). Your Father has plans to bless you and give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). There is no where you need to look but to Him, connect to Him and your life will be transformed. If you are reading this and you feel isolated and alone, please do not give up hope. The Lord is with you, just open up and talk to Him. If you are being bullied, ask God to deal with the bullies in your life. Don’t base your value on what they say, believe what God says about you. It is not wrong to desire connection but we must make the real connection with God first and every other relationship in our life will line up with what we need. Be blessed!
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GOD’S
School of Experience Erica Johnson
The American school system is a bit perplexing. Somewhere about 11th grade, we are expected to start thinking about picking a college. Cost and location are leading factors but we are actually also expected to consider colleges with programs reflective of our future career.
e
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For many, they pick a major once in college and some even end up changing majors more than once. I say it is a perplexing system because most of us have to make a decision based on an idealized desire to do something once we are an adult. Yeah, you get those kids who know what they want to do at like 6 years old and carve out every summer to gain experience. But that’s not the majority of us. And many young people can’t make an educated decision until they actually take some classes in a given subject or work in the field. So via this system, we grow up thinking we need experience, education and certifications to pursue the things we want to do. Now, there’s validity in this idea in the natural world. But allow yourself to think outside of the box when it comes to spiritual things. If God has decided to use you in a leadership role, throw out those preconceived ideas about education and experience.
God has a special way of schooling us in what we need to know. And it doesn’t usually fit the way we learned in the world. David was sent to watch his father’s sheep and there in the pastures he gained the skills
he would need to fight armies and sit on the throne as Israel’s king. “But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be
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like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”” (1 Samuel 17:34-37).
God has a way of putting you in situations that
bring out the skills and talents
He planted in you when He formed you; look at
David. He didn’t go to military school or finishing school but instead in went to God’s school of preparation. Through
serving God and walking in obedience, David gained the skills and wisdom he needed to lead God’s people.
If God has called you to a leadership position, know that God has already planted in you everything you need to perform the job. By serving God and walking in obedience, everything you need comes to the surface when you need it. In my experience, you usually end up doing things in the position
before you are officially ordained or placed in the role. I like to think of it as God’s way of showing you that with Him, you got this! So if you are on the fence even though you know God is calling you to lead, cast your fears aside and get rid of those worldly ideas of qualifications. You are what God calls you and that’s that. So take courage and step out on faith today.
Tell God you trust Him to give you the strength to do what He needs you to do. And then just move forward in
faith!
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Aright
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TEACHER’S
If you are a teacher, you will appreciate this article. Not only does the Bible say teachers are worthy of double honor (1 Timothy 5:17), but people in general understand the importance of teachers. We send our children to school and teachers invest their time, wisdom, knowledge and life experiences in our children. Even though they may never meet us, they still pour into our children out of passion. Just think, our most valuable asset, our children, are entrusted to teachers.
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I fully believe that no teacher takes on that goal because of a paycheck. Teachers do not get paid what they are worth, which is actually more than gold. But they do get paychecks because they have to live and eat. Our children get so much from them. The same applies to teachers that teach the Bible. Many of us have personal time to read the Bible, and we should do so, preferably on a daily basis. Fully asking God to teach us what our eyes are reading. But the more understanding you want out of God’s Word, you will need teachers throughout your walk with God.
The Holy Spirit
is the first and foremost teacher but He has also employed human teachers to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have them in the form of pastors, prophets, evangelists, apostles and yes, teachers, that all too important title. The Bible tells us we shouldn’t take the job of teaching lightly as teachers will be judged even more harshly. “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1).
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Though there is double honor, there is also more scrutiny if we teach incorrectly. As teachers we have rights. We are a type of mentor, whether we teach children or adults. It is our fundamental right to teach you the truth. I think that we need to promote teachers to life coaches because that’s what they are.
God is our teacher
and He has rights, too.
It is His right to take us through the life lessons we need to get us to the destiny we are looking for. There is not a single person on this earth that doesn’t want to know why they were born. It is beyond the fact that Jane and Bob loved each other and were intimate and voila, you were born. You are here because of a greater love from God that needs to be celebrated. And there are a plethora of talents, gifts and abilities that have been hidden inside of you and your life will reveal them to you if you are paying attention. And stop being distracted by the enemy. So as a teacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I want to encourage you to try and avoid all traps and distractions. Find out who you are and what you have inside of you waiting to be discovered. Ask God to excavate and bring the brilliance out of you. And to point you in the right direction. Wherever you go with this, you don’t want to walk in darkness. You need light. The Bible says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105). You are going to need God in every twist and turn of life, whether you work in the secular world or in the church building the kingdom. There are teachers in both that are equally important. You may be a teacher too and if that is your love, you need someone to help you discover the path you need to take. God is available, pursue Him asking from your heart and He will reveal who you are to you. Do not be afraid. You can’t miss it if you walk in your purpose as so many men have done before you. Be blessed. Dr. Diana
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Darkest
Before the Erica Johnson
Dawn
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A
ctress Chrissy Metz recently shared that she was about to quit acting right before she landed the role on This Is Us. She was depressed and in debt, with about $0.81 in the bank when she booked the job. She cries many days on the way to the set because she is so grateful to have a job and to be living her dream. This is not an unusual story. Tyler Perry was living in his car and one night before his play was to start, he prayed and told God that this was it. If he had to sit through another night of no one showing up to the play, Tyler told God he was going to give up the dream of being a successful playwright. Before he could finish the prayer, he heard all this commotion and looked to see the theater was filling up with people. There’s that old saying, “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” So many times, when it seems things can’t get any worse, that’s when the breakthrough comes. If you are on the verge of giving up, I employ you to keep the faith and believe that your situation will change for the better real soon. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he told us having done all, stand (Ephesians 6:13).
When you have done all you know to do and asked everybody what you didn’t know and the situation hasn’t changed, just stand and keep the faith that God has your
best interest in mind.
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The Bible tells us that weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Sometimes, the nights are really long but hold fast that with God the morning always comes. Sometimes, all you will have is your faith but your faith is all you really need.
“Faith
shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” (Hebrews 11:1, NLT). So if you are standing in the middle of your darkest night, don’t give up, the morning is coming. Don’t look at the reality of your situation, look at the faith of your situation and just wait on God. He’s never been late for anything and He never makes a mistake. So you are in good hands, just hold on.
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T
he whole world is in shock over the U.S. election results. In fact, flickers of concern have been out there since the primaries and were even more solidified as the world watched the presidential debates. And now the world sits in shock much like a cartoon character that just had a box explode in its face. And it seems to be getting worse every day with protests, threatened rebellion from government officials and a sharp jump in hate crimes. But I want to say to my country, America, wipe the surprise off of your face. You should have seen this coming. It is a biblical principle that one must reap what they sow, and America is just beginning to reap. The Bible speaks about delegated authority, which in its simplest terms is when someone has authority over you because God delegated it to them. God delegates authority over the pastor to steer the flock. He delegates authority over the husband to head the household. Kings, presidents, managers, etc., all have delegated authority.
God expects us to their authority for them and to
respect pray
(1 Timothy 2:2; Mark 12:17). As you read this, I hope you recognize that you hold authority over people like your spouse, children, and people that you may manage at work. What you say and do can impact them in ways you do not fully understand. Our words have power, but when someone in authority speaks, it’s even more powerful, for you have the power to bless or to curse (James 3:1). That is why we must speak carefully over our children and our spouse. If, as a parent or teacher, you continually tell a child they are stupid, they will begin to struggle with demonic oppression in their thinking and academics. This is real, there are children struggling right now all because someone spoke to them in anger. For all the intercessors out there, please pay attention to what politicians are saying over this country. Pay attention to the Supreme Court and the laws that are being executed in this country because they could be putting this country under authority engendered curses.
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When Your
SINS FIND YOU OUT:
THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Erica Johnson
32 RED WINE FEBRUARY 2017 In June 2015, the Supreme Court interpreted the 14th Amendment to include gay marriage. Within the context of the gay marriage law itself, which is now part of the U.S. Constitution, it says that, “The fundamental liberties protected by the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause extend to certain personal choices central to individual dignity and autonomy, including intimate choices defining personal identity and beliefs.” Have you noticed that since June 2015, chaos and confusion have gripped this country like never before? Why? Because the Constitution now says that people can make intimate choices that define their identity and beliefs. This is the sentence that the transgender movement has hung its hat on, that people can define their gender and sexual preference. The actual percentage of people in the US or in the world even, that struggle with gender identity is miniscule compared to the total population yet the last year has been spent fighting about their right to use a bathroom. Chaos and confusion was unleashed over this land by the Supreme Court, it’s an authority engendered curse and America must repent and turn from all wickedness so we can be restored. What politicians say matters because they have delegated authority so please do not dismiss their rantings as unimportant. When they speak curses and confusion over this country, tear their words down in prayer. The simple fact is present-elect Trump spewed fear, propaganda, confusion and bigotry over this country during his campaign. He mocked minorities, women, veterans and leaders of other countries. He threatened immigrants and Muslims. And now he sits in a place of delegated authority so you better believe all the fear and the hate and the threats will impact this country and we see it happening every day now in the streets of America.
I understand that several prominent Christian leaders supported Trump and I have to believe they have their reasons. But when I look at the Word of God, I have my reasons to say this man spoke fear and intimidation over this country and we will pay the price as a nation for it. When someone is in authority, what they say and do impacts the people that they lead.
“When the
righteous are in
authority the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” Proverbs 29:2.
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So an unwise ruler with no guard at their mouth can open doors to demonic spirits that can influence those under their authority. I understand that many Americans, some Christians included, want some kind of control on immigration because they feel American jobs are being taken away by immigrants. And many also feel afraid of terrorism and think limiting the Muslim population will somehow thwart attacks. But I want everyone to understand that you cannot hide or regulate or police your way out of judgement. Your sins will find you out America (Numbers 32:23). Unfortunately, you can build walls and make up registries and bad things will still happen because of sin in America. But we have hope in Jesus Christ to not only save us and our country but to bring the gospel to those who come into this country so they might be converted
and saved from hell. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.� (2 Chronicles 7:14). Pray that America will humble herself before the Lord and be healed! Your prayer bears more power than a vote. Be blessed and be vigilant for the Lord!
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