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Editors
Voice
Today’s climate reminds me of the 70's all over again. I was a teenager. The political climate was very much like today’s. People were protesting, crying out against war and advocating for freedom in various arenas. I’m not one to get involved in politics but this last election got almost everyone involved in it. And with chaos facing us and being on the brink of a possible war with Syria, it is time for us to pray. And to really go to God from our hearts. We have to stop pretending to serve and really serve God. Those of us who serve God according to His Word which is real service, we need to pray for those who don’t. There’s going to be a lot of casualties, maybe some people we love. God said in His Word, “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). This is the answer. I hope to hear from y’all. God bless you. Stay safe and stay prayerful. Dr. Diana
CONTENTS APRIL 2017
40
r s h c it the
8
Investment
8 A Journey To Higher 14 All Things 18 When You Know It Is God 22 Pray America Great Again 28 The Kiss of Death 30 Someone's Knocking At The Door 32 You Are Facing 36 Worship City 40 The Christ Invesment
RED WINE
4 Building Monuments
EXECUTIVE OFFICE 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
WEBSITE DESIGN GAGAN MASOUN
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Building Monuments The best-selling book, The Shack, is now a movie in theaters. While I have not seen the film or read the book, I was fortunate enough to see a quote from the author, William Young, who described the shack in the book as a metaphor for the place where we get stuck in hurt and/or shame. The main character in the story goes to the shack and it is transformed into a resort like place where he encounters God. I found this one revelation from the story very moving. Erica Johnson
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e often, whether knowingly or unknowingly, build monuments to our pain, loss or anger. We hold on so tight to our justifications as to why we should be angry, hurt or unforgiving, that it all becomes almost tangible, like a shack. But because it’s built on darkness and things that we are not supposed to hold on to, the monument is a dilapidated shack that you cannot live in and it cannot provide shelter to anyone.
But if we let God into the shack, into the pain, anger and unforgiveness, His presence will transform it into something beautiful.
God gives us for the ashes in
beauty
our lives.
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“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:13). Forgiving and letting go of past hurts and anger is not denying that someone may have legitimately done harm to you or caused you pain. It simply means that whatever happened did not destroy you and does not define you or your future.
The bad things that happen can either lift us up or weigh us down.
We have the
power to decide
which it is and by asking God to help us forgive and move on we choose to let those things become testimonies instead of monuments of pain. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7). Let God transform your situation, you don’t have to live with a shack of pain and hurt and anger. God has so much more for you. Take Him and you’ll get so much more than you ever expected.
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“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
A
(James 1:17).
OURNEY
TO
Erica Johnson
HIG
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After becoming the first African-American woman to win an Oscar, Emmy and Tony, Viola Davis stated in an interview she still suffers from imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon in which a high achieving individual constantly feels their achievements are undeserved or that they will be revealed to be a fraud. Mental health professionals advise that people who struggle with imposter syndrome should allow themselves to internalize their achievements, to believe they are successful because they should be and they also advise not to seek validation from people.
we receive are not deserved but instead are an expression of God’s grace and love towards us. I cannot tell you how many times I have received things I did not deserve. I was not the best candidate for the job but because God wanted me to have the job as part of His divine plan, I received it. I cannot take any credit, there is nothing for me to internalize but how great and sovereign God is in my life.
If you have spent any time in church, you have heard someone say, “Favor ain’t fair!” When God’s favor is on your life, you get things that the world would say you should not have. But God wants you to have it and that is all that matters. So we cannot take credit for God’s From a Christian point of view, this is flawed favor. advice. Now, we shouldn’t seek validation from people but we should live our lives in WHATEVER IS GOOD IN such a way that we seek God’s approval in OUR LIVES, WE MUST what we do. We are not perfect and will sin but if in our hearts we desire to make the right choices and take actions to live as the Word of God tells us, we can find great favor with God.
ACKNOWLEDGE
GOD ALLOWED
IT INTO OUR LIVES.
But I cannot support the idea of internalizing our success and proclaiming we deserve it. We do not deserve God’s grace but it is a gift “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from given to us through our faith. So the blessings above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17).
IGHER
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
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Even though Viola Davis confessed her struggle with success and even said she needs to let herself enjoy it just a bit more than she does, she went on to say that growing up in abject poverty taught her to be thankful for things that many take for granted. So every day she thanks God for how He has blessed her. That is the key move right there. God will deliver her from insecurities and fear as long as she keeps giving Him the glory for her story. The Bible tells us, “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.” (Psalm 75:6-7). Every time you go higher, it was God that lifted you up to that place. Trust in Him and you will soar to great heights. I don’t care how low you are or how low you may feel right this moment, God can take you higher! He can take you off the streets, out of addiction, depression and oppression. And I must tell you the truth; He is the only One that can. Love affairs and 12 steps and medications can help but God can deliver. There is a difference. The world is full of things that help us cope but God has the power to change our very desires. The thing that once ruled your life and decided your every thought and action, with God can become a faint memory. You’ll have to strain to remember that person you used to be, that’s how much the power of God can change your life. So take a journey higher with Him today.
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All
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Er
nson h o J ica
. . . s g n Thi
“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).
T
his week I was able to go back to my college alma mater for work. As the Uber darted through campus I saw my old dorm and the library where I spent so many of my Saturdays. And finally we passed the Chemistry building to which I gave a deep sigh. I cannot give you an exact number of hours of my life I lost in that building but it was a lot; many, many late nights and Sundays. I sighed and thought “What a waste of time that was.” But I was moved in my spirit to reconsider my thoughts. While I never pursued the career that I thought I would, which required chemistry, I spend my life preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and that is the most rewarding purpose one can ever fulfill. But all those days in the chemistry building are very much a part of who I am despite the career change. I struggled with depression my whole life before Christ but in college things climaxed and I was at my lowest ever. This week I crossed the bridge over the river I often had wished I had the guts to jump into but this time I crossed it as a survivor and as a Christian who has obtained
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great hope and mercy. I realized I cannot look back on that time as an embarrassment or as wasted time because all of those people, places and experiences shaped who I am today and helped pave my path to Christ Jesus. We all bring our unique experiences with us when we come to Christ and God in His infinite wisdom knows what to cut away and what to keep. Because of my experiences in colleges, I have great compassion for the young person who struggles with anxiety and depression. I understand the analytical thinker who questions the existence of God and I can speak to them in a way that they are more likely to understand. I gained so much through that tough time that helps me to minister the love and wisdom of God now in my life.
Commiting
to serve God can take you on a very different path than you planned or even went to school for but don’t dismiss what you learned.
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Moses was chosen by God to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt but first God allowed Moses to grow up as an Egyptian. The skills Moses needed to deliver Israel were gained in Pharaoh’s house. God then moved Moses outside of Pharaoh’s house and revealed Himself to him (Exodus 2). So now Moses had skills and revelation which he used to perform God’s will. Everything you have been through: good, bad and ugly, has shaped who you are and in the hands of a perfect God all those things can be molded into a powerful tool for salvation. So dismiss the regrets, let go of all the fears and accept all of who you are and embrace all of who God is making you to be! “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).
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So don’t be deterred by how difficult or strange your situation seems, know that those situations are often the places where
we encounter God!
G
O
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G D! When You Know
it is
Erica Johnson
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D
eciding to do things God’s way becomes quite adventurous because you are always doing something in a way that is different from the world. Though God Himself does not change, He never said His methods do not change.
These things seem so weird to the world but they make a lot of sense in the Kingdom. There is no “set-in-stone” formula for knowing when something is God, you must have discernment. But I can tell you that the less like the world your situation is, the more likely it really is God working and moving to fulfill His plan in your life.
In fact, if you are waiting on God to answer a prayer request, if you need a miracle, I bet you’ll find yourself in a very strange situation if you looked closely. At least strange by the world’s standards. You may be telling everyone God has healed you while you still go to chemo every week. You may be faithfully tithing and giving offerings while you are waiting for God to give you a job for the one you just lost. You may be sitting home every Friday night alone while you wait on God to send your spouse.
God has a way of leaving His mark on something so that the discerning eye and sometimes even the world, knows it was all Him! Just look at the life and death of Jesus.
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“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split”. “So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, words would not return void but they would they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the accomplish everything He sent them forth to do (Isaiah 55:11). Son of God!”’ (Matthew 27: 51-52; 54). In both the birth and the death of Jesus we saw something happen the total opposite way of what we would expect. So when God tells you to start the business with no money, just do it. When He tells you to give up on love at first sight and trust that the spouse He chose will learn to love you, believe it. When you are But consider the birth of Christ as well. Mary smoking or drinking but earnestly praying to was a virgin so when Jesus was born, He broke stop, God will stop it, just keep praying. Like the hymen coming out. Again, typically the I said, with God, it is an adventure! hymen would have already been broken. So don’t be deterred by how difficult or When God wants to accomplish something strange your situation seems, know that in your life, He breaks the laws of physics those situations are often the places where we and medicine and whatever else because He encounter God! is sovereign and He made a decree that His At His death, when the curtain tore, it was from top to bottom instead of from bottom to top as the laws of physics would predict; clearly indicating that no mere person could have done this and it made the Roman soldiers believe who Jesus was.
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PRAY
AMERICA
GREATAGAIN Erica Johnson
My Pastor always says that people will tell you what they will do to you. It means that if you listen to what people say, you shouldn’t be surprised by what they do because at some point they did tell you what they’d do, you just needed to be paying attention. I bring this up because I believe that during the campaign so many people dismissed Trump’s chances of winning that many did not listen to what he was saying. But now we must listen to know what he will do. Trump recycled Reagan’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Neither Reagan nor Trump definitively defined which time period they wanted to return to. So many parallels have been drawn between the 2016 election and the 1980 presidential election so perhaps this is the era for which Trump pines, a time of great personal success for him.
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Reaganomics actually widened the wage gap between the wealthy and everyone else. Homeownership declined and homelessness increased. Reagan cut federal funding to local governments by 60% which hit urban cities hard much like Trump’s proposed cut of up to 75 million dollars to New York City Housing and his threats to cut federal funding Reagan vehemently opposed The Panama to sanctuary cities. Canal Treaty of 1977 and was quite vocal about it on the campaign trial. Trump After Reagan’s cuts, where did all the money has been quite vocal about his disdain for go? To build nukes mostly. But we can’t Obamacare. However, once in office, Reagan forget that Reagan spent a lot on the War on respected the treaty signed by his predecessor Drugs. While inner city schools, libraries and understanding that any actions to overturn hospitals suffered cuts that caused many to it would have far reaching consequences for close, Reagan spent 97 million to build new America and the people of Panama. Trump prisons. The same prisons that are today over has not shown such restraint in trying to crowded with a disproportionate number of overturn Obamacare with Congress currently minority men. in a heated battle over it. The death of Len Bias sparked the AntiTrump achieved great success during the Drug Abuse Act of 1986 which ushered in Reagan era because Reagan politics benefited mandatory minimums. Possession of one the wealthy. And there are already clues that kilogram of heroin or five kilograms of cocaine Trump’s politics will do the same just in his carries a minimum mandatory sentence of cabinet nominees alone. Reagan deregulated 10 years but possession of 5 grams of crack the savings and loans industry creating wide- carries a minimum sentence of 5 years. This spread fraud and planting the seeds for the is often used to explain the racial disparities in Great Recession. With less than 100 days in the prison population and the welfare system. office, Trump signed a financial deregulation order impacting the implementation Trump quickly said after winning the election of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform that if Chicago couldn’t take care of its gang and Consumer Protection Act. And it is problem, he would not hesitate to step in. If believed that this is just the beginning with Reagan is his example, I shudder to think of deregulations expected in the Treasury, what fallout we will be facing in another 30 Department of Energy and even the FDA just years. to name a few. The Republican platforms were very similar. Reagan was bent on building America as a super power equipped to battle Russia should the need arise. Trump is bent on fighting Islamic extremists. Reagan came into office with a mandate to reduce federal spending, a mandate that Trump has taken up as well.
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Because the fallout we are facing from Reagan’s policies is coming at the cost of many lives. Courts in cities like L.A., NYC and probably many others are still backlogged, trying to persuade people, sometimes innocent people, to take plea deals just to keep the wheels of “justice” moving. The War on Drugs has dehumanized minorities in the eyes of many
system because of mandatory minimums stacked against poor people and then left to rot in jail because he committed the crime of being poor and unwilling to plea bargain is a sad statement about the state of our country.
on the police forces, in the court systems and social services. That human beings are forced to live in deplorable conditions like that of Riker’s Island and it be “OK” despite the high suicide rate is cause for great concern. That Kalief Browder was born into the welfare
spirits that wish to destroy our country and our children. For it is in fact satan who tells us what he wants to do if you pay attention. The eighties brought the crack epidemic, widespread fear over nuclear war and the start of the AIDS epidemic. I will not put these on the
But the Bible tells us to discern the times. Look past the man Trump and see the demonic
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shoulders of Reagan but I will point out that that bind people. Share your food with the the spiritual state of America allowed these hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. horrible events to come inside our borders. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. We cannot let anything in other than God. Then your salvation will come like the dawn, We must put aside political affiliations and and your wounds will quickly heal. Your religiosity and humble ourselves as a nation godliness will lead you forward, and the glory before God so that our children can face a of the LORD will protect you from behind.” brighter future. (Isaiah 58:6-8). The perpetual oppression of the poor through This is the fast that the church must take up systematic and systemic injustice is as much a now. It is an emergency. Young people are sin before God as abortion or gay marriage. dying. Wars are being planned. Go to God in prayer for the oppressed and wrongly imprisoned. Pray that corruption would be dispelled form every system in this country. Help the poor anyway you can. Do not be ignorant of satan’s devices. Governmental policies have been used by the enemy for centuries to oppress, tear them down in prayer. And pray for President Trump, that God’s will be revealed in all he does.
“He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.” (Proverbs 14:31).
"For, if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien [foreigner], the orphan, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever." (Jeremiah 7:5-7; Emphasis added). “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains
The effective, passionate prayers of the righteous get a lot done, don’t doubt that for one minute (James 5:16). And if you are not one of the righteous, get righteous! Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior because difficult times are ahead and you will appreciate the guidance and safety only Christ can provide. I have said this before but I will say it again here that there is no way to make America great again but we can certainly pray America great again!
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THE KISS OF
Death
Kissing is a wonderful experience to both the novice and the experienced individual. There’s nothing like your first kiss, especially by someone you are crazy about. To take it to the next level, there’s that same level of passion and excitement when we are getting ready to embark on a dream or one of our ideas looks like it’s getting ready to come into fruition.
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And then there’s the bad kiss. If you’ve ever had a bad kiss, like that kinda creeped you out, you know what I mean. Like it was uneventful or too wet or just plain not good. I know this can bring up memories for many of you but life is a lot like kissing. There’s good ones and bad ones.
T
alking about kissing reminds of when I spent some time in Austin, I spent the night in the Hilton Austin downtown. What I noticed is what most people look past. Men and women who are dying, some literally skin and bones, looking as though they came out of the grave, were living on the streets homeless. Wonderers who go from one place to the next. Many have lost their way which depends on when they embarked on that journey of homelessness.
talents. But life is like water sometimes, very unstable. Of course there are some in Austin that make it as artists and musicians and go high. But many go so low and have past what seems to be the point of no return without knowing it. So bad is there experience there that it has become like the kiss of death. They were after a new life but found life’s foe instead.
So what’s my stake in this? As a woman of God who was broken out of captivity to go set the captives free, I am called to the living dead. Inside of me reverberates a gift of life, deep wisdom, passionate wisdom and knowledge that can’t be bought with money. I have something that will restore their lives. So Austinites, Life has In Austin, it is said come into the city most of the homeless now. And you never population downtown know where you will are artists of some type who came looking run into Him. If you do, just thank Him for a dream but got a nightmare instead. for introducing Himself to you. They are gifted, talented and artistic. They have something to give, more than they Be blessed. likely know and they are aware of their Dr. Diana
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someone’s knocking
door
Erica Johnson
at the
T
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he Real host Loni Love shared her story of having a miscarriage in her late 20’s on a recent episode. This event caused Love to decide to never have children because as she said, “I just never wanted that feeling again, because I was always afraid. I had so much love for that baby. That’s why I don’t take it lightly. After that, I made sure that I would never get pregnant again, because I didn’t want to have to go through that. I felt like it was a person that I was letting down.”
I cannot imagine the burden Love, now 45, has carried all these years in fear of letting herself and another child down but my heart and prayers go out to her. For her it was a miscarriage but many of us have something we are afraid of even if it is just the idea of loss itself that sneaks into some of our important life decisions. The take away here is that grieving must end at some point, God said it had a season not an open invitation to stay in your life (Ecclesiastes 3). Fear is often the thing that keeps the door to grief open. Close the door to fear today and let the peace of Christ come into your life and take up residence (John 14:27).
I applaud her for sharing her story, that takes great courage and I know many will be encouraged to know someone like her experienced something that they experienced. And I also understand that we all handle grief and loss differently. But I Jesus died that you may have an abundance just want to take this platform to share with of life and living (John 10:10). Fear gets us you an alternative choice. stuck and we stop living only to exist. But God has prepared so much more for you! So I cannot go pass the word “afraid” because let go of the pain, grief and fear today and God did not give us a spirit of fear but of move forward in life through faith in a God power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy that loves you and will carry you through 1:7). None of us wants to face tragedy but we life’s difficulties. cannot limit ourselves by living in fear of it.
The Bible tells us that all things work together for our good when we walk with God (Romans 8:28). In Him we can receive the strength we need to keep moving forward no matter what we face.
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YOU
ARE FACINGTHE
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Life is full of challenges, so many on so many levels that I cannot even begin to categorize them for you. But I can tell you that by making Jesus your Lord and Savior and cultivating a relationship with God, you can have victory over your
enemies.
God tells David something about enemies that we should take note of for ourselves.
didn’t tell us we had to worry about enemies behind us. It is important that we understand this because the devil will try to convince you sometimes that you were never really delivered. But the devil is a liar because when Jesus sets you free, you are free, end of story (John 8:36). Which means we then make a decision to succumb to old struggles, we allow our faith to waiver. We know the devil will try to trick us but because we know it, it takes a decision to fall back into the old ways. “People can know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and escape the world’s filth. But if they get involved in this filth again and give in to it, they are worse off than they were before. It would have been better for them never to have known the way of life that God approves of than to know it and turn their backs on the holy life God told them to live. These proverbs have come true for them: “A dog goes back to its vomit,” and “A sow that has been washed goes back to roll around in the mud.”” (2 Peter 2:20-22).
“Now this is what you will say to my servant David: ‘This is what the LORD of Armies says: I took you from the pasture where you followed sheep so that you could be the leader of my people Israel. I was with you wherever you went, and I destroyed all your enemies in front of you. I will make your name famous like the names of the greatest But we have the powerful weapon called the people on earth.’” (2 Samuel 7:8-9). Holy Spirit! Satan will send stress, fear and God tells us that enemies lie ahead of us, so doubt but we have the Holy Spirit residing in if we are facing old demons, old struggles, us who can consume all those things. If you things that we already gave God the credit are facing old demons, you are facing the for delivering us from, then we are looking wrong way. Turn around and face forward the wrong way. If some old enemy is in front so you can see God destroy the enemies in of you, you are looking backwards instead of front of you. You already have the victory, forwards because God said in His Word He you must fight to hold on to it and the fight would remove the enemies in front of us, He is fixed in your favor!
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WORSHIP CITY:
THE BEST
STAYCATION OF THE YEAR
It’s spring and we all know spring brings lots of things to mind. We think about the shift in the seasons; cold places are beginning to warm up and people are happy to take off their coats and boots. The snow goes away, thank God! And we start to think about planning a vacation. Some of us haven’t been on a vacation in years so if someone tells us we can go without spending any money it’s like music to your ears. What I am about to share with you may seem simplistic to some and not real but I am here to tell you it is since I am always going to Worship City. It is the best place on earth. You will get tremendous benefits out of this. More than I could list in this article. For those of you who need a vacation because you need to be destressed, you need peace and balance. Or maybe you need to discover something new. Well Worship City is that place. I go there on a regular basis and I don’t need money to go there. I just need time and focus. I just need to take the opportunity to go to Worship City.
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W
e are talking about worshipping God here and if you are a worshipper you know what I am talking about. No matter what you see, good or bad, you worship God no matter what. We live in a world where there is evil and we are encased in flesh so we are going to be exposed to things that are not so nice and are hurtful.
But it is not so much what happens to you as it is how you handle it. If you get God in it through worship, you will be able to ride the storm.
This is about going to Worship City. Your whole focus while you go to this place it to worship God for all that He is and all He has created. Looking at all He has created, what excites you? I love flowers, so if you are like me, look at the beautiful flowers and green trees. Look at a beautiful baby and smile at that child.
Worship God for all these things, even your children.
Worship God
for your right mind. Spend the day worshipping Him. Find everything that is good and worship Him for it.
No matter what it is: marriage, family, job, health. You can come through with bells on! And grow and develop and be healed and blessed and even grow financially if you get this! This is an opportunity of a lifetime. So You don't have to say it out loud if you don't don’t miss it. want to in the beginning, He hears your So you can’t afford a vacation but you need thoughts. The mind that is stayed on Him peace and joy. Plan a staycation then. I want He will keep in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3-4). you to take your attention off of yourself for Forget the peace you lost and the stress that at least one day and have a staycation. If you is trying to kill you and worship! can afford to go to hotel, then go overnight. Don’t be concerned about what people will Go in that hotel, get your food first, and close say, just tell them you are having a mini the door and just talk to God. Unload all staycation. If you can’t afford a hotel but you your grief. And then worship God for who really want to do what I am saying just talk He is. Tell God that you know you haven’t been right but you need Him in your life. to God about helping you get the money.
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Ask God to show up so you can get what you need and tell Him you will return the company He gives you. Ask Him to come into the room and be with you. Ask for the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). The kind of peace that a lover or a spa can’t give you. You can’t buy this kind of peace. I guarantee if you do this, as farfetched as it may sound to some of you, your life will change. Get into a posture of worship where it looks like you are in a city of worship. Hey, if you can’t afford a hotel, stay home and close the doors and talk to God. Unload, that’s what I am saying. Get rid of pride. Imagine what Worship City looks like. Write down everything you ask God for so when He starts to do it, you have a reminder He did what you asked. Have a blessed day! Go to Worship City. It is waiting on you! Dr. Diana
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th
c
Inv
r s h c it
he
vestment
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A few days from now will be Good Friday which has become a holiday for this generation. When I was growing up, Good Friday wasn’t a holiday. So for many people it gives them an opportunity to have a day off and I understand needing a break. Needing to rest and finding something enjoyable to do. But Good Friday is about something more than that.
Good Friday
starts one of the greatest investments God ever made in mankind. So if you don’t know Good Friday represents, this is an opportunity for you to find out on the day you may or may not have off. It is important because this is the day God was on earth hanging on a cross. I am talking about GOD. I am not speaking of something people make with their hands and call it God. Because you can make a statue with your hands it’s not really God. Anything you can make doesn’t have more power than you. It can’t deliver you. But Almighty God sent His Son, the express image of him. And what I love about Jesus is that He took off His power and left it at the throne of grace. He gave Himself a body, came down and lived with a family that He created. He put Himself under subjection to an earthly daddy named Joseph and never held that over their heads. All the way up to 30 years old He lived in obscurity. From 30-33 He
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taught and showed who God was and then on Friday on Calgary’s cross He was put on the cross to die for your sins. How could you not want to know Him and why He would do such a thing for Him? It shows that you mean everything to God that He would send His Son. Don't you think you ought to love Him as much and get to know Him? Because He died on Good Friday and then on Easter Sunday He was resurrected and got up with all power in His hands. It is a great investment my friends to get to know Him. If He can humble Himself and live with people that He made yet never telling them that, He is profound. Someone that profound and compassionate and loving should be someone you ought to know. Make the investment this week. Start talking to Him, He is everywhere. Just start talking. If you pursue Him from your heart He will show up somewhere along the path you are on. And He will help you, inspire you and heal you. Cast all your cares on Him because He does care for you (1 Peter 5:7).
formed against you will prosper. But you have to look for Him because you need Him and you respect the investment He made in you. If you know about stocks you understand the important of investments. Add this to your list, Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. If you invest in Him you will champion through the things you thought would take you under. It’s an investment that will last forever. The investment is a relationship and everything He asks of you is in His Word. God bless you. Happy Resurrection Day.
Know that if you make an investment in Him, He will make a greater investment in you. He already did, that’s why He died for you. The closer you draw to Him the closer He will draw to you. I speak from experience because I came from nothing and basically have everything. Things money couldn’t buy. Because I pursued Him from my heart. Dr. Diana Take the brokenness inside of you, the hurt and pain and give it over to Him. It is a great opportunity to have a conversation and have Him show you things. With Him no weapon
43 RED WINE APRIL 2017
44 RED WINE APRIL 2017