CONTENTS 1-4
Breast War - The Battle of Your Boobs
8-10
Why Do You Not Have a Job?
11-12 His Nupitals 13-14 God Recycles 17-19 The Riches Man On Earth
15Love
The PAIN of
This is the month when people will make phenomenal gestures to show how much they love someone. They will buy their loved one a big heart-shaped box of chocolates, a dozen red roses, sexy lingerie, or endearing cards that say “Be My Valentine”. In fact, so many people have come to expect lavish gifts on Valentine’s Day that if they don’t get them, it creates major problems in their life and the person they love.
5 Ceiling P r ay e r s
Editors Letter Dear Readers, I hope you have an opportunity to read every article in February’s issue of Red Wine Magazine. We’re talking about a topic that is very sensitive and personal to a lot of people. We all probably know someone who has had a struggle with breast cancer. That reflects how pervasive breast cancer is in our society. It affects our family and friends on so many levels. Breast Wars tells women how to keep their breasts and win the war for their boobs. Let’s face it, breasts are important. There are many reasons why we have them and the article delves deep into the topic. The Richest Man on Earth is one of my favorite articles this month, it really tells who the richest Man on earth is and why. So please share this month’s issue with everyone on your email list. If
you
have
any
questions
or
comments,
don’t
hesitate
to
contact
support@redwinemag.com. God bless you and we hope to hear from you soon.
Dr. Diana
us
at
December 2014 - January 2015//Special Issue
3
1 I Red Wine
December 2014 - January 2015//Special Issue
2 I Red Wine
4
December 2014 - January 2015//Special Issue
3 I Red Wine
December 2014 - January 2015//Special Issue
4 I Red Wine
6
December 2014 - January 2015//Special Issue
Ceiling P r ay e r s
God will help those who really need him; those who are desperate or who honestly know they cannot get through life without him. God will help those who want to live in God’s way. Until you pursue God sincerely, your prayers are not going to go past your spiritual ceiling. They are not going to reach God’s ears.
This morning when I was thinking about writing this article, I thought about how most women clean their homes. They clean everywhere; around the cracks, the corners, and the window seals. They mop the floors and clean the counters, but how many women get up on a ladder and try to clean the ceiling? Usually when you look at your ceiling you don’t see large amounts of dirt. You may see some dust, so you clean around the edges. However, if we could get close to a ceiling like we can get close to the wall, we might be surprised at what we would see. I bet we would see things that we don’t even know are there because the ceiling is so far away (unless of course you are nine feet tall!).
God’s prayer filter
There are stories in His elaborate and awesome Word, in which God says He will close His ears to the prayers of certain people. That means that their prayers are not going to be heard or answered. Why would God say that about anyone? Isn’t He our Heavenly Father who is supposed to be watching over us and listening to us? He is, as a good Father does. Let me explain by using a child as an example.
Have you ever had a child look you in the eye and lie to you? Have you ever had a child tell you a story that you know is partly a lie and partly the That led me to think about what would truth? They know they are lying as they happen if God could open our spiritual are saying it, and you know it too. eyes so that we could see what is stuck Well, that is how God feels when He December 2014 - January Issue on our spiritual “ceiling”. Would we 2015//Special looks at one of His children who is find that our prayers are stuck there, telling Him a fabricated story through never having reached God? What prayer. would cause that to happen? I think these are important questions for all of If you are giving God your version of a us to ponder. story, while knowing deep in your
7
heart that you are not telling Him the truth, you are wasting your time and effort. If you are asking Him to help you or heal you while you are lying to Him in prayer, then your prayers are not going to be answered. You need to know this so that when you prayers are not answered, you will not be angry with God saying, “I prayed and God didn’t answer my prayers.”
God is truth itself
One of God’s names is The Truth. He is the Truth, the Way and the Life. He has a lot of names and they all give us insight into who and what He is. He’s not like us. My name is Diana. It’s just a name. However God is the personification of His names. They represent His personality; who He is at the very core of His being. He is called The Truth and so we know that God is truth itself. If you are lying, or telling partial truths or half of your story to God in prayer, then you are deluding yourself in believing that He will 5 I Red Wine
December 2014 - January 2015//Special Issue
Until you receive salvation, you do not have a starting point for prayer. Salvation, and prayer, are gifts from GOD.
entertain your prayer. He will not. God is the Truth and He wants you to come to Him in truth. Tell Him the truth in all your prayers. I don’t care where you are in life or where you started. You could be in a crack house, a whore house or the White House. You could be in the nail salon, your bedroom, your bathroom or your dining room. It does not matter. If you reach out to God sincerely from your heart, He will answer you. He said anyone who calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21), but only if you pray from your heart.
God can wash your thoughts
Let me give you another example. If you are a person who is married and committing adultery, or even thinking about committing that sinful act, you need to go to God and ask for forgiveness- and mean it when you ask for it. I know that adultery has probably crossed the mind of a lot of married people, but they never act on it. The Bible says “As a man thinks, so is he.” In other words, if you think about something for long enough, eventually you will pursue it. Your thoughts will become the physical act. If you find that this is happening to you, go to God and tell Him the truth and ask for forgiveness. Ask God to forgive you for 6 I Red Wine
God is the Truth and He wants you to come to Him in truth. Tell Him the truth in all your prayers. even thinking about another person in an intimate way. Ask Him to wash you of those thoughts and forgive you. Just remember, you are wasting your time if you don’t tell God the entire truth about your thoughts and feelings. If you are praying to feel better about yourself, and yet you know tomorrow you will have the same lustful thoughts or do the same lustful things, then you are deceiving yourself and God. However, if you say, “God I don’t want to think this. I don’t know why I keep having these thoughts about having an affair. I know it is a sin, please forgive me and deliver me,” God will hear you. Ask Him to show you the cause of your adulterous thoughts. Ask Him for as long as it takes for Him to answer you. Then thank God for relieving you of the temptation. God said He loves a “broken heart and a contrite spirit”. Contrite means penitent; you are repenting for your sins. In other words, God loves to hear you admit that you have done
something wrong. Tell Him the role you played in the problems in your life. Say, “God I am sorry and I really want to change and be set free from those thoughts and behaviors. I can’t do it by myself.” And guess what? If you are sincere, God will help you. If may not happen in 5 minutes, but it will happen in God’s own time.
How do I know God will answer my prayers?
God will help those who really need Him; those who are desperate or who honestly know they cannot get through life without Him. God will help those who want to live in God’s way. Until you pursue God sincerely, your prayers are not going to go past your spiritual ceiling. They are not going to reach God’s ears. If what you ask God for is part of His plan for you then He will give you what you ask for, but first you must be sincere. You must cultivate a prayer activity every day, just like you exercise every day. When you need to ask God
8
for help, tell Him the truth. “God I am a (fill in the blank). I don’t want to live this way anymore. Emancipate me God. Save me from myself please. Deliver me out of this lifestyle.” Prayer is the single most powerful thing you can do in life; it is your weapon. It accesses God who is the Author and Creator of your life. He is the Great Facilitator for your life and can make anything you need or want happen for you. However, you must be sincere in your prayers. Make sure they go past that “spiritual ceiling” and reach Him.
God knows His children.
He knows His children are going to make poor decisions occasionally. He knows that we don’t have the insight, wisdom, intelligence, knowledge or understanding to know what tomorrow will bring. God does. He can see into tomorrow because He created tomorrow. He can see where you should be ten years from now if you use the gifts and talents He placed inside you. So you need prayer. That is His legal, binding communication. True, unadulterated, honest, sincere, prayer between you and God. Ask Him anything you want:
“Who am I God? What was I created to do? “I don’t want to live my entire life and miss the mark. I want to hit the bull’s-eye. “Can you show me why you made me? What is my assignment?” You have a purpose that no one else can fulfill but you, because you, and only you, were created to do it. God knows you so well that He has numbered the hairs on your head and when one falls out He knows its number. He has
9
caught all the tears that you have cried. He knows the number of your days. He knows you intimately. So when you pray to Him, take heed to be honest. If you don’t know how to pray, use the model for prayer that Jesus gave us. It is the prayer he gave his disciples when they asked Him, “Father, how should we pray?” We call it the “The Lord’s Prayer”. “ . . Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13.
Is God YOUR Father?
If you feel that God is not a Father to you, then you have started in the wrong place. First accept Him into your life. If you don’t accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior you will not have the benefits promised us in the Bible
and you will not go to heaven. Salvation is the starting line for your relationship with God. Simply ask Him from deep in your heart to be your Lord, Savior and Master. Believe that His Son is Jesus Christ. Believe that Jesus lived and then died on the cross over 2000 years ago for the salvation of all mankind. When you say that and believe that in your heart and confess Jesus Christ, you are immediately saved. I cannot stress this enough; until you receive salvation, you do not have a starting point for prayer. Salvation, and prayer, are gifts from God. Are you asking yourself, “Salvation will save me from what, exactly?” The answer is salvation will save you from the perdition of this world. You are going to go to heaven. With salvation, God wipes your slate clean. Everything you have done in the past is forgiven. I don’t care what it is. I know that is difficult for some of you to grasp. However, all you need to know this; God is so merciful that He will forgive you for old sins as long as you truly accept Him as Lord and Savior and want to truly change your life; you want to get better, you want to be a better person, you want to fulfill your purpose in life. When you start praying honestly and consistently on a daily basis, God will hear your prayers. Suddenly you will find that “YOUR PRAYERS” will not land on the ceiling anymore. They will go up to God. Prayer is the only thing that God listens to. Remember this - God is prolific. He monitors and watches over the world and keeps everyone and everything in it in His hands. He keeps the seasons turning, the sun and the moon rise and set, all in perfect time. God is awesome in the work that He does, and awesome in His love for you.
7 I Red Wine
December 2014 - January 2015//Special Issue
8 I Red Wine
10
December 2014 - January 2015//Special Issue
11
9 I Red Wine
December 2014 - January 2015//Special Issue
10 I Red Wine
12
The Cold Letters CANCER C A N C E R - Those cold letters do not reign supreme. So many people are afraid of hearing the words “You have cancer”, that they won’t even go to the doctor. There are others who go to the doctor and are caught completely off guard when they receive a diagnosis of cancer. I originally wrote my book How I Beat Cancer because my secretary asked me to write a small pamphlet that she could give to people when she visited cancer clinics. And so I agreed. What started out as a small pamphlet containing words of encouragement and some “how-to” tips to survive cancer, turned into a 46 page book about my personal life and experience with cancer. I am sharing How I Beat Cancer with the world because I want mothers, fathers, grandmothers and even doctors to know that there is a cure for cancer. It’s just that science doesn’t hold the answer. The one who has the awesome cure is God. Scientists are not completely sure what causes cancer. They conduct vigorous research and have increased understanding about the behavior of cancer cells, but a cure is not yet here. I am not a physician and I don’t pretend to tell physicians or scientists what to do. What I do know is God. I know that God speaks the ultimate truth. And once you know that, you realize that you don’t have to know exactly how things go wrong in the body, because God will show you how to be healed, how to be cured of cancer. God cured me of cancer. And I am still so humbled by it. I have so much gratitude to God because a cousin of mine, who was my age, was diagnosed with colon cancer at the same time I was diagnosed. She died and I didn’t. It takes me places you could never understand when I think about how God chose me. How I Beat Cancer is my personal life story and testimony about my battle with cancer with God by my side. The book tells you how to fight cancer with God. I am not knocking chemotherapy or any other modern day treatments. It was not my choice because I believe chemotherapy kills the good with the bad. God was my choice and I am all the more better for it. So when you are undergoing the medical interventions you choose, take this book along and use the spiritual medication that you find within its pages. You will receive the kind of life-saving results you deserve.
December 2014 - January 2015//Special Issue
His Nuptials
t’s
going to be spring in just two months! It’s the time of year when brides are planning for their weddings, grooms are choosing their best man and their tuxedos. Some will have elaborate, costly weddings and others will have small, intimate gatherings. Regardless of the extent of the fuss and preparation to get married, each is important and each holds the promises and vows that the couple makes to one another. We are all very familiar with what it means to be married in this world. You can ask a 12 year- old child what it means for a man and woman to get
13
GOD BELIEVES IN MARRIAGE. God’s concept of marriage is so profound and prolific that it is almost too complex for us to grasp. His Word says “My ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts,” (Isaiah 55:9). That tells us that no matter how hard we try, we cannot understand God’s perception of what it means to be married.
married and they can tell you about a wedding and flowers and cake. What I
want to talk to you about today is not the worldly marriage we are all familiar with, but the divine marriage of being with God. God believes in the power of marriage and hates divorce. He said it in Malachi 2:16, “The man who hates and divorces his wife does violence to the one he should protect." Many of us participate in man-made divorces when we no longer want to remain married to an individual. However, God does not recognize divorce when it comes to divine marriage. That’s because when it comes to His children, God actually utilizes marriage within us. Years ago I was preaching and I said to the congregation, “When the preacher invited you to come to Christ at the altar, you stood up and came willingly with zeal. Had you known that by doing so you would actually be marrying God you wouldn’t have come. You would 11 I Red Wine
If you have to fight evil, then you go to God. “Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle”. (Psalm 144:1). are the thoughts that have penetrated your mind that are destroying and stagnating you. They are the limiting thoughts that are keeping you from the beauty, love, strength, wholeness, happiness, and prosperity that God wants you to have. All of that is yours! If you don’t have it that means that Satan has created negative thoughts in your mind, causing you to fight against your own best interests and preventing you from going where you need to go.
have thought about it. You would not have understood that by taking Him in at the altar, you were making a spiritual vow to Him, much like a bride and groom make vows to each other in the physical world.” God is “marriage-minded” whereas you are thinking of Him as being your Father and provider (and all the other wonderful benefits that come with that). God is thinking in terms of forever. His thinking is “marriage-thinking” as in, “I will be with you forever and never leave you nor forsake you.” He will be your Provider and give you everything you need. He will nourish you, watch over you and spread His cloak to protect you. You will be His family. That’s what God is thinking. God is thinking “I am in love with you”. His love is so deep, so high, so all encompassing that you cannot understand it as God does. However, if you walk in fellowship and union with Him you will complete your vows with Him. You will start to see how serious this is to God. God is “more than the world against you”. In other words, He is bigger and stronger and more powerful than all the world. Even as Satan in the world wants to rob you of joy and hope so you will become confused and sick, God will fight him for you. God wants you to be healed. He said “I am Jehovah Jirah, the 12 I Red Wine
Look at this beautiful scripture with me. You need to know it and meditate on it. The Lord told Joshua, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8). You need to meditate on the Word of God. These are the vows you need to take.
Lord your Provider.” (Exodus 15:26). “I am your battle ax.” (Jeremiah 51:20). If you have to fight evil, then you go to God. “Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle”. (Psalm 144:1). The battles we have to fight in this life are not always physical, sometimes they are mental battles. God said, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Cor 10:4). Strongholds
God said, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Cor 10:4).
GOD Recycles Recycles Erica Johnson Erica Johnson
of the world to build homes or digGod Wehave all have our own of what world to build homes or dig We all our own ideasideas of what it itof the God Recycles Recycles wells. means to serve Many peoplewells. means to serve God.God. Many people We hear lotsermons of sermons about We hear a lota of about howhow serving for those thinkthink that that serving GodGod is foristhose whowho wants to transform I have GodGod wants to transform us; Ius;have to say for most of us,preached called to ministry the ministry fair fair to say that that for most of us, havehave beenbeen called to the like likeIt’s It’s preached many of those myself. many of those myself. It is It is serving means volunteering pastors evangelists. Others GodGod means volunteering a aabsolutely pastors and and evangelists. Others thinkthinkserving absolutely true-trueHe He doesdoes wantwant to to couple of times a year to work serving for those of times a year to work the thetransform that that serving GodGod is foris those whowho are arecouple transform us- that but that is the not entire the entire us- but is not church or book We makepicture. dedicated to missionary work. bakebake sale sale or book fair. fair. We make dedicated to missionary work. Still Stillchurch picture. When we come to Christ, When we come to Christ, we we a point to nice be nice to people others envision serving as usingit a itpoint to be to people and andhavehave others envision serving GodGod as using us skills, talents in usinskills, gifts,gifts, and and talents that that occasionally we give money or food vacation to travel tofar thereaches far reachesoccasionally we give money or food to towe have vacation timetime to travel to the we have developing all years the years beenbeen developing all the the homeless. Of course the homeless. Of course thesetheseof our of life. our life. When wesaved are saved through When we are through are important things are important things to dotoasdoa as aChrist, Christ, weaare a new creature in Christ, we are new creature in Christ, Christian, andBible the Bible Christian, and the doesdoes tell tellbut but doesn’t that that doesn’t meanmean we we lose lose our our us help to help stranger, us to the the stranger, the theskills, skills, talents. We bring giftsgifts and and talents. We bring themthem orphan widow (Deutwithwith orphan and and the the widow (Deut to Kingdom the Kingdom of God. us tousthe of God. We We 10:18). “Truly 10:18). JesusJesus said said “Truly I tellI tellmustmust use them to begin serving Christ use them to begin serving Christ whatever did one for oneimmediately you,you, whatever you you did for immediately in response to grace the grace in response to the ofleast the least of these brothers of the of these brothers and andand and He showed ussaving by saving love love He showed us by us. us. sisters of mine, didme.” for me.”We cannot sisters of mine, you you did for We cannot to all get cleaned all cleaned waitwait to get up up
“God, and and shinyshiny and and thenthen say, say, “God, whatwhat learned in almost 20 years learned in almost 20 years of ofwould would me to do?” We should you you havehave me to do?” We should following Christ following Christ JesusJesus that thatuse what use what we have when we approach we have when we approach stepping outside ofbox the and box andthe Kingdom stepping outside of the the Kingdom happily door.door. GodGod will will happily going beyond the cliché allowsrecycle going beyond the cliché allows recycle all that all that we we bringbring for for His His to manifest power GodGod to manifest real real power in inpurpose! purpose! youryour life. life. When the last When was was the last timetime you you wentwent to to
pastor a car youryour pastor and and said,said, “I’m“I’m a car salesman. Is there can help salesman. Is there any any way way I canI help Is there the ministry?” “Iaam a writer. Is there the ministry?” “I am writer. can help the church?”“I “I any any way way I canI help the church?” experience havehave 25 25 yearsyears of of experience in in accounting. church accounting. Are Are therethere any any church needs can help with?” Or even, needs that that I canIhelp with?” Or even, “I “I Saturdays I would havehave Saturdays off. off. I would like like to to the church in any comecome and and helphelp the church in any way way I can.” If you to serve that that I can.” If you wantwant to serve God,God, begin service inspiritual the spiritual begin youryour service in the
“Truly I tell you, “Truly I tell you, whatever whatever youyou diddid forfor of the least of these oneone of the least of these brothers sisters brothers andand sisters of of mine, me.” mine, youyou diddid forfor me.” 15
13 I Red Wine
Can God help recycle my career? as Heas wishes. Can God help meme recycle my career? He wishes. He knows to give He knows whatwhat to give I know of you arejobs in jobs For example, I know a hair I know somesome of you are in you you don’tdon’t like. like. For example, I know a hair stylist doesn’t her When job. When her Pastor suggested she open stylist whowho doesn’t like like her job. her Pastor suggested that that she open a a salon, not to just to make money but also to train young people intrade, the trade, salon, not just make money but also to train young people in the bothboth of which can bless the Kingdom, she scoffed because she didn’t like anything of which can bless the Kingdom, she scoffed because she didn’t like anything about the hair industry. pastor her that sharing her 20-plus about the hair industry. Her Her pastor told told her that sharing her 20-plus yearsyears of of experience could to save young people the drug addiction experience could helphelp to save young people fromfrom the drug addiction and and prostitution overrun the city. could provided prostitution that that had had overrun the city. ThatThat salonsalon could havehave provided free free
the kindness of God. Foryoung the young people trained there, the kindness and and love love of God. For the people whowho werewere trained there, the income the salon could allowed to eventually pursue the income fromfrom the salon could havehave allowed themthem to eventually pursue theirtheir passions, whatever stylist refused never real real passions, whatever theythey maymay be. be. The The hair hair stylist refused and and never followed her pastor’s advice. a blessing the salon could to the followed her pastor’s advice. WhatWhat a blessing the salon could havehave beenbeen to the community if only she had to think outside of box the box move community if only she had beenbeen able able to think outside of the and and move beyond her own comfort beyond her own comfort zone.zone.
house in which house in which we we are are fed; fed; home church. youryour home church. GodGod will will to where lead lead you you to where youryour giftsgifts talents and and talents will will be be mostmost effective. effective. By doing are going By doing this, this, you you are going beyond the cliché definition beyond the cliché definition of of service. are saying to God, service. You You are saying to God, “I surrender everything in my “I surrender everything in my to You to use as You life life to You to use it asit You will.” will.” am telling I have I amI telling you you whatwhat I have seenseen withwith my my ownown eyes.eyes. As As use your talents you you use your giftsgifts and and talents in service to God, in service to God, He He will will reveal of your reveal moremore of your giftsgifts and and talents to you. a result, talents to you. As aAsresult, somesome day day you you maymay landland a joba job is totally different that that is totally different fromfrom the the or profession in which tradetrade or profession in which working began working life. life. you you began youryour let God use your You You let God use your skillsskills and and talents to bless the Kingdom talents to bless the Kingdom of of in turn, he revealed GodGod so inso turn, he revealed talents to you. newnew talents to you. Using and talents Using youryour giftsgifts and talents for for is about GodGod is about moremore thanthan recouping financial blessings. recouping financial blessings. Sometimes receive healing Sometimes you you receive healing or something or something else else that that you you in your is why needneed in your life. life. ThatThat is why never a price on your you you never put aput price on your service to God. When service to God. When you you serve, let God repay serve, you you let God repay you you 14 I Red Wine
He knows you;you; He knows whatwhat you you needneed and and it it askyourself. for yourself. ask for Beware the trap of thinking know Beware the trap of thinking you you know best.best.
is such an easy to into. fall into. It is It such an easy trap trap to fall We We we know to with do with thinkthink we know best best whatwhat to do We think we will our our lives.lives. We think we will find find our our purpose by traveling down true true purpose by traveling down newnew roads. However, the road to your roads. However, the road to your true true purpose is not always a new purpose is not always a new road.road. Sometimes travel a short Sometimes you you mustmust travel a short distance down an road old road distance down an old untiluntil you you getthe to fork the fork to your get to that that leadsleads you you to your journey. the Apostle newnew journey. EvenEven the Apostle PaulPaul to utilize his tent making had had to utilize his tent making skillsskills to to though he was a bona serveserve GodGod though he was a bona fide fide apostle apostle (Acts(Acts 18:3).18:3). would be surprised at how much You You would be surprised at how much of what know rightright nownow can can be be of what you you know to serve usedused to serve GodGod and and buildbuild His His Kingdom. talents Kingdom. TakeTake youryour skillsskills and and talents in fertile ground. and and plantplant themthem in fertile ground. ThatThat collection week. If you collection plateplate eacheach week. If you havehave money to give, orled areto led to give, money to give, or are give, by allby all means to build the Kingdom. means give give it toitbuild the Kingdom. However, know However, know that that you you havehave eveneven to offer to receive moremore to offer and and moremore to receive fromfrom money. I give financially GodGod thanthan money. I give financially to to know released God,God, but Ibut alsoI also know that that GodGod released me from situations inlife mythat life that me from somesome situations in my constraining me and I planted werewere constraining me and I planted of liberty through service thosethose seedsseeds of liberty through service to God. Service to God is just to God. Service to God is just as as important as giving money to His important as giving money to His Kingdom. There is task no task Kingdom. There is no that that is is insignificant to God. Whatever insignificant to God. Whatever youryour hands to do, it under hands find find to do, do itdounder the the church leaders. guidance of your guidance of your church leaders. GOD RECYCLES.Through Through GOD RECYCLES. youryour salvation Hegoing is going to use salvation He is to use whatwhat is is productive in you. He will goodgood and and productive in you. He will discard things inside discard things you you holdhold inside that that is how don’tdon’t serveserve you you well.well. ThatThat is how we we are washed in Him. are washed cleanclean in Him. You You havehave something can right use right something GodGod can use now.now. Go Go ahead use it. ahead and and use it.
Love
The PAIN of
This is the month when people will make phenomenal gestures to show how much they love someone. They will buy their loved one a big heart-shaped box of chocolates, a dozen red roses, sexy lingerie, or endearing cards that say “Be My Valentine”. In fact, so many people have come to expect lavish gifts on Valentine’s Day that if they don’t get them, it creates major problems in their life and the person they love.
15 I Red Wine
What amazes me is that sometimes the person who gives you a box of candy and flowers on Valentine’s Day just spent the last 364 days acting as if he or she doesn’t love you. In fact, if I were a stranger looking in, I wouldn’t have any idea that this person loves you. If this relationship causes you pain, or you question your “loved one’s” love, what is a box of candy going to do to fix that? Even if it gives you a moment of pleasure, what do you think is going to happen on the day after Valentine’s Day? That’s right- the relationship will quickly return to its previous painful existence.
“Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn’t jealous. It doesn’t sing its own praises. It isn’t arrogant.” (1 Corinthians 13:4; God’s Word Translation). God, and invite Him into your heart. Only then can He begin to heal you and remove the pain of the human love you found in all the wrong places. This Valentine’s Day, buy God a box of candy. Say to Him, “I bought this for you.” Ask Him to lead you to the right person for you, the one who will truly love you. Don’t try to pick someone for yourself. You need God’s divine direction to lead you to the person who is perfect for you. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. And while you are at it, ask God to heal the pain in your heart that came from seeking human love without His guidance.
Love can be painful and when it is, it has its very own special kind of burning pain. It is as if your heart has been cut in two and there is no quick cure; you can’t go to the store and buy an ointment to ease the pain. When you hurt because of love, there is no hurt like it; it is second to none. Many of us find ourselves in situations where love should abide. Sometimes we believe we are in love, but it is really just lust disguised as love. Perhaps you don’t know what real love is. If that is the case, then you are going to mistake many emotions for love. Only the pain and agony of rejection or disappointment will help you to realize that love was never there, it was just a bunch of mixed emotions and not-so-valiant motives. Lust and love are not the same. Sometimes we have a misconception of what real love is and we need someone to teach us about it. Only God can do that, and if we let Him, He will teach us everything we need to know about love. Real love is to be shared; given 16 I Red Wine
away to people. The Bible tells us what love is. Know that when you really love someone you will endure pain because human love creates painful situations. Yes, you want to love and be loved. You deserve love. I will not deny you that. But human love is painful by its very nature. The good news is that Jesus loves us. His love is true and it never runs out. It is a mature love, one with ability to heal the pain – but you have to allow yourself to receive it. You have to go to the source of true love, which is
Real love comes from God and you can be infused with it by asking for it often and receiving it fully. When you do receive it, make sure you are willing to share that love with everyone you know, regardless of who they are or what they have done. God is your perfect Valentine. God bless you my friend. Dr. Diana
December 2014 - January 2015//Special Issue
The RICHEST
MAN on Earth
Every
year the list of the world’s wealthiest people is released. For some reason, people want to know who has attained the status of richest person in the world. We are only two months into 2015 and already you can find the list of this year’s billionaires posted online. Some people have been on the list for years like Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, investment mogul Warren Buffet and even Oprah Winfrey. These people draw worldwide attention, and even respect, because of the wealth they have amassed. People talk about them, want to be friends with them, request charitable donations and job opportunities from them; all because of their wealth. The truth is that the richest person on earth has never appeared on this list, despite the fact that He has wealth far beyond anyone’s imagination. In fact, the wealth of the people on the list
19
fades in comparison to His. He is the richest person in the universe. He has lived longer than all of the wealthiest people on earth and they will neverever own more than He does, or have wealth greater than His. If you don’t know who I am talking about, let me tell you - I am talking about the Holy Spirit. In the book of Genesis we are told that God hovered over the earth and created the entire world. He created the earth and the heavens above it; the soil, trees, flowers, air, clouds, rain, snow, sleet and wind- it is all created by and owned by Him. The richest people in the world don’t own any portion of the birds in the sky or the fish in the seas. They do not own the trees and the mountains in this world of ours. No matter what the richest men and women in the world have created, the God who created them is greater. After all, God is the only one who can create a human being. Scientists have tried cloning a human being for years now, without success. The only one who has
life and death in His hands is God. He is indeed the richest Man on earth. The Holy Spirit, part of the Trinity of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, lives here on earth. In the book of Acts we are told that on the day of Pentecost, He came back to earth like a mighty rushing wind. He watches over that which He made, the earth and the heavens. They were His idea and no one else can duplicate them. This is why I say it is remarkable that He is never given credit for being the richest man on earth. God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is a man, not an "it" or a she. I always think it is terrible that we don’t give God His due here on earth. We don’t acknowledge Him as the wealthiest Man on earth and in heaven. If your parents, friends, or coworkers are in heaven, they got there because He created it and owns it today. He escorted them to heaven. If you are saved and serve Him, one day He will escort you to heaven too. Don’t 17 I Red Wine
temporary wealth on earth because it is not a replacement for salvation. It cannot replace heaven. You may think it is heaven on earth while you have money, but you can’t take it with you. Sadly, Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, died of cancer. He said at one point before his death that money didn’t mean anything to him anymore
God is willing to share His wealth with you, but you have to invite Him into your life to obtain those benefits. I love the scripture that says, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” (Proverbs 19:17). Lend is a business term. Banks lend to us. We lend to each other. God is saying “If you give to the poor, you are doing
Let’s take a look at this a little deeper and see the role that wealth plays in our salvation. Think of it this way: God, the richest man in the universe, looks down on earth and sees the problems of humanity and says, “You know what? I have to save these people. I have to remove the weight of sin from their backs. I have to
Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” (Proverbs 19:17).
because it couldn’t stop the cancer. He had the money to afford healthcare, but only the Richest Man on earth – God our Savior- could have saved Steve Jobs from cancer. As a matter of fact, God saved me from cancer, and I had not amassed the kind of wealth that Steve Jobs had. It’s not about the money. It is about being wealthy spiritually.
18 I Red Wine
business with me and I will pay you back”. Speaking of business, if you want a good business idea that will create wealth, you have to go to Him and become His friend so that He can lead you to the right path. God is a great businessman. Let Him show you what you hold inside that will develop a strong business. Once you have done so, give Him all the credit and all the glory.
create a path for them to return to me so they can live with me in heaven forever.” In His brilliance, and on your behalf, He comes up with an infallible solution. He puts His own glory and riches on the side, and takes on a physical, human form. He decides to be born on earth, live with Mary and Joseph and grow up as the son of a carpenter.
He took the name Jesus Christ, and He lived on earth as a human being, subjected to the same trials and tribulations as every other human being. Jesus Christ was here on earth playing the role of Son of the Heavenly Father. He pledged that He would live among us until such time as He had to do the work that his Father sent Him to do. Here is the most important point: this rich man, Jesus Christ, became poor so he could walk among us. The Bible tells us that He had nothing. Jesus made Himself poor while on earth so that all of us could become rich, wealthy, and healed. I want to suggest to everyone reading this, that if you want to be wealthy, find unconditional, deep, passionate love, have rewarding relationships or get married, you need to find fellowship with the richest man on earth. He needs to be your friend because He will help you get what you want, achieve your goals and make your dreams come true. He is there for you 24/7, no matter where you may be.
He will always do more and give more and be more than you will ever need. “True riches flow in heaven where no man can steal.” Is there attribution for this quote? Is it yours? Jesus came from heaven to earth and He is here right now. If you invite Him in, He will take up residence in your
heart and never leave you. If you ask me, that is a real rich man; one who will never leave your heart, one who owns everything your eyes look at, the one who gives meaningful gifts, the one who can go from heaven to earth and anywhere else because He created it all. Dr. Diana Hardy
He will always do more and give more and be more than you will ever need. “True riches flow in heaven where no man can steal.” Is there attribution for this quote? Is it yours?
Ladies, if you are looking for someone to hold you and love you through everything, someone who is sensitive to your needs, then you need Jesus Christ. You will have what you seek, and the richest man on earth as well. If you connect with Him and love Him with all of your heart and mind and give yourself completely to Him, He will stay with you forever. You won’t have to worry about anything else. You won’t have to worry about stress, disease, the ugliness of life, or a lack of money. He will supply your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. However, remember this; you have to be saved in Christ for Him to give all this to you. If you make that kind of commitment to Him, He will make a commitment to you in return.
21
19 I Red Wine
22