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MAGAZINE Everyday living, everyday blessings Issue 1, Volume 1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspiteofitall Twitter: https://twitter.com/inspiteofitall7 Google+: https://plus.google.com/+GildaMorana7
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In Spite of It All! Magazine is a Journee Multimedia, LLC publication P.O. Box 13384, Durham, NC 27709 Phone: (803) 728-1598 Email: inspiteofitallmag@gmail.com 3
JANUARY 2016
Faith simply believes that God is able, and that prayer is the process of allowing your burdens to be given to Him. Wow! How easy is that but do you believe it? I know how life's transition will knock you down and bring an emptiness that causes you to feel stagnant. I have experienced the stubborn pride that will cause an eruption that leads devastation.
It’s Your Turn Lord.. I found my dream and held it tight, And prayed for wings to give me flight, But yet it stayed earthbound with me, Because I did not set it free. Although I held it to my heart, Somehow it seemed to fall apart, “Oh, Lord,” I cried unhappily.
In the midst of our pain we overlook the presence of God Himself. Instead, we don't turn around to see where He is. And surprising enough, He has never left us. The only thing missing is our attention and focus on Him.
Why did you take my dream from me? ~Author Unknown
Our mission at In Spite of It All Magazine is to provide a venue for women to prosper through methods of resourcefulness and survival by sharing this common thread running through life experiences. In Spite of It All releases all our fears, insecurities, and apprehensions by demonstrating God's transforming grace. Our prayer and vision for the In Spite of It All Magazine is for every woman to experience the works of faith and not be afraid to be herself while expressing her fears, pain and passion through life's transformation.
GM Gilda Morana 4
Contents 4
IN EVERY ISSUE
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Have You Met the Seventh Man? By Daryl O’Neil
The Heart of a Woman By Gilda Morana
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HELLO, WOMAN OF GOD!
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Church Abuse: Identified and Exposed By Demetrice Mason
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Is There a King in Israel? By Regina Grey
A Vessel of Honor By Jacqueline Goodwin
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FEATURE ARTICLE
MEN OF VALOR
I Didn’t Know By Becky Dewitt
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My Love for You By Becky Dewitt
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Living Past the Pain By Donna Faulkner
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Prison By Jacqueline Goodwin
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Redeemed By Becky Dewitt
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READING CORNER
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Rebuild Your Temple By Jacqueline Goodwin
Bella’s Book Reviews By Placedia Nance 5
Hello, Woman of God...
Vessel of Honor
By Jaqueline Goodwin
Do you see yourself as a container, a receptacle, or a holder? If you said yes to one then you are saying yes to all three because all three are one and the same. Be it a container, a receptacle or a holder, all contain the past mistakes and negative criticisms of others.
Well, God has called you a vessel. There may have been periods or stages of your life where you have felt empty. These were the seasons that God was preparing you as a vessel in order to carry His knowledge forth to those who are lost, broken, and spiritually blind and 6
abused. Yes, the process was painful but before the craftsman displays his masterpiece there are stages the clay must go through. The clay must be centered on the wheel before the craftsman can began his process. This is an essential step because if his clay is not centered when he starts to pull up the piece, it will be off balance, and he will fight the clay during the whole process. Just like the clay must be centered before the craftsman can start the process of creating a masterpiece, women of God, you must be centered in the will of God so that He may began the process of making you an honorable vessel to be used daily to bring other women over the obstacles of life and through the storms of life. 2 Timothy 2:2022 states, “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.� Next, the clay must be thrown down close to the center of the wheel so that it will stick well. As vessels we must stay close to God so that no matter what trials, tribulations, and tests we are confronted with, we will never walk away from the presence of God. God said He
will never leave you nor forsake you if you just stick to His will so that you will mature into a usable vessel: beautiful, valued, and prized. Next, the craftsman starts the wheel spinning at a moderate or fast speed to force the clay the center. Sometimes God allows trials to come into our lives to force us into the center of His will, just as the craftsman presses down, forcing the clay downward, the pressing of the trials forces us to become vessels of prayers. As God plucks things out of the vessels you will decrease and He will increase only to build you into an honorable vessel. There will be days that you may feel broken down but He is only repairing the cracks that life has placed upon you. He takes the chips that have fallen from His vessel only to replenish them. Jeremiah 31:28:28: “And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.”
There’s no more sitting on the shelves of life, waiting to be seen. The broken vessel is what Jesus is looking for: you, empty and naked, waiting to be filled and clothed in His righteousness. Hello, Women of God... YOU ARE A VESSEL OF HONOR!
Community activist Jacqueline Goodwin is an ordained pastor with a ministry focus on deliverance and healing. She is passionate about and has a heart for the youth. Her book, "Healing In the Vessel," tells of a mother's love and a daughter's journey of faith. Purchase her book today from Amazon.com. Twitter: @lenisegoodwin
Yes, women of God, you have been swept through the fire a vessel left to be burned into ashes but God took your ashes and gave you beauty for ashes. A you are now a beautiful vessel fit for your Father’s use. He will not use man-made super glue to seal the cracks but as He wraps His loving arms around His chosen vessel sealed with His mercy and grace, you shall rise to the call of being an honorable vessel ready for the Master’s use. 7
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My Love for You Beloved, I see that you have decided to take time to read this letter that I have written just for you. There are so many things that I wanted to say to you, for a very long time, and I have decided to write them for you to keep near your heart. First, I want you to know that I am with you always. I have been with you since the day of your birth. I have never left you or forsaken you. My eyes are always upon you. I have watched over you diligently. There is nothing about you that I do not know. There was pleasure in planning everyday of your life. I want you to have everything that was planned for you in the fullness. You see, from the moment of your birth, provision was made for your every need. Do not doubt, for instance, my
love for you. Even in the midst of your pain, I am there, for that you have seen and been through. If you only know how close I am to you right now even as you read these words. Many times I have touched you gently and waited for you to turn unto me and call my name. Each time I waited with anticipation and the joy of knowing that we would began an everlasting relationship. I have waited and wanted to give to you, and restore into you, all that you have been robbed of. The struggles that you have gone through were not from me but from the one who is robbing you of the truth. Your birthright, your inheritance is from heaven and not of this world. You see, even in those times when you turned away from me, I still waited. I knew that there
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would be the day that you would read this letter. I am watching you as your eyes move across these words. As I sit silently, patiently, I am waiting for you to call my name. In an instant I will come in and make all things new within you, removing all of the darkness and despair of this world. I am the light of the world and I want to share my light with you and be on the inside of you, shining brightly, instead of looking and waiting on the outside. There are many keys to many doors in this life. I am the one key that will open or close every door. I came that you may have life and have it more abundantly. Our Father is waiting for you to come home. Love, Jesus
Men of Valor
Have You Met the Seventh Man? By Daryl O’Neil
Relationships, Love, Marriage…
unsuccessfully navigating the relationship waters.
These are topics tending to be of great interest to many people. The topics of relationships, love and marriage happen to be of great interest to me . I talk about, and teach about them all the time. I am a pastor, author and more importantly, a father to many. I have been gifted with a bit of wisdom and experience, which I desire to share with you. I want to empower you, if I may, to overcome challenges that may lead to unhealthy relationships in your life and to enable you be positioned to help another person who may be
Let me begin by making some positive declarations over you. I decree you are a safe place, I decree you will become a safer place. I decree your love level is about to be affected positively. I hope to provoke you, today, to consider living life, in 2016 by definition. I decree a breakthrough to healthy friendships with the opposite sex. A saying which is dear to me that I share with those around me is “Your definitions will determine your destination.” 10
Our definitions shape our beliefs and conclusions, and the wrong definitions will lead to wrong places in our thought life. This leads to wrong decisions and wrong choices. There are quite a few instances in which people have different definitions of love and marriage. In our country alone, over 50% of all marriages end in divorce. It has become clear to me from these statistics that when the two people got married, they had to have had different definitions of the words “love” and “marriage”. It just probably was never discussed. Perhaps
there was no real counsel to help discover this type of truth. I am for successful friendships and relationships. Relationships are necessary in our lives in order to have success and achieve greatness in life. We would probably agree, that anyone who has achieved success on any level, in business, in family, in sports, community service or educationally, will say they had help. Usually the help they received came from people who loved them and were willing to sacrifice to see them succeed. Healthy relationships matter. People want successful relationships. I believe there are people wanting and desiring successful friendships. I believe there are a lot of people who want and desire to be married. To have these happy and successful relationships in our lives, be they friendship or marriage, is a true blessing, but unfortunately, many who desire them do not possess them. I used to think successful people at the top of their vocations and making good money, of course, should be able to have happy relationships. Boy, was I wrong. I think in many cases this is because they may have had the wrong definition of love. I want to share with you some names you will recognize, names of prominent people who, despite appearing highly successful in the eyes of many, must feel pain due to their lack of success in love:
Tony Curtis, Father of Jamie Lee Curtis, 6 wives John Singleton, director Boyz in the Hood, Poetic Justice, 6 wives Larry King, 7 wives and two broken engagements Elizabeth Taylor, 8 husbands Zsa Zsa Gabor, 9 husbands Halle Berry, 2 husbands and another failed relationship. Jennifer Lopez, 3 failed marriages and now a new boyfriend. When people fail to find healthy and strong relationships, they can become desperate and lonely and troubled. This sense of desperation and loneliness can cause them to make bad choices in relationships, leaving them even more lonely and unfulfilled. One of the greatest gifts a daughter, a young girl or a growing adult woman needs in her life is a male who is safe. This must be a man who loves her, but does not lust for her and who will offer the kind of support, wisdom and encouragement needed internally to protect her from making poor choices about men. I believe it is the will of God and there is a story in the scriptures we will look at declaring this same truth. I want to offer hope and some insight to some who have not had success in their relationships with the opposite 11
sex. I am shouting a phrase familiar to anyone who has been around the college life, “There’s A Man on the Hall.” Although we all know of people in the entertainment industry, who are highly visible in the failure of their relationships, such as the names I listed above, I believe there are many more of us, who are less visible, who struggle with the same challenges. I don’t share the names of these celebrities to in anyway shame or diminish these individuals. I am just making a point that even those considered accomplished and celebrated among us often miss the mark when it comes to love. I want to offer a solution. It is meeting and relating to the 7th Man. Here is a newsflash of hope: there are men who have not been corrupted by this misogynistic culture which does not understand the value of a God given woman. There is a lie which says, “There are not many good men available and all men are dogs.” I believe that statement to be totally untrue. I believe there may be a need to get beyond one’s own limited surroundings. God has a great big world and in His kingdom, the number of sons He has with His heart is abundant. Please don’t believe the lie. Jesus is a man and there are men in which He has their heart. St John 1:1-3 says, “In the
beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God.” St. John 1:14 simply declares the Word was made flesh and lived among and was beheld by humanity. In 1 John 4:7-8, the scriptures declare God is Love. In reading all three passages it helps me to conclude, Jesus, who is the word made flesh is the Love of God. Jesus is Love The story of the Samaritan woman by the well, in St John chapter 4, is one of my favorite stories in the bible and demonstrates principles of Love which all can learn from and be healed by. It is the story of a woman who had been in 5 failed relationships and was in yet another relationship looking for love, until she met, the 7th Man Jesus. St John 4:4 says, “But He needed to go through Samaria”. This speaks to me of the principal sacrifice. Jesus could have gotten to Galilee from Judea on another route but Love will go out of its way to heal those who are broken. Love sacrifices and is not selfish. Love makes time for us. The bible says, Jesus came to a city of Samaria called Sychar. This is significant because the names of places and people in the bible signified the character or nature of a thing. The name Sychar has a meaning of liar or a drunkard. It was a town known for drunkards and liars. It becomes clear to me a city with men who may have these types of poor character traits would
not make good partners in friendship, relationship or marriage. Yet He stands in contrast to the men of town. He’s not like the others. As Jesus sat by the well, a woman of Samaria comes near and He asks her for a drink of water and she is astonished that this Jewish man was speaking to her a Samaritan woman. The Jews thought of the Samaritans as half breeds, dogs and not worthy, yet Jesus is not prejudiced. Love is not prejudiced or arrogant. Jesus, as love alive, causes her to be at ease and safe because He respects her and is probably not like every other man she has known. He is honorable. The conversation leading to her healing begins in earnest. “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked him and He would have given you living water.” Love sees her as she was meant to be seen, not as a sex object. Love will care about the broken places in our life, not take advantage of them. Jesus’ offer of living water gets her attention and the ladle to get the “living water” out is TRUTH. He asks her in verse 16, “Go call your husband, and come here.” She lives in a town known for drunks and liars, yet when asked a question the answer to which she could have lied about, she tells the truth. She goes against the old nature. A new nature is being forged. Love creates a safe 12
place in which we can share our messy stuff without condemnation. It is the place of healing. Those who have had bad relationships or friendships need safe places of love to get the heart healed. The Samaritan Woman has had 5 failed marriages and the man she is with is not her husband, yet Jesus helps her to understand the principle of true worship. It has nothing to do with a building. It has to do with wholly surrendering to the instructions of God and living in the truth. After her encounter with the 7th Man, Jesus, every other man she encounters she is filled with purpose and confidence and has become a transformer of men by her testimony. She becomes the woman she was meant to be, a worshipper in Spirit and in Truth. Love teaches us how to love. May you take time to engage the 7th man, Jesus, be healed and have the healthy friendships, relationships and even the marriage you desire. You are born to be in a safe place and to be a safe place for others. Daryl O'Neil is the Apostle and Senior Elder of Ruach Covenant Church International. With a true shepherd’s heart, he is known to be a unique builder of the Lord’s church. He is also the author of And to the Unmarried I Say and A Gathering of Kings and Priest. www.RuachInternational.com
By Becky DeWitt
The redeemed are the purchased possession of God through the eternal one time only sacrificial transaction of Jesus on the cross. Many do not fully understand and truly comprehend the word, “redeemed.” Those of us, who are Believers, were purchased from the bondage of the enemy, Satan. The devil owned you since the fall of Adam, and had full rights to do as he pleased with your life. His job was and is to steal, kill, and destroy you, by any means necessary. (John 10:10). He wants to keep you in whatever trap or cell that he has devised especially for you, so that you can never come to the full understanding and realization of the truth.
The truth, the driving force in this awesome transaction for your life is the agape love of God,. God loved us so much that He sent the precious lamb, Jesus, to be sacrificed so that we could be reconciled back into His heavenly presence to restore our intimate relationship. (John 3:16). “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee.” (Jeremiah 1:5). God knew you before you were wrapped in flesh with your organs developing to the point of completion and you made an entrance into the earthly realm. He knew you in the spirit. He wanted you to be reconciled to Him, to be in relationship with Him once again. Have you ever pondered the thought, that God missed you? Perhaps He still does because of where you are right now. The price, the cost for you, was blood. It could not be the blood of a bull, goat, or ram, but the blood of His only son, Jesus. Remember when God asked Abraham to sacrifice His only son? There was a ram in the bush, and His name was Jesus. This was a scene in the Bible in the Old Testament, which was a preview of the coming attraction. Because it was His only son, there could only be a one time sacrifice. It could not be done as in the Old Testament, over and over again. “He went once for all into the Holy of Holies of heaven, not by virtue of the blood of goats and calves by which to make reconciliation 13
between God and man, but His own blood, having found and secured a complete redemption, an everlasting release for us. For if the mere sprinkling of unholy and defiled persons with blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a burnt heifer is sufficient for the purification of the body, How much more surely shall the blood of Christ, Who by virtue of His eternal Spirit, His own preexistent divine personality has offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God, purify our consciences from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the ever living God? (Hebrews 9:12-14 AMP). Can you envision Jesus hanging on the cross just for you? Do you see the large nails that are piercing His hands and feet with his precious blood dripping out and flowing towards the earth on the ground surrounding in a pool at the depth of the cross. What about the crown of many thorns pressing into His brow, separating the flesh so that the bloods runs across His nose and over the face that was maimed by the torture of man, falling to the earth creation, the sacrifice for many? During the season of the year called Easter, the television media shows the world many versions of their account of the cross. We each need our own personal vision of what actually
took place in order to make our relationship with Jesus more than just personal, but intimate. Do not let media marketing make this sacrifice a season in your mind. Jesus entered into the Holy Place for eternal redemption for us. See Him on the cross, just for you, daily. Visualize the blood, the agony, and the price. As you seek to personalize your relationship with Him even more, your view and perception will change. Understand that price. Examine yourself. Can you not give your all because of this price? What is the cost for the sacrifice unlike any other in eternity? Your blood has no power to redeem anyone! We must put ourselves on the cross daily so that we can crucify the flesh and lay aside the weights of the world, that easily ensnare us to make the shedding of the blood of Jesus of no effect. “Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses who have borne testimony to the Truth, let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance unnecessary weight and that sin which so readily deftly and cleverly clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1 AMP). After the new birth of your spirit, your flesh must be put to death, because it still has all of the wrapping of the world and it is accustomed to being in control. Now that you have His spirit, we
must be crucified with Christ, so that the life we live is through Him, not us. (Galatians 2:20). The power of your voice is through the voice of the blood of Jesus saying “let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” (Psalm 107:20). When you open your mouth, let nothing speak but the voice of the blood. You have no other voice that will conquer the enemy except the voice of redemption. Let the blood of Jesus speak. The blood of Abel cried out from the earth and God heard it. (Genesis 4:10). Do we really want to know Him and the power of His resurrection? (Philippians 3:10). Is there still the passion to be in His presence as when you first met Him? Have we become leaky vessels through the constant bombardment of the enemy, allowing that which has been invested, imparted, and sealed by the Holy Spirit to drip out causing a spill? “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 NLT). Is this foundation sure or is there a hairline fracture invisible to the naked eye causing our anchor in the relationship not to be as deep as we once thought causing a saw or falling away? Is 14
the faith and trust that leans on the absolute confidence in His power, wisdom and goodness evaporated? What a price only He could pay.
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” (I Peter 1:18-21 KJV).
Becky DeWitt is an inspiring Christian author who speaks from the experiences and encounters of everyday living. Becky's writings reveal trials and tribulations while edifying the soul. She developed her short story, “Destiny's Closet,” into a book that teaches children the importance of developing a personal relationship with God. Becky is an ordained evangelist under the leadership of Pastor W. Green of Tree of Life Ministries. http://writtenvoicesblog.com
Cares Are By John McLeod Cares are the cross that each of us must carry, Darkness must always contrast with the light, And having known despair's harsh ministrations Wisdom will bring its own unequalled sight. The Lord makes sure the back will fit the
burden, How harsh it seems, yet when the pain has
www.SpiritHouse-nc.org
gone, The eyes unto the hills of hope in turning Will glimpse the splendid wonder of His dawn!
Spirit House Inc., founded in 19991 in Durham, North Carolina, is a cultural arts organization focusing on helping low-wealth families gain the knowledge and skills they need to uncover and uproot the systemic barriers that prevent them from gaining the resources, leverage and capacity for long term selfsufficiency.
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Curious Medley By Dixie Lee Baker The mystery which masks my wisdom Leapt to the sparkle of your spirit, The pace of your inner carrousel, And the way you wear Anticipated enchantment Around your neck Like a string of precious pearls. My mildewed nocturnal missives Through dreamcatchers To gather remnants of Your believing that Miracles are everyday occurrences; Fireflies illuminate your Soul with sparkling light; Dreams are but unspoken realities; Melodies are the strings That tie together your unsung songs; And fantasies are but truths turned inside out. ….and if I never give you anything else in my life, Take my tender legacy to you very seriously: Always be the Women child That I am/you are We, through life’s journey, Will continue to be and become…
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