R L F EAL
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AITH September/October 2010
Real Life Faith Magazine
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TABLE OF CONTENTS: Today Is a Day to Minister – Real Life Faith Magazine Founder and Editor Michele Jackson – Page 2
Nurture Our Children’s Vision – By Elder Shermaine Y. Sanders, Founder of Eagle Heights Dominion Ministries – Page 5 Bible Trivia – Page 8, What Does “I’m Saved” Mean? – Page 9, Prayer of Salvation – Page 10, Love Lifestyle – Page 11, Match The Word To The Bible Verses – Page 11 Are you interested in publishing an article in Real Life Faith Magazine and subscribing to email messages? Visit our website at http://www.reallifefaithmagazine.com.
© Real Life Faith Magazine all rights reserved.
Today Is a Day to Minister By Real Life Faith Magazine Founder and Editor Michele Jackson
Photo of Real Life Faith Magazine Founder and Editor Michele Jackson “28What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He came to the first and said, Son, go and work today in the vineyard. 29And he answered, I will not; but afterward he changed his mind and went.” (Matthew 21:28-29, Amplified Bible) Real Life Faith Magazine
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The man with two sons in Matthew 21:28-29 is God, and the sons are children of God male or female. Many of God’s children resist Him when God begins to call them into relationship with Himself and to build His kingdom (vineyard) on earth. God seems to like winning over fighters. When God the Son Jesus Christ visited the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in a town called Sychar she resisted Him (John 4), but God compelled her to change her mind as He does with all Christians (John 6:44); and she went out doing His will speaking short, simple, come-to-Jesus messages. Ministry is helping people. What an awesome privilege to be used by God to help lead people into a relationship with God. Some might not have liked God’s minister because of her five former husbands and live-in lover, but God choose and called the messed up Samaritan woman to be one of His ministers. The Samaritan woman didn’t find God. God wasn’t lost. She was a lost religious pagan. God found her, saved her from eternal death (hell), sanctified her and set her to work in His kingdom. While Jesus saved her that doesn’t mean that she still didn’t have some issues: 1) Stop waiting to be perfect before you move in your ministries (all the assignments God has given you). God chooses and calls real people with real problems to build His kingdom on earth. When God says, “Yes, you are my messenger,” don’t you say, “No, I won’t go,” or “Let me wait until I fix this, that and the other thing.” 2) However, deal with your problems through serious Biblical study and lifeapplication, persistent prayer, faithful fasting, coaching from those in the church who are more spiritually mature than you and practical help from family and friends. God often sculpts real-life success through struggle and stress that is painful while you are going through but produces character afterward. The Samaritan woman probably needed a lot of help. She had five former husbands and a live-in lover. Perhaps she had several children which compelled her for economic reasons to have a live-in lover. This would be an opportunity for family and friends to provide financial and other help to get her out of sin. American popular culture and pro-abortion advocates like Planned Parenthood teach that people who are not rich and have many children are ignorant, irresponsible, a drain on society and possibly deranged. The origin of Planned Parenthood is connected with the eugenics movement of the early 1900s which tried to stem the reproduction of minorities and others it viewed as unfit to live and who they said reproduced in swarms. Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups are still wedded to much of this eugenic thinking and practice as evidenced by today they have placed the majority of abortion clinics in minority neighborhoods. But the Bible says in Psalm 127:3-5 (Amp), “3Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4As arrows are in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. 5Happy, blessed, and fortunate is the man whose quiver is filled with them! They will not be put to shame when they speak with their adversaries [in gatherings] at the [city’s] gate.” The devil is the author of eugenic thinking and various ways to divide people for the purpose of bringing destruction into their lives. Intelligent, low-income people have multiple children along with many other types of people with large families. Mary Price Walls is the mother of eight children, grandmother of 12 children and great-grandmother of 14 children who retired as a janitor in 2009. Mary Price Walls who had the name of Mary Jean Price in the summer of 1950 also in that summer of 1950 graduated as salutatorian of Lincoln High School in Springfield, Missouri, and was the first black Real Life Faith Magazine
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person to apply to Southwest Missouri State College (now Missouri State University). Southwest Missouri State College denied her admission based on her race four years before Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared denying black children equal educational opportunities unconstitutional. 3) Expect the enemy to attack your character challenges. Stand. If you fall, don’t stay down. Proverbs 24:16 (Amp) says, “16For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.” Remember God is able to keep on cleansing you and creating in you the power to be a kingdom builder. Don’t let the enemy use embarrassment or guilt or something else to stop you from moving in God’s will. The Apostle Paul persecuted the church of Christ before his conversion to Christ. Yet he did not let his past determine his present or future. The Apostle Peter as a Christian had a need to impress people that got him into sin like when he would not fellowship with the Gentile Christians to impress the more popular Jewish Christians who incorrectly believed circumcision and other Old Testament covenant practices were necessary parts of salvation (Galatians 2). Nevertheless, the Apostle Peter was still an apostle doing the work of God, and God sent the Apostle Paul to correct him. 4) Discern the difference between willful wickedness and weakness. If you really love God, why are you walking in willful wickedness (John 14:15)? Expect areas of weakness. God comes to immediately bring life to our spirits when He saves us from eternal death (hell), but God renews and reigns over our minds and physical bodies through a process. Also, this is hard to accept, but some weaknesses God is not going to remove in this life-time. The Apostle Paul prayed to have a thorn (some type of problem) erased from his side, and God responded by telling Paul that he had to endure it empowered through God’s grace. In this area the Apostle Paul was not going to be perfected until marriage to God the Son Jesus Christ in heaven. Likewise there will be some areas where we will not be perfected until heavenly marriage. Nevertheless, walk now in God the Holy Spirit as you grow in God. 5) God gives us no license to sin, but He does call and use us at the level we are at while working through us to become more Christ-like. God shows His power through weakness. The Samaritan woman did not have it all together when she was ministering, but the power of God came through her short, simple, come-to-Jesus messages that were foundational to the Christian revival in Samaria recorded in the Bible book of Acts. People like the Deacon/Evangelist Philip and the Apostles Peter and John reaped a harvest from the labor of the Samaritan woman as Jesus alluded to in John 4. Jesus interacted with other Samaritans, but it was the Samaritan woman who was an evangelist for Him. No excuses move in your ministries today.
Michele Jackson is the founder and editor of Real Life Faith Magazine. She is also a licensed Bible teacher who lives with her son, Rafael Fowler, in Woodbridge, Virginia. To contact her email her at reallifefaithmagazine@comcast.net. Real Life Faith Magazine
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Nurture Our Children’s Vision by Elder Shermaine Y. Sanders, Founder of Eagle Heights Dominion Ministries
Photo of Elder Shermaine Y. Sanders, Founder of Eagle Heights Dominion Ministries “...Your sons and daughters will prophecy...your young men will see visions.” (Joel 2:28, Contemporary English Version Bible) There’s a scene in Man of La Mancha where Don Quixote and his servant are standing gazing at a dilapidated inn. When Quixote describes his vision of turrets and magnificent gates, comparing the building to the Alcazar, the royal palace in Seville, the servant tries hard to see his master’s vision. However, all he can see are ruins. When he attempts to describe them, Quixote tells him to stop, saying, “I will not allow your Facts to interfere with my Vision!” Alex Morrison said it best, “You must first clearly see a thing in your mind before you can do it.” The mind of a child is an absolutely awesome place! Why? Because it’s a place filled with possibilities, no limits, no boundaries, no barriers, no fears, no cares, just great vision of great wonders yet to be accomplished! They’re not afraid to say at 5 years of age, “I will be a policeman!” They don’t focus on the guns, the shooting, the violence, the loss, the frustration, or the fears! They focus on what they have determined to become! They don’t focus on all the necessary training and years of schooling! All they focus on is the vision of becoming what their mind said they could! “We call a child’s mind “small” simply by habit; perhaps it is larger than ours is, for it can take in almost anything without effort.” (Christopher Morley). There’s not much you have to talk a child into, once they’ve made up their minds! I agree with Frank Oz, “Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.”
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In the last days God promised to pour out His Spirit on ALL kinds of different people (not just the ones we think deserve it)! He said, “...Your sons and daughters will prophecy. Your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.” One Bible teacher writes: “When the Holy Spirit fills us, we have visions that defy facts! When I deal with young people who get a vision of doing something big for God, I can always count on their parents to throw cold water on it. The parents say they want them to be realistic. But such parents don’t understand that when God takes possession of young people, He gives them dreams and visions that force them to look beyond the facts, and sometimes run counter to reason. We dare not turn them from these...they are what gives meaning to our lives.” Parents, don’t try to pour your children into the mold of your own unfulfilled expectations! Encourage them to seek God and get a vision for their own future! And when they get it, don’t distort their vision due to your lack of one! Why? Because, “Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.” (Neil Postman). If we give them discouragement today, their tomorrows will be filled with discouragement. If we give them doubts, fear and low-self-esteem today, their tomorrows will be filled with the same! “Children seldom misquote. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn’t have said.” (Author Unknown). Therefore you don’t want to fill their hearts, minds and mouths with such words as “you can’t, you’re not smart enough, you don’t have enough money for that, you don’t live in the right neighborhood, you can’t attend that school, you’re not good enough, that’s too hard for you, that’s impossible for you to achieve.” Be warned, they will reach a point where they quote you word for word and live out the words you’ve spoken repetitively over their lives! And I don’t know about you, but I want to know that the legacy my children continue to carry out after I’m gone is one of no limits, no boundaries, no barriers, no fears, no cares, just great vision of great wonders that they possess the ability to accomplish! We don’t want to cloud their vision talking about the storms, winds and waves, but we want to feed their great vision with the truth, that in spite of the storms, winds and waves, they can yet walk on water right in the midst of it all! We don’t want to teach them that the circumstances have to be favorable first, No, we want them to keep their child-like faith and boldness, and walk out in the midst of the storm believing that when God says you can do something, you can do it, regardless to your surroundings! “Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.” (Rabindranath Tagore). God daily desires for greatness to come from His children, and every other succeeding generation! We’re still producing children, so there’s still more greatness that God desires from us! We should be encouraged to know that He’s not discouraged by our failures, flaws and fears. We still possess the parental power to change current and future generations! So please don’t take it lightly what our youth see for themselves! Don’t talk them out of it! Don’t shelter them from it! Believe in what they believe in! Reinforce the fact that they can do absolutely anything their hearts desire! “A child seldom needs a good talking to as a good listening to.” (Robert Brault). If you want to learn anything about the legacy you’re leaving behind, stop talking and listen to what your children are saying! You’ll either be very glad or very sad, since you're the one that gave them the crayons to paint a picture of their future! If it’s gray, black and white, that’s all the color and encouragement you ever gave them! Keep in mind: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” (Frederick Douglass). Back in the 60’s, youth were pushed hard to believe that they were somebody, and that they could do great things regardless of their skin color! So what happened?! Why did we stop pushing them? Why did we stop supporting them? Why did we start hindering their hope? And viciously attacking their vision? Why are our youth under the impression that their dress attire doesn’t matter? Grooming doesn’t matter? Proper language doesn’t matter? Education and employment don’t matter? Kids having kids don’t matter? When did they get the image that the best for them is standing around with a bunch of guys on a street corner, instead of Real Life Faith Magazine
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standing around a bunch of guys in the board room? When did they get the idea that the “attire of a harlot” is appropriate attire in the house of God? Where, or should I ask, Who, did they get this from?! Listen to this: “(Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became crippled. His name was Mephibosheth).” (2 Samuel 4:4 New International Version). What I find amazing about this story is that Mephibosheth was fine for the first five years of his life, but then an adult picks him up, drops him; and he’s crippled for life! We like to point our fingers at our young people, but as adults we fail to take responsibility for the fact and the truth that they were doing just fine before we interfered! Until we attempted to take charge and pick them up and carry them off to where we thought they should go, they were doing alright! A lot of their “crippling” came because we dropped them in the process of taking them in a direction we thought best! Therefore, I challenge you to take the time this week to really listen to our youth! Ask them about where they are, and where they plan to go. Ask them about the plans they have for their own lives, and don’t try to get a needle and thread and weave your ideas in there! Simply listen, and support! Encourage and reinforce that they can fulfill the Vision for their lives no matter how big, or even ridiculous it may sound to you! Let’s stop “crippling” our children by trying to carry them into the place and vision we have in mind for them, instead let’s walk side by side with them, enjoying the view of a beautiful vision that they have created for themselves! “The Jewish people, ever since David slew Goliath, have Never considered youth as a barrier to leadership.” (John Fitzgerald Kennedy).
Elder Shermaine Y. Sanders of Holy Trinity Baptist Church in Roosevelt, New York, has a BA in Theology and Biblical Counseling and a Master’s of Divinity with a concentration in Pastoral Care and Leadership. She is the Founder of Eagle Heights Dominion Ministries which publishes a devotional Monday through Friday called Break-Through Devotionals For The Overcomer. To subscribe to the devotional email eldershermaine@yahoo.com.
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BIBLE TRIVIA SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010 QUESTIONS (VERSES ARE FROM THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE). Name the Old Testament prophet who God transferred his anointing to John the Baptist.
Name two holy assemblies celebrated in the seventh month of the Biblical calendar.
BIBLE TRIVIA JULY/AUGUST 2010 ANSWERS (VERSES ARE FROM THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE). True or false. Gideon is a descendant of Joseph.
TRUE. GIDEON IS PART OF THE TRIBE OF MANASSEH WHICH IS JOSEPH’S FIRST BORN SON (JUDGES 6:15 AND GENESIS 41:50-51). Who is the daughter-in-law described as being better than seven sons?
RUTH. (RUTH 4:13-15). Name the man who had a vision of a man saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”
THE APOSTLE PAUL (ACTS 16:9).
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WHAT DOES “I AM SAVED” MEAN?
S
Salvation -- all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Sin is doing things contrary to the will of God. Since
God is perfect His will produces freedom now and forever. Not following God’s will produces bondage. All human beings have experienced bondage to sin from which they are completely unable to escape. Human beings are sinners in need of a Savior from sin (Romans 6:23 and John 8:34).
A
All the work of salvation is done by God and freely offered. God has to choose and change you before you choose
Him. You cannot be good enough, smart enough or do works of any kind to enter into a relationship with God. As a consequence of this relationship, you escape the wrath and judgment God has regarding sin; and God never leaves you (Romans 3:23, Romans 9, John 6:44, John 15:16 and Isaiah 64:6).
L
Love -- No one loves God before He calls a person into relationship with Him. God first loves those He chooses to
have an eternal relationship with Him and gives these people the desire and ability to love Him. In this earthly life God is maturing these people for marriage in heaven (Psalm 14, 1 John 4:10, 1 John 4:19 and Revelation 19).
V
Victory -- Jesus Christ defeated the devil who is the enemy of God and people. God the Father gave Jesus a bride
(those human beings He has a relationship with) before the foundation of this earth for a relationship that starts on earth and will be consummated in heaven. The devil tried to stop the wedding, but God got the victory over him (John 10, Matthew 28, Romans 8:29-31 and 1 Corinthians 15:52-57).
A
Awful -- God thinks sin is awful. God thinks sin is so bad that it requires a sinless, blood sacrifice as payment for the
consequences of the sins of His bride (Hebrews 9 and Hebrews 10).
T
Truth -- The truth is that the only human in all creation found without sin is the God/man Jesus Christ because He is
God the Father’s only begotten Son born of the human, virgin Mary. Jesus went to the cross in Calvary, Israel, more than 2000 years ago as the sinless, blood sacrifice for the sins of His bride (Matthew 1, John 3, John 8 and Revelation 5). God is all relationships to Christians; He’s Husband, Father, Friend, Brother, Sister and Mother (1 Corinthians 8:6, Isaiah 54:5, Jeremiah 3:14, John 15:14-15 and Matthew 12:15).
I
Idea -- It was God’s idea to make the bodies of His bride His temple. God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and God
the Holy Spirit live inside His bride. God is a multiple of one as in 1 X 1 X 1 = 1; and He is jealous for His bride; He shares her with no one; God protects her (1 Corinthians 3).
O
Ordered -- As a bride of God, God is ordering sin out of your life and increasingly manifesting His holiness through
you. God wants total control of your life (Psalm 37:23).
N
Never -- Most human beings will die. This is the first death. Yet the brides of God will never experience the second
death (commonly called “hell”) which is God’s wrath and judgment waiting for everyone who leaves this earthly life without a relationship with God and is one of the wages of sin. The bride will never cease to exist and will never leave the presence of God in paradise (Revelation 20:11-15 and Romans 6:23).
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PRAYER OF SALVATION (IF GOD IS ASKING FOR YOU, ANSWER HIM AFFIRMATIVELY.) IF YOU HAVE NEVER TALKED TO GOD AND SAID SOMETHING LIKE THE FOLLOWING, PLEASE DO SO SINCERELY TODAY. “GOD THE FATHER, I AM TALKING TO YOU IN THE NAME OF GOD YOUR SON, JESUS CHRIST. SALVATION EXISTS IN NO OTHER NAME BUT THE NAME OF JESUS. THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING AND COMPELLING ME INTO RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU. THANK YOU FOR SENDING GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CONVICT ME OF MY SINS AGAINST YOU, TO SHOW ME THAT I NEED YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS APPLIED TO MY LIFE AND TO WARN ME OF YOUR WRATH AND JUDGMENT OF SIN ENDING IN ETERNAL DEATH. THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME SO MUCH THAT YOU SENT YOUR ONLY BEGOTTEN SON JESUS CHRIST TO PAY THE PENALTY OF MY SIN AND TO PROVIDE A WAY FOR YOU AND I TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP. PSALM 14 AND ROMANS 3 SAY THAT I AM NOT GOOD, WISE OR ABLE IN ANY WAY TO SEEK AFTER YOU AND SAVE MYSELF. THANK YOU, FATHER, FOR SAVING ME THROUGH THE WORK JESUS CHRIST DID DYING ON THE CROSS FOR ME, BEARING ALL OF MY SINS, PAYING THE PRICE FOR THEM AND PROVIDING A WAY FOR YOU TO LOOK AT IMPERFECT ME BY FIRST SEEING THE PERFECT ONE, JESUS. THANK YOU FOR PUTTING FAITH IN ME. I BELIEVE IN MY HEART AND CONFESS WITH MY MOUTH THAT JESUS CHRIST IS MY LORD AND SAVIOR,THAT YOU RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD, THAT HE IS ALIVE TODAY, THAT YOU HAVE FORGIVEN ME FOR MY SINS, THAT I AM SAVED FROM YOUR WRATH AND JUDGEMENT OF SIN AND THAT I WILL SPEND NOW AND ETERNITY WITH YOU. THANK YOU, FATHER. THANK YOU FATHER, FOR GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO NOW GIVES ME DAILY POWER TO LIVE ACCORDING TO YOUR WILL AND WAYS AND TO BE A WITNESS TO YOU IN THE WORLD. THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME FOREVER, FOR NEVER LEAVING ME ALONE, FOR LIBERATING ME TO LIVE A GOOD LIFE NOW AND FOREVER. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO ME OR WHAT I DO, YOU WILL NEVER FORSAKE ME. LET ME NOT TAKE YOUR GOODNESS FOR GRANTED. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WILL BE CHALLENGING AND CHANGING ME INTO YOUR LIKENESS, THAT I WILL BE PROGRESSING IN THIS LIFE AND FULLY MADE PERFECT IN THE NEXT LIFE, AND THAT I HAVE GIVEN UP MY LIFE TO LIVE FOR YOUR WILL AND WAYS. I COMMIT MYSELF DAILY BY RELYING ON YOU TO TALKING TO YOU, READING, STUDYING AND MEDITATING ON YOUR WORD THE BIBLE AND LIVING ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD IN A WAY THAT PENETRATES EVERY AREA OF MY LIFE. I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR YOUR GOODNESS! IN JESUS’ NAME, AMEN.”
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LOVE LIFESTYLE: "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given
MATCH THE WORDS TO THE BIBLE VERSES EXAMPLE: Draw a line connecting the words “As a man disciplines and instructs his son, so the Lord your God disciplines and instructs you” with the Bible verse Deuteronomy 8:5. The Amplified and King James Bible translations are used. As a man disciplines and Joel 2:28 instructs his son, so the Lord your God disciplines and instructs you If you [really] love Me, you will Psalm 127:3 keep (obey) My commands Children are a heritage from Isaiah 49:16 the Lord Your sons and daughters shall prophecy No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him Ye cannot serve God and mammon I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands
Luke 16:13 Deuteronomy 8:5
John 6:44 John 14:15
back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity," Luke 6:37-38 (The Message Bible).
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