February Rejoice Essential 2018 by Kimberly Moses

REJOICE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2018

CONTENT Page 08 Tronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fashion Page 12 Testimonies Page 14 The Deceitfulness of Undetected Sins of the Heart Page 17 Rise In Unity

Page 66 Surrendering It All: When Love Is Not Enough

Page 22 Prophetess Tasha Moses Page 27 Love On You Page 28 Healthy Recipes Page 36 The Attic or the Basement Page 50 Dr. Sharon Nesbitt Page 57 The Dream Page 59 The Roots of Conversation Page 61 Under Grace Page 63 Spiritual Man

REJOICE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2018

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REJOICE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2018

CONTRIBUTORS

Kimberly Moses Founder And Editor Effingham, South Carolina www.kimberlyhargraves.com

Tron Moses Photographer, Designer, Marketer Effingham, South Carolina www.tronmoses.org

Taylur Holland Writer Dallas, Texas thescribesheart@gmail.com

Reynaldo Rodriguez Writer Chicago, Illinois reyrod1970@gmail.com

Mae Blooms Writer Fort Lauderdale, FL info@thebetterwifeproject.com www.thebetterwifeproject.com

Melinda Roberts Writer Baton Rouge, Louisiana robertsmel2015@gmail.com

Shirley Ann Cooper Writer Kissimmee, Florida praise write@gmail.com From Heaven ablog

Amber Brown Writer Poplar Bluff, Missouri UnityofSoulsMinistry@gmail.com

Keiyia Jackson-George Writer And Chief Editor Cane Garden Bay, Tortola Virgin Islands www.rkgconsultinggroup.com www.justmekjg.com

REJOICE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2018

TESTIMONIES: LET’S GIVE THE DEVIL A BLACK EYE! When we share our testimonies, our faith increases! We start to believe God for the Impossible! We can see the power and the hand of God in any situation. God can turn any test into a testimony! We know if God did it before, he can do it again. Our Testimonies glorify God!

Mrs. Kimberly Moses, First let me start by saying thank you so much for your obedience to God and your transparency in sharing your experiences with the body of Christ. My church is using your books as a companion for our monthly bible studies. All your books have been very helpful, especially the book we are currently reading, Conquering The Mind: A Daily Devotional. From the Foreword to the Prayers For the Mind, I completely identify with the struggle and I feel this book was personally written for me. I’m a firm believer that when we go

through things in this life, it’s to help someone else down the line. Thanks again for sharing and know God is using your testimony to destroy the walls the enemy has erected in my mind. I am not longer bound. ~ Karen~

saw me doing something with women to make them feel beautiful. I have another all woman’s conference in NYC too. I give daddy all the Glory. Oh wait! Three words. I will be traveling. Love you mighty woman of God.

Hola Prophetess, I just wanted to give you a praise report on two words you spoke into my life that made no sense back then but know that I started to sell these jewelry and God has opened a big door at a three day church conference that holds over 4000 people. I remember you said you

Good evening Prophetess Kim, I just wanted to thank you so much for allowing yourself to be used by God to pray for me last night. Last night was the first time in a long time. I didn’t have to sleep listening to an audio Bible or a warfare prayer. So, I didn’t just get some sleep, I got

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sweet sleep! I still had a dream but it wasn’t a dream that was sent by the enemy so I had no choice but to give the Father glory for that! I’m going to watch your video and listen to the recording often as a reminder of how powerful prayer is when it is comes to the saints interceding for one another. I’m praying that God’s favor and blessings will continuously come upon you, your family, your ministry, and your business, thank you for everything. God day Prophetess. Want to share a quick testimony. On your last prayer call, you told me that you saw some paper work with an approved stamped on it. Well two months back I had applied for charity care. I didn’t get a response for some time. I was getting a bit worried about it since I really needed the assistance. Today, I received mail from them and they approved me 100% charity care for 12 months. Hallelujah. Plus they’re paying for last year’s medical bills in full. God is so good. Much much needed. Thank you for your prayers. God bless you. Prophetess K, Thank you for first conquering the thoughts coming at your own mind to not publish this book! We are using it for our Jan-Feb devotions, along with reading a chapter a day in proverbs. Your newest book is already being a blessing in CA. Always remember this, “You will be unable to do for others, what you have never done first for yourself! Blessings and encour-

agement. Good afternoon Prophetess! I just read chapter 10 in “School Of The Prophets: A Curriculum For Success.” I am physically weak right now. My mind is in overload. I am in awe of his presence. I am going to go lay down now. Shalom! At 20:50 on your YouTube video, was the first time you prophesied to me. You said that a healing was coming to my mindset. God has been true to this word. I literally used to feel like knives were lodged in my head because I had no idea I had the gift of discerning of spirits but the enemy knew. Because of the open door to sin, the enemy tormented my mind. But God has remained true to this word and healed my mind and emotions. He has shut the mouths of the naysayers who called me forgotten and crazy. I praise God. To God be the Glory for my healing. Hello WOG. I just want you to know I still have your oil and prayer cloth you sent me. I used it yesterday. My boyfriend’s mother back was hurting. She asked me to rub her. I put your oil on her and prayed. I gave her your prayer cloth. I told her to read it and sleep with it. She woke up and she said she felt like she had a new back. Praise God. I just wanted to share that with you. Good morning Prophetess Kimberly, It’s been a good minute since I’ve emailed you. I am still following you via YouTube and

some times through my sister’s Facebook page. God is still blessing you with a good word for His people. The last time you prayed for me it was about not getting a hysterectomy and so far I didn’t. I have completely changed my eating habits and started exercising and stretching more. It feels like the fibroids are shrinking because my belly button doesn’t pop out as far anymore. I am gaining more energy daily. I even started writing about my experience and have you on my mind as my publisher. Hello. I just have to tell you this. After watching your LIVE interview on the prophet’s teaching group one morning, you prayed for everyone watching that they can be a writer. You asked us to raise our hands and decree it. I asked God, “Can I really be a writer of a published book?” This was something I never thought about doing until the seed was planted from you. Glory to God! I just finished up with an outline and concept for a book! I am going to pursue getting it published! Hello woman of God! I am excited to tell you that the prophecy you gave me came to pass about my husband. You prophesied that he was coming and that we would be lovey dovey like feeding each other. That is what exactly happened. Wow! Thank you so much. We are right now in the process of marriage and moving to Texas.

REJOICE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2018

THE DECEITFULNESS OF UNDETECTED SINS OF THE HEART By Melinda Roberts

[ For] Sin will not be your master [exercise dominion/power over you], because you are not under law but under God’s grace. -Romans 6:14 Expanded Bible (EXB) I can recall when I began to understand God’s grace toward the born-again believer through the dynamic teaching of Joseph Prince and Creflo Dollar about five years ago. I simply embraced the notion that

I was made righteous through Jesus Christ, Our Righteous, and was in right standing with God. After I did so, there was a change inwardly that projected outwardly, and, in all honestly, one particular outward sin that I had been wrestling with (sometimes I would conquer it; other times, it would conquer me) became less challenging. My thinking changed my behavior. I confessed to God that I could not overcome this pestering

sin, in and of myself, and I was giving up on trying, but it was my desire to honor Him with every fiber of who I am. Such an acknowledged, blatant honesty to God loosened the stronghold of this sin over my body. Yes, Yah is all seeing, all knowing, and all powerful. Even though He sees everything, we tend to never openly confess our challenges to Him, inviting Him into the struggle. Our vocal confession somehow grants

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Abba permission to move in particular areas of our lives. It is definitely possible to surrender certain areas of our lives to God, while withholding others from Him, deeming said areas off limits. This predominantly happens with regards to sin that is coupled with shame. We are ashamed and want to keep it hidden. It is our desire to hide from God that fuels the enemy, gives him the spiritual legal right to stay crouched in the darkness of our souls, overcoming us, subduing us and imprisoning us with what we are too ashamed to take to God. We are slaves to the one we obey, be it sin or righteousness (Romans 6:16). Once we choose to confess our sins, with our mouths, as stated in 1 John 1:9, the light is turned on in the deepest recesses of our souls, and the enemy can no longer hide. He has to vacate the premises posthaste, allowing us to experience a new-found freedom from bondage, as God intends for all of us (John 8:36). I was on my way. More recently, I was blessing God and reveling in the ability to confess, pray, and bring my body under subjection in every area (diet included). I have learned that the more you deny your body things that are not even necessarily sin, such as sugar, you build stamina and endurance by the grace of God to continue to mortify the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:13). I was celebrating and thanking God, but of course, there is always room for growth as members of

the Body of Christ, as we are in a consistent state of becoming. It hit me, there are different levels of sins. Now that I had mastered how to stay surrendered and in a state of overcoming outward sins, there was now a need to conquer undetected hidden sins, sins of the heart. I have to say that my balloon became a little deflated, but God was beginning to deal with me about the sneaky, subtle deceit of pride… even being proud that I, by no ability of my own, as a single woman, was able to quiet the appetite for sexual intimacy, which plagued me about once a month. As determined as I am to live a holy life, I have taken all necessary precautions to stay away from the opposite sex, and allow God to direct my husband, as He wills. More than anything else, I want God’s will for my live in every aspect. I ensure that I am fully doing all that is required of me to have such, because God’s purpose fulfilled is more important than my pleasure. As believers, we have no need to feel overly accomplished by anything that Abba does in our lives. We have no ability of our own, and even the greatest of minds is no match for the enemy, who is masterfully cunning and deceitful (Genesis 3:1). A few of the subtle, undetected sins of the heart that we must guard against are as follows: The Sin of Religiosity They had a form of godliness (2 Peter 3:5).

The Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ day was far guilty of this sin. They prayed wordy prayers publicly to been seen as holier than everyone else (Matthew 6:5). They wore their garments, appearing to be holy and godly. Even though they represented the religious establishment of that day, they outwardly despised Jesus. Expressing His sentiment against the religious leaders of His time, Jesus called them “white washed tombs full of dead men’s bones” (Matthew 23:27). In other words, they looked clean and appeared to meet a godly standard on the outside, but were far from pleasing God in their hearts. He also preserved certain names such as “brood of vipers” just for them (Matthew 23:33). Ultimately, Jesus proclaimed that they were of their father, the devil (John 8:44). Notice that out of all of those who sinned outwardly that Jesus encountered and ministered to daily, He never insulted them. The religious leaders, however, represented a system of bondage, much like what is being upheld today, in many cases, unfortunately, which nullifies or objects to a relationship with God through Jesus Christ (grace). Exalting tradition and works of the flesh as righteousness is contrary to what God desires and intended for us through Jesus Christ, which Jesus abhorred. The Sin of Self-Righteousness Our righteousness is as filthy

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rags (Isaiah 64:6). I was unknowingly headed for self-righteousness with regards to subduing my flesh until God brought my flow to a screeching halt. The sin of self-righteousness causes one to compare himself to another, ultimately putting himself above another. This even happens with regards to fasting, praying, and serving in the church. The enemy very subtly causes us to deem that we are more spiritual than another because we attend church more than others, pray longer, fast more often, or even accumulate more possessions. A man’s value can’t be measured by what he possesses, however (Luke 12:15). Any time we begin to compare ourselves to others, we falter. Following the examples set by Jesus should be our primary focus. We would all do well to remember that without God… we are and can do nothing (John 15:5). The Sin of Self-Condemnation There is now no condemnation for those who walk in the Spirit opposed to the flesh (Romans 8:1). The Spirit of God recently revealed to me that I struggle with the hidden sin of selfcondemnation. Everyone of us have suffered intentional infractions at the hands of others that may have been debilitating and caused great pain and disappointment. However, God has a tendency to use what the enemy has meant for evil for His good; He often uses such unfortunate

occurrences to shape us and prepare us for where He is taking us. Since God permits such to occur, we must be keen to purposefully, consistently forgive others. For one, God will judge us according to the condition of our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7). He has the ability to give us a heart of the flesh for a heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26), and if we choose not to forgive, we will not be forgiven (Mark 11:26). I unknowingly permitted the sin of self-condemnation to become problematic for me because I held a grudge against myself for allowing others to manipulate me or talk me into making decisions that I was not ready to make. This particular problem surfaced within in the last year and a half, as I was in a period of grieving the death of my mother. Periods of grieving are not always great times to make any lasting or important decisions, and I fell prey to that and held myself accountable as a result. Do you see how subtle the enemy can be? The effects of this sin are that I question every encounter that I have with God, I vacillate between whether I am suitable for God’s use or not, I put myself down, and I have challenges with trusting my ability to make sound decisions. I am grateful to God for clear, concise revelation about this sin. I was starting to blame psychosis. Now that I am aware, I must stay yielded to God and allow Him to root this sin out of the chambers of my soul. If not, it

can potentially cause me to abort my destiny, as further movement requires stability and full assurance in God and His willingness to use me for His glory. Without any doubt, we must ward against sin, be it outward or internal. We never have to battle alone, providing we keep God first, be willing to be brutally honest about who we are with ourselves, and yield to God’s process to get us to where we need to be. I am fully persuaded that Abba will finish the work that He started in each one of us (Philippians 1:6). That which He has promised, He is certainly able to perform (Romans 4:21). Hallelujah!

REJOICE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2018

RISE IN UNITY By Amber M arie Brown

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Unity is a state of being united or joined as a whole. Not in part, not in “small groups”, but as a whole! We see many now all over the world focusing more on self rather than keeping our focus on all. We are not the only living human being on earth, therefore we must not just think about ourselves. Many want to be first, but very few have the humility to be last. Unfortunately, this mentality has spread throughout the Body of Christ. Christians should be the example of Unity, Love, Support, and Respect but somewhere along the way, the ideas and thoughts of the world made its way to the Church. The only logical explanation for this fall is the simple fact that the focus of our motives has shifted. Instead of putting on the mind of Christ and seeking him, the church has gone back to seeking self. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1) When God made Adam, there was unity. When God made Eve, there was unity with Eve and God, Eve and Adam, and then with Adam, Eve, and God. Here we see ourselves having unity with God individually, but then when someone joins us, we are then in unity with them, and then in Unity with Christ AS ONE BODY! “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread” 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 Many in these last days say that they want to be used in ministry but operate in a spirit of jealousy and of pride and that is part of the reason why we have more and more churches not op-

erating in the Spirit of God. Many Called by God start their journey right, but then end up abandoning their call in hopes of pursuing self-gain rather than Kingdom Gain! As a believer who said YES to Jesus Christ, we made a commitment to die to our self and to walk with him which means that we do not walk for selfish gain any longer, but we walk in pursuit of changing ourselves through him and advancing the Kingdom. It is all about KINGDOM BUSINESS. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; an whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” Matthew 16:24-25 We all deal with it at one point or another and not only just in the Body of Christ, but we will always have those that don’t like us or just those that don’t like how God is blessing us. Not because we do anything wrong, but because of that petty spirit of jealousy and pride that tends to get even the best of us fighting each other. In all reality I can just picture the enemy sitting in a chair with his feet up just smiling away because we are killing each other without him even having to lift a finger. Christians are just making it easy on him to attack and over time what it does is it kills the church. Our focus on this battlefield is fighting the real culprit, and that is Satan. When the door of strife, jealousy, gossip, hinderance, and intimidation is left open even the slightest and doesn’t get dealt with, it breaks our unity not just with each other but with Christ. These spirits attach themselves to those that do not know who they are, and they most certainly don’t understand who they are in Christ because if they did, they would never hold another person back in any way

that is doing the will of God. We can be of Christ, but until you search him and learn who you are, you will never accept yourself and you will never accept scripture. You will always be intimidated by those that are excelling because in the mind of that person, “they want to be the only one doing well.” Well, the devil is a liar! “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; for you once were not people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” 1 Peter 2:9-10 We must understand that we are ALL GOD’S POSSESSIONS. Once we give our life to him, the enemy cannot possess us in any way. He can mess with us, but he cannot take our soul because it now belongs to God. So, when we really think about this, when another believer attempts to hinder you or gets jealous of you and causes strife, they are really hindering God’s work in you and God’s Will for your life. Do you realize that each time they try to hurt you they are also hurting those in front of you that you are meant to help or even to bring to Christ? They are not just trying to stop you, but now they have included many of Gods people and “soon to be people” and could play a huge part in their life as well. Which means that now they are fighting against God and against what He is using you for. All because of issues within themselves, but we all know that GOD ALWAYS WINS! “We may make our plans, but God has the last word.” Proverbs 16 “If God be for us then who can

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be against us.” Romans 8:31 The mindset we need to have is that its okay to agree to disagree, but you continue being you and moving forward in the things of God IN UNITY despite who doesn’t like you, who doesn’t approve of what you are doing, or who doesn’t think you are qualified for what God has said yes to. Continue supporting those who might not necessarily be supporting you because in the end, you will be blessed for being obedient to the Word. Make sure to keep your fellow brothers and sisters in prayer and leave it up to God to soften their heart. “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” Luke 6:27-36 Our Vision is MORE SOULS, MORE POWER! We must get in sync with the Spirit and understand that we are more powerful together. Every day we must tell ourselves to walk in unity and love one to another. Say, “I am okay seeing others succeed and advancing even if I am not. I will be supportive to the will of God in all lives being no respecter of person, and I will pray for those whether they like me or not.” This helps keep our minds focused on him and not on ourselves. This is how we BUILD AN ARMY OF DISCIPLES. This is how we BUILD THE BODY OF CHRIST. Our brother Paul tells us to be both strong in faith and sensitive to the needs of others. We are all

strong in some areas and weak in others, but that is why HE GAVE US EACHOTHER. To strengthen the weak and to improve the weaknesses of the strong. We must stop sacrificing our liberty in Christ just to satisfy the selfish motives of self. God wants us all to be lifted and elevated together. Even at different stages we are still growing and maturing individually and in unity on this road called self-transformation. We must remember that the knowledge that we receive by scripture helps us learn more on how to work together towards the same mission, how we will overcome the battles of life together, and what we will face individually and as a whole. Two are always better than one! There are three things that will help us Rise and Operate in Unity. 1. Knowing that Our gifts are not for us but that they are for others including your enemies. “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:10 It is because of God that we are all here. None of us are worthy of laying at the feet of Jesus Christ, but because Jesus died for us, we can now go to the father through him. Jesus is the only way to Heaven and the Father, Amen! 2. One who gives to others (being no respecter of person) receives from God. “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whosever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” Provers 11:24-25. So, give and keep on giving! 3. Pray! Pray! Pray! We do not have the power to change

anyone nor are we God. We must stop playing God and looking at the outward appearance of situations. Even if there is division among people, you will never know what the reason for the problem is until you find the root of it. That is found in the heart, and no one knows our hearts better than God. On the outside it may look bad, but we have no idea what is going on inside the heart of individuals which means all we can do when division arises is pray and allow God to work it out. The bible also tells us that if you have a problem with someone to go and settle it. Never allow it to linger, but if you do what God asks of you and it is still not settled, then continue believing that God will bring things back together in UNITY as it should be, Amen! We need each other to get through this and we must let go of the old things and embrace the new that we are stepping into in 2018. We cannot fully step into tomorrow if we still have onefoot lingering in today so FORWARD MARCH! Our unity in Christ does not destroy our individuality. We are all in the Body of Christ with different callings, gifts, and purposes, but our goal as one is to build up the church and to bring in more souls into the Kingdom of God. We are to spread the gospel near and far and WIN SOULS TOGETHER! Let us continue on this Race to the finish line together Brothers and Sisters. God is waiting on you to Rise in Unity with him and with your family in the body of Christ and show the world what unity really looks like! If we keep that at our focus, then the mission of Jesus Christ will continue to prevail! Be blessed brothers and sisters and remember to be a blessing to others. Shalom!

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PROPHETESS TASHA MOSES Interviewed By Kimberly Moses Interviewer: When did you know God was real? Prophetess Tasha: The first time I realized God was real was a couple of days before I got saved, on July 15, 2001. On July 13th, which was on a Friday, I was crying out to the Lord to help me. Interviewer: I knew He was real when I was twelve. That’s when I first heard about Jesus. There was a curse on my family. Jesus broke the curse. Why are you so passionate about winning souls? Prophetess Tasha: I believe it’s because of the women of God the Lord put around me in the beginning. They had a heart to reach the lost. They took me with them to the detention center. We were seeing people get saved there. From that point, I just wanted to see people get saved. He always placed people around me who were busy for God. They weren’t just sitting behind the four walls. They were getting out. It sparked something in me. It was very strategic. Interviewer: Why do think so many people lose focus on winning souls?

Prophetess Tasha: They probably get frustrated with life, the attacks of the enemy, the trials and tribulations. They just lose focus on what they are suppose to do for God. They may get caught up in everything they are doing for God. Interviewer: What was the hardest thing you had to deal with and how did you overcome it? Prophetess Tasha: One of the hardest things was fornication because of being molested and rape. That spirit came on me as a young child. It was like a spirit of perversion. It comes on you and in you. It’s constantly there with you. Fornication was the hardest thing that I had to get pass and be delivered from because of that spirit. The only reason I say that is because when I got saved the desire to live that life was gone. With me getting side tracked and stuff that was coming against me, it was getting a little rough. Eventually, I fell. Interviewer: I think it happened to a lot of people. I backslid before. Since then, I’ve been through so much, I don’t want to mess up. I don’t want to sin

again. I thank God because I know He is real. I know much is at stake. If I was to go out there and sin today, I know my choices will harm and effect a lot people. I always keep that in the back of my mind. Nope, it’s not about Kimberly. There are so many people connected to me and depending on me. I can’t. It’s not about me. I think just dying to self, helped me with that as well. I said, “Okay God. I want what you want. Even though my flesh wants to fornicate but my spirit man was like no.” Have you ever had any supernatural encounters with God? Prophetess Tasha: Yes. There are so many. The first time I can remember hearing His voice was the fifth day of me being saved. Those five days… I use to curse really bad. I mean like a sailor. My mouth was filthy. Curses kept slipping out those five days. I could hear the devil saying, “You ain’t saved.” That was going through my mind. I was feeling bad. At that time, I didn’t know it was the devil. I was saying, “Oh no Lord! Please forgive me.” The curses kept slipping out. I was trying hard not to. The fifth day, the Lord reminded me the

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day I got baptized which was July 15, 1994. The day that I just got saved, five days earlier was July 15, 2001. It was seven years to the same date. When you get baptized and you are not saved it really doesn’t do anything. After he reminded me of that, He said, “I did it like that so you will know that I saved you.” I was feeling so bad. Interviewer: Hallelujah! How many years between your baptism and salvation? Prophetess Tasha: Seven. Seven years to the same date. Interviewer: Wow! That’s powerful. That’s the number of completion. Prophetess Tasha: I didn’t grow up in church so I didn’t know what seven meant. I think when He said that a little knowing came about. That was one of the most powerful things in the beginning. It sounds so simple. I didn’t hear anyone ever say, “God said or God can talk.” I didn’t even know He could speak. When he said this to me, it didn’t register in my mind that He is talking to me. From then on, He would talk to me. A lot of times, He would remind me of something. Then he would speak. I used to wonder, “Lord, why did this or that happen?” They were about things in my childhood that I had no control over. I felt like it led me down the path that I went. Well, maybe if I wasn’t molested then I would’ve not been promiscuous.

I used to have that question in my mind. Why did this happen? I was reading about Joseph in Genesis. When I got to Genesis 45:5, somewhere between around 8, the Lord reminded me of me asking him, “Why did these things happen to me?” He reminded me of that question. He said, “This is why,” referring to what I read in Genesis 45:5-8. This is why. What these scriptures say, “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” Interviewer: That’s powerful. Prophetess Tasha: Basically, He was saying this is why this happened to you, so you can be in a position to help other people out. Joseph was thrown into that pit. His brothers were jealous of him. He went through all that. He was sold into slavery. Lied on. Thrown into jail. He was put in a position where he was a governor over Pharaoh’s house and over Egypt. “You went though

all that you went through so you can help others out; a position to minister to people.” You have to have a heart and compassion. If I hadn’t been through what I been through, I might be hard and judgmental against women. Especially against women that are promiscuous because I wouldn’t understand. I know that when we see women that are promiscuous it’s because of that spirit not always because they love sex. It happens with women that were molested or bisexual. It’s because of that spirit that came upon them at a young age. Interviewer: I believe that. Prophetess Tasha: I had that spirit on me also when I was bisexual. When I think back, that spirit came on me at a young age when I started having those thoughts. The Lord let me know that when I was molested, that’s when the spirit came on me. Interviewer: I can relate to that because when I was five years old, my cousin who was sixteen used to stay with us. When I woke up and I got scared. I wanted to go into my parent’s room and sleep with them because I had a bad dream. My cousin was up. He asked where I was going when he saw me walking to their room. He said no and pushed me down. He got on top of me. I could feel his male parts. He started humping me. That was the first time I felt a man. I told him to get off of me and he did. There were Pent House magazines on the back of

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the toilets when I was young. I started looking at them. I think I lost my virginity at the age of twelve. I can relate. You are right on. Do you believe God answers prayers? Also, can you tell me about a prayer He answered for you? Prophetess Tasha: Yes, I believe He answers prayers. For years now, for me, I let my flesh have so much control in the past. I guess I was just so disobedient to God. I wanted to do half of what God said and not wanting to be totally yielded or submitted. I married someone that I wasn’t suppose to marry. My prayer life that I had back then changed. I am not going to put blame on anyone except myself. Just because I married somebody that wasn’t where I was in God. I wanted to pray with him, but he didn’t pray as long as I did. I suffered and it went down. Prayer and fasting was my life before I got married to the wrong person. Even when it came to studying. For years, I was asking the Lord to get me back to that place where praying and fasting was what I was doing all the time. I was loving to be in His presence on and off all day. For instance, when you first get married, you just want to be in that person’s presence. You just want to show them affection. Not so much as sex but affection and kiss on them. I can line it up with that. I just want to be in the Lord’s presence, love on Him, and show Him affection. I just wanted to worship. For years my prayer

life wasn’t in that place and all I wanted was to get back to that. My desire to read was weak. I had to make myself read and pray. This last year, in December 2016, I was praying for God to restore me and bring me back to who I was before. I was praying to do God’s will, but I was bound by some things. The Lord allowed some things to take place to get me back into the place I am now. I am still striving to get fully there. One day, I was just riding and I was crying. I said, “Lord, what I am supposed to do” because of the things that were going on. He said, “Trust me.” Interviewer: Hallelujah! Thank you, God.

Prophetess Tasha: He said He was going to restore and refresh me. When He said that a peace came on me. Such a peace because when you are used to hearing the voice of God and don’t hear it anymore… Well, like I said, the first time I heard God’s voice was after five days of being saved and maybe I took it for granted. I didn’t have to do anything extraordinary like pray for five hours, He was just talking to me. I think I took that for granted. Over the years, with me backsliding too, and not hearing the voice of God when I would ask him questions, it did something to me. When He said, “Trust me” and that He would restore me, it just refreshed me. I just started praising Him. I was still driving so I had to pull over

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so I could write down what He said and what He was saying. I had peace and joy come over me. I felt refresh, renewed and revived. My hunger for souls came back. When you are not in the place that you need to be at, then your mind is not on the things of God like it should be. It’s about me, me, me. There were trials and tribulations coming up against me. It was just too much of me. When He spoke that, I was revived in the inside. I was thinking about souls again. That’s a prayer that He answered. With God reviving me, He gave me a new revelation about something. It made me want to start doing some things, and it got

me in the place that He wanted me in. He wanted me back in Bennettsville. I didn’t want to be back to Bennettsville. I didn’t like Bennettsville. I wanted to be where I wanted to be at. When God said this, I wanted to be where He wanted me to be at. I wanted to do what He was telling me to do. A new mindset came on me. I started stepping out doing little things that I wouldn’t normally do such as videos. That’s a prayer that He answered. I am so thankful. The way I feel now and wanting to get in His presence, praying, getting excited about it, and wanting to see people saved, that’s Him doing what He said he would do. He

said, “I will restore you.” That’s a prayer that’s answered. Interviewer: Amen. Recently on Facebook, I saw where God saved both of your kids. Can you tell us more about that? Prophetess Tasha: Well me getting saved in 2001, I would have my kids in church. I know a lot of people would say that you shouldn’t make your kids read. Well, I made my kids read the bible. They couldn’t just read and say I read it. They had to come back and tell me what they read. We would read together as a family. I would pray over them before they went to school. We would stand around in a circle and pray. I would anoint them. Sometimes the Lord would have me get up in the middle of the night and I would anoint them. They would have anointing oil all over their forehead. I was doing that to let them know that God is real. The Bible says, “Train up a child the way they should go and when they are older they will not depart from it.” In my mind, I didn’t just want to be the only one saved. I wanted my kids to be saved too. Once I started learning that we had power over the enemy, when my kids told me they were sick, I would pray for them. The Lord would make them feel better. I wanted that to always be in their mind. Even when they got older and say that they are tired of going to church. They could always think back how the Lord healed them

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whenever they were sick. For instance, if someone came over to my house and had a spirit on them and it stayed. I would anoint the kids and tell them to march behind me and we would go through the house. We would sweep it. I opened up the doors and swept for hours spiritually. I commanded everything that was in my house that wasn’t like God to come out. When I backslid, I believe it did a lot of damage with my kids. My kids saw me in my room like, “You guys better not say nothing but be quiet because I am going to go pray. I don’t want to hear anything.” They see me praying, going over the bible with them, and then they saw me fall. Then they saw me go back to how I was before God. When I was living for the Lord, I wouldn’t allow R & B and rap in my house. When I backslid I slowly started listening to R &B. When we were traveling somewhere, they might be switching the radio station. I started slowly switching back to some things. They saw me backslid. When I was backslidden and they told me that they didn’t feel good, I didn’t want to pray for them because I knew that I wasn’t living right. I felt like God wouldn’t answer my prayers. I didn’t have that much confidence. I would tell them to pray for each other. My son who just gave his life to the Lord, texts me and said, “Because of your obedience, that’s why I rededicated my life back to the Lord.”

Interviewer: Amen. That’s so beautiful. Prophetess Tasha: I was running from God and didn’t want my call. I just wanted to do things for people like go to the detention center or nursing home. I didn’t want to go preach behind the pulpit. I didn’t like sitting on the pulpit. I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to witness for people and pray for people. I wasn’t completely yielded to God. When you are disobedient, it opens up doors for the enemy to come in and to attack your children too. With my daughter and son who just gave their lives back unto the Lord, I know they have the prophetic on their lives. God has opened up their eyes. My son has seen angels. We were at a church and they were casting demons out of a person. My son saw the angels there. The angel had his sword up. He said the angel was pointing to the door as to say the demon has to go out that door. It was powerful and awesome because it wasn’t as if he had a knowing that some of the angels carried swords. He was probably around 12-14 around the time. He just saw things and heard God talk to him. Even with my daughter, she saw demons and angels. There was a time when I moved back to South Carolina, my daughter and I were sleeping in the same bed. When I got down to pray, my daughter was still sleep. She told me that when I got up to pray, she heard a voice telling her to pray too. So, she laid there and

prayed too. That’s an awesome thing for both of them to be back with the Lord within the same seven-day period. God is good. Interviewer: That’s so prophetic. Prophetess Tasha: I thank God for that because I have my mind made up. I might be a little nervous about somethings, but I got to do it. I will have to do it trembling because look what He is doing. He made me a promise and He is keeping His word. I am waiting for Him to do some more things that He said he would do on this year before the year is out. He is going to do it. Interviewer: How important is faith in the life of a believer? Prophetess Tasha: Faith is important. It going to take faith to walk this walk and stand. It’s going to take faith to believe what God words says and what He says in your ear and heart. We can’t even please Him without faith. Faith is important. It’s going to take faith to see miracles. It’s going to take faith to see God move in our lives and our family’s lives. Faith is important because we need it to be able to pray effectively. If we are praying in disbelief then our prayers aren’t going anywhere. God wants us to believe Him. He wants us to worship Him. Interviewer: Thank you so much for doing the interview. Prophetess Tasha: Your welcome.

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LOVE ON YOU By Kimberly Moses Here is part five of the “Becoming a Better You” series. Loving you is an important aspect in life. When you love yourself, you have standards! People will no longer be allowed to mistreat you. They will no longer be allowed to walk all over you. You will no longer allow people to use and abuse you. Loving on you involves doing something nice for yourself. Well, when was the last time that you did something nice for yourself? Two years ago, I declared over myself that I would start loving on me. Before then, I was severely depressed and just going about the normal routine such as work, dropping the kids to school, church, and that was it. I had no social life. There was no fun. I didn’t dress up or fix myself up. I was in need of a new wardrobe. I didn’t shave. The list continues. I totally let myself go. I prayed for everyone except myself. When was the last time you prayed for yourself? Many moms and wives totally neglect themselves after marriage and parenthood. I was one of them. Don’t neglect yourself. Two years ago, after I made those declarations, I began to love on me. I didn’t have a lot of money at the time so I did a lot of things at home. I did my own pedicures and manicures. I did my own facials. I did my own deep conditioning treatments. I cooked my favorite meals. Prior to that, I made up excuses not to cook

such as me being single. I went into the kitchen and cooked like I had a husband. I invested in myself. I brought a few new outfits because I was way overdue. I started exercising and made healthier choices. I decided to forgive the people who hurt me. Because I decided to love myself, forgiving others was necessary. I refused to allow those old wounds and painful baggage to be connected to me any further. I learned that forgiveness was for me and not necessarily the other person. The people who I was mad at moved on with their lives and I was the one stuck in the pain. Ephesians 4:32 says, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” When I decided to let it go, God healed me. I started to love my neighbor as myself. Some people struggle with loving others because they don’t love themselves. This was my problem, but it changed when I allowed God to do a great work in me. Romans 13:9 says, “For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Whenever you love on you, there is no time for foolish things. There is no room for

adultery, murder, theft, lying, and coveting because you are going places and there is a mandate to fulfill. When I embraced loving myself, I let go of my past mistakes. Many people are still bound by past mistakes and this isn’t the will of God. There is no condemnation in Christ when you are walking in the spirit (Romans 8:1). When I meditated on this scripture, I was set free. When people came to me to gossip, I shut it down. I declared that I was no one’s trash can. I didn’t allow people to weigh me down with their garbage. I didn’t want to feel bad anymore by allowing people to drain me spiritually with their problems that were out of my control. Don’t allow people to weigh you down with their drama. When I started to love on me, I was drama free. Think of yourself as a jewel. You are valuable. It’s time to love on you! Now, repeat after me. “I decree and declare that I will love on me this year. I will forgive people that hurt me and move on with my life. I will invest in myself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I will pray for myself. I will not neglect myself. I decree that God will bless me with my heart’s desires this year.”

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CHIPOTLE

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CHIPOTLE Serves 4 Prep Time 15 minutes Cook time 30 minutes Ingredients 1 pound of choice of meat (chicken, steak, chorizo) 1 cup of any variety of rice (white or brown) 1 12 oz. jar of chipotle sauce 1 15 oz. can of your choice of beans (black beans or pinto beans) 4 tomatoes 1 16 oz. container of sour cream 1 bag of shredded lettuce (optional) 1 tablespoon of guacamole 1 16 oz. jar of corn & Chili salsa 1 pound of shredded cheddar cheese 1 16 oz. jar of salsa picante Directions 1) Chop up your choice of meat in cube sections. Next brown the meat over medium heat until its fully cook. Add the jar of chipotle sauce to the meat and let it absorb the sauce. Cut the pan on low heat and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes. 2)

Cook rice of your choice.

Warm up the can of beans

Dice tomatoes

5) Layer the following ingredients on a plate or bowl in this order. Start off with the rice as the base, your choice of meat, the beans, the corn & chile salsa, the lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Top with a spoonful of salsa picante, guacamole, and sour cream.

Enjoy. Let us know how this recipe came out. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to share on your social media networks.

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BAKED TILAPIA WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES Serves 4 Prep Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients: 4 tilapia fillets (6 ounces each) 4 tablespoons butter Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning 4 potatoes, peeled and diced 1 onion, diced 1 pound bag of frozen vegetable medley (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) 2 packs of onion soup mix ¼ cup of hidden valley ranch powder ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp. Garlic powder

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tilapia in a baking pan. Season each side with Cajun seasoning. Top each fish with 1 tablespoon of butter. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until fillets are flaky. Line a baking pan with heavy duty foil and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine diced potatoes, diced onions, and vegetable medley. Drizzle with ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil. Pour in the onion soup mix, ranch powder, and garlic powder. Mix together. Spread the vegetables on the baking pan evenly or as thinly as possible. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until vegetables are a slight light brown color. Make sure the potatoes are fork tender before taking out the oven. Serve bake tilapia and roasted vegetables with a small salad or your favorite rice dish. If you enjoyed this recipe, please let us know. Send us photos and let us know how yours came out.

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BAKED TILAPIA WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

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THE ATTIC OR THE BASEMENT By Shirley Cooper

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them (Ephesians 2:8-10) It’s crucial to understand that we are not saved by faith plus works, but rather by faith for good works. So many people in the world truly believe that if they do good things, then they get to enter through the gates of Heaven. With that being said, some of us need an alarm clock

that’ll wake us right up and out of that sleep, snapping us right back to reality. The cold hard truth is, not even the “goody two shoes” or “the holier than thou” Christians may encounter those pearly gates as they strongly believe. The fact is that we are not promised tomorrow and we never know when our last breath will be. Living with the lie that we are on our way to Heaven because we are “good” people doing “good” things is living dangerously - a wrecking ball ready to come down smashing us into a billion pieces. We are a lost

people. We cater to a false notion that as long as we mow the neighbor’s yard, feed the hungry, help at church, give money into tithes, teach in Sunday school, Pastor our sheep, lead the youth, or give a ride, a hand, or a voice, Salvation is not needed. That’s a lie straight from the depths of hell, a place many of us will see if we don’t let go of that dark place. Growing up I was always taught that God is good, He’s in church, and when it thunders outside.... He’s bowling! Yeah, my parents didn’t teach the in depths part of God. The important part, like He’s always watching, He loves us more than life, and no matter

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how awful we are, He forgives us! I have learned a lot throughout my life growing up. The things that I did, that I am not proud of, He is using today to build my greater tomorrow. I may never get it right, and I may fall a million times, but if there’s one thing that I’m sure of, it is that God loves me unconditionally and that there is nothing I can do to change that. Where I have failed miserably, He has fixed me. I remember laying on my bed high as a kite. The ceilings fixtures moved rapidly in and out, in all shapes and sizes, leaving me in a haze. I started to pray as I did every night. I always prayed for the same thing, “God take me before you take my mom, dad and brothers.” I recall my friend who was spending the night with me ask, “What are you doing?” I said, “Praying.” She was surprised to see someone like me actually praying at all, especially while I was washed out in acid. Although I did drugs, got wasted on drink, had sex, stole cars, jewelry, makeup and whatever else I could get my hands on, broke into abandoned houses, and fought in the streets with whoever wanted to throw their fists up, I still expected to hear from God. I needed to hear from God, and I never realized just how much I needed him then until now. I always believed that if I did good in between the bad things

that I did, I would one day walk the streets of gold. I’m sure that I am not alone in that thought either. I have so many friends who hold to the confusion that because they live right and do good, they will also join others in Heaven. Some even go as far as saying that they have never done wrong, which leads to the disappointing truth that we are all sinners, and that not one of us is righteous. So somewhere in that fine, little, thin line lay a disaster just waiting to happen. “There is no one righteous, not even one; (Romans 3:10) The cold hard fact is that none of us even seek God, at least not the way He is worthy to be sought after. We must learn how to seek God the way that we seek every desire of our heart and more. Our love for God should be magnified, amplified, and our cry out to Him should echo through the enemy’s walls. We are supposed to have a reverence for our Father, not because He can, but because He did! He gave His life so that we would never have to taste the bitterness of swimming in a burned out sea of fire. There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. (Romans 3:11) I actually remember living in a house on the naval base in Philadelphia that had a basement. I will never forget the smell. My mom was a very clean person. She had to have everything spotless. I believe that’s where I get my obsession for cleaning from, and I say that with a giggle. My

mom would always have everything smelling like a big ole’ flower garden just whacked us in the face. However, that basement smell would forever linger. It was an unusual, old water, deep moisture smell. It always creeped me out when I was younger and it didn’t help that I could hear every step people made or every little noise in the walls. Definitely not for me. I also remember having an attic and I recall wanting it to be my bedroom. A private place hidden up far away from the world. One window, no people, just me and my belongings. A peaceful place to reside. Today, I still love the attic. I still see great visions of a private space. I picture a world of simplicity and my art on the walls, a soft, furry bear rug slam dunked right in the center of the room, and a dim light on a small French table with technology, of course, for writing. No kids, no pets, no interruptions, and I say that as I look up drifting into a deep thought with a big ole’ smile. Then, bam....I step back into reality. For me, the attic is always better than the basement. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:2-4) Heaven is prepared for those who choose life. Those who will stay in the race until they are

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no more. Heaven isn’t a restaurant’s type of reservation. It is by far greater than any reservation made here. God loves all of His children. So much so that He came from Heaven, leaving His last breath on this earth, reserving seats for anyone who would accept His offer. A love so grand that no planet could store it without overflowing a trillion times over and over again. “… and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,” (1 Peter 1:4) When God came to earth He came with a plan that included His most adored creation.....us. His love magnified wherever He walked. So much that He would allow even a thief to enter Paradise. At the cross we encounter a love so amazing that most of us could not even fathom. We watched as Jesus welcomed a man who lived his entire life as a thief, but with his dying breath he cried out, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). The former thief enters into eternal joy with Jesus, while we, who worked so hard for salvation, are turned away! Our good deeds are not tickets to a million dollar event. We can’t just be a bunch of “do good Sallies” and assume that’ll buy us a one way tickets to eternal life. The scripture clearly teaches that Salvation is not by works! Here are a few tiny drops (too many to write on paper) of scripture that gives us that truth.....

“For BY GRACE are ye SAVED THROUGH FAITH; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the GIFT of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) It’s a grave mistake for anyone to try to, “Establish their own righteousness.” (Romans 10:3) Heaven deserving righteousness is a “GIFT,” not something you earn. (Rom. 5:17) Justification to God is a “FREE GIFT,” not something you work toward. (Rom. 5:18) Paul, as ‘good’ as he was, still wouldn’t trust his “Own righteousness” to save him. (Philippians 3:9) God’s righteousness is credited to “ALL THEM THAT BELIEVE,” not all that work. (Romans 3:22) The flesh is too “WEAK” to save itself. We need a Saviour. We need Christ. (Romans 8:3-4) So as you can see, we are not saved by works, hence, good deeds and promoting ourselves is not a guarantee through the gates. We are promised life, yes.... but only by grace through faith. We have to accept Jesus Christ fully AND live right. We cannot have one without the other. We simply can’t have one foot in the door and the other out the door. It’s all or nothing.

I can still look back at that time where I stood in our basement and as I was surrounded by four cement walls, a popcorn ceiling, a staircase, and a back door, I can still feel the cold air, smell that old wet smell, and hear those creepy noises. Yet, when I envision an attic that sits afar into the very top of the house, I feel a peace that surpasses all understanding. A place where I can close my eyes and hide from the craziness of this harsh world. A paradise. No matter how much my mother cleaned that basement, the smell of old water still lingered. She tried to cover it up as much as possible by using the strongest cleaners and decorated it as best as she knew how, yet nothing could change the room to fit into her perfect standards of cleanliness. The beauty of her good works, still denied her great expectations when entering that room. I believe that time is a delicate mistress. We never know when it’ll all end and using this thought process for Salvation could save our lives when death comes knocking. Today, give God your all, even if you think that you’re all is not good enough. God knows us through His eyes, not ours. Some of us believe that we have already reserved our place in the Kingdom through our good deeds and great works. But the truth is, Heaven is promised through grace, and tomorrow is not! Be cautious during this race,that we are not held back by.........ONE SIMPLE LIE!

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DR. SHARON NESBITT Interviewed By Kimberly Moses Interviewer: I’m so happy that you decided to do the interview with us today. I’m so excited to have you. Dr. Nesbitt: We’re excited. Thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of your magazine. Interviewer: My husband and I love your ministry. You teach a lot on the supernatural. It is so powerful. I also love how you flow in the prophetic. It’s awesome. I want to ask you a couple questions about the supernatural such as the angelic encounters, but before I ask you all that, I want to start with how it all got started and how you got called into ministry. Dr. Nesbitt: I grew up in church. My dad was a pastor. I’m a PK (preacher’s kid), so I’ve spent all my life in church. I think I was born in church. I was in church at the age of 18 and my mom died. I cursed God. I left the church and didn’t want anything to do with God. I grew up in a very traditional church and two years later my father passed away so I was angry at God. I was mad at God. One day when I was doing my own thing in my apartment maybe a year or two later I said, “If you’re real, I want the God of power. I want the God that I read about in the book of Acts.” Coming from where I grew up, we never believed in the supernatural, any healing or deliverance at

that level. I said I wanted the God of the Bible. Jesus walked in my room and said that I will preach the gospel and go all the way around the world. Now you [have to] understand that we didn’t believe in women preachers. Interviewer: Wow! Dr. Nesbitt: It was very strange for me, yet it was not a scary event. It was such a peaceful joyous event. From that day to this day, we’ve been walking in power and authority. We have been watching God unfold his plan in the earth. Interviewer: Amen. That is awesome because you are a pastor and have your congregation. I know you said in your day that there weren’t any women preachers, so how did you overcome it being so different from the norm while everyone else around you didn’t believe in women preachers? Dr. Nesbitt: Number one, I knew that I had an experience with Jesus and that nobody could take that away from me. So I knew in my heart of hearts that what I had was real and it wasn’t something that I aspired to do. It was something that I was called to do from my mother’s womb. I think things were necessary to get me to the place where I can hear God, see God, and push be-

yond what I grew up in. I never allowed what other folks thought to enter into my belief system because I knew that I had an experience. Once you know what you know, no one can take that from you: understanding how you cultivate your relationship with God and move beyond systems and even denominational beliefs. I had to renew my mind even afterwards to say this is what God called me to do. It took me a minute to refocus and readjust what I believe but I have always been that child that just really went against the norm. I would say, “Why don’t we see this? If it’s in the bible, why don’t we have this?” I was always the inquisitive one. This was almost like a breath of fresh air for me…coming out of a system. Don’t get me wrong, that system brought me to where I was at that point. It taught me the word of God and I’m not speaking ill of it. It was my foundation but I just knew that God had something greater. Interviewer: Yes. Amen. I love that. What advice would you give to young women who has the vision to start their own ministry or church? Dr. Nesbitt: Number one, again, what I tell men and women, you must be called. You know a lot of people are going into ministry as a career opportunity and because we see ministry as prosperous and superstar in all

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of that. You must be called. The Bible says, “Many are called but few are chosen.” You have to be called to start a church. Just starting a church because it’s a great thing or because you don’t have anything else to do is not the best decision. It’s quite challenging. The first thing I’ll say is, know that God has called you to do that, understand the geographical location, understand the resident anointing that is upon your

life, and understand if you have enough faith and if your prayer life strong enough to maintain a congregation. Interviewer: Amen. That’s good advice. Why do you think a lot of churches are struggling with their prayer ministry? It seems as if no one wants to come to the prayer meeting. Dr. Nesbitt: Because we don’t

think prayer is significant. We’ve been taught of fleshly type of message. You can just name it, claim it, grab it, and blab it. You know I’m the first to believe in confessions, affirmations and declarations. They are a part of our heritage. The Bible says, “Jesus said my house will be a House of Prayer.” Understand the dynamics of prayer: how to enter into prayer, and what prayer does. The only

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way we can get things out of the heavenlies is through the medium of prayer. Prayer becomes the medium that we use to release Heaven into Earth. I believe we were seeing a lot of things in our nation because we have refuse to pray 2nd Chronicles 7. It says. “If my people who are called by my name…” The reality is that we have not been called by his name. Those who are called by his name know how to honor him by praying and legislating the heavens with their words in prayer. Interviewer: That’s good. I know you said Jesus appeared to you when you were younger. Did you have any other encounters? Dr. Nesbitt: Oh yes! I had so many; all kinds of encounters. I had encounters with angels and all sorts of things. The Bible says in Hebrews 12, “That we have a great cloud of witnesses”. I don’t want to go to in depth with that. I have seen some of the witnesses. I’ve encountered angels. I’ve seen all kinds of things. I’ve had trips to heaven and received great detail about some things. Interviewer: That’s awesome. Have you ever ask the Lord for a certain kind of gift to assist you in your ministry? Dr. Nesbitt: One of the things E.W. Kenyon said in his book, “You can develop any gift you want.” I didn’t have to ask but I always operate in the gift of faith and the gift of healing. I’ve always been that one to believe God for the supernatural. He just always assist me. After my mom died I did ask him “Why are your people not healed?” He begin to show me. The gift of healing has operated in our ministry very profoundly. Interviewer: Can you share one of your healing miracles?

Dr. Nesbitt: Oh yes. There’s a lady named Samantha. She’s a part of our media team. She had joined our church and been here a year. The hospital said that she was going to die over the weekend. They didn’t know what was wrong with her. She was bleeding from her eyes, her ears, as well as her nose. She was in a smaller regional hospital. She needed a larger hospital but there was no major hospital in Arkansas, Tennessee, or Mississippi that would take her. There was a hospital in St Louis, Barnes-Jewish, that took her. They couldn’t give her a helicopter ride because they said the

pressure would kill her. If she survived the ambulance ride, it will be a miracle. When she finally got there she was still bleeding. They had seven doctors. One flew in from London, a specialist, to see what was going on. They didn’t know. I went to St. Louis. I told her that in three days she would be up; in three days she would be out of there. I simply put my hands on her feet. She said, “You don’t understand pastor. I got blood clots everywhere and if one gets into my lungs, I can die instantly.” Well in the meantime, right after I left, she died. She literally died and went over to the other side.

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She said she heard my voice and it pulled her back. I said, “In three days, you’ll be out of here.” Then I said, “Before I hit the arches of St. Louis, you’re going to call me with a good report.” She was like, “You don’t understand. You see this blood?” I said, “What do you want? Do you see yourself preaching? Do you see yourself taking care of your children?” At that time her children were very small. About three hours later, I went to get something to eat. Before I passed the Arches, she called and said, “You’re not going to believe this!” I said, “Try me.” She said, “After you left, all the blood dried up. The doctors came in and told me that they have found no further clots and that if I keep improving like this, three days they’re going to let me out.” In three days, she was out. Interviewer: Hallelujah! Dr. Nesbitt: She’s working for our ministry. She’s over our media now. We have seen miracles. I can tell you that two people in our church died and came back to life because of what we decreed. We have seen legs grow. We have seen all kinds of things. We have seen tumors dissolve. We have seen all kinds of healing and deliverance. I mean we have notebooks of a verified miracles from the doctor. Interviewer: Amen. Hallelujah! That is so awesome. Jesus! God, I give you praise! Wow. What is the hardest lesson in ministry you had to overcome and how did it build your character? Dr. Nesbitt: Yes. I think really wanting more for people than what they want for themselves. I was seeing the potential in people and they did not see their own potential or go after it. Probably

the second thing is betrayal. Betrayal is probably one of the hardest ones. I’ve learned the ministry of mercy and I have learned how to walk in unconditional love. I have learned how to give the results and the harvest to God because it’s not ours. One plants, one waters, but God gives the increase. Learning how to deal with that and allow the love that’s been shed abroad in my heart to be disseminated by the Holy Ghost and not by what I feel like. That’s what we need to do and love people for where they are. Interviewer: That’s good. That’s important. I wanted to ask you with everything that you do for the kingdom, you are an author, an apostolic minister, a prophetic voice, and an international speaker. How do you manage your family time? Dr. Nesbitt: It’s quite challenging. The first ministry is your

family. I had to learn that because growing up, I was traveling a lot. We think money can buy things and people but it can’t. I had to digress. I just had to be there for them. They didn’t want what I was giving them monetarily or financially; they wanted me. I think learning how to be present whether you’re saying or doing anything goes a long way. I had to digress, purposely schedule family time and vacation time for them. Interviewer: That’s good. I watched one of your scopes. I saw your daughter on there testifying. She’s got some anointing from her mama (laughing). How do you sharpen your gift? How do you keep your gift active? Dr. Nesbitt: (Laughs) For me, and I know it’s different for a lot of people, mine is fasting and praying when God called me. That was one of the tools that I used.

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That’s my life. My life is a fasted life. A life of prayer. I don’t fast, I live a fasted life. I don’t pray, my life is endued with prayer. The problem is that we try to do the things and when we try to do it, we fail to be it. The greatest thing in the kingdom is to be who God has called you to be and not to do it. When we try to do it, we fail. There are times we’ll do it, times when we don’t do it. I found out that when you live a fasted life and a life of prayer, you don’t have to do it, that’s who you are. Interviewer: I like that a lot: a fasted lifestyle. Can you explain that a little bit more for the readers? Dr. Nesbitt: Our church is big on 40-day fasts. Every year we do about two 21 day fasts. Some say. “Pastor, it’s so hard.” Some of us go through the Daniel Fast, absolute fast, and all kinds of social media fasts. There are all type of fasts. They say it’s hard. I tell him, “The problem is you’re waiting for an event instead of living a life fasted.” Is almost kind of like exercising. Everybody’s doing a New Year’s resolution. They say, “I’m going to exercise.” Normally, nine times out of ten, we fail to do it. Why? Because all kinds of excuses comes up. When you say I exercise every day, I’m going to find 15 minutes. I’m not trying to do this elaborate routine, I’m going to find 15 minutes to exercise. So, every day I get up and consciously say, “Okay I’m going to do a Daniel’s Fast.” The next day I do an absolute fast. The next day I’ll say, “ I’m not going to do social media or anything that will rob me from God or spending time in prayer.” People sit and watch TV, especially these reality shows, for three hours. For example, Netflix, where you do episode after episode. You got to consciously say, “What’s going to rob me of my intimacy time with

God, I’m going to fast that today.” Interviewer: Amen. That’s good. I wanted to ask you about angels. Some people don’t know what they see. How are you able to discern the different types of angels? Dr. Nesbitt: Learning how to have an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. Anything outside of allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us, to show us, and to mature us. Understanding how to activate angelic ministries in your life and understanding prophetic declarations that will release angels is all done by Holy Spirit. Anything outside of that is witchcraft. We don’t pray to angels. We don’t command angels. We are led by the Holy Spirit. Understanding how to avoid angelic deception and understanding how to move with the angelic. In my life, I got off. If you follow different ministries, they say you can command angels or tell your angels what to do. There is no scriptural basis for us to command angels. I studied the bible. The bible says in Hebrews 1:14 that there are ministering spirits. They serve us. We don’t serve them. We don’t command them. It’s all done by the Holy Spirit. The bible says in Daniel 10 that the angels came for his words. When we realign our words with the word that God has given us, then we are able to release angels and the activity of the angelic ministry that God has declared for your life. Interviewer: I heard that too. That’s good. What inspired you to write the book Chosen for Greatness? Dr. Nesbitt: In the body of Christ, people have lost their identity. They don’t know who they are. They find themselves or identify themselves by what

they have been through. You may say, “I’m a recovering addict. I’m this. I’m that.” The Bible says in Ephesians we were chosen from the foundation of the earth. That means God chose you before you had an excuse, before you had a hiccup, before you had a divorce, or before you had bankruptcy. Whatever excuse people have, you were chosen in him. You were chosen by him to do something great. Just because I’ve been through some things doesn’t mark me or deter me from fulfilling my plan and purpose of God in my life. I am who I am by the grace of God. I find my inheritance in him. When we understand that then we’re able to do mighty exploits in the earth because we know who we are and who we belong to. The Bible says we are created in His image and after His likeness. If we understood the gravity of the back , then we’ll be able to do exploits in the earth. The Bible says those who know their God, and when you know your God, you know you! Jesus said, “Me and my father, we are one!” The more I know God, the more I know who I am in relations to him. Then I’m able to walk in the supernatural and watch the demonstrations of Heaven manifest on the earth by; knowing who I am and understanding my identity. We have an identity crisis in the body of Christ, not in the world. If we knew who we were, we’dll be walking in our assignment and will would be all walking and signs, wonders, and miracles. Interviewer: That’s good. Thank you so much for allowing us to interview you today. Dr. Nesbitt: You’re welcome.

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THE DREAM By Kimberly Moses

Pontius Pilate’s wife had a dream in Matthew 27:19 which says, “When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.” In this dream, she had stated that she suffered many things because of Jesus. She warned her husband to leave him alone. This is all that this scripture states. There isn’t much to go on. I believe that she saw the crucifixion beforehand. I believe that she felt the same things in her dream that Jesus felt. She probably tasted the sour vinegar mixed with wine in her

mouth in her dream. This was the same vinegar the guards gave Jesus in Matthew 27:34. Jesus didn’t drink it when he tasted it. She somehow perceived that this mixture was a concoction to act as a pain killer before the crucifixion. Her heart was probably racing with fear because of the gruesome acts that would be following. She probably faced the shame and the humiliating that Jesus faced. She noticed how people were casting lots about her and laying naked for the world to see. She may have felt the nails go into her hands and feet. Maybe she even felt her joints go out of socket when she had her arms

stretched out on the cross. She probably was gasping for air as it hard for her to breathe. She probably screamed out in pain as the crown of thorns was placed on her head. She probably even felt the drops of blood going down her head. She probably screamed out in terror as she was beaten and was unrecognizable. She knew that Jesus was an innocent man and perhaps a Holy man. She knew that the judgment against him wasn’t right. I believe God gave her this dream to warn her husband not to get involved even though the people would prevail all the more for Jesus to be crucified.

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THE ROOTS OF CONVERSATION Taylur Holland

Steaming cup On square table with rounded edges. Light comes through kitchenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s window. Morning. Chatter dances atop the air in this room And fills the room with its (e)motions until they can no longer fit And must spill into the next room to cut its rugs up too. Conversation. What are the words? Are the babblings vain? Is the speech corrupt? Are the words overlaid with the indiscriminate cloak of gossip? Are they frayed with Complaint and Murmur? Have the words been kissed by Death before whizzing through kitchenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s window to go murder the character of your brother or sister Then ransack their home? Questions.

Words. Where do their roots begin? Words. Where are they found? Question. Have you considered your thoughts? Author of the new book, Come Forth Get yours today! comeforthbook.com

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UNDER GRACE By Reynaldo Rodriguez

Before the turn of the twentieth century, an asylum in the suburbs of Boston housed severely retarded and disturbed individuals. One of the patients was a girl who was simply called Little Annie. She was totally unresponsive to others in the asylum. The staff tried everything possible to help her, yet without success. Finally she was confined to a cell in the basement of the asylum and

given up as hopeless. A Christian woman at the asylum, and she believed that every one of God’s creatures needed love, concern and care. So she decided to spend her lunch hours in front of Little Annie’s cell, reading to her and praying that God would free her from her prison of silence. Day after day the Christian woman came to Little Annie’s

door and read, but the little girl did not respond. Months went by. The woman tried to talk with Little Annie, but it was like talking to an empty cell. She brought little tokens of food for the girl, but they were never received. Then one day one brownie was missing from the plate the caring woman retrieved from Little Annie’s cell. Encouraged, she continued to read to her and

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pray for her. Eventually, the little girl began to answer the woman through the bars of her cell. Soon the woman convinced the doctors that Little Annie needed a second chance at treatment. They brought her up from the basement and continued to work with her. Within two years Little Annie was told she could leave the asylum and enjoy a normal life. She chose not to leave though. She was so grateful for the love and attention she was given by the dedicated Christian woman that she decided to stay and love others as she had been loved. So Little Annie stayed on at the institution to work with other patients who were suffering as she had suffered. Nearly half a century later, the Queen of England held a special ceremony to honor one of the most inspiring women in the United States, Helen Keller. When asked to what she would attribute her success at overcoming the dual handicap of blindness and deafness, Helen Keller replied, “If it hadn’t been for Annie Sullivan, I wouldn’t be here today.” Anne Sullivan, who tenaciously loved and believed in an incorrigible blind and deaf girl named Helen Keller, was little Annie. Because one selfless Christian woman in the dungeon of an insane asylum believed that a hopeless little girl needed God’s love, the world received the marvelous gift of Helen Keller. What does it take to be that kind of Christian? What is needed to move us beyond our inconsequential selfish, fleshly pursuits

to deeds of loving service to God and others? What was the essence of Christian maturity that motivated Anne Sullivan’s benefactress to such a significant ministry? First, it requires a firm understanding of who you are in Christ. You can’t become like Jesus unless you are His divine offspring. You have to be grafted into the vine because apart from Christ you can do nothing (John 15: 5) Second, you must crucify daily the old sin-trained flesh and walk in accordance with who you are in Christ and “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12: 2). Third, it requires the grace of God. “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under the grace” (Romans 6: 14). We cannot live righteous lives by human effort based on external standards. Under the covenant of grace, we live by faith according to what God says is true in the power of the Holy Spirit. To live under grace, we need to learn how to walk or live by the Spirit, (see Galatians 5: 16 – 18). How do we walk by the Spirit? If I answered that question by offering three steps and a formula, I would be putting you back under the law again. The Holy Spirit is a He to whom we relate as our divine guide, not an it that can be boxed and quantified. We are talking about walking with God, which is a Father-and-son relationship. Jesus said: “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear

the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3: 8). Being filled and led by the Spirit may take you places you never planned; but the will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.

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SPIRITUAL MAN By Reynaldo Rodriguez he said person is to be sanctified wholly? He meant that a person’s spirit, soul, and body are to be preserved complete. This is very clear; a complete person has a spirit, a soul, and a body. This verse also tells us clearly that there is a distinction between the spirit and the soul. Otherwise, it would not have said “your spirit and soul.” Instead, it would have said “your spirit-soul.” Since God has spoken this, we can see that there is a distinction between man’s spirit and his soul, and from this we can conclude that man is composed of three parts: spirit, soul, and body. Most men today consider man as being made up of two parts: the soul and the body. The soul is the invisible part, the psychological part within man, and the body is the visible part, the outward form of man. This is man’s fallen concept. Although there is some ground to it, it is not accurate. Outside of God’s revelation, no ideas in this world are reliable. It is, of course, true that the body is outward shell of man. But the Bible never mixes the soul with the spirit or considers the two as the same thing. In addition to being different terms, the soul and the spirit are actually two different substances; they are not the same. The Word of God,

(Bible), has not divided man into two parts, the soul and the body. Rather, it has divided man into three parts: the spirit, the soul, and the body. “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 23). This verse clearly divides a person into three parts: the spirit, the soul, and the body. Here the apostle mentioned the believers being sanctified “wholly.” This means that the whole being of the believers is to be sanctified. What did he mean when

What is the significance of distinguishing the spirit from the soul? There is great significance. It has much to do with the spiritual life of the believers. If believers do not know the boundary of their spirits, how can they understand the spiritual life? If they do not understand their spiritual life, how can they grow in their spiritual living? Because believers are either negligent or ignorant of the distinction between the spirit and the soul, they never grow in their spiritual life. Moreover, many times they take something from the soul as spiritual, constantly remain in a “soul” living, and do not seek after spiritual things. If we mix

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up what God has separated, we are bound to suffer loss. Spiritual knowledge has much to do with spiritual life. But the most important thing is whether or not a believer is willing to be humble and to receive the teaching of the Holy Spirit. If he is, the Holy Spirit will, in experience, separate his soul from the spirit, though he may not even have the knowledge about his truth. A believer with very little knowledge concerning the distinction between the soul and the spirit can experience the difference between the two. On the other hand, a very knowledgeable believer may be well acquainted with the truth about the distinction between the soul and the spirit, and yet be without any experience at all. It is best that one has both the knowledge as well as the experience. Most believers are lacking in the experience. This is why it is good to let them out know the different functions of the soul and the spirit so that they will seek after spiritual things. Not only 1 Thessalonians divide man into three parts; other passages in the Scripture do the same. Hebrews 4: 12 says: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any doubleedged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Here the apostle divided the nonphysical elements of man into two parts, the soul and the spirit, and he considered the

physical part of man to include the points and the marrow, which correspond to the mind and will. Just as a priest divided up a whole sacrifice and cut it apart with a knife so that nothing remained hidden, in the same way the Lord Jesus divides those who belong to Him, through the word of God; He pierces and divides every part, whether it to be the spiritual, the soul, or the physical. Since the soul and the spirit can be divided, the two must not be the same. Hence, this portion of the Word also considers man to be composed of three elements: the spirit, the soul, and the body. Because the versions of the Bible we ordinarily use do not follow a literal translation of the words “spirit” and “soul” in a strict way, readers find it difficult to differentiate between the two just by looking at the translated words. In translating the Bible, we should translate these words literally. When men in the world translate books, they invent many new terms. Why cannot the translation of the most widely circulated Book do the same? Since God has used two different terms for the spirit and the soul, we should not confuse them. Genesis 2: 7 says: “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” In the beginning, God created the figure of a man with the dust of the earth and then breathed into his nostrils “the breath of life.” When the breath

of life came in contact with man’s body, the soul was produced. The soul is the consummation of man’s body and his spirit . This why the Bible call a man “a living soul.” This “breath of life” is man’s spirit, the source of man’s life. The Lord Jesus tells us that “it is the Spirit who gives life”, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.” (John 6: 63). This breath of life comes from the Creator. Yet we should not confuse this spirit, which is the “breath of life,” with the Holy Spirit and the human spirit. Romans 8: 16 shows us that the Holy Spirit and the human spirit of man are different from the Holy Spirit; the two are not the same. “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” The word life in the expression the breath of life is chay; it is plural in number. This tells us that God’s breathing produces two lives, a spiritual one and one form the soul. This means that when God’s breath of life entered the human body, it became the spirit. At the same time, when this spirit came in contact with the body, it produces the soul. This is the source of the two lives, the spiritual and the life of the soul within us. But we should make a distinction here: this spirit is not the life of God Himself; it is merely “the breath of the Almighty which had giving me life. (Job 33: 4).

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SURRENDERING IT ALL: WHEN LOVE IS NOT ENOUGH By Keiyia J. George

Last year I dealt with so many women who were struggling to maintain their relationship with God and their spouse. This is written from a woman’s perspective but the principles shared will apply to men as well. I can recall the days of my parents arguing because my mom wanted to go to church and my dad wanted her to stay home. He even accused her of dating the pastor. But realistically, my mom

has a love for Christ that I have yet to see in another and honestly, I think my dad was jealous of this relationship. What he didn’t realize was he could have this same relationship. Initially, I planned on writing about the fact that there are so many women in the fellowship places and not enough men. The men, if they are like my dad was, maybe sitting home sulking because their wife has gone for

a few hours to be with their first love. I wanted to write about why I thought when you looked around in some houses the ratio was at least 25:1. But when I started to write that’s not what came. So maybe we’ll cover that another time. Instead, what I got was surrendering your spouse to God when things look like they are about to end.

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The more I grow in my walk, the more I spend time alone with Holy Spirit, the more I realize I have a lot more to learn and further to go and grow. For instance, I’ve learned that I’d take my problems to the altar, give them to God, and keep one finger on them...just in case. You want to know what this looks like? Hmm. Let me see.... say there’s this position or job you want. You’ve prayed something like this: ‘Oh gracious, and Heavenly Father, I come to you asking that you look upon your humble servant with grace and mercy. Lord, there’s this position I want. It’s (whatever it is at whatever location). Father I place this request in your hands and ask if it is thy will, let it be so. In Jesus name. Amen.’ I, for one, DO NOT pray like this. It’s too formal for me. But I prayed this way for the readers who still believe that Our Daddy requires something so well spoken and formulated with all the right words...or whatever religious fanatics feel... You know what I’m saying though. You’ve made a petition and left it up to the will of God. But in the backdrop, behind the scenes, with no ill intention what so ever, you are over there working and networking, trying to force this to happen. If God

didn’t tell you to network and talk to people, you have not surrendered this to God. I recently heard my brother-in-law say: you have broken the terms of the surrender. But let’s bring this closer to home. You are a woman of God. You believe His Word. You know He told you this marriage will be successful. He promised you you’d get back together. He has sent word after word after word that reconciliation and restoration is coming. When you look at your relationship, you see the complete opposite, but in the beginning you wage a good war with the prophecies you have received (1 Timothy 1:18). Overtime, your spouse has gotten more distant. With every word, things look worse. He’s hit you. Verbally abused you. Comes home when he wants to. Worse! He’s moves out and asked you for a divorce so he can be with his new woman and their child!! WHAT NOW!!!! Well it’s easy for me to say continue to stand on the promises of the Word. For one, divorce is still frowned upon by God. He would never tell you to divorce your spouse. NEVER. So for all of those people who claim God told you this wasn’t the person for you and to leave them, please stop lying on Him. That goes against the Word. I can quote plenty of scriptures that go against divorce, but I

often hear Moses permitted divorce so I’ll quote the one regarding that: “He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.” Matthew 19:8 KJV The very next scripture is often used to say well he cheated so I can divorce. Cheating is adultery. Not fornication. The scripture references fornication. Without getting all ‘biblically’ on you, it’s basically saying: when I married you, you said you were a virgin. I found out you are not and by consummating this relationship we will commit adultery. So I release you from me so that you may return to your first husband...or the first person you slept with. If you recall, sex is meant to between married people so when they married, both parties were to be sexually pure. But that’s another topic for another day. My point here is DIVORCE IS NOT IN GOD’S PLAN FOR US. So what now. He’s left me. Moved on. Started another family, but we are still married. I look like a fool! Sweetie, I promise you, if you stay with God in this, you will be vindicated and receive your just reward. I know it’s hard but let me give you a real live example and testimony. My sister and her husband have

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now been married for eight years. Six of those years were pure HELL. When they met (after conversing for a period of time via phone), God had revealed to both of them separately that this is who He had for them. So after a short courtship, with this knowledge that it was approved by God, they married. In the very beginning, things were great and all was perfect. But this quickly turned sour as she learned she had some skeletons in her closet that needed to be let go of (resentment, bitterness, anger, unforgiveness of self and others, and one failed marriage thus far). He, on the other hand, had some other demons he was fighting. As an ordained pastor, preaching since he was about four, he was a womanizer, a drug addict, a liar, and a smooth taking, pulpit preaching, snake. Reading this, one may say why would God put these two together. She cried many nights wondering the same thing and refusing to have a second failed marriage, she continually turned to God. I say continually because every time she placed him in His hands, she did something to undo it. After many years, many fights, many leaving one another, many ‘get outs’, many words spoken that tore one another down, she finally surrendered him to God. It wasn’t easy, so this is what God did.

(I’ll be paraphrasing this part.) “Lord,” she whispered, “you told me to marry this man but I want out. Will you allow me to have this desire of my heart?” “Oh, daughter,” He calmly replied, “I wish above all things that you proposer. It is not my will that you divorce but if you ask, I will allow it (permissive will: never the best plan of action), but if you do, these are all the souls that will be lost.” As she looked out at the thousands upon thousands of people he showed her, reality kicked in: if I divorce my husband, the ministry of our marriage will be detrimental to the Kingdom of God. If I divorce him, the ministry for Christ we were to do would be lost. If I divorce him, these souls are upon my head. I promised God I’d obey Him and let Him guide my every step. “Lord, if this is what you want, then you have to fix it. I’m done.” She closed her eyes and saw herself FINALLY taking her hands off her husband and giving him to God. She took her eyes off her husband and placed them on God. She focused on her relationship with God rather than her relationship with her husband. In doing so, she was able to have her heart mended and hear from Him more clearly than ever. During this time, she received very tough instructions. Things

she abhorred. Cook for who!!! But she did it. Rub whose back!!! But she did it. Apologize for what!!!! But she did it. Keeping in tune with the small voice leading her, she slowly began to soften her glare as she completed every assignment God gave her. And by focusing her eyes on her relationship with God, she stopped messing up any progress He made and He began to heal her relationship with her husband. See, what she learned after six years is her way is not perfect. If she’d only listened many years ago, she wouldn’t have had to endure for so long. One last story from this wonderful couple. In late 2015, God led her to move. Without him!!! Without question, she packed up, and moved. Within four months, the two were reconciled. He had renewed his relationship with God (for real this time) and they’ve found a new relationship truly ordained by God. They minister as a couple and have shared their testimony many times in hope that another couple can be saved through God and completely surrender to His will. This month is about love. I LOVE love!!! I despise divorce. So what better thing to share than a reconciled marriage that was saved by faith! Did I tell you that he moved out at some point (or several) and was with a new woman? We women know that,

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that typically means the relationship is done so we go ahead and file for divorce. Divorce in this country is running rampant. Everyone from the pastor to the newlywed is divorcing. It’s like a new badge of honor. But what if you decide to take your eyes off of your relationship and plant them solely on God? What if you said ‘Lord, I surrender all’ and truly give it to Him. What if you said, ‘I may look like I’m losing, but I know I am victorious!’ What if you said ‘I’ll trust You no matter what it looks like’? What if you decided to be the one to break the generational curse on marriage in your lineage! Being the one to look like a donkey in a marriage can’t be easy. People will talk, but they talk anyway. The Word says don’t be afraid of men in their faces (Jeremiah 1:18). I’ve always taken this to mean: AIN’T NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO ME SO TALK!!!! Be prepared for my Daddy though. So, can you step out today and trust God to fix this thing. Even when things look like they are going the wrong way, trust Him. Someone asked me this week what does this look like, and while I haven’t had to trust God to heal my marriage, I’ve had to trust in a lot of things in and around my marriage and other parts of my life. I hope she gets a

chance to read this. Just recently, during my quiet time with Holy Spirit, a worrying spirit came upon me. I found myself laying the item on the altar. You see, I’m a visual person. I tend to physically do things or I see myself doing. So as I watched myself lay it down, the thought popped back up. Well, I’m in my special time with my first love. So what did I do? I saw my mind as a touchscreen device and I swiped it away. Seriously. And it went. To this day I don’t know what it was that worried me. This might not work for you but find a way to ‘swipe it away’ and out of your mind. Find your peace in God and watch Him do the impossible. You don’t have to wait six years like the couple mentioned. You can have it now! I leave you with this: I apply the blood of Jesus on every broken marriage. In Jesus name. Amen. Keiyia JOYet George http://www.justmekjg.com

REJOICE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2018