WOMEN'S
PROCLAIMING HIS NAME
APRIL 2015 ISSUE 10
EXCLUSIVE REFUELLED& REFOCUSED
NO GREATER LOVE NO GREATER NAME
THE WOMAN AT THE WELL
IN THIS ISSUE
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Pollen and Resurrection30 pamela mantey Meet the writers interview Standing on solid ground 40 Proclaiming his name Refuelled and Refocused 42 No greater name, no Even in the hard times greater love The woman at the well 46 Proclaiming His Proverbs 31 woman Presence Love 48 We proclaim his name 52 Proclaim his name she speaks
48 let your adoration be heard
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54 proclaim his name 56 Dominion life in christ global ministries 58 My alabastar story 68 Tend thy sheep 72 never too old 74 dear jesus devotion e 78 intimacy 80 books to read
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pollen and resurrecton
While listening to a recent news report, it was determined by local meteorologists that because we experienced a wet winter, pollen counts for the spring would be unusually high. As an allergy sufferer, I groaned under the weight of the weather man’s synopsis because that means more sniffing, coughing, sneezing, and watering of my eyes, but before I could utter my complaint before the Lord, a prophetic word began to take shape within my sprit. Many times we don’t appreciate the labor of which we have toiled throughout our previous season. When a thing happens for us in a current season, we rejoice, give God praise, and settle back into routine but I believe that the report of my local scientists was something more than just the preparation of a season of high pollen count. I believe that the Lord was revealing that our labor in previous seasons is the breeding grounds for the potential of our growth in the season to come. Because we endured so much rain in our winter, the ground had been saturated and with that, the seeds, the roots, the bulbs, and the saplings which had been planted therein are afforded a much shorter time of springing forth because the ground had already been prepared to handle what was about to take place. In the natural, a high pollen count brings several inconveniences.
It brings a yellowy, dusty coating to everything that is outside. It causes vehicle owners to wash their cars more frequently and of course, it causes allergy sufferers like me to remain indoors. In the spirit though, a high pollen count means that seeds are reproducing like never before. Bee pollen is plant sperm. The bees assist in the plant reproduction process by carrying this ‘sperm’ from one plant to another. Deborah, the prophetess and judge, whose name literally means ‘bee’, was responsible for distributing the word of the Lord under a palm tree.
PREVIOUS SEASON IS BREEDING GROUNDS FOR THE POTENTIAL OF OUR GROWTH
by Delisa Lindsey
We can determine then, that the prophetic ministry is associated with that of reproduction and new life. What the Lord has revealed to me through that news report was that this Resurrection season is surely one of ‘new life’.
resurrection power He has revealed that the dampness of winter was represented by many tears shed by the saints of God but that, without fail, those tear drops were counted and are not in vain.
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I feel as if this season of Resurrection is bringing new life to our hopes, goals, and dreams. There is an excavation taking place where we buried our zeal and determination to live a Kingdom minded life. We were burdened and perplexed but this season we are going to see our hopes realized. The flowers of family relationships will blossom. The budding of ministries and businesses will come forth. There is activity taking place in the ground that goes beyond what you or I can see. There is a shaking taking place in the tombs and just as our Lord and Savior could not be contained by the grave, neither shall we. As He lives, we live. As He came forth, we shall come forth. Look up and live my brother and my sister. The pollen is making its way around your life to fertilize and reproduce the seeds you have sown in the season past.
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MEET THE WRITERS Constance Cooper is the author of fiction and nonfiction titles. Through her books, she shares hope with a lost and dying world. Her titles include "The Chronicles of Connie," a testimonial account of her personal life struggles; "Another Part of Me," a book of poetry; "Relationship Rules of Engagement"
Yolanda Sherman Prophetess Break Free Release Ministries International ( Worldwide Outreach)
Joseph Dowdy, better known as "Minista Whisper" is an anointed Bible Teacher, Minister, Inspirational Gospel Rap Artist; His latest book: The Atmosphere is Subject to Change�
Deslene Jeffers Minister and Christian Inspirational Speaker, Founder of God’s Girls Movement Ministries & Writer,
My name is Rebekah Chamblee and I am 16 years old. I was born in California, but moved to West Virginia to start a church with my family. I hope to be a professional author one day.
Delisa Lindsey is CEO and Founder of It's All About Him Meida& Publishing, Author and Overseer of True Love Church of Refuge.
Joyfully Jallah is an Author, Poet and Founder of Fishers of People International Ministries.
9 Kudzie Phiri is a Prophetic Psalmist who has given her life to worship His majesty and to bring people before his presence in order to experience the fellowship of the Holyspirit.
Mary Priddy has a passion to write God's heart to His amazing children. She believes that love is the answer always and Jesus is that love and hopes to have her own ministry one day.
Mary Eisenacher is an ordained minister called by God into a Spirit-filled, Spirit-led life with a mandate to help others get prepared for The Great Commission.
Shelly Wilson is an Author, Singer, Songwriter and Founder of www.shellywilsonministries.com
Terry Taylor Bailey is a teacher of the word and founder of Cultivating the Crop
Tracey Mitchell is a Co-Pastor and Author of her new book Virtuous Woman verses Foolish Woman now available on Amazon.
Lanie Scarlett is Founder and CEO at Missing Peace Ministries
Kathleen Klein is known as a woman with a special endowment of wisdom. She carries a strong mantle of intercession that is the touchstone foundation of the Prophetic and Teaching ministry gifts.
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by Hildah Lunding FOUNDER&PUBLISHER
STAND SOLID
I have thought about how standing your
ground today is very necessary, given the challenges that we often face in our day to day walk. Every day comes with its own challenges, so it makes sense that we learn to stand our ground in the different situations we find ourselves in. I believe that as Christians, we must seek to build our lives on solid ground. The word of God teaches us to do this by obeying his teaching and following it. Like the psalmist, we need God's mercy to help us live out the teaching of Jesus. So we stand before God and live our lives, not upon our own righteousness , but rather upon the righteousness of Christ. When we put our focus upon him, we will be able to walk rightly and worship him with a clean heart. In Psalm 26,:12,David proclaims that he stands on "solid ground" of righteousness. This being the result of God's mercy in his life. David demonstrated this by his rejection of evil and his love for worshipping the Lord. David ended up publicly making a proclamation "I will publicly praise the LORD." And that too is my prayer for you and I today.
Now I stand ground, and I wil praise the L Psalm 26:1
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DING ON D GROUND A L I
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BY TERRY BAILEY Everyday, our world is providing a situation where someone is losing something. Whether it is a job, a loved one, or sense of direction someone begins the process of being lost in losing. When we find ourselves lost, we must take note of our situation. Realize that the soul is at a crossroad dealing with many avenues of choices. The soul is stated to be comprised of a persons' mind, will and emotion. The mind, where thoughts are formulated takes the loss and then places it in either the failure, guilt, lonely and helpless column of our lives. The will or the desire to move on comes to a complete stop because the mind triggers the thought of "why bother - nothing will change."
The emotions tops the sundae with doubt, discouragement and despair. When someone is lost, all of these areas are affected which may be the reason why you don't bounce back as fast. You may get your mind together, but your desire or emotions have not been challenged to move on! When experiencing loss, can I suggest the following:
THE SOUL IS AT A CROSSROAD
REFOCUSED AND REFUELLED
Start a healing process Pray, and if that is not your thing, consult someone that will assist you in forming a happier you inside first; this will then extend to your outer you. let positive energy flow Being lost in your loss happens daily, finding a way out makes you to start the search!
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Accept the lost Realize even if it's your fault; you can only change the next moment Apologize if necessary; forgive others and yourself Make a plan Write down what occurred and read it aloud Make the adjustment so that correction can flow Move on Surround yourself with a positive energy flow Being lost in losing happens daily, finding you takes you to start the search!
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Hi I know you probably don’t know me, but I am a very lazy person. I sit around when there is other things I should be doing. Like doing the dishes, feeding the cats, etc. No matter how much I will to do something, my flesh doesn’t want to do anything. And the thing is I let my flesh control me. I let feelings control me. I let worries and cares cloud my head. When I should be thinking about God, and working to make our relationship stronger. If I was to proclaim God’s name against my laziness, what would happen? Would I continue being lazy and forgetful? Or would I actually get up and do something? You cannot change without praying to God first. No matter how strong you think you are, you cannot achieve a full change without God. If there is something nagging you, pray to God about it. Pray and listen. If God tells you to do something strange do it, He knows your problem inside and out. Proclaim God’s name in your life to achieve peace. After you have prayed, take some time to listen for a response. You cannot just let God do everything if you are not willing to do some of the work. If you are going through a trial, never give up on God. Even though it doesn’t make sense, it will be okay. The problems that you may or may not have were not because of God. I went through a trial a couple years ago.
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GOD DOES CAUSE THE BUT CAUSE TO TEACH LESSONS..
HARD TIMES
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I had a little cat, that I named Oreo. He was black and white and he was the kindest cat you could ever meet. One year after we got him, he got a disease. My whole family prayed for him to recover. But this wasn’t a regular problem; this was a trial, a hard trial. The disease was incurable, so all the vets could do was give medicine to slow down the affects. During his last days, we prayed for a recovery for Oreo. But the disease took its toll and Oreo died. I know this sounded horrible and pointless, but it wasn’t for nothing. Two years later God sent a prophet to tell me that God was proud of me for believing in Him and having faith in Him. “Good job, my wonderful and faithful servant” was God’s exact words. He tested my faith and I passed, but not without a price. Proclaim His word in your life to take away the problems, He may not solve them in the way you want to, but now my cat is without hurt or sorrow. God doesn’t cause the trials, but he uses them to teach lessons. God doesn’t abandon you in the trials; He listens and rewards you afterwards. You may have lost a loved one even after praying for days, but everything happens for a reason. Their death may not have been good for anyone, but it opens opportunities to bring someone to Christ. Trust in God through your trials and problems, He won’t abandon you. God Bless you.
the woman at the well - john 4.14 My first child’s father was a horrible drug dealer who never mastered the art of life, feeling like an outcast. I always felt like I tried hard to fit in, to be loved, to be making it out of the drug game or even being successful at it! He never really accepted. The only man that made me feel that way was my father. That feeling cared about me, I believe. I now seemed to follow me into my adulthood. realize that when you make yourself available to men like that, they take full I would grow up to have children early, advantage of you in every way possible. because of the rejection that I felt from all the men I fell in love with. I would try Again, all I wanted was to be accepted. I now look back and see myself as to prove how much I loved them by sleeping with them, giving them a part of that young girl who was looking for love in all the wrong places. He left me alone me that no one should have received. to go through pregnancy all by myself. At least not at the age I started to have sex. I was way too young to feel rejection, Now, I fast forward to my next experience way too young to handle all the emotion with another wrong man. I am pregnant still with my first child and my second that goes along with sex. I wanted to be son’s father comes into my life. He was accepted, to be appreciated the way all charming. He made me laugh, he made the other girls appeared to be me feel pretty. He told me we could be appreciated. That spirit of rejection will follow you from childhood, through your together, but only when it was convenient for him. As I play back the teenage years and into your adult life! memories in my mind, he used me too. I Yes, that enemy will follow you, but be have the baby and we start dating full encouraged! God already knew before time. I thought we were in love, but as the foundations of the earth were formed that He chose you to be His! (Eph. time would go on, I catch him in the act of cheating. Why didn’t I break up with him 1:4) See, the Lord already made all the things that we go through, to work out for then? Hm, let me see, I must have been crazy!!! I stayed with him, but this is our good! where I would start a lifetime of bad My life had many ups and downs with the decisions. I honestly believe that when you don’t have the love of Christ men I chose to share myself with. Get continuously taught to you, or shown to that, I chose to lay with boy after boy, then man after man. God planned for me you, you don’t really know what true love is supposed to look, or feel like. to have the children I had. Do I believe I was supposed to have four kids by four My choices would continue to be based different men? No! Absolutely not! I on emotions and not facts. The facts are, I made those choices that led to the would make several more bad choices in children born out of wedlock. God just men but would receive two more blessed me to have four beautiful, blessings. Yes, I had two more children healthy children in spite of the sin. out of wedlock. I made the choices out of lack of knowledge of what true love 16 really was. I can remember, for the better part of my
by Constance Cooper
I had no clue about how a man was
supposed to cover me; how they were supposed to protect me, provide for me and shelter me. I mean, I had my earthly father, but he did the best he could to guide me in the way I should go. He would tell me that I wasn’t supposed to be having sex with the men. But once I let the enemy lie to me I was headed down the road to learning my lesson the hard way. Coming from the neighborhood I came from, it was the norm to have sex at an early age. At least everyone I knew was already doing it! From those relationships I developed low self esteem, and yes the spirit of rejection was oh so real. I would go through my life always going the extra mile, if you know what I mean. I would buy clothes, shoes, all the groceries in the house. Pay all the bills! I would loan money that would never get returned. I would be the silent business partner in many dreams. I would push the vision of many dreamers. I was always going out of my way to prove my love, never feeling like it was truly being returned. 17
I had so many men that told me that they loved me, but only to use me and abuse me. Some would stay for years, and then some would, as we say, “hit it and quit it!” But God!!! I am ever so grateful that I ran into a Man that told me that He loved me for who I was! He knew me before I was even born….Well of course I fell head over heels in love with Him! I ran into His arms; this man named Jesus! When Jesus told me who I really was, who He was, and what I meant to Him, my whole life changed. I started to spend time with Him, study who He was, what He did for me. I was so grateful, but I was also so heartbroken. To think, all that I had done, all the sin, all the stench of laying down with not with just my children’s fathers, but with a lot of other men, too. After all that, He still saved me! He saved me from myself. He kept me when I wasn’t smart enough, or even strong enough to keep myself. He kept me in the midst of it all. I am HIV free, I don’t have Aids, and I don’t have any lifealtering diseases!
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You can’t tell me that’s not real love! He is the lover of our souls. He cares for us when we don’t have sense enough to care for ourselves… My time would be spent focusing on this new-found love. I mean, He showed up right in the nick of time. I almost lost my mind with the last two pregnancies. I was dealing with addiction and trying to stay clean in the process. I needed a savior. The problem at the time was, I was looking for Him in the wrong places. I needed someone to guide me, hold me, and take care of me. Only God could fill the void that was ever so real to me. I had a huge hole inside of me. I was empty; I never dealt with the pain of my father’s death. I mean, after my father passed I was pregnant and didn’t even know it. I was with the man I had been dating while my father was still living.
My father liked this man. He was an older, mature man. He had a good job. He was a merchant seaman, and he had benefits. I thought this was the man I would marry. Thank you Jesus, You had another plan. I now see that this would have lead to my death, and my children being thrown into a life that they did not deserve. I was so young and naive. The problem with this man was that he was a drug addict. So once again, Mr. Wrong!!! I believe that in our lives we have these crossroads, we have these pit stops. We have bumps in the road. It is at those times we find out who we really are. Here I am, I feel so alone. My best friend in this life was gone and I felt like my whole world was spinning ut of control. This is the man who bounced me on his knee, taught me how to tie my shoes and taught me how to whistle. The man who told me I was beautiful, who taught me how to cook, the man, who,
the woman at the well after all the spankings, all the corrections, turned out to be my best friend. That man pushed me after I dropped out of high school, to go after my cosmetology license. My father used to say that “after he was dead and gone, we would forget about him.” Let me tell you that not one day has gone by that I haven’t thought about him. I have so many questions I still want to ask him. He was the best and only man I ever had in my life that actually knew how to show a woman love. When I was little girl, my father always took me and my family to the finest restaurants. We went on family vacations and we had beautiful Sunday dinners. We took family vacations across the country. That man was now gone, and he wasn’t coming back.
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No, this pain was not going away. All the drugs and alcohol in the world couldn’t take this pain away. It would be the day of the funeral when the nausea would start. Yes, I am pregnant again. This is child number three. We had come from the service to my house and I was sick as a dog. I was mad at the seaman because I felt like if I hadn’t been with him doing the wrong things, I would have been there with my father. The reality of this pain was that it was here to set up camp for a few long years. Time goes by and it seems like it is getting easier every day, but now there is another issue going on, a deeper, and more serious one.
This issue, the result of self-medicating for so many years, would be an addiction I remember it like it was yesterday. I that I once believed I had control over; it was at the seaman’s house and my aunt truly had taken control of me. Even and my mom are knocking though I was addicted, I was able to on the door telling me my dad was maintain some sense of normalcy, or at dead…he was gone. My heart dropped! least I thought I had; my life that is. This is I couldn’t believe it. I was so hurt the ugly truth of how looking for love in because I wanted to see him again. He all the wrong places leads to a more, had been in the hospital for lonely dark place. In the midst of all this complications with pneumonia. See, pain I also managed to get myself into all this was a new kind of pain. This pain kinds of situations. I dated all kinds of lingered, it held on for years. Before, men, from all walks of life, even out of my when men would hurt me, I would race. Looking for love in all the wrong usually cry for a few days and then get places, still trying to fit in, still needing over it. As my dad would say, “men are the acceptance of others. I realized that I like buses; you can always get a always had intentions on being a transfer.” “If one starts acting up, get monogamist, but they just weren’t the off that one and catch another.” He right men; way too many to begin with, would say, “You’re young, you have actually. your whole life ahead of you, never let anyone have you that doesn’t deserve you!”
the woman at the well I never allowed myself time to heal from any of the many break-ups I would experience throughout my addictive dysfunction. I never was quiet long enough to hear from the Father or to the Still Small Voice of the Holy Ghost. Rejection versus acceptance; those two words would define my young adult life until Jesus called my name and said He already accepted my love a long time ago. He told me it was He I was looking for. He said He had been waiting for me to be still, long enough and quiet enough to accept His love. He had been waiting for me at the well that whole time. He asked me my name and I said the very same words that the original Samaritan woman said….”What do you want from me Jesus, I am not even worthy to hold a conversation with You.” True to form, He says if you give me your heart I promise I won’t break it! Wow!!! Now after all the men I had been with, all the lies, all the manipulation, He said He still wanted me. I couldn’t believe it. A real Man, a Man that was all that and some!! I mean, this was Jesus! This was a sin-less Man, drug free, He didn’t want my cookies, He had no intention of staying for the night and then getting up and leaving in the morning without calling the next day. He said He was there as long as I wanted, needed, and would allow Him to stay. He was different than all the other men I had been with, because He was there to stay, even if I didn’t call Him, He still was there to stay! He blew my mind. He knew all about me and He still wanted an intimate relationship with me.
He knew all about my many lovers, and about my drug abuse. He knew that I was a complete mess. He knew that I had manipulated men to get them to give me what I wanted, or what I believed I needed. He knew that I had four kids by four different fathers. He knew that I was lonely and was willing to continue in the cycle of madness I was revolving in, in order to get that feeling that I never seemed to find anyway. I really could trust Him with my heart, my secrets, my mind, my body and He already was holding my soul in His hands. I could actually fall in love with Him and He wouldn’t break my heart, it was finally safe in His hands. I could drink from a fountain and I would never thirst again! 20
The key to this relationship was trust. I had to trust Him just as much as He already trusted me. Yes that’s right, He trusts me. He trusts me to be and do exactly what He already knew I would do. He already paid the cost for me on the cross. It is amazing to be in a state of utter confusion and God sends His Son to rescue you from you. But God!!! All of the other men I tried to tell about my past would only use it to take advantage of me, not Jesus. He not only said I don’t care about your past, I still love you in spite of it all. I waited so long for this kind of love to come. Now that I had it, I really didn’t know how to return it. I had to be taught about being faithful, about commitment, about being confident in Him. I had never been loved like this before. When I would fall, and I mean I fell hard too, all He did was love me that much more. I mean, He actually continued to bless me. So for me, I was out of my element I was so used to men walking out on me the first time I did something they didn’t like or if I had asked for too much attention they couldn’t or wouldn’t give. Not Jesus! He gave me more proof that He was there to stay. He would bless me in spite of me. I had found myself in a place that was unfamiliar. I mean, I was taught by life that if you asked for too much, or you were too needy, it would usually backfire on you. Not this time. God reached down from heaven and came and got me from all my abusers, all my manipulators, all my “pimps”, all my socalled friends, women included.
Believe it or not, women will use you too, if they see anything they consider to be weak. I See, showing too much kindness in the life I came from, meant one of three things…One, you were a push over, two, you were just plain stupid, or three you were scared, so you bought friends to keep them from jumping you. Well in my case, I was none of the above. I had the heart of God from the day I entered into this world. I knew love; I knew I needed that feeling; I just never had it returned to me. My time was spent so close to Jesus in the beginning that I developed a love for bibles. Any version would do, I just wanted to know who this Man, Jesus, was. I felt this tug to draw near to Him as He was pulling me closer to Him. I remember the day He said He had work for me to do and would I accept his offer to leave everything behind and follow Him? Let’s say the rest is History. I am in love with this Man named Jesus. He used everything that the devil meant for bad to be turned around to bless me; heart break after heart break, relationship after relationship. I know this one thing is true….He showed me the path to take; he showed me my way to freedom. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). I have this good thing going and I refuse to let it go because He won’t ever leave me or forsake me. I choose this day Whom I will serve, I serve Jesus….The Man who turned my Pain Into Purpose. 21
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She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
by Kudzie Phiri
proverbs 31 woman
does she exist?
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Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. As women, when growing up we are often told of this 'virtuous' woman who almost sounds like a mythical and fantastical being. The incessant virtues of this woman are perpetually drilled into our heads in the hopes of inspiring us to become like her. She is portrayed to possess such perfection and character that in the world we live in she almost sounds a little too good to be true. Thus, the question is; does she exist or is she merely a pigment of some idealistic man's over-zealous imagination? What is the Proverbs 31 woman? Who is she? It is interesting to note the writer begins by saying: Who can find a virtuous woman? It implies that she does exist; however, she is hard to find. Before we explore this woman, my answer is; yes she does exist. It is said that her worth is far above rubies and this then is the makeup of this woman. Rubies are one of the four most precious stones in existence. They are believed to be a geological phenomenon even geologists have not been able to accurately pin-point the making of this gem.
The mineral whilst usually buried deep below Earth's surface; is formed in metamorphic rocks modified by heat, pressure and chemical processes. Exposure to these extreme conditions altered the mineralogy, texture and chemical composition of the rocks. It is also well known for being extremely hard whilst at the same time very definitive in outlook and appeal.
WHY A RUBY? A virtuous woman is a rare occurrence who strives in harsh and intolerant conditions. Even in this immoral and compromised world, somehow like the ruby, she is formed true to her nature. In reading Proverbs 31's rather meticulous description of her, I am convinced that she exists. However, she is not a 'microwave' product that gives no regard to process and precision, but rather a metamorphosis of time. She uses every seeming stumbling block as a propelling agent to take her to the next level.
by Kudzie Phiri
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proverbs 31 woman does she exist? People of this caliber are hard to find because their worth is immeasurable. A ruby has to be extracted from deep beneath the earth's surface.
What are her qualities? She is priceless, the heart of her husband trusts her. It is this trust that brings security beyond material things. This woman is enterprising, she has investments gathering from a far showing the vastness of her skills. She rises whilst it is yet night, the night season is often a hard time to navigate it speaks of hardship, pain and austere conditions yet she manages to get up and work. It is this heart, hard work and tenacity that makes her loved by all as she resembles generosity and kindness in her relations and consideration of others. This woman of substance extends her hand to the poor and reaches out to the needy. She is the praise of her community and because she resembles Christ-like qualities, impacting and positively affecting all those around her. Moreover, all these challenges of life and perfection of time have made her resilient, stoic and tenacious. No wonder why the writer asked who could find her!
What is or was the agent of her metamorphosis? Verse 30 says, ' a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.' The fear of the Lord brings understanding; it is the kind of understanding that makes one praise worthy. With understanding comes strength and honor, the presence of understanding often implies that wisdom is nearby. Verse 26,'she opens her mouth with wisdom..
..' I believe this
woman's virtue came from the God she feared.. , He alone was the agent of her metamorphosis molding and making her into a woman of great substance. God's understanding surpasses man's reasoning, it associates virtue with purity and integrity such as we see in this woman. Man's thinking would have us believe she is imaginary but the Agent of her metamorphosis validates her existence.
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by Kudzie Phiri
The best reference of such women is found in the word, these are women we can identfy with, they were not mystical beings they existed and through their lives we see the qualities that this Proverbs 31 possesses. The book of II Kings presents us with the Shunammite woman; she was a wealthy and well respected person in the society, portrayed as a woman of means, with kingdom generosity, kindness, love, faith and tenacity. Comparing the Proverbs 31 woman and the Shunammite woman, it is evident that both women were women of means, it is however not clear how the Shunammite acquired her wealth but what we do know is that much like the Proverbs 31 woman she was wealthy. Both women were the praise of their societies, caring and compassionate, philanthropists in their own right and dedicated to a cause.
She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.
The first mention of the Shunammite’s meeting with the Prophet Elisha leaves room for us to speculate that she did not know that he was a prophet. It was perhaps due to the frequency of his visits and after spending time with the man that she ‘knew’ him to be a man of God. 2Kings 4:8 One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. And she said to her husband, "Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way"
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showed such hospitality to the strangers/ visitors that came through her city. We know that she was a respected woman in society; respect is earned and usually attributed to certain qualities possessed by the one to whom it is bestowed upon. The qualities that she possessed by far superseded her wealth; she was a woman of generosity and wisdom. Upon recognizing that Elisha was a holy man of God, she makes room for him, and gives him a more permanent place of rest and refreshing.
This type of woman taps into her means to be a blessing to others This woman realizes the gift that God has given to frequent her house and she honors the carrier of the gift, not because she had a hidden agenda but simply because it was in her nature. One might argue that I am speculating, in the time that Elisha is recorded to have visited her, she never asked for anything. In fact this woman appeared so content with her life and being among her people that when the prophet asked her, ‘what he could do for her, she could think of nothing.
The book of Acts introduces us to a woman by the name of Dorcas/Tabitha, she was notated a disciple , recognized as one serving in some capacity in the Christian community. The name Dorcas implies “the female of a roebuck,” “a gazelle”—an emblem of beauty. In the seaport town of Joppa she became known for her acts of charity, here was a woman “who with her needle embroidered her name ineffaceably into the beneficence of the world.” She already sounds too good to be true and I bet, most times we read the story all we see is a widow being mourned for by widows and raised from the dead by the Apostle Peter. Let us take a closer look at this Proverbs 31 woman.
She spells out more of character than acts and deeds,
The life of Dorcas though it did resemble a woman of means and great generosity, we must understand the foundation of her generosity and likeability was not in her means, it was rather in the person of Dorcas. The Proverbs 31 Woman spells out more of character than acts and deeds, it's this character that has been molded and fashioned by her Creator. Bible Gateway It takes a certain level of selflessness to be commentary says this of her, “Dorcas generous and compassionate, both of knew what it was to have a regenerated which are heart and this was the source of her Christ-like qualities that these women unselfish life and charitable acts. Behind possess. This type of woman taps into her her sewing of garments was a saved soul. means to be a blessing to others, after all Giving of alms, and the making of it is God who gives the increase. garments in themselves gain no merit with God who, first of all, claims our hearts before our talents."
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If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. for we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a Love is patient, love is mirror; then we shall see kind. It does not envy, it face to face. Now I know in does not boast, it is not part; then I shall know proud. It does not fully, even as I am fully dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily known. angered, it keeps no And now these three record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but remain: faith, hope and rejoices with the truth. It love. But the greatest of these is love. always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
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PAMELA MAN W
Pamela, Welcome to this interview with Women's Frontline Magazine, I am excited about spending time with you and discussing the role of Pastor's wives and women in ministry today. First and foremost, give us a picture of who Pamela Mantey is.
I know that you are a co pastor, pastoring a church with your husband. You also have a Women's ministry called Glow Women Network. Tell us, first, how it is to be a pastor's wife? How long did it take before you found out that you were also called ?
PM Thank you! I'm excited to be here with you as well. I'm a wife, mother of five awesome children, a minister, author, speaker and entrepreneur. My husband and I are in ministry together and our church is Crusaders Ministries International. I'm also the President of GLOW Women's Network. A network of leaders coming together to empower, equip, encourage, enlighten and enhance women's lives. I also have a ministry to Pastor's Wives and have partnered with my husband to also reach the Pastor's as well. We have an internet TV program called "Dealing with Pastor's and their Wives Issues". Apart from that, I'm very down to earth, very friendly and easily approachable. What I love to do is to empower people. I believe in self development that from any level in life you can strive to be the best you can. I know that from personal experience.
PM
We started the church in the late '90's. It was one of the most challenging periods of my life being thrust into the position of being a Pastor's wife. Pastors are trained, Evangelists are trained; there are bible schools to train for ministry however there is no training platforms for Pastor's wives. It's an on the job training.... a school of hard knocks. It was definitely a training ground for me and still is. I think I felt more liberated, more confident and more efficient when I became aware of my identity and embraced it. Being a Pastor's wife is about supporting your husband in his calling. Most of us mistakenly focus on the title and minister to the title instead of the man. We try to fit into a status quo instead of ministering to our husbands. It gets overwhelming and frustrating when you try to please everyone.
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Pastors are trained, Evangelists are trained; there are bible schools to train for ministry however there is no training platforms
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PAMELA MANTEY
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O R P A S T O R E N T R E P R E N E U R
PM
I would say my 'Aha moment' came when God began to speak to me personally and through others about the calling on my life. It was about three years into ministry. I had prior to that received a few prophecies that God had called me into ministry however I really embraced the calling in the early 2000's. I really didn't know the depth or the whole picture of how far God was taking me but I just immersed myself into it. My husband actually persuaded me to establish GLOW online. He has been very supportive of my mandate and is an incredible husband.
Do you think, in your experience, that pastor's wives are overlooked? Explain
PM
It really depends on one's perception. I felt overlooked in the beginning. I felt lost. My husband got all the attention. He was always catered to; getting gifts and all the good stuff whiles I felt invisible. I was mostly ignored and I felt like a second class citizen. I remember going before God with this issue and what He told me might surprise you. He told me that He gives promotion to people; He gives the honor. He further explained that that if my husband asked the people to honor me, he (my husband) would have to maintain it. But if God honored me no one could resist that. That was a revelation for me.
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PM
That word helped me through that struggle. I have come to realize that it's a privilege to be a pastor's wife; to serve and sacrifice. Tons of sacrifice especially in marriage. However, I find it rewarding. I have found favor in the sight of God. I have had open doors and relationships which wouldn't have been if it wasn't for my place as a pastor's wife. On the other hand, when you're functioning in your calling, you focus on that and not on what your husband is into and how you're being treated. Every calling has its benefits, therefore, as you wholeheartedly serve, you will reap your benefits. My perception has shifted. My husband still gets more attention and I understand. Every gift and blessing he receives is an increase to our household. When he's blessed, I'm blessed. Through his ministry, I have met lots of people and had the opportunity to travel to some nations too. I would say to other Pastor's wives to continue to serve and minister to their husbands and also fulfill their callings as well. Would you say that men and women have the same role in the church today?
PM
In Ephesians 5, the bible is clear on the role of the husband and wife. The husband is the head of the household and his wife submits to him. That is the divine order of God.
PM
However, when it comes to roles of men and women in the church, certain roles have not been reserved for women alone or men alone. We are to serve as called. We are to serve with our talents and gifts. God doesn't reserve certain offices to men and others to women. He poured His spirit on all flesh. There's no male or female, we are all one in Christ. We all therefore have to be obedient in the calling on our lives whether you're a teacher, prophet, Apostle or any other calling. One day we will be accountable to God on how and if we fulfilled our purpose.
Do you ever feel intimidated as a woman when you preach to men?
PM
Of course! I have had the privilege to minister to audiences of both women and men. Sometimes I don't know what the mindset of the men are. There are some men who simply won't receive from a woman because of the denomination or background they're from. What helps is knowing that you have been sent and been given a message by God to deliver. Therefore you stand there in God's authority to deliver the word. You do your part and let God do his.
How do you create balance in the Do you believe that men and women home as co pastors? How do you plan have equal opportunities in the Body of who gets to stay home and raise the Christ? children?
PM
PM
That is how it's supposed to be. Women It's simple for us now. We support and men are supposed to have equal each other. When you have a husband opportunities in the body of Christ. who understands the word of God Unfortunately, some denominations and knows that being a 'help-mate' believe a woman cannot have certain involves supporting your mate to titles. For example some believe that a fulfill her ultimate purpose, it's a woman cannot be a Bishop, an Apostle blessing. My husband is a blessing or stand behind a pulpit to teach the and is in no way intimidated by what word of God. Surprisingly, it is alright God has endowed in me. He rather for a woman to stand at the pulpit to pushes me to go higher and do give the announcements and other better. responsibilities however not to teach. In the beginning when my children God doesn't look at gender when He were younger I had to stay home calls us or gives us assignments. most times to care for the children. Galatians 3:28 says, 'There is neither However, whenever I had to go out to Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor minister my husband stayed home free, there is neither male nor female: with the kids. Lately, as they are for ye are all one in Christ Jesus growing up we're able to travel together to support one another. 34
PM
Jesus validated many women in the bible and his example should be emulated. I believe women should be given the opportunity to prove themselves. I think if women will embrace the truth of the word, we will be liberated to pursue our calling and not be intimidated to walk through doors open for us or seek opportunities in the path of our destinies. Presently, there are women who have risen up to higher positions in the church, socioeconomic and in the market place and there are many more to come. Let's focus on fulfilling our callings and I believe the Almighty who called us will create the opportunities for us. We must rather be prepared and positioned to rise up to the occasion.
I know that you are an author of several
books. Tell us what inspired you to begin to write?
PM
The very first book "Fulfilled, Five keys to Achieving Your Dreams" was a fifteen minute message I taught and God gave me the idea and inspiration to turn it into a book. I want to be able to touch the world with the message that God has given me. I love to see people empowered and thriving. Writing a book is one way to let your message be accessed globally through books. You cannot be everywhere but your books can. You can make a difference in someone's life and give a solution they've been seeking. Everyone has a unique story and message which should be voiced out on any available platform especially through books. What can we learn from your latest book, Fullfilled, Five Keys to Achieving Your Dreams?
PM
Fulfilled is a book bringing balance between the spiritual and practical keys to creating a plan to living out your dreams. From dreams to reality there are essential principles needed to get you there and 'Fulfilled' gives you those keys. It's a quick read and very easy to apply. Presently, I'm working on two books, one for married women and the other for singles. They are fun, informative and revelatory books addressing different aspects of women's lifestyles. I'm really excited about publishing them. 35
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Pamela, you are also an entrepreneur and host a TV channel called Oracle TV. How would you advise women today in the area of entrepreneurship?
PM
There is nothing like owning your own business. It takes hard work just like any worthy undertaking but has great rewards. You get to see your vision in fruition; you're able to make time for your loved ones and be in control of your life. There are many opportunities and resources now for entrepreneurs than has ever been especially now that the world has become a global village. I would encourage every woman who has the desire to be an entrepreneur not be intimidated. There may be many people in your niche but no one can deliver like you. There are people out there who are waiting for you. People who are waiting to be empowered and ministered to by your story, experience and expertise. If God has made you an entrepreneur trust me He has also given you everything it takes to make it. Let your voice be heard. What is your vision for women in this era?
PM
In the first place, we need to know our source. God is our maker, our creator and know Him intimately. Without Him we cannot live our lives and thrive and be remarkable as we're supposed to be. We need to make time for God in our lives especially in this time when everyone is so busy. We need to make God a priority to make it in every aspect of our lives. Personally, I don't know if I would be same without God in my life. He brings balance in my life and I cam make sense of things. We also need to know who we are. Knowing your identity is fundamental in what you will believe about yourself and what you can accomplish. Knowing, embracing and living out who you are unleashes your creativity. Every imagination, thought, idea and concept will line up with your purpose and vision. You effortlessly live and flow in every assignment or project. When you know your identity, you know who to partner with, in marriage, business or otherwise. Furthermore, we as women need to uplift and and support each other. We can't make it if we keep comperting and comparing ourselves with each other. Let us help each other with our gifts and talents. Let's celebrate each other and together we can make it. Other women have paved the way for us, we need to continue for the generation coming after us. We need to make a mark and leave a legacy.
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Hildah Lunding is the Founder and Publisher of Women's Frontline Magazine. Women's Frontline is here today because of the passion that Hildah has for writing. The idea is to gather women on one platform and create a magazine that will bless and motivate women to write and share their stories. So far, the journey of this magazine has been rewarding in many ways and we hope that you continue to support us as we bring real life stories to you.
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PROCLAIMING HIS NAME
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We're living in a time where most Christian feels ashamed of the gospel. They feel ashamed to preach God's word and declare its the only truth that could set us free. The world we live in has taken God out of everything. We have forgotten that everything on this earth was created by God. Colossians 1: 16 says, " For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers all things were created by Him and for Him. When God created mankind, He gave us each five senses: taste, touch, smell, hearing and sight. Most people reject Christ or God because they consider them invisible. When people operate in their five senses, they may even question if God exist at all. People struggle to understand how someone can serve a God whom they've never seen. An indicator if someone is ashame of God or His word is when they don't feel comfortable sharing God's word or proclaiming His name in public. Jesus warned us in the word of God how dangerous it could be if we deny and rejects Him. Listen to what Jesus had to say in Mark 8:38, " Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be asham ed, when he cometh in the Glory of His Father with the Holy angels.
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ashamed, when he cometh in the Glory of His Father with the Holy angels. Thomas was operating in his natural sense (sight). Thomas said, " I'm not going to believe that it's Jesus until he shows me a sign." Most believers in our generation refuse to renew their mind so the word can transform their thinking. If God doesn't show them a sign that He's real, they refuse to believe in Him. Thomas was a disciple of Jesus but walked in disbelief of the Faith. It takes Faith to proclaim a God's name we never seen with our natural eyes. But Jesus knew that it would take faith. He made sure he gave us all the same measure of Faith to believe, making no excuses for us not to declare God's Mighty Name. Proclaiming God's name starts within the home. If you grew up in a household with
parents who didn't serve God or denied His Son, proclaiming His name would be far from your mind. But we serve a merciful and longsuffering Father. He would send labours across our path to minister to us but sad to say many heart will turn callus and rejects once again the truth. Raise your children up in the Lord. Teach them the importance of proclaming God's Name, so when they grow up they will never depart from it. The bible promise us that when we make our mind up to surrender to God our whole household shall be saved. Acts 16:31 Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train up our child in the way he or she should go and when he
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or shey is old they will not depart from it. My husband and I a living witness to this scripture, we have three beautiful children together. Edric (25) Larry (21) Asya (19). My husband and I raised our children up in the Lord with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They all serve the Lord today with all their heart, soul and mind. They proclaim God's Holy Name every where they go without shame. Raising our children up in the Lord is a lifestyle. Taking them to church every Sunday is a start, but living a Godly lifestyle around them when you are not in church will impact their lives in a more prosperous way. Children need to see their parents living Holy and proclaiming God's Name everyday. It should be our lifestyle. Not saying that parents are perfect because that would be false teaching since only Jesus was without sin, but children should wake up everyday to a
need to see their parents living Holy and proclaiming God's Name everyday. It should be our lifestyle. Not saying that parents are perfect because that would be false teaching since only Jesus was without sin, but children should wake up everyday to a Godly atmosphere. This Christian life is a process, my children made bad choices in they past and still sometimes do but the good news is, nothing would be able to separate them from the love of God and from proclaiming His Name. Glory to God! If you reading this article and know in your heart that your family need a closer walk with Jesus, and your heart desire is to live a lifestyle of preaching and Proclaiming God's Holy Name. Break the curse off your family by making that first step towards Christ. Repent of your sins and surrender your all, then find a church home who teaches God's word, then watch God promises come to past in your life. Not saying that it would happen over night but if you stand on the word of God along with interceding for your family you will see God transform your whole household before your eyes.
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When I think about the name of Jesus, I am overtaken with complete and utter confidence in the most supreme and powerful name there has ever been and will ever be.
no grea no grea
We know that a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. How much more would the Father choose the most suitable and perfect name for His only begotten Son? The name of Jesus is an everlasting covenant that God has made with us, a promise that can’t be broken and will never fail! A name that will cause every knee to bow and every tongue to confess: JESUS IS LORD! Think about it, there is no other name by which we can be rescued, restored, healed, delivered, set free, saved, protected, and unconditionally loved! The name of Jesus is a strong tower, a place where we can One thing is for certain, only by find safety, no matter what circumstances or intimacy and relationship with Jesus, situations we find ourselves in. Cancer is not will the power of His name truly unfold greater, divorce is not greater; no other name and manifest in our lives. When it is greater than the Name of JESUS! comes to our relationship with Him, there have been times when we have We must remember, Jesus comes to give relied on the words and experiences of LIFE, and life more abundantly! Satan’s only pastors, leaders, parents and friends, mode of operation is to steal, kill, and instead of seeking Him for ourselves. destroy. His plan is to deceive and to cause In doing this, we inadvertently limit us to miss the power, love, and victory that our personal understanding and the name of Jesus holds and releases! He ability to recognize the Lord’s knows that when we get the revelation of the authentic, dynamic, and transforming power and power. We have been deputized and love the name of Jesus contains, we will walk have been given the authority to use in unspeakable and notable victory, despite the name of Jesus to change lives, any contradiction or opposition he may try to transform hearts, and revolutionize invoke! regions.
ater love ater name
by Kathleen Klein
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In 2008, my life was completely transformed. I
was going through a very difficult and trying time, and I had to choose to trust in Jesus, find Him for myself, and allow Him to heal my heart, mend my mind, and change my way of thinking. For most of my adult life, I had become self-reliant, controlling, & fearful of being rejected, replaced, disappointed, and being a disappointment to the people I loved. Until I found the only love that SATISFIES!! I found Jesus and I will not compromise! He is real, He is ALIVE and I have been revived!! I’m so grateful to The Father for sending His Son and or drawing me to Him. I’ll never forget when everything changed, When love entered in And my heart was rearranged! He knew my name, He ransomed my pain. He voided my shame, And I’ve never been the same.
Our hunger, passion, and desperation will determine our pursuit and our chase after Him! I have learned in my experiences and in my personal relationship with Jesus, that I can choose to remain in a “comfortable” place; lacking growth and maturity in the ways of God, or choose to submit, surrender, and grow in Him; by staying on the Potter’s wheel and letting Him mold me, shape me, and make me new!
hunger passion desperation
His love is unconditional, It goes beyond knowledge and works, Even above laws and each of my flaws. He loves no matter where I’ve been or what I’ve done, Because He sees me where I will be. It’s because of this One, I have already won! He paid the price, So forever I can be with Him In paradise! His love alone is capable to heal every heart, Mend every mind, And save every soul.
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no greater name No longer will we think about what the enemy stole. Jesus took back the crown, we rise up in victory. And on our enemy’s head, we heap burning coals! This love is like no other, nothing can compare! Now, embrace Jesus’ love and be free from fear! Be free from regret! Escape the enemy’s snare! This is the love we must share! This is my heart, this is my prayer! © 2015 I want to share with you how I found this love! I had the awesome opportunity to be introduced to a man of God that opened my eyes and my heart to the realness of Jesus’ love and His interest in ME and my destiny!! His name is David E. Taylor, friend of Jesus and author of the best-selling book, Face to Face Appearances with Jesus. Jesus appeared to me in my most desperate time, during my heartbreak, and my pain. He is the ultimate healer and the greatest lover! I read this amazing, promising, and dynamic book that showed me that Jesus wanted to appear to me, visit me, shower me, and heal me with His unfailing love! This book changed my relationship with Jesus, and increased my understanding of who He is and how much He loves me. I learned that it is Jesus’ desire to appear to us more than we can ever realize!
He’s called you to be and He has purposed greatness.
e an overcomer, d you for
by Kathleen Klein
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no greater love There is truly nothing that can keep us from His love, even our sin can’t stop His Love. His love is unstoppable! His love is beyond knowledge! His forgiveness is for everyone and is more than enough to redeem us from anything! Be encouraged and know that you are loved exceedingly more than you can even think. We are in the season of the supernatural power and glory of God being released in the earth! The time of recovery and restoration like nothing the world has ever seen is upon us. Choose to agree and believe what God says about you! He’s called you to be an overcomer, and He has purposed you for greatness.
this is your time this is your season No matter how you started out, or where you find yourself today, never forget that God has planned a positive and prosperous future for you! When we can believe that God is worthy of directing and choreographing our life, we can receive all that He is and all that He has for us. Our belief brings His relief!! He’s making the crooked places straight, turning your ashes into beauty, replacing your sorrow with His joy, and transferring your pain into His PROMISE! This is your time, this is your season! Rise up, because you were born for such a time as this!!!
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Discernment is a gift that can be honed and used for the glory of God..
Have you noticed problems in your environment? You may know there is an influence . . . and it’s not godly. Praise God! That means that God has given you discernment in this issue. Where before you may not have been aware, now your spiritual eyes are open. That’s the good news. Discernment of spirits (that are not of God) is an absolute necessity in your spiritual life. The enemy of our souls comes into our midst many times unaware and undetected by us. He is a squatter. He will take whatever rights we give him - even through our own lack of understanding. We may not see the evil; but we may see, hear, and know when someone is being influenced by evil. Usually, someone other than the person(s) affected will catch on before the person under the influence knows. There will be a lack of peace and many possible ramifications. Say, for instance, a person is normally easy going and gets along well with others. The opposite begins to happen, and they turn into the exact opposite - getting angry and paranoid.
What is going on? Could be the wrong influence. Or, let’s say there is one sickness after another and healing continually escapes a household, church, or city. Jesus’ desire is for healing, and we should see evidence of the finished work of the cross. Christians must worship, pray, read the Word, and grow in God. And yet, evil can creep into their midst - making even the basics impossible to perform. There doesn’t have to even be a reason for the enemy’s infiltration, because it’s the enemy’s job to create havoc. There are deliverance ministers who do this kind of work by coming right to you, but each believer needs to recognize and apply the Word of God for themselves. Those who seek the knowledge, receive it. And, those who don’t can perish for lack of knowledge. More households, ministries, churches, businesses, and governments have fallen apart because people have been unaware or unwilling to take their authority in Christ Jesus over evil. So, when these evil squatters come and are recognized, it’s time to worship, pray and quote the Word of God.
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by MARY EISENACHER
PROCLAIMING HIS PRESENCE Some people are engaged in the rigors of everyday life; so, it just may be up to you to take hold of the horns of the altar to stand in the gap for them. If you look back into your life, you may see a pattern of discernment all along. Most people don’t just fall into it – although many get interested in developing this spiritual gift when they see something needs to be done to bring back godly order that has been destroyed through negative influences. Discernment is a gift that can be honed and used for the glory of God. There is much interest in the supernatural in the media. Some of that interest is sought out in the wrong places. The underlying cause is that people are hungry for the “more.” It’s really the “more of knowing God, wanting knowledge and understanding.” Only Christ can fill that void. The real truth is that confrontation with the enemy brings out the fact that “fear” is his only weapon.
DISCERNMENT IS A GIFT
He has no teeth and no power against the proclamation of the name of Jesus, His blood, and your confession of faith. You are God’s law-enforcement agent. You stand up, and heaven comes to destroy the enemy’s works. It’s a spiritual battle. It’s important that you believe that, or you will be his victim every time. Don’t put up with his nonsense because you’ve become comfortable with the enemy’s presence. You need to have a Holy Spirit stirring of courage to run “to” the battle. It’s God’s battle – all you have to do is draw the line in the sand. No more victimization for you or those you love. If this scares you, then you may need to pray, fast, and be sure all sins are confessed and repented of before the Lord. Faith and power will come. Start simply with a declaration (using the principles in Zechariah 3:2) when dealing with demonic influence in believers’ lives: “Satan, the Lord rebuke you. Take your hands off of God’s property.” I’m trusting that if you are reading this article, you are being called higher. Blessings to you as you take your authority and proclaim the name of Jesus in every encounter.
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we proclaim his name
Make a joyful noise unto God (Yah), all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Say unto Yah, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. (Psalm 66:1-4)
PROCLAIM to praise or glorify openly or publicly; to declare publicly, typically insistently, proudly.
Noah harkened unto The Father’s instruction even when it looked utterly Throughout scripture The Father has foolish to those around him. Noah did always desired someone who would stand this; he did all that God commanded for Truth. Who would bring Honor and him. Genesis 6:22 Glory to His Name. One who would walk with Him in obedience and accordance to Job went through some of the most His Word. Someone who would stand and unimaginable pain yet he would not boldly Proclaim His name unashamedly. speak against The Most High. The very first commandment given in “In all this Job did not sin or charge God Exodus: Thou shalt have no other gods with wrong.” Job 1:22 before me, reflects His profound desire to be honored, revered, and worshiped. We Joseph remained completely devoted to live in a society that has made gods for The Father, even when falsely themselves other than The Most High. A persecuted, betrayed and culture where good is bad and bad is good; tempted. “As for you, you meant evil right is wrong and wrong is right. A society against me, but God meant it for good, to that opposes The Word of The One and bring it about that many people should True Living God and have implemented be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis their own set of ever changing lawless 50:20 instructions and precepts. Yet, The Father’s Word remains. He is the same yesterday, Esther was a woman who chose to stand today, and forever more. He does not courageously for The Most High and His change His mind with the times and people, and saved a culture. whole nation in doing so. “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Give deliverance will rise for the Jews from our God the greatness he deserves! another place, but you and your father’s (Deuteronomy 32:3) house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the Let’s look at some great men and women in kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther the Scriptures who were not afraid to 4:14 Proclaim His Name:
by Deslene Jeffers
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Just as the courageous men and women who have gone before us, we must also stand for truth, evenin the midst of compromise. We can bring Glory to The Father and His Son, our Savior; by exalting their names, not just in our worship services, but in our homes, on our jobs, in the supermarket, in our businesses, to our friends, to our unbelieving coworkers. Let’s take The Most High out of a church box and allow Him to be lifted up at all times, in all places. Let’s stand up for our convictions and beliefs without wavering. Daniel was a man of great integrity and conviction. Even at the cost of disobeying The King’s decreeand being thrown into a lions’ den; Daniel refused to compromise his beliefs. He chose to stand and proclaim the name of The Most High, Yah. Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.” Daniel 6:10
It never ceases to amaze me how common it is to hear conversations about any and every ungodly thing under the sun, but when someone says Jesus, or His Hebrew name, Yahshua; people get offended, quiet, reserved, uncomfortable. They call it “politically incorrect” to talk about “religion”. But the truth is, I’m not interested in talking about religion; but about The One who has planted a new song in my heart and a praise on my lips. The One whose love rescued me out of my pit of destruction and planted my feet upon a solid rock. I will tell of His goodness as long as I have breath in my body; His praise shall forever be on my lips.
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we proclaim I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. (Psalm 34:1-9) I believe the Father is raising up a generation of people who are unashamed and unafraid, to proclaim His goodness. To proclaim His love. To Proclaim His Name. Yahweh is His Name. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The One who wrought great miracles by His hand. The One who reigns from generation to generation. You and I can be a part of that generation of bold, courageous, warriors for His Kingdom and His Glory. Open up your mouth about the goodness of our God. Don’t hide what He has done in your life. He desires your worship. He desires your praise. To praise means to say something good about; to exalt; to proclaim. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (Revelation 4:11). It’s time to come out of the closet and boldly lift up the name of The Great I AM. It is time to offer up bold and continuous praise and thanksgiving unto the One whom He sent to redeem us from our sin, Christ Yahshua, our Risen King.
Let your adoration heard.
n be
by Deslene Jeffers
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his name Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; (Psalm 96:1-4) Scripture instructs us to sing unto our Father a new song. In other words, let your praise be heard.Let your adoration be heard. Proclaim the Good News of His Salvation from day to day. Do you see that? We are to speak of His Salvation: His deliverance, healing, restoration; the great and marvelous things He has done in our lives. Proclaim them day by day. Tell someone about the Father’s love and faithfulness in your life. Tell someone about what Christ Yahshua has done for them, that they may be free. Declare their Glory among nations. In today’s world of ever-advancing technology, granting us access to the nations via social media and the Internet as a whole; we have the opportunity to carry out this command like never before; to speak of The Most High’s Glory to people throughout the nations, people we may never meet but whose lives we can greatly impact with the Good News, The Gospel of Christ Yahshua. Proclaim His Name! For great is our Elohim and He is Worthy of Great and Awesome Praise! And in the Words of Christ Yahshua (Jesus), our Savior and Greatest example..."He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. "For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. “I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me." (John 12:48-50) Proclaiming His Name,
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When you proclaim something , it is to announce officially and publicly. There are scriptures in the word of God that declare He is worthy of our praise. “ Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! ( Psalms 105:1 ;NKJV).
He will quiet the storms in your life and give you rest. There are many times in our lives when things are in so much turmoil we can’t see clearly. Just know that when you trust Him with everything it will work out for your good.
He is known as Yahweh- Rophe that can heal every sickness and pain in your life. He is a doctor that His antidote cures instantly if you believe and trust Him. You It is truly amazing to proclaim that must follow His instructions through His God is worthy of our praise. There word and that brings forth your healing. should be no other person in our Just know that God loves you and wants lives that is due this kind of praise. He has done remarkable things in our the best for your life. He is the medicine you need to be healed and don’t deny lives that make a declaration of His your healing . We must tell of His love and kindness toward us. We goodness and mercy. must share the name of the person I am speaking to you from my heart that who brought us through many God loves us . He has been there for me situations. through all the circumstances in my life. I am making an announcement that He will The Lord has kept us and given us do the same for you if you only believe. comfort through our struggles and You can trust Him with everything times of testing. We must go forth and spread the word to others about because He knows and cares for you. Him being our everything. This is to Surrender your will to His will and allow Him o lead you in everything. He will help others to know Him for provide for your family and heal you themselves and trust Him . They will know He is our internally, as well as physically. He is the source of your strength and you must creator and sustainer and there is understand that He has purpose for your nothing to hard for our God to life. We must take the necessary steps for handle. He is truly worthy of our the healing to begin in our lives. praise. Let the healing begin and destiny is He is known as Yahweh- Shalom the waiting, just make an announcement He is one that will give you peace. with you.
PROCLAIMING E SPEAKS
by Yolanda Sherman
HIS NAME SH
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PROCLAIM HIS NAME
Make a joyful noise unto God (Yah), all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Say unto Yah, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. (Psalm 66:1-4) Throughout scripture The Father has always desired someone who would stand for Truth. Who would bring Honor and Glory to His Name. One who would walk with Him in obedience and accordance to His Word. Someone who would stand and boldly Proclaim His name unashamedly. The very first commandment given in Exodus: Thou shalt have no other gods before me, reflects His profound desire to be honored, revered, and worshiped. We live in a society that has made gods for themselves other than The Most High. A culture where good is bad and bad is good; right is wrong and wrong is right. A society that opposes The Word of The One and True Living God and have implemented their own set of ever changing lawless instructions and precepts. Yet, The Father’s Word remains. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever more. He does not change His mind with the times and culture.
PROCLAIM - to praise or glorify openly or publicly; to declare publicly, typically insistently, proudly. Let’s look at some great men and women in the Scriptures who were not afraid to Proclaim His Name: Noah harkened unto The Father’s instruction even when it looked utterly foolish to those around him. Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him. Genesis 6:22 Job went through some of the most unimaginable pain yet he would not speak against The Most High. “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” Job 1:22 Joseph remained completely devoted to The Father, even when falsely persecuted, betrayed and tempted. “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis 50:20 Esther was a woman who chose to stand courageously for The Most High and His people, and saved a whole nation in doing so. “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not
I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Give our God the greatness he deserves! (Deuteronomy 32:3) come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14
Daniel was a man of great integrity and conviction. Even at the cost of disobeying The King’s decree and being thrown into a lions’ den; Daniel refused to compromise his beliefs. He chose to stand and proclaim the name of The Most High, Yah. Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.” Daniel 6:10 Just as the courageous men and women who have gone before us, we must also stand for truth, even in the midst of compromise. We can bring Glory to The Father and His Son, our Savior; by exalting their names, not just in our worship services, but in our homes, on our jobs, in the supermarket, in our businesses, to our friends, to our unbelieving coworkers. Let’s take The Most High out of a church box and allow Him to be lifted up at all times, in all places. Let’s stand up for our convictions and beliefs without wavering. It never ceases to amaze me how common it is to hear conversations about any and every ungodly thing under the sun, but when someone says Jesus, or His Hebrew name, Yahshua; people get offended, quiet, reserved, uncomfortable. They call it “politically incorrect” to talk about “religion”.
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by Joseph Dowdy I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise
shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. (Psalm 34:1-9)
DEBORAH CHINEDU
Dominion Life in Christ Global Ministries is a missionary and outreach call God gave to me in 1991 to return His people back to Him through His word in one hand and gifts in the other hand. It reaches out to widows/widowers, orphans, less privileged, sex workers, abused women, disaster torn areas, war casualties, drug addicts, communities,the grass root populace, Hospitals, prisons and the nations of the world as a whole with Gods Being a single parent and a woman is a own salvation through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and the love of God challenge in ministry in Nigeria and especially in the remote parts where I manifested in us and through us. work in. We are faced with tribalism, We also try to set up free primary/secondary, adult education and religious differences, money issues, health care, supplies, accomodation vocational training centres. problems and are looking at getting a We are also working on having an permenent place for the ministry and all orphanage home. We encourage the people to go into small scale bussiness andwe have to do. farming through giving them soft We unfortuantely lack so many things loans,which are monitored by resource due to lack of financial support. The persons. We also farm and use the children need a school, suplies products to help the less privileged. ,healthcare, food, and financial assistance to pay the teachers. 56
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DOMINION LIFE IN CHRIST GLOBAL MINISTRIES INC
NIGERIA
The challenge is to take proper care of a child for each year, we need people who are willing to donate towards their upkeep. It is all for the glory of God, to see these young ones prosper and have a chance in life.
students , My Ftaher built the health centre in my area. He also built the first and only police station and ,post office uptill date in my town. We would be gateful If you can help us financially.
My full name is Deborah Chinedu Njaka and the Visionbearer. I studied political science in the university, and I am the tenth child of late Prof Elechuckwu and late Mrs Felicia Njaka. My parents were also into building people through establishment of Co- operative societies, giving over 1000 scholar ships to
My Account details ; Apostle Deborah Chinedu, 2056747236, UBA, Lagos Nigeria. Can use name here for money gram or Western union. Thank you for all your support. 57
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MY ALABASTA TORY A L I Q U
AR S U
BY MARY PRIDDY
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As a child I loved going to church and singing the old hymns that we would sing in church. I would sing so loud and so proud because I did not care who was listening. I was not singing for them to hear but was singing for Jesus. I guess in my childish mind I thought if I would sing loud enough he would hear me. I remember one time my mom even had to tell me to quiet down. I could not wait for Sunday morning so excited to go to church. That little girl so full of hope and so full of wonder and imagination would later experience heart ache and despair as she walked the streets at night looking for the next fix and waiting for her next encounter with a man to pick her up and take another piece of her soul.
working and going to school, she still managed to love on us every free minuet she had. My brothers were older than me and they were into sports, hunting, and wrestling. I was into dancing and cheerleading. We were kept busy and I loved every minute of it. I lived a very sheltered life growing up and I had a childhood full of imagination. I would spend my free days exploring the outside from riding my back around the neighborhood to exploring the woods that was behind our country house. And at night I was exhausted from so much exploring I would just pass out in bed with not a worry or a care in the world.
When I was eight years old my father came to Tennessee to live with us. I had not seen him in three years and I remember getting off the school bus ...THAT LITTLE GIRL WAS and running into his arms. It was a SOON TO EXPERIENCE special time. This was short lived DESPAIR AS SHE WALKED because my mother met a friend and THE STREETS AT NIGHT started to do drugs and would leave for days at a time and my father would go I grew up in a loving home. My mother off drinking around this same time. My and my brothers and I lived with my grandparents would never discuss what grandparents. My grandfather was a was going on around us kids but kept pastor and so we were always in with the normalcy of church and family church. My mother was a single as much as possible. My oldest brother, mother for a few years. My father Shawn, got into some legal trouble and stayed in Indiana, where we moved was sent off because of it. I learned at from when I was 5. We lived in love this age that people leave for no reason and I learned what love was from they will just get up and leave and this watching my grandfather love so is when I settled in my young heart to sweetly on my grandmother and from not get to close to people because they my mother taking such good care of will leave you. us, even though her exhaustion from working and going to
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At age of 12, my grandfather passed away from Cancer. My whole little world as I knew it came to a crashing halt. My mother left, and My Father tried to be there but he really didn’t know how to be and my poor grandmother was so stricken with grief she was beside herself. So one day I took a knife and I cut my wrist and called 911. I did not want to die but was more like a cry for help. The ambulance came and got me and I was placed in the state of Tennessee Care. This started my downward spiral and my life would never be the same again. My innocence would soon be lost and Iwould live in a shadow of the person I was for many years to come.
I was place in many different foster homes, psychiatric hospitals, group homes, etc.between the ages of 12 -14. They had me labeled with so many different diagnosis from schizophrenia to manic depression and had me on just as many medications. I was so out of it on the medications that one time my grandmother came to visit with me and I just stared off in the distant and was drooling. In the beginning of my stay in custody of Department of Human Services I did not act out at all. But the longer I stayed and the more it became clear to me that I would never live with family again that is when I acted out. I would run ways, cut myself swallow things, fight, scream, anything I could think of I did. I cannot tell you exactly why at times I acted like an animal kicking and screaming but I did
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.WE
WERE LATER PICKED UP BY THE COPS AND SENT BACK TO THE GROUP.. So that was it, it was decided, my fate was told. At my last placement in a group home I ran away with this older girl, I was 15. We ran away to Nashville, a big city, and we met up with some older guys in an abandoned building. She went into a separate room with one of the guys and left me all alone with the other guy. I ended up getting raped that night. I was a virgin and my innocence was stolen that night. We were later picked up by the cops and sent back to the group home, where we ran away from once more. The last time we ran away I ended up calling my grandmother from the hotel we were in and she came and picked me up and I came to Huntsville, Alabama to live with her. I thought that the prison I had made myself be in with walls of fear had come to an end, but little did I know the worst was yet to come.
I ended up being raped that night
My grandmother, myself and my oldest brother were living in a small trailer. This trailer was full of love and it was home. My mother was in Tennessee somewhere, I had not seen her since I was 12 and my Father was in Indiana. My other brother was in Louisiana with some family members. We were all scattered across the states and living, well surviving the best we knew how. My brother Shawn and I went to visit with my father in Indiana and I ended up staying and living with him for a few months. I loved my dad dearly and he was such a good father but I missed my grandmother and ended up coming back to live with her in Alabama. . I was so used to being pulled from places and living only a little while in places that being in one place after a couple months I would get edgy. I still acted out from time to time the first years. I ended up still in some psychiatric hospitals because it was what I knew at the time and this sounds weird but I felt more comfortable there then I did at home. outside once more.
I loved my dad dearly
I was still on medication from
time to time, when I took it. I met up with some friends and we started drinking and partying in hotels. When I was 18, almost 19, I met this older guy and I fell quick and hard for him. He did not love me in anyway and I knew it but He to me was my prince. My prince soon became the devil and introduced me to a life, up until that point I never knew existed. He introduced me to drugs and sex. Not normal sex but sex that was anything but normal. I learned from him the power true power of sex and drugs. My life as I knew was starting to fade from me fast but I didn’t care I had a guy who was mine, so I thought. He started to pimp me out to his friends and I didn’t care. I was so high when he did this that I couldn’t walk straight. I knew what his friends thought of me, I felt it when they looked at me. It was the same thoughts I had of myself: cheap whore. I remember one night I went to this guy’s house and he was with another woman, a much older woman than I was. I was devastated! I drove my car and I was going to die that night! I was so heart broken and hopeless. The man I loved, even though I knew He did not love me, was with another woman and He flaunted her in front of me to make me feel jealous but instead of jealousy I just wanted to die. So in my car I was parked at a closed store, I took a knife and just started to cut. The knife I had was just a simple steak knife so was not sharp at all. When I got done cutting I drove back to his house knocked on the door and he answered the door I fell to the ground and he just moved me from the door with his foot and shut the door.
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Then he opened the door again and picked me up and saw the blood and took me to my grandmother’s house. My father was at my grandmother’s house and he took me to the ER, where the wrapped my wrists and sent me home. I told them I wasn’t trying to die and so they had to release me. After that storm settled, I was still with this guy, I started to strip and shortly learned this was not my thing and so I moved on to working in Spas. I enjoyed working in spas because the money was great and the drugs were there. II was high all the time on cocaine or whatever I could get my hands on at this time. When I was not in spas working I would be at the clubs. I loved to dance and so I was always dancing and leaving the clubs with different men every night. I was in a downward spiral with every move I made was deeper and deeper in the devils web of deceit. I did not care at this point what would happen to me.
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God tried saving me and I became pregnant at age of 20 with my beautiful baby I delivered only 4 months after finding out I was pregnant. I found out I was pregnant at 3 months and I had my baby at 7 months pregnant. I quit all the drugs while I was pregnant. My baby girl, whom I named Faith, was in the hospital first 5 weeks of life because she had to gain up to 5 pounds before she was released. I went to see this angel from Heaven every single day in NICU. When I brought her home I was such a good mother and saw to her needs constant. My mother lived in trailer behind my grandmother at this time and so my mother and grandmother were so in love with this baby as I was. I stayed sober first year of her life and then I ran into someone from my past and one night of partying and I was back into the drugs.
...I STAYED SOBER FOR THE FIRS YEAR OF MY BABY'S LIFE AND THEN I RAN INTO SOMEONE FROM MY PAST.....
I would leave my baby with my mother
and go and do drugs and I would stay gone for weeks at the time. I got so deep into the drugs at this point that I gave up on any type of normal life free of drugs at this point and so I started doing Crystal Meth. First I started smoking then quickly led to shooting up. I hung out only with those who did the drug with me and I was escorting at this time. I lived in trailer behind my mother and I had this girl living with me who knew always where to get the drugs. When the paranoia started to kick in from doing so much Crystal Meth, I then quit escorting because was always fearful and started to hang out with Drug dealers whom I knew would feed me the drugs if I did what they wanted and I did always. I was being so used and abused at this time but didn’t care what happened to me as long as I had the drugs in my veins I was happy. This all lasted about 3 years, 3 years that went by so quickly because I was hardly sober in this time. At the end of my addiction I was smoking crack and prostituting on the streets. I was walking the streets prostituting about maybe 5 miles from my home, but a world away in my mind. I walked the streets at night alone and in a zone of survival. I would often catch myself singing those old gospel hymns I would sing as a child because they brought me such comfort. I would work at night and have as many as 10 customers
I was walking the streets prostituting
I was totally out of my mind high always and when I didn’t have the drugs I would be so drunk I could barely walk. On the last night of my captivity with drugs I went to this crack house after working all night and ended up passing out from exhaustion and in the middle of night I awoke and had this heaviness on my heart and I just started crying, sobbing. I cried out to God in this moment of despair, begging him for a way out, anything I would do. I was so tired of living this life like this and I just was done and no longer wanted to live this way. ...I
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The more I choose to live for God daily over living a life of sin and defeat, the battle got easier and easier.
...I WAS TOTALLY OUT OF MY MIND, ALWAYS HIGH.... With every decision I made to die to my flesh, which at times I had to choose to do every minute of every day, the battle go less as strong and my flesh had less control over me. I relapsed one time after my deliverance and that was the year right after I was delivered and this relapse ended me up in jail for a DUI. But after that relapse I have never touched a drug again.
WOULD OFTEN CATCH MYSELF SINGING THOSE OLD GOSPEL HYMNS.. There have been times I returned to
the life I knew before God. I never returned to drugs but did return to the Jesus from my childhood met me there that night and the next day I ended up at clubs, drinking, and sex. It was what I knew life was and so it took longer for the homeless shelter and the following Sunday was Easter and so a bus came to that want to fade than anything else. On one of these returns I became shelter to pick up those who wanted to pregnant with my baby Grace. I gave go and I went. I was prayed for that day into a weakness that time and ignored and my spirit but still the grace of God that rededicated my life to the Lord. That was 11 years ago I was delivered by was showered on me and lifted me out the master of my heart, Sweet Jesus. The of the condemnation I had placed on years that followed my deliverance were myself, was strengthen and allowed me to once more get back on the path the hardest years of my life. See I now had the Holy Spirit residing in me, but my with Jesus. I stumbled and fell so many times in the first years of my walk with mind was still the mind of an addict. I the Lord. And there were times I hustled and live the life I lived for so many years that it was wired in my brain allowed the guilt and to live that way. So I was fighting within condemnation I felt to keep me all day everyday with my flesh. Choose prisoner. The judgment I felt from others because of this. to live for God daily over living a life of sin and defeat, the battle got easier and easier.
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I felt his beautiful heart break by my actions...
This life can bring you down and keep you a prisoner if you allow it to. You have to allow Jesus, His love to be But when I had that beautiful bundle of Joy your guide and you strength daily. all the judgment from others just melted You have to choose daily to live for away because the love I had for this baby Jesus and to die to your flesh. You and the love I felt from this baby was much never know your true strength until stronger than any negativity from those you are faced with a situation that around me. I learned from my last fall from makes you draw on your strength and Grace the true meaning of death by sin. the strength of God within. Sin causes death doesn’t mean physical, well not always, it also means death to YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE spirit. See I was walking with the Lord for DAILY TO LIVE FOR many years when 4 years ago I went and JESUS AND DIE TO YOUR drank and got pregnant. Through this experience I felt the pain my actions caused FLESH Jesus. I felt his Beautiful heart break by my actions. I never want to feel that again. Jesus met me that night in a crack house and lifted me up put of the But I had to feel that pain of Jesus because it gutters into His Holy of Holies by my taught me what it means to die piritually. desperate cry for help. He can and However no matter how I broke His will do the same for anyone who cries beautiful heart, Jesus still picked me out to him! It does not matter what up out of His amazing Love and once more you may have done or have not done! set me this path with Him You are never too far gone for the Love of Jesus to reach you! It just My life today is not perfect at all, I still have takes one cry of help. days when I face depression. However I o not allow the depression to overtake me Even if you have been a Christian for like I did before. I now know that reater is many years and you fall from Grace as that which is within me than that which is of I did many times on my walk. Jesus the world. I live every day and ry to find the will pick you up and will set you back beauty in all things. on the path with him and He will not Because I was saved from the depths of my Judge or condemn you at all but will own hell by Jesus I live to bring the light of offer you his love and his forgiveness Jesus into the darkness and by Jesus save always! You just have to forgive those that are trapped in the darkness. yourself and let go.
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I have learned that you cannot base who you
are in Christ on what others may say or think All the years of pain, heartache, darkness, abuse, and all the of you. For many years once I came back to times I tried to die has now all Jesus I use to always base who been turned into my alabaster of Praise I keep deep within my I was on what other ‘Christians” thought of me and therefor I was always finding myself heart. The cost of my Praise now is priceless for when I lift my looking down upon me. I would get so burned out because I was trying to so hard to hands in Praise, I lift my hands in prove to others that I was Christian and I was surrender. For I know what it is like to be in the pit of despair redeemed. But see God showed me that it and wanting to die. wasn’t the others I was trying to prove this to, no in fact I was trying to prove to myself that I was changed and that I was Redeemed. This was a turning point greatly for me and I from that point on put my trust and my identity in Jesus and I then was able to truly forgive myself of all I have done. See by me not forgiving myself I still felt that pain of all I had done and therefor felt so unworthy and unclean, but the forgiving power of Jesus swept over me a few years ago and His love was poured out liked water pouring out of a vessel and I was forever changed, forever truly Redeemed within.
I know what it is like to only see darkness and never light. I know and Jesus has turned all my Pain into Praise and my mourning into Worship. Yes my Alabaster of Praise I gladly and whole heartedly pour on the feet of Jesus with adoration on my lips and Thanksgiving in my heart. Mary Priddy
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BY SHELLY WILSON
TEND THY SHEEP
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Tend Thy sheep O keep them close Satan’s come in “sheepish” clothes Poised himself with “righteousness” Look thee close, discern thy breath Subtleties will show his face Surprise it may, look unto Grace. Cameleons can change at will Fooling those to what is real. You will need Thy power still To see beyond thy natural reel Get in place your positioned post Pray, for I’ll reveal false cloaks. Death and sin is hiding well Discern the snake with thy keen smell Feed my sheep before they seek Food that’s rotten and spoileth thee. Get them young and train them well Before O Satan lures to hell Give them truth from start to end Hide not any for fear of men Some will “tend” and some will “feed” So place yourselves appropriately For it will take both indeed To free My sheep from Satan’s teeth. –Shelly Wilson
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I was washing dishes when I heard the first line of this poem begin. Honestly, I wasn’t contemplating anything or pondering with the Lord at this time. I find He is able to interrupt our daily lives in the mundane when He wants to say something. Needless to say my dishes are still there…please bear with me as I am learning just as I am sharing as well. This is one of the reason I love Christ so..He is always teaching us to be more like Him!
I have to admit this is nothing I’ve ever considered..a distinct difference in “tending” vs “feeding.” Truly, I can see how some may be gifted to “tend” and not “feed” and vica versa. There is a certain care giver heart I would imagine to a “tender” of the sheep. Maybe indeed the word means what it says in “tend.”
There must be a tenderness of heart in someone called to “tend” sheep. I This little poem, at first, I thought was am certain you could be a gifted completely focusing on Satan in sheep’s “feeder” or teacher and yet not be a clothing. When I begin writing I never know gifted “tender.” This is where in the which way He is headed so I try not to think body we must position our people too much ..just holding the pen loosely. correctly. God equips His people to While it does talk much to this and certainly fill specific needs in any body of is a warning for us to have keen discernment believers. because honestly things are not always what they appear, it was actually the “tending” that caught my attention. I began to ask the Lord what it really meant to “tend” sheep. As I came across the translated word for “tend” this is what I found: (From Strong’s) 4165 (poimaínō) focuses on “tending” (“shepherding”) (WS, 274), which includes guarding, guiding, and folding the flock and is only provided (ultimately) by Jesus Christ – the Shepherd, who calls under-shepherds (such as elder-overseers) to guard and guide His people by His direction (1 Pet 5:1-5). 4165 /poimaínō (“shepherding, pastoring”) is distinct from “feeding” (1006 /bóskō). 1006 bóskō – properly, feed (graze); (figuratively) spiritually nourish by feeding people the Word of God (Jn 21:15,17). While 4166 (poim?n) focuses on “shepherding” the flock of God (caring for them), 1006 (bóskō) stresses feeding them His Word.
TEND THY S BY SHELLY W
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I wonder how often we place someone in a position that was not God ordained for them? Therefore it causes frustration, lack of fruit, and a hindrance to the work of the Holy Spirit. These sheep become discouraged and halt all pursuit of their place in the Kingdom. This is where we must help reposition them so they grow to greatness with Christ! Truly, it’s a very serious matter. Maybe we take it quite Could be why He has decided to speak on it.. As soon as I saw the commentary to “fold the sheep” I wondered this meaning. What a beautiful definition we can see here:
SHEEP WILSON
to bring (the arms, hands, etc.) together in an intertwined or crossed manner; clasp; cross: He folded his arms on his chest. to bend or wind (usually followed by about, round, etc.): to fold one’s arms about a person’s neck. to bring (the wings) close to the body, as a bird on alighting. to enclose; wrap; envelop: to fold something in paper. to embrace or clasp; enfold : to fold someone in one’s arms. Awww I love the last one!!! May He teach us to “tend” the sheep well! To “fold” them as His embrace and place them in a place of safety…in this the enemy will lose his ground. May we understand that LOVE LABORS and “tends…”
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never too o I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery]. Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:14-16 You are never too old to set another goal, dream a new dream or have a vision. You are fearfully and wonderfully made and were born with the ability to change someone's life. That is something you do not ever want to waste. We seem to let mistakes hold us back until we realize we are not the mistakes we have made. Why do we always wonder around in life looking for solutions and answers to the struggles that life brings? Trying to find something or someone to save us from not only ourselves but the destruction that has seem to take over our lives. Wanting to be saved from rejection, hurt, addictions, brokenness, abuse, depression and so many more struggles we face in life.
we should sto trying to save ourselves and let Jesus Christ Yeshua Hamaishiach do it! He is the only one that can and will! One touch of Jesus Christ, Yeshua Hamashiach is worth a lifetime of struggling! Put your life into his hands and step out into the invincible future with him! In order that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on Him] may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever! For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him. John 3:15-17
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old
by Lanie Scarlett
It doesn't matter where you are, who you
are, where you have been or what you have done! There is nothing in your past stronger than the Blood of Jesus Christ! The blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross for our redemption and forgiveness PRAYER: of sins! There is power in the blood of Jesus! Let Jesus have your life! He can do Heavenly Father as I stand before you I ask that you touch each and much more with it than you can! every individual reading this! Lord awaken the dreams and visions In Him we have redemption through His that they have buried deep inside! blood, the forgiveness of sins, according Bring it back to life and increase to the riches of His grace their awareness of the resources Ephesians 1:7 you have made available! Give When I look back on my life I can see the them the courage, strength and faith to believe they are never too pain I have endured, the mistakes I've old to be what You have created made and the hard times I've suffered. When I look into the mirror I now see how them to be! I proclaim, declare and decree this in Jesus mighty strong I have become, the lessons I've name...Amen learned and who I have now become! All the glory goes to Godfor I am nothing without him and his grace is sufficient for GROWING, GLOWING AND GOING FOR GOD! me! But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
WHEN I LOOK BACK AT MY LIFE I CAN SEE THE PAIN I HAVE ENDURED
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Dear devo
DEVOTION
r Jesus otion
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by Mary Eisensacher
Dear Jesus, I’m so glad that You love us all. What would I do without Your unconditional love? I see the poor and the lost, and my heart weeps for their state. I so desire to see whole nations come to Your saving grace. It’s available to all. We hear the complaints against others, and sometimes Your pioneers in the field are the worst complainers of all. Despite that fact, You don’t withhold Your love for us – or Your anointing. This Great Commission that we are all to be a part of is a big item that carries a high price tag and an abandonment of ourselves to You. Help us, Dear Jesus, to grow and move toward excellence in evangelism. I know when I step out, You are there to meet Your Word coming from my mouth with an anointing that comes with great power. It’s just that power that people need to experience. So many are running after the supernatural that I see what they really want is You. Why can’t they see that? Why can’t they experience You? Why don’t they see the benefit of knowing You? I know You are showing me the answers. Help me to be open to receiving Your grace to be an ambassador of Your love.
dear jes Dear Jesus, You have loved on me time after time. I want to pour out that love to others. I need opportunities to do so. Open my eyes, ears, and heart to respond to Your gentle nudges. I am aware on down the line sometimes that I have not recognized that prompting as coming from You. And, to be honest, sometimes my heart is hard and needs softened with Your oil and Your grace. Faith tells me that You always reward the love that I give to others, so what is the problem? You know; and I know You will reveal it to me. I want to be a willing recipient and giver of what You give to me (in order to bless others instead of selfishly keeping it within my walls). I’m going to declare that, because we are abiding – You with me, and I with You – I am making progress in Your Kingdom here on Earth. No worries – just faith. I am able, because You are with me. I am blessed, and I will be a blessing for You to others, Dear, Dear Jesus!
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Dear Jesus, I ask you to continue to soften my heart with Your oil so that I can have In a world so full of hate, I come to ask compassion for You to give me more love for the unbelievers, backsliders, the sick, the unlovely. Teach me Your ways, as I lost, and those who need Your confront the world with the deliverance. Your children knowledge of You. I’ve had lots of need You – a real relationship with You! opportunities lately to approach people in my past. Sometimes I was I pray that You will watch over me and able to open up, and other times I continue to give me opportunities to do didn’t seem to have anything to say. Your bidding, with an open and willing But, I have so much in my heart that I heart. Anoint me to walk into the future want to share. Examine my heart and with joy! I want to be able to express its motives. I believe there is more what a wonderful friend You are to me room for change, and only You can in such a way that others will want to facilitate what needs adjustment. know You, too. Thank You for forgiving me for my failures. I receive Your As I've walked out what You've called everlasting love with a heart full of me to do, it certainly hasn't been easy gratitude. You’ve been there for me for me. But, out of Your loving heart when I was at my lowest (and also in my You challenged me to new highest and most magnificent times). opportunities and adventures. I had You truly will never leave me or forsake to be repositioned several times me. You’ve proven that to me over and leaving those behind who were not over. called to go. But, I see Your hand in my growth all along the way. You When You give me instruction, help me helped me to forgive those who to walk it out in reverence to You. I don’t positioned themselves against Your want to be so will for me; and I thank You for Your casual with You that I treat Your Word help. with anything but respect. I desire to be Give them more wisdom, and teach them how to release. For those I’ve been able to help through transitions, I thank You for even more wisdom to help me point them to You.
obedient. I desire to live for You. It’s only by Your grace that I can continue. So, I receive Your grace right now–ovowing that You ARE with me. Where else could I go in my times of need, but to Your feet. And, yet You treat me like I am special. Well, You are special to me. I love You, Dear Jesus.
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by Joyfully Jallah
When we pursue the heart of the living, breathing God in all we do, we become intimately in love with the Almighty. We begin to live a complete God centered life. Everything that we do, is by the leading of the Holyspirit. Always depending on the spirit of the Lord to led. This is a place of maturity. A place where we are totally seeking the Lord in everything, by asking the Lord questions and talking to him . We have to be quiet so we can hear the still quiet voice of God. Then we will come to a place of realising that all we have is our intimacy with God. We then begin to understand that there is nobody but God, and that everything he says gives life.
I find that it is a place of safety, peace, great joy, and security being in the hand of the Almighty. I love to be in a place where I can meet God in the Holy of Holies. In that place, I can go deeper in the things of God, and listen to his voice. I can call God my friend. Longing and seeking after intimacy with God gives me hunger and thirst for more of him. I desire a deep measure of intimacy with him . We must desire to be lovers of the Lord as we walk closer with him. This place we set aside to commune with him will increase our desire to behold him.
When we are in this place of intimacy with , we cannot wait to get in his presence. We seek to find a deep measure of intimacy through walking with the Lord. The beauty of holiness is when we are transparent with our intimate walk with the Lord.
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Psalm 42:1-2 As a deer longs for streams of water, so I longs for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him.
When you are in the presence of the Almighty ,the fragrance is so enriching and refreshing.
We must be completely willing to know the heart of God at an intimate As we seek the face of God, we will see his level. Are we longing for more of hand upon our lives. The hand of God is God? the safest place to be, and to be loved by. This is what I desire to hear from the Lord, Is God the center of your life? "well done my good and faithful servant". What a glorious day it will be hearing the Psalm 47:7-8 voice of the Almighty. Are you thirsty for more of God? For God is the King over all the earth. Praise him with a psalm. God reigns Psalm 43:4 above the nations, There I will go to the altar of God, to Godthe source of all my joy. I will praise you sitting on his holy throne. with my harp, O God, my God! Psalm 48:1 Are we wiling to go deeper into the deep things of the Almighty God? A secret place How great is the Lord, how deserving that is so comforting, relaxing and of praise, in the city of our God, which refreshing and full of intimacy. This is a sits on his holy mountain! place where our joy is multiplied. In the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy. Psalm 45:1-2 Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely poem about the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet. You are the most handsome of all. Gracious words stream from your lips.
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Pre-Order Author Tracy Mitchell upcoming book Virtuous Woman verses Foolish Woman A Constant Battle Within. contact Author at tracym64@gmail.com or look her up on facebook for more information. Coming Soon to Amazon...Pre-Sell Offer Ends March 30th 2015?
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Joseph Dowdy, better known as "Minista Whisper" is an anointed Bible Teacher, Minister, and Inspirational Gospel Rap Artist; recognized for his heartfelt musical lyrics and life-changing teaching ministry. Called to Bridge the Gap Between the Nations, Minista Whisper shares the unadulterated Word of The Most High Yah, with great revelation and understanding. His latest book: The Atmosphere is Subject to Change� offers insight, transparency, and wisdom that will greatly impact lives across the world. Be on the look-out for it this month! For more information, comments, or ministry requests, please contact Minista Whisper directly at Ministawhisper@yahoo.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Soundcloud.
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womens frontline
A WOMEN'S FROTNLINE MAGAZINE PUBLICATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED@APRIL 2015 WWW.WOMENSFRONTLINEMAGAZINE.ORG