Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Friday 1/30/09)

What Do I DO For You?

Matthew 20:27-28 (Amplified Bible)

27) And whoever desires to be first among you must be your slave--

28) Just as the Son of Man came not to be waited on but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many [the price paid to set them free].

Tonight as I was chatting with a friend. I asked a question, why do you think God allowed us to encounter each other? For in a moment as we conversed I noticed something, I noticed their weaknesses were my strengths and some of their perceived strengths were my weaknesses. I had heard Pastor preach before on divine exchange and how in relationships, friendships there should be an element of divine exchange. That their should be character traits within them that pulled us up to a new level and vise versa. There should be areas in the people we interact with that pull us up higher and to a new and challenging level of existence. Like wise we should find ourselves giving what we have matured to, learned, obtained and been delivered to, into the hands of others that we are in fellowship with or encounter.

In the Bible we see the parable of the Master who leaves His servants with a certain amount of talents, while he is away. When the Master returns he questions the servants as to what they did with the talents. The ones who increased what they had been given, found themselves praised, and entrusted with more and the one that feared what he was given and buried it, found himself chastised and what was given to begin with, taken away from him and given to one who had made use of what was entrusted to him. So often that is our fate, God entrust us with things, abilities and resources and instead of multiplying them, sharing them, utilizing them we bury them, fearing that we might lose or place them in dangerous positions. When we do not make use of or multiply what is placed in to our lives we are not challenged and we are not challenging anyone or anything. We have instead taken to hiding what we have to offer for fear of being rejected or hurt. If we are pressing into a deeper relationship and connection with God we should be feeling the need to come up higher to a place of growth and maturity a place where we can be entrusted with more, because we have been good stewards over what we have been given. We should be challenging ourselves to live a life that exhibits a portrait of growth and ingenuity to empowering those we encounter and stewarding those in our care.

Today look at your circle of influence and look at those who you influence. Are you being challenged and are you challenging. As knowledge, experience, prosperity and resources are bestowed on you , who is it that you are bestowing those things upon. Are you hiding all you have obtained or are you freely giving and multiply so that we can prove yourselves worthy of more responsibility.

Words Of Encouragement To STart The Day ( Thursday 1/29/09)

It Is A Posture Not A Place...

Psalm 63:1-3 (Amplified Bible)
1) O GOD, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my inner self thirsts for You, my flesh longs and is faint for You, in a dry and weary land where no water is.
2) So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary to see Your power and Your glory.
3) Because Your loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.

I remember when I was growing up, and we use to speak of the Holy Spirit we use to make reference to Him as being an it. I remember my Grandmother and others correcting us saying " The Holy Spirit is not a thing, He is a gentleman," She use to remind us that the Holy Spirit was not a thing, but that He was a Him. More recently people are taking staycations, (they are vacations you take from work, but you do not go anywhere) as I was recently told it is just "the thought of being," away from work, that puts you in the mind set of a vacation. Often we encounter things that are not what we assume them to be. They are not physical in nature but they are a state of mind and heart that cause us to obtain freedom from something or freedom to be something we may not have been prior to.

As I previously stated the story of my mom and I having a conversation in the car after work and that song coming on the radio and changing the entire atmosphere. It lifted us out of the trials of the day and into a moment, a time and space where we were freed from the heaviness of the day and free to enter into His rest. Sanctuary is not a place it is a posture, a position that allows God access to us. It is a state and condition of the heart that affords God to come in and provide a place of refuge for His people. It give us access to God as it gives Him access to us as well. Being in a posture of sanctuary is a yielding within ones self that signals God that our hearts are fixed on Him and our minds are made up to serve Him.

Just as worship is a posture we can be in anywhere we find ourselves, so is the posture of His sanctuary. It is a place where God meets man and man receives from God. It is a place where we bow our hearts and open our Spirit man to receive from God. It is a place be free and to be freed. Won't you bow down and worship, laying yourself prostrate before the Almighty, in your mind and heart, so he knows that His sactuary is there for Him to abide with you in.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Wednesday 1/28/09)

There Is A Presence In The Sanctuary...

Psalm 20:1-3 (Amplified Bible)
1) MAY THE Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high [and defend you];
2) Send you help from the sanctuary and support, refresh, and strengthen you from Zion;
3) Remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah [pause, and think of that]!

Have you ever walked into a room and could feel the very presence of God meet you there. Or maybe there was a time when you entered into prayer and an overwhelming, indescribable feeling occurred in your prayer time and it was hard to articulate and even harder to receive again. I have had many such times, but there was one particular day when my mom had picked me up from work and we were talking. As we begin to discuss the trails of the day and the events of time, a song came on, "It was for My Good, but for your Glory." In an instant God swept in and all conversation stopped and and tears flooded my face and worship flooded my soul and I could not even sing or speak. There we were in need of a sanctuary experience and received it with the sweetness of a lovers first kiss.

We often see days that try our souls and our patience and push us to the brink, but if we can just get to our place of sanctuary the Spirit of the Lord will meet us there to refresh our souls and renew our minds. God at a moments notice will become our Jehovah Shalom and restore our peace. He will become the Spirit of provision, or the Spirit of Rest in a time of unrest. God in the midst of the sanctuary will bring the spirit necessary to minister life and completion to us, for in His presence there is truly fullness of Joy. But it is in our seeking and finding our way into the sanctuary that provision is made and the Spirit of God can enter in and bestow himself upon us and gift us with the presence that we may so need; the blessings, deliverance and healing that we need and so desire.

Realizing that when life becomes unbearable there is a place that you can go and find the very presence of God and have your very need met and prayers answered. Enter into the sanctuary, enter into a place where God is, where His power is manifested and His love is freely given!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Tuesday 1/27/2009)

Who Or What Enters With You In Your Sanctuary...

Luke 16:13 (Amplified Bible)
13No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (riches, or anything in which you trust and on which you rely).

James 4:7-9 (Amplified Bible)
7So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.
8Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].
9[As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins].

I remember as a new mom, I had a lot of adjustments to make. I had to learn to pack up all the things that my son would need for any trip out of the house. Before I had him, I only had to worry about myself and the only thing I had to focus on was the destination in which I was attempting to get to. After I had him my attention was divided and I had to focus on all of his needs and ever possible scenario that could take place, as well as what I needed to do for myself and getting to the destination and arriving safely because I was carrying with me something I valued and held as precious.

As we enter into our place of sanctuary, our place that is holy and a place for us that represents life and survival, what do we bring with us when go? Are we bringing with us things that will enhance the sanctuary or things that cause of God to exit our very presence. Are we more focused on self, our own requirements and needs than the requirements and things necessary to glorify and magnify God and bring us into a deeper relationship with Him. Do we bring an attitude of service or an attitude of entitlement? Do we realize how much we need God and need His virtue or do we think we are doing God a favor by being in the sanctuary? For some of us we carry multiple personalities and into the sanctuary. We say to God I am yours and I will keep myself for you alone and then we act out and do what is contrary to what we know that is right and what we know is acceptable.

As I enter my sanctuary this week, even if I am battle weary, I refuse to bring to God anything but the sacrifice of praise and all of me! I will not bring God a substandard offering of worship or a focus that is not all His. I will consciously make an effort to Bless the Lord at all times regardless to what is going on. I have a made up mind and heart not to bring God a version of me that suffers from multiple personality disorder, but one that suffers to bring their life in order and obedience to Him alone, regardless of what I may be going through! I will willingly lay it all at the Masters feet!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Monday 1/26/09)

Tracy Koweh is away and so the Message In The Music Monday's will resume next week...

Sometimes Life Can Hurt You...BUT Thank God For The Sanctuary!

Psalm 20:1-3 (Amplified Bible)
1) MAY THE Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high [and defend you];
2) Send you help from the sanctuary and support, refresh, and strengthen you from Zion;
3) Remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah [pause, and think of that]!

Last week my daughter was texting someone, and in the midst of her texting her face got really sad and her eyes filled with tears. She did not want to talk about what was bothering her, so I took her phone and read her texts ( there is no privacy in our house I am the parent and I pay the bills). As I read the messages, I realized that someone she loved had hurt her and placed in her a precarious position with his comments about me and had caused her heart to break, by his insensitivity and lack of concern for her. Now most people that know me, know I can take it, you come at me, yes, I can go out in prayer on you and stay saved. But when you go after my children or you hurt them, that is a horse of a different color and I can make no guarantees about my salvation, or my silence. To see her hurting for not the first time but the third time by the same person in such short span of time, I hurt and I was angry. I needed God to sit in the midst of my situation and hold my mouth and keep me from sin. All I could think about all week, was God if I could just get to church, if I could just make it to the sanctuary, I knew something would keep me from losing my salvation and my witness. I stayed prayerful and in God's face the remainder of the week to make it.

In life there is pain and there are people that will inflict pain, and they can become distractions. They can become things that make you look away from God and focus on them. They can cause you to stumble and fall, if you let them. The enemy knows our weakness and our infirmities and He will exploit them. But I am learning if I can get to the sanctuary, God can heal me, keep me and deliver me. Sometimes the sanctuary is my restroom, and sometimes it is my room prostrate on the floor, but sometimes it is the assembly of God (church). The sanctuary refocuses us and keeps us in the presence of God and from falling prey to the tricks and the hurts of the enemy and people used by the enemy. The sanctuary is where we can receive a word of salvation and become renewed in our mind and in our hearts so that "no weapon formed against us will prosper."

The next time you feel as if you are about to lose it, or the next time hurt and pain has come to torment you or get you off track, get to the sanctuary, get to God. For it is true that least the "Lord build the house those that labor , labor in vain." Don't let your building, living or giving be in vain, let God build you, uplift you and repair any breaches in your foundation, and in your life. For God can keep you in perfect peace when your mind is stayed on Him and you can find your way into His sanctuary!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Friday 1/23/09)

Get Up And Get It Over With...

Exodus 33:13-15 (Amplified Bible)

13Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You [progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, perceiving and recognizing and understanding more strongly and clearly] and that I may find favor in Your sight. And [Lord, do] consider that this nation is Your people.

14And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.

15And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here!

Tonight I was not feeling very well. The weather had changed and become bitterly cold this week and I was working a position at work that placed me in front of an open door for the past two days. My throat had become sore and my ear had started to ache, so by the time I got home this evening I felt pretty horrible. My symptoms had worsened. I ate and talked with my children and my mom. I had communicated with a person or two, as I laid across my bed I felt myself falling asleep. My daughter who was in the room with said "mom, you have to write the devotional, you should get up and get it over with." I opened one eye and said I think I really need to just rest for a moment because I am not hearing anything right now. My symptoms had become the thing that was overwhelming. As I laid there I dozed off for a while. When I woke up I could hear my daughters words ringing in my ears. "getting it over with." For me to have moved in that moment I would have moved in my suffering and wrote in my flesh.

Many times we will move out in order to just get things done and we move without God. For many of us we feel guilty to take a minute to rest or to sit down and get quiet. We either feel as if we will miss something or that someone will think less of us, if we are not trying to keep pace with the world. Sometimes it is God's will for us not to move in that moment. Sometimes it is God's will for us to rest, sit with Him and be restored in order for us to move in a time when we are better equipped and better prepared to master the task that awaits us. In many instance it is God's timing that requires us to wait and move when His spirit leads us to go. Instead we go on ahead, leaving Him behind in a fruitless exercise in futility. If we had only decided to rest for a moment and get what we needed from God and what we needed to move forward. We often forget everything that we are capable of is not what is the best course of action for us and those we will encounter, and God's anointing may be lacking, if we move in that moment.

As we move into another phase of our day or our lives, make sure that you understand where you need to be. Even more importantly make sure you know where God is before you move. It is not always a good thing just to go and get it over with, you might need a moment to rest and get it right! Don't run out on empty, make sure God is going with you and you have what it takes to successfully complete the task at hand.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Thursday 1/22/09)

I Am Trusting And Believing And Waiting On My God...

Daniel 6:16-23 (Amplified Bible)
16) Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, May your God, Whom you are serving continually, deliver you!
17) And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that there might be no change of purpose concerning Daniel.
18) Then the king went to his palace and passed the night fasting, neither were instruments of music or dancing girls brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.
19) Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions.
20) And when he came to the den and to Daniel, he cried out in a voice of anguish. The king said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, Whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?
21) Then Daniel said to the king, O king, live forever!
22) My God has sent His angel and has shut the lions' mouths so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent and blameless before Him; and also before you, O king, [as you very well know] I have done no harm or wrong.
23) Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel should be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no hurt of any kind was found on him because he believed in (relied on, adhered to, and trusted in) his God.

The other day I was speaking to my God daughter and I asked how a woman she knew that was suffering with cancer was doing. She responded, with "ma, no matter how bad she may feel, she always says the same thing, that she is trusting and believing and waiting on her God." My God daughter said "I am not sure whether I could be so strong and focused if I was suffering like that." I said to her "that is some strong faith!" That is the type of faith that doesn't waiver even in the face of the most adverse of circumstances.

Isn't it ironic that we believe that if we work a forty hour week, or eighty hours bi-weekly that we will get a pay check at the end of the pay period. We trust doctors that are "practicing" medicine, but we find it difficult or impossible to trust and believe God who created us and knows what we have need of even more than a man. I know that up until recently I had faith that if I went to work, took little to no time off and went way above and beyond my duties that I would get a better than average rating on my performance evaluation. But I did not factor in the human factor, the factor that says no matter what you do if you are only within your first official rating period they will only rate you but so high, no matter what you do. I have learned that flesh is fallible and will always disappoint you, BUT GOD! God is not one that is held captive by anyone or anything but His own abilities and strength. When we can live in faith believing God and knowing even when we do not see a shifting, a change, a deliverance on the horizon that God is still able and capable of doing all that we need and he can give us what we want ( if it is in His will to do). To be able to possess a "no matter what faith," to be able to utter like Job, "though He slay me yet will I trust Him." Having confidence, trust and faith in God in this way will cause the Lions mouth to be closed, the mountain to be removed and cancer to dry up in our body!

As you face your day or encounter things in the coming days that challenge your faith, use it to your advantage. Remain in a place that keeps you focused on God's ability not your inability or not your circumstance. Muster up every little bit of faith you can to trust God to bring you through and keep you in the way everlasting, and deliver you out of the hands of the devourer! For He is more than able...

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Wednesday 1/21/09)

The Joshua Generation...

Joshua 1:1-3 (Amplified Bible)
1) AFTER THE death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' minister,
2) Moses My servant is dead. So now arise [take his place], go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them, the Israelites.
3) Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread, that have I given to you, as I promised Moses.

As I watched the change in leadership of this country in which we live, I heard so much, and so many commentators speak. But as a local news reporter, reported from a local college, he made reference to the "Joshua Generation," who had made the election of our new President, possible. As his words settled in, I began to really think on and meditate on the children of Israel and who they were and who they became under the leadership and command of Joshua. It reminded me that as with all of us a great leader brings out great abilities in the people they lead. It was also true that the people that existed under Moses' leadership all had to die off, because of their disobedience and their mind set.

Our new President's mantra during his campaign was "Yes we can." It spoke to a shifting in thought and they way business would be done. It was a call for all of America to get involved in order to go in and possess the land and make changes to our living conditions and our governmental system. My Grandmother use to say to all of us grand children, "If you make one step God will make two." God not unlike our new elected official has been calling us, as His people to shift, to shake off the grave clothes of complacency and the bondage of stagnation to press into His presence in order for us to be changed and in order for us to be used of Him. But it is also true that when we are aligning ourselves with God and changing the way we do business ( by stepping out of self alone), we put ourselves in a position to be moved into God's promises and His provision. When we can see the truth of God's ability and His capability and we would believe and exercise our faith, we can move from the wilderness into the promise land.

For many of us we have chosen to stay in the wilderness under the Moses regime, we will wander and choose to die right there. But for those of us who can lift up our hearts and minds and say "Yes He can," all I need to do is believe, trust and move in faith, we have moved from Moses into the Joshua Era; and into a place of possessing the promises and the truth of what God has for us and what He may want us to do. Leave the old mind set in the wilderness where it belongs and gather up the courage to possess the land. Join the Joshua Generation, the generation that possesses determination to go in and get ALL that God has for them! Taking No Prisoners as we go!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Tuesday 1/20/09) Inaugural Tuesday

Man vs Mandate

Luke 4:1-13 (New Living Translation)
1) Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2) where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.
3) Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
4) But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’[b]”
5) Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6) “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7) I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”
8) Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'
9) Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. 11 And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
12 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
13 When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.

As I sat watching news coverage tonight of preinauguration celebrations and recaps of the last 8 years of the Bush administration, the news commentator made a statement, one that caused a reaction within me. He said "do we turn our backs on things just because we do not want to ruffle people's feathers or do we do what is right even when it is hard, difficult or unpopular." He said "is it "man or mandate?" Those words rung in my ears, stinging the very fibers of my being, for it made me think of how many times I personally had chose to close my mouth even when I knew something was wrong, unethical or not in God's will just to keep down conflict or keep myself from being looked at in a particular way.

Looking back I remember when I went on my first Temporary Duty Assignment, and we had to attend a briefing and in this briefing the sentiment "what goes TDY stays TDY" was said and meant. I did not quite understand the magnitude of that statement and what events besides the obvious could not be discussed when we returned from our duties away from our home duty station. I soon found out that when compromise, standards are lessened and vows are broken, it is mans law (the law of sin and death) that has preeminence over God's law. When God gives us a standard to uphold a mandate to carry out and we choice our will, our desires, and our nature over His we choose to satisfy the flesh and we grieve the spirit. We become the author or our destiny and the destiny of those we encounter. If we had chosen to carry out God's mandate for our lives and uphold the standard that God is calling for, then we are dying to the flesh, to man and living to the spirit of God, we are allowing God His rightful place as Lord, Savior and author of all we do.

As we watch a new President take office and as he is sworn in and sworn to uphold the constitution and the mandates of the job of President, think in that moment if He decided not to, what would happen in those moments, of willful disobedience and man controlled events? How would his decision making effect you and I? Likewise, in our lives what happens when we fall into willful disobedience, and we choose us over Him (God), what do our lives become, and how does it effect others. Today is a great day to choose the mandate that God has for your life, the one that carries out obedience and upholds the standard of God in our lives and the things we do. The Mandate that brings honor God and order to us.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Monday 1/19/2009)

Today's Devotional Written By Tracy Koweh

I’d Rather

1 John 4:17-18 (New Living Translation)

17) And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18) Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

I never really understood Luther Vandross’s song I’d Rather, when it first came out. It made absolutely no sense to me that couples would voluntarily choose to use that as a theme song for their wedding day. Well, I do now. I understand it in the natural, but more importantly I understand it in the spiritual. For those who may not be familiar with the song, it’s about finding someone who you would rather have bad days, storming weather, and problems with than to be happy with someone else. It’s about being so in love with someone that even in greener pastures, you would not be able to satisfy your appetite, quench your thirst, or find contentment in your soul. After two failed marriages, one physically abusive and one emotional, I’ve been blessed to meet someone I’d Rather with. For the first time in my natural life I’ve found someone who makes the bad times worth hanging in there until things turn around. I’ve discovered that love isn’t easy but if it’s with the right person and done the right way, it is one of the greatest gifts God has given to us all. Now, if we can find this kind of love for an imperfect human, how much more should “we rather” have with Jesus. So often times in church we hear Christians say, “I’ll praise ‘em if He never does anything else for me”, but the first sign He has “left us” we leave the church. We are so quick to let go of God when He doesn’t bless us on our time table, or meet our need in the means we would prefer. When times get hard we still need to love God. When the bank account looks short, we still need to pay our tithes to Him. When our love ones hurt, leave or abuse us, we still need to trust that He is working it out for our good. Tomorrow our country will celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama, because (the majority of Americans) would rather have hard times with him, that good times with McCain. What greater dedication, commitment and zeal should we have for our Heavenly Father. Let’s vow to rather have God over any other person, idol, thing, or god. Let’s decide to rather have God on good days and bad, doing our highs and lows, and in sunny or cloudy weather. Kirk Franklin said it best………….I’d Rather have Jesus, than Silver and Gold.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Friday 1/16/09)

People Will Only Treat As You Allow Them To...

John 10:17-18 (Amplified Bible)17) For this [reason] the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life--to take it back again. 18) No one takes it away from Me. On the contrary, I lay it down voluntarily. [I put it from Myself.] I am authorized and have power to lay it down (to resign it) and I am authorized and have power to take it back again. These are the instructions (orders) which I have received [as My charge] from My Father.


When I signed up to go in the United States Air Force. I was signing up and agreeing to many things, many of which I did not fully understand at the time. I was signing up to have someone tell me when to go and come and when to eat. I was even signing up for someone to tell me what time to go to bed and when I would be able to talk on the telephone. I was even signing up to live under a a different legal standard and statues. Although many of the more stringent things went away after Basic training and Technical School, for the remainder of my career and even as a military spouse I lived as people told me, because I signed up to allow this to happen.
Why is it that we sign up in relationships with people to treat us poorly, because we accept a behavior once, twice, three times or more and then we get mad and want to blame the other individual, for their substandard behavior? By our acceptance of behaviors that are less than desirable, we sign on the dotted line to accept less than what we need, want or desire. It is our choice to lie down and be apart of the neglect, control, the lies, deceit and abuse. But isn't it funny that we do the same thing to God. We neglect, abuse our relationship with Him and try to control Him, and yet we don't expect Him to feel like we do when we are on the receiving end, of the same type of behavior. The difference is God is bigger and more equipped to handle our lack of attention than we are to handle it, if He decided to return the favor. But for most of us we would much rather lay down our lives to please a man or a woman that has done little to nothing for us than for us to lie down our lives in true service to God. What we do or do not receive form God is dictated by our actions, our behaviors and how much of Him we are willing to allow in our lives. You see God is not going to hold you down and force feed you a blessing, if your are not allowing Him to bless you.
The next time you are upset about the way you are being treated, know that it is so because you allow it to be so. The next time you are wondering why God is not moving it is because you did not allow it to be so. Don't allow people to treat you the way God never would. Try letting God treat you the way man never could! Sign up for the right treatment, and sign out of the wrong treatment!

Words Of Encouragment To Start The Day ( Thursday 1/15/09)

Starting Today...

Matthew 6:30-34 (Amplified Bible)
30) But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith?
31) Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear?
32) For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all.
33) But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.
34) So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

I have always been the type of person who has been concerned about the "what if's" and the "what could happens." My mind would always wander to all the possibilities in a particular situation. I remember one time when my son had to have surgery, He had developed a hernia, and I sat waiting for him to go to surgery, I found my mind wondering and beginning to explore the best and the worst of scenarios, and so I began to call people to pray. Prayer is a beautiful thing and it is necessary, but it was the in depth information I was going into on the phone in front of my son that was something that was not healthy or helpful for him. He needed in that moment to know that I was okay and not worried so he would not worry, and that He would trust God with all of it and just know that it was all going to be okay.

Worry, fear and anxiety can lead you to worry about things that you lack control and authority over. When we lack the ability to trust God in His fullness we will worry and become concerned for every area of our lives. It is not that we should not look to the future or even plan for it, but to stress and worry over it, is not our place. If we are a child of the most High God and He possess all power in His hand, will He not take care of our needs and does He not realize our deepest needs and desires? He is our Father, and He loves us and cares for the most minuet of details in our lives and He will be there to see us through to completion, and to take care of us, and to keep us in all His ways if we want to be kept. Letting go of the control and allowing God to be the leader and us the follower takes the worry and the concern out of our hands and places it in the most capable of hands that exist, and those are the hands of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Today why not start giving up your worry, anxiety, concern, fear and possession of the future and start by turning it over to God. Our Heavenly Father and Our elder brother Jesus have it all under control, if we can stand down to the real Commander of all of our today's and our tomorrows. It is not by might, nor by power, but by "His" Spirit all will be well and all will be done. Turn it over and see how your days become brighter and your nights more peaceful. Don't wait another day, another, hour , another minute or another second, start right now, start TODAY!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Wednesday 1/14/09)

Don't Let Yesterday Hold You Or Control You...

Isaiah 54:3-5 (Amplified Bible)
3) For you will spread abroad to the right hand and to the left; and your offspring will possess the nations and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
4) Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed; neither be confounded and depressed, for you shall not be put to shame. For you shall forget the shame of your youth, and you shall not [seriously] remember the reproach of your widowhood any more.
5) For your Maker is your Husband--the Lord of hosts is His name--and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth He is called.

Have you ever had a friend or family member that took pride in reminding you of the mistakes that you have made or the shortcomings that you have as they see them? I have encountered people like this, been in relationship with people like this. I have allowed these people to hold my past over my head and to keep me imprisoned in some cases by one mistake, or by one word spoken, or even by their opinion that was inaccurate. For many years I had no idea that this was even occurring, to me. But when the realization of these events became revelatory knowledge I had to evaluate why and understand how I let these things happen. Many people have problems that they are not willing to face or deal with so instead, of dealing, growing, maturing and allow God to deal with their issues, it becomes easier to point out others issues as they see them. When we are in these situations and we make people our God and let people define us instead of God we fall victim to the court of humanism and the sentencing of others mind and emotions. We are convicted and brought to a worldly justice and a fleshy contempt.

On Sunday Our Pastor spoke on "Annual Inspection" and some of the points he made in his sermon really struck a cord in me and made to know that my self examination and self discovery was actually God's insight and direction. Our Pastor said that that we need to examine some areas in our lives and see where we are because God has expectation of us and from us. But it was the point he made about the "Expectation of Fellowship" that placed everything in perspective for me. God expects us to fellowship with those who are of like service to the Kingdom. They should be builders of the Kingdom of God and the people of God, not people that are tearing down the Kingdom one believer at a time, because it does not suit "their belief system or their way." Those that we are bond to and in covenant with should have like mind and spirit and that spirit should be the Spirit of God and that mind should be being renewed by the Word of God and by fellowship and covenant with Him through the Holy Spirit. If this is not the case you are going to find God's hand allowing separation and annihilation of these relationships to take place. For God to keep us moving in His desired direction some fellowships especially the ones that keep us bond to condemnation, guilt, insecurity, lack of confidence and courage have to end. You see how can you ever move forward with you mind suck to the past, and the mistakes and/ or immaturity of it? You can't!

It is time to be FREE to be who God made you to be! To be the one who is fruitful, focused, in right fellowship with God and with others, and to grasp a hold of that Future and that hope that GOD says that you have and are worthy of. Man did not make you so man can never really define you for his definition will always be wrong, Don't give people that kind of power, and control to keep you bond to your yesterdays. Let Go and Let God, because He is the only one who really should have a say of who you are and who you will become! Selah!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Tuesday 1/13/09)

This Devotional Written By My God Daughter Tracy Koweh And Dedeciated To My Precious Baby Girl D'Aja

When Losing is the Winning Ticket

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (Amplified Bible)
14) Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness?
15) What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial [the devil]? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
16) What agreement [can there be between] a temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
17)So, come out from among [unbelievers], and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not [any] unclean thing; then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor,
18) And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

Have you ever lost something so close to your heart that you didn’t know how you would pick up the pieces and start over again? Did you ever give of yourself to someone, only to have them hurt you over and over again with no regard or regrets? Well, in life sometimes we lose friendships and relationships that are holding us back from the blessings that God has for us. Sometimes it’s because of our own selfishness, but sometimes it’s because of God’s will for us.

I had a high school teacher who would say, “If you show me your 5 closest friends, I’ll show you your future”. The saying, “Flocks of a feather, stick together” has the same meaning. If you hang with dead beats, you are most likely going to become a dead beat. If God looks down and sees the people you are surrounded by, would he pass over you because of the company you’re keeping.

There are some ties in our life that God has to break us away from. It hurts and it feels like the pain will never stop, but we have to trust that God is working it out for our good. Its like if you go to the amusement park with your friends and you bring a younger sibling with you, there will be some rides you won’t be able to get own simply because the person you’re with doesn’t meet the qualifications to ride. Now, this is in no way saying to disown a sibling :o), its to show how people in your life can make you miss out on having an enjoyable life.

Sometimes we have the strength to let go and move on, but sometimes we don’t. It’s in those times that God has to bring about the separation. Whether it’s relocating that person, allowing that persons' true colors to come out, or replacing that person in our life altogether,……………we don’t have the ability to see into the future, but we do have the ability to trust in the one who holds the future in His hands.

So as we come mid-month in the first month of this New Year, let’s LOSE the things and people that are keeping us from our JACKPOT!!!!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Monday 1/12/09)

This devotional written by Ms Tracy Koweh, My God daughter, awoman of God answering Her Own Call!

Do You Remember the Time???

Revelation 2:4-5 (New Living Translation)
4) “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5) Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.
Remember when you first fell in love. Your first date, your first real kiss. Remember staying on the phone until somebody fell asleep. Remember going back and forth with “you hang up, no you hang up.” Remember how you constantly thought about that person, and no matter what people said, they were the greatest thing to you. And then remember life slowly creeping in. Remember how time wasn’t so easy to make or find to spend with that special person. Remember how school, parents, friends, children, careers, and personal ambition begin to take its toll. No one ever really sees the demise or deterioration of the relationship coming until its too late.

Let’s look at when we first got saved. We start off on a Holy High, and we are ready to take on the world. We read our Bible daily, we fast, we pray, we tithe, and we just think about the goodness of Jesus. We stand up and defend the name of our precious Savior to critics, non-believers and gossipers. Then we get a bad report from our doctor, or an unexpected bill shows up and we start to lose our focus. Marriage, education, and our personal pursuit of happiness now start to slowly creep into the forefront of our priority list. Now we only read our Bible when we get a second between T.V. shows and feeding the family. We don’t’ pray anymore, but we find a few moments to get our “needs” list into God before we fall asleep. We went from being super excited about going to service to barely making it in the door before the sermon.

In Michael Jackson’s “Do you Remember the Time” song, he is trying to win his woman back, by reminding her of what they use to share. Most times we wait until the relationship/friendship is over to look back at how and why it all started. Sometimes we’ve waited so long to do a “check up” on our relationships that its hard to recall the good times. So we all need to do what my pastor called an annual inspection. If need be a semi-annual inspection. We can’t continue to let the freshness and innocence of healthy relationships/friendships in our lives fall by the wayside. So let’s always “Remember the Time” that we first fell in love. But let us NEVER forget to remember the one who first fell in love with us, Jesus Christ.

God has been so good to us, and every morning we wake up is a reminder of that. So don’t make God have to turn his back on you, for you to remember what He means to you. Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, body and soul and you will fall in love with Him all over again………..for the rest of your life. The Message is in the Music, if you listen with your heart.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Friday 1/9/08)

He Is No One Night Stand...

Jeremiah 31:3 (New Living Translation)
3) Long ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

I have watched people throughout my life fall in and out of love. I have also watched my fair of share of wasted encounters by strangers and friends alike. Moments where both may have benefited in a moment, but only one person really benefited in reality. I remembered the hugs and comforted I have given because "he or she didn't call," and a friend was left holding a bag full of disappointment and a heart full of hurt. Over time I have watched hearts become crushed and feelings left unreturned, people left in ruins over what they perceived might have become a fairy tale from one night. Thank God that Jesus, is no one night stand!

In Deuteronomy 31:8 it says "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” God (unlike man) does not come into our lives for a night to get what he can and move on to the next one. He is one that offers us a covenant, a relationship that is eternal in origin and everlasting in it's make up. He woes us with such tenderness and care, like one in a place of unconditional love. He pursues us like one captivated by who we are, and what He wants us to be to Him. He protects us like warrior and King that has command over not just us but all He surveys, and He cares for us like one who died and laid down His life for us! He is that friend that sticks closer to us than a brother or any other. He loves us at best and when we are in the midst of our test. He is our shelter from the storm and He is the ray of "son" that warms and ignites our very soul. He is the one who is present to awaken us each morning and the one who gently rocks us to sleep each night. He is the lover that watches us while we sleep and it is our very soul He does keep. He loves us not just for a night, but He loves us with all His might. You see God is not like man He does not lie, nor at the sign of trouble does He fly, He is true blue in every way and with us He promises to stay!

Not a one night stand, He is no fly by night. He is not a lover that takes, without giving. He is the one who has given and continues to give unselfishly. It is because of this love that we can live eternally and it is also that love that made and keeps us free!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Thursday 1/8/09)

In The Still Of The Night...

Psalm 139:17-18 (Amplified Bible)
17) How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18) If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with You.

From the time I have been very young I did not sleep through the night. I would wake up at 2, 3 or 4 in the morning and would not be able to easily find my way back into sleeps path. As I have grown older and grown in God's grace and in relationship with God I understand why I awaken in the middle of the night. I have plenty of friends that when they were younger and wilder would sneak out in the middle of the night to meet up with friends or with their significant other at that time. It was them being able to steal away in the middle of the night and spend time with those they loved or thought so much of at that time, that made them risk all to do so. That too is why I am awakened in the middle of the night.

I have found that God loves me so much, that He desires to spend time with me, just like a star struck lover. He desires my undivided attention and to know that He can share with me secrets and His precious promises. But often life is so noisy and hectic that our minds and hearts are unavailable and that our hours, days and moments are filled with living and often we forget the one who provides life. We are so preoccupied with anything and everything that it takes our focus from the one who should be our center focus. Hence for those of us who really desire God and love Him and are connected to Him, we can hear the beckoning of loves sweet melody in the still of the night. We hear God calling to us, get up and come away with me. Come and spend these precious moments with me before your day begins again or something comes and takes you from me.

What a precious and honored place when God calls unto you and I; when He loves us enough and we love Him enough to know that anytime is the right time to be with our Jesus, even when it is in the still of the night!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Wednesday 1/7/09)

In The Newness...

Genesis 1:1-3 (Amplified Bible)
1) IN THE beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth.
2) The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.
3) And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.

As I think back to the time when I was delivering my children, during the course of labor and delivery there was a lot of movement in the room and an awful lot of noise and talk. Everything from people giving directions to the very sound of my own heart beat. When the doctor said one more push and baby will be here, it seemed as if during that moment, the room fell silent. It seemed as if time stood still and that everything else lacked significance, or substance. It seemed as if everyone in the room was holding their breathe waiting and in anticipation of the newness that yet was to be delivered. But it was once the baby was delivered it seemed as the room came to life and everyone in it could breathe again. It was as if the sound of the child crying announced that the wait for the new arrival was over and all was to begin from that point on.

Have you ever been in a place where it seemed like God fell silent, and that your life seemed to be standing still? For many of us in this moment we become depressed, complacent or frustrated. But could it be that God is delivering something in us, through us or to us? Could it be that the silence was God's concentration on the delivery process? Instead of us seeing and feeling that God is ignoring us or has left us to suffer, we should know that God is up to something in our lives, that He is in midst of bringing deliverance. In this time it is heaven and earth standing still in anticipation of His glory being revealed in our lives. Before God made the heavens and the earth it was void of sound, movement and significance. But when God broke His silence was when the manifestation came into volition. It is the same for us, before God's delivery, we lack what we really need and we lack substance, but it is when God's thoughts are towards us and He is concentrating on us, and then He speaks that we see the manifestation of God's wonderful and precious promises revealed and His silence broken!

When you are looking to the left and the right of you and all seems still and God is silent, know that He is concentrating on your delivery, He is concentrating on delivering life a new and abundant life. In that moment God is bringing you a life that is full of light, joy unspeakable and glories never seen. The way we do things is rarely God's way, so instead of complaining about the silence savor it realizing God is moving, on your behalf, and bringing you into a new place, a new anointing, a new season!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Tuesday 1/6/2009)

Posted by my Babygirl: Tracy Koweh, My daughter birthed by the Spirit!

What Are You Waiting For…

1 John 3:17 (Amplified Bible)
17But if anyone has this world's goods (resources for sustaining life) and sees his brother and fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion against him, how can the love of God live and remain in him?

1 John 3:17 (New Living Translation)
17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

I recently read an article written by the “perfect husband”, and he pointed out that men do see the dirty dishes in the sink, but that their minds don’t register for them to clean it up. Some time last year I went to visit my grandparents, and I recall my grandmother asking my uncle to take out the trash. It was amazing to me that a grown man would sit there and not only see the trash running over but continue to add to the pile. The question that came to my mind, was why did he even need to be asked?

As a mother, when I see my daughter has a dirty diaper, I don’t ask her if she needs me to change her, and I don’t wait for her to come tell me she needs to be changed. The love that I have for her compels me to want to make her as comfortable as possible. If you have a friend that’s about to jump off a roof, do you go to them to save their life, or do you wait for them to ask for you help.

Last night I had a discussion with Lisa, and I told her that I thought our giving hearts were a blessing and a curse. A blessing to those around us, but a curse to ourselves. We see a bird with a broken wing and we turn into vet of the year. We hear about a cousin of a friend of a co-worker is sick, and we offer to prepare a meal. If someone just happens to mention that something in their life is out of place, we immediately try to fix it. How could God give us such a sensitive spirit to the needs of EVERYONE around us and then not put anyone around us to meet our needs. The answer was simple, He was the One supplying our needs the entire time, and we just couldn’t see it. We couldn’t see that He had given us the resources to be in a position to be a blessing to so many.

It’s such a reassuring feeling to serve a God who is a need filler and a way maker. To have a God in our corner who meets our needs because He loves us and for no other reason. Sometimes we wait for people to need us or come to us because it gives us a false sense of self-gratification. It lifts us up and allows us to feel important. We wake up every morning with or without a personal request to God. He is faithful and sincere in the giving of his heart. Have you ever been having a really bad day, and got home to find a small gift at your doorstep, an unexpected check in the mail, or a card from a friend just to say hello? That’s God meeting a need in your life. Sometimes God will fulfill a need that we don’t even know we have. So this year as we expand our minds, enlarge our hearts, and engage our minds, lets purpose to be a blessing to someone God has placed in our lives.

The Bible says that the measure you give is the measure He will give back to you. So could you survive if God blessed you, with the same terms you bless others.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Monday 1/5/09)

Today's Devotional is submitted by my God Baby Tracy Koweh, Blessed, Powerful, Strong Woman Of God!

To LOVE me, to is KNOW me

Song of Solomon 5:9 (New Living Translation)
9) Why is your lover better than all others, O woman of rare beauty? What makes your lover so special that we must promise this?

Today’s Message in the Music song is “TEACHME” by Musiq Soulchild. The general message of the song is that he wants to learn how to love wholeheartedly. He wants to give back what he is receiving from his partner. He explains to her the perceptions of manhood and love that he grew up learning, and now realizes were not 100% true. But the profound part of the song is that he asks her to teach him how to love HER. Not to just love in general, but how to give her a taylor made love designed just for her.

Growing up my mother would say, “Baby if you don’t know something, ask”. Taking the time to ask a few simple questions could save us a lot of time, money, and heart ache. We have so many resources available to us that there is almost no excuse not to be able to get an understanding of things. There is the Bible, the internet, books for DUMMIES, and people around us who have “been there and done that.” God is the best source because He created each of us.

I ‘ve heard many times in my life, parents with multiple children say they love each child unconditionally, but that their love is different based upon the needs, wants and desires of each kid. I recall being in different relationships and saying, “I’ve never felt like this before”, or that “I’ve never loved anyone like this in my life”. The reason is because as I mature and develop into a woman I have learned that you can not love anyone without knowing who that person is.

Love is the difference between knowing I like cereal, but knowing my favorite brand and flavor. Love sends me purple roses to work, and not just a bouquet of flowers. Love is taking the time to find out all the unique treasures that God has placed in an individual. It’s studying them, learning what makes them tick, what makes them smile. Love knows how to touch a person without laying one single hand on them. It’s the simple act of giving yourself completely to another person and making sure their needs are met. If each person did this in every relationship they were in- - - -friendship, dating, marriage, parent-child, pastor-congregation- and the list goes on, there would never be an empty vessel because everyone’s needs would be fulfilled.

Now to tie it all back into the song, Musiq had the right idea to ask, but he is asking the wrong person. The greatest example of true, unhindered love is our Heavenly Father. He loves and knows us from before we were even a thought in our parents mind. He gave the ultimate sacrifice when he sent his only begotten son to die for ALL of our sins- - -including the ones who will never serve or accept Him as their God. Most people in life claim to love God, but haven’t taken anytime to get to know who He is. Men all around the world say they don’t understand women, and that they wish we came with a manual. Well, God has left a manual on how to love Him and mankind, as well as a clear cut description of who He is………….. and that’s the Holy Bible.

So with this new year upon us lets vow to love like we have never loved before. Let's take the time to learn what makes the loved ones in our lives so special and unique. Let's take a moment every day to spend some quality time with the one who loved us first, Christ Jesus. Despite what Hollywood says, real love is hard and it takes commitment and dedication…………..but the rewards are for a lifetime. May your hearts be filled with a desire to live, LEARN and love. Know that God has the true inside scoop and if you just ask, He will loan you His eyes, and let you see into the very soul of the one who holds your heart.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Friday 1/2/09)

Today's Devotional Written By Tracy Koweh, My Babygirl, and a Strong Woman Of God!

When God has your back,You only need to look forward...

Philippians 3:12-14 (Amplified Bible)
12Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own.
13I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
14I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.

New Year’s Eve is such a magical evening. No matter where you are or how you bring it in, there is a feeling of hope in the atmosphere. There are celebrations, toasts, and all types of gatherings to usher in the new year.

Happy New Year. This phrase could be heard all around the world in every country, in every time zone, in every home. But what does it really mean? Happy NEW Year. It should be a time of new beginnings and fresh starts. People will begin to make a million resolutions that they won’t keep past January. Relationships will start anew and people will return to their jobs rejuvenated. But what happens when your boss ask you to stay late the night you have made plans, or your best friend forgets to call you back one night. We immediately jump back into the old mind set. That clean slate you gave them is washed away.

I brought in the new year at church with my baby girl. I left feeling on top of the world. I was completely filled up and sold out. I was determined that this was going to my year. The year I wasn’t going to let anyone or anything hold me back from the blessings that God had for me. I was on such a spiritual high that I slept almost the entire day for my natural body to restore itself.

Well fast forward to New Years Day around 5pm. I felt such a heaviest jump on me. I could only cry and feel frustrated. The weights, frustrations, and stresses that had plagued me in 2008 all seemed to be magnified so much in this moment that I couldn’t feel anything but numb. I began to remember the things that I had wanted in 08 and didn’t get or accomplish. I began to feel depressed and angry. Angry for the position I was in because of helping others. Depressed for not being able to see my way back to where I would be, had I taken the selfish road.

Then the greatest thing happened. I remembered it was MY NEW YEAR. I remembered how I had felt less than 24hours before this momentary breakdown and I CHOOSE to refocus. I made up in my mind that last year is in the past and I can’t do anything about it but work to make my future better. And if that wasn’t enough, God had Lisa call me at that very moment. She too had experienced that same kind of “trip down memory lane”, and she also decided to not look back. I needed to know that I wasn’t alone in this thing and God used her to show me I wasn’t.

In life we have highs and lows, good days and bad days, and ups and downs, but through it all we have a choice. A choice to choose how we will respond to each situation. When we allow people, situations or our circumstances to change who we are, we allow them to become a god in our lives and that is idolatry. So today let’s resolve to focus and STAY focused on God’s vision for our lives this year. All it takes is one bad phone call, one bad flashback, or one bad argument to remind us of how things use to be. But praise God that all it takes is one prayer, one ounce of faith, and one moment with God to pick us back up again and place us in position to fulfill our destiny. May you all have a Happy NEW Year.