Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Friday 04/30/10)

God Knows Where You Are At Without A Word Being Whispered!

Psalm 139:7-16 (Amplified Bible)

⁷Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence? ⁸If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there. ⁹If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, ¹⁰Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. ¹¹If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me and the night shall be [the only] light about me, ¹²Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You. ¹³For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb. ¹⁴I 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. ¹⁵My 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]. ¹⁶Your 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.

Today something happened after our morning intercession, when my mother opened her eyes she looked at me and placed her hand on my chest and began to pray for my shattered heart to mend. Then she said, and no, your living and giving is not in vain. Tears ran down, my face, I had not spoken these words to anyone. I had been pressing in and doing. Continuing to live and give but I had not even spoken the truth of my feelings to God. Knowing that often ministry is birthed out of pains and trials, I did not question God’s will nor did I complain. I had decided that this time I would press, pray, help and minister my way through these moments of pain, struggle and recovery.

It seems in the past couple of years I have experienced many disappointments, hurts, struggles and pains. I would normally need to talk it through, with someone, whether it was God, my mother or both. But this time for some reason, I felt as if I had no ability to speak on what I have been going through, not because of shame, ( because there was nothing shameful about it, only hurtful) but because I sat and asked myself when do I stop talking and just wait to hear. This time I did. I was wondering in times past where was God in all the things I had been through, I had even asked why would He allow it if I was trying to do what was right. Often talking it out was my way of trying to identify my whereabouts and letting God know where I was at and how I felt. This time I couldn’t speak because the depth of the pain took my ability to speak, so instead I did what I knew to do which was prayed with and for others, and kept living as if nothing in my life was out of order. I walked in the belief daily that although nothing was changing that God knew it all!

God always knows where we are located, what we need and how we are feeling. Often times we get to a place in our relationship with Him where He wants us to know whether He seems present or not He is there. He wants us to have enough confidence in Him that we realize that He is going to guide us even when we cannot see well enough to get where we need to be. God wants us to have such faith in Him, to know that He can hear our heart through the deepest pains, disappointments, anguish, struggle and test. It is when we can be still and know that He is God that He can give us, what we have never had before a deeper knowledge of who He is and how much He loves and cares for us. Sometimes it is in the most deafening silence and the darkest of times that God will do His best work!

Keep believing, keep trusting and keep moving, because regardless of whether you can see a clearing or not you can never get there standing still. God knows what you are going through and He can see the heart of your matter and the thoughts that weigh on your mind. Sometimes it is simply not for us to say, but it is for us to know who God is to us!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Thursday 04/28/10)

Don’t Make God Do It!

Philippians 2:5-8 (Amplified Bible)

⁵Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:] ⁶Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, ⁷But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. ⁸And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!

Matthew 6:24 (Amplified Bible)

²⁴No one can 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 and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).

I am constantly telling my young adults, “I should not have to tell you to do things to help out around the house, or things that you have been taught that are right, by now they should be within you to do, because you are old enough to know what is expected of you.” When we raise our children a certain way, we have a right to have certain expectations of what they will and will not do without someone having to force their hand, stand over them or constantly guide them onto the right path.

Likewise God has the right to expect that we will do what is right when we say we know Him. Why is it that when we are trained on a job or in a position, once we have been there for a while the boss normally does not have to ask us to conform. We know the drill and we do what is expected of us? It is because we are looking at the fact that our lack of productivity, progression and adaptation will affect our performance appraisal, our pay checks and our ability to progress as a whole. Why is it that we do not think the same way, when it comes to the things God expects from us? We think that if we talk the talk and know the lingo that we can slide in under the wire and no one will see us for who we really are, and what we have not let go of. We think if we are at church whenever the church doors are open that it will be hard for people to see that our loyalties are really divided and we not only have two masters, but we are effecting others as well. We are so proud of our ability to say we know about God and we are acquainted with Him, we forget that we need to know Him for ourselves and that we need to not just know of Him, but be in an intimate and committed relationship with Him. Not one that says I will seek you when I can’t handle things in my life, or when I am in deep trouble and I am fading fast or when I am close to losing everything. Why have we not figured out that all we have belongs to Him and we need to consult Him as to what to do with it and that our very lives are His to do with as He pleases?

Most of us rely on free will, God’s mercies and His grace to hide us or save us, not remembering that grace has an end. We also forget that eventually EVERY knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. You see we can give it to Him now freely or He can get it later, when there is no other choice. There are some of us that know the truth and refuse to adhere to it, so in order to get our attention many of us will end up in the belly of the whale (whether sick, alone, broke, busted and disgusted, just down right miserable), God will get our attention to let us know who has the power and who is really running things. For others still we will be exposed for who we really are and our real lives will read like a headline on the front page of a national newspaper. So the choice becomes, will we follow the example God sent for us through the person of Jesus Christ? Will we submit ourselves wholly to God, or will we have to go through for God to finally get our attention? The choice is ours, we can do it the easy way and submit, or we can stay hard...but remember many sleep and are sick among us because of it and they are not enjoying the fullness of what their lives could be if they would do it God’s way on their own!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Wednesday 04/28/10)

Are You Modeling The Role?

John 13:14-16 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁴If I then, your Lord and Teacher (Master), have washed your feet, you ought [it is your duty, you are under obligation, you owe it] to wash one another's feet.

¹⁵For I have given you this as an example, so that you should do [in your turn] what I have done to you.

¹⁶I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, A servant is not greater than his master, and no one who is sent is superior to the one who sent him.

Last week my daughter was privileged to be a part of a taping of a television show that will air on Saturday. They were addressing the topic of community service, mentorship and role models. The commentator asked the young adults on the panel, how many of them had role models, she went around and asked various ones who their role models were, when she got to my daughter, I was not sure what or who she would say, she has been blessed with so many wonderful people, that have impacted her life in a positive way. When she said her role model was my sister and I, I was shocked, not because I did not think I was a good mother, but she because she has a legacy of great people who have sowed into her life. As I prayed that night the Lord reminded me of something, that I had modeled a particular type of life in front of my children. They were never confused about where my loyalties were, who I served and who and what was important to me. I did not have multiple personalities that confused them. My life was an open book to them and still is.

I have had the honor of mentoring and leading youth for many years in youth ministry, and one of the greatest struggles I faced was children being confused by their parents about what it meant to be a Christian, and the fact that often they were chastised and reprimanded for behaviors that their parents openly exhibited at home. I use to listen and often cry with my babies, when they would express the hurt of being called a whore by a mom that was engaging in extramarital affairs. I would listen with sympathy as they expressed the fact that they were called “not good enough” or “no good,” by a violent and abusive parent. These parents were telling them don’t drink or do drugs and they were regularly abusing prescription drugs or alcohol. Young people were told not to lie; when they heard their parents lie to one another and others openly. How can we feel that is okay to try to guide our children when we are not living the life before them? The greatest advice is the example that we live before our children and the people that are entrusted to our care. If we want our children to respect and regard us as valuable in their lives we need to be seen as credible and living a life that is filled with integrity and truth, not lies and deceit, manipulation and falseness. I can never blame a child that seeks out another as a surrogate parent, or does not receive advice from their parents when their parent exhibits these behaviors on a consistent basis. Trust is earned and we are responsible to foster an environment that produces love, trust and reliability, not just when we can squeeze it in but everyday all day when there are children involved. When we decide to have children we give up the right to be any old kind of way on any given day, because there are lives at stake and those are the lives of our children. Selfishness and the need to be guided by it have to end, so that our children have a chance to be balanced and a good example for someone else.

If you are a parent, ask your child or children today (with no threatening agenda), would they consider you a role model or a good example? If they answer no, do not get mad, because this is the environment that you have produced. It is time to get “us” right, so that we can do better by our children and for them. The biggest blessing we can give our children is an example to follow, that models those ideals of what Christ wants us to be as parents. Give your children wings, but give them roots, that run deep and do not get cut off because of our own poor examples.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Tuesday 04/27/10)

The Three Faces Of Eve or Adam

Jeremiah 32:38-40 (New International Version)

³⁸ They will be my people, and I will be their God. ³⁹ I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. ⁴⁰ I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.

Jeremiah 32:38-40 (Amplified Bible)

³⁸And they will be My people, and I will be their God. ³⁹And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may [reverently] fear Me forever for the good of themselves and of their children after them. ⁴⁰And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will not turn away from following them to do them good, and I will put My [reverential] fear in their hearts, so that they will not depart from Me.

Jeremiah 32:38-40 (New Living Translation)

³⁸ They will be my people, and I will be their God. ³⁹ And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants. ⁴⁰ And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me.

I remember growing up and when you had a friend that you were one way with and then be another way with another friend, or talk about or betray a friend when you were with another set of friends you were considered, identified, and called two faced. This was by no means a compliment. As I was meditating on notes from a recent sermon, when our pastor identified that there was a lot of behaviors going on (especially by parents) that were setting a bad precedent for our children, ones that identified us as not just two faced, some three and some of us are just Sybil ( multi faced and personality). We have one face for church and then at home we will curse our kids, and act the plum fool, or have men and women in and out of our homes and needless to say bedrooms that we should have a revolving door installed. Then we seem to have another face for friends, family and then another one still for people we encounter.

Who are we really, under the massive layers of confusion and mess? Why are our hearts, minds, souls and spirits split into so many different personalities? Is it because we think no one really can see who we are behind the mask that we place on, or do we just think we have the people ( and God too) fooled by the persona that we place on in each environment that we find ourselves in? The answer is yes to those and so much more. We do it because we have not allowed ourselves to become yielded to God and for Him to make us His and we have not allowed Him to become Lord and King in our lives. How do I know because we have not become subject yet. We cannot serve more than one master, the Bible reminds us that we will hate one and love the other. But yet we try to appease the flesh and the spirit. You cannot pacify two opposing factors and everyone be happy, for God is a jealous God and He will have NO OTHER GOD BEFORE HIM, not even ourselves! If we are suffering from this kind of dual personality disorder, the Bible makes it plain that we are unstable in all of our ways, because we are double minded. For some of us we wished it was just two, but we have three of more minds and faces we are dealing with; which is causing us to be not just unstable but eradicate and consistently in and out of the will of God.

It is time for our hearts to beat with a singleness of purpose and a solitary focus, to be in the will of God, doing it God’s way, living in God’s divine order and obedience to God’s commands. We are not just being confused, off balance and off kilter, but we are causing instability and confusion to those around us, our children that look to us to set the precedence and those who are lost that need you as a beacon to guide them to Christ, but instead we are making them interpret our behaviors and personalities as hypocritical. It is time to get focused, Get right and Get it together. It is time to submit ALL our ways to God so that they can be established, by Him, not us. It is time to be SINGLE IN HEART, MIND, SOUL AND SPIRIT AND SOULED OUT TO GOD ALONE!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Monday 04/26/10)

Today’s Devotional Written By An Encouraged Young Woman: Tracy Koweh

Let God Be Your Alarm Clock

Genesis 37:19-20 (New Living Translation)

¹⁹ “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. ²⁰ “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

Today's message in the music is from Christopher Williams, "I'm Dreamin". The chorus of the song says: If I'm dreaming. Just let me sleep. Don't wake me up. Till my dream is complete. Have you ever been asleep and enjoying a great dream, only to have your alarm clock, the sunlight, spouse, or child interrupt you by waking you up. Some times you can fall back to sleep and finish your dream, but most times years go by before you ever see or remember the dream again.

This is what happens in our spiritual lives. God puts a dream or vision in our lives and we allow the demands of this world, our spouse, our family, our friends, or our fears to wake us up before the dream is complete. I was blessed with the opportunity to hang out with Daniela this past weekend outside of the hospital room. She was able to let go for just a moment and be Daniela. As we sat in traffic we used this time to encourage and uplift each other and then she said something to me that will forever stay with me.

We had begun to talk about Kenny's future and how the doctors have said his treatment is only to prolong his life and that they don't really believe he will beat this. They have told them that he has incurable cancer and that the chemo and medications are just to give him a little more time. Well, before I could say a word, she said, "but the doctors don't have the final say". She then began to recall all the dreams they have for their future that God has not completed and that she still trusts Him to do. She said that she feels crazy, because no matter how bad it gets, how weak he looks, or how negative the doctors become, her spirit won't let her believe it. Simply put, she said its like she is in a dream and she won't come out of it until God wakes her up.

Today as we begin to let God restore and recall those dreams we have forgotten about, gave up on, or thought we would never be able to accomplish. Let us have the faith and heart of Daniela, that come hell or high waters, we won't be moved until God sounds the alarm!! Like the doctors and the scripture above, everyone won't be able to receive or understand the dream that God gave to you, but that’s not your problem to worry about. We just need to position ourselves to line up to God's will, so that He can bring all of our dreams to past.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Friday 04/23/10)

Letting Go To Get To God…

2 Corinthians 12:5-10 (Amplified Bible)

⁵Of this same [man's experiences] I will boast, but of myself (personally) I will not boast, except as regards my infirmities (my weaknesses). ⁶Should I desire to boast, I shall not be a witless braggart, for I shall be speaking the truth. But I abstain [from it] so that no one may form a higher estimate of me than [is justified by] what he sees in me or hears from me. ⁷And to keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by the exceeding greatness (preeminence) of these revelations, there was given me a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to rack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted. [Job. 2:6.] ⁸Three times I called upon the Lord and besought [Him] about this and begged that it might depart from me; ⁹But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! ¹⁰So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength).

Recently I have had some issues that have manifested in my life. Here I thought I had a handle on it. I was telling myself I was refusing to let these things get to me in such a way that it would stress me, or place me in a place of distress. I swore with all that was Holy that I had this. I told God, myself, the dog and the walls, I was strong enough to handle this storm, for I had been here before in larger proportion. As I lay in bed sick today, I heard in a still small voice I thought I told you to let it go. I said I have, He said, no, you have not, because you are trying to handle it and you have not even allowed yourself a moment to feel the full impact. I argued with God, I said but I have, finally God won, He showed me that I had not allowed myself to feel the full magnitude of the hurt, pain and disappointment and that I was trying to hold on, be strong and handle it in my own strength and that I would not be able to handle it that way. Today, I lay prostrate before God and poured out my soul and gave it ALL up to Him so that I could move on. I immediately felt a release in my spirit and a calm that I had lacked.

So many times we think we have matured in God to the point where we are beyond asking for help, or even acknowledging that we cannot handle certain things that arise in our lives. We figure that by now we should be strong enough to handle certain levels of pain, disappointment and trial, but given the right circumstances, the right climate and even sometimes the right people and all bets are off. What was a breeze becomes a literal fight for our lives. We are holding on to our pride, our thoughts, our abilities, and our knowledge (even in the Bible), but the answer cannot be found in any of that, it can only be found in letting Go, Giving it up, Releasing it and running straight into the arms of God to help us, to heal and draw strength to be saved. Just as the woman with the issue of blood, she had suffered so many things for twelve years, in essences she had tried everything that “she” could think of to change her circumstance, but when she was able to let go of what the doctors said, what society said and what she thought she knew to do, she recognized that she had to get to Jesus, because He was the only one that could heal and deliver her. Just like Ruth, she realized that all she had been familiar with, all she knew and was raised to be had not helped her, but she recognized that Naomi could guide her to a God that could change her circumstance and make her something special and unique, an example for generations to come.

Often we think it is a horrible thing to be in a place of weakness, and to admit that we need help, that we cannot do it alone. So instead we try to fool those around us and ourselves, we even try to fool God by saying I got this, and God is saying no you don’t, but He patiently waits for us to let go of all that we are holding on to and all we are holding up as a pretense of a solution until we have had enough and then He gently encourages us to let it Go and come to Him and let Him handle it. You see we can never handle God’s to do list, so why are we exhausting ourselves trying? Let Go of those cares and get to God as quickly as you can. Just like when you need assistance getting out of a car, a boat, etc. you have to first let go what you are holding on to, in order to grasp the hand of the person assisting you. It is the same with God. Let Go so you can feel His hands pull you up and out of the hurt, the pain, the mess, the discomfort that you are in.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Thursday 04/22/10)

Readjusting My Grip

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.

As my children have transitioned into young people, I have had to modify the way I deal with them. I have had to readjust the methods in which I use to deal with behaviors, teaching lessons and providing guidance. I have had to readjust the reigns in which I have on them, because they are older now and they need to understand the power of choice and how it affects the way they live and their relationships with God, people and the world around them. It has been an interesting journey to say the least. Many times I have felt that my grip was slipping and I had to learn to readjust it to apply just enough pressure, but nothing that would choke or stifle their growth and development.

God does us the same way. His commandments and His love remains the same, but as we grow and mature He lessens the grip that He may have first needed to keep us on the straight and narrow. As we grow and mature in Him, God knows what we can be trusted to put in check, get a grip on and stand in without Him, standing over us. He knows that there are temptations that do not affect us the way that they use to, but that there are others that He still has to keep reminding us to check. It is when we begin to choose God over self and so many self-motivating factors that we have begun to readjust our grip on God because of the value that we place upon Him in our lives. When God loosens His grip because He trusts us, often we need to tighten our grip on Him because as we grow and mature in Him, the realization that we need Him all the more should set in and become more tangible than ever.

Look at where you are right now, has God had to tighten His grip to keep you in pursuit of Him, or have you seen the need to tighten your grip on Him, because you realize you need Him more now than ever? Whichever one has taken place is an indicator of our level of maturity and responsibility in Him. Just like my daughter when she hugs me now she about falls on me and grips me with such fervency, because simply stated she realizes who I am to her and what she sees in me. What does God see in you and what do you see in God, the answer may be in whom is readjusting their grip and by how much…

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Wednesday 04/21/10)

Being Pulled To Safety…

Matthew 14:27-31 (Amplified Bible)

²⁷But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid! ²⁸And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. ²⁹He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! ³¹Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?

I remember when I was younger and I was in summer camp learning to swim. I was standing close to the deep end of the pool and was pushed in; well I came close to drowning. Needless to say in that moment I was scared to death. I remember the panic that hit me, all I could think of in that moment was my circumstance. I had no clue what to do to save myself. One of the life guards threw in a life saver and a pole, one of the times I surfaced I barely heard her say grab a hold to it. I remember thinking I can’t do this. But I did and then she was able to pull me to the edge of the pool as another life guard helped by jumping in and assisting to ensure I was safe.

Within my own strength, I would not and could not have made it. I was so engulfed in my state and what surrounded me I did not have enough faith in myself or in anyone else for that matter to trust that I would be okay. Isn’t this often our story? We are in the midst of a situation or we ask God to take us out into the deep, for some of us we didn’t ask, but we got pushed out into the deep end, because when God told us to step into the deep end we wouldn’t go. But instead of being able to see the Savior, see our ability to be saved we lose our focus and begin to sink and be consumed. But God is telling us just trust me, hold onto me and I can pull you to safety. I can make your circumstance what it needs to be. I can even save you from yourself. But instead we are always thinking that we need to rely on our own abilities to get us through. We have not yet realized that what we can do for ourselves is not God. It is when we need God’s strength, His power, His grace, and His abilities to make it manifest that we know that God is in the mix. That is when we learn that He truly is a present help in our time of need and/ or trouble. That He can save us even when we cannot save ourselves. That He can change us even when we know we cannot change ourselves or our circumstance.

God wants us to trust Him, and stay focused on Him, even when we find ourselves pushed into the deep end of whatever circumstance. Ask yourself this question; is anything too hard for God? The answer is NO, There Is Nothing Too Hard For God! He can pull you to safety and keep you from all hurt harm and danger. He can take your problems and make them solvable, He can take your impossibilities and make them possible. He is truly God all by himself!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Tuesday04/20/10)

Into His Hands…

Psalm 31:4-6 (Amplified Bible)

⁴Draw me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me, for You are my Strength and my Stronghold. ⁵Into Your hands I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth and faithfulness. ⁶[You and] I abhor those who pay regard to vain idols; but I trust in, rely on, and confidently lean on the Lord.

I have recently received a lot of emails from friends that were hurting and confused about their circumstance. They had placed their trust in people, and it had turned out to their pain and disappointment. In those moments I thought of how many times I had placed my trust and even my life into the hands of the wrong person or people and instead of them cherishing, valuing or safeguarding our relationship, covenant, friendship or connection they did something to produce hurt, disappointment, pain and even in some case destruction. It made my heart sad, but only briefly, because then I began to realize that it was God who had in those times snatched my life back, and placed in the proper hands. A place where I regained peace, love, joy and a place that allowed me to find clarity.

If we are all to be honest and look over our lives we can see times when we trusted people or put our lives in the hands of those who had no clue who we were, or what we were about. In some cases they did not have a clue who they were and what they were about, so there was no way they could have possibly been able to recognize who we were supposed to be to them, or who God made us to be. If we place our confidence in man we are bound to be disappointed and go through periods where we feel let down, misunderstood, disappointed and suffer pain and even have elements of us die. But just as Christ when He was on the cross, suffering and dying for you and I, there was a time when He came to the completion of His strength, His efforts, and He placed Himself, His spirit into the hands of His Father (God), we should do the same. There are no better hands to place our lives into then the Hands of Our Father God. God is our Deliverer, our Justifier, our Healer, our Sanctifier, our Everything. He is not a man so He does not lie, and He has no need for repentance. Even when everything within us ceases to exists, He is the one that can quicken and make alive what was once dead.

When we handle things we get results that are human in origin and birthed from the flesh, but it is when we place our issues, our questions, our situations, our jobs, our concerns, our relationships, our families into God’s hands we can gain supernatural results. We can have things not imagined and not yet seen; we can have things that bless our lives that are not the product of frailties, and disorder. God places everything that is in His hands in His divine order, timing, and the way it needs to be done to benefit us most. Imperfection can never produce perfection, but perfection can produce perfection, so why not place everything that we are and are entrusted with into the right hands, the perfect hands, into God’s hands!

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Monday 04/19/10)

Today’s Devotional Written By The Loving: Tracy Koweh ( soon To Be Dixon)

His Amazing Love

Ephesians 5:2 (New Living Translation)

² Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us^[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Today's message in the music comes from Luther Vangross's song "So Amazing". The overall theme of the song is about finding a love so true, so pure and so unconditional that it would cause a person to follow someone else to the moon just to be with them. Since starting this series "message in the music" I haven't been able to just listen to a song for pure enjoyment anymore. My spirit is always listening for that moment that makes me say, "that’s a blog". So as I was singing along to this song a few week ago, God put a special couple on my heart.

Although I am a loan officer, I happen to work at a branch located inside of a hospital. So a few months ago I had an encounter that would change my life forever. I met a young Italian woman, Daniela, who was preparing for her wedding. She had the glow of any fiancée who was about marry the person of their dreams. Her mother and a cousin from Italy accompanied her, as she came to add her name to Kenny's account. About fifteen minutes into the conversation Daniela informed me that her wedding was being moved up by six months because her twenty-seven year old fiancée was fighting for his life against cancer.

Well, over the past few weeks God has used me and Shane to be a blessing to them. They have almost no family or friends here but their attitude would never tell you that. They are always thanking me and Shane, but the truth be told, they have blessed us far more than anything we could buy them, cook them or bless them with. To watch her be the reason he continues to fight and to see the way she kisses him, calls him pet names, and smile with every passing day is truly amazing. The love between them is nothing I've ever seen before. When she looks at him, she doesn't see the cancer, she sees the man. She sees the love of her life. She doesn't ask for anything, and I've never heard her complain. Her home is literally his military hospital room, but its home because they are together.

Their example of love is one I'll cherish in my heart always, because it’s a perfect example of Christ's love. When Jesus looks at us, He doesn't see the adultery, the liar, the abuser, the rapist, the molester, the drunk, the addict, the gossiper, the hypocrite. He sees the love of His life. He sees us as covered by His blood. He sees the best in us, when the world sees the worst. He sees our potential and not our downfall. He sees our future, despite our past. Today except His amazing love, put down your own will, and follow Him. Christ's love won't ever let you down, but it can and will pull you up and push you into your destiny.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Friday 04/16/10)

No More What?

Matthew 7:1-5 (Amplified Bible)

¹DO NOT judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. ²For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you. ³Why do you stare from without at the very small particle that is in your brother's eye but do not become aware of and consider the beam of timber that is in your own eye? ⁴Or how can you say to your brother, Let me get the tiny particle out of your eye, when there is the beam of timber in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother's eye.

1 Corinthians 11:31-32 (Amplified Bible)

³¹For if we searchingly examined ourselves [detecting our shortcomings and recognizing our own condition], we should not be judged and penalty decreed [by the divine judgment]. ³²But when we [fall short and] are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined and chastened, so that we may not [finally] be condemned [to eternal punishment along] with the world.

Today's Message In the Music is No More Drama by Mary J. Blige. There is a line that states "I don’t know Only god knows where the story ends for me But I know where the story begins It’s up to us to choose Whether we win or lose. And I choose to win. No more pain, No more games, No more drama(no more drama in my life, no one's gonna make me hurt again). No more in my life."

"I recently posted this Buzz comment on all my pages (Facebook, MySpace, Tagged, Yahoo and Gmail) after several conversations with female friends from around the country who were encountering this issue: "I love when people (especially men) say I am drama free or no more drama, in their lives, because they are really confessing where they are at...Be true and say bring the drama, because that is what I thrive off of. Stop trying to be who you are not so you can stop being accused of not being what you aren't…It is FRUSTRATING to all of those of us who have to deal with you."

I received a lot of positive feedback from men and women, but one of my male friends was offended. This comment was only meant as an expression of an opinion and observation not just by myself but by those I have interaction and have encountered, but for his discomfort and offense, I apologize. As I reviewed all of these sites and others like it, I observed that not once did I see a woman’s profile, making these declarations "No more drama or Drama free" on their page. The standard that we confess is one we should be willing to live by. If we want to announce to the world that we do not tolerate certain things in our lives, and we judge others by a standard that we have, then we open ourselves up to being scrutinized and judged in those same areas, by that same standard. That is why it is important not to judge, as Matthew7:1-2 declares “judge not lest ye be judge for with the same measure you judge you shall be judged.” God also declares He detests unbalanced weights and measures, this is not just in business, but it is in life and in the way we deal with and handle one another. Our expectation of others cannot be one thing and then we give or live by another set of standards and expectations.

Last night in Bible study Minister Northam dealt with "confess your faults one to another, so that you "may" be healed." That the condition to release us from our place of pain, drama, and disease is not to make others the issue, but for us to realize who we are and what issues and drama we have. Then we must choose to confess it and then pray, but not just any prayer one that exhibits our urgency and commitment to change. Then we should make the choice to judge ourselves and allow God to fix what is broken within us. But healing just doesn’t happen we have to realize that for some of us we have been in a place of dysfunction, drama and misalignment so long that we need accountability and help for us to be able to get free from the drama, disease, sin or unrest. I use to say I wanted a stress free life, but I have since learned that for me, a certain amount of stress is healthy to motivate me, to push me to get things done, but until I came to grips with that I could not get a handle on the area of stress in my life at all. I had to be real with me first and what made me who I am, what portions were healthy for my make-up and then face the portion I needed to get rid of. Then I was able to approach God and get released and in a healthier place.

Our Bishop recently said God is calling for Holiness or Hell in us, there is no gray area. If we read the Word of God, study the Word of God and live the Word of God, then we close the door to confusion about who we are and what we desire for our lives. If we give control over who we are and yield totally to God then we would stop placing unreal expectations on people and realize that God does not do that to us, because if He did we would be in trouble, and miss the mark regularly. Life is messy, primarily because of the sin nature, our flesh and pride and all that it brings to the table, even when we accept Christ, we have to learn to kill the flesh all day long!

So let us leave the judging, standard setting and dictating to God! It is our job to live the standard that God has outlined in His word and not to compromise it…Know we are All broken in some areas it is our job to pray, get us straight and then help others(if they are our assignment), but it is NOT our assignment to dictate, judge and scrutinize, anyone but ourselves, because most likely if we are doing these things, it is an all too familiar place to us and we live on that street as well, or frequently visit it, because of our own unresolved issues. Give it all over to God and let Him eliminate the pain, the drama, the disconnect and bring you into a place of peace, rest, healing, comfort, and accountability so we aren't looking for anyone to eliminate our issues but we are looking to God to bring about change within us and others.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Thursday 04/15/10)

Today’s Devotional Written By a Young Lady Taking Stock and Inventory: Tracy Koweh (soon to be Dixon)

Check Out Your Warehouse

2 Chronicles 20:17 (New Living Translation)

¹⁷ But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

Today's message in the music is the last from Aretha's “Look into Your Heart”. Today's verse says: If you look into your heart. With a positive mind. Take self inventory, your woman and your glory. Leave the bad things behind. Sometimes in life we forget how to measure our own strength and worth. We allow the things, mistakes and hang up of others to disqualify all of our growth and advancement in the Kingdom.

I've been dealing with some things lately that although small, have begun to pile up one on top of the other and become a major weight to me. These small situations have put a dark cloud over me and drained all of the excitement and personality out of my spirit. I find myself tired and withdrawn on the inside yet somehow still able to function for the rest of the world's benefit, on the outside. I was so focused on what I had lost, what I was fighting and who was hurting me that I overlooked the cargo I was packing deep down.

I love that the song says take self inventory, because God has gifted us all with our very own survival kit for our lives. No matter what hell comes our way, we all have a back pack of joy, peace and power on the inside of us if we have Christ truly dwelling within. When the enemy, life and circumstances come at us, we tend to lose sight on all that we have come from. We forget the battles we have won and begin to let a feeling of defeat, despair and depression set in. Well, today God is telling us to let go of the bad things and never look back. Focus on the good things that are around you and allow them to fill up the empty spaces until there are no more voids to fill.

No matter what situation is staring you in the face today, choose to turn away from it and stare into the face of Jesus. Let him remove, repair and then replace all those things trying to keep you down. You are worth it, and now its time to prove it to no one else but yourself.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Wednesday 04/14/10)

Today’s Devotional Written By a Priceless Individual: Tracy Koweh

Can You Afford It?

Jeremiah 15:15 (New Living Translation)

¹⁵ Then I said, “Lord, you know what’s happening to me. Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors! Please give me time; don’t let me die young. It’s for your sake that I am suffering.

Today's message in the music comes from another part of Aretha's song "Look Into Your Heart". Today's verse says: Everybody’s got a story. About love and the good things. But for the spices of your life. You got to pay the price. If you know what I mean. This part of the song immediately makes me think of the saying, No Pain, No Gain.

Yesterday Shane and I attended an eight hour pre-martial class together. Although eight hours was no where near enough time to prep for a marriage, we learned a lot things from the other couples attending the class with us. The ironic thing of the prep class was that Shane and I were the only non-married couple in the class. We were in the midst of couples married less than 2 months and then some who had been on and off for over twenty years. It was a unique dynamic to watch, but I noticed that when it got to the point of talking about or opening up about problems in the home, most couples got very quiet.

It was as if it was easy to tell of the good things that happened, the honeymoon and the kids, but it required something within to speak of the painful and disappointing moments. As the class proceeded throughout the day, I stayed silent for the most part. I finally said something at the end of class, and it changed the entire atmosphere of the room. I spoke of the pain I went through in losing my twin babies one year before giving birth to Jaida. I opened up and told that although losing them was hard, I turned it into a blessing. That the experience made me appreciate what most women call the discomforts of pregnancy, and gave me a different perspective while I carried Jaida.

See sometimes the problems in our lives, are not the problems, but the way we are looking at them. Anything worth having is worth fighting for and most things of true value don't come easy. Even actors, athletes, and performers have to put in long hours of work to reach the level of fame they do. I believe that the way we set our mind on a thing, can completely affect its outcome. I wonder if Jesus looks back on Calvary as the place that changed His life and our lives forever. I wonder if He sits in Heaven and tells the angels that although the price was high, the merchandise was worth every penny. If Christ had to go through Calvary, what makes us think we won't have our own cross to carry.

We all have a story. We all have a testimony. We are all tested and tried daily for His glory. Whatever situation you may be going through right now, know that God will be in control if you let Him. Every blessing has a price tag on it.................. Can you afford it and are you willing and ready to pay.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Tuesday 04/13/10)

Today’s Devotional Written By a Solider Waging War: Tracy Koweh

Give All or Nothing

John 16:33 (New Living Translation)

³³ I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Today's message in the music comes Aretha Franklin's "Look into Your Heart". If you're like me you know this song from the movie Sparkle. The entire song is so meaningful that it will be the message for the next few days. Today's verse is: When I finally found there was nothing left. I do believe I found myself. And I want to give it to you baby. This song is the finale of the movie, and its so powerful because throughout the movie Sparkle doesn't realize who she is. She doesn't recognize her own talent and strength because she is living behind the shadow of her older sister. She goes through the motions of life, but she is really not living until she meets a man who sees everything that is inside of her, even though she still can't see it. He loves her with a determination to push her to her destiny.

Well, I've been privileged to experience this love in the physical and the spiritual. Yesterday was a very rough day for me. I had a day off to rest and regroup from all the party planning and craziness from the weekend I had gone through, but from the first twenty minutes of my day nothing went right. First Jai chose this one opportunity for me to sleep in to wake up early. Second, I came out of the shower to find peaches and juice all over my bedroom floor. When we get ready to head out for school, I can't find my keys. Then I find my keys to discover I have very little gas in the car. It just kept getting better and better. So then I have this amazing idea to go get my hair done and I hate it. I mean it looked like something Jaida could have done. So ninety minutes and $45 later I got in my car and lost it. I cried and cried some more, and I realized that it had to be something more; something I was missing.

Well, in the midst of my break down Shane was so calm and so loving. He just listened and said he loves me. We get off the phone and he prays. Then I get an "email' from heaven and Jesus asks me what's wrong. I honestly don't know and so I cry some more. By now I've texted my contact list and told everybody to leave me alone and let me be for the day. And then God spoke to me. He told me the problem was me. I was trying to take on too much by myself. I was giving God some of my issues but still trying to handle some things all on my own. So overestimating my own strength plus underestimating His lead to a feeling so powerful and overwhelming the smallest non-trivial things caused me to break down.

It was in me losing my strength, my ability, my control, that I found myself in Christ. I found that greater is He that is in me, than just me by myself in this world. In the song when she says "I want to give me to you baby", she is meaning all of her. And like single's side yesterday we have to get to a place where we give all of ourselves to the Father or the enemy will break us down with the little day to day things we are faced with. Today let us decide to either give it all to Him, or nothing at all. He is a full time God, not a part time worker on call.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Monday 04/12/10)

Today’s Devotional Written By A Young Woman With A Heart To Love and Live For God: Tracy Koweh

They Didn't Know

Revelation 10:5-6 (Amplified Bible)

⁵Then the [mighty] angel whom I had seen stationed on sea and land raised his right hand to heaven (the ^[a]sky),^{(A) 6}And swore in the name of (by) Him Who lives forever and ever, Who created the heavens (^[b]sky) and all they contain, and the earth and all that it contains, and the sea and all that it contains. [He swore] that no more time should intervene and there should be no more waiting or delay,

Today's message in the music comes from Alicia Keys' song "Like You'll Never See Me Again." A part of the first verse says: I don't wanna forget the present is a gift. And I don't wanna take for granted the time you may have here with me. 'Cause Lord only knows another day is not really guaranteed. How many of us have laid our head down at night and not righted a wrong, corrected a mistake, or forgave a loved one? So many times we say, tomorrow is not promised to us, but we live our lives like it’s a guarantee.

I wonder how many of Christ's accusers woke up the next day and realized what they had done. How many bystanders watched Him carry the cross and didn't stop to help him? Did any of the disciples tell Him how much they loved Him and how much He meant to them at the last supper? Did those He healed take the time to find Him and thank Him for all He had done? Or did no one understand that after Calvary He would never be the same again.

So many times in our lives we make the same fatal mistake of not realizing the value of some people God has placed in our lives. The very people we abuse, misuse, take advantage of, misjudge, falsely accuse and turn our backs on, may very well be the person God has set in place to bless us, heal us, or bring us closer to our destiny. None of us know the time or the hour that He is coming back, or that our time on Earth will end, so we should spend every moment as if it is our last.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Friday 04/09/10)

Today’s Devotional Written By A Woman With A Different Perspective: Tracy Koweh

Love Without Expectations

1 John 4:10 (New Living Translation)

¹⁰ This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Today's message in the music comes from the title of Janet Jackson's song "Love Will Never Do Without You". Although ideally love should be a two way street, I'm learning that when it’s truly unconditional love, its one way. The crazy thing about it is that if we all loved correctly it would be a continuous flow of love on Earth. How can I say that true love operates in one direction? The example set by Christ. He did not say that in order for Him to die on the cross, we had to love Him back. Instead He determined in His mind that His love for us and His desire to reconcile us back to the Father was His hearts desire. He loved us so much that He laid down His life with no guarantees or promises from us, that we would love Him back, care or appreciate His selfless act.

I often tell Shane that his love reminds me of Christ (as it should), because he loves so freely and unconditionally. He has this ability to see past people’s wrong doings and motives and to love them in spite of. He can forgive things and words from people in a matter of minutes that I would hold on to for weeks. Shane loves and doesn't expect anything in return. He pours out his heart even when no one pours back into him. This beautiful quality in him incites me to love him back. His heart makes me want to do more and love more, and not just him but everyone I come in contact with.

This kind of love can only be accomplished with God. He was the creator and originator of love, so in order for us to love properly we must invite God to the party. We must learn that love will never do without Him. The love of God in your heart, will give you the strength and endurance to love the must unlovable person. It will allow you to sow into the person who deliberately hurt you. God's love will cause you to love, even when the person on the receiving end doesn't know how or chooses not to give you love back

Today as we prepare to enter the weekend, let us ask God to give us a one way love. A love that doesn't expect anything back or require anything to receive it. Let us love as Christ did, with the mindset that God the Father will give the increase and the reward. If we all love the way we should, there would not be an empty vessel on this planet. Let go of the hurt, the pain, the past and let God fill you up with His love, His power, and His peace so you can affectively love others.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Thursday 04/08/10)

Today’s Devotional Written By A Young Woman With Keen Sight: Tracy Koweh

Right in Front of Me

Luke 23:39-43 (New Living Translation)

³⁹ One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” ⁴⁰ But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? ⁴¹ We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” ⁴³ And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Today's message in the music comes from the title of Young Joc's song "I Know You See it". Have you ever been riding in a car with someone looking at clouds, and although you're both looking at the exact same image, your eyes see two different things. I can recall playing ‘I spy’ as a little girl with my cousins, and I remember getting angry and wondering how they couldn't see what I saw. As I got older I realized that 1. being in different places in the car gave us different viewpoints 2. that some people would never be able to see it because they choose not to and 3. others would always only see what they wanted to see and nothing else.

We've all heard stories of two children growing up with the same childhood but ending up completely different; two children being raised by single mothers, in a poor neighborhood, with limited education. One ends up in a gang, the other headed to college on a full scholarship. What did one see that the other didn't? I can imagine that the mother of the successful child would say to the other mother, "I know you see it". You have to be able to look beyond your circumstances, and see what God has in store for your future.

This principle was proven on the hillside at Calvary. An innocent man hung between two criminals. One saw the Savior, one saw a man. I'm sure the criminal who Jesus saved thought, "I know he sees it." How can you be that close to the King of Kings and not know it? How can you look into His eyes and not be compelled to worship? How can you smell His blood and not be made whole? How can you be so close to victory, and still die defeated? The answer is simply by not knowing Him.

Today ask God to open your eyes even more so you can begin to really see Him in all His majesty and splendor. God is like no other man or thing on this planet and we miss Him everyday in the little moments because we don't know how to recognize Him. If you hung on the cross next to Him today, which criminal’s eyesight would you have ...........................would you see the Savior, or a man?

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Wednesday 04/07/10)

Today’s Devotional Written By A Woman With A Heart To Serve: Tracy Koweh

No Wrongs Made it Right

Luke 23:40-42 (New Living Translation)

⁴⁰ But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? ⁴¹ We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

Today's message in the music comes from Silkk the Shocker's song "It Ain't My Fault". The chorus says: "It ain't my fault, Did I do that?" We've all heard the saying "two wrongs don't make one right" but what about when no wrongs makes everything right. That’s exactly what happened on Calvary. Jesus took the beating of all eternity for every man, woman, and child to have eternal life and some of us still don't get it.

Lisa wrote a message recently that said love is about giving up your right to be right. That again goes back to the cross. I have a hard enough time forgiving people who have wronged me intentionally, so I know I would have a hard time with God asking me to lay down my life for people who would reject, defile, and disgrace me without a second a thought.

When did we decide that Calvary didn't need all of that? When did we get the notion that Christ should have died for us? We need to re-evaluate the price that Christ paid every single day of our live. We need to be so thankful and grateful that our sole mission in life, is proving to the world that Calvary was not in vain. We need to be the light of the world and the salt of the land. It’s time for us to stand up and be living witnesses just as Christ was doing His public crucifixion.

Today let us purpose in our hearts to show our gratitude to the Son of God, because although He didn't do anything and it wasn't His fault, He took the blame for us. He fell down so we could stand up. He went down to the grave, so we could rise back up again. He was beaten so we could be healed. He was bruised so we could be made bold. Don't forget the cross, because the world is no longer celebrating.

Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Tuesday 04/06/10)

Today’s Devotional Written By The Heart Of Tracy Koweh

1- - - - 2 - - - 3 Can He Count on Me

Luke 23:35-38 (New Living Translation)

³⁵ The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” ³⁶ The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. ³⁷ They called out to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸ A sign was fastened to the cross above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.”

Today's message in the music comes from the Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack song "Count On Me". The second verse of the song says: I know sometimes it seems as if, We're standing all alone. But we'll get though it, Cause love won't let us fall.

Sunday in church my Bishop made a great point that I don't think I ever thought about before. When Jesus was taking that walk to Calvary, where was His crew, His believers, His supporters, His followers? Where were the people He had performed miracles on or for? Could no one to see how heavy that cross was to carry? Could no one step up and say Lord I got your back? We all know that we can count on God to be there in our darkest hour, but can God count on us.

Planning my wedding has been one of the happiest times of my life, but at the same time two of my closest friends are going through very painful separations. I love the fact that I can still count on them to be happy for me, and that they can count on me to be there for them. So many times in our lives we let the enemy cause us to miss an opportunity to be used trying to focus on our own situation. The greatness of the cross, is that he carried the load for something He didn't do. He shouldered the burden so that those He loves, could be set free. When you do the math, does it all add up? Can you be counted on in the Kingdom?

Are you God’s properties, during the cross or just for the crown? Does He have your heart when all hell is breaking loose, or only when you don't feel the need to let loose anymore? When your name comes up in Heaven, does it cause God to smile with confidence or smirk with confusion?

Today be a burden bearer and not just a burden. Pick up the cross of someone else and watch God move on both of your lives. When Heaven knows you by name, there is nothing you can't have. Tap into the unconditional love of Christ and let God use you to be a blessing to someone else today. It’s not always about self, but sometimes about being selfless.