Deliver Us From Ignorance!

And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.  I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls. Joel 2:28-32 NIV

I don't know about you, but I'm calling on the name the Lord, daily--to deliver us from the ignorance oozing and spreading from the White House and all those who speak on behalf of the toddler-in-chief.

I guess, I may have to just stop listening to the stupidity that his enablers expect people to believe.
Don't know who his enablers are? Let me see if I make this brief--everyone speaking on his behalf, trying to explain the most recent stupidity. I guess they all signed loyalty pledges and are afraid to speak truth.  We should all ask them why they risk their own credibility trying to defend the indefensible.

Jeffrey Lord, Paris Dennard, Kayleigh McEnany, Kellyanne Conway, Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee, Darrell Scott, Jason Miller, Jack Kingston, and only God knows who else is lying on behalf of donald.  They need to simply admit he has limited comprehension skills, is a pathological liar, and suffers from a cognitive disability. It's just that simple!

Of course, his supporters have long since sold their souls to the devil out of hate-driven agenda to elect him and defend him. I've never seen such ignorance in my life and it is appalling because they are committed to the idiot-in-chief.

Okay, I'm not perfect, but I'm not an idiot either. I know and own my limitations and don't try to confuse or conflate facts with nonsense and twitter rants.

Now, that I've got that off my chest, everyone needs to take a serious look at where our country is headed and put aside political angst or even bigotry long enough to see what this idiocy is doing our reputation in the world. Can't speak for everyone, but I care! I'm guessing all who do care are the real Patriots, not those just running their mouths.

Some things just never change and some people are just to set in their ways to wake up and smell the stench that is polluting the air around us. Incompetence in the White House is never a good idea and we see where that leads--more confusion and chaos--seemingly planned or plotted to redirect focus from upcoming testimonies. Those of us who know where the stench originates are not going to be misled. Our focus is on the truth--however it comes to the forefront.

Just remember, we can always change the landscape by voting blue in special elections and in Mid Terms 2018. I'll wait my turn in 2020. Just saying!

Considering the run so Everyday Americans will be well-represented from the White House! Deliverance from ignorance is on the way!

 https://youtu.be/YUUhDoCx8zc

Our God Shall Deliver!

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls. Joel 2:28-32 NIV

The fate of the nation, as always,  depends upon the Lord's deliverance and that deliverance shall come when we learn to depend upon Him.

There are many things from which we need deliverance.

Some of us need deliverance from online shopping. Every time we see something we think we like, we order and then wonder why we can't save money. And we need to save every dime we can for that rainy day fund--for soon--there will be a deluge of rain and if we have nothing stored against the havoc, we will suffer loss.

Some of us need deliverance from promoting lies. We tend to accept all the latest gossip from various fake news articles as being credible and then without thinking twice, we share on social media accounts or in break rooms, with friends and neighbors and anyone who will listen to us. We become the target of unsavory markets--deliberately snagging personal data when we download information through social media accounts--and they in turn send more lies and many believe them.

Some of us need deliverance from all sorts of addictions--drugs, alcohol, overeating, stealing, lying, and even unsolicited counseling/advice. If we have an addictive spirit--we can become addicted to almost anything because the "thing" becomes our comfort and joy. No addiction can be overcome without changing what we do. I quit smoking by giving up coffee and talking on the phone over 30 years ago. These were habits that led to me lighting a cigarette. The first thing I did (after praying) was to stop buying cigarettes. I couldn't smoke what I didn't have.

In order to break addictive cycles, we must be willing to acknowledge there is a problem, and then "do" something about it. We can stay away from all those things that keep us controlled, but lying and giving unsolicited counseling--we need to change our mindset, think before opening our mouths and realize that the lies we tell--corrupt our reputation and soon no one believes anything we say. The unsolicited counseling/advice is ignored and people tend to avoid us because they know--we tend to think we know what is best for everyone when it actuality, we barely know what's best for ourselves.
Jesus Christ--our redeemer--has given us the ultimate means of deliverance from sin and all other things that we allow to control us--He has delivered us from us--when we allow Holy Spirit to direct our steps in all things. He does not force us or make us do anything, but when we allow Him to direct us and we listen to Him, we can overcome anything that attempts to assail us and keep us from receiving God's best.

God shall deliver us from all things that keep us from receiving His best in our lives--if we call upon Him and believe He will.

I believe that God--who knows all and sees all--will deliver us from any catastrophic events and that includes exposing truth about the election results. I have and will continue to call upon Him and have faith in what He is able to do. I also have faith in all those who love Him, to hear Him when He speaks and obey. I am declaring deliverance--now!

Without God In The Midst!

“Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection, to Egypt’s shade for refuge. But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame, Egypt’s shade will bring you disgrace. Though they have officials in Zoan and their envoys have arrived in Hanes, everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them, who bring neither help nor advantage, but only shame and disgrace.” Isaiah 30: 1-5 NIV

Seeking understanding to explain what's happening in our society today, we see in The Word, there is truly nothing new under the sun.

Then, as now, whenever people sought "other people or places" as a means to change things for the better--without God, they inevitably made a mess of things and people ended up in worse shape than they were in from the beginning.

Looking at Pharaoh--the iconic symbol for government--one in a position of ruling the government and Egypt as the seat of government--we see the parallels that exist in our system of government--supposedly a democracy, but its foundation of lies and hypocrisy leads us to where we are today.

If we seek salvation from a president--we delude ourselves; especially if that person does not know God and cannot make decisions for us based upon The Word. If we seek deliverance from all the woes we see--economic distress, political unrest, and a general lack of respect for others--we waste our time expecting relief or change from a place--namely Washington, DC--the seat of government.

Without consulting God--we can do nothing worthwhile and we are like the proverbial ship without a sail and doomed to fail at all we do.

Without consulting God--Supreme Court Justices openly defy and alter God's plan for mankind--making a mockery of the first institution established by God--marriage.

Without consulting God--legislators decided to remove prayer and kick God out of the schools, leaving the door open for the devil to create havoc and chaos for all.

Without consulting God--our current President endorses predatory behavior by claiming that anyone can use any bathroom--"whatever they feel like they are."

Without consulting God--we the people--by popular proclamation--are considering electing people who have not consulted God--to benefit the people.

Since God is not being consulted--for any number of things--we open ourselves to the consequences of sin--heaped upon sin.

Any time, people--from times past to the present--have proceeded to plan anything without God being in the midst--we leave ourselves prey to all the evil the enemy has planned and then we wonder why--things are falling apart all around us. It is no mystery that the world is headed in the wrong direction, for we're looking for deliverance from people, and not God.

It's time for us to head in the right direction, but that can only happen when we allow God's plans to unfold in our lives. And the only way we can know God's Plans is to get into His Word, seek His Wisdom, and do things--His Way!

Who You Gonna Call?

And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Shall be saved.
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,
As the LORD has said,
Among the remnant whom the LORD calls. Joel 2:32 NKJV

When we hear a small child crying, every mother in the vicinity listens as our ears perk up because every mother knows her child's cry. If the child can talk and we hear, "Mama" we run to save our child from whatever is making them call us. God, our Father, knows the cries of His children and He will respond.

Considering the many gods people worship, I wonder which of them will respond to a plea for help when the people who worship them call on them.

Will Buddha respond to a cry for help?

Will any of the prophets respond to a cry for help?

Will any of the beads, the crosses, the idols that so many worship respond to a cry for help?

Nothing made by the hands of man can respond to a cry for help or anything else. They have no life in them and therefore cannot do anything to save life. The only thing that things can do is what they are manipulated to do by the hands of man.

A car--and so many worship their vehicles--is a non-living entity and can do nothing on its own unless manipulated by a person--someone controlling what it does.

Houses--those structures in which we live and that some people worship--made by the hands of man and have no life of their own--cannot save anyone.

Equipment--made by men and manufactured to save lives--is marvelous when used correctly by men/women and can save lives, but if we simply look at them and call upon them, they will not respond.

When we are in trouble as those were at the time Joel was prophesying as God spoke, we can know there is but One who will respond to our call for help and save us from ourselves--The Lord. And just as a remnant--a handful--were saved then, there will come a time when another remnant--those who refuse to budge from their faith and stance pertaining to The Word of God--will be saved when they call upon the name of The Lord.

Not one person--especially those running for political office has the power to save us--individually or as a nation and they should all stop lying to appease the media and the masses who are gullible enough to believe them.

What this country needs is total reliance and dependence on Jesus Christ--living every day according to The Word of God, seeking His wisdom--constantly and ignoring all the hoopla and loud noises of those who can't save themselves and certainly cannot save others.

Okay--we still have time to seek God and His wisdom in order to put the right person in the White House--someone who cares about all Americans, not just the rich or 1%, but all who live in the land.

Lord,
You said if we called upon You in the time of need You would save us and deliver us from evil. Right now, I'm calling on You to give us direction and wisdom to select the person who knows You and with whom You have an airtight relationship. Thank You for hearing and responding to this plea for help for the nation. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen!

If We Believe Him, Let's Live It!

I lift up my eyes to the mountains--where does my help come from? My help comes from The Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1,2 NIV

We have to remember, when reading this passage of scripture, that when people were deceived and worshipped idols, they created their temples in the mountains, in the midst of the trees and held their secret acts of worship to the things which they created with their own hands. So, the question is--Where does my help come from?

My help comes from The Lord--not the things made by the hands of men, but from Him who created all things and without Him, nothing was ever created!

Now, if we really believe our help comes from The Lord, why don't we live like we know it? When our bodies are wracked with pain, do we call on Him? And this is not to say we shouldn't see doctors, but we should always ask God who we should see. The God of heaven, who walked the earth, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and making the lame to walk is the same God we say we believe today. If we believe Him, He can do the same thing He did before! He never changes, but we do. Where is our faith in Him?

Lord, we have doubted too long in Your ability to heal our bodies and to heal the land, but we're taking a step today, to have faith in Your Word and we're calling on You, Lord, to heal our land, and our bodies from head to toe. Lord, we're looking to You to dissolve plaque from brain cells, renewing each one, restoring memories and abilities for all who love and are not ashamed to worship in the beauty of holiness and truth. Lord, we thank You for speaking wisdom to all who are in the position of making decisions for the masses; reveal to them who You are and create in them a heart to receive what You have to say and obey.

Lord, we thank You for being a just God and for giving us peace to accept whatever You desire in our lives. We thank for mercy and grace and forgiveness for all the wrongs we've ever done out of ignorance and disobedience. Lord we thank You for giving us another chance to enjoy Your love and to share our love for You with others that they, too will come to a place of total belief and faith in You. We need Your strength infused in us to keep doing things according to Your Word and we thank You for loving us enough to keep us headed in the right direction, on the path of righteousness.

We're crying out to You, O God for there is no one else who can do the things You do: keeping our angels alert and watchful as we sleep and keeping us from harm. Allowing us to look beyond the faults of others and showing them mercy just as You have done to us. Thank You, for looking beyond our faults and providing our needs so we may continue to live this life, pleasing You.

In Jesus' name we ask and thank You for the abundant blessings You pour out on us daily.

Save Us Lord!

"Many times He delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin. Yet He took note of their distress when He heard their cry; for their sake He remembered His covenant and out of His great love He relented,. He caused all who held them captive to show them mercy. Save us, Lord our God, and gather us from the nations that we may give thanks to Your holy name and glory in Your praise." (Psalm 106: 43-47 NIV)

On an individual level--personal and unique to each of us--how many times has The Lord delivered us and in our rebellion, we turned again to do that from which we had been delivered?

And though this passage specifically referred to the Children of Israel with whom the covenant was made, does it not yet apply to "Spiritual Israel," all who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior? Every nation who has within its boundaries, Believers of the Lord Jesus Christ, is now Spiritual Israel and so this passage speaks to every born-again Believer.

What has held us captive? Some have been held captive to addictions--drugs, alcohol, sex, prolific lying, stealing, abusive behaviors, and all manner of things which keep us in need of a Savior. Some are held captive by people--chained by ideologies that have never worked and yet people keep trying to instill them or beat people over the head with them. Some are literally held captive at the whim of sadistic people who think they have a right to do whatever they wish to other people. Some could say America is being held captive by elected officials who either don't right from wrong or don't care. This is especially sad when many proclaim to know our Risen Savior, but don't have to a clue as to how to uphold The Word in all they do.

Some are held captive by spouses who use manipulation and threats to control.

And some of us are held captive by fear and doubt--we don't know how to move forward and don't have the courage or boldness to seek methods of setting ourselves free--through The Word and obeying Holy Spirit.

How on earth can we expect to see others delivered when we need deliverance? Can those in prisons--locked behind bars--help others to break free when they are not free? Can a drug addict assist another to break the chain of addiction when their own chains are tightened every time they use? Can a spouse (in particular a husband) try to teach someone else how to treat a wife when they haven't learned how to treat their own? Can a preacher instill living a holy life, according to God's Word, when they haven't figured out to live--openly, without fear of disgrace or shame because of their own actions?

It is time--long past time--for the church--The Body of Christ--to get its act together--living according to The Word--and seeing deliverance in the church! We cannot expect to see shackles fall off others when we the chains that bind us, get tighter every day we refuse to repent and relent--totally submitting to God. And this is why the world is in the shape it's in because those who proclaim to know Christ are not living Christ-like lives and so those who don't know Him, are confused by what we say when it doesn't match what we do.

"Let all God's people say, Amen!"

Now that we agree that we need to do something about the condition of the world--our nation, our neighborhoods, our communities, our families, our society, however we see it--let's get off our butts and do something about it. We've prayed, now it's time for action for prayer without action is totally pointless. Save us Lord!

Why Jesus Said, "The Spirit of Truth Will Remind You!"

"But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you." (John 16:13-15 NIV)

The promise of Holy Spirit, our Advocate, Comforter, and Counselor--to those who follow Christ was not just for the disciples of that day, but for all who believe Him because of them. At the time Jesus was telling them about the role of Holy Spirit, He did so because He knew His time here on earth was just about up, but He didn't want His disciples to be discouraged in His physical absence. A number of things led up to this conversation, but what makes it worthwhile is knowing, we also have access to all Jesus promised through Holy Spirit. But this is why He said it.

John 16:7-12

v. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you.

v.8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:

v.9 about sin, because people do not believe in me;

v.10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;

v.11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

v.12 I have much more to say to you, more than you can bear."

The time was now at hand which the prophets predicted. Jesus was about to submit Himself for the ultimate sacrifice for sin and it was time for Him to return to heaven. But He wanted His disciples to know, they would not be left without benefit of His continued guidance in all things.

Everything He had told them about sin--Holy Spirit would bring back to their remembrance and they would see the results of sin because people did not believe Him. What most people do not understand about what Jesus said about sin was He included all sin, not the variations of sin. When the religious leaders brought the woman who was supposedly caught in the act of adultery, He told her to go and SIN no more. He did not make a distinction between fornication, or other sexual immorality or anything else. He did not say, don't commit any more SINS, He said SIN no more. Don't do anything that is a sin according to God's Word! For those who know His purpose in being here, we know that's what He meant. And that is why He said, there would be this continuous debate about sin, because people don't believe Him. If we love Him, we'll obey Him.

He said Holy Spirit would guide all who believe Him in righteousness--not self-righteousness-but leading all to be in right-standing with God. In order to be in right standing with God, one must know what God has said and be willing to stand on His Word for all times--no matter what current trends may abound. In fact, Paul tells us we are not to conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds in Christ Jesus. Paul understood that the enemy first attacks and influences the minds of people and then behavior follows the thoughts of their minds. If we have the mind of Christ--through relationship with Him, then we stand on God's Word and will not fall prey to the enemy's deceptions.

Then, as for judgment--judgment has already made against the prince of this world--the god of this world, Satan, the prince of darkness (always influencing people to try to hide their wrong-doing), the devil--by whatever name he is known, the lake of fire has already been prepared for him and now he seeks to influence others so he won't burn alone.

Because He understood that He had given His disciples much to think about and He knew they did not fully understand, He decided not to overwhelm them with more teachings, but assured them that Holy Spirit would continue to teach them and remind them of all they had been taught and show them things to come.

I can imagine that every person who has ever read the Bible in its entirety, more than once--has been overwhelmed by the abundance of information. And most people have their own method of reading and reading in order to get the most out of it the content and understanding the intent. All of the sins--as God gave them--are enumerated in Deuteronomy 28--which I refer to as the book of blessings and curses. Of course they are explained in detailed throughout Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, as well as the rest of Deuteronomy. But as I said, there is much than can overwhelm
and simplicity usually leaves its mark.

The bottom line is this--God has a blueprint for our living--designed to put us in a position to prosper, not harm us so we would have a future and our children's children would have a great future as well. We were meant to have generational blessings, but for those who won't obey, they have been destined for generational curses. It's time to break the curses, but it can only be done out of obedience to God's Word, not political correctness, or succumbing to Satan's agenda.
Holy Spirit is here--to remind us, to guide us, to comfort us and to be our Advocate when we need Him.

More about what Jesus said and why, next time.

How Words Demonstrate Our Faith!

“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them." (Mark 11:23 NIV)

Jesus responds to Peter's amazement about the dried up fig tree He cursed--merely speaking over it. The first part of His statement to Peter was, "Have faith in God."

When our faith is firmly entrenched in God and what He has said, our hope is never-ending because we know that God is not a man that He should lie. Man--on the other hand--not only lies, but changes what is to what God never intended and then proceeds to deceive and manipulate others into believing the lie so they won't feel alone in the judgment already decreed in God's Word.

Think about that! If the gangs recruit other members after they prove they can do stupid without thinking about it. They "jump" other people into gangs by fighting them, they lie, the convince to steal, kill, and destroy lives and property. Now, really, who influences that? Satan--just doing his job and the weak and vulnerable, the insecure and the foolish, fall in line believing the lies perpetuated by Satan who does not want to be thrown into the lake of fire alone.

The same can be said of those who advocate for political correctness rather than Godly righteousness and hatred and bigotry in the guise of "freedom of speech." They don't want to be judged by themselves and be held up to the Light alone, so they convince others to join in the melee of confusion and unrighteousness, influenced by none other than Satan himself. This is what happens when our faith is in man and his limited ability and short foresight.

When our faith is in God--we know what He has promised and we understand His great love for us. So when we "say" something about the events or circumstances in our lives, if we don't doubt and what we say aligns with His Word, He will bring it to pass. God has no limits and He knows all--from the beginning to the end--and His Word will never pass away. When our faith is in Him--we don't have a problem being held up to The Light for all the world to see--His righteousness imputed in us, and we are doing all things right before Him and man.

Whether we speak curses or blessings--faith brings it to reality.

I speak healing and wholeness to all who know and love God in Jesus' name, right now.

I speak deliverance from things that are not of God and hearts filled with His love so all can know the joy of the Lord.

I speak love overflowing onto all people because the love of God overflows our hearts.

I speak truth that dissolves the scales of blindness for those who do not know Truth is Jesus Christ.

I speak abundance for all who lack the resources to live a life that is bountiful in blessing others.

I speak unity for all peoples of all nations so hatred and violence will end.

I speak peace in the heart of every person in every nation so lives will be saved.

I speak desire to know Jesus in the hearts of every person who does not know Him so they will know Him and have what He desires us to have.

All these things I speak over the lives over all who are willing to receive the corresponding result in Jesus' name, believing it will come to pass.

This is what I'm saying today. What are you saying that will come to pass? Our words must be carefully uttered so we see that we can have what we say.

He Took Care of Them!

"So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side." (2 Chronicles 32:22 NIV)

No matter who insults The Lord of Heaven, no matter how powerful a group of people think they are, they matter how barbaric they are, Our God saves to the utmost all those who openly acknowledge Him and whose confidence is in Him, alone.

Like all of the histories revealed in the Bible, this one--about the King of Assyria (Sennacherib) and how he taunted the people of Jerusalem about how their God would not save them, reminds us that since God took of those who looked to Him for deliverance from an evil king, He will take care of those who are stilling looking to Him for deliverance from evil.

When we know that God will take care of us, we can say with confidence God's Will in the earth will reign no matter how evil the world looks. And just like He sent an angel to destroy all of those who fought against His chosen people, He will do it again and again. If we don't believe this, all we have to do is watch and see the hand of The Lord in all things. He is the same God, with the same love, and the same purpose for His people--all who love and obey Him.

We are reminded in this segment of Scripture that all those who oppose themselves against the Living God, have an appointed end and they will withdraw from their attack on God's people in disgrace. All we--God's people have to do--is pray and remain confident of the end of the matter--God will take care of us and destroy those who oppose Him.

Our role in the 21st Century is to remain faithful to the God of Heaven, the God who created all things and without whom, nothing was ever created. We stand firm in the face of opposition to all those who attempt to demean and undermine our faith. We stand firm in the face of those trials and persecutions of our faith from those who choose to live in opposition to God's Word. We stand firm--against the evil that is encroaching the land and we pray, believing that our God will take care of us and nothing the enemy has planned will come to fruition and they will slink away, when the whole world sees their demise. No weapon formed against us shall ever prosper when we are obedient to our God! He took care of those in Jerusalem then and He will take care of all of us who believe Him, now.

Instability Gets Nothing!

"But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do." (James 1:6-8 NIV)

If we lack wisdom, as stated in verse five, we should ask of God, who will give it to us liberally, without finding fault with us. Starting at verse six--when we ask, we must believe, not doubting--this premise holds true for anything we ask of God. We know this because Jesus, we must have faith and not doubt, believing we receive what we ask for.

If we doubt God will do what He says He will do--heal, deliver, save, prosper, lead, guide, counsel, protect--The Word says we are unstable and will receive NOTHING!

This is why when we pray--WE ASK ONCE, THANK HIM FOR WHAT WE HAVE ASKED, AND KEEP THANKING HIM UNTIL WE SEE WHAT WE ASKED FOR COME TO PASS! That is the benchmark of faith--believing we have received--without doubting.

People who believe they have to keep asking for the same thing, or get loud or shout, or cry loudly, apparently think God is either forgetful or hard of hearing. God is not moved by our emotions; He is moved by our faith. Declare the situation is resolved and keep thanking Him for the resolution. This is how we see prayers answered. It is not because of our begging, being loud, or our tears.

When we repeat ourselves in prayer, we demonstrate doubt and our doubt keeps us from receiving. God hears us the first time, but He may not respond right away. All we need to do is wait, patiently thanking Him, knowing He will do what is best for us at all times.

Father, forgive us for our lack of faith in You and Your Word. Help us to understand that You are faithful, even when we are not. We thank You for healing bodies--from crowns of heads to soles of feet and every part in between. We thank You for peace in the land and protection from the enemy on all sides. We thank You for love, liberty, and joy in the Holy Ghost. We thank You for family and friends who love like You love. We thank You for the ability to love the unlovable and desire to see all saved. These things we ask and thank you for in the name of Jesus! We declare all of it done to Your glory!

He Will Rescue!

"The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (2 Timothy 4:18 NIV)

How could Paul state with such clarity and definitiveness that The Lord would rescue him when he knew his life was in jeopardy at the hands of an evil ruler (Nero)?

First we have to understand what "rescue" means--to free or deliver from confinement or liberate. How does rescue take place? Sometimes, in a way that we would not normally see or define it, but we must remember that our ways are not God's ways, neither are our thoughts, His thoughts. So, when we define anything--it may not match God's definition. Was Paul rescued? Absolutely! He was liberated from his physical body to be with The Lord!

As hard as it is to accept--sometimes healing and deliverance are achieved through a person's physical death--when they are saved! I'm not saying this to be "hard-hearted" but to demonstrate that God's method of healing, deliverance and rescue or not necessarily the methods we would choose, but when we trust Him, we have to know--He knows best.

This is not to say that people who kill people deliberately are acting on God's behalf. They are fools and God will have the final word about them.

As it pertains to Paul--he understood that whatever a man sows, that only only can he reap. He understood that what he had done before belief, still had consequences and he knew without a doubt--that he would reap what he had sown. He understood that God's forgiveness does not negate the consequences of our actions.

What do the rest of us have to look forward to? The Lord will deliver us from every evil thought or plan devised by those who do not know Him! How He chooses to deliver us is up to Him, but do not doubt--that He will deliver us.

When we pray for someone to be healed or delivered from illness and disease, when or if they die--they are no longer suffering from whatever plagued them. Sometimes, we pray amiss for those we love. Rather than watch them suffer, we can pray that God delivers them from their illness and pain and release them in our hearts and God will receive them, healed and delivered! It's okay to mourn, but if someone you know has suffered any illness for a long time--rejoice in their rescue! Hallelujah!

Jesus--The Only Way!

"Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 NLT)

One of the reasons I love the Gospel of John is the very personal--close-up--we get of Jesus. Now, some might say (if they are scorners) that Jesus is very arrogant. There is a difference between being arrogant and confident and here--Jesus displays His confidence in knowing who He is!

"I am the way!" The way to having eternal life and the path we all should follow for the abundant life, right here on earth, that He promises in the tenth chapter.

"I am the truth!" He is the truth--revealing the character and attributes of God in person. Every thing He did was because of the Father's DNA in Him.

"I am the life!" He is the life--the personified life of the Father, who loves us so much that He willingly gave His life for us that we might be saved from ourselves. No one else can make that claim, truthfully!

"No one can get to the Father except through Him!" That's a pretty bold statement. Basically, what He's saying is that it doesn't matter what else you believe or who else you believe or not--the only way to come into the presence of God is through Him.

Let me take this a step further. Jesus said that whatever we asked of the Father--in His name--He would do. Using the name of Jesus in our communications with God, brings us into His presence and we have the boldness--empowered by the name--to ask what we will (aligned with The Word) and have a right to expect it to come to pass.

Nowhere in The Word are we told to "pray" in another person's name or pray to another person. When we do--we negate our ability to be in His presence, and have no confidence in our prayers which is why some people--never see prayers answered. We are not told to "repeat words"--ad nauseum--to receive forgiveness. We are not told to go through Mary to get to Jesus. We are not told to pray to statutes or to expect answers to prayers by rubbing beads, or stones or any other man-made item. The only way (and He is the way) we can confidently pray (communicate with God) and expect answers is when we ask of God--whatever it is--in the name of Jesus!

If anyone is teaching anything other than what God has said in His Word--they are liars and the Truth is not in them. Muhammad is not the way, Buddha is not the way, Mary is not the way, Jesus is the Only Way--we come into the presence of God! Hallelujah!

Proclaiming His Name!

"For I proclaim the name of the LORD; Ascribe greatness to our God!" (Deuteronomy 32:3 NASB)

What's in a name? The power to pre-destine one's fate or not!

Many people give their children all sorts of names without thought as to how that name may play a part on the child's future. Throughout the bible, we see specific names given to people because the names actually meant something specific. That is certainly true for the name of our God.

Without getting into a list of all names by which He is known for all He does, I'll just briefly discuss--the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord--one who takes responsibility for others--who actually determines what they do and how they do it.

Jesus--The name above all names and by which every knee shall bow before the end of this journey called life.The name by which people can be healed and delivered. The name by which we are assured all of our prayers are heard and answered.

Christ--the Savior of mankind, the One who was obedient unto death so we could have life and that more abundantly.

So, what's in a name? Lordship--giving Him control over all we do and say, Advocate and Mediator between us and the Father who is the One who determines all things, and the Savior of our souls.
Jesus--The Word--God who came down to earth in the likeness of man to prove to us that we can live in obedience and reap the rewards of obedience. God wrapped Himself in flesh and demonstrated the importance of blood-flow and blood-covenant and willingly gave Himself for us--a disobedient, rebellious people who have yet to understand His greatness, and He loves us anyway.

Jesus is Lord of all and He only is worthy of our praise and glory as He is One with the Father. Hallelujah! For the King of Kings and Lord of Lords--our Risen Savior--who gives us victory in every area of our lives when we are obedient.

Because of Him--we are saved, healed, delivered, victorious, on our way to our mansion, living an abundant life with all of our needs met and successful with everything we do. Glory to God in the Highest! There is none like Him, no other name by which man can be saved from himself! What an awesome God!

And though there are many other gods people worship, there is only One who created all that was ever created and without Him, nothing was created.

The only Wise God who knows all things from the beginning to the end; He knows our thoughts before we do and loves us so much, He sent His Spirit back to earth to guide, comfort, and counsel us at all times. No one can love us like Him! And no other god can do what He does! Our God is awesome! He can move mountains on our behalf and reestablish valleys without anyone's permission and do all things well. Praise The name of Our Lord!

Pulling Down Strong Holds in 2014!

“I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 2 Corinthians 10:2

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.2 Corinthians 10:3

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 2 Corinthians10:4

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

Father, in the name of Jesus,

We look to You, the author and finisher of our faith,

To help us to do all that You have said we could and would do in Your Word.

We ask You to look upon the hearts and minds of those in positions of authority and leadership everywhere—heads of state, politicians, law enforcement, military, pastors, church leaders, heads of families and everyone else—expose the true nature of each and every person so everyone can see.

We thank You for breaking the strong holds the enemy has on those who cloak themselves in deceptions and lies; exposing manipulative schemes devised by those who think that no one knows.

We thank You for having eyes that see in every place, beholding the good and evil and for pulling off the cloak of dark works that fester in the minds of those who are so easily fooled and influenced by Satan.

We thank You for allowing the scales of political correctness to fall from our eyes and minds so we see and know Truth for the sake of Truth and in following Him in all things.

We thank You for the remnant—those who refuse to buy into political correctness over Godly righteousness—and for their strength and courage that only You can provide to stand against the deeds of evil and praise You in the midst of the chaos.

We thank You for deliverance—from bitterness and desire to avenge the evil so thoughtlessly committed against us—for You have said that we cannot allow the evil to rule over the good that is within us and we will maintain the good in spite of the evil.

We thank You for speaking to hearts of parents everywhere—who have abandoned, abused, or neglected their children. We ask You to create in them a heart to want to do what is right for their children and for themselves.

We thank You for being God, our creator and for the fact that there is none like and nor will there be. There is no god, created by our hands that we would should worship or give any credence to being anything other than something made by the hands of man.

We look to You—more now than ever before—to break every chain that binds those who inflict evil and influence minds to perpetuate evil against others. We look to You to create situations in which men and women and children everywhere will know that they must develop the mind of Christ and live within the Word so the nations can be saved.

We look to You, O God—to position those who know You in places where they can, with courage—take a stand and become immoveable—in promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We pray Your hand of protection over all who belong to You and for those You know will change their directions and come to You of their own accord. Keep all assigned angels alert and watchful so the enemy will not have opportunity to steal, kill or destroy the hopes of entire nations. Open our eyes that we might see the deceptions planned so we know how to fight against them. Open our hears so we can hear You when You speak—warning us of dangers and telling us what to say. Touch our bodies and heal them of all sickness and disease. Touch our minds cutting away any thoughts of disobedience or evil in the light of day so they cannot manifest themselves in darkness. Speak to the hearts of Your children of all ages and encourage them to know that wisdom is the principle thing and with all their getting—they need to have understanding—academically, economically, and spiritually.

In the new year, O God, we look for You to do a new thing—a new thing so great that will once and for all convince the unbelieving that You are God and You are God alone.

We proclaim every good thing that You have planned for us will be obtained in 2014 by all who obey Your Word and share the love of Jesus Christ with others. Thank You for hearing and answering our prayers. Amen!

The Righteous Delivered!

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19).

Throughout the bible we see how those who God chose to be His are treated. They were ridiculed, enslaved, mistreated, mocked, and killed--just because they chose to obey God.

That was then and it is still the unfolding story of those who choose to live a life that is pleasing to God. We are ridiculed, mistreated, mocked, and persecuted and some are still being killed, simply because we choose to obey God.

God has said, "obedience is better than sacrifice" in reference to the sacrifices mandated to atone for sins. If we were living according to The Law and had to make animal sacrifices to seek forgiveness, we would all be in trouble.  Some of us again, wouldn't be able to afford the elements used for the sacrifice and would be prohibited from being forgiven. Some of us would become so discouraged that we would cave and give into the status quo for living--serving idols, instead of the Living God. Only a remnant would remain strong enough in their faith in God to know that even though the enemy influences persecution, God will deliver us out of them all.

Some things may never change with regards to those choosing to live in disobedience. Unfortunately, some attitudes towards those who do obey may never change. Regardless of all the stuff that may never change, we can count on God to "never change" His mind or intent for how we live and He will deliver us from all the afflictions that we encounter. He will deliver! He has done it in the past, He is doing it now, and He will forever be--our deliverer! Hallelujah!

Deliverance is near--whether that comes in the form of people changing their minds about living for God or whether we see God's wrath poured out on all the land, deliverance will come.
Be encouraged today! Stay in faith--knowing that God will never forget those who are His and He will deliver us from the fiery furnace! There is nothing too hard for our God! With Him, all things are possible that give Him glory; without Him--whatever we do is a waste of time!

Standing In The Gap!

There are so many people who have yet to experience the goodness of God and all that He wants us to have because of either lack of knowledge or doubt about His Word.

"If" you would today, receive the Good News and accept that Jesus is the Son of God, walked with us in the earth realm, obeyed His Father unto death for our sins, died, rose, and is now sitting at the right hand of the Father, interceding on our behalf, then today, I stand in the gap, praying for all of God's blessings to be poured onto you in abundance so your experience with Him, will not be in vain.

Father,

Your Word declares through Your Son, that if we would believe without doubting, whatever we asked for in Your Son's name, would be given. There is no doubt in my heart or mind and I know how faithful You are in keeping Your Word. Therefore, I boldly come to You, on behalf of any and all who have needs that have not been met before this day, asking You to bless them mightily so they will know that it is You who has provided every need.

For those who need a financial blessing that will help them move forward with wisdom, bless them. For those who need healing in their bodies, remove all traces of sickness and disease and make them whole. For those who feel unloved and abandoned, remind them they are loved and that You will never leave them alone. For those who are experiencing depression, speak to their hearts and minds and guide them into Your rest and peace. For those who are fearful, remind them that perfect love casts out all fear and that they are more than conquerors, victorious in all things. For those who do not believe, provide them with an experience that will bring them into knowledge of You and dispel their unbelief.

All of this I ask of You, in Jesus' name and I thank You for hearing and responding to this prayer. It is done, to Your glory, Amen!

Overcome Denial!

When we think about how words are used, what do we learn?

Words have power--which is why we should be careful how we use them.  Just for a moment, I would ask you to think about "de" and how the enemy uses words to keep us in his power.

The DEvil attempts to keep us DEfeated by convincing us that all the negative things we go through are all we are going to have in our lives.  The devil convincingly DEceives us into believing lies and connives to keep us DEpressed and oppressed by his DEceptions so some of us get to a place where we DEny our beliefs and our feelings about just about anything.

It is with this power of DEnial that he keeps us from being DELIVERED from everything that would keep us out of position from being blessed by God.  The unbelievers "deny" God's existence and therefore they can deny any need to obey His Word.  The enemy will influence our denial into believing our challenges don't exist and we do nothing to overcome them.  They do exist! They do exist and we must own them and then overcome!  Our DEliverance comes when we acknowledge the challenges and then allow God to guide us--so we can overcome and rejoice.

This day, don't let the devil defeat you with depression or denial with his deceptions.  Own who you are, what you are and overcome whatever challenges come before you with a testimony about how good God is!  Our hope is in Christ Jesus and we can and should shout that from the roof tops!

One Great Performance Coming!

"The Session"
Performance adapted from the book, Trapped, on June 15, 2013 @ Greater St. Stephens Missionary Baptist Church, 3952 Dickerson, Detroit, MI  48215.  Breakthrough, deliverance, and awesome time with very hard working ladies.  See you there at 5:30 p.m.  You don't want to miss this!  Bring a friend, a sister, a cousin, a niece, wife, husband, brother--bring them all!  Book signing at the end of the performance.  Book is available on Amazon.com or Xlibris.com.