ODPC: Redemption: A Portion of the Message

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 "Jesus Knows"

Give Your Heart to Jesus: CLICK HERE

Matthew 26:36-39

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them,“Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedeealong with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Jesus was in great anguish over His approaching physical pain, separation from the Father, and death for the sins of the world.  The divine course was set, but He, in His human nature, still struggled. Because of the anguish Jesus experienced, He can relate to our suffering. Jesus' strength to obey came from His relationship with God the Father, who is also the source of our strength. (Life Application Bible:NIV)

When I was reading this scripture this morning, I felt Jesus' fear and pain. To think what He was about to endure is horrific to me. It is like us being asked if we want to know the how and when we are going to die. Who truly would want to know? Now imagine knowing and your day of death was quickly approaching, now can you feel what Jesus was feeling. My stomach dips just at the thought. He knew why He had to but He still asked the Father if there was another way. The point is it is okay that we get scared and question our Lord. It is in fact quite natural to do so but the difference is when we place our faith and trust in the Lord, His love for us strengthens us and we learn to desire the desires of God and not our own. Our obedience in the Lord unlocks His power in our lives and our lives change. So we know even through the most difficult situations, God's will for our lives must be done for it is far greater than anything we could ever accomplish on our own. And through the anguish, like Jesus, we are to simply trust and cast our fears on to the Father (Psalm 55:22). Jesus knows your heart, your fears, your anxiety over a certain situation, He knows you may not want to do what He is asking of you to do but you must trust beyond reason. Proverbs 3:5 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and NOT lean on our own understanding. And we can for Jesus knows. Amen.   

Tuesday, July 30, 2013 "In His Time"

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My father in law wrote a beautiful song before he passed away entitled, "In His Time" and he eloquently sings of how we must wait upon the Lord for His will to be done in our lives. And it is so true that the Lord will let us know in His time. The most challenging thing for a believer is the wait game where we surrender total control to the Lord and allow Him to move in our life. It is no longer our flesh that leads us in the natural but rather God leading us in the super natural. Our feelings will lie to us, our flesh will condemn us and our sins will destroy us so we must call upon something greater than ourselves to survive this life. It is not easy to live among the world when we are not of it. (John 15:19) But we can go to the Father for all things and He will guide us, provide for us, sanctify and edify us and protect us for His love surpasses all others. I encourage you to continue your walk with the Lord, wait upon Him for whatever it is you have been praying for, He knows what you need and He hears your cries. Love him, have faith in Him and trust on His Word. He will not disappoint. So for now, embrace this season in your life and may His peace be upon you. 

My Dad Jacobs

Monday, July 29, 2013 "Our Walk in the Spirit"

Give Your Heart to Jesus Today: CLICK HERE

Romans 8:9

9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,they do not belong to Christ.

Do you ask the Lord daily to fill you up with His spirit?  Our walk with Christ is ongoing and constant and should never be at a stand still. He may ask us to be still and know He is God (Psalm 46:10) but He is not telling us to be still in hope, faith, love, prayer and reading His Word. In fact we must instill these acts in our life each and every day. Each day is a anew and will come with its own set of challenges and blessings and the best way to stay consistent is to ask Him each day to fill us up so that we can walk in His spirit of love and truth and carry that throughout our day. It is extremely difficult to work in the world and in a secular environment with people's jokes, language, beliefs, stories and actions when they are not what you want to be subjected to but we must if we want to provide for our families. We are to influence them, not be influenced by them. I have shared before that when I was in a worldly work environment I would not hesitate to say Praise God or tell someone it was not Jesus' fault they were having a bad day so don't take their anger out on Him by using His name in vain. I would also pose challenging questions to other believers when they would boast of their high sales. The Lord would prompt me to ask them if they tithed, knowing full well He already knew the answer. But I will say in all my years I never once had anyone get offended or get angry with me for the way I shared my faith or stood up for my beliefs. In fact I was highly respected for it so I know it can be done balanced with God's grace. And that is what you can do for yourself each morning when you wake up...give the day to the Him for this is the day He has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it ; ask Him to walk with you through your day; ask to be used by Him daily and ask Him to fill you up and be baptized by the Holy Spirit so that you carry out His work in you during your day. I promise you will notice a difference in yourself. Your days will be less stressed and more peaceful. You will find yourself relaxed and joyful while carrying yourself differently. If you want to succeed in your walk with God and truly make a difference and not fall off the narrow path, practice this each and every day. And may the power of our living God bestow upon you His mercy and His grace as you seek His face.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16

Sunday, July 28, 2013 " He is our God Forever"

Psalm 48:14 

"For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."

How comforting to know that the Lord is with us until we take our last breath. He is an amazing Father who will never leave us nor turn His back on us. He has us in the palm of His hand and I am so grateful. I say it all the time when I get to heaven I am going to sit on the lap of Jesus and never get up for He is everything to me and the most important relationship I will ever have. He is the miracle in my life. He has granted desires I held in my heart for years that I never shared with anyone. He is amazing and I stand in awe. And I am forever grateful. And my prayer for you is that you have come to know Him in this intimate way as well. If you have never given your heart to Jesus and want to know what it is about, watch this 2 minute video my husband has done explaining it so easily and he gives you the chance to pray at the end. CLICK HERE for SALVATION PRAYER 

May God bless you and may God keep you all of the days of your life. He loves you. 

Saturday, July 27, 2013 "Our Words"

Give Your Heart to Jesus Today: CLICK HERE

Ephesians 4:29

²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

It is hard for me to not always speak my mind. People call me blunt and honest but as I mature spiritually I also realize that guarding my mind, thoughts, and words is actually wiser. How often have you spoken from the heart and someone twisted your words, thrown them back at you later, got angry at you for your upfront approach? I can answer "more than once" to all three posed questions thus the reason I prayed for another way for my trust in others was beginning to suffer. Of course honesty is the only way for the Lord despises liars, white lies, fibs; in fact all dishonesty is measured the same therefore a lie is a lie in God's eyes. But I also know that some things are left best unsaid so I pray and ask the Lord to help me with my words so I know what should be said and what should be left quiet. I know that words can encourage, uplift, motivate and inspire as well as they can hurt, defeat, discourage and damage someone. So I am learning how to choose to show God's love through my words. " He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." 1 John 4:8 And I am also praying that others learn to keep one another's confidence when someone confides in them and to remain loyal at all times and not hurt each other with their own words later. Let's all love one another by our actions and our words. I truly believe it can make a world of difference in our own personal relationships and with our future ones. Have a blessed weekend. 

Friday, July 26, 2013 "There is Hope in Jesus"

Salvation Prayer: Give your Heart to Jesus!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

 and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

There is hope in Jesus.  There is!! No matter where you are in your life, He can make a way when there seems to be no way.  He can cure that disease, open up a door for a job, bring you a mate, erase that depression, provide food for your family.  There is nothing impossible with God. Luke 1:37 What we see through our natural eyes may appear  dismal but with God's supernatural eyes, everything has a bright future and a way out. If you are in the pit, pray yourself out. The way we carry ourselves in the valley will determine how quickly we move out. A negative attitude does not produce anything good. Our faith in God and in what He can do despite ourselves is what moves the mountains, makes the smallest of seed grow. We will bear much fruit if we put all our faith and trust in Christ Jesus. To trust in Him with all our hearts and not lean on ourselves for it. When we want to make things go quicker, faster, we end up manipulating the situation and often times we interrupt the will of God for our lives. Therefore we can not worry about what we will eat, drink, wear, live, work...He will provide it all. (Matthew 6:31) I have witnessed first hand the power of the living God with multiplying nothing into something. Our seed of faith begins with our hearts and our minds. Believing in the one true God. Our next seed comes in our tithes, our first fruits, not what is left over, not what is in our heart to give, not what we can afford...our first 10% of whatever has come into our homes. That is what is given to the Lord. I know how scary it is to write a check to a church that appears to have more than enough money, but it is not about the church at all...it is about your own personal relationship with God and being obedient to His word. It measures your faith and trust in Christ and the posture of your heart and how you feel about God. My husband and I know the secret to everything we have is our tithes, our love offerings, our biblical belief in Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. So keep your faith in Him. Know there is hope in Him. And keep your eyes on Him. Pray, read the Bible, and show His love to others and watch your life transform into something spiritual and amazing, right before your eyes. 

Thursday, July 25, 2013 " You are Either for God or Against Him"

If you have never given your heart to Jesus: CLICK HERE

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 

Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-

-his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

You are either for God or are against Him.  You are either living in the light or living in the dark; serving God or serving satan. There is no middle ground with Christianity. There may be neutral zones with other things but not when it comes to the life of a believer.  A believer of Christ means they have accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts, have committed their lives to Him and have confessed their sins and believed He has forgiven them. A believer follows the Word of God as His truth and there is no other. We believe in church, serving others, and fellow shipping with one another. We believe iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17) therefore we look to gather with others that believe in the same principles for bad company can corrupt good morals (1 Corinthians 5:33). It is easier to drag someone down then to lift another up that is why we must date and marry evenly yoked partners and not think we can change them later. Only God can change a person but we must first seek a man or woman of God. The bible clearly states in 2 Corinthians 6:14 "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?"  We are not hypocrites or judgmental people that stand on soapboxes while putting others down. We do not think we are better than others. In fact, following Christ takes anything but ego. Controlling things on our own is no longer permitted, humility replaces pride, selflessness comes before self. We simply believe the bible is God's living Word and it is our compass for our life, for our decisions, choices, our everything. 

Wednesday, July 24, 2013 "Where is God?"

Give Your Heart to Jesus. CLICK HERE!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Where is God?  Do you ever ask yourself this question?  I can tell you that if you are a child of God and have accepted Jesus Christ into your heart, He will never leave you nor forsake you. Our sins can separate ourselves from Him but He will never abandon us. I read a disgusting comment yesterday where someone referred to the Lord as an "absentee landlord" during world's disasters. There are consequences to our actions and some of those actions include taking Him out of the schools, Washington DC, trying to remove His name off our money and trying to remove monuments/statues in His honor and rewriting laws to suit man, not God. And you ask where is God in all this? The Bible proclaims that Jesus Christ holds all of nature together (Colossians 1:16,17) so can't God prevent natural disasters? Absolutely! Does God sometimes influence the weather? Yes, in that God sometimes causes natural disasters as a judgment against sin. The book of Revelation describes many events which could definitely be described as natural disasters. Is every natural disaster a punishment from God? Absolutely not. Sin is the ultimate cause of natural disasters just as it is the cause of death, disease, and suffering. We can understand why natural disasters occur. What we do not understand is why God allows them to occur. Could He be trying to get our attention? Prepare us for what is to come? You have to admit such events shake our confidence in this life and force us to think about eternity. Churches usually fill up after disasters as people realize how precious their lives are and how life can be taken away in an instant. Let me share with you what I know....God is amazing and He is good and He is faithful. I know that He can, and does, and will bring good out of terrible tragedies. From people reevaluating their lives, to the ministries offering aid and counsel, prayer and leading people to Christ. So hold on to what is good and do not listen to what the world says. Be the influence, don't be influenced. Be the light to the dark. We all to need to shine our lights even brighter during these dark days. And hold your faith for He is worthy.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013 "Be Still in Him"

Give Your Heart to Jesus Today: CLICK HERE

"Be Still and Know that I am God" Psalm 46:10

Being satisfied in Christ allows us to live with blessed assurance. Through that assurance comes spiritual boldness and security. When we are secure, we have no fear for we know the Lord is with us.  This truth along with His love and grace, brings on wisdom.  The wisdom to know that He is the living God, Jesus Messiah, and we can put our full trust in Him. This trust we have in Him then gives us the faith to be still in Him.  When we are still, we remain in His will.  He leads our way and lights our path.  We do not have to know where we are for we live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) In a world where everyone is so busy, being still sounds like wasted time. Wasted opportunity. But the truth is being still in the Lord is the most productive thing a Christian could ever do for themselves. It allows the Lord to move in our lives and position us for His abundance of blessings. So I encourage you to stop planning your every hour of every day. Plans here, schedules there, stop it all and simply rest in the Spirit of God. And when you do, I promise He will come to you and you will reap a great harvest. All it takes is for you to be still.

ODPC: God's Will For Our Lives

Monday, July 22, 2013 "Abhor What is Evil"

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Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. -

Romans 12:9

We must rebuke anything that is not of God around us. Chaos, confusion, strife, anxiety, anything that makes the pit of our stomach just go haywire. The Holy Spirit which dwells within us is our guide to such "tells". The Lord is love and peace. He is called "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6) and scriptures tells us that blessed are the peacemakers. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Matthew 5:9) So it should be easy to know when evil is present whether it be your workplace or even in your home. You must always cleanse and seal your home each time visitors/guests leave and ask that nothing "brought in" remains. "Let no weapon formed against me/us" (Isaiah 54:17) has been a constant prayer in my life. It means that anything aimed at me via fiery darts from an evil intended person, will actually bounce off my shield of faith and "boomerang" back to them. I have witnessed in my life so many people who have tried to hurt me face dismal consequences because we are God's children and He does not take too kindly to anyone harming a hair on our heads. That is why He tells us to be still and know He is God, the battle is the Lord's and vengeance is mine. (Romans 12:19) He knows our instincts is to fight back, hurt back or take revenge but He reminds us to be genuine in love, rebuke evil and think on all things lovely.(Philippians 4:8) So if you are facing things in your life that you know are not of God and you are unsure what to do simply pray to the Lord and ask Him for a spirit of protection, recite the armor of God prayer so that you are fully dressed in spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10) for we will face spiritual warfare each and every day we wake up. Be of sound mind, be at rest and alert so the enemy cannot harm you. He comes when we are isolated, tired and hungry so be none of those things. And no matter how hard it is, hold your peace for peace disarms satan. He does not know what to do with that. So be strong in your walk with Christ, ask Him for discernment so you will be able to know when something is not of God. And have a spiritual awareness about you. And having done all, stand...stand on your rock eternal for Jesus has already won.

Sunday, July 21, 2013 "Tribute to my Mom"

Proverbs 31:26-31 

"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many woman do noble things, but you surpass them all."

This is a tribute to my Mom, my angel in heaven, Bianca.  She went home to be with the Lord a year ago this morning and my mind is flooded with different memories. I loved my Mom for she was a true woman of God. Her heart was pure and she loved her Lord and she loved her children, her husband, her sisters and brothers, her nieces and nephews and her friends. She was an amazing Mom and a loyal wife. She kept peace and order in our lives and was a steady presence. She taught us early on who Jesus was but also allowed us to develop our own relationship with Him and as adults all five of her children are saved and born again in the Holy Spirit and have been baptized as adults. She may not have always understood all the elements of being "born again" having been raised Catholic but she had a heart for people, others and had enough joy to fill an entire stadium so she had what many "Christians" didn't have and that was nobility.  Her reputation was that of kindness, generosity, extremely thoughtful and as an adult woman when I was blessed with success, it was my honor and privilege to spoil her rotten. From trips to dinners to behind home plate Phillies tickets, Broadway shows, she was my constant companion and when I married my wonderful husband, we became a threesome. He loved her and she adored and loved him and welcomed him into our little circle with open arms. I miss her deeply and I mourn her loss but I know I will one day see her and my Dad again. For as a believer, I know this is not the end. So Mom, you will always be my light, my love, my greatest treasure. I am so honored the Lord chose you to be my parent. Psalm 139:13 "for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." You were the best friend a daughter could ever hope for. I will always hold on to my memories of you and me....our long talks on the phone as I drove home from work, all the panicked calls to you to pray immediately for one drama or another, the contagious laugh that only you and I shared, the love we had for Bobby Abreu and Jimmy Rollins, diner food and my fondest of all, our annual Christmases in New York City and the Rockettes, Mom you were then and still today, my heart and my soul and I cannot wait to see you again. Until then....I miss u Mom!

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Give Your Heart to Jesus Today

Psalm 23

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Lord the Shepherd of His People

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell^[a] in the house of the Lord
Forever.

I love you Mom. Gone but not forgotten. Until we see each other again.

Friday, July 19, 2013 "Spiritual Examination Time"

"In all your ways acknowledge Him,and He shall direct^[a] your paths.

 - Proverbs 3:6

I live for You alone, Lord.  I give You my heart and I give You my soul.  We were all created to worship and it is just a matter of who we decide to.  Idolatry is the subtle silent spiritual killer because it happens so easily and without warning. "You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:3 We can become obsessed fans with celebrities, sports teams, some are obsessive in their personal relationships so it is a choice.  After all my hard knocks I consciously choose to worship the One and Only King of Kings.  He is my everything and He is worthy to be praised. I exalt His name on High and He comes before all else. Where does He rank on your scale?  You all know my story of idolatry (it is a published post) and how sad I was placing more effort and attention to my kittens and pool than He? What kind of wretch was I? So there is no need to be embarrassed if He has slipped down your pole.  Everyone is so busy running here and working there, we forget the One who created and gave it all.  Don't make the same mistakes I made....catch yourself today. Let this be a call from Him asking you to please take a spiritual look at yourself, your priorities, your schedule. A faulty self-evaluation is an obstacle to walking by the Spirit. He needs to be first. Someone once said our checkbooks can tell a person about our hearts for obedience by our tithes and offerings. How is your church attendance, service in local ministries? It is time to take your spiritual self exam....hope you pass with Godly colors. 

Thursday, July 18, 2013 "Creation is Real"

     The Story of Creation

"In the beginning God

created the heavens

    and the earth.^[a]

 

The earth was barren,

    with no form of life;^[b]

it was under a roaring ocean

    covered with darkness.

But the Spirit of God^[c]

    was moving over the water." Genesis 1:1-2

It takes more faith to believe in evolution than it does in creation.  As I took in the beautiful summer day I could not help but marvel at the blue sky, the flowing clouds and thought to myself, "how on earth do they explain the sky, the stars, the moon, the sun, the clouds, the ocean?" Did they all evolve as well? From an ape? Or how about a grape? Just as ridiculous. The book of truth can be read described in one word....BIBLE. Let's stop with the evolution theory, the scientific data, all the garbage the enemy has thrown at this world to distract us from the one true and living God, who was and is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. It is He who created the heavens and the earth and all that is in it. And it is He that we should exalt on high. Amen and amen. 

ODPC: God's Gift of Salvation

Wednesday, July 17, 2013 "Unmask who is not for me Lord"

Because the LORD revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. Jeremiah 11:18

"Unmask who is not for me Lord."  Very powerful words.  A very powerful prayer. The bible tells me I can go to my Father with any request and He will hear me and answer me.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:14 (understand anything you ask of Him means it must glorify His name and/or further His kingdom, those things He will answer you. This verse does not mean if you ask to win the lottery, it will happen) And for all the years I have asked the Lord to reveal one's heart to me, He has.  It is like being kicked in the stomach for He gives you a window to their soul, their heart and their intent and it is very very disheartening sometimes. But once you get over the initial pain and hurt, the knowledge and power in knowing is the blessing. Discern is defined in the dictionary as "to detect with senses other than vision." The Word of God, which is the Christian's dictionary, defines "other than vision" as the Holy Spirit. The guidance of the Holy Spirit in the revealing of one's heart and intent gives the believer the wisdom and knowledge that they other wise would not "sense" on their own. Thus discernment. Jeremiah tells us in the scripture that the Lord had given Him the knowledge of the plot against him and then showed Him their doings. The Lord will do this same thing for you today if you ask Him. It is not for the faint of heart; it is not for revenge; it is for your knowledge and He gives you the wisdom to handle it. We must be spiritually mature before we ever ask this of the Lord. I am amazed at how I did not know the biblical story of Jeremiah when I first asked for this gift and when I read his story of how he knew the plots and schemes, I see how the bible is timeless. The Lord is amazing and worthy to be praised. Lean on Him in all situations, good times and in bad and allow His love to transform you. And when these heart aches come in the way of betrayal, you will be able to love the person in spite of the pain, just like Jesus did. Have a wonderful day in Him today. And may you glorify His name in all that you do. 

Prayer of Salvation

Tuesday, July 16, 2013 "Iron Sharpens Iron"

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

Friends are a gift from God and are to be treasured. We cannot pick our neighbors nor can we pick our family but we can pick our friends. I ask the Lord all the time to send me loyal solid Christian sisters and brothers.  People that I can call my inner circle. Those that will mourn with me and celebrate with me. Love me, trust me and encourage me. I choose to surround myself with those that will lift me up, not drag me down. Let's be the best friend we can be to one another. Let's love like Christ, for He is the best friend anyone could ever need or want. 

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another 

ODPC: Salvation Prayer

Monday, July 15, 2013 "Through Prayer I Am..."

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” 

Matthew 21:22

Through prayer, I am blessed.  I am blessed with the assurance in knowing that Jesus is mine and near to me.  I am secure in my faith and in His love for me.  His Word reminds me of His love and He shares His thoughts with me on what He thinks of various topics of life. I can seek His Word for the world today and its current events and current state of affairs and the Bible is all knowing and all truth. God's Word does not contradict nor compromise itself.  And neither should we. There are biblical truths, biblical beliefs that align as biblical "doctrine" therefore we cannot play two sides of the fence. No middle ground; no room for compromising. If you struggle with the same sex marriage law, abortion, adultery, divorce, guilt, sin etc...seek the Lord and ask Him how He views it. Matthew 7:7 says to ask, seek, and knock and He will answer.  Go to the throne for it all.  He is there for you with open arms.  He desires His will for our lives. He wants to bless you and I with a life of abundance....abundance of love, joy, peace, grace.....allow His love for you to penetrate your heart and manifest your life so you in turn can show that love to another. We are images of Christ (Romans 8:29) and we are representatives of Christ therefore we must act as such, speak as such, think as such and be as such. We can achieve all this through prayer which is our commune time with Him. Alone, quiet, without noise or distractions. I pray myself to sleep on many a nights. Talking with Him soothes me and comforts me. I know He is near. He wants that for all His children, not just some. There is no favoritism in the Kingdom of God...He loves us all. (Romans 2:11) Make time for Him...He is waiting to hear from you. 

Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Sunday, July 15, 2013 "Faith is..."

Faith is .... a mindset that expects God to act.  When we act on this expectations, we can overcome our fears. NIV Life Application Bible

Before The Judgment - Part 3 of 3.wmv

Before The Judgment - Part 2 of 3.wmv

Before The Judgment - Part 1 of 3.wmv

Saturday, July 13, 2013 "Do You Know God?"

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

Philippians 2:9-11

Words will never be able to describe the love I have for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He saved me from myself with His free gift of grace.  He asked nothing of me and gave me all of Him.  He is selfless, loving and so faithful and true. In this world of double minded people and under handing at every turn, to have a loyal Friend who does what He says He will do is amazing. His Word is true, it is undisputed, and it is what my husband and I live by.  The closer I draw myself to Him, the closer He comes to me. His presence is palpable in my life and in my home.  My life is centered around Him and my marriage is restored because of Him, for He is the third person in our relationship. He will restore what was stolen, He will heal what is sick, He will remove what is unholy and He will renew what was stale. What a mighty God we serve. Do you know God?

Friday, July 12, 2013 "Ask and You Shall Receive"

Ask, Seek, Knock

7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

As a child growing up, I memorized this bible verse and it always resonated in my heart. We can go to our Father who lives in Heaven with any petition we want.  When we live in His will and desire what He desires, He will grant what we ask for. People misunderstand and believe this means anything. The Lord is not Santa Claus, He is not a magician, He is not an ATM machine nor is He a genie in a bottle. All those things/people "give" and "perform" with nothing in return and my Lord does not work that way. We must first build a relationship with Him and confess He is our eternal rock for which we stand. (Isaiah 26:4)We are to confess Him as our Lord and Savior and believe He died for our sins and we must then submit ourselves to Him and ask Him into our Hearts to be our Priest, Provider and Guide. That is Who God is. Now having done all this, we can go to Him with boldness and assurance with whatever we ask and I believe He will answer our prayer in His way. In other words, not everyone gets the prayer answered exactly how perceived because He is all knowing but He will answer your prayer and grant you something even better than first requested. Make sense? When you live in His will and you obey His word, the Word tells us to expect His blessings on our lives. I love what John Hagee says and I quote, "If you are faithful and act in obedience to God's Word in your life, you won't have to chase after blessings. They will come directly to you." What a mighty God we serve. So as a child of God, He will love us, protect, discipline us, care for us, guide us, counsel us and provide for us. All He wants in return is our love, commitment and trust. Faith moves mountains and when we believe in Him, He believes in us.  If you have never surrendered your whole life to Him, you are missing out on one of the greatest treasures of your entire existence. There is nothing greater or more powerful than He. Trust Him today. (my husband explains the prayer of salvation beautifully in the video posted-check it out to understand better the free gift of grace and may God bless you today).

ODPC: Where Loyalties Lie

ODPC: Our Father Who Loves

ODPC: Being Filled with The Holy Spirit

ODPC: The Word Game

ODPC: Are you a good person?

ODPC: The Testimony

ODPC: Who We Were Created to Worship

ODPC: How to Overcome Through God's Love

ODPC: Salvation Prayer

Our Dwelling Place Church

Thursday, July 11, 2013 "He is the Potter and We are the Clay"

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.” Isaiah 64:8

We die to thy self when we accept Jesus into our heart as our Lord and Savior. Through His love, our knowledge of Him and through the wisdom we gain by reading His Word, our hearts become transformed.  We change because He changes us.  He places His desires on to our hearts and we desire more of Him and less of the world. We become more about others than of self. This is a very selfish world we live in but when we find the Lord, we become more like Him and with that comes love for others.  We grow more compassionate, sensitive and holy.  Our thoughts begin to change.  When we picture that our thoughts are in fact broadcast for the world to hear, it begins to train our minds to think differently. We begin breaking old secular habits while creating new spiritual ones. But it is a long process. Sanctified by fire is not an overnight thing. The Lord will mold you into the image He created you for, not what you made of it. 

” … that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:26

Sometimes that means changing circle of friends, your environment, your hobbies, sometimes even what you do for a living. But know that whatever it is you give up in His name, He will bless you double. There is nothing NOT worth sacrificing for.  The Lord paid it all for us therefore we owe Him everything....all of us. I tell Him I am His and He is mine. We have a new blood covenant with Christ and we can ask anything of Him as He asks anything of us. So love like Him, change for Him and obey His Word for He knows what is best for us and living in His will is worth it all. 

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Wednesday, July 10, 2013 "How to Know One's Heart"

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

If you want to know what is in your heart, listen to what comes out of your mouth.  Someone shared that with me yesterday and it stuck with me.  Our words can be so telling to how we truly feel about something or someone.  Words can breathe life or they can breathe death.  Do you realize the difference you can make in one person's day simply by giving them a word of encouragement through a word of praise versus a critical word through negative comments?  I had to learn real quick the best way to motivate a staff of employees is by offering praise before criticism. You can constructively communicate with another with pure honesty and love and tell someone how you feel.  We so often grow defensive with one another because we are so used to being criticized....all of us. It is rare to find people that offer compliments easily or encouraging words. And when people speak, their words can do a lot of damage for it tells us what is really in their heart.  The Lord knows this too. We can fool everyone but we cannot fool the One who created us.  Speak life into one another. Show them the love of God. We are His living testimonies, His representative therefore we need to show others how to be. It always starts with us. Keep your heart filled with all things lovely, Godly, holy. Ask the Lord to transform you and He will and the more you become like Him, the kinder your words and thoughts will be.  I love the lyrics, "change my heart Oh God, make it ever true, change my heart oh God, may I be like You."  What a wonderful world it would be if we all were more like Him and less like the world.

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Tuesday, July 9, 2013 "Balance or Compromise?"

Proverbs 16:11

"A just balance and scales are the Lord's; all the weights in the bag are his work."

The Lord is very specific on our lives having balance.  I have prayed for years that my life would have established order.  So many Christians are heavy on one side of the scale and it is not always the right side.  Then there are those that think they have it figured out but in truth, they simply compromised their faith. ("A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight." Proverbs 11:1) The best way to know what is priority in our life according to the Lord is to ask Him and read the Word about it.  He comes first, we all know this. But what else follows?  We have families, relationships, careers, friends, children, hobbies, entertainment outlets, ministry work, bible study, church attendance, church service. So how do we even begin to know what makes up a well balanced life?  Keep God first ("But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33) and center and keep all things glorifying His name. Whatever takes your focus or eye off God is not priority. The Lord wants us all to work, labor, rest on Sabbath, worship, fellowship, have fun... and we can by making sure that we are doing so without compromising our faith. Just self examine yourself to make sure you are not doing too much in one area that is taking you from God. I don't believe choosing to stay home from church for any reason is "of God". God would not lead you to spend time with your family and skip church. He comes before our family and spouses and yes even children.  Children do not come before God. That becomes idolatry.  But our God wants us to enjoy them, enjoy our loved ones and we are not to feel guilty when we choose to take a vacation or go see a movie. We are to enjoy our lives in abundance. It is all in a balanced way. Believe me we are rewarded and we are blessed when we choose God above all else. I made the grave mistake of choosing work over church and I paid a heavy price. I should have stood my ground and stood up for my faith and Christ and it would have been honored but instead I told myself God understood because I had to work didn't I? Don't miss it. This is where the compromise comes in.  Work is the tricky one. If your work schedule is keeping you from church, church ministry, fellow shipping in some way then your life is not in spiritual balance. We can never do enough for God, with God so be mindful of that. He will make a way when there seems to be no way. Simply go to Him and ask Him to help you sort of your calendar. He will. He will show you what needs to be done. Too much ministry can be idolatry if you are so busy volunteering for church and running around that you actually miss the service. Church attendance comes before serving in a ministry. Studying the Word is very important and so a bible study is a great thing. If you only have so much time than balance it by attending a bi weekly bible study instead of once a week, serve monthly at church. See it? If you ever want to know what you value...just ask yourself what consumes your mind and your thoughts. The Lord knows we struggle everyday and that is why we need Him.  Don't beat yourself up. Just seek Him first and all else will fall into place. 

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Monday, July 8, 2013 "Love is Patient"

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Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love is patient.  And it also happens to be the very first line in this famous wedding vow bible verse.  Love is the foundation to our faith; Christianity. God showed us His unconditional love on the cross when He sent His only Son to die for us so that we could live. (John 3:16)  No one would do that. Would you?  Parents would never sacrifice their only child so that another could live.  The depth of that love is what we should center our relationships around, especially for those that are married.  Love is everything but self. We are to know ourselves and love ourselves in order to show that love to another, but ultimate true love is selfless, not selfish. It is patient.  In this society today, couples have one argument and they file for divorce. How about some patience? Some understanding? Some compromise and compassion? How about forgiveness?  If more couples treated love as God instructed us to in His living Word, the divorce rate would not be at 50%. Be patient with your children, your friends, your boss and co-workers.  We cannot expect everyone to be like us, to think like us, to believe like us. Let's show love to one another the way the Lord intended it. Let's not only know this bible verse because it is cited at almost every wedding ceremony, let's know this verse by heart because we live by it. Amen?!

Sunday, July 7, 2013 "Faith"

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Phil 4:8

Let go and let God.  Sounds so easy doesn't it? Many find it to be the most difficult thing because they need immediate results, instant gratification, they cannot wait.  But seasons of waiting are a big part of our walk with Christ.  For in those seasons, He is strengthening us and deepening our faith. Our faith in God is what pleases Him and it is what moves Him. How can we ever truly know the power of our living God without being tested?  If we do not see His work in our lives than how will we ever believe He can do all things?  We have to go through the fire in order to die to thy self and become a new creation in Him. "Sanctification" matures us spiritually. As we grow, we realize that faith is an action word. We must live by faith and move by faith. Habakkuk 2:4 “See, the enemy is puffed up;  his desires are not upright but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness." We cannot be passive in our faith. Matthew 17:20 tells us so....He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

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Saturday, July 6, 2013 "Keep Your Eyes on God"

Psalm 25:15

My eyes are ever on the Lord,
    for only he will release my feet from the snare.

Keep your eyes on the Lord.  Do not look about you.  When we lock our eyes onto His, we will not stumble nor will we fall.  It is so easy to be distracted and/or discouraged by our own circumstances, even by others.  It is imperative to surround yourself with loyal, solid faithful men and women of God.  Others that share your faith, your biblical doctrine and God's vision.  Whatever it is the Lord placed on your heart, you must carry through for His glory and honor, no matter what the cost.  If your decisions for Christ cost you a friendship or relationship, you must obey the Lord.  If it means walking away from something you hold on to dearly, it must be done.  Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son for the name of the Lord and when he showed he was prepared to, the Lord honored his obedience and saved his son.  When the Lord spoke to me three years ago and commanded me to lay down my own life and follow Him, I did.  I remember coming home from my last day at work and I told Him I was willing to work through the issues at hand for Him and he spoke so clearly to my heart and said, "I never intended you to endure one more day of it, I just wanted to know that you would do it for Me."  That is the living God we serve and He is worth every criticism, all the mockery, the negative looks and comments, even the lost of a loved one or friend.  Sometimes our own faith will "rock" even a fellow believer so we must be on guard at all times. And trust Him no matter what.  Do it is what He commands you do to, no matter what anyone says. If He calls you to preach and no one comes to listen, preach anyway while glorifying God.  Whatever adversity you face today, be more afraid of God's wrath than the consequences of man.  And no matter what else, fix your eyes on God.  

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