Filed under: Thoughts | Tags: bishop Tudor Bismark, christian, Christianity, Desert Season, Faith, Graham Cook, Inheritance Word, Prophetic Word, Religion, Seasons, Tudor Bismark, Word
Last week Dennis found an old tape series (yes, tapes) of Graham Cooke called “Knowing God’s Ways”. And it just so happens our VW has a tape player so he has been listening while driving. Last night we were in the car and Graham was talking about “An Inheritance Word”.
An “Inheritance Word” is a word spoken in a desert season that stays with you your entire life. He described it as a cup poured into the well of your life; something that becomes a part of you.
Speaking of desert seasons. Graham pointed out that desert seasons are times of hiddeness when God imparts. The desert is not punishment. In Mark 1 (read it!!) right before Jesus is sent into the wilderness, God says, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The wilderness is the place where your life message is formed. John the Baptist went into the wilderness and came out declaring, “Prepare the way of the Lord”. His life message was to prepare the way for Jesus, that message was formed in desert; the alone times.
The most difficult times in our lives, causes our faith to become our experience. You can believe something but until you experience it, it is only a theory. Experience proves our faith. One might say they trust God in the area of their finances but until that put to the test, it is only “talk”. When you begin to believe something, expect that it will be tested. When you begin to put your faith in God about something, everything in that area will seem to go wrong. When you begin to tithe, you will be faced with situations that you desperately “need” the money for something else, but if you continue to believe that God will provide, He will. As you believe that God heals, expect that belief to be tested by sickness or injury.
The good news is, God responds to faith. Faith is the currency of heaven.
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Bishop Tudor Bismark made this observation, “God is not moved by our need. Our faith moves God.”
So how can we increase in faith? In the book of Luke,The disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith. So asking God to increase our faith is an appropriate action. Another way to increase faith is to listen to and read the Word of God.
Romans 10:17
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
We must seek to increase our faith and expect desert seasons.
Growth/stretching is painful. Jesus spoke of it in terms of wine.
Mark 2:22
And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.
In order for us to experience new things and increase in faith, we must become new people. The new faith cannot be contained by the “old” person we were.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
We must be transformed; we must change.
Romans 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
If we are people of faith, we will experience seasons of change. In order to increase in our faith we must change. Everyone has desert seasons, as we go through these seasons we must ask ourselves, “What word is God imparting to me during this season”. When we emerge from the wilderness we will be new creations with an inheritance Word in us that can never be taken away.
Filed under: On the Lighter Side | Tags: Checks, Checks in the mail, christian, Humor, KFC, mom, Oprah, Prayer, Recession, Religious
Let’s just say this recession has hit home. In December, I lost my job as did everyone else at my company except for two people and I’m not sure they are still employed. But we have been “making it” by the blessings of God. Seriously. We have had several incredible blessings in the last few months.
One day, I was at the grocery store picking up some food to make box lunches (something I do on Thursdays to make a little cash - Dennis suggested I do this since I did quiet a bit of catering when I lived in Big Spring). As I was walking through the parking lot, I was praying. I asked God to let me find a wad of cash or even a hundred dollar bill. Yep, a hundred dollars would solve all my problems. It didn’t happen. Later that night my dad called and said my aunt was in town and I should stop by. Since I do not get to see my aunt very often (she is a traveling granny for sure) I wouldn’t miss a visit. She was heading from her winter place in south Texas up to Minnesota so it might be a while before we would see her again. We were visiting and she offered me a stick of gum (I thought maybe I needed some gum since I often offer people gum if they need to freshen their breathe). I accepted. Tucked in the pack of gum, was a hundred dollar bill. I cried and told my aunt about my prayer. Later in the evening she pulled another hundred out and said, “I’ve been carrying this around in my wallet for months. I don’t really need it.” Double blessing…it really helped us out.
Then Dennis’ company tells him that they are switching when they pay commission. We rely on commission checks to pay our rent since I lost my job. The emergency fund came in handy but there wasn’t any money left. Seriously…funds are tight. So I was heading to the mailbox one day praying for “checks in the mail”. I was just saying, “God we could sure use some checks in the mail.” As I picked up the mail, I opened an envelope in a generic envelope. It had four checks in…each check was for $1.00 for KFC.
I’m sure everyone on the planet heard about Oprah announcing KFC’s new grilled chicken and coupons to try it for free. Then days later, KFC handing out “rain checks” because the response was overwhelming. Well, I had emailed them about not getting to redeem our coupons.
I couldn’t help but laugh. God has a sense of humor. I had received “checks in the mail” just as I had asked. My prayer on the way back to my car with check in hand, “God, you are hilarious!” And He seriously is one of the funniest people I know. He made rhinoceroses. He’s funny. You’ve gotta love Him.
I told my mom about this (because she too likes to laugh at me – which she did) she told me, “You have to be more specific with God.”
P.S. Later I ate some grilled chicken at KFC. It was a little dry. Dennis had original recipe, now that is hard to resist.
Filed under: Thoughts | Tags: Bishop Bismark, Bishop Kenneth Phillips, Bishop Phillips, bishop Tudor Bismark, christian, Christianity, Faith, grow or die, Religion, Spiritual growth
I get great titles in my head all the time. Something that would be a great title to a book or a movie or a song. This one came to me the other day and I posted it on Facebook. As some things are with me, I start thinking about it and then it’s time to write a blog.
Lately we have been listening to a series called “Faithburst” that we picked up at the Prayer Conference we attended in January. It has been a very “meaty” series (read previous post if you aren’t sure what that means). Bishop Bismark is teaching/preaching/doing what he does telling us about growing our faith. He made an interesting observation…
Paul wrote
1 Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
Bishop says he was speaking of Steven’s stoning (recorded in Acts). At that time, Paul had just completed his training and he was judging the matter. Instead of listening first, thinking and then speaking, he spoke first, listened second and thought last. This is in contrast to Jesus when He was presented with the woman who was caught in adultery. Jesus listened first, thought second and then spoke. Jesus represented maturity.
He says we are like children in the market place (Matthew 11) who are unaware of the levity of the things going on around us (spiritually).
There are so many times we judge a situation often (usually) seeing only one side or one dimension of what is going on or what has gone on.
This past week I helped to move a friend of mine from one city back to her small town. This is someone who was once very close to me. To speak frankly (and if she reads this, I hope she understands I am not judging just observing) her life is a mess right now. She has worked very hard for her education but so far her education is not working for her. She has floated in and out of relationships (who hasn’t) and at this point, she clearly has a substance abuse problem. Her “friend” told me she has mental problems. (Sometimes we start believing everything that has been said about us – why do we always believe the bad things and not the good things?) I don’t think so…I think she’s just sad because life hasn’t turned out as planned. The thing is, when I look at her, I see unwritten books, I see poetry, I see untapped potential, I see a teacher, I see a mother, I see a sister, I see someone who is trying so hard to break out and BE. You know, be who God created her to be; just be herself. She has to grow beyond where she is or she is going to die. She doesn’t belong tucked away in a small town she was made for bigger things. Some people belong in small towns – small towns are great but she doesn’t belong there.
Every person comes to a place in their life when they have a “grow or die” moment. There are different levels of “grow or die”. Some are grow of die a slow death; some are grow of die a quick and sudden death. Grow or die a slow death are painful.
There are also different types of growth. Some growth is not on the surface but rather it is “putting down roots growth”. Some growth is fruit growth. Several years ago, I received a prophetic word and was told not to worry about growth because I am like a tree planted by water and that my roots go down very deep. I liked that because it went along with some other prophecies I had been given over the years about tree-like attributes. The thing is, we must be rooted and grounded in something or we simply will not survive life. My rooted and grounded in the Kingdom of God; it is pure and simple. It’s not about a church; it’s not about a religion; it’s not about a ministry. It is about Jesus; it is about relationship; it is about bridging others with Jesus; it is about growing in my relationship with Jesus and helping others grow.
Death is a fact of life. Eventually we will all die. If we leave our spirit untended, it too will die. We will become a shallow shell of a person. Our goal spiritually has to be to grow more than we die. It’s math. We have to grow our spirit more than we kill our spirit. Think about it. Bishop Phillips always said (I assume he still says this) “Garbage in; Garbage out”. We feed our spirit. What we feed our spirit determines it’s growth or death. Think about it – there are people who after we are around them, we feel uplifted and encouraged but there are others who leave us drained and depressed. There are things we read that are so inspiring while other things leave us feeling dirty. These are the gates: the ear gate, the eye gate; the mouth gate…what we hear, what we see and what we say.
It’s time to GROW!!! It is time to GROW our spirit.
Galatians 6:8
For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
In order to grow our spirit, we must sow to the spirit. It’s time to focus on spiritual growth.
Filed under: Thoughts | Tags: christian, Knowledge, Proverbs, Religion, understanding, Wisdom
Deuteronomy 19:15
One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.
This was Sunday I was watching Covenant Church online. The early service. They had a guest pastor; Pastor Gordon (I didn’t catch his last name). He was talking about wisdom. We had told a friend of ours we would visit his church on Sunday. So I was getting ready and listening with only one ear. I didn’t catch everything that was said.
However, the message at the church we visited was also about wisdom. One thing I do not believe in is “coincidences”. This was certainly a case of “out of the mouth of two or three witnesses a matter shall be established”. God was telling me something.
The passage that was read was from Isaiah…actually one of my favorite prayers. It was already underlined in red.
Isaiah 11:2
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
I did a study once on Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding. They are almost always linked together. Where you find one, you will usually find at least one of the others. Read Proverbs.
Job 28:28
And to man He said,‘ Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.
Psalm 49:3
My mouth shall speak wisdom,And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
The fear of the Lord (respect, reverence) is the beginning of Wisdom. Knowledge is information. Understanding is application. You can have knowledge without understanding. You can have wisdom without knowledge and without understanding. It is highly unlikely that you will have Understanding (application) without Wisdom and Knowledge. Understanding (applied knowledge) requires Wisdom. Understanding (application) requires Wisdom and Knowledge. This is the reason people can attend church for years and NOT grow spiritually…something is lacking. Maybe they aren’t gaining knowledge. Maybe they aren’t being taught. Maybe they have not been taught to fear of the Lord (reverence and submit to God).
No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, God promises us this:
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Filed under: Thoughts | Tags: Bible, christian, Faith, Religion, Word, Word as Weapon
While reading my Bible this morning I found a note (still another thing in my life pointing me toward getting more into my Bible):
Our Word as a weapon-
Isaiah 55:11
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler[a]
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
Isaiah 10:27
It shall come to pass in that day
That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder,
And his yoke from your neck,
And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.
Isaiah 59:19
So shall they fear
The name of the LORD from the west,
And His glory from the rising of the sun;
When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the LORD
Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[c] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
Hebrews 4:12
For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Filed under: Thoughts | Tags: christian, Divine Encounters, Religion, Taco Bell, Witness, Witnessing
Dennis called me around lunch time today and asked me what I was doing. I happened to be in town so he asked if I wanted to meet him for lunch. We have been “in between blessings” (thanks for that one, Lora Williams) in our finances, we decided to “do lunch” at Taco Bell (yep, under $7 for both of us- for all you Dave Ramsey groupies). While we were waiting for our order, we sat down and were discussing the cost of something (maybe gas??). There was an elderly gentleman sitting in the booth across the aisle. He joined our conversation.
He was telling us about driving a Renault all the way to Niagara Falls (the Canadian side). He said it got 56 miles to the gallon. And here we are looking for fuel efficiency. Anyway, it was a nice conversation. Since my grandparents have all passed on there are very few elderly people in my life. I really miss conversations with that generation. It is a peek into history from people who lived it.
In a few minutes, his wife joined him. They told us they were married in 1953. They had been married 56 years. (Dennis and I are going to have to live to be pretty old in order for that to happen). As we are eating, they are waiting for their order. The lady looks at Dennis who happens to be wearing a cross on a leather band around his neck. She boldly asks him if he is a Christian. He boldly replies “Yes”. She said, “In one sentence, what does forgiveness mean?” (Was this a pop quiz??) She begins to explain the gospel in very simple banking terms. Seriously, we were being witnessed to at Taco Bell by a lady who was at least almost 80 years old. She knew what she was talking about. She said, “If you have a debt, how is that debt forgiven?” We answered, “When it is paid in full”. They shared quiet a bit with us in a short period of time.
They told us, they were attracted to each other and married because they both wanted to know the Word of God. They both wanted to understand it and have knowledge of it. They had two daughters who were both living for God, two son-in-laws who were men of God and grandchildren who all served the Lord…and great-grand kids who they expected to serve God. (What a legacy) They told us, the law (Biblical law) was not created for us but to point us to fact that we need a savior. They said when raising their children, they applied the law but once their children accept Jesus Christ, they applied grace. They would simply ask the question, “What would Jesus say about this?” (Reminds me of a previous blog I wrote about Graham Cook and accountability – sometimes all you have so say is “You were made for more than this”).
My husband calls me “curious”. I always want to know. I need all the information…I want to know everything. I always have a question. My burning question to this couple was, “Where did you learn to witness? Did you take a class?” (Maybe I could sign up) Instead I asked her where they went to church. She said a church on 306 (or was it 309??) called something Country church….she didn’t want to talk about that really. She told me “We aren’t religious. We are in a relationship with Jesus. Religion is about us coming to God on our terms. Relationship is about us coming to God on His terms. Like Cain and Abel. Cain was a very religious man on his terms.” She went on to tell me that everything they knew they learned from the Bible. “Read your Bible. Read the Epistles – the letters Paul wrote”. WOW. I feel like God sent an angel into my path to tell me exactly what He wants me to do.
Then she said something that really hit home with this current vain of the importance of the Word of God. She said, “Every account in the Bible is about someone listening to and obeying God’s Word for their life.” God told Noah to build and ark. Moses was told to deliver Israel and give them the law. Every account in the Bible is about following God’s voice.
This is why Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
We are writing our book of the Bible now. The Book of Acts (the Acts of the Church of Jesus Christ) is not really complete. What story does your life tell?
I left Taco Bell feeling a little convicted. I asked myself, “How bright is your light shining if other Christians are witnessing to you?” (no Dennis and I were not fighting) This woman was bold for Jesus. She didn’t care if people thought she was old or crazy. She loves Jesus. Let’s admit it, we don’t really witness any more. We invite people to our church. We do not share the gospel message with them. Most of us can not explain in one sentence what forgiveness means. Or explain the gospel in simple “non-Christianese” terms to the unchurched.
Bishop Phillips always taught us that Jesus didn’t say bring the sinner to church, He said take the gospel to the sinner.
Inviting people to church is not going to get them to heaven.
We didn’t catch the couple’s names that we met at Taco Bell. However, there is a cloud of witnesses who know (Hebrews 12:1) who they were. Although I was convicted, I was also encouraged and I was challenged. I need all those things in my life, because I am not finished growing in faith or wisdom or understanding or knowledge….in fact, I am just getting started.
Thank God for Divine Encounters.
Filed under: Thoughts | Tags: Bible, christian, Dori Powledge, Jesus, peace, Prayer, Religion, Scripture, Word, Worst Day
If you have read my two previous posts then you realize that God has been reminding me of the importance of studying the Word. This past Saturday Dori Powledge spoke at our church(www.psmchurch.com). Three years ago she lost her husband of 12 years and four of her children in a tragic car wreck. Her testimony rocks! Seriously, it rocks the gates of hell. Although she lost more than half of her immediate family is one tragedy, she is whole, healed and delivered. I anticipate that this woman is going to shake the nations!
Dori walked to the podium on Saturday night (loved her shoes….couldn’t help but notice) without a note of any kind. As she spoke from her heart, the tears flowed (Dennis and I were crying). The story began to unfold and at every turn, it was the Word that she relied on. It was the Word of God that carried her through. She received some personal Words but as she told her story it was obvious that this woman has the Word of God (the Bible) hidden in her heart. She quoted scripture after scripture. She quoted them correctly and she referenced where they were found. She was without a doubt a Woman of the Word. And it was apparent that this is one of the things that brought her to the other side of a tragedy that could have killed her.
We cannot expect that we are going to read a devotional every day and get the Word in us. The “Busy Woman’s Five Minute Devotional” is not going to get you through the worst day of your life. It’s just not. If you are going to make it on the very worst day of your life you going to have to have the Word of God hidden in your heart. It is no longer enough to just “read” your Bible. It is time to study, memorize, commit the Word to your spirit.
People often ask me how I remember scriptures (don’t get me wrong – I am not as good at remembering the references). It seems that at the right time and place, God will bring a scripture to my memory. That doesn’t happen because I read it once. It is a result of seasons in my life of being totally immersed in the Word. It comes from writing scriptures on notecards and reading them over and over. It comes from looking up the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek words so I will understand the full meaning. It has been a while since I had a season like that but I feel the stirrings. Psalm 42:5 says “Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.” I feel the deep calling. Can you hear it? Listen closely. On the worst day of your life, what thoughts will run through your mind? Or what peace will wash over you?
Filed under: Quiet Time
If you read my last few posts, then you know that God has been taking me back to some of the basics (we all need to review the basics sometimes). I attended a class my brother-in-law, John is teaching at his church. The class is for new believers and he was teaching them why the Word of God is so important. He told of how his dad constantly quoted the Word to him and how it became hidden in his heart without him ever pursuing it and how later in life, those scriptures impacted him. This is just another reason it is so important for us to hide God’s Word in our hearts. So this weeks has been about getting back into the habit (yes, I want this to be a habit in my life – it has been in the past) of declaring God’s word over my life. This post is really for me. I only made it to Isaiah in my Bible and I had so many great scriptures to choose from.
I am thumbing through my well worn Bible (The Thompson Chain Reverence Study Bible NKJV) and here are a few scriptures I have high lighted.
Also, I would LOVE to know what scriptures you are declaring over yourself and your family….please comment!
Deuteronomy 28 – read the whole thing.
Verse 13
And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today and are careful to observe them.
Deuteronomy 30 – when you return to the Lord
Beginning in verse 8
“”And you will again obey the voice of the Lord and do all His commandments which I command you today. The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers. If you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul.
Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth it’s fruit in its season. Whose leaves shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalm 14:5b
For God is with the generation of the righteous
(Remember – YOU are the righteous; made righteous by Jesus Christ!)
Psalm 16:11
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 17:15
As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
Psalm 18:50
Great deliverance He gives to His king. and shows mercy to His anointed.
(Revelation 1:5 says that Jesus has made us all kings and priests that means he has given us a great deliverance!)
Psalm 27 (read this!)
verse 3
Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me. In this I will be confident…For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me.
Psalm 34:18-19
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Psalm 37 – here are some declarations based on this chapter.
The Lord shall give me the desires of my heart.
My steps are ordered by the Lord.
I do not beg and I will not be hungry. The Word says, “I have not seen the righteous forsaken Nor his descendants begging bread”.
My mouth speaks wisdom and my tongue talks of justice.
Psalm 56:8
He gathers my tears and bottles them.
(He knows every tear).
Psalm 84:11
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 102″17
He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, And shall not despise their prayer.
Based on Psalm 121
My God never slumbers! He is my keeper and my shade. He shall preserve me from all evil; He shall preserve my soul.
Psalm 128
Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways.
When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy and it shall be well with you.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like the olive plants all around your table.
Behold thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
the Lord bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. yes, may you see your children’s children.
Psalm 133 (This is where there is commanded BLESSING!!)
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron. Running down on the edge of his garments.
It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountain of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing – Life forevermore.
Psalm 139 (every parent needs to teach this one to their children!)
verse 17
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.
Psalm 145:16
You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
vs 19
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.
Isaiah 54 :4
Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
Vs 17
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me.” says the Lord.
Isaiah 55: 11 (This is why declaring the Word over your life is so powerful!!)
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void. But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the things for which I sent it.
Filed under: Thoughts | Tags: bishop Tudor Bismark, christian, Ester Whitmore, Faith, Infertility, Pregnancy, Pregnant, Prophecy, Testimony
I had a good reminder this past week. While I was in Big Spring for my baby niece’s birth, I had a chance to visit with Esther Whitmore. For those of you who don’t know Esther, let me give you the skinny. To begin with, her mother is a spiritual warrior. That is a great linage to begin with. Sister Mary epitomizes what a Christian woman should be. She is kind, gracious, speaks the truth, and always has an encouraging word. And the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Seriously, I love being around these women because you always leave feeling refreshed. I aspire that my own presences would be considered refreshing.
Ester came up to the hospital to see baby Devri. At the time she came, the nurses came in to check up on Jenny and asked us all to leave. Esther walked me out to my vehicle. I was telling her about a prophetic word Dennis and I received in January from Bishop Tudor Bismark (www.jabula.org) about having children.
She began to tell me her story. She and her husband Scott wanted children. When you meet Esther you know immediately she was designed by God to be a mom. She has a sweet mom voice. They had tried for years to have a baby. The doctor’s reports were not positive. Throughout the years Esther received prophecy after prophecy that she would have children. She said after 10 years, her faith was fading. After 10 years of trying in September of 2000, Esther did get pregnant. She and Scott were so excited about the pregnancy they had already shared the news with EVERYONE they knew. This was progress but the pregnancy was not carried to term; she lost that baby. I cannot imagine the disappointment Ester and Scott must have experienced bot be so close and not see the fruit. Esther described this time as “very tough” but said that God was so amazing during that time and they both emerged with more faith than they ever had before. In July of 2001, Esther received another prophecy about having children. She was said she was so tired. She told God, “I just can’t get there today, Lord, and I”m sorry. I believe… but help my unbelief” Two months later she found out she was pregnant with her oldest son, Nathanial. He was born June 1, 2002. By that time, Esther and Scott had been married for 15 years. A few years later, the Whitmores welcomed Nicholas into the world.
This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare I Timothy 1:18
Paul told Timothy that we are to wage a good warfare (that’s prayer!!) with the prophecies spoken over us.
While traveling home from this trip, I listed to several CDs in a series aptly named “Faith Burst”. Bishop Bismark said reading the testimonies in the Bible and hearing the testimonies of the saints should INCREASE our faith. If God will do this for Hannah or Ester (Whitmore) than He will certainly do it for me as well. Most of the time, we disqualify ourselves from the good things God has stored up for us. It is our unbelief; our lack of faith that slows things down in our lives.
Bishop also said that Faith is the currency of heaven. God is not moved by need.
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Faith is what moves God.
If you just can’t do it….pray Esther’s prayer, “I just can’t get there today, Lord, and I”m sorry. I believe… but help my unbelief’.”
