My Cup Runneth Over!

Good Sunday to all! It is a beautiful Sunday in Georgia; the weather is in the mid 80's with moderate humidity. I have been able to enjoy the sunshine and the company of my husband. What  more can a woman want. Although we find ourselves very busy these days, it is a good kind of busy as we work on our latest project. I am a firm believer that couples always need fresh projects to keep their love alive and I am thankful that Waine and I have plenty to work toward and plan for.  Part of my devotion today was to watch Joel Olstein whose message centered around the "persistence in your faith". Basically, he reminded me that if all of us had a 50,000 feet view of our lives as we experienced set-backs we would remain calm. If we knew that we might get 100 rejections before we got a positive response to our prayers or requests, then we would fully participate in the continuation of our quest knowning that we were perhaps only 90 rejections away from our blessing as opposed to quitting when we are disappointed by the first rejection. I am reminded that Christ is our "50,000" foot vantage point because His promise and sacrifice has already delivered our abundance! As you proclaim and claim God's promises today be reminded that the plan for your life has been secured and God is not man that He should lie!

I am continuing my journey is Jeremiah 25 verses 15-30, This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from My hand this cup filled with the wine of My wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them.” So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom He sent me drink it: Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin and an object of horror and scorn, a curse —as they are today; Pharaoh king of Egypt, his attendants, his officials and all his people, and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines (those of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod);  Edom, Moab and Ammon; all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea;  Dedan, Tema, Buz and all who are in distant places;  all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the foreign people who live in the wilderness; all the kings of Zimri, Elam and Media; and all the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshakwill drink it too. Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.’But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink , tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty.’ May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Words.

I had to go and read a commentary of these scriptures because I couldn't figure out how Jeremiah was going to 1) carry a cup of wine around or 2) how Jeremiah was going to get all these kings and rulers to drink from it. Apparently the evil and the good events of life are often represented in Scripture as cups. In verses 15-30, the cup represents the desolation which was coming upon that part of the world, of which Nebuchadnezzar, who had just began to reign and act as a ruler, would be the instrument that God uses to cause the destruction of the world of the children of Israel. Although Nebuchadnezzre would be the instrument, the "destroying sword" would come from the hand of God. The desolation the sword would make in all these kingdoms, are represented by the consequences of excessive drinking and wars. The two "swords" of destruction, drunkenness and war, would cause destruction because drunkenness deprives men of the use of their reason, and war fills a nation with confusion.

God is telling Jeremiah that the children of Israel will refuse to take the cup of his hand; they will not believe Jeremiah; but he must tell them it is the Word of the Lord of hosts, and it is in vain for them to struggle against Almighty power. They will be destroyed because of their own wickedness. Wow! Sound familiar?

One of the revelations I received from Jeremiah, just today, is that our relationship with God PREVENTS calamity from befalling us. When we were driven from the Garden, we entered a world filled with sin and calamity. I am amazed that more unfortunate things don't befall us daily. Its because we have the protective bubble of the Blood of the Lamb. But just like the Israelites, we have to confess our sins and then ACCEPT the Protective Bubble that comes through a relationship with Christ. Without Christ, we, the world, will be subject to the mayhem and madness created by our sin disobedience. We will fall to the sword of our sins which is what Satan wants. Instead, Christ has offered every one His cup of forgiveness and then grace and mercy. So why are so many people still choosing the cups of destruction. Remember Satan is the great deceiver and the only thing that can counteract his deceit is the Power of the Word of God. That's why I share scriptures in my Blog. When you read the scriptures you are transformed. God will bring to your memory His Words just when you need them. His Word is Healing and when spoken the devil will flee from you!

Be blessed today as you take of the cup of Jesus and the abundance that is promised to you. Now may the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie

And the Word Came!

Good  morning to all on this glorious Tuesday. A shout out to my nephew Terry Graves on the occasion of his birth on April 22! Terry is a music producer in Los Angeles and is a co-author of Black Eye Peas "Let's Get It Started In Here". My sister has two (2) wonderful children Michele and Terry and they have both been part of  my life since their birth; the little family of Emorrie and Hisako will have a welcomed addition sometime in October so please keep the mother and baby in your prayers. I am praying that each of you get your week off to a GREAT start by having your mind fixed on HIM. Regardless of the "winds and waves" of live, just know that God is in His Heaven and truly all is right with the world.

I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah 25 verses 1- 14, "The Word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. So Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people of Judah and to all those living in Jerusalem: For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—the Word of the LORD has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened. And though the LORD has sent all His servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention. They said, “Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the LORD gave to you and your ancestors for ever and ever. Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse My anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you. But you did not listen to me, declares the LORD, and you have aroused My anger with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves. Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to My words, I will summon all the peoples of the north and My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the LORD, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the LORD, “and will make it desolate forever. I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands." Amen, and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

And the Word Came! And the Word Came! And in the Beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. And God Spoke (said) "let there be Light and there was Light"......  And God Spoke (said) "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness........So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them!"  Words are very POWERFUL--God uses Words to create and to destroy evil and its influence--God became Word itself so that His Word could dwell among us!  The Devil also understands the Power of the Word and words, which is why the devil uses words to confuse and defeat us. Have you heard the phrase "I talked myself into it"? With your words you form the foundation of your life which is why it is so necessary for us to PROFESS the Deity of Christ and then accept the forgiveness of our sins through the PROFESSION of our Faith. Your professions, your words are very powerful. God SPOKE and all that we see came into being. As Christians we have the same power to Speak Truth to Power.  So I wonder why so many Christians live less than the abundant life?? Is is because instead of speaking our faith into existence we give into doubt and speak destruction into existence. I think so. What we are instructed to do as Christians is to SPEAK (pray) our confessions and our requests to the God who uses WORDS to do everything. He used Word to create us. He used Words with Adam and Eve directly. He used Words through prophets and kings to instruct His people. And then when none of that worked He became Word Himself to instruct us how this life works. So watch your words. When you pray, pray believing and professing the outcome. Pray and ask specifically for what you want and what you want atonement for. When I wanted a husband, I prayed very specifically with respect to height, weight, temperament and most of all for a man that had given his life to Christ. I got Waine! Speaking Truth to Power.

Whatever is going on in your life, PROFESS today the outcome you want. Claim the victory for yourself with specifics. God will never disappoint and He is not man that He should lie. Use the Word and then rejoice for the Word Has Come!

Now may the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie

My eyes will watch over them. I will give them a Heart to know me.

Good morning to all on this Sunday morning. Waine and I started our day praising God for His goodness and His blessings for us and our family. I have come to see that how I start my day will influence the rest of my day. If I start my day thinking about problems then I seem to find problems and they seem to find me throughout the day. If I start my day praising God then I find that I have lots to be thankful for through the day and blessings continue to find me. If you allow the problems of life to enter into your mind as your first thoughts then Satan has a way to continue to deteriorate your thinking and confidence as the day goes forward. You don't have to look for problems; there are enough to fill your entire life. But God says "seek first the righteousness of God" so that everything else you need to survive in this day will be available to you. Easy to say and as you practice it, easy to do! Hallelujah!

I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah 24 verses 1-10 " After Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the LORD showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the LORD. One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten. Then the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.” Then the Word of the LORD came to me: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with all their heart. But like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten, says the LORD, so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, a curse and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish them. I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors. Amen. May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

What a wonderful set of Scriptures and wonderful set of promises! At times we can forget that God is in control! His eye is always on us! The song says "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!" Do Christians really KNOW that His eye is on us and that no matter where we "find" ourselves, its never haphazard or by accident. Every Christian has the Heart of God in our spirit. Just like your human heart, the heart of God beats in our spirit! Its like a compass that will always lead us back to the will of God in our lives, regardless of the circumstance that we find ourselves in. At ground zero, our every day waking lives we only see at eye level--God and our own spirits always has a 50,000 feet view of the landscape IF AND ONLY IF, we allow the faith we profess to have control. Satan purposefully keeps things stirred up so that we become distracted from the true mission we have and that is to sow the Seed of Redemption. From the time we wake up to the time we fall asleep, Satan is busy trying to confuse us from our one purpose. Satan will sow the seeds of doubt of God's love by bombarding you with WHAT IF OR WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? Just like God allowed some of the Israelites to be exiled for their own good, He will also protect us from calamity. When I find myself in calamity, I know that it is Satan being busy. I used to try and then "fix" the calamity. I am learning to yield to God and my spirit and allow Their timing and remedies to take place. I am learning to be still but truth be told in some of the situations I have found myself in lately, I have had no choice but to be still and in my stillness I am able to witness the love and hand of God on my life and my situations! Hallelujah! I have victory because He has the victory and will not allow anything to befall me that will not edify my spirit, soul and body. I am more than a conqueror because my Redeemer liveth. I am not a slave to circumstance, because nothing has or can befall me that is not in the will of God for me and therefore it is all for my Good!  When you wake up knowing the One who knows, then you never have to say "But What am I going to DO?" Just as His eye was on the Israelites, His Eye, the Eye of Christ and the Eye of the Holy Ghost is on YOU! If while you are reading this, you have anything other than Peace know that you have to let go of your flesh--your earthly way of thinking--and embrace the power of your Spirit. God is not man that He should lie. He has promised you abundance, peace and victory over all you pray and seek -- JUST BELIEVE. Just as a child believes naively, so too should we.  God loves you today--He loves you and has a plan for your life which is spelled out in A B U N D A N C E. When you need whatever you need, it will be there. It may not be early but it will never be late.  Be free today to rejoice in the Love, Mercy and Grace of God and don't miss your blessing. Rebuke the devil and his calamity with the Word of God right now, in Jesus name.

Now may the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.

To KNOW Him is to love Him. To Know Him is to love you!

Stephanie

My People Know My Name and Know My Voice!

Hallelujah Christ is RISEN! Amen and thank you Jesus, the Christ, Who died so that we could live life and live it more abundantly! Good morning to all on this 8th of April 2012. The Sunday in 2012 that the world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus the Christ. I was watching CBS Sunday morning today and there was a news article concerning the Burial Cloth of Christ, the Shroud of Torin. This atheist scientist was trying to prove the authenticity of the burial shroud and that it indeed was the shroud that covered the body of Jesus some 2000 years ago. I thought it odd that an atheist would be trying to prove the authenticity of the shroud, which in the recent past has been called into question with carbon dating as being a reproduction, until I understood his logic. In his mind, the shroud is authentic and is the image that Mary Magdalene and others saw and mistook for the resurrected body of Christ. You see what distinguishes Christianity for all other religions is that Christ was born, He lived, He died and then, and then and then He was resurrected as prophesied. If Christ was not resurrected then He is just like every other moral, religious teacher. You see when Satan comes at you its like he came at Christ when Christ was fasting. He comes to you with half-truths and logic and interpretations of the Scriptures. Regardless of the false prophets I know the truth that my Redeemer lives and He was resurrected because the Bible tells me so! Hallelujah and amen! That's the whole point of Easter! Not colored eggs or easter bunnies--it is the Good News that Christ lives and is seated at the right hand of God!

I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah 23 verses 25 - 40, "I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in My Name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? They think the dreams they tell one another will make My people forget My name, just as their ancestors forgot My Name through Baal worship. Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has My Word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the LORD.  Is not My Word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?  Therefore,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from Me. Yes,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The LORD declares.’ Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the LORD. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the LORD. When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message from the LORD?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake you, declares the LORD. If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message from the LORD,’ I will punish them and their household. This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is the LORD’s answer?’ or ‘What has the LORD spoken?’ But you must not mention ‘a message from the LORD’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort the words of the living God, the LORD Almighty, our God. This is what you keep saying to a prophet: ‘What is the LORD’s answer to you?’ or ‘What has the LORD spoken?’ Although you claim, ‘This is a message from the LORD,’ this is what the LORD says: You used the words, ‘This is a message from the LORD,’ even though I told you that you must not claim, ‘This is a message from the LORD.’ Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast you out of My Presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. I will bring on you everlasting disgrace—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.” Amen and may God ass a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

In Matthew 24 verses 4-5 "Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many." The passage goes on to fore tell the signs of the last days which we have been in for 2000 years. My belief is that the last days are all these days between the resurrection of Christ and the point at which Christ comes again to earth to claim His Church-Bride, us! During these last days, experienced by millions of Christians since AD 1, Christians are always challenged to let go of the teachings of Christ and embrace all kinds of mumble jumble substitutes. Even well meaning Christians have admonished me not to be "too Spiritual" for fear of turning people away from me. I don't care that people turn away from me; my job is for them to turn to Jesus and the Cross. What I have learned is that when I speak the Word of God and not my own words, the Word of God will cut to the core of those hearts that have not turned toward Him and His message of redemption. That is my job and only job--- to spread the Gospel with my mouth and with my life. I have been a CEO, COO and Senior Vice President of major corporations and each time I would want to pray before a meeting or pray to establish order with my staff I would meet with opposition. Now when you think about it who would oppose hearing the Good News--only Satan because Satan knows that when the Word of God through Christ is spoken it never comes back void. Some of those "Seeds" will fall on the "good" soil and it will take hold. I rejoiced always in the opposition because it meant souls were being won for Christ. And just like Elijah after his victory over the prophets of Baal, when I was threatened with being replaced or the loss of my livelihood, I had fear in my heart because I am human. Its during these times of fear, my faith becomes tested and through testing becomes stronger. As Christians we should never judge ourselves especially judge ourselves because we experience fear and through fear doubt. It is during those times we turn our face and heart to God through Christ and then the Miracle of Faith can take place! My life will not be judged by how many titles I had or how much money I made; Christ will judge my life by my commitment to His teaching that I should love God with all my heart and to love my neighbor just as God loved me! God's love for me was manifested some 2000 years ago when He came in the form of man and then died for me while I was yet in sin and then, hallelujah, conquered the grave so that I might have eternal life.

I believe we can all become false prophets when we stray away from the message as delivered in the Bible. It is not just a book written by many authors. I believe that it is the Inspired Words from God! If God can raise Christ from the dead, you actually think He can't inspire His Words to be written on the Hearts of men to be then delivered through centuries of manuscripts. Don't ever limit the Power of God through our feeble understanding and intellect. It is amazing to me that humans have no problem with the cycle of life as exhibited by the blooming of trees every year. Trees all look dead during the winter months and then without a brain in their limbs, they come back to life every spring and bear their fruits every fall. What a miracle of self regeneration! So too Christ tells us to "renew" out minds daily through His Words so that we can shield ourselves from the attack of Satan who bombards us with false words and teachings daily. Guard your minds today from all false teachings that will have you believe that your sustenance comes from something other than God through Christ, who died SO THAT WE MIGHT LIVE AND THEN LIVE ABUNDANTLY!!!!

Now may the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you; may the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Christ the Lord has risen today--hallelujah!

Stephanie