I was struck by kindness yesterday, in the most unexpected way.
Because I had the unusual occurrence of spending nearly an hour with a general surgeon yesterday while he conversed with me and his two nurses. I was able to experience this because I was awake while he injected me with a second round of novocaine, cut a sebaceous cyst out of my backside, cauterized the “bleeders” as he called them, and stitched me up.

From the moment I met him I noticed how polite he was and how calm in his demeanor. As time progressed, I was able to sense much more. He was kind and respectful to his nurses, kind to me, a genuinely kind man. Notice I’m not saying he was a kind doctor. Because this went beyond having a kind bedside manner. Kindness was hardwired into his very being, attached to a respect he held about himself and others. It was part of the way he held himself. It was in his very countenance.

And the situation didn’t permit me to know with certainty if he was a Christian or not. He might have been, the clinic was an offshoot of a Baptist Hospital, but the situation didn’t lend itself to me asking. But as he was also a middle age Indian man with an Indian accent, he may also have been Hindu. Regardless of his faith however, since the time I walked away I’ve been pondering the power of his kindness and the need for kindness we all have.
Because here was this man, Christian or not, who was kinder and gentler than many Christians I know, myself included. And yet we as Christinas are the ones called to be kind.

I share this observance because kindness isn’t always my first response. Sometimes I have to pull myself in and remember to be kind. Because I'm oftentimes frank and my words can be quite blunt and unintentionally harsh if I'm not careful. I might take a lesson from my writing in which I take the time to measure out my words with constraint, carefully considering each word before each sentence fully forms. I also share this that you might take a moment to consider kindness and how it’s operating in your life. The world has enough rudeness; let’s be instruments of God’s grace that the world would see more of the manifestation of the fruit of kindness. Even the smallest acts matter. And impact beyond what we might imagine.

At any rate, I met a very kind man yesterday, in the midst of what could have been an unpleasant experience. His kindness made it just a bit more less so. So Thank you Dr. Mahalati; your kindness was a medicine in itself. You will be remembered with fondness, though I hope to see you no more.

“Acts of kindness shouldn’t be random, they should be frequent and intentional.”

“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted…”
Excerpt from Ephesians 4:32

Lone Ranger prophets, wounded prophets, embittered prophets, angry prophets, immature prophets, cave-dwelling prophets, self-appointed prophets, social media prophets, and finally, false prophets, I’m sure we’ve all seen more than we care to see. And this is why many question the need for prophets or even their existence in the body of Christ today. But part of the reality of all of the above is that prophets and the prophetic have been abused, misused, misunderstood and mishandled. On both sides of the fence.

I'll start with “misuse.” Many come seeking prophetic words as if they were a never-ending supply of cookies being dispensed from a heavenly cookie jar, with a “what sweet word is there for me today?” attitude. This is not honoring to the purposes of the prophetic, nor to the one releasing the word, whether they are a prophet or one operating in the gift of prophecy, nor to the One who is the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Because these things are not meant to be “transactional.” The Father doesn't want a transaction with His children, He wants relationship. Everything is meant to flow from relationship. The model is the same for us.

And this model is equally important regarding His mouthpieces. They are gifts to the body of Christ and they’re meant to be valued in the context of relationship, not according to the measure or value of the words they speak. They’re being misused when the word they carry is valued more than their actual “being.” This is why many prophets end up feeling burned out after the initial exhilaration of it all when they’re first discovering and developing who they are. There continued expectation for them to release a word “always available and always on tap” isn’t healthy for them or those who make such requests. Sometimes they just want to go hiking with a friend. Sometimes they need to be the receivers and sometimes they simply need rejuvenated.

And many don’t realize that the main “job” of a prophet is not to dispense prophetic words, but to equip the saints for the work of the ministry; particularly to equip the saints to hear from God for themselves. Because it's best when everyone learns to shoulder the responsibility of learning to hear from God for themselves. In many cases, it simply takes the obedience of time spent with God. At any rate, this is one aspect of coming to maturity in Christ. We start as babes, as lambs, but we cannot remain there; we must grow to become those who hear the voice of The Shepherd. He’s always speaking and He speaks in a multiplicity of ways for those who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to discern.

In addition, there are those commonly mistaken as prophets, by themselves and others, because they give prophetic words prolifically. However, they’re operating in the gift of prophecy (Romans 12:6) they are not called as prophets. Their words may be highly accurate, but their words won't carry the same level of authority as the words of a called prophet, even when such a prophet is NOT prophesying. Because when you hear a prophet speak, whether through teaching, preaching, praying, words of wisdom or words of knowledge, or the general wisdom they dispense, you'll feel the weight of their words. Their words are strong. They hit harder and they go deeper. Which is why a true prophet must take great care regarding the words they speak. And this is the distorted view many have of who is a prophet and who is not.

And finally - you want a word from a prophet? You might want to prepare yourself. Because the words of a prophet will go beyond the “lift up, build up, and cheer up” words of encouragement and exhortation given through the gift of prophecy. The piercing words of a new testament prophet will also bring correction and they won't mince words unless they're a strong mercy prophet or a prophet who's been matured and tempered to reflect the Father's heart of love even in the midst of strong correction.

At any rate, these are but a couple of the misuses and misunderstandings of the prophetic realm and its protocol. Keep in mind that all may prophesy and all are encouraged to prophesy, and it’s through the increased understanding of these things the Bride of Christ continues to make herself ready. These are exciting times to be alive.

This essay comes from a longer message I originally shared on someone else’s platform, but I’ll continue to edit with fresh insight as I present one more woman whose boldness is admirable that we may glean as much as we can from her story while also recognizing this is not a Bible study, but rather something to inspire us to believe boldly and ask for the miracle we need. I’ll end with some of the lies I believed that hindered me in my own ASKing, but first I’ll begin with a woman who’s simply known as “the woman with the issue of blood” and whose story begins in Luke 8:43

This is a woman who make a decision one day to no longer wait her turn, but to take her turn, (thanks to Tomi Arayomi for this insight) and her story begins on this day she finds herself in the crowds mobbing Jesus as He’s on his way to heal a 12 year-old girl. After 12 years of misery, this woman basically decides to “cut to the front of the line” so she can touch the hem of Jesus’ garment because she’s made up her mind this is how she’ll be healed. It’s her “now or never” moment – and she chooses “now.” She chooses to move. Her desperation compels her. She pushes herself forward through the crowd and does what her faith has compelled to do. And take note of this - no one reproves her. Rather, Jesus commends her with these words before continuing on His way to heal the 12-year-old girl: “Daughter, be of good cheer daughter. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Jesus gives no analogy and no parable, but with these simple words her life is changed forever. Not only does she receive her healing, she receives her identity as “daughter.” She’ll no longer be an outcast. Her faith has made her whole, signifying a spiritual and emotional healing as well. She’ll no longer have to live on the fringes of society.

There’s yet more to consider however regarding this woman’s act of desperation. For it appears there’s a possibility she made another decision that day; a decision that undergirded her decision to push to the front of the line. Because it’s likely she heard about the 12-year-old girl Jesus was on his way to heal, as she was in the crowd flowing and bumping along with Jesus. And as Jairus fell at the feet of Jesus to make his request, we know Jesus and the crowd stopped. Many would have heard this request. Could it be that this woman made the decision that day that her own life was every bit as valuable as the life of a 12-year-old girl? Could she have come to the realization that if Jesus was on his way to heal this young girl, then surely He could redeem her 12 years of misery? I believe this suffering woman made the decision this day to count her worth as equal to that of the young girl. Despite how society had viewed her and treated her. I believe it’s probable.

And what if this this portrays for us is that our wholeness is on the other side of our willingness to ASK? If this is true, we must not hesitate. We must not be timid. This is our day and our hour, to ASK for the miracle. This woman never lost hope, and neither should we. I know there are as many unanswered prayers as there are answered ones, and there are things some of us have prayed for decades, but we cannot afford to lose hope. I know this is a delicate issue for some and that many have plaguing health conditions. But we cannot afford to bring our theology down to the level of our current circumstance. Yes, we can learn to be content in our present circumstances, this is theologically sound, and there are things we simply receive by virtue of being sons and daughters, but there are things we must contend for (in order to receive) and the Kingdom allows for this as well (Matthew 11:32). At any rate, God still rewards the faith inside the ask. Whether it’s been weeks or years, the doctor’s report doesn’t have to be the final report. Especially when there’s a better report to seek for.

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Isaiah 53:1

Of course I’m not saying there are some who aren’t healed because they don’t have enough faith. That’s insensitive and we’re admonished to weep with those who weep, which I’ve done recently. I don’t claim to have pat answers and I don’t understand why my grand-daughter just had her spleen and half her pancreas removed because of a cancerous tumor, or why I just had a rather hideous thing removed from my back instead of being healed. All I have is the Word and my own testimony of what’s hindered me from ASKing in times past.

First however, let’s take a quick look at the man at the pool of Bethesda, as he shared the same condition I had of low self-worth. This man had no one to put him in the pool for 38 years and the mindset of the day was - he must be a sinner. All his life people had literally looked down on him. And so he looked down on himself - so much so that when Jesus asked him a simple question, “Do you want to be made well?” he was unable to give his YES. He was stuck on his low view of himself, stuck on his problem, focused on his limitations, which he began to describe to Jesus. But I declare today we will not operate as this man did. We want wholeness in our lives, we want to be made well, we know this is our portion and we will ASK for what we need. I trust that you’re hearing me. Let’s lift up our voices therefore, and ASK for the miracle we need. And I declare also – we will not grow weary in the ASKing!

And then there was the Lame Man at the Gate Beautiful (Acts 3). His expectations were far too low. All he wanted was another hand-out for another day. His meager portion. But God had a far better idea! As did Peter! And He has a better idea for us as well. Perhaps for some of us it’s time to raise our expectations. For myself, I’ve had a tendency to think “this” or “that” regarding my expectations and what I think I should ASK for, but sometimes God has given me “both.” And then I’m reminded all over again - He is able and willing to do far above all that I can even think to ask (just as when He fed the multitudes, there were baskets left over). The limitations have been in my mind, not His. At any rate, we serve a God who wants us to have a good portion, even an abundant portion. He doesn’t want our expectations to be “dampened” by our circumstance, like the man at the Gate Beautiful.

And a brief bit of my story and how my expectations were hindered because of my perceived low self-worth. Growing up, when I asked for things, I was always told “we can’t afford it,” but as the years progressed and our financial situation improved I was able to see this wasn’t necessarily true; it was a matter of preference and how they wanted to spend money. So it got lodged in my psyche that I couldn’t have any of the things I wanted because I wasn’t worth it. Also, anytime I asked for privileges I was always told no, despite the responsibilities I carried as the oldest. Ain addition, anytime I voiced a need, an opinion, a concern, my needs were entirely discounted and dismissed. My voice was shut down. I felt overlooked, unseen, and valued only by the things I could do to earn my value such as getting good grades, and before that becoming a champion baton twirler. It was only by the things I could do well that I felt valued, and often I didn’t meet the expectations that were placed on me. Obviously, this isn’t a healthy state of being.

A secondary layer of my experience – Because I was always told NO I adjusted to the limitation of always receiving no for an answer. I got acclimated to the limitation of the NO. I became familiar if not comfortable with a limited portion. It became my normal. As you may have already ascertained, this affected my relationship with the Lord and with people when it came to asking for things. In particular, I found it extremely difficult to ask people for help. My subconscious told me I wasn’t worth it and certainly not worth their time. And all of this coincided with my “later in my Christian walk” revelation of God as my heavenly Father who actually wanted to give me good things. After He introduced Himself to me, I didn’t hold back from asking for physical healing, due to the miracles I experienced right from the start, but anything else, I was oddly content to go without. I remember one year as a single mom, telling my pastor’s wife I was just going to wait till January to give my daughters Christmas gifts, when I would have a bit of money to do so. And I said this with a straight face.

One final thing, and perhaps the biggest that profoundly affected my mindset was in regard to my perceived worth as a female because of the way I was treated growing up. I vividly remember my dad telling me once, before my parents’ divorce “women don’t go to college” and when I asked about this, because I was genuinely puzzled and already had aspirations for college, he countered back and ended the discussion with, “women don’t need to go to college.” These words lodged deep in my pyche. And because I was treated in many other ways as “less than” because I was female, in addition to not feeling valued or esteemed by my parents, I ended up with a low value of my worth. Which didn’t lend itself well in the relationships with the boys and men I would later encounter. And sadly, when I entered the church world at age 21, I perceived a lower value for women in the church hierarchy. The roles presented for women were limited. As a woman I was presented the options (and even the demand) that I work in the nursery, teach the children, and clean the toilets, all of which I did. Unfortunately, It took decades for me to recognize, accept, and embrace my value as a woman and a daughter of God who is also a co-heir with Christ, called to rule and reign with Him.

And as I conclude, please know I love the Bride of Christ, and I fellowship regularly. I don’t harbor any anger, but I do want to address more specifically what I encountered in church culture that sought to hinder who I was created to be in Christ, thus distorting my perception of myself and what I thought I could believe, contend, and ASK for. And because things have progressed to a much better place now, I’ll speak in past tense terms. Which is to say, my gift mix didn’t fit the confines of what the Church said femininity should look like and what it should sound like. The call of God on my life bubbled inside me, yet I wasn’t given room for expression of it. Some of the things inside of me were viewed as masculine, or the domain of men. These things simply didn’t fit the confines or the role that mainstream church would have assigned to me. So in order to be a “good Christian woman” I tried to bury what God had put inside of me. I I made myself smaller to conform others’ expectations. I toned it down. I kept quiet. I even put on an identity which wasn’t mine. And of course none of this served me well, especially as I believed it was selfish to want more.

So these were the lies I believed which distorted my understanding as to what I could hope, believe, and expect for as a daughter of God. And what I could ASK for. And just as I now know it’s not selfish to be and become who God created me to be, I also understand it’s not selfish to ASK and believe for more. Whether it’s asking for a miracle or my daily bread.

I pray I’ve encouraged you to do the same. And to reflect on any hindrances you may have had, past or present, that have inhibited you from the simplicity of ASKing. May grace and peace be yours. I leave you with a closing thought from the beatitudes:

Ask, and it will be given you; seek; and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

And these three words - Ask, Seek, Knock, become the acronym ASK!

In part one of ASK we looked at the boldness of of Rahab, Achsah, and Zelophedad’s daughter’s in regard to asking for what they needed with little to none hesitation, with the purpose of each one of us being inspired to ask for the miracle we need. Now we’ll look at the lives of three more women, Hannah, Ruth, and Tamar, and may their lives serve as another “faith booster.” For each of these women were likely ordinary women yet each one did something extraordinary enough to be recorded for our example. So let’s look at their lives, not as a Bible study, but as an inspiration to move in faith and believe for the extraordinary and ask for the miracle that you need. As He Himself says, “I am the God of all flesh, is anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27) so let your faith arise as you read the following synopses of women who stepped out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary.

First up to the plate is Hannah. I see her as such a gentle spirit, although in no way was her request a “light” one. Here’s what her ASK sounded like:

“…O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant and remember me, and not forget your maidservant, but will give your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life…” (1 Samuel 1:11)

Now Hannah’s husband Elkanah thought Hannah should be satisfied with her lot in life. He was a loving husband, he reasoned, what more could she want he wondered, asking, “Why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” But this was easy for him to say – he already had sons and daughters by his wife Peninah. Hannah, however had had enough of her continued barrenness, especially with the added cruelty of the taunts of the “other wife” which alone would be enough of a rub for many women. Hannah therefore had ample reason to resist Elkanah’s attempt to persuade her to settle for her lot in life. She knew she would never be content with her situation. Something rose up in her spirit and she was unwilling to push it back down; she was unwilling to settle for barrenness. So Hannah fervently sought the LORD and the LORD heard her cries and answered her prayer.

Hear me now. Hannah asked for a son and made a vow she would give him to the service of the LORD, but could she have known what God would do? Because God wanted a prophet for a nation and that is what He delivered. Won’t He do it! God always doing above and beyond what we ask, think, or imagine. And Hannah had several more children after Samuel. She gave the first-fruit of her womb to the LORD and He gave back to her more than she could possibly have dared to hope for. This was her overflow. The is the God we serve! Be encouraged. And give God your ASK.

It's time now to shine some light on Ruth. Her ask was of Boaz and it sounded like this:

“Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative” (Ruth 3:9).
And this was quite the ask! Essentially, “will you marry me?” in today’s terminology. What Boldness! But from the moment we meet Ruth, when she prophesies her future “Where you go I will go, your people will be my people, your God, my God” Ruth never once wavers. She’s resolved. She stays the course. She does what she has to do, without complaint and with a pure heart. Essentially, she’s determined to be established in a new land, a land without famine. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough famine, enough wilderness in my life; I say it’s time for provision to flow. And like Ruth, I want to be willing to do and to say the audacious thing. Because sometimes we have to be willing to do the audacious thing and make the audacious request, in order that we may receive. After all, isn’t this when God shows Himself strong? And I’d like to add- It’s not too late. You’re not too old. You’re not too young. You’re right on time. To GIVE GOD YOUR ASK. You might be single. You might be divorced. You might be a widow. Be encouraged and make the ASK. And say it out loud with me, “I will ask for my miracle!”

It get’s even better however, when we look at Boaz’s response. And because the Word of God is living and active, I want you to hear it as the LORD speaking directly to you:

“And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request…”

Did you hear that? How willing Boaz was! The Lord also is willing! Be encouraged to exercise the same measure of faith and give God your ask. His ears are open, and His heart is willing. Especially when your desires align with His desires (and how can they not when He is the One who gives you these desires?!)

And for those who’ve already mastered the bold ASK, let’s look at a woman who went beyond the bold ask and straight to the apprehend! May her story inspire all of us.

Her name is Tamar - one of only three women mentioned by name in the geneology of Jesus. And I asked the LORD recently what these three women (Ruth, Rahab, and Tamar) might have had in common… and immediately I heard in my spirit “They were tenacious.” So let’s look at Tamar and see what her proactivity and tenacity accomplished for her.

As we are introduced to Tamar (Genesis 38:7) we’re told that her husband was so wicked the LORD killed him. It’s an ominous beginning. Now, Tamar’s father-in-law is Judah and after the death of his son, he then commands one of his other sons to marry and impregnate Tamar in order to raise up an heir for his deceased son. Judah’s next son disobeys his father’s directive as he doesn’t want to raise up an heir for his brother. He emits his seed to the ground and this displeases the Lord and the LORD kills him. Strike trike. Judah then tells Tamar to remain a widow “for a time” until one of his next sons comes of age, but this is nothing but subterfuge on Judah’s part because he has no intention of following through, evidenced by his own words, “lest he also die like his brothers.”

A lot of women would have given up hope at this point, but not Tamar. She makes the bold decision she’s not ready to be cast aside. It may be that the men in her life haven’t done right by her, but she’s unwilling to be robbed of what was promised to her, unwilling to lose out on her inheritance. Tamar is determined to have her baby, no matter the cost. So with a daring spirit and the highest level of audacity she poses as a prostitute, gets herself impregnated by her father-in-law Judah, gives birth to twin baby boys and secures herself a place in the family lineage of Christ. Tamar’s behavior is scandalous, but in the end Judah has to acknowledge, “she has been more righteous than I.” Tamar’s story is wild. But what we see is a woman doesn’t passively wait for her situation to change, a woman who doesn’t wait for someone to come and rescue her. A woman who decides SHE will be the one who will change her situation. And I believe that Tamar did what she did because she trusted God with her life.

Tamar’s story is my favorite, although I admire all three of these women. And it causes me to examine my own level, measure, and exercise of continuing faith. And even as I type these words, I await an outcome of something I’ve been praying and believing for almost a month. And what I’ve been believing for is the best possible outcome. That’s what I always want to believe for. So let’s all agree to allow no one to put any “wet blankets” on our faith. Can those dry bones live? Yes, they can! They are not dead, they are but sleeping.

By way of introduction, I was seven years old when I was diagnosed with my first skin sensitivity. My skin was peeling profusely is what I remember most. My mom took me to the doctor and he told my mom to try Dove soap as it was made without any artificial coloring. His diagnosis was spot on and so I grew up with Ivory and Dove soap, both white soaps without any coloring. This lasted till age fourteen when skin irritations erupted to the fore once again. This time it was suggested I ingest food without artificial coloring – not an easy task – but looking back on that experience (and the results that were not obtained with the restricted diet) I now believe the culprit was artificial fragrances. At any rate, out of necessity, I began making my own natural soap and skin care products in 2015 and I’d like to pass along a few things I’ve learned in that time, and yes, I am self-taught, and it’s amazing what you can learn when you put your mind to it, along with the help of the internet and a few choice books. And finally, although I’ve provided link to a few products, I am not an Amazon affiliate and I will not make any money through any products purchased.

advocating for natural health and wellness only to “Spirit, Soul, and Body Wellness” subscribers,

1.Aloe: Aloe is highly beneficial for treating minor skin irritations including sunburn and scalp irritations and it can also be used as a face wash, face mask, or in small amounts as a skin lotion. Make sure it’s clear however, and not artificially colored green, which is just another chemical. You can also buy an aloe plant, and break off a stem on an as needed basis. Any unused part of the leaf can be stored in the fridge until your next use. However, the bonus of having a bottle of aloe gel is that you can add lavender essential oil for added healing properties. For scalp issues including stimulation of hair roots for hair growth, add rosemary instead.

Aloe is highly therapeutic because it contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, chromium, and manganese, all of which are absorbable by skin and contribute to skin health and hydration as well as immune function. Secondary uses for aloe would be as a hair tonic to enhance curl (use the excess on your hand to swipe across your face) and as a base for a hand sanitizer (to which you would add tea tree oil) The brand I’m currently using is Seven Minerals, which is grown and harvested in Texas as a family business. Here’s the link: OrganicAloe

2. Honey. I once used honey on a large steam burn on my hand that traditional medicine was failing to heal. For two days, my skin stayed in the same condition, until I applied honey. Within 24 hours the results were noticeable. I’ve been a fan of honey’s healing and anti-bacterial properties ever since. Honey also makes a beneficial skin mask with skin that’s already been rinsed with warm water. Just add a bit to a clean washcloth and very gently scrub your skin. Then leave it on for as long as possible before rinsing it off. I buy larger bottles of honey and pour portions into smaller recycled bottles and containers for use in my bath and shower.

Just be sure to use raw unprocessed honey, not process or pasteurized (labeled in the stores as “pure”) which is completely unnecessary and robs the honey of its enzymes. Do this and you don’t need to pay for the more expensive manuka honey marketed for “skin care.” Also, for more general purposes, local honey is best, for a variety of reasons outside the purposes of this article. Suffice it to say, honey also contains minerals (the darker the honey the more minerals) and a lot of trace elements, and the most important thing to note is that the minerals in honey have a high level of “bioavailability” – typically 80%-90% - meaning your body absorbs them quite easily. As a final aside, my grandparents’ generation knew all about the benefits of honey as a “heart tonic” and would typically drink it in warm water in the evenings. Honey is also anti-inflammatory and can be used in hot water or herbal tea with lemon to sooth sore throats.

3. Witch Hazel. Witch hazel is the lead ingredient for facial toners. You can pour it into small glass spray bottles to spritz onto your skin, or pour it into the smallest size jelly jars as I do, over top of 20 or so round cotton pads used to remove make-up. Lemon lavender is one good all-purpose combination of essential oils, as you can never go wrong with lavender for your skin and the lemon adds the “brightening” but there are different combinations of EOs you can use depending on your skin type. One main reason to make your own skin toner is that the store bought brands often use artificially coloring, which is not beneficial to your skin and which has a higher price tag than making your own. You can also use witch hazel to make facial spritzes. One example would be a “mental clarity” spritz simply by adding a combination of rosemary (always uplifting) sage, basil (surprisingly sweet) and peppermint EOs.

And as a quick aside (and bonus!) it’s the same concept for air fresheners. In other words, a “mental clarity” air freshener would use the same EOs but instead of witch hazel in a glass spray bottle, you would use two tablespoons of alcohol for a four-ounce bottle, then add the EOs before filling up the rest of the bottle with filtered water. It’s that simple. And one of my favorite air fresheners, because I love the scent of lemongrass, is a simple combination of lemongrass and cinnamon; it’s quite uplifting. Two other favorites are “sea breeze” which consists of lemongrass, rosemary and eucalyptus, and a fun holiday scent of orange and spearmint.

4. Bentonite Clay. The brand I highly recommend is Aztec which also happens to have a great price point. Use this with apple cider vinegar on a monthly or quarterly basis for a strong facial mask. It’s so strong, you will feel your skin pulse after 15-20 minutes. If you need something less strong, you can mix it with water instead. It’s also used in tooth powders and can be used to make deodorant but for more of a beginner level it’s more easily made into a toothpaste when added to hydrogen peroxide. Bentonite clay has excellent “drawing out” properties which makes it a popular ingredient for toothpaste, replacing baking soda (in deodorants) for some as that can be a bit harsh and even irritating for some skin types.

Currently I make my own toothpaste using about 3 parts bentonite clay and one part baking soda, mixed with enough hydrogen peroxide to give it a proper consistency, with just 2 or 3 drops of clove oil (which is great for gum health and even tooth pain) added into one of my recycled containers or glass jars. For a fancier toothpaste, I also stir on aloe and sometimes also glycerin for more “foaming” properties. Just be sure to limit clove EO to about 3 drops maximum to every 4 ounces of product, and of course you can use the more popular mint EO instead. This is a huge money saver if you are already using natural toothpaste. Here’s the link to my favorite brand: BentoniteClay

5. Baking Soda. This product has uses 101 uses, so here’s a brief overview of a few more things you can use baking soda for. First, it makes a great hair rinse to use weekly or monthly, depending on how much product you use in your hair, as it removes built up residue in your hair. It only takes a small amount in a large cup of rinsewater. And because baking soda softens water (thus enhancing its cleansing/rinsing properties) all you need for a luxury bath is a cup or two added to your bathwater and the water becomes silky soft and smooth. And for added benefit, add your favorite essential oil, but not to the water, to the baking soda. Lavender for calming, eucalyptus for uplifting or to open breathing passages, rosemary for general cleansing, or perhaps your favorite scent for “scent” sake. And of course you can use it for brushing your teeth in a pinch.

Another use for baking soda is to use it (sparingly and not frequently) as a facial peel. Invite a friend over and do it together as part of a spa party. First add a couple of drops of organic essential oil to a couple of tablespoons of baking soda. I recommend frankincense or helichrysum, which was the recommended EO for the recipe I initially found, but a less expensive EO can be used such as lavender. Then add enough filtered or distilled water to make a paste and apply onto face and gently rub in circles. This is every bit like an expensive skin peel you would pay for in a salon, and like a chemical skin peel, you may end up with skin that is initially red for a while, depending on how long you leave it on before rinsing. You can however, apply honey or aloe afterward to soothe your skin.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar. Organic ideally (especially for ingesting) and with the “mother.” As mentioned, it’s a key ingredient for a powerful pore-tightening facial mask. But to stray a bit from “skin care” product, this can also be added to your water in the morning, if you’re not already adding lemon to your water in the morning. This helps your body maintain a proper Ph balance (regarding “acidic versus alkaline”) and a proper Ph balance helps you maintain a strong immunity support system. Does it taste good? No. But some things we do because it’s good for us, particularly as we age. And as an aside, I also keep apple cider vinegar on hand to make my own healthier vinnaigrette dressing for salad, combined with my own choice of a healthier oil, such as olive or avocado, with my own choice of added sweetener, which in this case would be agave nectar, which doesn’t solidify in the fridge and avoids the use of corn syrup, or worse yet, high fructose corn syrup – the worst of the unhealthy “offenders.”

7. Argan Oil. High in vitamin E, Argan oil is excellent for moisturizing mature skin as well as sensitive skin, and it’s the oil I’ve used these past ten years and most people are surprised when they learn of my age. I use it every morning after I cleanse my face and with every bottle I purchase I add lavender and frankincense EO for added benefits. Argan oil has a light, non-greasy consistency that allows it to penetrate quickly to deep layers. In contrast, most over the counter facial lotions are water based, meaning that water is the primary ingredient, and water-based products cannot compete with oils and oil-based products in nourishing and moisturizing the skin. My opinion, is that every woman, by age forty, should be using oil to moisturize her skin and neck. In conclusion, I used to use a lower end Oil of Olay product with a built-in low level sunscreen on a daily basis, but stopped using it because like many facial care products it contained alcohol, likely as a preservative, but alcohol dries the skin, which is counter to the purpose of lotions and moisturizers. I’m providing links to the two brands I’ve purchased, but please note that the cliganic brand has a better price point when you purchase the larger size bottle. And my experience has been a little goes a long way and these smaller bottles last longer than I had expected, around two months. ArganOil1 CliganicArgonOil

8. Coconut oil. Coconut is a great all-purpose oil to have on hand in your home, and not just for cooking. I use it in so many of the products I make, such as lip balm, deodorant, lips scrubs (just add sugar) and even sunscreen. Basically it’s a wonderful all-purpose oil if you have nothing else on hand. I like it’s slightly sweet scent and I use it generally to moisturize my lips, heels, elbows, and hands, sometimes also my legs; I guess everything except my face! Then there’s the oral “oil pull” some practice, but I don’t (yet). It’s also one of my favorite oils for lip balm, particularly combined with almond oil, another oil with a scent I find highly pleasing. For skin use in particular, I recommend organic and unrefined coconut oil.

9. Castor oil. I’m still new to the uses of castor oil but I’ve found it helpful in helping to disintegrate unwanted moles, particularly when they’ve already started to dry up. I’ve also heard it does the same for unwanted skin tags when applied daily. And the latest bottle I purchased included a “mascara tube and wand” as it thickens lashes by preventing breakage, so if you’re wanting clear mascara, this is the more affordable way to go: ClearMascaraCastorOil. Also, there’s a company that sells it with frankincense EO already included and I recommend this one if your primary use would be for skin use or to treat moles. CastorOilw/Frankincense

And then there’s using castor oil packs on the abdomen to support digestive health or to relieve inflammation and bloating, or gramma’s use of it as a laxative, but I haven’t tried it for any of these purposes.

So these simple natural ingredients and simple steps you can take to move toward chemical free skin (and body) care. And you will in the long run save money after your initial investment. I would encourage you to try something new, and when you do I can guarantee – your skin will thank you. And once you discover the benefits and the joy of using essential oils for your scents, you won’t want to go back to using perfumes, parfums and fragrances. They will likely become too strong for you, even unpleasant, as you will lose the tolerance your body has built up for them, as they are all composed of chemicals. In other words, “parfum” is code for chemicals. This has been my experience and I believe it will be yours as well.

The bottom line is this – man’s attempt to create synthetic fragrances have fallen short of the natural scents created through God’s creation and the essential oils extracted from certain plants, even to the extent of being harmful. There is a better way, and we have a choice. Let’s choose wisely! And learn the benefits of natural ingredients as we continue to learn to steward our bodies wisely.

I’m currently asking for a miracle. This is what I want to say first. I’m asking for a healing miracle on behalf of my college-age grand-daughter. This is happening in real time. I’m praying. And believing. Every single morning. At the same time I’m leaning on notes I pulled up from a message I shared last year, but now it’s hitting quite differently in my own hour of need and I hesitate to use that word because I’ve learned that God answers to Faith, not (merely) need. Anyway, I’m praying because no one should have to endure a ten-hour surgery to remove something that doesn’t belong in their body, as well as something that actually does belong. No one. So in this process of encouraging you to ask for your miracle, I am also reminding and encouraging myself. Isn’t this how we are meant to encourage one another?

And as one who’s learned to glean much from the Word, I’ll start with three examples of women I greatly admire. Women who are all favorites of mine and what it looked like for them when they asked for and received their miracle. Each version is concise so I’ll leave it to the Holy Spirit to prompt you if He would have you look at any one of their stories more in depth. “There’s power in the blood” we’ve sung, but there’s also power in the Word, the “wonder-working” word.

First, there’s Rahab. She’s mentioned in four books of the Bible so we’d take note (Joshua 2, Joshua 6, Matthew 1, Hebrews 11, and James 2) as it’s obvious God wanted to make sure we paid attention to her story. Therefore let’s listen to what Rahab’s bold ASK sounded like and see what wisdom there is to glean:

Swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, show kindness now to me, and my father’s house, and save us (Joshua 2:12).

Rahab perceives this as her once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, just as we also must perceive our opportunities when they present themselves. Accordingly, Rahab doesn’t hesitate to ASK. She has everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose. And in the asking – she orchestrates and receives her deliverance and that of her entire family. Amazing! Rahab is such a strategist. But more importantly, she’s a bold woman of Faith. She’s heard the stories of the One True God (“for we have heard”) and she takes a stand on God’s side. The men give her their promise, and after saying, “according to your word, so be it” (a foreshadowing of what Mary would say to the Angle Gabriel) Rahab immediately puts the scarlet cord out her window according to the terms of their agreement – because faith will always look like something. So Be encouraged! God took care of Rahab’s housing situation – and God will do the same for you, if that is your request. No miracle is too hard for the Lord.

Then there’s Achsah. I call her the woman who asked for more. This is because Achsah understood inheritance, and we too must understand our inheritance in Christ Jesus and don’t leave things on the table that could be ours for the asking. This is what Achsah models for us.

Hear now the boldness (bordering on demand) in Achsah’s ASK:

Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water” (Joshua 15:19 and repeated in Judges 1:15).

Achsah’s boldness is brilliant, and if you’re wondering - Achsah was Caleb’s daughter, given as a wife to Caleb’s nephew as a reward for taking a particular territory. And what’s striking is Achsah’s ability to take a keen look at her situation and to accurately assess that the land that’s been apportioned to her is not enough. Because a land without water or water rights is not enough; it won’t reach it’s capacity for fruitfulness. So Achsah asks her father for more. And without hesitation Caleb grants her both the upper and lower springs. Achsah knew her father’s heart and she knew all she had to do was ASK.

Perhaps you find yourself in the same situation today. You’re thankful for you current situation, but you know it’s not enough. You know there’s more and you know God has more for you. And Like Achsah, you also have a loving heavenly father who has an inheritance for you and who wants to give you Good Gifts. Others don’t see what you see and that’s O.K. They only see “what is” and not what “needs to be.” So perhaps it’s time now for you to ASK for your more. Hold true to who you are and what you know God has for you. Pursue your vision! Just as Achsah did. But it begins with ASKing.

Finally (for now) we come to Zelophedad’s Daughters. These five sisters are mentioned three times in the word, by name (and this is because it’s about inheritance, another message).

Here’s what their collective ASK sounded like:

Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family- because he had no sons? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers. (Numbers 27/Numbers 36/ Joshua 17)

Zelophedad’s daughters were nothing less than catalysts for change. These five women pushed against the status quo of the day to get what they knew they needed, and what was rightfully theirs. And in doing so, they set a precedent for all women who would come after them, what I call “Equal rights of inheritance for women.” Like Achsah, they understood inheritance when they stood before Moses and all the elders of Israel and lifted up their voice to make their request known. And Moses heard their case and inquired of the LORD before coming back to the people with God’s verdict and word on the matter-- “The daughters of Zelophedad speak what is right; you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them.”

And even though God ruled in their favor, these women had to speak up a second time. When Joshua became their leader they had to stand before him and present their case all over again. Because sometimes you have to ask a second time. Or knock a bit harder. Say it with me as an act of faith – “I’m going to ASK for my miracle!” Because the Kingdom of God is all about inheritance and you have an inheritance in Christ. You must be bold as these daughters were and that requires you lift up your voice and ASK.

So what is the miracle you need? A place to live? Provision? A relationship restored? Physical healing? Whatever it is, I can testify that after more than 40 years walking with the LORD He has shown up relentlessly to show Himself strong on my behalf as a miracle-working God. He healed my daughter after I was told she may never walk again after the bone infection in her hip had spread to her spinal cord. He also saved her in my womb when I didn’t yet know I was RH negative. And in more recent years, I’ve seen tumors and cysts “cease and desist” in my own body, according to His healing word that’s already been sent forth and according to the stripes Jesus already bore for my healing.

And so I remind you, but also myself, that just as God healed my oldest daughter, He can do the same for her oldest daughter. I know He can and now I set my heart to believe He will, for the two are not one and the same. And The name of Jesus is above this thing that’s been named. In fact, He already showed me the authority He granted regarding this thing. I’m not coming under fear and I command fear to leave both my daughter and grand-daughter. In Jesus triumphant Name. I’ll also add, along this healing vein of testimony, I’ve experienced my pastor’s little dog resurrect from the dead after being hit by a car because something rose up in me (the gift of faith) and I refused to allow the night of the celebration of her birth to be marked by death, particularly the death of her beloved Yorkie dog. I spoke life into that little dog Finn, and God resurrected him while on the way to the emergency vet. To God be the glory.

A temporary conclusion:

And so I end this “part one” by declaring – “Our God heals. Our God provides. Our God restores. In fact, He is our Healer, He is our Provider, and He is our Restorer. No situation is too hard for Him. And no ASK is too big. I trust you are inspired to ASK for your miracle! Because There is a miracle with your name on it.

And the promised land God ordained for His children to enter into in Deuteronomy 8 was but a foreshadowing of what the Lord has for His people today, if we are willing to abide by the conditions set to receive it. (And that was under a different covenant; we live under a far superior one today.)

And before the promise comes the trial and the testing and the training, but none of these negate the promise. And the promise of the Lord includes the blessing of the Lord, and the blessing of the Lord has no accompanying sorrow attached to it. (Proverbs 10:22)

For there is a kingdom way to create wealth and then there is man’s way. Money is neither good nor evil, it is simply a tool. And poverty does not equal holiness, neither does it equal humility.

And what establishes and expands the kingdom of God here on Earth? All of the resources needed to bring blessings to the people both inside and outside the kingdom of God are obtained through the “tool” of money.

Prosperity is more than money (and the kingdom of God is all about provision, not money) but money is a key component in today’s society. Therefore, if I have to choose between poverty and riches, I am going to choose riches. (I will differ from Agur, who penned in Proverbs 30:8, “Give me neither poverty nor riches”)

And if it needs to be said and likely it does, I am not chasing after money, but I am chasing after the kingdom of God.

“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the power to get (create) wealth, that He may establish his covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Deuteronomy. 8:18

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17

The young lions lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. Psalm 34:10

I pray this has given you pause for thought, whether you agree or not. and may the Lord bless and establish the work of your hands (Psalms 90:17) and may the blessing of the Lord be fully established in your life.

There’s a reason the Bible doesn’t use the word “weird” to describe us, but rather uses the word “peculiar.” The word “weird” is of occultic origin.

I say this as one who came out of the occult and one who inwardly winces when I hear believers says “I’m weird” and as one who looked up the word in Websters 1828 app (the original Websters dictionary) and here’s what I wasn’t surprised to find:

WEIRD, a. Skilled in witchcraft. (not in use)

And I believe this definition has been shortened from when I first looked it up in 2022/2023.

You might think I’m straining at a gnat or being overly sensitive. I would say I’m highly attuned to the power of words. Every word carries authority, even spiritual authority. Every word brings consequence.

And it’s my desire that our words are not weaponized against us. I say “our” because we are one body. May our words bless us and not hinder us. We get to choose. Much love.

And if you’ve read this far, Noah Webster was a strong believer and the dictionary he produced was his life’s work. He wanted American to have it’s own dictionary, not the dictionary of England. He uses biblical principles and Scripture verses to aid in his definitions. I highly recommend this free app. It’s especially helpful if you read the classics with some of the older words. Blessings.

Facets of Your Identity:

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; - 1 Peter 2:9

And has made us kings and priests to His God and Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. -Revelation 1:6 (repeated in Revelation 5:10)

“The greater the tension, the more acute the sound.” From Websters 1828 app

There is a beautiful tension in the word of God – one truth lying parallel to another and both of equal value. One truth without the other however and the Word of God loses its balance and out of balance doctrines are formed. Just as there is treasure in both the old and the new and the wise scribe relies on both (Matthew 13:52) so too must we pull from both sides of the tension, both sides of the scale as it were in order to be balanced in our theology and doctrine. One other comparison that could be made is someone who only reads the New Testament in which Jesus is fully revealed versus someone who would choose to only read from the Old Testament in which Jesus is there, but concealed. Two different testaments, and two different lens, but together they form a cohesive and harmonious whole. As Jesus said, “Do not think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).

Accordingly, here’s a brief synopsis of four Scriptures that are best read, viewed, and understood in the context of another Scripture to hold it in its proper place. Each one of the Scriptures pulls on the other and together a greater weight of truth and wholeness is produced. There is tension between the two verses, but there is truth in the tension. One verse without the other and the proper tension is lost, like a broken string on an instrument that cannot produce a proper note. Rather than a skewed or lost sound however, a potentially skewed viewpoint is produced; or in the worst-case scenario, a skewed doctrine when it stands alone without the harmony of the whole word or at least another word to help hold the word in its proper place. I’ll start with my favorite example:

But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Before I continue I sat through an entire sermon on this verse last summer, before I thankfully found my place to call home for fellowship purposes. On and on the preacher preached, as if we were stuck in this place of perpetual unknowing (and according to this pastor a complete unknowing of all things pertaining to the Lord and His ways). Well, anyone with a study Bible can read the notes and see this is a reference and a partial quote from Isaiah 64:4: “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.”

So we see that what this Isaiah verse is actually saying is that men have not seen or heard any God besides the One True God who had chosen to reveal Himself to men. Although Paul chose to quote from Isaiah, there is a discrepancy between this old testament verse and the truth Paul is now proclaiming. And the discrepancy is particularly vivid when 1 Corinthians 2:9 stands alone or is quoted alone without the verse that immediately follows: “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” (And a more complete picture continues to form as one continues to read through to the conclusion of the chapter. What I’m saying is this: 1 Corinthians 2:9 does not hold the full weight of truth when it stands alone. It must stand with 1 Corinthians 2:10 in order to convey the reality of the new covenant under which we live. For our reality now, under the new covenant, is that we have God’s Holy spirit leading us and guiding us into all truth (John 16:13) as God chooses to reveal it. Two Scriptures that convey that God does indeed reveal mysteries:

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:26

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of Kings to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2

These Scriptures give evidence that there are things we can know, as God chooses to reveal them, and of course He chooses what He will reveal, and the timing of it. Revelation always has a timing. It can also be mentioned here that God rewards those who seek him (Jeremiah 29:23-24) and He also rewards those who earnestly seek to know His Kingdom and His ways.

A second verse that has a parallel truth is: “For without Me you can do nothing.” This is the latter half of John 15:5 and it is true. So very true. So true it can stand alone. However, there’s another truth that runs parallel to this truth and it needs to be mentioned because I’ve heard this “apart from Me you can do nothing” verse quoted as if it’s the one and only trump card, or rather the one and only side of the coin, almost as if to say, “you can’t so don’t even try.” Not by all, but some. And the other truth, if you haven’t already guessed it, is Paul’s triumphant statement (and rightfully so): “I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me” (Philippians 4:13). And to be fair, I’ve heard this also quoted out of context, as if we could absolutely do anything if we set our minds to it, by sheer strength of our own will. I’ve seen this fail to play out twice in my own family – first a niece, then my oldest grand-daughter; both wanted to become doctors, but neither succeeded when the reality became evident that in order to become a doctor, even with a strong faith in God, one must have an aptitude for life sciences and an ability to pass classes such as bio-chemistry.

So what am I saying? I’m saying Paul’s famous declaration must be taken in context, particularly the two preceding verses. Remember, Paul’s learned how to be content in ALL situations with the proof he’s in jail while writing this. He’s also just finished reminding us that he’s learned to be abased and he’s learned to abound, to be full and to be hungry, and to endure suffering. What Paul left unsaid, but can be inferred in the context is that he can do the hard things and he can do these hard things through Christ Jesus. But why and how? Because these were the hard things God had CALLED him to. The conclusion therefore, is that if God has called you to do something then He will give you the strength to do it and to bring it to completion. But if God has not called you to it, then the grace for the endeavor won’t be there. And how do you know if He’s calling you to it? Well, the best way is by abiding in Him, which brings us back to John 15:5. Two truths on two sides of the same coin. In this instance, both truths can stand alone, but each adds flavor and strength to the other.

The third example is a combination of several verses often quoted, all referring to the same thing – that of Satan being the ruler of this world:

“Now is the judgment of the world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” John 12:31

“Now the ruler of this word is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” John 14:30

“Whose minds the god of this age has blinded…” 2 Corinthians 4:4

But I’d like to add contrast these verses with Psalm 115:16: “The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men.”

Because I’ve heard people pray about the devil being in charge as if it’s something we must give in to and accept because we can do nothing about it. As if the work of the cross had absolutely no effect in giving us authority over every word, work, and whisper of the enemy (Luke 10:19), as if we were not called to be the head, not the tail, and above, not beneath (Deut. 28:13), as if we’ve been left with some powerless gospel, not one that comes with demonstration of authority over the work of the enemy (1 Corinthians 2:4-5/4:20), and as if we weren’t told that we could seize the kingdom of heaven by force (Matthew 11:12) and that the gates of hell would not prevail (Matthew 16:18). We are so many so willing to give up so quickly and so easily? Particularly in the prayer room? Hasn’t the god of this world been defeated? Hasn’t Jesus given all authority to us over all the power of the enemy? To trample over every one of his works? (Luke 10:19) Why then have we been so content to allow the enemy to continue to rule? When even creation itself is groaning for the revealing of the sons of God? (Romans 8:19 & 22)

My admonition here is that we not “rest” on these verses speaking of the god of this age and his authority, particular when Jesus said “the ruler of this world would be cast out.” Also, His John 14:30 reference to “the ruler of this world” was before he went to the cross and triumphed over the works of the enemy. At any rate, the main authority the devil has in our lives is either that which we abdicated and/or never enforced on our own behalf. Or through words we needlessly and heedlessly speak which legally grant him authority, since he is, after all, a legalist.

My final encouragement is that we remind ourselves of who we were created to be as sons of God and The Most High God at that.

The fourth verse, and one that is easily taken out of context, is: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) This was especially true in the time it was spoken by God to Jeremiah. For the fulness of revelation on this matter however, one must continue reading. For when one does, this next verse is encountered, given as a prophecy of what was to come, and what has now come: “”I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you’ I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). This was God speaking to the children of Israel through Ezekiel, and though it was a collective word it also has personal application. And God continued, saying, “you shall be My people, and I will be your God” (Ezekiel 36:28). This is a corporate word, but also a personal word, for those who are willing.

So the reality here is that Jesus fulfilled the complete work of the cross which gives all who accept Him as Savior a new heart, just as it was prophesied through Ezekiel. Can we be deceived? I’m sure we can. But we don’t need to go walking around teaching and preaching about how desperately wicked our hearts are when we are “one with Christ.” He is not wicked, and in Him we are found righteous. It’s as simple as that. We are New Creations with new hearts, period. And to refer back to the Jeremiah 17 verse – who can know that (then) wicked heart? God can. It says throughout the Word about the Lord knowing our hearts, but in the very next verse in Jeremiah God Himself says, “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind.” God Himself partners with us to make known the contents of our hearts, if we are willing. “Search me, O God and know my heart” David said, “…and see if there is any wicked way in me…” (Psalm 139:23-24). And God is faithful to answer this prayer, and sometimes even if we don’t ask, He will reveal what’s in our hearts to us, whether through our dreams or impressions from His Holy Spirit. We’ve not been left without any avenue or recourse to know our hearts, as long as we’re willing to partner with him.

Yes, it is possible we can fall into error, but God is faithful in that He has given us a recourse and made a way in which we can avoid being ensnared by it. Not only can we ask Him to help us to search our hearts and to reveal to us what’s in our hearts, we can also partner with Him by guarding our eye and ear gates as well as our hearts (Proverbs 4:23), and by asking Him to reveal our hearts to us. He is well able. Also in this respect, it’s crucial we develop, put on, and keep on the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ cannot be deceived. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Period. Truth does not mix with deception.

I pray this brief exploration has given you food for thought. And perhaps you have verses that come to your mind. Or thoughts on how other verses partner together. I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Thank you Kindly for reading these words. It’s my heart to serve the Body of Christ through my words. As a retired part-time alternative educator and full-time mom turned Minister, this is now my work.

But the angel said to Him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” Luke 1:13

Luke is the only gospel to record Elizabeth’s story, and in this first mention of her Luke includes the mention of Zacharias’ prayers for Elizabeth to conceive, giving strong evidence of the long years he prayed and the long years he and Elizabeth endured together, childless. We can only imagine the depths of Elizabeth’s disappointment and long-suffering in waiting for a child that never came as her life was measured out month by month by month. But then comes this day of breakthrough, yet unknown to Elizabeth and peculiar in the use of language. For Gabriel doesn’t say, “your prayers ‘have been’ heard.” Rather, he speaks in the present tense – “your prayer is heard.” This may merely reflect the Hebrew language use of ongoing present tense, as later in the New Testament, translated from the Greek, it’s recorded/translated into English that an angel spoke to Ananias saying “your prayer has been heard, but it may also signify Zacharias’ faith to continue to pray and God’s ever-present work in our lives, as He is always doing a present work in our lives. At any rate we cannot possibly imagine the grief Elizabeth endured in the years of her ongoing barrenness.

And when Gabriel delivers the news to Zacharias, it’s while he’s performing his priestly duties, for Elizabeth’s long-awaited son would also be a priest, but a priest who would usher in a new order. And the news doesn’t end with the announcement that Elizabeth would bear a son, but continues with an all-encompassing prophetic word spoken over the life of this as-of-yet unconceived child, whom the Lord Himself names as John. For this is the child who would be born, this is the prophet who would prepare the way for the Lord. This prophet would not perform a single miracle, yet his very life would be the miracle. This angel’s prophecy spoke of this child’s entire life and mission on earth and includes the detail that John will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the time of his mother’s womb.

But Zacharias, though he had prayed fervently and faithfully, reverts back to human wisdom and understanding when he hears the glorious and heavenly news and reminds the angel of the “fact” – that he is an old man and his wife Elizabeth is advanced in years, instead of simply rejoicing in the good tidings the angel has brought to him. Zacharias also makes the mistake of asking the angel, “How shall I ‘know’ this?” - Also meaning “How shall I ‘understand’ this? This angers the angel, for some things, particularly the Word of the Lord, are not always to be understood, but rather to be received and acted upon. Accordingly, the angel now announces himself as Gabriel “who stands in the presence of God and who was sent to you to bring you these glad tidings.” Further highlighting the principle that God requires our obedience whether or not we have an understanding, and that obedience must come first. Gabriel now continues with a hard word:

But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time. Luke 1:20

Let this serve as a reminder of the importance of coming into agreement with the Lord of the Lord, rather than opposing or questioning it, as Zacharias has done. For just as Gabriel has spoken, Zacharias is made mute. He fulfills the number of days of his priestly service, all the while mute, then returns home, mute. But of course Zachariah is able to communicate

with the woman he’s spent the majority of his life with and Elizabeth is equally able to understand the communication of the man she’s known since her youth. And as Elizabeth receives this astounding news that she will conceive a child, it’s likely she thinks of another woman – Sara - who also received news from an angel that she would conceive and bear a son in her old age. And perhaps this is what kept Elizabeth’s and Zacharias’ hope alive all through their years together - knowing and believing that what God accomplished once He could do again. At any rate, Gabriel’s prophecy set certain things in motion in their marriage union. Their physical intimacy would now likely be invigorated with a new level of excitement, hope, and perhaps also vigor. For in the fulness of time, God’s perfect time, Elizabeth conceives. It’s a time of rejoicing, but the word of the Lord is just beginning to take form. There is more joy yet to come.

For in six month’s time, Mary comes to visit. And we aren’t told the means of Elizabeth’s knowing or the moment of her knowing, but she knows. Perhaps she knew by revelation, but we’re only told that that Elizabeth’s baby leaps in her womb upon Mary’s greeting, and that she is filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesies about Mary’s baby. In essence, Elizabeth recognizes who Jesus is in Mary’s womb, one of the few chosen few who have this privilege of knowing. Others would recognize Jesus is as a baby, but Elizabeth recognizes who He is while he’s yet unborn. And this speaks powerfully to the sanctity of life in a mother’s womb, as well as to identity, even in the womb.

And the two women spend three months together, marveling at the Lord’s hand upon them as Elizabeth is the only one who can fully understand Mary’s secret. As the elder with more life experience, we can only imagine the conversations these two had; the catching up on family affairs and the comfort and counsel Elizabeth provides for Mary. And in the fulness of time, after Mary returns home, Elizabeth brings forth her son and neighbors and relative rejoice with her. Oh what care and attention this long-awaited child must have received from the hands of Elizabeth. Paradoxically however, God would use the care and the doting John would receive from his mother Elizabeth to prepare him for a life in the wilderness that would not be filled with comfort. This is the way the Lord chose it to be.

Then came the eighth day – the time for Elizabeth’ baby to be circumcised. And here is yet another sign that this baby will be different. And that his life will not be one that follows custom. For according to custom Elizabeth’s baby will be named Zacharias, after his father, but Elizabeth gently but firmly responds, “No, he shall be called John.” She is the one who has the honor to announce the baby’s identity and name. Friends and family are bewildered, but when Elizabeth looks to Zacharias to confirm this break with tradition, John takes a tablet and settles the issue as he writes, “His name is John.” And now that Zacharias comes into public agreement with the word of the Lord spoken through the Angel Gabriel (he’s had ample time to come into private agreement), now is the moment his tongue is finally loosed. Now he too can openly rejoice with Elizabeth and others, and now at last he too is filled with the Holy Spirit.

It’s likely Elizabeth continued to celebrate, along with her husband, in the Lord’s goodness to remember her in her old age and to take away her reproach from among the people, as she herself mentions. It’s also likely she rejoiced as Sara had rejoiced - that nothing is too hard for the Lord. This is Elizabeth’s starting point as she raises the baby who will become the boy who will become the prophet who readies the people to make way for the Lord - the prophet who closes out an old chapter in Israel’s history and ushers in a new one. We can only imagine the wisdom with which Elizabeth, along with her husband, raised their long-awaited, long-hoped for, and long-prayed for son.

For Elizabeth was a woman of God’s choosing, a woman of priestly linage who lived a set apart life and who would model this set apart lifestyle for her son. A woman who had served faithfully in her own sphere as her husband served in his, to bear this fore-running child who would prepare the way for Her Lord. A woman who had nearly nine months to ponder the awesome hand of the Lord upon her life. A woman who would no doubt give testimony all of her days and impart the knowledge of the Lord to her son in his formative years. This is the woman God chose for such an unusual assignment.

We don’t know the number of Elizabeth’s days, as after this first chapter of Luke we don’t hear her name mentioned again. But we do know she was a woman devoted and consecrated to God. And it’s likely Elizabeth was spared the heart-ache of seeing her son’s latter days, and therefore rejoiced all the number of her days.

Scriptures For Reflection

For with God, nothing will be impossible. Luke 1:37

For I am the LORD. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass. Ezekiel 12:25

Thank you for reading. Truth is my passion and writing is my Kingdom business.

36 Signposts You Might Be A Prophet

You’re Passionate. Ever so passionate. Not because you’re Italian.

You hold Strong opinions.

You communicate with vivid hand gestures.

You’re an intercessor. (Not all intercessors are prophets, but all prophets are intercessors.)

You tend to see things as black and white. There are no areas of gray for you.

You’re lower on the spectrum of mercy (unless you’re a mercy prophet).

You’re lower on the spectrum of sensitivity (unless you’re highly pastoral).

You easily takes charge. Because you see what needs to be done and you know how to do it. You may even have a “commando mode” style of operating.

You welcome and embrace change; you even initiates change.

You imagine the future. You live in/from the future (to the present). You’re forward thinking and forward looking.

You sees the hand of God in situations. You notice what God is highlighting.

You see patterns and connections; in the Word and in everyday life.

You like to see people set free.

You like to see people advance. See people get to their “next level.”

You see the problems, the cracks in the foundations, and you carry a desire to address them, whether in the Church or the business world. You see these things either through discernment or words of knowledge which you may not recognize as words of knowledge.

You see solutions. And relatedly, you’re may already successfully operate as a consultant in an area of expertise. The most successful consultants are prophets or carry a strong prophetic gift. This trait operates in connection with the one listed above.

You see what the enemy is attempting to do (if you’re a watchman prophet) whether through internal pictures that flash across your mind (internal visions), external visions, or “knowings.” This enable you to pray in a way that takes out the plans of the enemy.

You have a clear sense/knowing of what the Lord wants to do. You’re able to facilitate what the Lord wants to do. This may happen through prayer (you’ll know heaven’s blueprint) or successfully guiding a business or church (that the Kingdom of God be expanded).

You may be a loner. You value you’re alone time. Your tendency is to want to stay in your “cave.”

You experience a greater degree of rejection, betrayal, and misunderstanding than most. You also experience a greater degree of trials than most.

You have a strong wiring to overcome. In and through the trials.

The enemy has tried to take you out. Perhaps more than once. He’s not just opposed to what you carry/who you are, he fears it.

You’re warrior, even if it merely outworks in the prayer closet. All believers are called to be soldiers of Christ, but warriors are called to be strong and courageous. Warriors are willing to run to the front lines of a battle. Warriors are willing to take the “hits.”

You’re called to lead, to be a leader.

If you’re employed, you rise to positions of management and authority.

You’re self-employed and you’ve built something from the ground up. Particularly if you carry an apostolic anointing/edge. This pertains to ministry and non-profit organizations as well.

You’re a pioneer, a forerunner, a trailblazer; you’ve plowed ground where no one else has plowed. And if you’re a trailblazer, you’re forging a path that others may follow. This is apostolic; you are called as an apostolic prophet or a prophet apostle.

You have a heart for the outcasts. A heart for those who are “down and out.” You’re willing to go to the byways, where others are not willing to go, in order to reach these ones.

You just want to talk about God. You don’t want to talk about the weather. You don’t want to have shallow conversations; these conversations frustrate or bore you. You want to talk about God and you want to go deep.

You are a “feeler.” Highly sensitive to peoples’ emotions. This is why it’s easier to be alone.

You simply perceive, sense, and know things. It’s obvious to you, simply a matter of 2+2=4, but others don’t see the equation you see. You’re intuitive. And it’s God-given. Intuitive: perceived by the mind immediately, without the intervention of argument or testimony; having the power of discovering truth without reasoning (Websters 1828 app)

You’re highly sensitive and discerning to the spiritual atmospheres of people, rooms, cities, and regions. You can also sense an evil or very dark person, simply by their “atmosphere.” Or you see something on a person, by the spirit, but in this case it’s more likely you know you’re a called prophet.

You have a high level of discernment. You know what spirits are in operation. You can discern whether something is of God, the flesh, or the enemy.

You are highly dedicated/consecrated/devoted to God. Worship is a strong component in your life.

You’ve had dreams from God, even as a child and even before you knew the LORD. Or you’ve had spiritual/supernatural experiences throughout your life.

You’re created and called to influence a certain demographic of people, a particular industry, or a social justice issue. You’re called to stand before the “kings” and leaders the earth. And some of these “kings” are not literal, but “kings” of industries.

Conclusion

If you resonate with the majority of these traits, it’s likely you were created and wired as a prophet. This does not mean you sit in the office, as it’s come to be termed, according to the five-fold ministry gifts listed in Ephesians 4. This simply means you are called to be a prophet and it requires first that you answer the call. Then after answering the call, you must endure the process. And it’s a long process, averaging 15 years, even longer, but potentially made shorter through mentoring and prophet training. If you haven’t yet recognized this, here are two of the reasons why:

* The mainstream church has taught that prophets don’t exist today.

* The Church has a skewed view of prophets; sees prophets only inside the church walls and behind pulpits. God however, is currently developing and deploying prophets to influence all spheres of society. Discovery comes first however.

If you don’t resonate with these traits, perhaps you know someone who does align with these specific prophet tendencies. Feel free to share this free resource with that person. And if this has impacted you in any way, please share in the comments and please be specific. Please know also - I’m not here to defend or debate the matter. In Christ’s Love and Lordship…

Setting goals is one thing, but accomplishing them is another thing entirely. For there has to be a sustainable means of accomplishment, otherwise goals remain “wishful thinking” with no anchor in any type of practical and physical reality. These wishes remain as a list of intangible “I need to’s” that have no power to hold one accountable. Without a manageable means of apprehending goals, failure rates are high. But alas, there is hope! There’s always hope, because there’s always a solution. Because in the Kingdom of God there are always solutions, but perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself.

Because what I want to do is something a bit different - write about goal setting while I myself am in the process of mapping out mine, and share a testimonial of how my life was changed the first time I set goals. The practical and the personal combined.

And this requires I begin in 2008. The year I came out of complacency. The year I was mentored by a quirky older Messianic Jewish woman, well-liked by all in our church. We studied the Biblical feasts as well as chapters in Isaiah, but the most beneficial tool I obtained during the course of our year together was her method for setting and accomplishing goals. It was the first year of my life that I ever set goals and it was absolutely transformational. It set me on a course I could not have imagined, enhanced by the fact that the Lord breathed on me.

Accordingly, the first key, as I was taught, is to set a goal (or two, if you’re willing to do the work) pertaining to each facet of our tri-part being. To engage the whole of our being - our spirit, soul, and body. And a quick side-note and reminder - we are not physical beings housing a spirit and/or having a spiritual experience here on earth. Rather, we are spiritual beings having a temporal earthly experience. And this is why the emphasis is on setting goals pertaining to our whole being, not overlooking any one aspect of our being.

The second key is to ask the Lord for a Scripture to undergird each goal. You might end up with secondary verses playing a supporting role, but you must have at least one Scripture verse per goal. The Word is living and active and serves many purposes, and in this case it serves to undergird and give “living’ support to your goal. I’ll give a quick example, from memory. One of my goals was to be kinder with my words. I’ll quote the verse from the version I used:

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Ephesians 4:29

I don’t remember the supporting Scriptures I used; I only remember that I had supporting verses, but one that quickly comes to mind that could have been used is:

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. Proverbs 31:26

At any rate, I advise you spend at least a week seeking the Lord on this, as you continue with your daily bible reading. You might be surprised by what He highlights. Also, this was the model employed for me. The assignment was given one week, and they next week the trio of us reported back with our goals and verses. Therefore, give yourself some time with this, as you’re going to live with it for a while. And from experience I can say you might be surprised by either the goals the Lord impresses you with or the Scriptures He gives you. I’ve had recent occasions in which I had ideas that made perfect sense to me, but the Lord highlighted other things. This is why I strongly impress upon you to wait on the Lord, and when it comes, you will know it.

Time now for a short digression. For there was a “happening” that occurred right before my first time of setting goals and it partnered with my initial goal setting. The Lord invited me into two steps of obedience, and I said yes. And although I didn’t yet know it, this was the year I came out of spiritual complacency (which affected all of my being). The first of the two things He asked of me were to give up my 10pm TV shows, which had evolved over the course of time from one weekly show to three weekly shows, my reasoning and justification for this was that I’d fulfilled my responsibilities for the day; therefore I deserved or “earned” this. The second thing He asked me to give up was ice-cream. I said yes to both, believing it would be till the end of the year, and in that moment that was the request.

I obeyed accordingly. Then the end of the year came and God surprised me by letting me know He now wanted me maintaining this new discipline for the course of the coming year. I didn’t see that coming! Perhaps this was His way of helping come into agreement, because by now the habit was already established, or at least being established. And after ten or so weeks I had shed ten pounds simply by giving up our family’s every other night habit of consuming a carton of ice-cream. I had thought we were being moderate because it was every other night, but God knew I need to learn moderation, and discipline. And this is leading to my goals for this year; there is a concurrent point as to why I’m sharing this.

But a quick continuation of “then.” By the time I stepped into learning how to set goals we were a few months into the new year, and by this time I was awakening to a healthier version of me, so one of my goals was to “lose weight.” Because a few pounds extra each year had added up over the course of many years. And as a quick aside, I put “lose weight” in parenthesis because I no longer frame it that way. I now have a better understanding of the power of our words and to lose something is basically not a positive experience; when we lose something, our instinct is to want to find it again. And the larger point is this – I needed a Scripture verse to back up this goal. Does a particular verse or passage come to your mind? I suspect it might be the same one that came to my mind and I’ll share it in the version I used:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glory God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. Ephesians 6:19:20 NKJV

This was the verse I put in front of my eyes to read aloud, even to pray aloud every single day. To have as a guiding “force” to achieve the goal I’d written down. And this iss the first key – to have the goal and the Scripture written down to behold with one’s eyes. For into the eye gate and the ear gate go the words in this manner. Power in the written word and power in the spoken word. Both go in and impact both the heart and the spirit, which are deeply connected. Our spirit is our innermost being that relates to God, and our heart “houses” our mind, will and emotions - our personality. So in this manner we speak to our spirit man and we speak to our heart, even to direct what goes into our heart. And neuroscience has proven that our words affect our actions; our actions line up according to the words we speak. It’s a wondrous thing. The way our Creator created our tri-part being to harmonize.

I also had written and specific steps of action to achieve my goal; I’ll share the framework as I share two of my current goals. But once again, this initial goal setting sparked a revolution in my life. The first revolution started with the twelve Scriptures I gathered for the four goals I set for myself. For through my obedience to those first two directives from the Lord something in me was fully awakened and I was fully on board (to the degree that I willingly added an extra goal to the required three). And it added fuel to the fire that I’m goal oriented by nature. It also helped that I’m one who tends to rise to a challenge rather than be defeated by it. I have a God-given stubbornness about the matter. Therefore, with God on my side I because unstoppable in my collection of Scriptures. What started as Scriptures to undergird my goals became a pocket-sized book filled with handwritten Scriptures. When the book became full and I yet continued to find helpful verses I moved to typewritten pages which eventually became so numerous I categorized them by topic which I read aloud, one page per day as part of my new habit of giving God the first-fruit of each day rather than giving Him my leftovers.

And this is the life transformation I mentioned earlier. To this day, this Holy Spirit drops Scriptures into my head, according to the conversation or the situation at hand, but I did the work of spending time in His word and committing these Scriptures to my heart. And though I say “work” it was and is a delight. For the sake of full disclosure and transparency however, I’d like to state that this only began after my full-time responsibilities ended as a home-school mom. There is a season for all things and this was my season.

The secondary transformation had to do with my health. The initial result of shedding a few pounds by walking in obedience, encouraged and energized to be more intentional in regard to my health. Hence, I set the goal to eat healthier and to be more mindful of what I ate – more salads and vegetables and minimal carbohydrates and an almost complete elimination of the homemade desserts I loved to eat, especially at night. I also enlisted my family’s support with my request and explanation of why I could no longer bring ice-cream into our home. And in that year’s time, which ended in a Daniel fast, I stayed with the steps I’d set to achieve the goal of a healthier weight and lost 45 pounds, most of which I’ve kept off over the years. Keeping those last five to ten pounds off however, have always required diligence.

Which brings me back to the matter at hand – goal setting and the first of my current goals I’m about to share, and born from an unexpected and unusual occurrence that happened near the beginning of this year. I simply awoke one morning with a strong impression from the Lord. The impression was a number and it quickly became apparent that number was the number He (God) wanted for my weight. Very different from before. This time He wasn’t asking me to give up anything specific and it felt as if He was giving me a greater responsibility in the matter. I was initially excited, but must confess the scales have not dipped down. I partnered with excitement, but not with a plan of action, not with goals, not until this point. Because I know that after all these years it’s time for an upgrade once again. I know a number of people who have given in to extra weight and other things because of a belief it’s simply because of age. A number of people who already consider themselves old, but for me “old” is a state of mind. Also, I have no plans to hang up my hat anytime soon. In fact, I feel like I’m just getting started and I know that the best way to continue to serve God and to fulfill His call on my life is to take care of my physical body. As it’s the only one I’ll be given for this life here on earth.

Therefore, to make it official – my first goal is “to gain health” and although I’m not sharing the number God gave me, I will share that the number is almost a full 20 pounds less than what the scale currently reads, but I will not be dismayed. Rather, I’ll now break it down, and share my first goal exactly as I’ve just finished mapping it out, with explanatory comments interspersed.

Yvonne’s 2026 Goals:

(And in the same way, write your name with your goals, Attach your name, your identity, to your goals. Hold yourself accountable in like manner.

1.Gain health (goal xxx) Scripture Reference: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glory God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s: NKJV

I’ve started with this translation because it’s my “home-base” Bible. I read other Bible translations to keep things fresh, but I always refer back to the New King James, which I landed on after cutting my teeth for a few years on the King James. I’ll always love King James’ poetic style, but for modern language purposes I’ve jumped to the newer version. Also, for good measure and because I like the Word so much, I’m including two more translations to see if anything in particular is highlighted: (I share this as part of the process of how I hear from God; maybe it’s the same for you)

Have you forgotten that your body is now the sacred temple of the Spirit of holiness, who lives in you? You don’t belong to yourself any longer, for the gift of God, the Holy Spirit, lives in your sanctuary. You were God’s expensive purchase, paid for with tears of blood, so by all means, then, use your body to bring glory to God. - The Passion Translation

Or do you not know that your bodies are a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is within you - the Spirit whom you have from God?? And you are not your own, for you have been redeemed at infinite cost. Therefore glorify God in your bodies. - The Weymouth Translation

Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body. - The Message Bible

And what is highlighted to me in two of the examples is the word “sanctuary.” A reminder to me that my body is a temple AND a sanctuary. I’ve also just been reminded that it’s not in my best interest to live (eat) as I please. I also don’t want to “squander” – such a strong word - the body God has given me to steward. All of the above words have now become my fuel for the fire, or my “ammunition” to engage in this battle, for it is a battle, is it not?

So the first steps have been achieved. To decide and define the goal and to write it down, then to apprehend a Scripture to undergird the goal and to record that as well. Remember also to be alert for secondary Scriptures to support the primary one. Think of these Scriptures being like Aaron and Hur holding up the arms of Moses….or not. Don’t get caught up thinking you absolutely have to have three scriptures for each goal. You don’t. Then comes the next step; writing down the steps you will take to achieve the goal. And my advice – be realistic. If you’re going to reach for the stars when you map out your steps, make sure your feet are planted on the ground (as someone said). Now to continue from my blueprint:

Non-Negotiable steps I will take to achieve this goal:

* Drink a glass of warm spiced lemon water in the morning, before the first cup of tea or coffee

* Drink another cup of water before the second cup of tea or coffee

* Sip water throughout the day and be mindful to drink a glass before dinner

* Do morning stretches to retain mobility & flexibility, even before my feet hit the floor

* accomplish some type of movement before dinner - alternate between resistance bands, arm weights, “one and done” video workouts, pilates ball movements, 5x week minimum

* I will continue to NOT bring ice cream into my home, as it is my nemesis; neither will I purchase store bought sweets or bread.

* I will be extremely mindful of what I eat after dinner. I will not mindlessly eat while watching

an occasional show with my husband.

* Overall, I will be proactive in having healthy food choices in my home

Additionally:

*I will Start each month with 3 days of liquid/water fasting till 6PM & fasting every Wednesday till 6PM

(I list this last one separately as it’s in conjunction with a ministry I’m connected to. And although it’s primarily a spiritual discipline, I see it also as a “help” toward physical discipline.)

Negotiable Goals:

* Walks or bike rides throughout the week, 1-2 miles 2-3x per week

* Drink extra water throughout the day, particularly before dinner

* Have my larger meal earlier in the day

* more salads, more vegetable, less sugar and carbs. Watch the cheese.

This ends my physical goal blueprint, with enough of an outline for you to get started on setting your goals as you are led by the Holy Spirit. I’ll now share another goal to further flesh out this example before ending with a most important note regarding goals.

2. Spiritual Goal: Pray out loud 30 minutes minimum per day, including tongues

Scripture Anchor:

…And pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16

Supporting Scripture:

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to the Father who is in the secret place; and your Father, who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:6

Non-negotiables (not necessary to label this as such)

* I will begin a conversation with God the moment I wake up.

* I will begin in the Psalms, and begin praying from the Psalms; it will be as a trigger for prayer

* I will set my timer for 30 minutes so I know the goal is accomplished. This time will also

include praying in tongues for a minimum of ten minutes.

* I will meet at my church a minimum of 2x per month for corporate prayer

* I will meet at my appointed times for schedule prayer, 2x per month for K.F.

* I will meet 2x per month, whether my home or at church for intercession for my church and

our pastors

*I will pray in shorter bursts of tongues throughout the day, as led

Other potential times for Prayer:

*Driving to church I will intercede for my church, my pastor

*Driving out and about, I will pray for my city and nation.

* “King’s House” monthly Prayers, as led by Holy Spirit.

This is the framework for achievable goal setting, layered upon what’s already known about goals – they must be specific and measurable. But there is one key component not yet mentioned – we do not advance beyond our level of identity. In other words, for my first goal I must see myself as a temple for God’s Holy Spirit. I must see it and I must believe it. I will operate from this identity. And this is the help and the power of declaring the undergirding Scriptures out loud. The Word is living and active and has the power to transform. Out of the mouth gate, into the ear gate and into my spirit. (There’s an established science to this, but which is not the topic here.)

Additionally, Every decision I make will be geared toward the number that God gave me as being already established in my life. By faith, I will operate from that number as a reality guiding my choices. I won’t wait till that number is achieved for that number to guide my food choices. The best example I can give of this is that of David. After he was anointed he didn’t wait till he was seated as King to begin to operate in the identity of king. Before he was installed as King he began to take responsibility for his nation, with actions that lined up accordingly. He had to first recognize himself as King before others recognized him as king. His choices, although he almost slipped in regard to Nabal, were choices that were befitting that of a king, while he was yet not king.

And every decision I make will ask the question: is this a choice that will move me toward my goal? For every plate of food and every bite of food? I will also ask and trust the Holy Spirit to come alongside me to help guard my mouth gate. I will believe for it and I will ask for it. Because God is very much involved in the practical as well as every detail of my life. And I will pray for Him to give me a holy hunger and well as a hunger for healthy food choices.

And why the lengthy discourse about food and diet? Because this is a common goal. Also, the world is watching. Therefore, why should the Bride of Christ not be a fit bride? An example to the world wholeness and health? Discipline and self-control? As Her identity is already destined to be without spot or wrinkle. Perhaps it’s time she lived from that identity.

And to conclude, the secondary verse for my physical goal is:

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3

Because the Holy Spirit can help me guard all of my gates, and not just my lip gates in regard to the words I speak or don’t speak, but also my mouth gates, in regard to the food I allow to pass through my lips. The Lord cares about my physical body and He cares about yours as well. He cares about how we steward every aspect of our lives, including our health and well-being. And He gives us the responsibility to do so.

May you take joy and delight in setting your goals. And may you operate (in your goal gaining and getting) in the identity of a son of God who is led (and governed) by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14). Amen and Hallelujah!

We’re going to hit the ground running for part two:

Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at the time. Judges 4:4

Here we have the Hebrew word (H802) “Ishshah ”(ish-shaw) translated as “wife” in this verse. It is “ishshah” in the singular and “nashiym” (naw-sheem) in the plural. It’s the derivative and the feminine form of i…

Read more

WATER is powerful and prevalent throughout Scripture, yet here’s a curious thing about it: In the creation account, after Light was created, water was already there; it merely had to be separated – the heavenly waters divided from the earthly waters – a precursor to when God would divide the waters of the Red Sea. God worked again with water on Day three of creation, this time gathering the waters into seas (and by implication rivers as well, as four rivers are mentioned in Genesis One).

And progressing through the book of Genesis we find wells being dug, then Abraham’s servant finding a wife for Isaac at one of these wells. Even in the book of Isaiah we’re told how we will draw water from the wells of salvation. We also see water flowing from a rock to quench the thirst of a great multitude of people, not once but twice. Additionally, God Himself is referred to as a Fountain of Life in Psalm 36:9 and He is the One who orchestrated that water is the building block for life. Therefore it cannot be surprising that the composition of water in our physical bodies matches the composition of the earth’s waters.

Still yet in the Old Testament, Naaman is told to dip in the Jordan River seven times for the healing of his leprosy, and that same river parts for Elisha as he strikes the water with Elijah’s mantle, as it also did for the children of Israel when it was time for them to enter the promised land. It was also the Jordan River that supernaturally brought forth the prophet’s borrowed ax head after Elisha threw a stick into its waters to cause the ax head to float to the surface.

And Elisha’s precursor Elijah was supernaturally provided for at a brook named Cherith. Elijah also, after first hearing the sound of an abundance of rain, prayed for the rain that came and broke the drought that had been over the land. And Progressing to the New Testament, Jesus performs his first miracle of turning gallons of water into wine. His water miracles progress however. Not only does Jesus walk on water, He also calms the sea causing his disciples to declare, “even the wind and the waves obey him.”

Additionally, Jesus meets a woman at the well (historical records indicate her name was Photini) and causes her to become whole which results in her becoming an evangelist throughout Samaria. And through his conversation with her Jesus reveals, “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” And then there’s the pool of Bethesda, the place where Jesus heals a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. There’s also the pool of Siloam, the place where the blind man’s eyes were opened after Jesus told him to go wash in those waters.

Ezekiel also was brought to and shown waters, waters that flowed progressively deeper from the temple, so deep that the waters became a river. The Lord then brought Ezekiel to the bank of the river and told him, “and it shall be that that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes” (Ezekiel 47:9). And finally we find a River of Life, where the Tree of Life is found, and “the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2).

So we see waters prevalent throughout Scripture, as a life-giving element and an element connected to healing. Oh the power of the waters! This is why we are admonished to “come to the waters and drink” and this is why we are told “with joy you will draw water from the wells of Salvation.” Jesus himself said, “If anyone thirsts, let Him come to me and drink” because Jesus was God personified on the earth, and God revealed Himself to the children of Israel as our Healer, and then spoke through Moses when He said, “So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your WATER. AND I WILL TAKE SICKNESS AWAY FROM YOU (emphasis added).

The Living waters have always been available to us, as well as “the washing by the water of the word.” But something greater is coming . Far greater. (And is here). Jesus spoke of it when he said, “he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” Yes, something far greater is coming. A tsunami wave of healing is coming. Encompassed in a tsunami wave of God’s glory. I have seen this vision and so have others. And when it comes, the knowledge of the glory of the LORD will be made known.

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, AS THE WATERS COVER THE SEA. Habakkuk 2:14 NKJ emphasis added

Genesis 1:6-10, 2:10-14, Exodus 14:26, Isaiah 12:3, Exodus 17:6 & Numbers 20:11, Genesis 24:13-20, 2 Kings 5:14, 1 Kings 17:4, 2 Kings 2:13-14, Joshua 3:13-17, 1 Kings 18:41-45, John 6:19, Luke 8:24-25, John 4:14, John 5:8-9, 9:7. Ezekiel 47, Isaiah 55:1, John 7:37. Exodus 15:26, 23:25, Ephesians 5:26, Hebrews 11:25, John 14:12

I was the “the woman at the well” when I encountered Jesus. I was no longer living with the father of my six-month old baby girl, and already I’d been through a string of unhealthy relationships with men, and I would continue on in this way for a few more years because I did not surrender my desire for a husband to the Lord to God. Rather, I thought I’d help God out on that one – “Surely He’s wants me to be married now that I’m a Christian.” This was the single biggest mistake of my young Christian life. It resulted in another baby with my daughter’s father after a failed attempt at reconciliation. Then afterward, the unholiest of soul-ties with a man who was a wolf in sheep’s clothing; a man who was a convicted felon newly released from prison after serving his time for attempted manslaughter. I didn’t know either of these things when I ran into him on the street on that fateful day, but I’d known him from a few years before, and before I met Jesus. And he was the only man who didn’t keep walking when I shared about my encounter and how I’d heard Jesus’ voice telling me, “I’m cleansing you of your sins.” Because isn’t it interesting how immediately after my salvation, each and every one of my local boyfriends made an appearance at my door? But this was one mission I accomplished before I completely capsized in my new-found faith – I got to share my testimony with each one who came to my door, much like the woman at the well - “let me tell you about the man who told me everything I ever did.”

And then I made the decision to stop going to church Because I allowed shame to get the best of me when my pregnancy started showing, when the religious gatekeepers kept asking about the husband I didn’t have, rather than warmly welcome me into the house of God. It was also pride that got the better of me (I share a lot more details in the book “Broken Chapters” published by 100x – “21 Testimonies of How God Re-Writes Our Life Stories.) Because time doesn’t allow (in this particular story) to share how God got my attention and got me back on track in my relationship with Him after my daughter and her father almost died. She – from a bone infection that went undiagnosed for too long a time, and he from being intentionally run over by a car (by the convicted felon) while I was living in the hospital with my daughter. Sadly, God had to shout rather loudly as I went on my willful way, looking for a husband in all the wrong places. But thankfully, God also saved my life. Because what the enemy meant for evil (my daughter’s hip-bone infection that spread to her spinal cord and might have put her in a wheelchair for life had not God intervened and supernaturally healed her) God used for good. And that good was – when the mafia guy came to my door a second and third time – to settle a score and send a message to my daughters’ father – I was nowhere to be found. God was shielding me through the unique circumstance of living at the hospital with my daughter. The runaway living in my home would later convey all of this to me. So yes, God had to SHOUT rather loudly to get me back into alignment with the plan He had for my life.

And this is what it took to bring me back to church and ultimately back to Him. For I had finally found a church that accepted and loved me as I was – a single mom with two children. And this was the pastor who had anointed my daughter with oil at the hospital the evening before her scheduled surgery; the pastor who surprised me by showing up with his wife within hours of my phone call: “hello, you don’t know me but I’ve been going to church for three weeks now, and I’m at the hospital with my daughter and I’m calling to ask for prayer…” This was that church that extended the mercy I needed, instead of judgment. And they even let me assist working with the children, which quite surprised me. But as I continued with personal struggles, sometimes the only reason I showed up was because of the responsibility I had committed to. At any rate, I was content with my new church family, and I was growing spiritually despite continued mis-steps.

Then came another move and another church of the same denomination that also accepted me. And I would have happily stayed there… But God. An announcement came one Sunday – a new building and location for Church. And when the time came, I couldn’t find the church (pre GPS days). Two Sundays I tried and failed. But God was in it. This was the beginning of the re-direct He had for me. An later that week, my mom took me out to lunch, and in the process of doing a long-winded U-turn into a business parking lot, I saw a sign in a window. A little store-front church. Yet another “brand” I was familiar with, as when I had lived in yet another city, kind people made sure I had no excuse to not attend church and picked up both my girlfriend and I and our six children and took us to church. Well, here was a church of the same name. Here was where I would go come Sunday! But it was not to be. Although it was off a major street – Third Avenue – I drove up and down the strip, expecting to see, but not finding a sign for the church that I knew was on this strip somewhere.

But God. Once again. That very week, someone temporarily living in our large household, while out pan-handling in front of the grocery store (being in a wheelchair will elicit sympathy) had received a flyer for a special church event. This person took the flyer, knowing I’d be interested. And it was this same church, and now I had an address. So off I went that Sunday. And for the next Sunday and the next, while I began to truly get discipled for the first time in my walk with Christ. And if I didn’t show up one week, they’d come visit me that week to find out why. It was the accountability I needed. We also had church Saturday nights and weekly altar calls, and it was exactly what I needed. And one particular altar call I rededicated my life back to God. God had a full grip on my life now, and over the course of the year to come, I would learn more and more what it meant to surrender to God.

But it was only one month later that I heard some powerful testimonies of answered prayer. These were the twice-a-year “big testimonies” that served to inspire us in our faith. And one woman shared how she was no longer collecting welfare checks because she’d secured a good-paying a government job. I thought, “That’s what I need.” So when the time came I went forward, thinking this would be my ASK. But the Holy Spirit knew the true desire of my heart. Because when the pastor asked what I wanted prayer for, I heard myself say “I want to pray for a husband.” This was the first time in my life the Holy spirit “took” my tongue. I was shocked and the pastor was a bit taken aback, but he recovered quickly and said, “that’s a good thing to pray for” before launching into a prayer.

And this was the moment I finally, fully, gave this desire to God. Finally, I laid down this desire that had so completely shipwrecked my life. And for the first time in my life, I prayed daily about my desire for marriage. It was the first time I ever prayed daily for or about anything. But something in me was ignited at that altar, even though I was still in recovery mode regarding the mess I had made of my life looking for a husband. So I prayed and I prayed and I prayed, and eventually I began to mention three things I would like to see in a husband although I always made sure to add my version of “nevertheless, not my will but Yours.” And I didn’t think God was moving, but I kept praying. I certainly didn’t see God moving, but I kept praying. I had stopped looking outside the church walls for this husband to appear, but I kept looking at the church door, waiting for the brutally handsome guy to appear. The reality however, was that my future husband was already in my midst. The man God was preparing me for was right under my nose the whole time. The quiet unassuming guy who played guitar. The man I worked with on the drama team. The man I went on outreaches with. The man I simply could not see. Because I was still holding on to my own understanding and my own vision for a husband.

But God had a better plan, as He always does, and the answer to my prayers finally began to manifest – the man I least suspected at the start, but hadn’t I always had a thing for musicians anyway? And unbeknownst to me, this man had been undergoing his own personal transformation as a relatively new believer, and God had been preparing Him as well. After all, I was a “ready-made family” package and there were other issues that had to be addressed, which shall not be mentioned here.

But God had been moving all along, albeit unbeknownst to me, because when the pastor’s brother finally revealed his heart, I could hardly keep up with what God was doing, and what He had been doing all along. And when he finally professed his love for me – that’s when we had our first kiss. And the day after that first kiss is when he proposed. And when I said “yes” we stepped into a whirlwind seven-week engagement.

I can’t say I married my soul mate or my best friend or anything I hear many speak of these days. But I can say I married the man who was very clearly God’s choice for me, after so many of my own poor choices and three other men who had asked the same question. And it was God’s choice that led us to the altar only nine months after I laid the whole thing down at the altar. This is what God and God alone can do.

And this is the story of God choosing my husband for me. I pray it’s encouraged you; or perhaps you’ve been entertained. Either way, my tale is done. And I’ve been married to that man for almost 38 years now. And yes, we have walked through some stuff. But this man was God’s choice for me. He was the gentle spirit I needed after too many relationships with men and the consequences that attach to such relationships. He was the missing puzzle piece to my life – the one that fit perfectly. And he has been my stability who eventually also became my biggest supporter.

And this is why I can encourage you with faith and full confidence - if this is your heart’s desire – do not grow weary in the well-doing of asking. But also, don’t think you can picture the man God has for you. He may come in an entirely different package than the one you expect Also, God’s requirements might be different than yours. But He knows what you need, and it’s better than what you want or what you think you want. And as long as you’ve surrendered the matter fully to God and you are seeking God first, this thing and other things, will be added unto you. In God’s perfect time.

Thank you for staying connected. It’s my heart to inspire and instruct, as well as encourage, enlarge, equip and empower, as I am graced to do so.

I am an itinerant Minister and writing is my means of support. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive continued testimony and slices of my life which I will continue to write for paid subscribers. Or consider a one-time donation to support a ministry trip to Texas at the end of this month. Godspeed and God Bless.

Read more

I was an obedient and compliant child. At least as a younger child. My mom once told me that she only had to tell slap my hand once and tell me not to touch the telephone. Whereas she had to tell my younger brother multiple times not to do the same. However, when life continued “lifing” it was as if a flip was switched in my teen years and I swung to the other side of the pendulum – disobedience unto rebelliousness, and beyond, and it’s only by God’s sovereign and protective hand lived to tell the tale…

But in another era – as a five-and-six-year-old-child, my mom, always in a hurry, used to leave me in the car while she made quick trips into the neighborhood grocery store. And it was always with the same simple instruction: “Stay in the car. And don’t unlock the doors.” And that was the extent of the instruction. And I would highlight one more time, this was not the world we live in today. I would also highlight that both my parents worked at the Pentagon at the time, but it was my mom’s single-handed responsibility to cook meals and care for the house and children on top of her 9-5.

Therefore, she did everything fast – and I’m I know I slowed her down; I was complaint but not quick, as children usually are not. Hence, it was obviously easier and quicker for her to leave me in the car while she’d run in to get bread and milk. I also need to make note that there were no “stranger danger” campaigns or slogans at this time, or any thought to teaching children, even young children, awareness and caution in dealing with strangers. Overall, it was a time before “child trafficking” was a known thing. And as a final aside, I don’t know where my brother was during these times. It was always just me.

So this late afternoon was no different than any other, on that day when my mom left me in our family’s large stations wagon while she ran in to pick up a few items for dinner. And it was the instruction I’d heard I don’t know how many times, word for word: “Stay in the car. And don’t unlock the doors.” And she never gave any additional details regarding “why.” (and in the edit process, I see the parallels to our walk with God - How He gives us the “what” but not always the “why” and how it’s up to us as to whether or not we obey).

Well, I don’t know how long I sat in the car in this particular instance, but I do believe I was also a patient child (in regard to memories pertaining to other matters). But here’s the first part of the memory I remember ever so clearly. Sitting in the front seat middle of the car, I remember seeing the man – and the woman with him, but my attention was drawn to the man. It was as if his eyes were locked on me as he approached me after exiting the store. And my eyes were locked on him. And when he got to the car, the first thing he did was try to open the front passenger door. When that failed, he calmly said, “open the door, little girl” but I sat motionless. He then went proceeded to try and open every one of the car’s four doors, while continuing his “open the door” mantra. And just as calmly and just as quietly, I continued to sit, not speaking and not moving.

He then proceeded with “open the door little girl and I’ll give you some candy” - the very thing we warn children of today. And although I’d never been warned about these tactics or anything about :stranger danger” I followed my mom’s instructions to a “T.” She’d told me what to do, and I did as she said. Nothing more, nothing less. (Oh, that I’d been as obedient to God in my younger years, I could have gained ground so much quicker.) But now here’s the part that has caused me to marvel all my life long -

Although I took note of the women’s increasing nervousness, tugging on the man’s sleeve, telling him repeatedly “we’d better go” – I had not one iota of fear. I had a perfect peace as I continued to sit perfectly centered in the front seat. I didn’t talk, and I didn’t move. I simply observed. I have many thoughts and ideas which cannot be proved, prove, but I believe there were angels in the car with me that day – one on either side of me. I believe it’s why I was filled with such perfect peace – the “peace that passes understanding” I would learn many years later. And a quick insert if you don’t already know from one of my previous stories – I didn’t grow up going to church, and this was before my one summer of going to vacation Bible school, so I knew nothing about angels or “the peace of God” as I would now say.

At any rate, the man finally gave up, after seeing how unmoved I was by repeated offers of candy and by the woman’s urging. And most eerily of all, after turning to leave me alone, they entered into a van parked just two spaces away – I believe it was white – and drove away. And my the most curious thing of all, but which I believe undergirds the truth that I had such absolute peace and absolutely no fear about the matter at all – when my mom did return to the car, I said nothing at all about what I had just experienced. To this day, I don’t understand why I chose to remain silent, except that I don’t think I fully understand the gravity of the situation until many years later.

What I do know however, is that my obedience to my mom’s instructions, without even fully understanding the situation as it unfolded, saved my life from things I can only imagine. Child-trafficking rings, if they existed at the time, certainly weren’t prevalent or in the news. But I’m sure child abductors were certainly a reality, and that my obedience and God’s sovereign hand saved my life.

And throughout the rest of my childhood I never told my mom, for reasons that puzzle me. I only broke the silence when I became a mother and began to hear her continual warnings about not leaving my own daughter in the car, not even to go in to get a fountain drink. It was only after a dozen or so warnings, I broke my silence.

But the point I want to make here, is that after repeated harrowing experiences in my life, first as a runaway making foolish decisions, then as a young woman who was altogether too naïve and trusting, I experientially came to know God as my Protector and my Defender. We all experientially know God one way or another, and this is how I’ve come to know Him. And perhaps it’s why I’ve been willing to do things others would choose not to do. And my ultimate aim is that fear would have no say in any of the decisions I make. Because fear doesn’t make good decisions. At any rate, I have come to understand that my life is in God’s hands and most importantly, I can trust Him with my life. And so I do.

And one final curiosity. The verse I chose to end this message with (when I began writing) is the title of the sermon that was preached at my wedding. For in truth, I was married in the middle of a Church service, if you can believe that. (Potter’s House Church, iykyk) And I didn’t consciously make this connection till I got to this point in this message. But God knew. This is our God. He is sovereign. And my boast is in Him.

The Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save. Isaiah 59:1

And one more for good measure:

But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand. Psalm 31: 14-15

“Neither do I condemn you.” Jesus, John 8:11

This is how Jesus responded to the prevailing religious spirit of his day when the religious leaders brought before him the woman caught in the act of adultery, and would I say unjustly accused because she was only half of the equation of the act of adultery. (You hypocrites – it takes two to “adult” in that manner!) And previously, Jesus had already said:

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:17

It’s abundantly clear therefore, that condemnation was not a tool Jesus used, whether to gather or restore lost souls back to the Father or to welcome new ones into God’s Kingdom. Rather, condemnation and judgment, particularly unjust judgment, were tools of the religious spirit. And Jesus saved his harshest words for the religious folk of his day - not those he was welcoming in to become his brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of God. So why does the church still fall into the snare of operating in a religious spirit?

For here we are two-thousand plus years later, and the religious spirit is alive and well. Unjust accusations flying here and there in social media, as members of the Body of Christ put one another under the microscope of unrighteous and unjust examination instead of examining the unrighteous flecks in their own eyes. How is that we are so quick to give ourselves the benefit of our intentions and not our actual actions, but not extended the same grace of courtesy to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Do we need to be reminded again of the words Jesus spoke to his disciples as part of an intimate conversation he had with them right after He washed their feet? And told them of a new commandment he had for them? – to love one another as He had loved each one of them?

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35

I understand there are things coming to light in the Body of Christ that need to come to the light and be dealt with. I understand “judgment begins in the house of God.” I also understand the need for accountability, correction, tough love even, but the mud-slinging, over the smallest of disagreements and differences of opinion has become so prevalent that the mud has gone from our feet to our faces. I say “we” because in Christ we are one body, and one body in process of becoming One New Man if we believe the Word of God (Galatians 2:15).

“She should not have said this” and “he should not have done that” – the world is watching and it’s not an enticement “that the world might know Him.” Rather, it’s a repulsion. How can the world be reconciled to Jesus if we can’t be reconciled to one another? So let’s stop “shoulding” all over one another and let’s learn to prefer one another. “How shall we then live? Frances Schaeffer once asked. I propose we learn to mind our own business well and purpose in our hearts to defeat the religious spirit instead of one another.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. Romans 8:31

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. Romans 12:9-10

Post-Script:

Things continue to come to light since I first wrote this in the fall of 2025, but t’s only as things come to light they can be dealt with. And as I see it, the continued shaking of the Church and the dismantling of ministries is that the Church may be reformed, restructured, and re-mantled according to the proper foundation of apostles and prophets and through those who seek to build God’s Kingdom, not their own. And let’s remember, when our faith is anchored in Jesus, it will not be shaken by any failure on man’s part. Man will always disappoint, but God will not.

I’m not against righteous judgment, but the world is watching how we handle both our failures and our disagreements. And speaking only for myself, it’s my aim to make sure I’ve always got eye-salve properly applied to my own eye first, before I attempt to remark about or attempt to remove and splinter or beam in anyone else’s eyes. There’s a Scripture about each day having trouble enough of its own so as not to worry about tomorrow. I see a parallel principle in my own life – I have enough on my one plate not to be excessively concerned about what’s on everyone else’s plate. And if I am biased, and it’s likely I am, my perspective is that of one who was forgiven much. If it wasn’t for God’s mercy I would have been stoned in my twenties.

Imagine a man coming to your door. You’ve met him once, he’s a friend of a friend, and he’s got important paperwork in his possession that someone’s taken from you. You invite him in as it’s a Friday night anyway and you have nothing better to do. Now imagine that he begins telling you about a Jesus, this Jesus you don’t know much about. It’s in such a non-confrontative and curious way that He talks about Jesus, so you don’t shut him down as you did not more than three months ago. Rather, you lean in to listen.

Now imagine a conversation that lasts for hours and someone who asks you questions, then responds to the answers still inside your head that you haven’t yet given a voice to. Imagine also, he tells things about you that only God could know. He’s got your attention.

He tells you now to pick up that Bible you used to read as a teen (but as you mostly read from the book of revelation and without revelation it terrified you, so you stopped reading). He gives you selected chapters of the New Testament for you to read, and while you read he sits quietly. When you finish reading he makes comments you have no understanding of (about the keys of David) and questions you don’t have the answers to (where is your altar, where is your prayer altar?) This cycle repeat itself throughout the course of the evening.

Now imagine the unthinkable. At 11PM this man leaves your home without leading you in a prayer of salvation, without leading you to Jesus. You’re upset. Extremely upset. You broadcast some mean message to him from inside your head and from across the parking lot, for you’ve followed him outside. And although the message was never spoken, he hears it and responds accordingly, then drives off.

You’re irritated. How could this man leave in the midst of such personal turmoil and unsettledness and agitation? These things ought not to be!!!

But here’s what this man did do. He left me with a gift. A gift that would lead to the ultimate Gift. For he left me with a keen awareness that I was not the “pretty good person” I thought I was (oh how spiritually blind I was, comparing myself to IV drug users and such as my plumb line) but he left me with the hammering truth that I was a sinner in need of salvation. Like, right now! I knew I wanted, and more importantly, needed to be become a Christian, but how? And how could he leave me in such a state?!

After he left I did the only thing I knew to do. I went back to that Bible and I read through the night. I don’t know how much of the New Testament I read, but I read with an insatiable hunger, for I knew this book contained the answer. I knew I needed to pray, but I didn’t know how to pray. And in the morning I drove to my mom’s to retrieve the large family Bible I knew contained a “dictionary” in the back. When I returned I looked up every verse on prayer and all the other strange things he had mentioned and I read and I read and I read throughout the day and into the night, stopping to take breaks to for care for my baby daughter and to eat.

And after 11pm that Saturday night, after I had put my daughter to bed, I made the decision I knew enough to pray and was ready to pray to become a Christian. I took everything literally. I went into my bedroom, into my closet, and I knelt on my knees and covered my head with the only thing I had – a red bandana (God knew my heart). And thinking I needed to confess every. single. sin. to become a Christian, I was led to use the Ten Commandments as my guide, to guide me through all the sins I would need to repent from, for the list was long. For in deed I had been a good student of the world.

And so I began working down the list, often going back up the list as another remembrance came to mind, confessing that missed sin then moving on again. And two things happened in the midst of this process. First, I didn’t just experience God’s forgiveness; it was as if I was having an encounter with forgiveness as a real and tangible substance. And as I encountered this profound forgiveness for all my sins, I began extending forgiveness to all those who had trespassed against me. It was if I had entered a supernatural flow of simultaneously receiving and releasing forgiveness. This itself took some time. Also, the more I confessed my sins, the more my heart broke for what a sinful life I had lived and how I had broken all of God’s commandments. I was fully aware for the first time in my life of the extent and the ugliness of my sins. I don’t know when the tears began or how long they lasted. I only know they flowed as strong as my words, for my sins were many.

And then the moment came. I knew I was finished. I don’t know how I knew, I just knew. I wiped away my tears, stood up, looked up, and declared aloud – operating in what I believe was my first official instance of the gift of faith (apart from saving faith) – “God, I’m ready for whatever you would have for me.” Little did I know what was set in motion with those words and how quickly it would begin.

But what I knew was that it was 5:30 am Sunday morning because I happened to glance at the clock. I then decided it would be a good idea to lie down with my baby daughter and get a couple of hours rest before she woke up (as the next day I’d be getting on a bus to go cross-country to visit her father). So my head hit the pillow and I closed my eyes. And immediately, the brightest flash of light flashed in my room. I could see it with my eyes closed and I think it was a good thing my eyes were closed. It was the most brilliant blinding flash of white light I had ever seen. Then it flashed a second time. And without another second’s passing a jolt of electricity entered my body through the tips of my toes and coursed upward to my head. And in that moment, for it all happened in a moment, my first thought formed, “What is this?” And I was answered with an audible voice, gentle yet authoritative, “I am cleansing you of your sins.” That was it. One simple sentence. And this is how I encountered Jesus as the Light of the World. And I suppose it’s why that man didn’t lead me in a sinner’s prayer.

And it’s why I’m compelled to preach, publish, and proclaim the goodness of God and His saving grace, and to see His Kingdom expanded. One prayer at a time, one person at at time, and one story at a time, if that’s what it takes and for as long as it takes. (I go to Texas in April and I have an opportunity to go to Kenya in July!)