Take Good Care of Yourself

God, Me, Family & Work

Time is a commodity that once it’s spent, you can never get that time back again.  Time is something that one should spend wisely.  Take time to be with your family and enjoy that time.  Steal-away continuously to be alone with God.

As in the diagram God should be primary.  He should be the first person you seek in the day and the last person that you think of and talk with at night.  Go to bed, wake up and “Praise the Lord.”  God is our father and as His children, He wants us to love Him and want to be with Him.  When we put God first, everything else will fall into place.

YOU should be next (take care of yourself).  If you don’t take care of yourself, how in the world are you going to care for another person, place or thing?  If you are a 'caretaker' then take some time to get YOUR annual physical, eat healthy, exercise and be the best You that You can be.  Pamper yourself a little, smile and be happy.

Next is your family.  Take them to church, don’t just drop them off.  Have dinner with them & leave the electronic devices in another room.  Attend their games, but don’t try to involve them in everything that you might have missed in your childhood.  Extracurricular activities should not control your time especially time away with your spouse.  Do all things in moderation.

Now for the thing that most of us need to do in order to have funds for the other three entities, and that is ‘work’.  We have to work in order to pay our tithes, give to others, put food on our table, pay for a roof over our heard, get a manicure, clothe our bodies and enjoy time out.  Sure, God supplies our needs, yet we have to do our part to live, nevertheless, we shouldn’t allow our jobs to overcome our families, ourselves or God.  It’s time to set our priorities in order and live our lives the way God intended.

Believe and Receive

You may ask, “If God is able, then why doesn’t He…?”

“Why doesn’t He heal me?”

“Why doesn’t He use me for His service?”

“Why doesn’t He prove this or that to me?”

Well, first of all, God is sovereign (having supreme rank, power, or authority).  He doesn’t have to prove anything.  Sometimes He does, but that’s up to Him.  He is Elohim (the Creator).  He is El Shaddai (the all-sufficient one).  He is God.

Secondly, the reason why God may not show Himself to you is because of your unbelief in this or that situation.  Or it may be because of a lack of faith.  Yes, I too sometimes have to build up my faith level in a particular area.  I’m striving to achieve the level that Brother Smith Wigglesworth had.  Through the power and anointing of God, he once resurrected a woman from the dead.  He slammed her against a wall and spoke life back into her body.  (Was that the first method of CPR—the Holy Ghost way?)

Yes, our faith has to be built up, and we do this by praying to our Father and asking for an extra dose of the Gift of Faith.  Then, while awaiting the manifestation of the gift of faith, we must believe that we have received it.  In other words:  trust, believe, and receive.

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Getting ready for a Happy New Year

As we begin to enter into another year, let us remember that things that didn’t work out for you in the past may be coming to fruition very soon.  Our timing is not the same as God’s timing.  #TBR

“Small Beginnings” (September 23, 1996)

In 1996, I began to go through a situation similar to Job’s.  No, I did not lose my children, or my home, or my health, but, when you are confronted with misfortune; it can seem as enormous as any problem that Job faced.  Just as Job’s trials, my misfortune seemed enormous and unending.

My husband and I opened a small, retail store selling ethnic cosmetics, cards, hosiery, figurines and a number of other items.  There was no other place in town that sold these particular types of items.  We drew up a dynamic business proposal and submitted it to the Small Business Association, after which we received a considerable loan to start the business.  We found a place downtown (the location wasn’t great, but we could not afford anything better (location is everything).  We remodeled the place, which we didn’t own but rented (mistake!).  We bought fixtures with a business credit card, and we purchased products to sell.  We had done a survey to find out if there was a demand for our products in our area, but you know how often people say one thing and then do another?  Our survey showed a good demand for our idea and our products.  We thought we had a sure thing.  We had prayed, trusted God, and basically, we had done our homework.  Some people say to give a business at least five years to become a success.  I say examine the facts.  Why endure a lot of hardship and expense?  When the cards are dealt after the shuffle, and, after you have drawn more cards, and you can’t make a good hand, then fold and fold gracefully…

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“Time Will Tell”

(September 13, 1997)

Spiritual Band-Aid

It’s been awhile since I’ve written down the blessings and the trials, but let’s continue.  “For it’s by your grace, Lord, that I continue to travel this life’s journey.”  Five days ago the family was on their way to the gym to exercise (Let me explain.  Since we were military, we can use the exercise facilities on the military base at no charge, but we still have to buy gas for our car to go out to the base, which is approximately fifteen miles).  My daughter was driving my car and my husband was co-captain in the front.  All of a sudden, the car quit running and we smelt burnt rubber.  The spiritual band-aid (see page about spiritual band-aids; “Mr. And Mrs. Fix It”) had worn out, and our engine was gone.  It would take $3,000 to repair the car; our mechanic gave us that figure in the estimate.  We got a couple of second opinions, and that was that.  We needed a new engine.  God blessed us that we were able to pull over.  He sent one lady that we knew from another church, to take my husband back home for his truck and a towing chain.  Two gentlemen from our church and a pizza deliveryman were also sent from the Lord to help out.  My Father was supplying help.  Still, life goes on, and we must continue to work while it is day.

Sales were slow.  Rent and the bank note for the repairs on the building were due.  No merchandise was coming in, and stock was okay.  I thank God for the husband that He gave to me.  He did not place blame on me for opening the business.  Our situation was financially tight.  Things that we had to face day by day were still going on.  Why would they cease because of our financial difficulty?  We were now down to one mode of transportation.  I still had a store, my daughter had her part-time job, and my husband was still working for Uncle Sam.  We had social, church, business, school and other obligations we were working on that still needed to be accomplished.

I needed a financial blessing at this time, and I had to see where and how I was going to obtain it.  Was I supposed to…

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Are we 'Conveniently' Using God?

Recently in our Small Group meeting we discussed “Covenant vs Contract”.  According to Deuteronomy 28, Last week we learned that the Bible is the book of Covenant.  This week we will learn the difference between covenant and contract. We tend to use these words almost interchangeably.  But that's very misleading when we try to compare our notion of “contract” with the biblical notion of "covenant".  The difference between the two words in the Bible is profound… so much so that we could almost say it's the difference between roommate (contract) and marriage (covenant).

Contracts involve promises, covenants involve oaths.  Were you aware that politicians used to swear on the Bible opened to Deuteronomy 28, where the blessings and curses are recorded?  The reason is because they were affirming to uphold the constitution or suffer the curses recorded in those pages.  This Bible passage was such a part of the political fabric of our country that George Washington took his oath with it for his First Inauguration on April 30, 1789.  Think about it, we still make doctors, police officers, military personnel and public officials swear oaths.  Why?  Because we depend on them; we put our lives in their hands and we want them to swear to God they'll do their jobs.  We don't just take their word for it; we want them to know that they'll have to answer to a higher authority, God! And guess what? God is the same one who cut a covenant, not a contract, with us to provide all those blessings in Deuteronomy 28. Receive them!!!  #ImpactChurchSmallGroup

A question arose from the lesson: “In your own words, explain the covenant between man and God.”

Our group response was: “Some Christians make a “Covenant of Convenience” with God.”

“Hmmmmm, very interesting.  This is absolutely so true.  We see this in many instances such as when people go to jail/prison, when their finances are low, when their health is bad, when they are dealing with family problems or generally at any times where their back is against the wall or they feel that now that they've tried everything else, they should "try God".  Like, "God if you get me out of this, I'll serve you for the rest of my life, etc."” – Small Group Leaders: Leo & Norma Davis.

Where do you stand with God?

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It’s all about the “Prayer”

I don’t normally pray for celebrities, yet today I was prompted to pray for Beyonce.  Why – I don’t know.  Haven’t heard anything in the news lately, but when you’re led to pray for someone or something in particular – just do it!  We never know when intercessions are needed on our behalf.  It doesn’t have to be a long eloquent prayer because God already knows, nevertheless He was waiting for someone to stand in the gap and PRAY.

What is prayer?  Prayer is communication, communion, speaking with, and hearing from God.  It’s being in His presence, and not being alone.  It’s waiting for an answer and being still enough to hear that answer.

 

Making The Difference

You never know when it’s your prayer that makes the difference, in someone’s life.  Have you ever thought that your prayer was not necessary for someone else to make it through?

You probably knew that other people were praying for the same thing, so why should God bother with your little prayer?  You never know.  Your one little request may be the one that God is waiting to hear.  So don’t count yourself short.  Your prayers do count.

God’s Got A Super Highway

If you think the “Computer Internet” is something, tap into the Power of Prayer with God, and get the expected and the unexpected.

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“I Don’t Work That Way”

One day as I was asking the Lord to help me through a particular situation, I waited and waited for an answer.  Numerous other things would go through my mind as I waited.  I was reading an article about a famous star and listening to some easy-listening tunes on the radio (did you know that God will answer you anywhere and at anytime and even when there is music in the room?).  I continued to ask Him about what I should do.  I rocked in my office chair and gazed outside of my window.  As I stared at the building across the street or looked at the sky through the telephone wires, the solution to my dilemma became clear to me.  I had thought all morning, analyzing the situation while the Lord continually listened to me.  Well, after a few hours, I had the solution.  “Lord, why didn’t you give me the solution earlier?  Why didn’t you just pop the idea into my brain?” I wanted to know.  His reply was, as He has told me many times before, “Because, I don’t work like that.”  We have to be continually in communication with God and sometimes just wait.  The answer is always coming.

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