Learning to Commit

Commit Everything to God (Proverbs 3:5-6) Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths - Proverbs 3:5-6 Commitment involves trusting - trusting the One who has proven Himself to be trustworthy. What does it mean? Commit means to pledge to do something, to make a binding declaration, to be bound, to trust. Commitment involves trusting in God and placing everything and anything that would distract you, or be an obstacle to you. Acknowledging that everything you are and everything you have belong to Him. Why do we do it? Committing everything means to put all you have in its rightful place and adjust your perspective. Turning over all you have to God will keep you growing, it’ll cause you to experience rest and you’ll ultimately shine His light to those around you. If I leave everything I have in my hands, I’ll get my results; if I leave everything I have in your hands, I’ll get your results; but I if I leave everything I have in God’s hands, I’ll get God results. How do we do it? The test: 1. Distractions: what are certain distractions that move us away from the Spirit? 2. Obstacles: what obstacles keep us from moving forward in the Spirit? 3. Assaults: what areas are being used by the enemy to assault you and keep you away from the Spirit? The process: 1. Revelation: ask the Lord to show you where to start 2. Repentance: repent for those things you’ve made an idol or put as priorities before God 3. Release: begin to exercise faith; and trust God in those areas and make a choice to release them to His care Begin by choosing to trust Him. Let yourself lean upon His ways as they are revealed to you in His Word. Acknowledge Him by bringing your life - everything you face - before Him, and allow Him to direct your walk on His path to fulfill His perfect plan. Commit daily; moment by moment and practice thankfulness. It’s an ongoing process!

Gang Tactics

Subject: Ladies please take note of the following gang initiation tactic, please discuss with female colleagues who do not have email On the way to Canton , driving on Michigan Avenue , on Thursday morning, I saw an infant car seat on the side of the road with a blanket draped over it. I did not stop, even though I had all kinds of thoughts running through my head. But when I got to my destination, I called the Canton PD and they were going to check it out. This is what I was told... "Several things to be aware of .. gangs and thieves, are now plotting different ways to get a person to "stop" their vehicle. "There is a gang initiation reported by the local police department that gangs are placing a car seat by the road...with a fake baby in it...waiting for a woman, of course, to stop and check on the baby. Note that the location of this car seat will usually be beside a wooded or grassy (field) area ...and the person - woman - will be dragged into the woods- beaten and raped- usually left for dead. DO NOT STOP . DIAL 9-1-1 AND REPORT WHAT YOU SAW. "IF YOU ARE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND EGGS ARE THROWN AT YOUR WINDSHIELD. DO NOT OPERATE THE WIPER AND DO NOT SPRAY ANY WATER BECAUSE EGGS MIXED WITH WATER BECOME MILKY AND BLOCK YOUR VISION UP TO 92.5% YOU ARE THEN FORCED TO STOP BESIDE THE ROAD AND BECOME A VICTIM OF THIEVES. THIS IS A NEW TECHNIQUE USED BY GANGS. PLEASE INFORM YOUR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES. THESE ARE DESPERATE TIMES AND THESE UNSAVORY INDIVIDUALS WILL TAKE DESPERATE MEASURES TO GET WHAT THEY WANT." Please talk to your loved ones about this. This is a new tactic used and I would hate for anyone to fall victim to this kind of crime. Please be safe Ian Chapman District Manager Eastern Michigan

June 26th Meeting

Location: 153 Thousand Oaks Oakland, CA 94619 Saturday, June 26, 11:30AM to 1:30PM Commitment can be a risky and fearful word for all of us. We have so many ideas on what this means. Ideas that have been developed from our past or current experiences, our emotions and our decisions. Hopefully, during this time together, we'll be able to listen to each other and help re-define what commitment truly means to us as women; and most importantly, as God-fearing women. Note: on the day of our meeting, please call 510-969-5260. Looking forward to it!

How do you stay focused?

After you have prayed and fasted, and then prayed some more and fasted a little more...then you pray one more time, hoping that the breakthrough would come....and then it doesn't. What do you do then? Staying focused on God's promises is a very practical thing. These are the times that the test is real! You know how it is....when you want God to do some particular thing in your life, you go to God with that particular request. And then after you have done what you know to do...(the praying and/or the fasting part), and the results show up....but the results are not what you were looking for! This is the time to stay focused! If God shuts a door, it is a guarantee that He is doing what's best for you! It will not feel good, it will not sound good, and it will not look good but don't get hopeless and think that God is not near. Only God knows the beginning and the end...therefore, He is your best answer! Rehearse the good things that He has done, remind Him of the victorious things that He will do for you, and in the meantime, stay in a place of worship and thanksgiving. Don't get carried away by your carnal feelings. Don't get all mixed up in the ways of men. Don't fall away from the presence of God by having non-Godly thoughts. The Lord tests us always, and we never know this until we are in the middle of it. When one door closes, God opens up another! In time, you'll see the goodness of the Lord. Be strong, and stay focused in Him!

Thoughts to Values

Keep your thoughts positive Thoughts become your words Keep your words positive Words become your behaviors Keep your behaviors positive Behaviors become your habits Keep your habits positive Habits become your values Keep your values positive Values become your destiny

The Sound of Revenge

I have found that the fastest form of revenge is deliverance. My deliverance. Deliverance from wrongly spoken words. When someone does something crazy to me, I usually eventually pray that God delivers me quickly....just as soon as I hear the accusation and right before I think of a response. God is our Rock, our Defense and our Shelter. It is to Him, we are to run to. He will lead and guide us, protect and watch over us. He is quick to show Himself faithful. And then I pray that God takes me out of the box. The box that the different people have put me in, and the expectations that have been attached to me. See, God knows our hearts when its in trouble and when it has been wounded. But we have to be willing to go to God with all of the troubles and choose to walk away from manly accusations. God is ever near and ever ready to take care of us and take care of the situation that lies before us.

Today I wait

Today I wait I wait patiently For the time of my departure The anticipation of my heart is to take off Into the world of design Surrendering myself to the hands of the creation of order So today I wait I wait carefully Carefully because others have been taken foolishly They have followed the imitation of character Torn into the music of deception Surrendered themselves into the lies of the winds of look-alikes To the waves of breaking tides So today I wait I wait cautiously Cautiously because others are gone and a few remain Cautiously because I cannot afford to be driven by ...the sounds of water, or the gifts of pleasure, or the looks of treasure Today I wait Comfortably because I know that when the original creator comes, HE KNOWS ME! Because He planted me in the very soil that He toiled Himself. He sounds the same and no one has and can ever come close to the sound of His voice! Comfortable, I am.....because I know Him Today I wait Endlessly Settled that I will be taken into the arms of creative destiny I will be washed in the rivers of cleansing rain Wrapped in the rays of the one Himself Not falling for any other but Him Today I am a fruit, planted and destined From the beginning, from the foundations of the earth

The Process of Change

The process of change is "to". To takes you from one stage to another. It is the bridge that connects the past and the future. A walkway that leads you away from the present. The number 2 expresses an exchange of position, or a move of location. 2 opens up the change of state. To is the catalyst of transition.

Different People

I was watching a show on OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) with my husband a couple of nights ago and I really like watching things like that because I love studying different personalities and it helps me to go into someone else’s world and see how they think, function and work. Just seeing the different personalities and their different behaviors and traits, just really took me to a place of awareness. You know, you never know what people are going through. We see so many of them everywhere we go: catching the Bart, waiting on the bus, driving, walking to school, coming out of libraries, waiting on someone to pick them up, in the grocery stores, at the park, at the beach, going to work etc…I mean, all types of people. And we really do not know what challenges people are having. Well, I was awakened to be more aware of how I pray for people that I pass by each day. I mean, when I am going through the streets and running around and doing things, I am really just thinking about me and all my errands and I hardly stop and see anything else. Someone might be contemplating suicide, or dealing with a terminal disease, or dealing with a sad news, or working through a hard divorce (not that any divorce is easy), or just stressed out with work or whatever. I need to be more prayerful when I am out and about because for some of those folks, that might be their only chance to get prayed for… you know J Just thinking out loud…