Draw Closer to God

Forwarded by Treva

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you...” (James 4:8, NLT)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

God promises that He will draw close to you when you draw close to Him. How do we draw close to Him? First of all, this verse goes on to say that we must turn away from sin because sin separates us from God. When we turn away from the things that displease Him, we are turning toward Him. That’s the first step.

Then, the Bible tells us to come into His presence with thanksgiving in our hearts and give Him praise. When you have a thankful heart, you are drawing closer to Him. Thirdly, scripture tells us that God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. When you live with an attitude of humility, you are drawing closer to Him.
Friend, there’s nothing more important in life than drawing close to God the Father. Seek Him with your whole heart, and you will find Him. Let Him speak to your heart by reading your Bible, praying and meditating on His promises every single day.

Worship Him with a humble and open heart because when you seek Him, you will find Him, and He will fill you with His peace, comfort and joy all the days of your life!

FUNNY!

Hi ladies,
You have probably read this somewhere but I thought I share :) Enjoy!

A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed: "Dear Lord: I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through, so please allow her body to switch with mine for a day. Amen".

God, in His infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish.

The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, awakened the kids, set out their school clothes, fed them breakfast, packed their lunches, drove them to school, came home and picked up the dry cleaning, took it to the cleaners and stopped at the bank to make a deposit, went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries, paid the bills and balanced the checkbook. He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog. Then it was already 1pm and he hurried to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and mop the kitchen floor. Ran to school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with them on the way home. Set out milk and cookies and got the kids organized to do their homework, then set up the ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing. At 4:30pm he began peeling potatoes and washing vegetables for salad, breaded the pork chops and snapped fresh beans for supper.
After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded laundry, bathed the kids, and put them to bed. At 9pm, he was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaint.

The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said: "Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife's being able to stay home all day. Please, oh please, let us trade back."

The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, replied: "My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the way they were. You'll just have to wait nine months, though. You got pregnant last night."

:)

A Healthy Thought

Being pro-active is definitely a healthy practice.  When you find yourself involved in an organization, system, or department etc..., you may encounter different instances that may need a few adjustments or changes. You may need to shut some ideas down or put some other ideas on the shelf. This is called an evaluation of practice.

The key to self-assessments and evaluations is being honest with yourself, and being real with the situation you are facing and open to new approaches.  Don't stay boxed-in!

This practice is very essential and can be very beneficial to you, your company, your business, your ministry, and your personal journey in life; because not only does it humble you in many ways, it also positions you to be pro-active and ready for the future.

The Bible teaches us that Noah built an ark.  The interesting and bizarre thing about this ark is that it was built BEFORE any possible signs of rain.  Noah was directed by God to build something that seemed ridiculous at the moment but was infact what was going to save & protect them in the future.
Naturally, Noah faced criticism, judgement, finger pointing & rejection from the people but he stayed the course. 
Let me ask you this: have you ever felt this way?  Where you feel that you must prepare for the future but no one understands and everyone is criticising you for it?

Being proactive is healthy!  You might actually be the vessel that saves your job, the ministry you are a part of, your company etc..

Ladies, do not be afraid to speak up if you see that something is not going right.  God will give you wisdom to verbalize it properly, but please do not box yourself in and become a part of the problem!  Release the anointing within you and bring solutions to chaotic situations.

The Heart of Matter

- Shared by The Maddox's

The Great Commandment: Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. Our primary responsibility in this life is to love God which then allows us to love ourselves and others.

 

Barrier to receiving God's Love: In relationships, the real issue isn't love, it is the condition of our heart. When our hearts are in the right position, love flows automatically. The heart is the vital core of one's being (Proverbs 4:23).

 

The condition of our hearts need to be open, not closed. An open heart feels involved, concerned, connected, emotionally alive, loved, tender and available. When we live a willful life of sin, our hearts become closed and disconnected from God. When a relationship does not feel emotionally safe, our hearts will close and we will withdraw from that person (Genesis 3:10). Other issues might be that we have allowed past hurts to embed themselves in our hearts, and therefore, we have believed the lies that come with it. Or we have willfully chosen to be selfish and proud; rather than selfless and humble.

 

 

Heart Builders:

• How do we address our hearts, if they are in fact closed?
• Choose to live a life that is alive
• Identify what lies are written on your heart (Hebrews 4:12-13)
• Discover God's truth about you (John 8:32); Psalms 139)
• Take what people say and do to us to the Lord and discover His truth
• Give your heart a voice and learn to manage your emotions (Proverbs 16:32)

More than words

God intends for prayer to be an easy, natural way of staying in touch with Him - like having a conversation with a close friend.  But I don't think we see prayer as being that simple. As a matter of fact, I think a lot of us (Christians) have difficulty maintaining a strong, consistent prayer life because we're stuck believing what the enemy has told us. Things like: "God is mad at us. He's not answering our prayers right now", or "we don't pray long enough anyway, so our prayers won't really make a difference".

The truth is, everytime we pray in faith, God answers.  He wants our prayer life to be fulfilling, exciting and full of hopeful expectation. You can have great freedom and creativity in your prayer life - but you need to stay focused on God and His promises, not the enemy's lies.

Prayer Builders:

• How often do you pray?
• Do you feel a connection with heaven, in prayer?

What a friend!

One of the greatest gifts God has given us as His children is His Holy Spirit!  Think about it! How many people do you know that you can call a friend, a counselor, a comforter, and advocate, an intercessor, a standby?  Do you know anyone that you can call all that? The truth is that the Holy Spirit wants to be that friend to each and every one of us...everyday!

He wants to help us have a good life....and enjoy it too.  He wants to strengthen us in hard times,  and comfort us when we're sad or grieving.  He also wants to listen to us when we need to talk...fight for us when we're weak..pray for us when we can't....I mean, who wouldn't want a friend like that!

With all that is going on in this world, He simply wants to give us the power to get through the situations we face victoriously.  He also wants to work in us to change us for the better from the inside out, so we can maintain victory in our everyday lives..

Be thankful for the Holy Spirit in your life!
- Joyce M

The Holy Land

A little Monday humor :) Thanks Ms. G!

****

A man and his ever-nagging wife went on vacation in Jerusalem . While they were there, the wife passed away. The undertaker told the husband "You can have her buried here in the Holy Land for $150 or we can have her shipped back home for $5000. The husband thought about it and told the undertaker he would have her shipped back home. The undertaker asked him, "why would you spend $5000 to have her shipped home when you could have a beautiful burial here, and it would only cost $150?" The husband replied, "Long ago, a man died here, was buried here, and three days later, rose from the dead. I just cant take that chance!


:)

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

Forwarded by Mary A, thanks cousin!

I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed

I have Holy spirit power
The die has been cast,

The decision has been made

I am a disciple of Jesus

Therefore, I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still

My past is redeemed

My present is empowered

And my future is secure

I'm done with low-living

Sight walking, small planning, smooth needs, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, positions, promotions, praise or popularity

I don't have to win, be first, be right, recognized, regarded or rewarded

I now live by faith,

Lean on his presence

Love with patience

Live by prayer and

Labor with power

My goal is God's glory

My face is set

My pace is fast

My road is narrow

My way is rough

My companions are few

My guide is reliable

And my mission is clear

I cannot be bought, comprised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted or delayed

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice

Hesitate in the presence of adversity

Negotiate at the table of the enemy

Ponder at the pool of popularity

Or meander in the maze of mediocrity

I won't give up, or slow up

Until I stayed up, stored up, prayed up, payed up, and spoken up for the cause of Christ
Christ has qualified me to become a part of the fellowship of the unashamed
I am His and He is mine
By. Bob Moorehead

Whatever a woman sows, she reaps

This is a fundamental truth.  What you sow is exactly what you will reap.  NO doubt about it.  If you sow in hatred, you will reap in bitterness; if you sow in desperation, you will reap results of unfulfillment and dis-satisfaction; if you sow in envy, you will reap a life of emptiness; if you sow selfishly, you will reap a selfish attitude....etc.

Note that we are not always the victim of a result of negative sowing. Sometimes, we are the initiators of negativity; thereby causing something negative to be produced in the reaping harvest of someone else's life.

I know we immediately, and naturally, think of how someone else's choices / sowing has negatively affected our results / reaping, but don't be too quick to point fingers. Let's examine ourselves too... we too, are not perfect, we are just as much sinners as the person next to us.

On the other hand, if you sow in cheerfulness, you will reap happiness; if you sow selflessly, you will reap an abundance of blessing; if you sow in total submission to God, you will reap in prosperity from heaven; if you sow sincerely into your friendships, you will reap rich long-lasting relationships.....etc.

Ladies, be intentional in your sowing, as its reaping will definitely come your way. Make your seed GREAT!

Seed Builders:

• What areas of your life, can you start sowing with cheerfulness and gratitude?
• How often do you sow negatively? How can you change that?

Learn from Others Successes

Without even noticing we are greatly influenced by others. Whether it is consciously or not. Therefore, surround yourself with people who are physically active, emotionally stable and continously growing. Focus on their successes, on their strategies to reach their aspirations, and their motivation. You may be able to get some ideas and be further inspired to achieve your own dreams and goals.

This can be applied to many areas of our lives: our eating habits, our life decisions, our emotional responses, the way we carry ourselves ets. If you surround yourself with people who aim to balance their personal, professional and emotional lives with decision and quality, you are more likely to stick to your own plans, too.

“The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.” (Pearl S. Buck)

 

Success Builders:

• Can you identify areas in your life that needs a little adjustment?
• Who have you identified - that you would like to be mentored by?

Pressure or Excellence?

Supergirl: 5-year-old, Queens, N.Y. prodigy can speak seven languages, play six instruments


BY Erica Pearson; DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER - Sunday, May 15, 2011


Seven languages. Six musical instruments. Two types of dance and two sports. It all adds up to one busy little Queens girl.

Five-year-old Mabou Loiseau's parents spend $1,500 a week on tutors and lessons - and she spends seven hours a day in some type of instruction, with Sundays off.

She grew up speaking French, Creole and English, but her immigrant parents didn't want to stop there. She's also learning Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic and Russian.

"Russian is my most favorite. I just hear something, and if I don't understand I say, 'What does that mean?' and they'll tell me," said Mabou, whose Laurelton house is plastered with flashcards in different languages.

She can sing her ABCs in Spanish, count in Mandarin, read fairytales in Russian, and already has an ambitious list of career goals.

"I want to be a firefighter, and I want to be a doctor, and I want to be a dancer, and I want to be a princess," Mabou said with a smile, sitting shyly on her mom's lap. "And I want to be an actor, and I want to be a musician, and I want to be a singer, and I want to be a veterinarian, and I want to be a mom."

Mabou has her own dance studio with a mirrored wall where she learns tap and ballet. Her mom recently got rid of the kitchen table to make room for a full-size drum set. She's also learning to play the harp, clarinet, violin, guitar and piano. When she's not taking ice-skating or swimming lessons.

"All the sacrifices in the world for her," said her mom, Esther Loiseau, a piano teacher who taught French at an American school before leaving Haiti for Queens 15 years ago. "Furniture is not important. Education is."

Loiseau, 47, said friends and neighbors were initially shocked that she was starting Mabou on such a regimen so early - instead of just letting her be a kid. "But I make sure I leave enough time for her to play," Loiseau said. "All she knows is learning. What becomes fun for someone is what they know."

Loiseau tells the tutors to play with Mabou, speaking in their native language, for half of the lesson. They spend the other half reading, writing and practicing vocabulary.

She said a sure way to make the opinionated only child behave is to threaten to cancel one of her lessons - especially Russian.

"It's a great experience for me, honestly. A lot of even adult people can't understand what she does," said Rogneda Elagina, 24, Mabou's Russian tutor. "We like to read together ... we started with the alphabet and connecting letters, and now she can read real folklore."

Mabou's dad works 16 hours a day as a parking attendant in Manhattan to pay for everything, and the Loiseaus have also started hosting other students for classes at their house.

The proud parents homeschool Mabou but found out last week that she scored in the 99th percentile on the city test for gifted and talented schools.

"Honestly, I just want to open doors for my daughter," said Loiseau. "She is really my princess."

******************************

What do you think ladies? 

Strengthen Each Other

1 Corinthians 14:26 (New Living Translation) - Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.

I read this scripture a couple of days ago and it really ministered to me, in the sense that, it showed me once again how important it is for all of us to be good at what we do. And more importantly, how amazing it is for us to support each other in what we do; because every joint supplies.  That is, each and everyone of us plays a very important role in the big picture.

Ladies, let's continue to edify and encourage each other to step out into our giftings, so we can be full of strength as a team!

Strength Builders:

• Have you identified your role in life?
• Do you know someone who needs a little help in functioning in their calling?

Hiding from God

Nehemiah 1:5-6

I think the real reason we pray so little is fear: fear of facing God, fear also of facing our own and others' brokenness.  Our hearts are saying: "Can I really trust God? Will He really show me His love when I don't keep anything hidden from Him - or will I be crushed by His anger and lose the little bit of freedom I have so carefully carved out for myself?"

"Do not be afraid" Those are the moments where you can get closer to God.  God is a jealous God, yes, but His jealousy is not filled with possessiveness and suspicion; as is our human jealousy.  This is why we have a relationship, and not a religious contract with God.

God loves us with a perfect love.  A love that casts out all fear and allows us to approach Him and His people in complete freedom.  He loves us so much that He in fact, passionately desires our love in response.

So, ladies, pray without fear, enter God's presence with a vulnerable openness. Learn to be silent in His presence, so He can first speak to us and reveal us to ourselves as women created in love and created free to love. Then we can respond with a full "yes", affirming from the depth of our hearts that we are indeed made in the image and likeness of God.

Love Builders:

• What fears keep you from sharing openly with others?
• What fears keep you from feeling free to approach God in prayer?

Refine Your Goals

As we set goals and refine goals, make sure your goals are at an appropriate level for you. Remember, you can always change them at any time. If they are too low, you may not feel challenged or motivated to increase your drive.

On the other hand, if you're consistently reaching your goals, then set new ones. Your goals will most likely be different than those of a friend or co-worker. If your goals are too high, you may feel too frustrated by not reaching them. Be sure to adjust your goals according to your needs.

Goal Builders:

• How often do you set goals? And how do you get them accomplished?
• Do you ever adjust your goals, if you are having difficulty reaching them?

Judge-and-Jury Syndrome

 

 
Great Article!

 

I was at the local pool when I noticed a frightened adolescent taking swimming lessons.  "No! No, please, I can't!" she begged.  She stood a head taller than the rest of the beginner swim class, but she sobbled like a four-year-old.

"Jump in, I'll catch you!" her teacher called.  The girl bawled, "No! I can't!"

"Why do they pamper her?" I said to my friend. "Her fear only gets worse the longer they delay."

A third coach tossed the weary instructor a life preserver. It took both adults to drag the girl to the water and lower her into the arms of the teacher.

"Well, its about time!" I thought.  "They should have done that fifteen minutes ago"

Another instructor appeared before me.  "That girl went boating with her parents and brother last summer.  The boat capsized, and her father managed to save only her.  She watched her mother and brother drown. Now her father insists she learn to swim."

Those words stung.  I looked at the drenched child as she climbed out of the pool. I had not witnessed typical childish fear - I'd just seen a young girl cross a terrifying mountain.

Forgive me, child
Forgive me, Lord

Character Builders:

• Have you ever discovered that your perception of someone else's attitudes or actions was inaccurate? What did you learn from that experience?
• How can you be more wise in your discernment about others?

Happy Mother's Day 2011

Your life is a replica of the very existence and reality of the beauty of God

You stand strong, fearless, full of compassion and grace

Thriving to walk and live a life of complete righteousness

God's hand is upon you daily

And your desires are guided by your trust in Him

Seek God deeper

Look forward with anticipation

And survive harder!

You are like a teabag, and you never know how much you can handle until you are immersed in a hot climate

Be your biggest fan!

Happy Mother's/Women's Day to you RW!

ThExchange

The launch of THEXCHANGE (formerly 7Times, formerly IMPACT) is HERE! - May 6th @ 7pm! We are so excited about what God is going to do in our generation, in our church and in our lives through this new movement! There is such a sense of expectation and anticipation in the air, and we’ve come to believe, that we are on the brink of a fresh move of God!
It is with this excitement and joy that we want to invite you out to THEXCHANGE service night at Shiloh Church, 3295 School St, Oakland. Come with an expectation to see God move in your life, and in our city! Bring a friend, a family member, somebody!
We are super excited...are you?

Let's change our city and change the world!

THEXCHANGE Crew!

Unfinished Business

Everyone, knowingly or not, comes into a relationship with the hopes that their significant other and their relationship will heal past wounds.  That's the unfinished business we bring to the table, unfortunately. Many of us carry wounds from our childhoods, and sometimes, as it happened to me,  the wounds manifest later, and later in life.

Growing up with the challenges that I had to face, and I am sure some of you had to also, or maybe you are still facing them; I recognized my heightened need for trust.  I found myself fearful of the end, or waiting for something to fall apart, or unconsciously yearning for uncertainty. 

Listen, there are no quick fixes to these issues that we deal with (these unfinished businesses), but God is the healer of all wounds.  If you give God the time, and your heart, He will fix you and restore your ability to trust again.  I'm not talking about the kind of trust that comes with the tiny bitty undertone feeling that someone is out to get you, to hurt you or to destroy you.  I am talking about the kind of trust that doesn't rely on human.  The kind that if human does fail you (and they will), that you don't automatically run into a cave and push blames or blame yourself for letting your heart go this far again blah blah blah, ....and then you start orchestrating ways to avoid people, avoid relationships, avoid commitment etc.... and before you know it, you end up old, bitter, mad and sad!

Ladies, if we don't deal with these issues, and attack them head-on; I'm sorry to say but we will continue to live a trust-less, fearful, lonely, dissapointed, controlling, depressing, .....life.  God desires us to be free, and full of liberty.

AND THE CHURCH SAID "AMEN"! :)

Trust Builders:

• What "unfinished business" have you inherited from your parents or relatives?
• How can you become strong in that area of weakness?

Listen to Your Body

Here's another Helpful Tip from my 10,000 Steps Program

Yes, your body does talk to you about its needs and wants. Are you listening? Although improving your habits may be challenging at times, your body wants what is best for you. Once you overcome the barriers to improving your habits, your body is able to collaborate with you in order to maintain these newly adopted healthier habits.

People who have been active for a while do report feeling like their body asks for physical activity! Make sure you insist on progressing with this program to reach the point where your body actually asks (if it’s not already doing so) you to be active! It does not feel like a chore anymore; it feels more pleasurable (if you are not there yet, you will get there)! Allow yourself to reach that point – you deserve it!

The same actually happens with eating more nutritiously. The more you try delicious nutritious new options, the more your body will ask for them! Remember that your body can only ask for what it knows. If you have not tried some foods, it can not ask for it! Eating nutritiously is not something you do because you have to. It is something you learn how to do because you try delicious nutritious recipes and love them!

Body Builders:

• Try something new and nutritious and see how your body loves it
• Decide on a physical activity that you can add to your day...and do it!

Be certain of God's limitless love for you...no matter what!

Article from Joyce Meyer

Throughout the course of our lives, negative things happen...dissapointing things....heartbreaking things. People let us down. Situations we expect to turn out one way end up turning out another way.  It's really just part of life, but Satan always tempts us to wonder: God, what is going on, don't you love me?

The Bible makes it clear, very clear that God does love us (Ephesians 2:4-5). Still, every now and then, we find ourselves trapped in that mindset (of God, don't you love me?). 

If you struggled with fears and doubts, I want you to get a revelation today - a heart knowledge that no one can ever take away from you - If God loves me so much and He's so strong and capable of doing whatever needs to be done, then I don't have to live in fear because He's going to take care of me.

If we will simply believe that God loves us and wants to bless us, we will see good things happen in our lives.

A lot of women don't love themselves or see themselves as valuable because they've had life experiences that make them feel worthless, or because they struggle with sin and they think God is mad at them. And they become so accustomed to having disappointing things happen that they just kind of vaguely expect things to go wrong.

The only way to break the chains of fear and doubt is to know in your heart that God loves you - no matter what.