After several weeks of what seemed like spinning my wheels, I remembered from my prayer journals that whenever blessings seem to stop flowing in my life, that is God's way of letting me know He needs to talk to me, as it was first taught to me and explained in detail in my blog, God Will Get Your Attention.
At this particular time, blessings had stopped to the point where I said, "Okay God! What is it that I am not doing?" or "What am I doing that is not in your will?" Immediately, God showed me in the spirit how I had gotten complacent about working on getting my two Christian mini-books and two Christian CD projects to the next level of exposure.
I immediately began to pray for guidance as to where to start in this area becuase now we're talking about a lot of money you need on hand to get thing moving towards that next level. During my prayer, a Christian book publisher called, whom I had tried to reach weeks before. After telling him about my projects, we came to the agreement that he would take my projects on and be my publisher. In addition, I had levels of expertise in praise and worship and music that would benefit his ministry. As a result, by bartering, the cost of publishing my projects would be more manageable.
Right after the conversation with the publisher and happy to be back on track with God's assignments, I received two phone calls from my agent with two auditions for the television shows, Watchin' Ellie and Sate of Grace, and was cast in both shows the following day, praise God.
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these THINGS will be added to you", immediately came to mind to remind me that as long as we are obedient to God leading and living our lives seeking to keep God's will and purpose for our lives in mind, then the blessings that follow are God's way of saying, "Well done my good and faithful servant."
May we all seek to stay tuned in to God's guidance that we may be used mightily in His work in helping spread the gospel throughout the world.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
God's Favor at the Car Dealership (a testimony)
Many years ago, while writing one of my mini-books entitled, "Your Life, Your Testimony, I remember thinking I don't know what to write in this book. At the time I hadn't realized the importance of keeping track of all the ways the Lord has moved in your life and the power of inspiration a testimony can have on someone. In fact, that book has yet to be released because the Lord instructed me to wait until I've written a number of testimonies that He wants me to add to the book.
Suddenly, the Lord gave me the realization that one of the main reasons He delivers us from one situation to another is so that we can share our testimony with others who may be blessed and encouraged by how the Lord's blessings are apparent everywhere we go if we slow down long enough to recognize them.
This testimony is about a time when both of the cars my wife and I drive broke down with major repairs needed to the point where we just decided to give one of the cars to charity and pray for funds to get the other car a new engine, if needed.
A new engine, in this particular case , was estimated to cost no less than $1300. Until then, my wife and I were forced to either rent cars for work assignments or catch the bus, which is enough to test anyone's religion.
A frustrating cycle began, I would get a job assignment, rent a car to get there, get paid for the job and then watch much of the hard earned money disappear going to the cost of the rental car. How was I going to save $1300 for a new engine or save $1,000 down payment for a new car if all the money available to be saved was constantly being eaten up by the cost of renting cars.
I applied for a car loan online just to see what I could qualify for. My credit rating wasn't the best so the results came back with a qualification that I had been approved but with a whopping 23% interest rate attached. Ouch! So I just sighed and filed the information away.
Finally, after a few more weeks one weekend, I told my wife, "That's it! Were getting out of this rental car situation. I saw several job assignments ahead but I also saw how much of my money was going to be spent on the rental car.
So I went first to a used car lot where I had seen several very nice looking used cars and , in the past, had encountered a very friendly salesman who garanteed me that he could work with me on any kind of credit.
The problem I was facing on this venture was that I had no money to put down on anything that day because of the upcoming rental car bill, but I could get the down payment paid throughout the month.
So on this day, a different and less cordial salesman ran my credit check and came back laughing.
"Ah, have you looked at your credit report lately?" he smirked.
"No, but I'm sure you're about to tell me," I replied.
"There is NO WAY we can put you in a car on this lot for less than $2,000 down today. You're too much of a risk."
"Well, thanks anyway!" I told him, and he walked away.
I knew my credit wasn't the best in the world but the way he laughed at my rating really rubbed me he wrong way. So feeling a little frustrated, I headed back to my rental car.
As I was about to get in the rental car, the Lord told me to turn around, go back and write down all the cars I like on this lot. Learning many years ago what happens when you are not obedient to the Lord's voice, I pulled out a piece of paper and pen, went back onto the carlot and ended up with a nice list of 14 cars that I liked on this lot.
The salesman was looking at me the whole time like I was crazy, probably thinking, "Why is this man writing down what he likes if can't afford to get any car on this lot?"
Now from this point on, everything else about that day seemed surreal to me. It was almost like I just came along for the ride.
I went home and told my wife to get dressed, we're getting a car today. She, of course, looked at me like, "Do you know something I don't know?" Actually, I was acting with a frightening confidence which even I didn't understand at the time.
I went into my file cabinet, pulled out the approved online car loan, jumped in the rental car and off we went on our way to driving down a part of Van Nuys BL that we in the San Fernando Valley call "dealership row."
As we approached, looking only a cheap new car or medium-priced used car, we saw a cute car marked $7999 and stopped as if that was the car to get. I got out of the rental car to examine the used car more closely. All the white collar salesmen gave me this judgmental ''once-over", obviously concluding that I was probably going to waste their time. So, as a result, they sent a young black rookie salesman to come help me.
"Yes, sir!" I greeted,"I need car today.!"
The young rookie salesman was obviously shaken that he didn't need to use his sales pitch greeting. He showed me a 2003 version of the same car that made us stop in the first place. After a short test drive, I said, "We'll take it."
Now the fun begins. I was immediately passed to a more experienced white salesman, who ignored me earlier, whose main job was obviously to close the deal. For the next two hours, he kept coming up with all kinds of down paymemt options. However, no matter how many times I said it, he wasn't hearing my repeated statement that "I don't have anything to give you today."
Finally, with the threat that we were about to leave and come back at another time, the salesman left and came back and said, "I've figured out how to put you in a car today. Give me two checks to ut on hold until you tell us to deposit each one and you've got a car.
"No problem!" I said, "Now that's what I'm talking about! Praise the Lord!"
Over the next hour, all the paperwork was processed and completed and we drove off the lot with a nice 2000 Dodge Neon which was $2000 higher than our original choice. However, the dealership knocked $700 off the price of the car so that it would fit into my loan application requirements. Praise God again for favor.
God truly showed up in the dealership that day. Coming into the dealership, the only thing I knew for sure that day was the fact that I had no money to put down that day but I had faith that somebody was going to sell us a car, at some dealership that day.
The salesman's original attitude was telling me there was NO WAY I could drive off the lot with a car with no down payment that day. I guess he thought I was joking when I said, "I HAVE NO MONEY TO GIVE YOU TODAY!" But when I said, "Then we'll just have to come back at another time", all of a sudden, the saleman made everything work.
Now, in reality, you and I know that it was the Lord making everything work, praise God! When salesmen want a sale they usually work with you to a point, as long as they have something to gain. But normally, once the advantage is not theirs, they don't want to deal with you.
In reflecting on the blessings of that day, I realized that from the time the Lord told me to write down a list of cars I liked on the other lot, to when we drove off the second car lot, the Lord was in total control. Never once did I listen to the salesman tell me what I couldn't do. Never once did I doubt and ask the Lord what He was doing. I felt an incredible peace the entire time. I just confessed my desire, believed I'd have a car by the end of the day and watched the Lord do His thing, "making the impossible a possibility."
Then I thought, why can't I apply this to everything in life, put it all in God's hands. So many times, I've confessed something and then doubted I could really get it. Once you doubt, you've recalled your request to God because your doubt is really doubting God can bring it to pass.
I share all my testimonies with you in the hopes that they can inspire you with the comfort of knowing God is with us everywhere we go and ready to help us any time. However, if we don't ask Him for help or don't put it all in His hands, then we are standing in our own way and blocking the very blessings God is trying to get to us.
May we all strive forever to be obedient to God's voice.
Suddenly, the Lord gave me the realization that one of the main reasons He delivers us from one situation to another is so that we can share our testimony with others who may be blessed and encouraged by how the Lord's blessings are apparent everywhere we go if we slow down long enough to recognize them.
This testimony is about a time when both of the cars my wife and I drive broke down with major repairs needed to the point where we just decided to give one of the cars to charity and pray for funds to get the other car a new engine, if needed.
A new engine, in this particular case , was estimated to cost no less than $1300. Until then, my wife and I were forced to either rent cars for work assignments or catch the bus, which is enough to test anyone's religion.
A frustrating cycle began, I would get a job assignment, rent a car to get there, get paid for the job and then watch much of the hard earned money disappear going to the cost of the rental car. How was I going to save $1300 for a new engine or save $1,000 down payment for a new car if all the money available to be saved was constantly being eaten up by the cost of renting cars.
I applied for a car loan online just to see what I could qualify for. My credit rating wasn't the best so the results came back with a qualification that I had been approved but with a whopping 23% interest rate attached. Ouch! So I just sighed and filed the information away.
Finally, after a few more weeks one weekend, I told my wife, "That's it! Were getting out of this rental car situation. I saw several job assignments ahead but I also saw how much of my money was going to be spent on the rental car.
So I went first to a used car lot where I had seen several very nice looking used cars and , in the past, had encountered a very friendly salesman who garanteed me that he could work with me on any kind of credit.
The problem I was facing on this venture was that I had no money to put down on anything that day because of the upcoming rental car bill, but I could get the down payment paid throughout the month.
So on this day, a different and less cordial salesman ran my credit check and came back laughing.
"Ah, have you looked at your credit report lately?" he smirked.
"No, but I'm sure you're about to tell me," I replied.
"There is NO WAY we can put you in a car on this lot for less than $2,000 down today. You're too much of a risk."
"Well, thanks anyway!" I told him, and he walked away.
I knew my credit wasn't the best in the world but the way he laughed at my rating really rubbed me he wrong way. So feeling a little frustrated, I headed back to my rental car.
As I was about to get in the rental car, the Lord told me to turn around, go back and write down all the cars I like on this lot. Learning many years ago what happens when you are not obedient to the Lord's voice, I pulled out a piece of paper and pen, went back onto the carlot and ended up with a nice list of 14 cars that I liked on this lot.
The salesman was looking at me the whole time like I was crazy, probably thinking, "Why is this man writing down what he likes if can't afford to get any car on this lot?"
Now from this point on, everything else about that day seemed surreal to me. It was almost like I just came along for the ride.
I went home and told my wife to get dressed, we're getting a car today. She, of course, looked at me like, "Do you know something I don't know?" Actually, I was acting with a frightening confidence which even I didn't understand at the time.
I went into my file cabinet, pulled out the approved online car loan, jumped in the rental car and off we went on our way to driving down a part of Van Nuys BL that we in the San Fernando Valley call "dealership row."
As we approached, looking only a cheap new car or medium-priced used car, we saw a cute car marked $7999 and stopped as if that was the car to get. I got out of the rental car to examine the used car more closely. All the white collar salesmen gave me this judgmental ''once-over", obviously concluding that I was probably going to waste their time. So, as a result, they sent a young black rookie salesman to come help me.
"Yes, sir!" I greeted,"I need car today.!"
The young rookie salesman was obviously shaken that he didn't need to use his sales pitch greeting. He showed me a 2003 version of the same car that made us stop in the first place. After a short test drive, I said, "We'll take it."
Now the fun begins. I was immediately passed to a more experienced white salesman, who ignored me earlier, whose main job was obviously to close the deal. For the next two hours, he kept coming up with all kinds of down paymemt options. However, no matter how many times I said it, he wasn't hearing my repeated statement that "I don't have anything to give you today."
Finally, with the threat that we were about to leave and come back at another time, the salesman left and came back and said, "I've figured out how to put you in a car today. Give me two checks to ut on hold until you tell us to deposit each one and you've got a car.
"No problem!" I said, "Now that's what I'm talking about! Praise the Lord!"
Over the next hour, all the paperwork was processed and completed and we drove off the lot with a nice 2000 Dodge Neon which was $2000 higher than our original choice. However, the dealership knocked $700 off the price of the car so that it would fit into my loan application requirements. Praise God again for favor.
God truly showed up in the dealership that day. Coming into the dealership, the only thing I knew for sure that day was the fact that I had no money to put down that day but I had faith that somebody was going to sell us a car, at some dealership that day.
The salesman's original attitude was telling me there was NO WAY I could drive off the lot with a car with no down payment that day. I guess he thought I was joking when I said, "I HAVE NO MONEY TO GIVE YOU TODAY!" But when I said, "Then we'll just have to come back at another time", all of a sudden, the saleman made everything work.
Now, in reality, you and I know that it was the Lord making everything work, praise God! When salesmen want a sale they usually work with you to a point, as long as they have something to gain. But normally, once the advantage is not theirs, they don't want to deal with you.
In reflecting on the blessings of that day, I realized that from the time the Lord told me to write down a list of cars I liked on the other lot, to when we drove off the second car lot, the Lord was in total control. Never once did I listen to the salesman tell me what I couldn't do. Never once did I doubt and ask the Lord what He was doing. I felt an incredible peace the entire time. I just confessed my desire, believed I'd have a car by the end of the day and watched the Lord do His thing, "making the impossible a possibility."
Then I thought, why can't I apply this to everything in life, put it all in God's hands. So many times, I've confessed something and then doubted I could really get it. Once you doubt, you've recalled your request to God because your doubt is really doubting God can bring it to pass.
I share all my testimonies with you in the hopes that they can inspire you with the comfort of knowing God is with us everywhere we go and ready to help us any time. However, if we don't ask Him for help or don't put it all in His hands, then we are standing in our own way and blocking the very blessings God is trying to get to us.
May we all strive forever to be obedient to God's voice.
Friday, May 27, 2011
God's Favor in the Court System ( a testimony)
Recently, I was served the infamous jury duty notice, as we all get from time to time. However, this time around, I misplaced the notice until after its deadline to respond and was therefore automatically called in for mandatory service. Upset at my carelessness, I was particularly disturbed at this mandatory service because of a recent law passed at the time which no longer respected "financial hardship" as a reason to get out of duty for any trials expected to go one week or less.
For me, that could still be devastating as all my jobs were either "on call" or paid by the day. So, as I thought about it, a short week, as they put it, could still put me out anywhere from $750 - $1500 for that week.
I still had to go through the selection process by the lawyers. How long would that take? As I sat in the court room awaiting the dreaded selection process to begin, the Judge asked if there were any hardships other than financial, he would hear them at that time. Then the Lord guided me to stand up and request a specific week, which was a few weeks later, one that I particularly projected that financially I could possibly afford to take off.
"I don't know," replied the Judge. "I've never had that request before. Let me check."
Quickly the clerk called the Jury room and came back moments later with the approval for me and to be released that day with the court order to return in 2 weeks.
The two weeks went by quickly and that day was upon me again. As I headed towards the courthouse, I remember saying a short prayer, "Lord, I know that you cancel debts, but I ask you now, if it be Your will, please cancel this jury duty."
Even after saying that prayer, if I had to serve then I had to serve. It was already a blessing for my time to be postponed to a week I was off, spring break.
As I enter the jury room, there were only eight people in the room unlike the 100 plus that were in the room two weeks earlier. The clerk came out to give instructions to us like before but told me to just sit tight because my situation was different.
"Uh-oh, they've got me for sure now!" I thought.
Following her instructions, she told all of us to wait, as she had to check with all of the neighboring court rooms and their need for jurors. About five minutes later, the clerk returned and said that all needs for jurors had been full-filled and that we would not be needed this time around. Our time was served. We were then released.
Trying to withhold the fact that I was doing a praise dance inside, I gave a very controlled smile and quietly left the building.
Outside, I must have said,"Thank you, Jesus" or "Praise the Lord!" about a hundred times. The Lord showed favor towards me in preserving that week of work I thought I was going to lose. The Lord also knew that the week I was requesting was going to be a slow trial week or a week where no new trials were beginning. I knew none of this, of course. I just had the faith that everything was going to work out. God is so good!
Then I thought about how we sometimes limit all the places where we think God's blessings can show up. Why not in the courthouse too? I have been consistently trying to be obedient and apply HIs word to my life in every way.
That day only continued to strengthen my faith in God's blessings. For deep in my spirit, I knew that even if I did have jury duty, God would have provided some other way for my finances beyond my imagination, IF I did not doubt.. "for He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that I can ask or think according to the power that works in me." (Eph.3:20)
No matter what your situation just remember that "God did not create a spirit of fear, but of love, and of power and of a sound mind."(2 Tim.1:7) It is when we keep fear out and put our trust in God that blessings are released into our life.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
For me, that could still be devastating as all my jobs were either "on call" or paid by the day. So, as I thought about it, a short week, as they put it, could still put me out anywhere from $750 - $1500 for that week.
I still had to go through the selection process by the lawyers. How long would that take? As I sat in the court room awaiting the dreaded selection process to begin, the Judge asked if there were any hardships other than financial, he would hear them at that time. Then the Lord guided me to stand up and request a specific week, which was a few weeks later, one that I particularly projected that financially I could possibly afford to take off.
"I don't know," replied the Judge. "I've never had that request before. Let me check."
Quickly the clerk called the Jury room and came back moments later with the approval for me and to be released that day with the court order to return in 2 weeks.
The two weeks went by quickly and that day was upon me again. As I headed towards the courthouse, I remember saying a short prayer, "Lord, I know that you cancel debts, but I ask you now, if it be Your will, please cancel this jury duty."
Even after saying that prayer, if I had to serve then I had to serve. It was already a blessing for my time to be postponed to a week I was off, spring break.
As I enter the jury room, there were only eight people in the room unlike the 100 plus that were in the room two weeks earlier. The clerk came out to give instructions to us like before but told me to just sit tight because my situation was different.
"Uh-oh, they've got me for sure now!" I thought.
Following her instructions, she told all of us to wait, as she had to check with all of the neighboring court rooms and their need for jurors. About five minutes later, the clerk returned and said that all needs for jurors had been full-filled and that we would not be needed this time around. Our time was served. We were then released.
Trying to withhold the fact that I was doing a praise dance inside, I gave a very controlled smile and quietly left the building.
Outside, I must have said,"Thank you, Jesus" or "Praise the Lord!" about a hundred times. The Lord showed favor towards me in preserving that week of work I thought I was going to lose. The Lord also knew that the week I was requesting was going to be a slow trial week or a week where no new trials were beginning. I knew none of this, of course. I just had the faith that everything was going to work out. God is so good!
Then I thought about how we sometimes limit all the places where we think God's blessings can show up. Why not in the courthouse too? I have been consistently trying to be obedient and apply HIs word to my life in every way.
That day only continued to strengthen my faith in God's blessings. For deep in my spirit, I knew that even if I did have jury duty, God would have provided some other way for my finances beyond my imagination, IF I did not doubt.. "for He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that I can ask or think according to the power that works in me." (Eph.3:20)
No matter what your situation just remember that "God did not create a spirit of fear, but of love, and of power and of a sound mind."(2 Tim.1:7) It is when we keep fear out and put our trust in God that blessings are released into our life.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
God Will Get Your Attention ( a testimony)
TEXT: (Matt. 6:32) - "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you."
My life is filled with testimonies of God's goodness and awesome power as I'm sure your life is as well, when you stop and think about it. That's part of how you increase your faith.
Think how God came through for you in the past. Write them down if you have to, no matter how small the incident may seem to be. On a day when you're in a real hurry and God has a parking space waiting for you right in front of your destination, that is just as much of a miracle as a miraculous financial blessing when the times are tough.
When you keep a log of God's blessings in your life, you suddenly realize that He has never let you down. He may not have come through the way you were expecting but nevertheless He came through.
Sometimes, what seems like a trauma at the time, when you look back at it, was God's way of getting your attention for some divine purpose. He had been waiting for you. The problem was that you've been too busy to hear His voice of guidance.
I am reminded of a paragraph in the book, "Elijah Task", which states, "If God has to remove everything in your life that is important to you in order to get your attention and get you where you are supposed to be, He will do it."
The above-mentioned quote is the basis of what this testimony is all about. The testimony I am about to share with you is part of a larger testimony described in detail in one of the books in my mini-book series, "Guided To the Light."
I've been living in Los Angeles since 1978. I came out here knowing only a few people. So I had to pretty much build my career from the ground up. It's been a slow, methodical climb, building my career in television, film, industrial and educational films, plays and most recently, voice-overs.
I've had a number of survival jobs in between my acting jobs ranging from security, temporary agencies, taxicab and substitute teaching, just to name a few. Finally, in 1992, I was making enough as an actor to live on residuals and session fees.
Suddenly, from 1995 to the first half of 1997, I had the slowest audition/interview period ever experienced since being in Los Angeles which turned into little to no income from acting. This began with an unusual series of events.
A new agent I had just signed with at the time was suddenly fired during the reorganization of her agency. I soon found a second agency. Shortly afterwards, the owner of that agency decided to close down. I then remained with one of the second agent's associate agents, who merged with a third agency. I didn't go out for auditions one time over the next year. Then the two agents in that agency had a major disagreement and split up. Since the previous year was so slow, I decided to stay with the third agent.
Three months later, the third agent vanished into thin air without warning. He was there one day and then "puff", the next day his office was empty with no warning or word as to what happened.
Almost three years had passed during all of these events. With no acting jobs during this time, before I knew it, the residuals that were previously sustaining me had reduced to insignificant amounts. Things had gotten so slow that I had to go back to my old survival job of graveyard shift, security work.
During the shift on my security job, the devil immediately attacked my mind with the old "You're a failure" angle or "You're going backwards now, you might as well give up on your crazy goal."
I responded with ministry tapes, gospel audio tapes, bible study, prayer and whatever else I could find or think of to offset the devil's attack.
The graveyard shift was perfect in that there was very little activity during the shift. I found myself praying and studying the Word more than I ever had before, just to keep a sane mind while warding off the devil's constant mental attack.
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you" began to ring in my spirit nightly. During all that quiet time on each shift, the Lord's quiet voice instilled several revelations in to my spirit.
REVELATION #1
"If this is what it takes to get quality time from you, the maybe this should be your career choice and not acting."
Around the same time, another dear friend of mine prophesied that the Lord wanted me to rise to a new level in spreading the Word, which was practically non-existent at the time. She explained that "works" are fine but the Lord wanted me also to spend some quality time talking to Him more.
MY COMMITMENT - God's timing for the prophecy was incredible, as usual. It was very easy to talk to Him at that time because, once again, bills were starting to add up. However, unlike earlier in my life, I was doing my best to live by the Word. I remember that I had a total of $2,500 in creditor deadlines that had to be paid yesterday. Attempting to relax my mind, I went fishing and talked to God like He was sitting next to me on the riverbank.
MY BLESSING FROM OBEDIENCE - Later that day, when I got home, I went to the mailbox and there was a residual for $3,000 net in the mailbox. I almost had an accident on my way to the bank, shouting and praising His name in the car. The lesson I learned from that experience was "Trust God and have faith!"
REVELATION #2
"If you are going to be useful to Me in the entertainment industry, then you need to minister to at least one person in every project you're involved in. It may be to a group or just to one person. Sometimes you may just need to be that listening ear or sometimes you'll be ministered to by someone else. I'll determine which form of ministry is needed from project to project. You must be ready at any time."
MY COMMITMENT
I responded, promising to commit and be ready to minister as directed.
MY BLESSING FROM OBEDIENCE - Almost immediately, I was cast in several consecutive "guest starring" roles spanning over the following television season. The lesson learned here was "the blessing from obedience and seeking God first." Everyone was asking me what did I do to get all this work? Get a new agent, new pictures or what? Whether they liked it or not, the answer was a direct testimony about my commitment to the Lord. For some people, I could tell my answer was ministering to them. For others, I could tell they'd wished I had given them a different answer. Still, the seed was planted and will hopefully take root over time.
REVELATION #3
"All of our desires are goals based on the talents we each posses. But that's only the small picture. The big picture is that the various directions our talents take us are designed to make us "spiritual beacons" in our chosen field. This will allow us to spread His word. It is when you refuse to become that beacon that God has called you to be, that you have problems succeeding in that field.
COMMITMENT - I have committed that whenever I have a divine assignment or vision from God, I will act on it in a timely manner. Typing this testimony was a divine assignment because originally all that was written here was clear revelations in my spirit.
MY BLESSING FROM OBEDIENCE - the blessings from being obedient to this revelation continue to this day. Whenever God wishes to adjust my path or talk to me, everything in my life comes to an abrupt halt. I have come to learn whenever that happens, God is saying, "we need to talk. You're getting distracted from the assignment I have given you."
If I am too busy to obey immediately, it is almost as if all the blessings run away from me and brings everything to a halt until I talk to Him and get back to the assignment at hand. Oh, but praise God, when I am obedient and follow his lead, blessings flow from all directions.
So if you ever come to a point in your life when nothing seems to work right for you or everything seems to be out of sync in your life, it could be that the Lord is calling you to take that step closer to Him. Or has He given you an assignment that you've been reluctant to act upon? If either is the case, you're standing in your own way until you allow Him to take complete control of your life in every way. Go for it! Let go and let God!
My life is filled with testimonies of God's goodness and awesome power as I'm sure your life is as well, when you stop and think about it. That's part of how you increase your faith.
Think how God came through for you in the past. Write them down if you have to, no matter how small the incident may seem to be. On a day when you're in a real hurry and God has a parking space waiting for you right in front of your destination, that is just as much of a miracle as a miraculous financial blessing when the times are tough.
When you keep a log of God's blessings in your life, you suddenly realize that He has never let you down. He may not have come through the way you were expecting but nevertheless He came through.
Sometimes, what seems like a trauma at the time, when you look back at it, was God's way of getting your attention for some divine purpose. He had been waiting for you. The problem was that you've been too busy to hear His voice of guidance.
I am reminded of a paragraph in the book, "Elijah Task", which states, "If God has to remove everything in your life that is important to you in order to get your attention and get you where you are supposed to be, He will do it."
The above-mentioned quote is the basis of what this testimony is all about. The testimony I am about to share with you is part of a larger testimony described in detail in one of the books in my mini-book series, "Guided To the Light."
I've been living in Los Angeles since 1978. I came out here knowing only a few people. So I had to pretty much build my career from the ground up. It's been a slow, methodical climb, building my career in television, film, industrial and educational films, plays and most recently, voice-overs.
I've had a number of survival jobs in between my acting jobs ranging from security, temporary agencies, taxicab and substitute teaching, just to name a few. Finally, in 1992, I was making enough as an actor to live on residuals and session fees.
Suddenly, from 1995 to the first half of 1997, I had the slowest audition/interview period ever experienced since being in Los Angeles which turned into little to no income from acting. This began with an unusual series of events.
A new agent I had just signed with at the time was suddenly fired during the reorganization of her agency. I soon found a second agency. Shortly afterwards, the owner of that agency decided to close down. I then remained with one of the second agent's associate agents, who merged with a third agency. I didn't go out for auditions one time over the next year. Then the two agents in that agency had a major disagreement and split up. Since the previous year was so slow, I decided to stay with the third agent.
Three months later, the third agent vanished into thin air without warning. He was there one day and then "puff", the next day his office was empty with no warning or word as to what happened.
Almost three years had passed during all of these events. With no acting jobs during this time, before I knew it, the residuals that were previously sustaining me had reduced to insignificant amounts. Things had gotten so slow that I had to go back to my old survival job of graveyard shift, security work.
During the shift on my security job, the devil immediately attacked my mind with the old "You're a failure" angle or "You're going backwards now, you might as well give up on your crazy goal."
I responded with ministry tapes, gospel audio tapes, bible study, prayer and whatever else I could find or think of to offset the devil's attack.
The graveyard shift was perfect in that there was very little activity during the shift. I found myself praying and studying the Word more than I ever had before, just to keep a sane mind while warding off the devil's constant mental attack.
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you" began to ring in my spirit nightly. During all that quiet time on each shift, the Lord's quiet voice instilled several revelations in to my spirit.
REVELATION #1
"If this is what it takes to get quality time from you, the maybe this should be your career choice and not acting."
Around the same time, another dear friend of mine prophesied that the Lord wanted me to rise to a new level in spreading the Word, which was practically non-existent at the time. She explained that "works" are fine but the Lord wanted me also to spend some quality time talking to Him more.
MY COMMITMENT - God's timing for the prophecy was incredible, as usual. It was very easy to talk to Him at that time because, once again, bills were starting to add up. However, unlike earlier in my life, I was doing my best to live by the Word. I remember that I had a total of $2,500 in creditor deadlines that had to be paid yesterday. Attempting to relax my mind, I went fishing and talked to God like He was sitting next to me on the riverbank.
MY BLESSING FROM OBEDIENCE - Later that day, when I got home, I went to the mailbox and there was a residual for $3,000 net in the mailbox. I almost had an accident on my way to the bank, shouting and praising His name in the car. The lesson I learned from that experience was "Trust God and have faith!"
REVELATION #2
"If you are going to be useful to Me in the entertainment industry, then you need to minister to at least one person in every project you're involved in. It may be to a group or just to one person. Sometimes you may just need to be that listening ear or sometimes you'll be ministered to by someone else. I'll determine which form of ministry is needed from project to project. You must be ready at any time."
MY COMMITMENT
I responded, promising to commit and be ready to minister as directed.
MY BLESSING FROM OBEDIENCE - Almost immediately, I was cast in several consecutive "guest starring" roles spanning over the following television season. The lesson learned here was "the blessing from obedience and seeking God first." Everyone was asking me what did I do to get all this work? Get a new agent, new pictures or what? Whether they liked it or not, the answer was a direct testimony about my commitment to the Lord. For some people, I could tell my answer was ministering to them. For others, I could tell they'd wished I had given them a different answer. Still, the seed was planted and will hopefully take root over time.
REVELATION #3
"All of our desires are goals based on the talents we each posses. But that's only the small picture. The big picture is that the various directions our talents take us are designed to make us "spiritual beacons" in our chosen field. This will allow us to spread His word. It is when you refuse to become that beacon that God has called you to be, that you have problems succeeding in that field.
COMMITMENT - I have committed that whenever I have a divine assignment or vision from God, I will act on it in a timely manner. Typing this testimony was a divine assignment because originally all that was written here was clear revelations in my spirit.
MY BLESSING FROM OBEDIENCE - the blessings from being obedient to this revelation continue to this day. Whenever God wishes to adjust my path or talk to me, everything in my life comes to an abrupt halt. I have come to learn whenever that happens, God is saying, "we need to talk. You're getting distracted from the assignment I have given you."
If I am too busy to obey immediately, it is almost as if all the blessings run away from me and brings everything to a halt until I talk to Him and get back to the assignment at hand. Oh, but praise God, when I am obedient and follow his lead, blessings flow from all directions.
So if you ever come to a point in your life when nothing seems to work right for you or everything seems to be out of sync in your life, it could be that the Lord is calling you to take that step closer to Him. Or has He given you an assignment that you've been reluctant to act upon? If either is the case, you're standing in your own way until you allow Him to take complete control of your life in every way. Go for it! Let go and let God!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Deliverance From Pornography & Sex Addiction Through the Word of God
Do find yourself drawn to pornography on a daily basis, whether it be internet, magazines or videos? Do you find yourself being aroused more by pornography than your significant other? Do you find yourself visualizing the images you saw in pornography as you are being intimate with your significant other? Finally, is pornography and self-gratification your drug of choice when you are stressed or emotionally upset?
If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, pornography addiction is a part of your life, man or woman. I know firsthand because I was addicted for 30 years, helplessly caught in a repeating cycle of pornography and excessive sex and/or self-gratification like a pothead who couldn't put down his joint or a drug addict who had to have just one more fix. Pride had me too shame to call out for help or even admit that I had a problem at all.
You see that's where this addiction is the most dangerous - in your secrecy, in your shame, in your denial, in your guilt, in your feeling too unworthy to be used by God, in your stubbornness to admit that you do indeed have a problem in this area. For the longer you stay quiet the stronger the addiction gets and even allows you to justify to yourself that this is just normal behavior. It wasn't until I gave my life to the Lord and sought to live like Christ that I began to see a turn around. Scriptures began to ring in my head (see http://www.anewdirection.org ) and every sermon on television, in church or on the radio seemed to be talking about the dangerous spirits of lust and what the Word says about them.
That's when I realized that this addiciton was truly spiritual warfare; good vs evil, the "old you" vs. the "new you", the lustful horny you vs. the you who has those lusts under control. I have been delivered from pornography addiciton for 19 years now at the time of the writing of this blog and delivered from self-gratificataion addiciton and sex for over 9 years. Why didn't they happen at the same time, you might ask? Because the devil actually had me believing that self-gratification was very important in a marriage so that it keeps one satisfied and also keeps one from cheating on their spouse. What a lie that was? I was so busy celebrating my victory over pornography addiction that I didn't realize that sex and self-gratification had become my new addiction. It hit me like a ton of bricks one night when I realized that I was not allowing my spouse to arouse me. It was the fantasies in my mind, like the pictures years before with pornography, that was getting me aroused. Then I simply transferred the arousal to my wife.
Sexual fantasy addictions causes you to compare your significant other with your fantasy in a number of ways; by comparing their behavior, their beauty, their sexual skills as well as their willingness to want sex any and everytime you want it. It is these comparisons that are breaking up marriages and long time relationships. Sexual addictions and fantasy effects a man's view of women as a sex object, ready for sex all the time. Women become addicted to the sex toys rather than to her man. Both sexes are effected and destruction is sure to follow if you don't call out the problem and share with someone else about your struggles.
My "cold turkey" deliverance was not clinical, according to several counselors and sex therapists. Normally, sexual addictions take a lot of sessions to help you work through what caused you to choose this addiction early in life. Why do some just pass through these addictions in their teenage years and keep going, while others get trapped for several decades until someone helps to pull them out?
After the Lord delivered me, He specifically instructed me to share my testimony with all those seeking freedom from sexual addictions. And to let you know that you can enjoy life without having to constantly think about sex. If you are married, control over your lust will enhance the love life between you and your spouse. For the first time you will not only be in love with who they are, but aroused by who they are. If you are single, it is a little more difficult because you have to recognize in advance what arouses you and then make sure you never get yourself into a situation past the point of no return. In both cases, for control, the key is keeping your mind occupied with the Word, your goals in life, creative projects, poetry, writing, music, exercise. As the old saying goes, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." So you have to make sure your mind is not idly sitting around doing nothing but fantasizing about sex. Once you plant that thought in your mind, your body will not stop until you have fulfilled that lustful thought.
Immediatrely after my deliverance, the Lord assigned me to write, "Men Let's Talk: Pornography, the Quiet Addiction", a book about my testimony in dealing with pornography addiction, followed up by a workbook by the same name, to share scriptures, revelations, scientific facts and statistics on your way to victory over this devastating addiction (http://www.menletstalk.org ). It took 4 years to write the book and another year to write the workbook because pride had me feeling to shameful to let anyone know I was struggling in this area. My latest book at the time of this blog is, "The Victory Over Lust Survival Handbook", which takes surviving temptation a step further by revealing all of the things we have control of in our lives that will either help make us strong facing temptation or make us weaker and give in to temptation.
Since my deliverance, I have come to learn that what is a weakness in the world can be a strength in ministry as I can be used as a tool or beacon light to let others know there is a way out through the Word of God. I am a living example.
Let's talk! Looking forward to your comments. And please, take this topic serious. Many have joked about it not realizing it takes you farther away from your healing, Not everyone is addicted, but all of us knows at least one person who is struggling in this area.
God bless! (Prov.3:5-6)
If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, pornography addiction is a part of your life, man or woman. I know firsthand because I was addicted for 30 years, helplessly caught in a repeating cycle of pornography and excessive sex and/or self-gratification like a pothead who couldn't put down his joint or a drug addict who had to have just one more fix. Pride had me too shame to call out for help or even admit that I had a problem at all.
You see that's where this addiction is the most dangerous - in your secrecy, in your shame, in your denial, in your guilt, in your feeling too unworthy to be used by God, in your stubbornness to admit that you do indeed have a problem in this area. For the longer you stay quiet the stronger the addiction gets and even allows you to justify to yourself that this is just normal behavior. It wasn't until I gave my life to the Lord and sought to live like Christ that I began to see a turn around. Scriptures began to ring in my head (see http://www.anewdirection.org ) and every sermon on television, in church or on the radio seemed to be talking about the dangerous spirits of lust and what the Word says about them.
That's when I realized that this addiciton was truly spiritual warfare; good vs evil, the "old you" vs. the "new you", the lustful horny you vs. the you who has those lusts under control. I have been delivered from pornography addiciton for 19 years now at the time of the writing of this blog and delivered from self-gratificataion addiciton and sex for over 9 years. Why didn't they happen at the same time, you might ask? Because the devil actually had me believing that self-gratification was very important in a marriage so that it keeps one satisfied and also keeps one from cheating on their spouse. What a lie that was? I was so busy celebrating my victory over pornography addiction that I didn't realize that sex and self-gratification had become my new addiction. It hit me like a ton of bricks one night when I realized that I was not allowing my spouse to arouse me. It was the fantasies in my mind, like the pictures years before with pornography, that was getting me aroused. Then I simply transferred the arousal to my wife.
Sexual fantasy addictions causes you to compare your significant other with your fantasy in a number of ways; by comparing their behavior, their beauty, their sexual skills as well as their willingness to want sex any and everytime you want it. It is these comparisons that are breaking up marriages and long time relationships. Sexual addictions and fantasy effects a man's view of women as a sex object, ready for sex all the time. Women become addicted to the sex toys rather than to her man. Both sexes are effected and destruction is sure to follow if you don't call out the problem and share with someone else about your struggles.
My "cold turkey" deliverance was not clinical, according to several counselors and sex therapists. Normally, sexual addictions take a lot of sessions to help you work through what caused you to choose this addiction early in life. Why do some just pass through these addictions in their teenage years and keep going, while others get trapped for several decades until someone helps to pull them out?
After the Lord delivered me, He specifically instructed me to share my testimony with all those seeking freedom from sexual addictions. And to let you know that you can enjoy life without having to constantly think about sex. If you are married, control over your lust will enhance the love life between you and your spouse. For the first time you will not only be in love with who they are, but aroused by who they are. If you are single, it is a little more difficult because you have to recognize in advance what arouses you and then make sure you never get yourself into a situation past the point of no return. In both cases, for control, the key is keeping your mind occupied with the Word, your goals in life, creative projects, poetry, writing, music, exercise. As the old saying goes, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." So you have to make sure your mind is not idly sitting around doing nothing but fantasizing about sex. Once you plant that thought in your mind, your body will not stop until you have fulfilled that lustful thought.
Immediatrely after my deliverance, the Lord assigned me to write, "Men Let's Talk: Pornography, the Quiet Addiction", a book about my testimony in dealing with pornography addiction, followed up by a workbook by the same name, to share scriptures, revelations, scientific facts and statistics on your way to victory over this devastating addiction (http://www.menletstalk.org ). It took 4 years to write the book and another year to write the workbook because pride had me feeling to shameful to let anyone know I was struggling in this area. My latest book at the time of this blog is, "The Victory Over Lust Survival Handbook", which takes surviving temptation a step further by revealing all of the things we have control of in our lives that will either help make us strong facing temptation or make us weaker and give in to temptation.
Since my deliverance, I have come to learn that what is a weakness in the world can be a strength in ministry as I can be used as a tool or beacon light to let others know there is a way out through the Word of God. I am a living example.
Let's talk! Looking forward to your comments. And please, take this topic serious. Many have joked about it not realizing it takes you farther away from your healing, Not everyone is addicted, but all of us knows at least one person who is struggling in this area.
God bless! (Prov.3:5-6)
Powerful Scriptures - God's Promises of Victory Over Our Finances
As we face various financial challenges today, our only peace of mind can rest on God promises on how to deal with our finances and our prosperity.
(Ps. 91:1-12) “ He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, My God, in Him I will trust.’ Surely He shall deliver me from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover me with His feathers, and under His wings I shall take refuge; His truth shall be my shield and buckler. I shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand; but it shall not come near me. Only with my eyes shall I look, and see the reward of the wicked….. Because I have made the Lord who is my refuge, even the Most High, my dwelling place, no evil shall befall me, nor shall any plague come near my dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over me, to keep me in all my ways. In their hands they shall bear me up.”
(Romans 10:17) “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Ps.1:1-3) “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season. Whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” (3 John 1:2) “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”.
(Malachi 3:10) “Bring all the tithes into the store house, that there may be food in My house. And try Me now in this,” says the Lord, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” (Luke 6:38)”Give and it will be given to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
(2 Cor.9:6-9) “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
(Gal.6:7,9) “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” I believe that when I sow seed into good ground, I reap an immediate, hundred-fold return, in the name of Jesus. (Hab.2:2-3) …”Write the vision and make it plain on tablet, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time. But at the end it will speak and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come. It will not tarry.”
(Psalm 35:27) “Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, ‘Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servants.”
(Prov. 4:23) “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the issues of life.” .... (2 Cor. 10:5) ...”casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
(Ps. 91:1-12) “ He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, My God, in Him I will trust.’ Surely He shall deliver me from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover me with His feathers, and under His wings I shall take refuge; His truth shall be my shield and buckler. I shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand; but it shall not come near me. Only with my eyes shall I look, and see the reward of the wicked….. Because I have made the Lord who is my refuge, even the Most High, my dwelling place, no evil shall befall me, nor shall any plague come near my dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over me, to keep me in all my ways. In their hands they shall bear me up.”
(Romans 10:17) “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Ps.1:1-3) “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season. Whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” (3 John 1:2) “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”.
(Malachi 3:10) “Bring all the tithes into the store house, that there may be food in My house. And try Me now in this,” says the Lord, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” (Luke 6:38)”Give and it will be given to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
(2 Cor.9:6-9) “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
(Gal.6:7,9) “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” I believe that when I sow seed into good ground, I reap an immediate, hundred-fold return, in the name of Jesus. (Hab.2:2-3) …”Write the vision and make it plain on tablet, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time. But at the end it will speak and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come. It will not tarry.”
(Psalm 35:27) “Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, ‘Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servants.”
(Prov. 4:23) “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the issues of life.” .... (2 Cor. 10:5) ...”casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
.. ..(Prov.36:11) “If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they do not obey, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.” (Ps.25:12-14) “Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His salvation.”
(Deut.28:1-14) If you obey the Lord your God and faithfully keep all His commands that I am giving you today, He will make you greater than any other nation on earth. Obey the Lord your God and all these blessings will be yours. The Lord will bless your towns and your fields. The Lord will bless you with many children, with abundant crops and with many cattle and sheep. The Lord will bless your grain crops and the food you prepare from them. The Lord will bless everything you do. The Lord will defeat your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction but run from you in all directions. The Lord your God will bless your work and fill your barns with grain. He will bless you in the land that He is giving you……The Lord your God will make you the leader among the nations and not a follower; you will always prosper and never fail if you obey faithfully all his commandments that I am giving you today. But you must never disobey them in anyway, or worship and serve any other gods.”
(Phil.4:6) “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
(2nd Cor. 4:18) …”while we do not look at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (1 Peter 5:7) “I cast all my care on You O Lord for You care for me.” (Phil 4:19) “You O Lord shall supply all my need according to Your riches in glory through Christ Jesus.”
(Deut. 8:18) “And I shall remember the Lord My God, for it is You who gives me the power to get wealth, that You may establish Your covenant which You swore to my fathers, as it is this day.” (Phil 4:13) I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me.” (Eph.3:20) “Now to You, O Lord, who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to the power that works in us.” (1 John 5:14) “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” ( Mark 11:23-24) "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be thou removed and be cast into the sea' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."
(Prov.18:20) “A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Is. 55:11) “So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void. But t shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Psalm 103:20), “Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of the Lord.”
(Deut.28:1-14) If you obey the Lord your God and faithfully keep all His commands that I am giving you today, He will make you greater than any other nation on earth. Obey the Lord your God and all these blessings will be yours. The Lord will bless your towns and your fields. The Lord will bless you with many children, with abundant crops and with many cattle and sheep. The Lord will bless your grain crops and the food you prepare from them. The Lord will bless everything you do. The Lord will defeat your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction but run from you in all directions. The Lord your God will bless your work and fill your barns with grain. He will bless you in the land that He is giving you……The Lord your God will make you the leader among the nations and not a follower; you will always prosper and never fail if you obey faithfully all his commandments that I am giving you today. But you must never disobey them in anyway, or worship and serve any other gods.”
(Phil.4:6) “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
(2nd Cor. 4:18) …”while we do not look at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (1 Peter 5:7) “I cast all my care on You O Lord for You care for me.” (Phil 4:19) “You O Lord shall supply all my need according to Your riches in glory through Christ Jesus.”
(Deut. 8:18) “And I shall remember the Lord My God, for it is You who gives me the power to get wealth, that You may establish Your covenant which You swore to my fathers, as it is this day.” (Phil 4:13) I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me.” (Eph.3:20) “Now to You, O Lord, who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think according to the power that works in us.” (1 John 5:14) “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” ( Mark 11:23-24) "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be thou removed and be cast into the sea' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."
(Prov.18:20) “A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Is. 55:11) “So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void. But t shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Psalm 103:20), “Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of the Lord.”
(1 Tim. 6:17) “ Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
May the Lord bless the reading of His word.
May the Lord bless the reading of His word.
A Divine Lesson Learned on the Bike Path
Being a fitness enthusiast all my life, since being saved, I have observed that God has taught me a lot of lessons while working out by relating certain fitness challenges to challenges in the spirit or in life. Riding my bike recently, I received a lesson from the Lord on my bike route that led to a revelation that opened my eyes in the spirit.
I bike several times a week, various routes and various distances from 5 miles to 25 miles. On this particular day, I was feeling like a challenge. So I chose one of my longer routes of 25+ miles, which included a 2 mile hill beginning at mile 10. As always, I like to make all of my challenging hills represent a major challenge in life and approach it with the intent of conquering it and the problems it represented. And many times when I conquer a physical challenge, it helps me conquer whatever the problem I face in life during the same time.
As I approached the 2-mile hill, as usual, I told the Lord, “Today this hill represents all of the financial challenges I am facing as of this day.” And up the hill I went. About a fourth of a mile up the hill I was surprised to find that the street was under heavy construction. The pavement had been ripped up for repaving and the traffic lanes were reduced from four down to two. This was a problem because the reduction of traffic lanes meant the cars were passing me on my bike path a little closer than usual. To my left the cars passed frightfully close and on my right the curb was higher than normal because of construction. This gave me no room for error while biking on this quarter mile section of ripped up road. If I drifted to the left I could get hit by a car and if I drifted to the right the curb would cause me to fall off the bike.
At first my thought was to turn around and ride this hill another day, but because I made this hill represent all of the financial challenges being faced that week, I felt a determination that I should not stop. This hill must be defeated this day in order to defeat the life challenges the hill represented. I was praying in the spirit the entire time during that section of road for the Lord to give me strength and focus to make it safely to the paved section approaching up ahead. As long as I focused on my praying and the Lord, I didn’t think about the danger close by. As I did that, the Holy Spirit reminded me that that’s what I need to be doing throughout the current financial challenge, keep my eyes on the Him. The Spirit reminded me of His word, (Phil.4:13) “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:19) “My God shall supply all my need according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus” and (1 Peter 5:7) “ I cast all my care on You, O Lord, because You care for me.” These scriptures could be applied to both the hill I was facing as well as the challenges I was facing.
Before I knew it, I was back on the paved part of the road continuing up the second half of the hill. The lanes widened back to four lanes and the bike path felt safe again. This part of the hill is much steeper than the first half and the only way to not get discouraged and stop is to only look several feet in front of my bike, keeping a steady pace that I knew I could handle, a little bit at a time. The Holy Spirit revealed to me during this time that it is easy to get overwhelmed by problems when you look at them as a whole. However, when you look at them one at a time and deal with them one at a time, you chop the debt monster down in size one limb at a time.
I finally reached the top of the hill successfully, praise God. Now my thoughts were focused on whether or not I should return by going down the hill and dealing with all that traffic chaos and ripped up road or continue on by crossing over the overpass and return on a different road back avoiding that snarled mess completely. I chose the second choice to continue on and go back a different route.
After crossing the overpass towards the other road home, I discovered that a shorter but steeper hill, to my surprise, stood between me and the road home. This second hill wasn’t even half the length of the first hill but still pretty steep. What made it hard was the fact that it was unexpected. I had mentally prepared for the first hill but I had to fight not to get overwhelmed by the unexpected second hill. My body fought against my will trying to get me to get off the bike and walk but to me that wasn’t a choice. This unexpected hill was no different than unexpected problems that pop up in our life by surprise that can so easily discourage us if we don’t keep our eyes on the Lord at all times.
Half way up the second hill, I was exhausted but determined to make it. I had to stop two times, just long enough to catch my breath and keep going. Giving up and walking was not an option. With each push of the bike peddle, I encouraged myself by saying “God.. is.” over and over until I made it to the top, praise God. Finally, the road leveled. After short quarter of a mile of level road, I came to the street that would take me down the hill and on my way home. The test was over, physically, mentally and spiritually.
When I reached home, my feeling of accomplishment in making it over both hills transferred to the confidence of attacking my financial challenges head on and knowing God is with me in defeating the mountain of debt facing me just as He was with me as I called on Him to give me the strength to get over those hills. (Jer.33:3) “Call on Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.” (1 Cor.9:8) “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have a abundance for every good work.”
God can give you a word in any environment, if you listen for His voice of wisdom and guidance. (Eph. 3:20) “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Since being saved, it has amazed me how many lessons or words He has given me during all of my various workouts. He will take the things you enjoy doing, insert His word like He did during my bike ride, then give you revelation knowledge on how to apply that lesson in your life. All we have to do is trust Him. (1 John 4:4) …”because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (Prov.3:5-6) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”
I bike several times a week, various routes and various distances from 5 miles to 25 miles. On this particular day, I was feeling like a challenge. So I chose one of my longer routes of 25+ miles, which included a 2 mile hill beginning at mile 10. As always, I like to make all of my challenging hills represent a major challenge in life and approach it with the intent of conquering it and the problems it represented. And many times when I conquer a physical challenge, it helps me conquer whatever the problem I face in life during the same time.
As I approached the 2-mile hill, as usual, I told the Lord, “Today this hill represents all of the financial challenges I am facing as of this day.” And up the hill I went. About a fourth of a mile up the hill I was surprised to find that the street was under heavy construction. The pavement had been ripped up for repaving and the traffic lanes were reduced from four down to two. This was a problem because the reduction of traffic lanes meant the cars were passing me on my bike path a little closer than usual. To my left the cars passed frightfully close and on my right the curb was higher than normal because of construction. This gave me no room for error while biking on this quarter mile section of ripped up road. If I drifted to the left I could get hit by a car and if I drifted to the right the curb would cause me to fall off the bike.
At first my thought was to turn around and ride this hill another day, but because I made this hill represent all of the financial challenges being faced that week, I felt a determination that I should not stop. This hill must be defeated this day in order to defeat the life challenges the hill represented. I was praying in the spirit the entire time during that section of road for the Lord to give me strength and focus to make it safely to the paved section approaching up ahead. As long as I focused on my praying and the Lord, I didn’t think about the danger close by. As I did that, the Holy Spirit reminded me that that’s what I need to be doing throughout the current financial challenge, keep my eyes on the Him. The Spirit reminded me of His word, (Phil.4:13) “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:19) “My God shall supply all my need according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus” and (1 Peter 5:7) “ I cast all my care on You, O Lord, because You care for me.” These scriptures could be applied to both the hill I was facing as well as the challenges I was facing.
Before I knew it, I was back on the paved part of the road continuing up the second half of the hill. The lanes widened back to four lanes and the bike path felt safe again. This part of the hill is much steeper than the first half and the only way to not get discouraged and stop is to only look several feet in front of my bike, keeping a steady pace that I knew I could handle, a little bit at a time. The Holy Spirit revealed to me during this time that it is easy to get overwhelmed by problems when you look at them as a whole. However, when you look at them one at a time and deal with them one at a time, you chop the debt monster down in size one limb at a time.
I finally reached the top of the hill successfully, praise God. Now my thoughts were focused on whether or not I should return by going down the hill and dealing with all that traffic chaos and ripped up road or continue on by crossing over the overpass and return on a different road back avoiding that snarled mess completely. I chose the second choice to continue on and go back a different route.
After crossing the overpass towards the other road home, I discovered that a shorter but steeper hill, to my surprise, stood between me and the road home. This second hill wasn’t even half the length of the first hill but still pretty steep. What made it hard was the fact that it was unexpected. I had mentally prepared for the first hill but I had to fight not to get overwhelmed by the unexpected second hill. My body fought against my will trying to get me to get off the bike and walk but to me that wasn’t a choice. This unexpected hill was no different than unexpected problems that pop up in our life by surprise that can so easily discourage us if we don’t keep our eyes on the Lord at all times.
Half way up the second hill, I was exhausted but determined to make it. I had to stop two times, just long enough to catch my breath and keep going. Giving up and walking was not an option. With each push of the bike peddle, I encouraged myself by saying “God.. is.” over and over until I made it to the top, praise God. Finally, the road leveled. After short quarter of a mile of level road, I came to the street that would take me down the hill and on my way home. The test was over, physically, mentally and spiritually.
When I reached home, my feeling of accomplishment in making it over both hills transferred to the confidence of attacking my financial challenges head on and knowing God is with me in defeating the mountain of debt facing me just as He was with me as I called on Him to give me the strength to get over those hills. (Jer.33:3) “Call on Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.” (1 Cor.9:8) “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have a abundance for every good work.”
God can give you a word in any environment, if you listen for His voice of wisdom and guidance. (Eph. 3:20) “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Since being saved, it has amazed me how many lessons or words He has given me during all of my various workouts. He will take the things you enjoy doing, insert His word like He did during my bike ride, then give you revelation knowledge on how to apply that lesson in your life. All we have to do is trust Him. (1 John 4:4) …”because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (Prov.3:5-6) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”
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