The Heart of the Matter

Happy Holidays everyone!

It has truly been awhile since I’ve blogged to all of you and I must admit, I miss it! But lots have been going on with me since the last time I’ve placed a devotion or a reflection here that I must share with you!

I have been doing a lot more speaking lately! God has commissioned me to speak to others not only on my book and testimony but on the Heart of the Matter. What is it that truly concerns us? What is it within us that still causes us to be consumed with bitterness, despair, and the feeling that our prayers are not being answered? When we truly look at our hearts and do some soul searching, we may find that there are issues that plague us to the point of blocking all that God has for us, including the promise of our purpose here on Earth. Ultimately, God’s purpose will be fulfilled, however it may take longer, just as Moses and the Israelites did when traveling for 40 years in the wilderness, or he may find someone else more suitable to fulfill it that truly has a heart for God. Remember if you don’t use the talents God has given you, He will take it away and give it to someone else. What is it that you have been gifted with that you are truly not using for the glory of God? Think of this seriously and declare that in 2009, you will use what God has given to you, not by right or by your own merit or right, but because he loves you and wants to truly bless you!

Below is not only my taped message, done in Riverdale, GA on December 20, 2008, but also a written excerpt to get your juices flowing in preparation for what you are about to hear. I pray God’s blessing over you as we embark on the greatest year of our lives! Our harvest is about to come! Happy New Year!

My CD Sermon

There’s been many times in my life in which I had gone through one bad relationship to the next carrying the same old baggage. It’s true that what you normally go through during your childhood, with the men in your life (Uncles, fathers, brothers), you many times end up finding those same traits in the men you date. It’s as if your subconscious mind or soulish spirit seeks after those types of men. Especially if you yourself don’t know how to rebuke and bind up that generational curse over your life, making sure to ask God to send you a God-fearing man, so that you two are evenly yoked together. You don’t have to settle ladies. You are heirs and the righteousness of God. So I went through life, naïve and ignorant to what the Lord was trying to tell me. I knew I was saved. My grandparents put the fear of God in me early in life. But it was who I hung around once out from under them and on my own that influenced me the more. Put it this way-think about one of your friends that may not be in the Lord. They ask you repeatedly to go out with them to a nightspot. You continually tell them no. But it takes that one time, when you weren’t prayed up, or you had your guard down, and you finally said yes. That’s strike one with the devil. So you go out with them. While there, all of the people around you are dancing and drinking. You know you don’t drink. It makes you sleepy and besides, You’re a Christian. But that one time when your friend says, “Oh, it won’t hurt just to take a glass of wine.” “Ok, I guess I will have just one glass.” That’s strike two. The devil is about to win the inning. One glass of wine becomes two, and then three. What was once just a casual night out becomes much more because by then, someone who looks like Morris Chestnut has asked you to the dance floor, knowing by your mannerisms, he can take advantage of the situation if he wanted to. You’ve lost control of your senses. Strike Three-the devil has you now and the Holy Spirit is grieved that when you had the means to escape, you allowed yourself to slip.

In 1Cr 10:13, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].

It’s amazing that your parents and even grandparents tell you things for your own good, many times because they’ve been through what you are now getting into. It’s not what you are ‘going through’, but ‘getting into.’ Because it didn’t have to be that way. It’s the choices that we make that determines our future outcomes. When you get yourself into things, you haven’t asked God for guidance, you felt, “I can do this on my own” and without God’s blessings, you have left his covering for a time, and it’s like being without your mother or father, and you’ve been left in the middle of a big field, with people all around you that doesn’t look like either one of them. Without a shield of protection and loving arms of the one that loves you the most. When you were younger, you didn’t want to hear what your parents had to say. The best way you thought to get them off of your back was to say, “Ok” or “I know ma.” So as you went through different situations, you ended up getting yourself caught up in the very thing they advised you on. By then, it was too late. So then you would plead with God, and say to yourself, ‘If you get me out of this situation, I won’t let it happen again.’ And it hurt you very badly. But it could have been avoided if you had just listened. Many people have to learn from experience. It’s not going to sink in for some people until they themselves go through it. Yes, it may end up a painful situation, but a life lesson indeed that ultimately works for our good. Amen!

In His Love,

Life Without Fear

This is truly an on time word. If this doesn’t minister to anyone else, that’s ok. Sometimes in life, you go through things and in the going through, you ask God to help you. How many times, though, you petition for God to help you but in the asking, you fear the worst, or doubt that it will happen for you? You know deep inside you trust God to supply all of your needs. But sometimes in the natural, you see that you have more bills than money, or you are days away from eviction, or being reported to the credit bureau for back payments of medical bills. The list can go on and on. So you think to yourself, “How I’m I going to get through this?” This has happened to me more than once. Amen? See some people don’t want to admit their weaknesses. I do and will say them in a heartbeat. Because it’s in the sharing of your weaknesses that God will honor and make those weaknesses, strengths that he can and will use for his glory! Thank you Lord. So anyway, in the process of feeling this way, as years have gone by, God has finally brought me to a place of accepting my weaknesses and giving me more of a peace and increasing faith and trust in God that truly moves mountains. Changes has definitely taken place in my life in a very short amount of time. I am grateful to God for that! So below you will find a devotional from a favorite website of mine that I’m sure you will enjoy.

When you feel that your back is up against the wall, and you feel there’s no hope of ever getting to a place of more than enough, know that when you are in God’s hands, and on His side, you always have more than enough, because if you just ask God what you need, believing, he will do or give it to you! Live Without Fear!

Lily

Life Without Fear

READ Isaiah 51:12-16

“Yet you have forgotten the LORD, your Creator,
the one who stretched out the sky like a canopy
and laid the foundations of the earth.
Will you remain in constant dread of human oppressors?
Will you continue to fear the anger of your enemies?
Where is their fury and anger now?
It is gone!”

Isaiah 51:13

Israel was a small nation, one that had been an easy target for larger empires seeking expansion. The Persians overthrew the northern kingdom in the eighth century BC. The Babylonians invaded the southern kingdom and decimated Jerusalem in the sixth century. Egyptian power continued to threaten Israel’s well-being. No wonder she “remained in constant dread of human oppressors.”

Yet the antidote to fear was on Israel’s doorstep, if she would but open the door. However big and powerful her human enemies might have been, God is bigger and more powerful. He is the Creator, “the one who stretched out the sky like a canopy and laid the foundations of the earth.” Confidence in the face of human threats was available to Israel . . . if she would not forget the Lord. Oh, I suppose that, in principle, Israel remembered the God who had so often saved her. But when it came to daily living, when it came to how Israel felt in real time, she forgot the Lord.

And so do we, much of the time. When we read stories of economic collapse, when our loved ones struggle with seemingly insurmountable burdens, when we hear stories of terror plots, and when we face our own mortality, we can forget the Lord. We forget his faithfulness, his majesty, his power, his mercy. We forget that God is always with us and that nothing can separate us from his love.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: When do you forget the Lord? And when you do, what happens? What helps you to remember God in times of distress?

PRAYER: O Lord, how many times have I forgotten you? A hundred? A thousand? Ten thousand? I shudder to think of the number. It’s not that I stop believing in you or that my theology disappears. But, practically, and especially in my emotions, I forget your presence in my life. Your faithfulness disappears from my consciousness for a while. And I feel afraid . . . afraid of where my life is heading, afraid of how my children will turn out, afraid of missing your blessing . . . you name it. (Indeed, Lord, you can name it!)

Forgive me, Lord, for living as if you weren’t there. Forgive me for the times when I forget you. Help me to live each moment of each day with the sense of your presence. May I claim your promises and stake my life upon them. Even as you never forget me, dear Lord, may I never forget you. Amen.

Mark D. Roberts, as Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, is an advisor and frequent contributor to TheHighCalling.org. A Presbyterian pastor, Mark earned his Ph.D. in New Testament from Harvard University. He has written six books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005).

Cry out to the Lord

Many times I have told the Lord my cares, hurt and pains. It seems like my world around me is caving in. Financially it seems like I have more bills than money and can’t afford to feed my family. My dearest family member’s health is fading and need a healing touch. And even though I give my last to you Lord sacrificially, I still feel sometimes that my change won’t come soon enough. Gas is high, my husband just got laid off from his job of twenty years, and we are down to scraps in the refrigerator. Lord I need you NOW!

How many of you feel this way? We all have cried out to God in desperation at some time or another. I have been one of those that felt hopeless and depressed through trials and tragedy. But I tell you, once you tap into the power of God, and learn of Him in a mighty way, your change starts to take shape.

Recently, I’ve asked God for several things to happen in my life, personally and professionally. I did indeed feel that after all of the promoting of my book, travels to and fro various destinations, and investing into different marketing materials, I had come to a dead halt in everything financially. Personally, I had moved to Atlanta for the increase in pay as an educator, and a brand new home (Thanks to God). But then after a few months of really diving into the business as an author and writer, my business became personal as I reached into my personal funds to cover my writing expenses. Many authors have done that a time or two, expecially if they didn’t have a solid business plan, (which I’ve learned now how to do).

So I began to have more bills than money. My daughter needed things that I couldn’t always provide right away. Then she had a severe growth of fungus that occurred on her head that I thought she would not be able to fully heal from. But God! After crying out to God (many of you have been praying for her), seeking God’s face and his ever working healing power, not only was my daughter healed, but my finances started to increase. After taking Asia back and forth to the doctor and losing personal and sick time in the process, I should have had less money in my check that would have severely affected me and my bills for the month. But even with those monies docked from my pay, I still had over $500.00 more in my check this month!!! To top it off, my check next month will be even more than that! My God! Hallelujah! God knew what I needed and came through like he has always come through!

Saints, when your back is up against the wall, and you feel like all hope is gone, God shows up mightily in your life. But you have to believe and trust that He can do it!

Of course, there’s other things that I’m looking for God to do, and when He does, I will give you that praise report as well! Magnify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together!

Don't Let Disorder Mess Up Your Plans

Proverbs 16:9- In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 15:22- Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.

Everyone wants to know a better way that they could get through their various tasks for the day, and have everything work in their favor. Many people say, “If I just had a few more hours in a day, I could get more things done.” Well, as we know there’s only 24 hours in a day. From sun up to sun down, we labor to get all of our priorities met. But sometimes we are left with more clutter than when we started.

My good friend and advisor, Pam Perry from Ministry Marketing Solutions, has provided a wonderful article that I would like to share that gives tips to organizing your life and business, the Jiu Jitsu way. I hope you find some of them to be empowering and proactive in your life!

Great article on Jiu Jitsu Business Systems

My computer consultant was at my office last week optimizing my Macbook for my next business trip. Opening up my email, he said: “OMG, your inbox is clean!” Then he looked around my office. ”Are you really this organized?” I am.

Stuff is distracting. If your office and inbox are overflowing and you don’t like it anymore, keep it clean with these five Jiu Jitsu moves:

1. Start with a clean slate every day (clean inbox, clean office, clean desk). If you need help getting to ground zero, bring in an office organizer to help you catch up and put systems in place.

2. Set aside the last hour of your workday for planning. Write down three high payoff actions you’ll complete tomorrow and pull out any documents you’ll need. Then clear off your desk. Don’t just stuff it in drawers, put it away so you can put your hands on exactly what you want when you want it.

3. Set only 3 phone appointments each day. Leave the rest of your day for emails, return calls and working on your biz. If possible, do the high payoff actions first thing in the day. That way you’ll feel good about what you accomplished every day.

4. Download your email once in the morning, once at noon, once before planning hour. If you’re waiting for something urgent, look for that email more often but leave the rest for later. When you do focus on email, aim to reply to or delete everything. Be ruthless. Good intentions only last for so long. If you have to keep an email for later, put it in a Pending folder in your email program and set a time to go back and clear the pending emails each week.

5. Have one day each week set aside for outside-the-office appointments. Tuesdays are my day for the doctor, dentist, massage, etc. Cluster appointments whenever possible.

Beauty Tips

Beauty Tips
written by Sam Levenson

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anybody.

Remember, If you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years -only grows!

Our beauty shows deepest when we feel good inside and it exudes outwardly to others. Doesn’t it also feel good when we can get dressed in our best feeling good on the inside as well? Amen! But in today’s economic times, it’s really hard to be able to go out to different boutiques to buy expensive jewelry. We go out of our way to serve and treat others, all the while losing ourselves. How about treating yourself this upcoming holiday season with economical but beautiful inspirational jewelry that speaks volumes in style and grace, while proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. www.everythingthatslily.com showcases some of the finest costume jewelry at a fraction of the price! Do something special today!

Paid in Full

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.

Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold. Angry, he rose his voice to his father and said “with all your money, you give me a Bible?” and stormed out of the house.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father’s house, a sudden feeling of sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the still gift-wrapped Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt.7:11, “And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?”

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God’s blessings because we can’t see past our own desires?

Lily: Lord, help us to continue to see what you do for us everyday! Let us never take for granted the many blessings you already bestow upon us. Praise you Jesus!

Twenty Dollars

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?”

Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He then asked, “Who still wants it?” Still the hands were up in the air.

“Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty.

“Now who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.

“My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives,we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God’s eyes. To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to Him.

Psalm 178 states that God will keep us, “as the apple of His eye.”

THOUGHT: The worth of our lives come not in what we do or who we are but by WHOSE WE ARE! You are special - Don’t ever forget it!

Check Out My Book Store!

Many of you over the past year has asked me, “What are some of your favorite books?” or “What books have you read that have changed you life in some way?” Well, I have put together a special store on this blog that you can go to. Just click on Lily’s Store to get started. You may find that some of my own favorite books will also be yours. Enjoy and be blessed my friends!

Lily

I Am a Changed Woman!

Last Sunday’s service at Changing a Generation Ministries (Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church) with Co-Pastor Debra Morton as Founder and Host of the event, marked confirmation to me about what God is consistently doing in my life. When my book, The Life of a Lily was shipped to my door two weeks before Christmas last year, I felt as release deep within my spirit like never before. I also heard God tell me, “Now is the time. You are renewed in the spirit of God. I have released you to spread my message. Your life will be your purpose!” Hallelujah!

The sermon during the service was entitled, “Diary of a Changed Woman!” Over the last week, Pastors, Elders and Speakers have come to share the message that “I Know I’ve Been Changed.” Your past just set you up for the glory-your destiny-and your purpose! Pastor Fran Love from Greater Antioch Church of Love in Louisana gave a powerful, spirit-filled word on Luke 13:10-13 which says:

“And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, Behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.”

Eighteen years, this woman could not bend over. Eighteen years this woman was ostracized, isolated, shunned, and disgraced. No one noticed her for eighteen years. And this man, we call Jesus, the son of God, a man who gravitated towards ones that no one else cared for, stopped teaching and called to her to come to him. My God!! Don’t think for one minute that what Jesus had been teaching wasn’t important, for everything that comes out of the mouth of God is worthy to be heard and adored! But He looked beyond her physical ailment and focused on her heart. What a powerful sentiment to the wonderful God we serve!

When He laid His hands upon her, instantly she was healed, set free and delivered! She was changed! So too, are we changed. All of the bondage have been broken, the chains have been loosed, and we can walk in victory! I thank God that He does not judge me for my past, for I am a new woman! The former things are gone away, behold all things become new! That word was for me! Every incident, every broken promise, the neglect and abandonment, has changed into love unspeakable, peace overflowing, and compassion for others who are where I once was. There is hope! Thanks to God Almighty! Praise You Jesus!

My baby is growing up! Awwwh!

Asia and Mommy

I never thought I’d say that I would be sad about my baby’s first day of Kindergarten. But guys, I’ve got to tell you I was. Yes, that smile of ours above marked the start to her ongoing education for years to come, but deep inside when I left her on last Monday, I cried inside. If you know anything about Asia and I, you would know that we’ve been through some things. But all in all, it’s been together. Asia, now five year’s old, is a beautiful and strong little girl, with so much wisdom for such a small, compact, once pre-mature little angel. The times we’ve shared over the years I can not get back, but I look forward to what’s ahead. Friends, please pray my strength. She’s my baby and she’s growing up! I love her dearly and pray nothing but blessings over her life in the mighty name of Jesus! This truly starts the first day of the rest of her life!

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way she should go: and when she is old, she will not depart from it” (italics and emphasis mine). Lord I ask that you help me to do just that all the days of my life. May she be blessed, prosperous, and remembered in the land as having a right standing with you and an example for others. May she bear children, that will follow in her footsteps as Kings and Queens of the Most High God! I thank you for the opportunity to bear her deep within my womb-at a time I never thought I would be able to. For that I am grateful. I pray protection, strength, and love to ever rest, rule, and abide over her life. Her friends and family will honor her, and her enemies will call her blessed! Hallelujah! I praise you Jesus this day and forevermore. Amen.

Asia near her classroom

God of the Possible

God of the Possible

READ Matthew 19:13-30

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

Matthew 19:26

When Jesus said that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven, his disciples were understandably concerned. Was Jesus implying that rich people could not live in God’s kingdom?

No, that was not his point, though he was aware of how much our love for possessions can keep us from full surrender to God. But Jesus knew of a power greater than the lure of riches. The power of God could do the impossible, helping even a rich person to come under God’s authority. The same God who changed the hearts of tax collectors and sinners could transform the values of one who loved riches more than anything else. For the God of the possible, nothing was impossible.

God is still in the possibility business today. You may be facing situations in your life that feel overwhelming. Your work situation may be frustrating. Your marriage may be crumbling. Your children may be rebelling. Yet God is not daunted by the challenges of your life. He can do what to us seems to be impossible.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What are the biggest challenges you face today? What in your life seems overly difficult, even impossible? Are you actively offering this to the Lord? Have you asked others to pray with you? Are you looking to see what God is already doing?

PRAYER: Gracious God, were it not for your mercy, I would never have entered your kingdom. It’s not that I’m a rich person. But I do want to hold tight to the possessions I have. The fact that I can offer them to you as I offer my whole self to you is evidence of your amazing grace at work in me.

Lord, you know how I can get overwhelmed when problems are too big for me. I love to be in control, or at least to think I am. So when I come upon something that seems to be impossible, I can panic. Help me, dear Lord, to lean into you at these times, to feel your strength, to seek your wisdom. Do in my life even that which seems impossible. And help me to trust you more in all times, knowing that all things are possible for you. Amen.

Mark D. Roberts, as Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, is an advisor and frequent contributor to TheHighCalling.org. A Presbyterian pastor, Mark earned his Ph.D. in New Testament from Harvard University. He has written six books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005). He blogs daily at www.markdroberts.com.

Admit it! Quit It! Forget It!

By Bishop E. Earl Jenkins

“Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Philippians 3:13

Now, ‘forget it’ doesn’t mean losing awareness of the event. That’s amnesia! It means releasing the pain from the memory like you’d remove the poison from a snakebite. Allow all those unsettled and unsettling issues that keep holding you in the night and affecting you in the light to be broken by the power of God! If you are the injured party, forgive those who hurt you. If you did the hurting, forgive yourself - for God does. Allow His transforming power to heal your troubled emotions and cut the cord between you and your past.

Then do what Paul did, “Reaching forth unto those things which are before.” God has a wonderful future for you, but you can’t reach for it until you disconnect from the past. Be like Jesus who dropped His head and said, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30). It’s time for that kind of benediction to be said in your life. If you’re finished with where you are and you’re ready for where God wants you to go, then kiss the past goodnight. Kiss it goodbye! Its grasp is broken.

Stand with Moses and the children of Israel as they watched Pharaoh and his armies swallowed up in the depths of the Red Sea. Join them as they celebrate their freedom: “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains are also drowned…The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone” (Ex 15:4-5).

Rejoice! The old Pharaoh of your past is dead. His hold on you is broken. So rise up and go forward!

Bishop Edward Earl Jenkins is the senior pastor and founder of the True Servant Worship & Praise Church located in Trenton, New Jersey. Bishop Jenkins earned his Bachelor of Theology degree from Eastern Bible College and has been preaching the unadulterated gospel for over twenty years. His unique method of preaching and teaching has opened many doors to allow him to touch the hearts of many lives near and far. Bishop Jenkins is the proud husband of Lady Sheila Jenkins and father of Travis, Jamal, Clarrisa and Dionna.

© Bishop E. Earl Jenkins all rights reserved.

SOURCE: www.streamingfaith.com.

Be a True Friend

“He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters with the tongue.” Proverbs 28:23 (NKJV)

I’m going to make this short and sweet! Going through this with ramblings will take away from the overall message I’d like to convey. But it’s not to preach to anyone, but it’s something that I think is important for us as a people to truly think about.

How many times have we listened to our friends in person or over the phone speak to us about worldly things that they may have encountered that we know as Christians we should not take part in? It could be going to the club on Saturday night, and then arriving in church on Sunday morning-praising God, or compromising yourselves sexually for someone you think you love, or cursing obsenities during rush hour from work over a bad turn on the freeway. Now I’m not saying that any of us, including me at times, don’t get a little under our skins and say, think or do things that are contrary to the word of God. We are human-in flesh. But because we are now new creatures, remember the old things have passed away, we have been bought with a price and set aside as peculiar people, we have to be so very careful not to get caught up in the world.

That’s why we need to have friends who are also like-minded individuals who are sold out for Jesus to hold each of us accountable-and to a higher standard of living for what is right, not just because we don’t want to snitch or sell our friends out, or make them feel like its ok to do these things. Loyalty means nothing in this case!

Its about being honest with him or her to the point of bringing them back to a right standing with God. Friends will love you more if you told them the truth, than not-by placing them in the devil’s line of fire, knowing that it didn’t have to be that way. That shows true love and devotion for your friends-the way God sees it.

In His Love,

I Hope

I hope that I will always be for each person
what he or she needs me to be.
I hope that each person’s death will diminish me,
but that fear of my own will never diminish my joy of life.
I hope that my love for those whom I like will never lessen
my love for those whom I do not.
I hope that another person’s love for me will never
be a measure of my love for him or her.
I hope that everybody will accept me as I am,
but that I never will.
I hope that I will always ask for forgiveness from others,
but will never need to be asked for my own . . .
I hope that I will always recognize my limitations,
but that I will construct none.
I hope that loving will always be my goal,
but that love will never be my idol.
I hope that everyone will always have hope.

-Henri Nouwen

I read this poem and cried! This is ME! How many of you have hope like this?

In His Love,

Lily

White Lillies

On InspirationalArchive.com, I had the opportunity to run across this post from Carol Barrett about her intrepretation through God, about White Lillies. Here, she shares her story….

I just had to share this story with you all. I’ve had a tough year with my son Michael’s illness and the ongoing breast cancer battle my sister Shirley is struggling with. There have been times when it has been difficult but I’ve managed to press on.

This past Tuesday I took the day off from work to take Michael to the doctor and take care of some other personal business of my own. While waiting for Michael’s appointment to arrive I decided to mow the lawn. When Tom and I moved into our house a little over a year and a half ago I noticed immediately that there were no flowers on the property just a lot of shrubs, bushes and trees. After mowing the back lawn I naturally mowed the front lawn and then proceeded to take the mower to the back yard again to put it away. As I approached my back yard I noticed a single beautiful white lilly plant growing along the back fence. I knew immediately it was a sign. I put the mower away and ran upstairs to my computer. I googled “white lillies” and there it was. White lillies are a sign of hope and life. Wow, God is good.

So I send to you today white lillies.

Carol Barrett

Today Should Be Your Day to Choose

How do we as a people decide when it’s time for a change? How many times are we going to constantly ask, "When is my change going to come?" We feel that everyone else around us is being blessed. We look far and wide at what the Joneses are doing, and see them blessed, favored, and walking in victory over the many issues that they too thought they could not get over. It was a process that they had to go through as well. But we, in seeing all of this, fail to realize that there is a season for everything in our lives. In Ecclesiastes 3:1, it specifically says, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...." If you look within this passage of scripture down to the sixth verse, it also states, "A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away;" Even though it's not our season yet, that doesn't mean God has forgotten about you. It may also mean to carry on with your life in the preparation for the next move of God. I did say carry on, not sit twiddling your thumbs. You are required to still act, move with the season of change until your seed that was planted starts to take shape and harvest bountiful blessings-in God's fulfilled timing.

In a devotional from Audrina Jones Burton, from Purposefully Living Motivational Messages, she goes even further about the Season of Change, knowing that God gives us the right to choose to change our circumstances, and in doing so, we will be able to walk away from our pain to the power that is deep within each of us. Look at what she has to say:

Choose to Change
By Audrina Jones Bunton

Seasons come - seasons go - winter, spring, summer and fall. And with each natural season, circumstances cause changes to take place such as, flowers blooming, coldness, multi-colored trees, and extreme hotness. Changes that are sometimes good and sometimes bad.

Seasons come - seasons go - happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and emptiness. And with each of life’s seasons, circumstances cause changes to take place such as job promotions, bad relationships, new life and death. Changes again, that are sometimes good and sometimes bad.

Though the changes dealt during the natural seasonas are beyond our control, we do have some control over the changes that take place during our seasonal life changes -- but we must choose to change. Choose to change either ourselves, the situations, or sometimes both.

- Day after day, we work on jobs that are not satisfying, for people that we can not satisfy, to make money that is not enough to satisfy.

- We remain in relationships that are not fulfilling, trying to please people that don’t appreciate, only to result in constant feelings of emptiness and loneliness.

- We remain in situations that cause unhappiness, hoping that each unhappy day will be the last, only to realize another day’s end, and situation unchanged.

We are not held hostage on jobs that we don’t like - in relationships that are unfulfilling - or situations that cause unhappiness. We have to realize that we chose to be in these places if we do nothing to change the situation.

What is that causes us to remain in these dissatisfying, unfulfilling, and unhappy places? Fear of change - fear of the unknown. We must get rid of the fear that makes us think that we can’t do better, and that chains us to our unhappy places. Being fearful is like being locked into a prison of unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and unfulfillment, and it distorts our focus, blinding us from doing what we must do to create peace, abundance, joy and happiness.

We can unlock those prison doors any time we choose - any time we choose to change and free ourselves of limiting thoughts and behaviors set upon us by our circumstances, by others, and sometimes by our own self-doubt.

We have the choice to make life changes - to have a beautiful life - as beautiful as the many-colored trees on a beautiful fall day - or we can choose to simply accept the changes that situations, and circumstances in our life has dealt us, by putting up with the cold, lonely nights. Any day, any year, any time - we can start the process of life change - if we choose to. We can also choose - to do nothing.

What changes must you make today to find yourself in your happy place - in a place where you are satisfied - in a place where you are fulfilled? If you don’t like how things are, make that change. Free yourself from the prison of fear that captivates you from making that change - because only YOU can.

You have the power of choice - and - how you choose to live this day, will determine what your future will be. My friend, examine your place in life, and if you deem it necessary -- choose to change.

Copyright © 2002 by Audrina Jones Bunton. REPRINTING THIS ARTICLE: Permission is granted to reproduce or distribute this article only in its entirety and provided copyright is acknowledged.

Source:http://www.purposefully-living.com/Purposefully%20Living%20Newsletter%20Archives/Motivational

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A Conference You Must Go To

Last weekend, I was afforded the opportunity to be a part of the Black Writers Reunion & Conference. And what a conference it was! Kudos goes out to Ms. Tia Ross, the organizer and director of the conference which featured workshops on Dialogue, Plot Development, Characterization, Expanding Your Book Market, Promoting your Book on the Virtual Market (Internet), 4 P’s to Self-Publishing, Writing Children’s Books, Christian Fiction: Ministry vs. Entertainment, Working With Literary Agents, and the list goes on! Awww, what knowledge these presenters had, and many lasting connections were made. I look forward to next year’s conference in Las Vegas, NV! Take a look at my pics from the conference on my Photo Gallery!

The Evidence of the Holy Spirit

What a beautiful day today! While going through my normal checking of emails today, I read a blog post from my good friend, Genikwa Williams on the topic of ‘Speaking in Tongues.’ There has been quite a bit of scepticism on this subject for years, but a topic that to me is a no-brainer. Read it for yourself…

http://genikwawilliams.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/

speaking-in-tongues/

~I posted this comment on her blog~

Her experience reminds me of a time when the Holy Spirit gave me utterance-I’ll never forget the day, time, and event in which this true miracle from God was given to me. I highlighted it within the pages of my book, The Life of a Lily. Here’s an excerpt:

While my ex-husband and I were going through our difficult period of emotional and physical abuse with each other, God still helped me to get two degrees: a master’s in reading education after the divorce in December 1999 and an education specialist in educational leadership in 2001. I was able to obtain a 3.8 grade point average throughout school. I received a job promotion to Language Arts Department Head at the school where I taught. Then God did a miraculous thing in my life: I received the gift of tongues on November 12, 1999, just a couple of weeks after my grandmother passed away. It happened at an E.C. Reems International Christian Convention that was held at my church. That was a true blessing, one for which I asked the Lord. Days before I had stopped and asked two Holy Spirit-filled women in the church what I needed to do in order to receive this gift. Still pretty much a babe in Christ, I asked them, not knowing that all I had to do was ask God for it. The Lord said, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14). It also says in John 15:7: “If ye abide in me, and my word abides in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” These are the promises of God. He also said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you…whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you” (John 15:16). So they prayed with me and told me to go home, set the atmosphere, and ask God for what I wanted. I let God handle the rest. That night, on November 12, a turning point in my life occurred. As I was standing up front in the choir stand, the speaker asked us to turn and hold a neighbor’s hand and start praying for them. As I started praying, I felt a warm tingle go through my body like you would never believe, and I felt myself go up in the Spirit. I could actually hear myself, but it was an utterance that I’d never heard before. First it sounded like gibberish, as if first learning to speak.Then it sounded like actual words from another language. The Bible says:

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4

I finally returned back to my first love from the age of thirteen, when I had first received the gift of salvation. From that point on, I made sure to talk and confess to God everything that weighed on me. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). From that November night, I had an intimacy with the Lord like I’ve never had before with anyone. My husband, lover, and friend were all wrapped up in Jesus. Instead of coming to Jesus with frivolous requests, I just wanted more of him. When I got off from work, I’d rush home and through the door to him. My new apartment was indeed a sacred haven in which Jesus resided with me. It contained unspeakable peace, love, and joy. I would have dates with Jesus, cooking for my Lord, talking daily with him.

God can and will give you the desires of your heart, if you would just ask. But before you even ask, seek Him-all of Him-as He said in His word, If you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these other things will be added unto you! (Matthew 6:33)

What an awesome God we serve!

Father's Day Wishes..

As I look back over my life, I realize that even though I had a man who planted a seed, resulting in my birth, what I wished more than anything was that He owned up to the term ‘Father’. Fortunately, I was afforded that man who God placed the title of “Father” to who was actually my grandfather. He took on this highly regarded role, and treated me as his own. He was the man I looked up to, loved, and in turn, I was his little girl, the one he made sure to protect. For that, I say, “Happy Father’s Day Dad!”

But, on the flip side, there are many children and even adults in the world who never knew they had a father, which the Bible deems as the term of an ‘orphan’. Or he or she may have one, but found that he left them at a time when they needed him the most. I just come by to be a messenger today, to tell you to look to the hills from whence cometh your help, YOUR help cometh from the Lord.

I think on a day like today, that’s set aside for giving thanks to all of the fathers out there, young and old, that let’s not forget our Almighty Father which is in Heaven. He deserves all of our praise, and will be a father to all of those who seek guidance and strength, during a time that may be hard for many of you. (See Romans 8:15). Keep your head up, and your stride wide, and know that Abba Father is with you. Keep the faith! Happy Father’s Day Lord God Almighty!

In His Love,

How is Your Prayer Life?

Lily: If you ever wanted to find answers to all of your prayer needs, and didn’t know who to turn to to seek answers-this article will give you the keys to a deeper prayer life. Take these words of wisdom along with the scriptures provided, take time to study his word, and ask God through this article to teach you to pray in a way that not only pleases Him, but edifies your body, creating a sacred atmosphere in which you consistently and constantly tap into daily! Remember, He is the lover of our souls! Hallelujah!

In His Love,

12 Steps to Change Your Prayer Life

Jennifer Kennedy Dean

Right to the Heart of Women

1. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.” (Prov. 21:1)

If your thoughts wander during your prayer time, instead of trying to force them back into your pre-set agenda, try following them. Perhaps the Lord has another agenda.

2. “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” (Matt. 6:5-6).

Set a time for daily prayer. Consider it an unbreakable commitment. Keep your set appointment every day for one week. For one solid week, let your scheduled prayer time be the centerpiece of your day: arrange everything else to fit around it.

3. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)

Give God the first fruits of your day. For one week, give the very first 30 minutes of your day to prayer.

4. “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)

Find a place in your home where you can be alone and undistracted during your prayer time. Keep your Bible, prayer journal, pen, and whatever tools you use in that place so that everything is ready. During your prayer time each day, this is a sacred place.

5. “I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah. 6:1)

As you start your prayer time, before you say anything, let your mind’s eye see Him, high and exalted, and yourself in a position of worship before Him. Stay in that inner posture until His glory fills your thoughts as the train of His robe fills the temple.

6. “But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.’” (Luke 8:46 )

Take time to become truly alive to His presence with you. Be aware that as you touch Him through prayer, His power is released into your life.

7. “O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.” (Ps. 78:1)

Read your Bible this morning with the awareness that you are listening to the words of His mouth. Stop at the first word, phrase, or thought that captures your attention and let the Father speak to you about it and let it shape your prayers.

8. “We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:8.

This week, practice the prayer of pliability. Instead of focusing on what you want God to do for you, focus on allowing Him to shape your desires until they match His. Accept each situation in your life as His hand shaping your thoughts, character, and longings.

9. “Not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

This week, let these words be the only prayer you pray about situations that confront you. Focus on relinquishing every situation to Him to be a platform for His power.

10. “I will remember the deeds of the LORD.” (Ps. 77:11)

This week, try writing out your prayers. It will help you stay focused and will create a record of God’s work in your life.

11. “My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long.” Psalms 35:28

This week, practice praying out loud during your private prayer time. It will make your prayer experience more concrete and will help you keep your mind focused.

12. “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; …talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deut. 11:18-20)

This week, try walking as you pray. Walk through your neighborhood or around your yard. You will be more able to keep your mind open to new thoughts the Lord might introduce. You are likely to find yourself spending more time with Him.

Author, speaker, conference leader Jennifer Kennedy Dean is a significant voice on spirituality and prayer. She addresses real questions about prayer. Contact her at www.prayinglife.org/. © 2008 – Jennifer Kennedy Dean

Find this article at: http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/11580418/

Welcome to The Life of a Lily Official Blogspot!

The Life of A Lily

Growing in His Strength, Blooming in His Love

by Lily L. Ratliff

Are you going through life’s ups and downs alone? Are you a victim of the foster system or adopted and want to know, Why me? Can there ever be life after abuse or abandonment? If you have experienced opposition or neglect, this book is for you. In her autobiography, The Life of a Lily, author Lily L. Ratliff shows you that through all of your mess, God can bring you to a point of acceptance of what life has given you, with the vigor to carry on. A catalyst for hope and restoration in your life, with easy-to-read vignettes and relevant corresponding Scriptures, The Life of a Lily shows how a young girl triumphs by discovering what so many others failed to realize that God had a plan for her life.