Shipwrecked

All of us have heard of the tragic story of this capsized Ship Contra Concordia Last week in the news. My sister is the one who urged me to read up on the details of this awful human made catastrophe over near Rome. What appeared to be the beginning of a wonderful and luxurious vacation, ended in being some families worst nightmare.

Couldn't catch my breath as I read things like "having dinner with a blonde" "deviated from the original course" "too close to shore" "wanting to show off and pull the foghorn"..................are we talking about a Captain of Cruise liner or my 21 year old nephew? Not sure? Let's examine the facts. We all have been or will be shipwrecked spiritually one day in our journey to wholeness. The truth of the matter is our choices can put lives in harms way and cost us major collateral damage in the long run.

I may not be in charge of 4,000 lives but God did put me in charge of a household. There is a husband and children involved and when my ship(spiritual life) cap sizes, their lives are at stake. Every time I deviate from Gods will or plan for my life-it can cost others around me pain and suffering. Any time I choose to glorify myself and exalt my own needs it robs God of his Praise and honor. And any time I get to close to sin or pretend I'm in a gray area that's safe-I flirt with danger.

This man made human error, errors we all make through our unchecked pride, ego, and unwise decision making. Yes we can sigh a sigh of relief because our yucky self stuff isn't on CNN but at the end of the day, stepping outside of the will of God looks like a huge ship sinking in the ocean and human lives at risk.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Womens Conference

Women of Favor Presents
"A Season of Refreshing"
Women's Conference January 6 @ 7:30pm/ January 7 @ 10am
at The South Natomas Community Center
2921 Truxel Road
Sacramento, Ca 95814
To register now go to btfministries.net or email btfministries@earthlink.net 281)288-5291

Please join Special guest Speakers Pastor Elvira Craig and Clerenda McGrady and your host Dona Jackson

Award and Reward

Today I was ready to walk away from entire family. Yes, even the littlest cute one. They had discovered the right nerve to hit when I told them we would not be getting a dog. Barely wanting to clean up behind themselves I rejected the thought of getting another being to clean up and take care of. I'm knowing that when their at school and work, guess who would get left to care for another small being. So clearly my family in their jokingly ungrateful banter decided that they would gladly choose the dog over me.

I knew they were joking and clearly wanted to prove a point for a puppy, but it hurt me very badly and I couldn't help but to get frustrated. Feeling totally unappreciated like most Moms do from time to time-I shut down. I finished dinner and then politely retreated to my prayer closet to vent to Jesus and my winter coats.

It hit me like a ton of bricks as I sat asking God could I beat them into Easter; "There is no award ceremony on Earth for Gods servants, our greatest rewards will be given in heaven". What a shift in my mind, I can't work for these people-they will suck the goodness out of me if I let them. I have to work as though I am working for the Lord-period! My work and service has to be heaven focused and not earth focused. Hard as it sounds I have to remind myself that God does so many wonderful things for us and probably feels the same when we don't give him the glory for it. So why should I get a moment to throw a fit if God doesn't do that with us his selfish creation?

I serve in honor of God, whom I can't out give, out love, or out serve.

Strong holds!

I had to share excerpts from "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore. This is my second time reading this anointed piece of work, that I couldn't keep it to myself.

-A stronghold is anything we hold onto or holds onto us; strongholds are like concrete fortresses we've constructed around our lives block by block, ordinarily over the course of years. We create them for protection and comfort sometimes unknowingly. Eventually we stop controlling them and they control us.

-Satanic strongholds require divine (Godly) demolition. Discipline and determination are often important factors in opening your life to the supernatural power of God, but only he can provide the divine dynamite needed to destroy a stronghold.

-In ancient Corinth every greek city had a stronghold, a fortress on top of the highest peak in the vicinity a place of hiding for the governors of the cities in time of insecurity or war.

-An important part of learning to live in victory has been discerning the heart rumblings of insecurity. Learn to dramatically increase your prayer life and time in Gods word during times when your security is threatened.

-The devil can't exploit your insecurity and bluff your strongholds when your clinging to God. Do not make excuses for pulling down your strongholds, satan persists where a stronghold exists. He will supply an endless list of rationalizations for the things we do and refuse to do.

-Every stronghold is related to something we have exalted to a higher position than God in our lives (ex. control, Husbands or kids).

-Every stronghold pretends to bring something we feel we must have: aid, comfort, the relief of stress, or protection.

-Humble hearts are always ready to break free, the proud are never free!

-Satan wants us to either worship him or anything other than God. God created us to worship we will worship something.

-Strongholds affect the behaviors of a believer. Satan can't enter a believer but he can persuade or lead us to do things.

-In order to come against satans lies and tactics we must know the word of God well. Training our minds with the truth of God. Victorious lives flow from victorious thoughts. Thinking victorious thoughts comes from setting our focus on a victorious God.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Cor. 10:3-5

What IF

1. What if all believers really believed God?

2. What if every child on earth received a toy for Christmas?

3. What if Starbucks made organic coffee?

4. What if God ended divorce?

5. What if T.V. was good all the time?

6. What if Christmas was in July?

7. What if Angels didn't exist?

8. What if every wife submitted to her husband as unto the Lord?

9. What if everyone was accountable for their own actions?

10. What if God treated us the way we treat him?

Win Your Husband!

Win your husband with a quiet and gentle spirit? Wow! Peter states this in his book the first chapter. How can I win if I don't give him a piece of a mind? Peter I want to win with my words, actions, silent treatments, withholdings, etc. Gentle and quiet looks weak and simple. Right?

Wrong! I have never won my husband over with my tongue (the verbal assassin). Not once have I really won an argument, however, I have managed to kill my husband spiritually and emotionally. I manage to kill his spirit, his joy, his respect level, and his manhood with the words of retalitation that come from my mouth. As hard as I have tried to respect and honor him, when my trigger switch is flipped the alarm goes off and I see red. I have no control and out comes the assaults and indictments.

If your like me, you love a dig and low blow to keep your cute little husband in his rightful place-right? Well here's the deal-it hurts God just as much as it hurts our Men. An hour after I so called won the fight, I feel so convicted and evil. I wanna kick my own butt for allowing my flesh to rule over me.

What if I decided to win with a gentle and quiet spirit? What would his spiritual walk look like if I shut up sometime? What would his career feel like if I encouraged him more instead hawking him? This is what I heard today in bible study. All of us women were convicted of allowing control, self rigtheous indignation, and manipulation rob our husbands of respect.

1 Peter 3 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers 8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”


Oh Lord! How do I accomplish this in my right mind and not heavily sedated or in my dreams? By the Power and Manifestation of the Holy Spirit in me. Without God in control and steering this vessel nothing is possible, with him all things are possible.

Restitution

Last night, I sat very still in my prayer closet hoping to hear from the Lord, and boy oh boy did he answer. I grabbed a pen and began to journal what the Lord was saying to me with his still small voice.........

I am the restitution not you-Dona! I am the way , the truth , and the life no one comes to the Father except through me. It's not the Church, your doctrines, your personal theologies, or your best testimonies that lead my children to the Father-it's me! I choose the time and place; the hour is mine-not yours. You lay seeds on my behalf and that is all that is required-seeds that are useful but not divine. Intervention is the Fathers choice-it's never fickle or biased. You put human parameters and measurements on my work; please don't let your flesh deceive or fool you into believing that your good works always glorify me. You can not save anyone-not even yourself-It is I, the great I am!

Not knowing what the word restitution meant, I looked it up on the web and found this.....Restitution is the act of restoring to the rightful owner something that has been taken away, lost, or surrendered. Halelujah! The Lord checked me real quick-He is going to restore everything that was taken from me, my childhood, and my marriage-I can stop striving to fix it. What a wonderfully big and spiritual word my big God used to put me back in my place-he's got this life all under control all by himself.