Using Your Authority

 

Anybody can praise God whenever things are going great. What about when your children are ill, you lose your job, divorce, death in the family, and the list goes on. What do you do then?

I have had many circumstances over the years come against me and my family.  I had a choice to make to either duck tail and run or go right through the middle of it. To tell you the truth at times I would love to have run, but God on the inside of me just would not let me do that.

He’s always been bigger than anything I have ever faced.  At times I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me, and then I would remember that He was right there with me, seeing me overcome every obstacle that came my way.

I’m so glad that I have learned how to believe God for myself.

Confess His word and watch it come to pass.  Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I say unto you, whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you shall have them.” The devil is just the devil; he will always put up a fight to keep you from the things of God.  Don’t listen to his lies. If the Bible promises you something, you have a right to fight for it. God has given us every tool we need to win.

The sword of the spirit which is the Word of God is one of our greatest weapons against the devil.  Jesus always used it when He was tempted of the devil. Now, it is our turn to do the same thing. The next time the devil comes telling you anything contrary to the Bible, and trying to beat you up, use the Word.

Just like David said to the uncircumcised Philistine, You come to me with a sword, and a spear, but I come at you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied.  ~1 Samuel 17:45

~Tammy Sanders

Image Credit: Tammy Sanders

The Maze of Life

 

Have you ever gone to the airport and watched and listened to the people coming and going? I recently had that opportunity. I had to pick up my nephew who was flying in from Minnesota. I pictured this little maze with a mouse running around trying to find it’s way to the prize, the CHEEESE at the other end. People were darting here and there to get to where they were supposed to go hoping they do not miss their flight to their destination.  Their eyes are focused straight ahead as they maneuver around people, luggage, and barriers.

I was pondering on this and the thought crossed my mind, “How many times do we run around, darting to and fro, trying to find our way to the end, the grand prize?” Like the mouse in a maze, we try one avenue only to find a barrier or obstacle so we try another way. This process goes on until we FINALLY get on the right path, the one that God had originally wanted us on. We dart through life doing a lot of good things, but are they God things? I don’t know about you but I have traveled paths that were good paths, which I thought were God’s paths, only to find that I missed the flight so to speak. Never loose hope because you have wondered down the wrong trail or wondered down the wrong path. It is so easy to get back on the right trail. All we have to do is ask God to forgive us for making the wrong choice and He does. Immediately we have gotten back onto the right trail towards the cheese.

Satan wants to deceive us. His goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. He can make things look so good that it must be God telling you to do something or go somewhere. Remember that he is the master of deception! In order not to fall for every deception he puts out there we must equip ourselves daily. Not just on Sundays. To equip ourselves we need to build a relationship with God. Spend time in prayer and just communicating with Him. Have a conversation with Him, and then listen to what He has to say because He will respond to you if you listen. The next thing to do is to digest the Word. Not just read it to say you have read the Bible. That would be like buying lunch at a fancy restaurant and just watching the food. It is not until that food gets inside of you that your hunger is quenched. Your body digests the food to energize your body so that it will function correctly. The Word, once digested, becomes part of you. It helps your spirit man grow and become strong.  Meditate on what you read. Make it a part of you not just a once in a while thing. I am talking to myself as well. We have all missed it in this area if we are at all honest with ourselves.

Praise and Worship are two other ways to keep the enemy from deceiving you. Create a lifestyle of praising God daily. Even down to the littlest things you have. All things on this Earth belong to God. God, the creator, inspired everything created, and then had man to create what we have,. Give Him the glory for each day that you have and for the wonderful provision He has bestowed upon you and your family!  God wants us to be prosperous but not to hoard up the prosperity. He wants us to share with others to establish His Kingdom here on Earth. It is never too late to start over. If you miss it, repent, then move on with God. He is waiting for you because He loves you unconditionally!

 

~Ronda Sullivan

Image Credit © Michal Wozniak | Dreamstime Stock Photos

No More Excuses!

For me, this month started off with a bang! I purposed in my heart a long time ago to do all that God had for me no matter my circumstances. Believe me, the circumstances of life have not always been in my favor. Countless surgeries, physical pain, and much more have tried to hinder me from doing what God has called me to do. Even on the days when excuses could roll off my tongue with ease, I’m reminded of my commitment to God.

That simple choice has led me to where I am now.  I’m doing more than ever thought possible a few years ago.  For example, I’m continuing to write articles for church magazine, transcribe sermons into books, all while maintaining my courses in communication at college. It’s in His strength and grace that I’m able to do all these things. What excuses have you let creep into your life? Whether you realize it or not, these excuses slowly eat away at the passion you once had for life. You may have been a vibrant person, and after you let the weight and cares of this life weigh you down, your friends and family may not even recognize the depressed person you’ve become.

It’s not too late to make a change, though! Humble yourself before God and ask him to let his thoughts about you be your thoughts about yourself. When you start to see yourself as God sees you, you will realize his grace has always been there. You just have to reach out and grab it! After you recommit yourself to God, do something! You’ve heard it said time and time again that actions speak louder than words. If your passion is children, go where they are. Spend time teaching them how to read through the school system. You’ll be surprised at the opportunities that will come your way as a result of your decision to quit making excuses!

~Madison Sanders

Image Credit © Tammy Sanders

God’s Got This!

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13

This is the verse I have been holding onto. You see, you don’t know how much more you can do until the demand is placed on you. I’ve been doing at least ten hours a week for my internship with a publishing company, starting on my senior project, (which is a twelve-page inspirational disability magazine),helping with publications, along with various papers, homework and tests. After waiting for a month, I will finally start physical therapy for my foot. This will be at least two times a week-maybe even three if they think it’s necessary.

I said all of that to say this. Most people get stressed, hyperventilate, and become grouches when their schedule is piled with EVEN more stuff to do. That’s because they are relying on their ability and not God. I’m so thankful that I don’t have to rely on myself to get all of these things done. My God is on my side, helping me and giving me the grace to take each day as it comes. While my schedule will become more chaotic in the next few days, His grace will remain the same, ready to refresh me each morning.

That’s not to say this week wasn’t a challenge. I was stressed trying to get interviews scheduled, homework done, and just normal everyday stuff. I even freaked out about my senior project thinking I was going in the wrong direction. After a phone call to my mom, things were okay because she reminded me that as much as I love blogging and helping others, those weren’t priority right now. It’s so easy to let the devil steal your energy and time doing “stuff”, but it has nothing to do with your assignment from God. Yes, I was guilty of that! After I said no more, I’ve had a peace I haven’t had, even though in the natural it looks like I should be concerned. I refuse to let the enemy steal my joy. I’ve said, “God’s got this!”

Let Him carry you! I challenge you to rest in Him this week!

~Madison Sanders

 

Image credit: WEIGHTLIFTER VOL 2
© Chronis Chamalidis | Dreamstime.com

Dig In

“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, [And] to heed than the fat of ram.” ~1 Sam 15:22b

 

It’s late, I’ve been working hard, I’m tired… Pretty much the last thing I want to do right now is write an article for the website. But there’s this thing called FAITHFULNESS that I can’t get away from. Believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve tried to tell God that I have way too much to do. I’ve tried to get some pity from Jesus because He is the reason I’m so busy, after all. I’ve asked Holy Ghost to help me deal with the chaos in my life, but I often just hear…nothing. Nothing until I do the last thing He told me to do. Nothing until I stop grumbling over the call He’s placed on my life. Nothing until I just go ahead and dig in and do what I know He needs me to do.

 

So, as I have started to write this, I am reminded of HIS faithfulness to me. He is always with me, never leaves me, and loves me regardless of my flaws. He is GOOD like that. But not only that, He has given me a born again spirit that is infused with His very own character, the fruit of which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, FAITHFULNESS, gentleness and self-control. That FAITHFULNESS I can’t get away from is part of me… part of my spirit. When I’m tired and just don’t feel like pressing on, I tap into my spirit and draw heavily on the faithfulness that is already there. It’s HIS faithfulness in me that gets me through. Thank God!

~Linda

Image credit: FARMING UTENSILS
© Bigzendragon | Dreamstime.com

Not Just Another Race

 

If you read my blog, you’ll know that I had lost my motivation. I won’t rehash that again. What I didn’t tell you is what helped me get it back. Last Friday night, my mom and I were coming back from Anderson when I saw a bunch of people in wheelchairs underneath a tent. Knowing this wasn’t the norm for my small town, my mom and I pulled in to see what was going on. To our surprise, hand cyclists from North Carolina, Chicago, and Atlanta were there to have time trials in preparation for Tour de LaFrance, which was the race happening the next day. Seeing their determination to wheel themselves everywhere and the endurance while competing made me want to go to the race. More than that, though, I became excited again! I came home and immediately starting printing some cards for my blog to hand out to people at the race.

You see, I had let the devil beat me up for so long with the things I couldn’t do, I forgot what I could do. That spark to do something different had died out when my health went on a downward spiral. Even though there were professional bicyclists at the event, I wasn’t there to see them and didn’t really care how they placed in the race. The hand cyclists had to go around the same path for thirty minutes, which is a test of endurance if I’ve ever seen one. There were amputees there who were every bit as a cocky as you and I would be.

I got to talk to several of them one-on-one after the race. They talked about the rush of adrenaline they felt during the races and how a depression kind of settled on them when everything was over. That’s where I’m different from those men and women. While I might not have raced with them, my motivation to do more…anything more than what I was doing has remained even this week. I’ve started five squats to help my legs bend better. I transferred from my wheelchair to the car today with no help. God has helped me to see that I have something better than people cheering for me and a cool bike. I have Holy Spirit who encourages me, even on my weakest days. My legs are not like thin pencils. I have muscles; they just need to be developed. I thank God He never gave up on me! Every day I’ve woken up with a song in my heart, thankful that circumstances mean nothing to Him.

Have you lost your motivation? If you’re not motivated, how can you ever expect to take dominion in any area of your life? Give God something to work with. You’ll be amazed!

 

~Madison Sanders

Image Credit: ©Tammy Sanders

Is it Walking the Love Walk?

How do you go from being a doormat to a strong man or woman of God who is trying to line up words and actions with the Bible without causing some friction with others? I am still working on this answer myself. Most of my life I have been told what to do and I did it. I did not have any thoughts of my own. Or when I did they were shot down pretty hard. I have always been an easy-going, good-natured person. I never once stood up for myself.

So why is it that when I start to stand up for myself, I am accused of starting trouble or causing strife? You got me. I have grown tired of being a doormat for people to walk all over. There is this really TALL woman of God at our church who taught on Approval Addiction. After listening to her teachings on it, I began to change looking for approval from the people around me. I had realized that my whole life was spent seeking the approval of family members, friends, teachers, and employers. I decided this was going to change. Actually, the change really started when my dad passed away. Change is never an easy thing to do, especially when you are so used to the things the way they are.

There is one person in my life that has always tried to control me. I love this person but I had come to the realization that I cannot always be wrong as I always was with this person. Everything had to be their way. You could have a conversation with this person and they would voice their opinion and shake their head to show me that they were right and I was wrong. I have stood up to this person several times over the last few years but not without conflict and tears from the other person because I was supposedly mad at them. I was not mad at them. I was just tired of being told what to do and what to think. I KNOW how to think for MYSELF, FINALLY!

So, am I walking in love? I think so. I am walking in love with myself because I am worth it. I am a child of God! I have a purpose that HE has created me for! Just because it does not line up with what others think I should do doesn’t mean that I am wrong in doing it. I am also walking in love with the other person by bringing Godly correction and boldness when and where it was needed. Maybe not accepted graciously by the recipient but I think they are starting to respect me.

God did not design us to seek the approval of man. The only approval that we need is from God and the last time I looked, He has placed His stamp of approval on me. Do I do everything right? Not on your life! I make mistakes all of the time, several mistakes in one day most of the time. That does not change how God sees me or how He feels about me! No, walking in love isn’t easy but it is so necessary in order to grow into the mature ambassador that God has destined us to be. Sometimes that love walk contains the correction that is needed to get us onto the right path or helps us develop a backbone to stand up for ourselves in a Godly way.

~Ronda Sullivan

Image Credit:

WOMAN STANDING
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The Stroll

My husband and I enjoy the walking trail at the park. The beginning of the trail is more a stroll than a walk. Trees cover the lane with shade. There is usually a cool breeze blowing. It starts out going downhill. Halfway through the trail everything changes.  The shade from the trees is gone. The sun beams down on the walkers. It is uphill the rest of the way. I find it hard to complete the trail. The climb becomes a real challenge.

This morning as I approached the dreaded halfway mark I had a thought. I realized how much like my life this trail experience has been to me. I have had times when hardships were far from me. Then without warning, things would change. I would find myself in a hard place. I would need to find strength and faith to be able to keep going. “Trust in The Lord with all thy heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths; ~Proverbs 3:5,6. I am thankful we have Holy Spirit. He will guide us through these hard places of life. He is also there to comfort us along our way.

I will continue to walk the trail. I know it won’t be easy. I also know I can make it.

~Connie Robinson

 

Image credit: WOODLAND WALK
© Matthew Collingwood | Dreamstime.com

A Triumphant Journey

People see the smile on my face these days, but most people have no clue what I went through only a few short years ago.

My junior year of high school started off like everyone else’s. I had a full course load of classes and doing well. One day I woke up with a back ache. Without going into lots of details, I was without a doctor for year, but the back ache turned into excruciating pain. Not knowing the severity of the problem, I remained in school, but Lortab became my constant companion. Sobbing in front of my friends because I was in too much pain to eat was an almost daily occurrence at the lunch table.

I love going to church, so I got a tens unit and had it on full blast so that I could sit through the service. In case you don’t know this is NOT normal. In January, I finally got an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon. An x-ray revealed that I had a stress fracture, which is common among athletes and gymnast. I’m a bookworm, so this was quite a shock to me and my family. The doctor said only one in 1 million people have this happen to them. I was just happy to know there was a reason for the pain. My doctor didn’t want to do surgery right away, so we tried back braces for a few months. This is when I was at my lowest point.

The pain got so bad that I could not go to church with my mom anymore. Even thinking back to that dark time brings tears to my eyes. I would cry as I watch my mom get ready for church, longing to go with her instead of lying in the bed in agony.

Finally, I had an MRI that revealed surgery would be my only option. We still didn’t know the extent of the injury. I trudged on through my chemistry classes and English papers and could see my upcoming graduation through my haze of survival. God’s grace was the only reason that I was able to get out of bed each morning. When I could only take one step He definitely took two. In June of that year, I had a spinal fusion to repair my back. Much to everyone’s surprise my surgeon said that my back was broken and the vertebrates were floating around in the cartilage. Due to the extensive surgery, I had a long road of recovery ahead.

I can say with confidence that even when I lost hope, not able to see past my own pain, God never did. He saw me becoming a member of my church’s publication team. He saw me graduating from high school with honors. He saw me getting accepted into the Corporate Communication program at my college. I thank God that he never gave up on me! Whatever you’re going through, no matter how bad it may seem right now, you’re not going to stay there. God has plans to prosper you, so whatever you do DON’T quit!

 

~Madison Sanders

Hearing Impaired

We live in a world full of sounds. From TV’s,cell phones, radios,and traffic, conversations; the list goes on. We all enjoy the pleasure of hearing and listening to the sounds of life. Sometimes we take hearing for granted and fail to fully appreciate it

Recently, I had a hearing test and was diagnosed as being hearing impaired. Phrases like huh, what, I didn’t hear you, what did you say, or would you repeat that had become common in my conversations.  We all live with a degree of denial about the short comings in our lives. We’re embarrassed by our weaknesses and failures and try to cover them up. Well, when you wear a hearing aid it’s there for anyone to see. Getting older is a fact of life, and with age comes aches, pains, and decline of our bodies. Thank God for the blessed hope of a glorified body that will never grow old with no more sickness, disease, or pain.

But back to the reality of now. From the moment I recieved my hearing aid, it restored my awareness of the sounds I had been missing. It’s not a miracle cure but it sure helps. In the last article I wrote entitled “Hearing His Voice” I said the Lord speaks to us in many ways. I had been reading,studying, and praying in preparation to speak at my son’s church. As I was meditating, the Holy Spirit began to open up my understanding that He is our hearing aid. Throughout the scriptures there are numerous verses relating to hearing and listening to God’s voice. The Holy Spirit; our comforter, teacher, and aid is living in every born again believer. In St. John 14:26 Jesus said the Holy Spirit would teach us and bring everything that He had said to us to our remembrance. When speaking to the church in Revelation chapters two and three He said he that hath an ear let him hear what the Holy Spirit has to say. We are the Church, the body of Christ; the Holy Spirit is our hearing aid.

Hearing is so much more than awareness of sounds or words. It’s listening, comprehending, and understanding what is being said to us from Him. I’m a simple minded person, so a lot of times I ask the Lord to speak to me like a child. I desire to know Him and what He wants of my life. As we humble ourselves, not being arrogant or self sufficient, He speaks to us where we will understand His will and word.

In the natural, when we are born we have limited sight and hearing. Apostle Paul said first the natural and then the spiritual. As we grow in the spirit, the Holy Spirit is our aid to open up our understanding of  our walk with the Lord. Ask him to be your hearing aid and you will be amazed at what you have been missing.

 

~Ricky Robinson