Seek the Right Favor

Proverbs 19:6

6 Many entreat the favor of the nobility, and every man is a friend to one who gives gifts.

King Solomon spoke of how many seek to be liked by who is considered to be in high standing or ranking leadership in the world. People seek their favor. But what about seeking the favor of God? God is higher than any man on earth.  Did you know that if you are obedient to God that you will have favor with both Him and man? His word is clear on that. But many are just happy to please who has a title. A title does not make a man great. What is in his heart and if he seeks the Lord makes him great. God will utilize him and show up in such a way that you will know God resides in him. If you reside in GOD, you are noble. His word says we are royal priesthood. So walking in HIM means you have nobility. According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, nobility is the quality or state of being noble 2) nobles considered as forming a class. Noble is defined as illustrious, famous, notable 2) of high rank, birth or station  3) excellent 4)stately 5) of a superior nature.

Yes HE will cause men to give to your bosom as the word says. The favor of God is greater than what any ONE man can give. Let God work in you and HIS favor also known as a double portion of grace, will be so evident that lost and wayward men will want to know God.

Real Power Belongs to God

2Kings 13:21

21So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

The prophet Elijah did not die but was carried away to heaven in the presence of his understudy Elisha. Elisha received a double portion of Elijah's anointing. Elisha once laid on a young boy's body and prayed and brought him back to life. Elisha's bones retained God's power after his own physical death. God has given the power of life and death in the tongue as said in Proverbs 18. Jesus retained His power after His physical death in order to come back to life. Jesus purposely did not show up during Lazarus' illness and waited til his death. He did it so He could bring Lazarus back to life. Jesus brought a young girl back to life. Through the Holy Spirit, the apostle Peter also brought someone back to life. Resurrection and reviving is nothing new.

In present day I have both friends and acquaintances who have died and come back to life. I have read about a young boy who died and came back as well as an older man. Why? God wants to demonstrate His power as He chooses to create witnesses to spread His word and His saving power. God has the power to do anything He so pleases. He can bestow that power among man or woman as He pleases as well.

Never play with God on anything! When God tells you to do something, it does not matter who will be upset, who doesn't like it, who may scoff at it or what penalty you think you might be subject to. He has already made provision and has His reasons that He has not yet revealed to you. JUST DO IT! Be real with Him because He will ALWAYS be real with you and show you who He is. Real power belongs to God and God alone!

Laying on of Hands is Real

Mark 7:33-34

33And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. 34Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is "Be opened."

Luke 13:13

13And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

The purpose of the multiple scriptures is to show how Jesus actively laid hands on people. He didn't always have to lay hands for a miracle to take place. With the centurion's daughter, Jesus spoke and told the centurion to return to his daughter for she had been healed. Later in the book of Acts, after Pentecost, Peter spoke a word of healing over the man at the temple of Beautiful and then touched him and he too was healed. And Saul, who later became Paul, an apostle for the Lord, had the Damascus road experience with Christ who had already ascended to heaven yet Christ touched him. And leaders in the New Testament had been prayed over and had hands laid on them to be released into service. "In the Winning Attitude",  by John C. Maxwell, he talks of his experience of hands laid on him while he was a pastor.

I am not going to speak to you in detail about those experiences but rather, my own experiences today. The first time I recall having hands laid on me was shortly after I heard the Lord say that I would go into ministry. I was still at the church where I had been baptized. I had been going through a real spiritual battle and had been crying out to the Lord. A friend called me and said I had this urge to invite you to service today. I said I needed it because the generational curses from my family had been deepening. She did not understand because she had no idea what that meant but you can find it in scripture in Deuteronomy 28 after the blessings Fred Hammond sang about there are curses. But there is a cure. I digress. I attended service and during prayer the pastor came over to me and said, "Daughter, God has heard your cry about the generational curses over you." He touched me and I hit the floor. I do not remember much after that but when I arose, my body felt so much lighter. My friend came up to me saying, "Wow, you talked about the curses. I didn't know it was true!" The next time I was visiting a church where my college buddy was a minister in training and his children were being dedicated. There was an alter call. I had been going through at work being accused of things I did not do. The bishop began to speak about what I was going through and that I would come out unharmed. He then touched my throat declaring that I would speak for the Lord and talked about the blessings coming and then he spoke about sickness in body but declared that death would not take me. What he said about work came to pass. It took 3years for that sickness to rear its head but at the time every doctor I saw said nothing was wrong with me. I talk about the details of the sickness in the introduction of my book, "Get Your JOY In The Morning!" and in the short documentary film, "The Power of Femininity."


The next to the last encounter was after a business meeting on Saturday, December 15, 2007. I also speak about it in my first book. But I did not go into detail. I saw another bishop who I first met in NJ. He had not intended to be there but was on his way somewhere else when the car broke down and since he was nearby he and his group attended. When I went to speak to him he said I needed to sit down with his wife who was pastor of their church. She and I talked and she began to pray. Her daughter then came over and prayed with us also. Before I knew it, I was on the floor and there were people surrounding me. I heard prayers but their words were no longer the focus, the bishop touched my belly and said I was pregnant with purpose. And then I began pushing like I was giving birth. I cannot tell you what else happened but I felt like I had a midwife helping me to push. When they stood me up on my feet I was able to see there were seven men and women. I thought I was done. But God wasn't done with me yet. I could hear God through the Holy Spirit saying I had to say it. And before I knew it, my mouth opened and I confessed in a cry to the Lord that I would be His evangelist. Prior to that I had been working with children and was assisting in building another ministry whereby I was asked to be a youth pastor but that was not the role the Lord called me for. So I had to get in line with the call God had set aside for me. And within less than two years, Get Your JOY In The Morning came to be as well as the books and speaking engagements about walking in faith and purpose.

At City of Restoration Christian Center my assistant pastor, another anointed woman of God and my pastor had been with me as I was dealing with another generational issue and I recall them praying, before I knew it I was on the floor. I cannot tell you all that happened but I can tell  you that when I got up I was told that I would hear chains falling in the spirit and within a matter of few days I did and that was the final issue of the curses falling off of me. My response to the generational problems were different from that point on and that was the turning point. What I didn't understand was that Jesus is the only way to rid a family of the generational problems. Jesus shed His blood to deliver each and every person who desires. Serving and loving Jesus with a whole heart is the way to stop them.

From Sweet to Sour

Proverbs 13:10

10By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom.

God provided King Solomon with wisdom on instances of pride several times in the book of Proverbs. There is a certain amount of pride that is acceptable such taking pride in what you do, to do your best. Or a loved one who is proud of their child, parent, significant other/spouse, family member, friend, etc for what they have completed or achieved. However, there is another level of pride that is not so lovely.

What is pride? Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines pride by the not so lovely perspective as 1) conceit 2) justifiable self-respect 3)elation over an act or possession 4) haughty behavior: disdain 5)ostentatious display. Let us go deeper with the first definition. What is conceit? Conceit is an excessively high opinion of oneself or vanity. At this level of pride, as King Solomon describes, strife and arguments are more likely to erupt. Why? Because the person believes they have all the answers. But one who is humble is willing to accept information that can assist them. God is the source of true wisdom. And when God begins to dispense guidance and information whether directly through His Holy Spirit or a messenger that can keep you from sticky situations do you receive Him? Or do you create strife between you and He? It is likely that strife with Him will also be strife with those around you as your relationship with God is also reflected in your relationship with others. And then do you find yourself in problems that you need to ask Him to help you out of?  When you heed the Word and wisdom of God, you not only obtain wisdom but you avoid unnecessary problems.


Growing up I heard the term, "smelling yourself". When you begin to smell yourself and think you know better than the one who created you, sooner or later that sweet smell you think is in your nose turns sour. Do not become sour. Learn to seek God for all answers and before all ventures. Learn to seek the wisdom of the one who knows what the end will be.

Approved Workmen

2Timothy 2:15

15Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The Holy Spirit had been giving me this scripture over and over for the last 48hours and I had been waiting to see what He wanted me to do with it. When He brought to my remembrance a ministry for children I was once involved in at a former church called AWANA (Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed). The program is for children starting at age 2 - high school. The ministry does several things. It teaches leadership skills for both adults and children but its primary purpose is to teach children the Word of God using fun methods and rewarding them as such. It also taught them the value of working hard, saving for something valuable and responsibility. It really is its own ministry outside of Sunday school and a lot of fun. I was called a "listener" for the "Truth & Training" group which is for grades 3-6. This was again one of the backdrops that God used to set me up as Sunday school teacher. My job was to listen to the students when they were ready to be tested on their knowledge of the Word to see if they learned it. If they got their questions right I had to mark it and then they were to show their leader in the class. If they did not get it correct then I had to tell them to go back and study. But at no point could I urge them on or help them in the listening scenario. The children had to get it right for themselves. Each booklet contained life scenarios where the Word was to be learned and applied. With each booklet they completed they earned what is called AWANA bucks which they could use in the AWANA store once per quarter to buy fun games, posters, etc.

If children as young as age 2 could learn about the Bible and grow up understanding the Word of God and how to apply it to show themselves approved and have the Word in them, then it means adults can too. No age is too young or too old to understand the Word of God and show yourself approved to God and not be ashamed. But you have to want it. The children were excited because they had something to work towards. In adult life, the rewards are not only the crowns obtained in heaven, but Jesus also gives crowns in our present life too. The crowns are called blessings. Blessings can range from little to gigantic. Our Lord is no respecter of persons and will pour out blessings in His time frame. But the greatest blessings come with operating in obedience out of faith. This means that you are willing to mix faith as faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the Word of God and applying it to your life. It means you move from hearer to doer and learn it for yourself. Are you willing to be one of God's approved workmen?

What is More Important?

Luke 19:8

8Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."

Zacchaeus was not able to see Jesus through the crowd like everyone else because he was "under tall".  He wanted so much to see Jesus that he climbed up into a tree to get a glimpse of the one who performed miracles and healed many. Zacchaeus was a wealthy tax collector but was not well liked. Jesus knew Zacchaeus by name when He saw him and told him that He had to be at Zaccchaeus' house. Zacchaeus was so overjoyed and so happy that Jesus wanted to dine with him that he was willing to give away the wealth he obtained and even restore to those he took from wrongfully. Now that is a move of God!

How so? If you recall the Rich Young Ruler that came up to Jesus in Matthew 19:16 asking what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus said to obey the commandments. The ruler asked which ones? And Jesus began to recite them. And the young man stated he had kept them all since he was young so what was he lacking. And Jesus told him to give away his wealth. The young ruler was sorrowful the word says and he walked away.

The difference between Zacchaeus and the Young Ruler, one was willing and didn't have to be asked. The other when asked, couldn't because his heart was tied to his possessions. Jesus wants our hearts tied to Him. No matter what Jesus asks of you, He'll know where your heart really is. If you are unwilling to give up whatever it is, then you have shown Jesus that it is more important than Him which means you have made it your god. It doesn't have to be wealth either. It can be a spiritual gifting, it can be a person, it can be anything you have set your heart on so much. Zacchaeus was ready for Jesus. God tested Abraham the same way. The gift he gave him, Isaac, God wanted to know did he love Isaac more than he loved Him who gave the gift. Nothing should be more important. Are you ready for Jesus?

Blessed

Deuteronomy 28:9-10

9"The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. 10Then all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.


One of my favorite songs by the famed gospel singer, Fred Hammond is called "Blessed". The chorus of the song says,

"We're blessed in the city
We're blessed in the field
We're blessed when we come and when we go"

The song is based on Deuteronomy 28. The Lord offered up these words through His prophet Moses to the people of Israel. The Lord told the people of Israel that they would be blessed as He promised if they kept His commandments. Not only would they be blessed but their children, the work of their hands and everything under their possession. The purpose of blessing them would be not only for their obedience, but also so the name of the Lord would be glorified. And because they were to be called by the name of the Lord, all others would walk in fear of them.

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, to bless can be defined as 1) to consecrate, 2) to sanctify with the sign of the cross, 3) to invoke divine care for, 4) Praise, glorify, 5) to confer happiness upon. So to be blessed means that you are divinely cared for and happiness is upon you and that what you are doing will give Him praise.

Now the Word of God is the same yesterday as it is today. As said by Jesus himself, He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill the law. He is "the living word". Therefore the Word is still valid in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. So you too can be "blessed" as well as your offspring and everything you touch. Yes, you are already blessed because you woke up this morning and can take a breath. But to walk in the blessings the Lord spoke of through Moses means you are willing to be obedient to God. You are willing to do what He has called you to do no matter who does or doesn't like it, no matter what naysayers are before you. Your main concern is what the Lord your God says for you to do and you go forth in it. When you do, He surely will bless all that He says for you to do because you are doing it in His name and He must be glorified. He will not let His name be put to shame. So if you are acting as His agent and you do as He said, He will make your name great and that of your offspring for His sake. Yes parents, this is a good portion of the inheritance you are to leave to your children as stated in Proverbs. The inheritance of blessings you leave them starts with your obedience to the Lord.

P.S. If you have a Facebook account, WE NEED YOUR HELP!! The documentary film you saw last week that i was just in that features other overcomers which was written & directed by Ratliff Events has just been entered into a film contest!! We need your help to vote!! And Spread the word by going to http://m.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F17RQhh8&h=vAQFLeX8P&s=1