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Warrior Dragonflies

This summer I have been seeing dragonflies more than I have before or maybe I just started to notice them. I know many place significance in the siting of a dragonfly, but I have never really thought about them much. I always thought their characteristics were pretty much the same. This summer I noticed that each dragonfly was unique in appearance. The ones I noticed in the past had dark bodies with transparent wings, but this summer I saw many with brilliant colors such as blue or green bodies with different designs on their wings. This caused me to investigate exactly why dragonflies exist. Every creature on the earth has a purpose, critter or human. Dragonflies eat other insects such as mosquitoes. Who likes mosquitoes? I cannot remember hearing anyone say that they like this annoying and sometimes dangerous insect. Other than the itchy venom they inject, they also carry diseases to humans and animals. Now I see dragonflies in an entirely different light. I see them as warrior dragonflies that try to eradicate the dreaded mosquito from our midst.

Being a Warrior Like the Dragonfly

We are like dragonflies in that we may not look the same and we have different characteristics. As followers of Christ, God has given us a mission to eradicate evil by shining the light of Christ in this dark world. Our ultimate goal is the same but our assignment to the mission differs from the assignment of another. Some are called to the prayer closet of an intercessor, some are called in their local communities, another may be called to the pulpit of a church, others are called to write, others are called to foreign missions, the list goes on and on.  With each calling comes a unique anointing to complete the call. For too long we have tried to be clones of one another. We need to step out and walk out in the unique powerful anointing that Holy Spirit has placed on our lives. We will never be successful in completing our mission trying to compare ourselves to others.

Darkness Cannot Win!

There have been many current events that have shown that evil is trying to take territory for the kingdom of darkness.  Locally just this weekend there was a shooting at an Edgecombe County high school sporting event. We want to think that the evil that is showing up on the national news will not touch us, but it is clear that this is not true. There have been two events that have shocked our country this past week. One was right here in our own state of NC when an innocent woman was murdered on public transportation. A man that had been arrested many times stabbed this young woman for no reason at all. That in itself was appalling, but if you look at the video you notice that there were people present who did not move to come to her assistance after the man walked away. They just watched as she bled to death.  The other event that has rocked the country and the world is the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Truth is, I did not know much about him until after this event.  I had heard of Turning Point but did not know much about it. What I found is that he was a strong advocate for youth. He went to college campuses speaking truth to young adults, winning many of them to Christ. Many say that he was martyred because of his Christian faith. I am taking it another step and say he was martyred because he was a missionary to the youth of the United States. What the enemy meant for evil, God without a doubt will turn around for good. There those that are already taking a stand for Christ because of this horrible event. With all that said, pray for his family and friends during their time of grief.

Fight for Our Children

The enemy has been trying to destroy the children and youth for way too long. He does it through media, abortion, as well as in many other ways. He also does it through the apathy of parents who fail to understand the importance of bringing up their children to be spiritually strong in the Lord.  The enemy uses school systems to indoctrinate our children in the ways of darkness instead of the light of Christ. Charlie Kirk was an advocate for the young. God is calling others to take up this cause and run with it today. Just ask God what He wants you to do.

Dear follower of Christ we are called to complete the mission that God has set before us. The enemy of our souls, satan has held us captive for way too long. He has held us captive by attacking our bodies, our finances, our minds as well as in other ways. He has told us lies and we have believed them. It is time to grab hold to the truth of God. Charlie was not afraid to take a stand. Can the same be said about you and me?  We need to be like the warrior dragonflies that I mentioned earlier. We need to war against the evil forces that are keeping us bound down and paralyzed with fear.  It is time to get out of our fox holes, hunkered down afraid of satan.  You have a God given purpose and mission. If there continues to be breath in your lungs there continues to be a purpose for you being here on the earth. Just start with what is placed in front of you. Start with studying the Word of God. Start with regular time with God. Start with ministering to your family and your neighbor. Start with treating the people that you come across with love and respect.

Ephesians 6:10-11

10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 

 11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

We have to remind ourselves that we do not fight against flesh and blood but against the darkness of satan. Paul teaches us in his letters to the church at Ephesus the importance of being strong in the Lord and His strength.

Sometimes it seems the attack of the enemy is coming from so many directions that we do not know which direction we should turn. Paul cautioned us to be sure to have the armor of God on so that we can withstand whatever evil scheme the enemy throws our way.  Paul also reminded us that we are not fighting against flesh and blood, against each other.

Ephesians 6:12

12  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 

We are fighting against satan, our enemy and his imps. We are fighting against the kingdom of darkness. We cannot fight satan and his imps in our own strength, our flesh, but only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Do not be afraid because the One that is with us is far more powerful than any demonic power of darkness.  Again I say do not walk in fear!

I close with this as a reminder.

Romans 8:37

37  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

 We rest assure that God is for us and not against us. We are truly more than conquerors because of the Holy Spirit that abides in us. We need to walk out in our God given mission with boldness and trusting that His way is the best way.

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Have you ever been outside after dark and seen something that was unfamiliar to you because of the darkness? You do not know if it is friend or foe. You cannot tell whether it is something that can cause harm or just simply harmless. It was an unknown form. Recently when I took my dogs out at night so that they could use the bathroom, I was looking out in the yard and saw something in the distance and was not sure exactly what I was seeing. I was concerned that it may be a coyote or fox that may grab my little dog and kill him.  I could not quite make it out. I saw a form but did not see it clearly. During the light of day, I clearly saw it was not anything at all to be concerned about.  I was just seeing a branch of my rose bush, but during the night when it was so dark outside, I really was not sure what was going on.

This thought came to me that this scenario can very easily be applied to our lives daily. Situations come in our paths that seem daunting and threatening and we panic about what we should do. Whether it is spiritual, emotional, financial or relational, we sometimes get so caught up in the event, we cannot see the whole story or the picture clearly. Our sight has been distorted by the circumstances of life.

Many times, the reason that we become so confused with the hits of life, is because we have drifted away from the way of the cross and have chosen the way of the world.  Our life decisions have been tainted by the world’s ideas and demands.

Paul warns us in his letter to the Ephesians in chapter 5 to avoid the choices that cause us to walk in disobedience.  He starts the chapter with reminding us that we should be imitators of Christ, to walk as Christ walked. He went on to stress the importance of us walking in love just as Christ walked in love. Christ loved so much that He gave His life as a sacrifice so that we can walk in the freedom and fullness of Christ. Paul goes on to warn us to avoid the darkness of this world that is reflected by participating in sexual immorality, all impurity, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talk.  He said instead we should be focusing on giving thanks to God for His goodness and love.

Being in the Word of God every day and spending intimate time with God shines a light and dispels the darkness of the world.  Paul cautioned us to not be deceived by empty words, words that lack the wisdom of God. The words that come from the world will lead us to disobedience. Paul warns that these words will deceive us and bring the wrath of God on us because of our disobedience. If we spend more time hearing the wisdom of the world through social media, secular music, secular television, and partnering with the unsaved or lukewarm we set ourselves up for deception. These secular things in themselves may not be wrong. It is wrong in the instance that we fail to read the Word of God and pray yet we spend hours on end in the secular things of the world. Paul warns us not to become partners with those that do not seek the wisdom of God, the wisdom found in the Bible.  Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 6:14, Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 

Paul reminds us to remember that we were once just like the non-believers in that we also at one time walked in darkness. He reminds us that we no longer walk in darkness but in the light of the Lord. Because of this we should walk as children of the light. This light is seen through our doing what is good, right and true, this is the fruit that is seen in the children of light. We should never take any part in the unfruitful works of darkness; instead, we should expose such works of darkness with boldness.

Light reveals the truth of God. This truth is manifested in our life by our conversations and actions. Our conversations and actions influence the circumstances and people around us. The lives of Christians should be a rebuke to a sinful world. The light of Christ in us exposes the darkness that surround us. There is no darkness where the light of Christ shines brightly.  The problem is that we have a tendency to hide our light in an effort not to offend anyone. Truth is the Word of God is offensive to those that live in darkness.  When the light of Christ, the light that is within us is allowed to shine brightly we will discern truth from the lies of the enemy.  The light of Christ enables us to see the true nature of a situation.

Paul admonishes us to wake up to the light, the truth, to arise from the dead and the darkness.  As we awakened from our slumber, Christ will shine brightly through us.  Do not go through the motions of living a Christian life.  Walk this walk of faith with purpose, your God given purpose. Walk the way of Christ carefully and wisely.  As followers of Christ choose to be all in. Do not just do enough to get by. Too much is at stake. There are souls including your own soul that will be affected by your life choices. Paul tells us to make the best use of our time because the days are evil, and darkness is always trying to encroach and take more territory for the kingdom of evil. It is time to fight for yourself, your family, your community, your country and for the entire earth. It is time to take territory for the Kingdom of God. There are souls that need to be reached for God.

When I started writing this lesson, I was mostly thinking about the individual struggles each of us must face from day to day.  I was thinking of the importance of leaning into the Holy Spirit for discernment and wisdom from all our decisions of life.  We all need to be made whole, body, soul, and spirit so that we can be a light for Christ. We need to be strong in Christ and setting the example of a follower of Christ shining brightly for the Kingdom of God. We overcome through our testimonies of the goodness and faithfulness of God.

David tells in Psalm 119:105,   Nun Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  The light of Christ shines the way for us, directing our footsteps, our decisions through the study of the Word of God.  Each time you open the pages of the Bible to read and study we are strengthening and gain understanding of how to walk out this way of Christ. His Word shines a light on any darkness that tries to hide itself, bringing light to every part of your heart. Our way is made clearer with each word and passage we read.  The Word of God brings comfort, instruction, wisdom, discernment, and strategy into our lives. None of us is an island unto ourselves. What we do affects everyone that we encounter whether it is face to face, through phone calls and texting or our comments on social media. Everything we say and do should go through the filter of the Word of God, the guidance of Holy Spirit.

In conclusion, shine brightly for Christ and the Kingdom of God today. Do not waver in your walk with God.  Do not allow darkness to dim or even extinguish the light of Christ that is within you.  It is of utmost importance that you shine brightly, dispelling the darkness that threatens to keep you and yours bound. Walk in the freedom of the light of Christ today!

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At the end of the last video, I talked about what was the result of this time of refining fire.  Most refining fire does not come from God Himself, but instead from an attack from our enemy or from our own unwise decisions. In the case of my missing cat, I truly believe this was an attack from the enemy. He knows just what buttons to push to cause us unease and chaos in our lives keeping us distracted from the way of God.

I also stated there were 3 questions that I usually ask God when going through rough times. These questions are:

• Is this a storm I need to go through or is this something I need to pray that will dissipate and cause no harm?
• I ask God what I am to learn from this trial/storm?
• I ask God how He can get Glory from this situation?

To be honest with you, often during these times my first response is how can I personally figure out this issue. I get distracted about the circumstances around me and lose focus on the One that is always faithful and will give me strategy to overcome.

Have you ever been at a place in your life where things just seemed hopeless? You have done all you know to do yet you are still in the midst of a storm that seems it will not let up. Have you ever had what you thought was a God given dream, yet it seems it has just shriveled up and died with no hope for it to live again. I have been there. It has been so intense that you are hopeless, heart sick.

Proverb 12:12

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. 

When we lose hope and we are down trodden, we are endanger of losing all hope in the Father that is always faithful. The second part of Proverbs 12:12 says “a desire fulfilled is a tree of life”. If we continue to hope and trust in the promises of God we will see our God given desires fulfilled.

When I finally realized where my sweet cat was, I thought she would be so glad to see me that she would come running to me. Even though she knew I was a safe place to run, she was so afraid that she remained  in her hiding place. I put food out, I called her and I sat waiting for her to come, but she refused to come to me.

One of the things I learn during the two days that she went missing was that she did exactly what I have done in the past. Some of you probably have done the same thing and may be doing  it right now. Sometimes it seems to be easier to avoid the craziness of life than face it head on. People can be mean and circumstances of life can be so hard to deal with that it seems easier to just hide away in our safe space, hoping it will all go away or right itself with no intervention on our part. We choose to stay right where we are instead of walking courageously making new friends, conquering new territories or forgiving those that have hurt us.

During these times Jesus is waiting to comfort us and lead us into new territory or reclaim old territory. Jesus said just that to the people of Jerusalem in the book of Matthew. Even though they had done evil, He was desiring to come to their rescue, He desired to forgive them. In this scripture He talks about gathering them to Himself and protecting them as a hen gathers her little chicks under her wings to protect them from predators.

Lament over Jerusalem

Matthew 23:37

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 

He is saying the same to you today. He promises to cover you with His wings. You can find refuge in His arms.  He is always faithful.

My Refuge and My Fortress

Psalm 91:4

4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 

The problem with you and me is that we want to figure it out ourselves. We want to do it like we always have. We want to use the logic of man instead of seeking the wisdom of God. We only go to Him after we have exhausted all other means.

When my cat failed to trust me enough to come out on her own, I sought God for strategy.  The guidance that was given to me was to shine a light underneath my heating system. This I thought would accomplish 2 things: allow me to see exactly where she was and hopefully get her attention. So, I lay on the ground and shined a light under the system. When she saw the light and my face, she came to the slot but still would not come out. I placed my hand inside the slot with some hesitation she came to my hand and allowed me to rub her head but still would not come out. She longed for my touch but was not willing to trust me enough to come out of her hiding place, her safe space.  Isn’t that a lot like us. Many times, we are satisfied with His touch but will not trust Him enough to follow His instruction for our lives. Finally, I had to pull her out. Once she was in my arms, she did not fight me. She felt the safety of my arms.  She trusted that I would keep her safe. If only we would do the same with Jesus.

In conclusion:

If you have followed me there is a scripture that you have heard me mention many times that I have tried to live by.

Proverbs 3:5-7

5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 

6  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 

7  Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. 

Today I challenge you to get out of your safe space that is blocking the Savior from coming to your rescue.

Take the first step to trusting Him with everything in your life.

Each step you take you learn to acknowledge Him.

 Don’t choose the logic of the world.

Don’t choose the wisdom of the past.

 His mercies are new each day.  

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If you watched my last video, you may have remembered me saying that I really was not going through anything that would be considered the refiners fire. What I did not know was there was something in the works. Sometime earlier in the day my cat Little had slipped out of the house unknown to me. My nephew had come over with his daughter to help flip my mattress and Little had gone missing. This did not surprise me at first because whenever someone comes over she hides and will not come out sometimes for hours at a time. I did not get concern until around 11:00 PM. I first searched out all the usual hiding places, but found no Little. To some of you this does not mean a thing to you, but to me all my critters are important to me, they are a great God given blessing.  Her usual hiding spots were under the beds. When I did not find her there, I searched in cabinets and the bathroom vanities. I looked under chairs and sofas, but no Little. If you had driven by my house you would found me outside with a flashlight around 2:00 AM, still no Little. I finally got to sleep around 4:00 AM. Sunday I started the search again, checking all the places 2 and 3 times. I went outside calling to her and called the neighbor asking her to be on the outlook for her. I knew at this point that she must be hungry so I placed cat food outside hoping she it would be attracted to the food, but there was no sign of my sweet cat.

Those of you that know me, you had heard me say that I never wanted another cat after my cats, Buddy and Sunny past at 19 years old. As I was praying one day I heard the Spirit of God saying within me that “I will give you things that you don’t even think you want”. Within a few days this cute little kitten showed up sitting in my driveway behind my house. At first she would not come near me, but the next morning she was so hungry that I did not have any problems winning her over. She won me over too. I reminded God I did not want a cat and He reminded me of the words I had heard in my spirit, “I will  give you things that you don’t even think you want”. She has been with us for 2 years now. She has been the sweetest, funniest cat, entertaining us every day. By Monday I had given up looking for her, but continued to believe that she would come back to me.

I did everything that a good prayer warrior should do. I declared and decreed, I said the devil is not going to win, or whatever came to mind. One thing I did was meditate on the scriptures I had shared with you all last Saturday.

Instead of placing my full trust and confidence in God, I worried. I will be honest with you, I cried a little too. I reminded God He was the one that blessed me with her and it was on Him to keep her safe and bring her back to me. I often pray protection over me and mine which includes my critters. So I did not understand why this had happened. I reminded Him I never wanted another cat, but He was the one that decided I should have her. Later I was thinking about the story about the woman that Elisha prayed that she should have a child. When her child died she reminded Elisha that she did not ask for a child so he needed to do something about bringing her child back to life. Through this I had more compassion for the families that lost there young daughters during the floods in Texas. This was just a cat, I cannot imagine the torment they went through.

Finally after I had done everything I knew to do, I just continued to believe that God would come to my cat’s rescue and bring her back to me.

I went back to the scripture in James where it is talking about the testing of our faith. I have meditated on this scripture quite a bit over the past week.

James 1:2-5

2  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 

3  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 

4  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 

James talks about finding joy in the midst of trials and testing of our faith. What exactly does that look like? This sounds like a hard thing to do. I saw a video on social media of a group of girls on a bus that had been rescued when Camp Mystic was flooded. They had lost friends and seen some horrific things, yet they were singing praises to God. We can learn from them for sure. I cannot say I know exactly how to go through the trials of life while counting it all joy.  Joy in this scripture means calm delight. 

These are some the ways that counting it all joy looks like

• Keeping our eyes on Jesus and off of the troubles and situation.
• Reminding ourselves faith is trusting in the One that loves us.
• Praising and delighting in Him even during times of adversity.

All these will cause our faith to grow and will cause us to be stronger in the Lord. Our strength comes from Him. When we mature in Christ enough to grasp that He has us and there is a purpose for everything that comes our way our steadfastness will mature and become complete. Then when we ask and not waiver we will be wanting for nothing.

Last time I mentioned that when a trial comes my direction there are two questions that I ask.

• What can I learn from this?
• How can You, God get the glory from this situation?

Instead of believing that God was taking care of my sweet cat, I was concerned that a fox or coyote would have her for their dinner. That is until Sunday evening I decided to trust God instead and believe that He would bring her back to me.

By now you are probably wondering what happened to my sweet girl. Monday morning when I let the dogs out to go to the bathroom, my dog Papa Stark started barking at something. I looked and saw my Little’s sweet face looking out of a slot underneath my heating system.

You would of thought that when she saw me she would have come running to me, but she did not. I called for her, I placed a plate of her food out knowing that she was probably very hungry. She did not budge, she would not come out. She was caught up in the fear of the unknown.  I prayed for guidance of how to entice her from her hiding place.  The scripture in James talks about us asking for wisdom and that He would give it freely. The problem is that we many times try to overcome our current problem the way we did with yesterday’s problems and that does not always work.  Sometimes we get to thinking it is our faith that makes a difference in a situation. Our faith is a vessel, a catalyst that God works through to bring about the answer to our prayers, but it is the grace of God that does the work.  We should never forget it is not about our works, but about His power working through us to accomplish the answer.

How did it all work out? After praying for direction, I laid down on the ground and shined a light under the heating system. When she saw my face, she came out of hiding but still refused to come out from under the system. It is the same when we gaze on the face of Jesus instead of our problem. I placed my hand in the hole and kept calling her and she laid her head in my hand so that I could rub her and comfort her. She was satisfied with just being able to feel my touch. After comforting her a little, she still refused to come out. I could not leave her there so I had to pull her out of her comfort zone. She felt safe in her hiding place and was afraid to come out and face the real world. I could not leave her there, so I pulled her out. I picked her up and held her close and brought her back to the place that she was truly safe in our home.

That sounds like us does it not. During the storms of life we hide away in the place we think is our safe space, our comfort zone, when God has something more for us. We fail to ask Him instructions of what to do instead we choose to do things that we think is the right way of doing it or how we have always done things. We are content just to have the touch of His Hand. When He wants to hold us in His arms. We settle for the less than instead for the fullness of all He has to offer.

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Have you ever wondered what the refining fire felt like? If you are like me, you have already experienced such a fire in the past or you may be going through it right now. Many of us run from the refining fire instead of staying and going through the process. I know I have run more than once. We feel that it is so much safer to take the easy way out. That is what we think at the time anyway. The problem with running away from the fire, is that we will at some point have to go through that fire, that trial again if we are serious about our walk with God.

Fool’s Gold

Some have chosen the easy way out and have grabbed hold of some fool’s gold, gold that looks like the real thing but in reality is fake, just junk. There have been times that I have been told “it does not take all that” to be a Christian. You see, I have decided to be all in, not just a mediocre/lukewarm relationship with Jesus. Jesus told us in Revelation that He preferred us to be either hot or cold than for us to be lukewarm. A good example of this is the health inspector testing food at restaurants. If hot foods are not kept at a certain temperature or if cold foods are not kept at a certain temperature, these foods could make you sick. It may look right, smell right or taste right, but there may be bacteria in it that would make you regret the day you ate it. It is the same with playing the game of being a Christian instead of being a true follower of Christ by living by the word of God. Playing a game of being a Christian without the fruit of the Spirit being evident in a person’s life can cause harm. Living a lukewarm life gives others a false testimony of the way of Christ. One may look at such a life and say if that is a Christian, I do not want anything to do with it. Another may say, if he or she is a Christian and live like that then I can be a Christian, too. Lukewarm living does not only affect the person that chose to live in such a way but also is a false witness to others. Jesus was totally against such a life. He stated He would spew such people out of His mouth implying they made Him sick to His stomach.

Revelation 3:16

16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 

The lukewarm Christian has grabbed hold of the fool’s gold that will bring destruction in their life.  Jesus said he would spew such so called Christians out of His mouth aka reject them.

Refining Process

The refiner’s fire burns away the trash/dross from our lives. Melting the gold by fire causes the impurities to rise to the surface, which are then removed.  It brings to the surface the attitudes and issues that are keeping us from walking in the fullness of Christ. This trash in our lives keeps us from walking in our God given destiny.

For sure when you are going through fiery trials, it’s hard, but on the other side we become better people. Peace and joy will reign in our lives instead of drama and confusion. Paul tells us in Corinthians concerning the refiner’s fire, the trials that we go through will bring to the surface all that needs to be removed from our lives, just as the goldsmith places the gold through the fire bringing forth pure gold.

1 Corinthians 3:13

13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 

James takes it even further saying we should count it all joy when our faith is tested. He says the testing we go through causes us to be steadfast in our walk. When this steadfastness reaches its full effect it makes us more like Christ. Our goal as followers of Christ is to be imitators of Him!

Testing of Your Faith

James 1:2-5

2  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 

3  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 

4  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 

Testing of the Faith

When we read in the New Testament about the trials and testing that the disciples had to endure, we know that they had firsthand experience about the refining fire and the results that it produced. There is another person in the Old Testament that could give great testimony to the testing of his faith. That person is be Job. He lost his riches, his children, and his good health. His wife was so grief stricken that she advised him to give up on God and die. On top of all that his friends blame him for all the horrible things that happen to him. Job stayed steadfast through in all. Job words were that God knows what He is doing and on the other side I will be like pure gold.

Job 23:10

10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. 

This is what Job learned through all his sorrows. Pretty much he said, “I thought I knew you by hearing about you, but I can see you clearly now”. His spiritual eyes were open to see who God really was, not what he had heard he was.

Job 42:5, 6

5  I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 

6 therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” 

When he realized that he had been seeing God in the wrong way, he repented of his thoughts and actions.

Seasons of Refining

True followers of Christ will at times have to yield to the refiner’s fire in order to grow stronger in Christ. I have learned to lean into God, asking the Holy Spirit’s guidance during these seasons and every season of my life. During these seasons I ask three questions:

• Is this a storm I need to go through or is this something I need to pray that will dissipate and cause no harm.
• I ask God what I am to learn from this trial/storm.
• I ask God how He can get Glory from this situation.

Sometimes we go through storms that he never intended for us to go through. We just failed to ask Holy Spirit for direction in the situations of our lives without asking His opinion in the matter.

Abba Father cares about you and your battles, large and small.  Seek His direction in all that comes your way.  His plan for your life is a beautiful plan. He will never leave You or forsake you!

God Bless You!

Terry

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Lily Work Ministry Update

Meaning of the Name

As a teenager and young adult, creativity was a huge part of my life.  It was not unusual for me to do all kinds of craft.  I made most of the clothes I wore.  As life became busy, I left most of this behind especially while I was going to nursing school and later working as an RN.  It seemed I had lost my ability to create.  It was reflected even in my own home.  My home did not reflect my personality and my God given creativity. 

A few years ago, a prayed a prayer to God asking Him to restore the gift of creativity back to my life.  During this time, different ideas started forming in my mind.  Most of the art pieces I did were simple pallet wood signs, later progressing to paintings on pallet wood as well as other things. Then I started painting 8X10 acrylic paintings, mostly of birds, flowers and animals. Now I am designing products for sale via Printify which is a print on demand company. There will be a link to my Printify Shop and LilyWorks Market Place on www.terrywilliamsministries.com website.

LilyWorks Developed Over Time…..

I was inspired to call my artwork LilyWorks.  There is a scriptural reference concerning the building of Solomon’s temple that mentioned the lily work design in the temple.   This scriptural passage can be found in 1 Kings 7:18, 16, 19, 21, 22. As a result, I felt led of God to name my art business first LilyWorks and later changed the name to LilyWorks Market Place. 

1 Kings 7:19, 21, 22

1Ki 7:19  Now the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars in the vestibule were of lily-work, four cubits. 

 I found that the capitals where the lily work was found were not merely for structural benefit but had a deeper meaning worked into it by the craftsman. The designs had deep symbolic meaning. The lilies and pomegranates symbolized purity, abundance and divine favor.

1Ki 7:15  He cast two pillars of bronze. Eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits measured its circumference. It was hollow, and its thickness was four fingers. The second pillar was the same. 

1Ki 7:16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 

1Ki 7:21  He set up the pillars at the vestibule of the temple. He set up the pillar on the south and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz. 

1Ki 7:22  And on the tops of the pillars was lily-work. Thus the work of the pillars was finished. 

Meaning Behind the Name…..

There were two columns mentioned in this passage.  These 2 columns were placed on the porch of the temple.  At very top of each column was a lily work design.  The pillars were 27 feet tall, too high for the human to really enjoy.  Without a doubt, the lily work design was place there for the enjoyment of God.  The two pillars were given names, which is certainly an unusual act.  The right pillar was named Jachin, meaning “may He establish” and left pillar was named Boaz meaning “in it is strength”.  In the beginning of the conception of LWMP, I did not realize the depth of the meaning of the name. 

Later I discovered the purpose of the names of the pillars and the lily work designs at the tops of columns were to give God glory and pleasure.  I knew without a doubt that the forming of this business was definitely a God thing, His blessing was upon it. 

A while back I posted on Facebook to look for changes in the ministry. I had been praying about making changes to the ministry. I had not been doing the maple tree videos for a while and sensing that it was time to start again using media for the furthering the kingdom of God as well as encouraging fellow believers in their walk with the Lord. Lily Work Outreach was birthed during these times of prayer.

 Lily Work Outreach is under the umbrella of Terry Williams Ministries. Right now, Lily Work Outreach is the face for our media outreach with other outreaches coming in the future.

The heart of this ministry is to give God glory and honor in all that we do whether it is blessing the Daughters in Uganda, publishing social media content through videos or written word, or encouraging other ministries through prayer or finances.  

If you are regular follower of the ministry on social media, you may also have noticed that I have been posting products for sale. The purpose these products is to provide finances for the ministries for administrative costs and to help different ministries one of which is the Daughters of Hope in Uganda. After much prayer, we have decided the LilyWorks Market Place will be under the Terry Williams Ministries umbrella.

 As a result, 100% of the net profits from the products sold will go to the ministries of Terry Williams Ministries. Currently we do not receive regular donations from individuals other my husband and myself. We do get occasionally donations especially for the Daughters of Hope. So, I desire your prayers and support in the coming months as we move forward go about doing good just as Jesus did in Bible times.

Our desire is to be His Hands, His Feet and His voice throughout the world. Just as the right pillar was named Jachin, meaning “may He establish” and left pillar was named Boaz meaning “in it is strength” so it is true today. Believing this is a prophetic over Terry Williams Ministries and Lily Work Outreach that in His strength this work is being established.

I also believe the two pillars mention is a prophetic word over your life. If you will surrender to His purposes in your life, in His strength you will be established!

God bless you all!

In His Strength,

Terry

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Many of you have questions in your heart.  You are saying where is God in all of this? There have been times that I have questioned Him too. One minute you are denying the presence of God and next minute you are blaming Him for all the bad that has happened in your life. When in actuality, He is waiting for you to turn your heart toward Him.

There is a parable in the Bible that can be found in Luke 15:11-32. In this parable Jesus is telling a story about a man and his two sons. The younger of the two decided life would be better if he could do it his way. So, he requested that his father give him his inheritance so that he could take the world by storm.  Some fathers would have refused his request, knowing that this young man was not prepared to face the world alone, but the father in this parable chose to let the young son find his own way, make his own mistakes.

 So, the young man left the safety of the father’s house. The young man went about just living for the moment, he partied and spent his money on things that gave him temporary happiness. All the so-called friends who he thought were his friends vanished the moment when they realized the money was no longer there. He ended up in the pig pen, eating the same food that pigs ate. What a humbling experience that must have been. Finally, when he came to the end of himself, he started thinking about how the servants in his father’s house had it better than he did. After many days he decided to go back home and beg for his father’s mercy. He had no plans to ask for restoration of his status as a son, but just to have the same provisions that the servants had because that was better than his current circumstances. He now was humbled to the point that he appreciated his father and his counsel in his life.

When the son arrived at his father’s house, he asked his father to forgive him. He was willing to live as one of the servants in his father’s household, but his father had been waiting for his return. When he saw him coming off in the distance, he ran to him.

Luke 15:20

“20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

The father never gave up on his son, his love for his son did not change even though his son chose to leave, rejecting his father’s counsel and love.  The father loved him unconditionally. Some of you today are feeling lost and hopeless, but Father God, Abba has been waiting for you to come home.  I am not talking about a physical home, but a spiritual home. You have rejected Him, blaming Him for the circumstances of your life.

God does not force Himself on anyone. Father God gives you and me freedom to make our own choices. He has been calling you and you have rejected His call, but he has been waiting patiently for you. When you hear Him calling, all you need to do is just take one step and He will come running to you just as the father did in the parable of the prodigal son.  Just say the name, the name of Jesus and He will answer you with His arms wide open.

Isaiah sums the love Abba has for us beautifully.

The Amplified Classic version of Bible does a great description of Abba love for you and me.

Isaiah 20:18 AMPC

“And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!”

He is waiting for you today!

He is longing to show His grace to you!

He is a God of mercy and loving kindness!

He is longing to bless you today!

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The question I have for you today, who is writing your story? You see God had a plan for your life even before you were born. (Psalm 139:13-17) Are others writing your story? Are you writing your own story or are you allowing God to write your story? Have you taken the pen from His hand?

Parents play a huge role in writing the story of their children in their early years.  I have another question for parents. Dear dad or mom, are you taking your role as a parent seriously in writing the first few chapters of your child’s life? Are you seeking God’s direction for your child’s life or are you doing it your own way or the way your parents did it? Are you teaching them to be productive citizens of your community or are you teaching them to be selfish, self-centered, narcissistic people.  How you raise your child in their early years is important. Are you teaching them good morals? Are you showing them a good example of a good moral behavior, being an honest person by living a life that lines up with the Word of God? 

After a child is older, he or she is responsible for their own actions whether their parents were good moral people or not. Most of the time teens and young adults have people that cross their paths that show them a better way of living. Are you seeking God’s way or your own way? If you are a follower of Christ, the author of your life should be Jesus Christ.

The problem is that we often take the pen out of His hand and start doing the writing ourselves.  I have taken the pen from the author of my faith at times and many of you have done the same.  What I have found out during seasons that I took possession of the pen and made my own decisions without consulting Him that life got a whole lot harder.

I took the pen from God’s hand in my late 20’s and early 30’s.  I thought God was just moving too slow, so I decided to do it my way and failed miserably.  Everything was a challenge, financially, emotionally, and spiritually.  But he did not leave me or forsake me.  He allowed me to go down a rough road so that I would finally begin to be appreciative of His great love, mercy, and grace toward me.

 After many years of doing it my way and failing time after time, I cried out to God and He heard my prayer.  I repented of my willfulness.  At that moment I literally felt His arms wrap around me. I didn’t see anything, but He was definitely there. Peace settled on me and from that day forward He started bringing healing to my heart little by little.  There may have been times that for a short season I have taken the pen from Him, but each time I learned that His way was the best way. I started learning how to lean into Him and His way, allowing Him to lead me and guide me and heal me. As I leaned into Him His healing, His wisdom began to manifest in my life little by little. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I found that Hebrews 12:2 was true for me and its true for you. Jesus is truly the founder and perfecter of our faith. He paid the price for me and you. He went through pain, shame and rejection for me and you so that we can be free from bondage. The distractions of life will cause us to lose focus on what is important. As we look toward Jesus, we begin to see things in a different perspective. He has already paid the price for us to walk in freedom and blessing. When we focus on Jesus and the Word all the distractions of the world fade and His will for our lives shines brightly. Because we know He always has a great plan for our lives. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Philippians if we yield to His way and to His hand, He will complete His perfect plan for our lives. (Philippians 1:6) He has not given up on you. Satan, the enemy of your soul may desire for you to believe there is no hope, but this is a lie from the pits of hell. If you seek Him today, He will bring healing to your life. He will begin teaching you and guiding your footsteps. Seek Him and trust Him today.

He has a good plan for your life, a life of blessing and hope. A plan that is more than you can imagine. Reach out to Him today, He has been waiting for you! (Jeremiah 29:11-12)

Psalms 139:13-17

 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 

 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 

 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 

  How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Are those around you making decisions for you?

Proverbs 3:5-7

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 

 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 

Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. 

Hebrews 12:2

2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Philippians 1:6

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 

Jeremiah 29: 11, 12

  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.   Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 

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True story, y’all! There has been an old metal lawn year in our yard for years. The chair was one of my husband’s Aunt Ruby’s lawn chairs. When she was living, we went and sat on her front porch to visit often. She has been gone for many years now.  The chair looked rough but because of sentimental value I couldn’t bring myself to trash it. So, this was the year I decided to paint it. It was in bad shape for sure. Over the years it had been painted green, red and at some point white and those colors were now showing after being out in the weather for so many years.

I knew I should have taken time to scrape and sand it, but I talked myself into thinking it would be fine with just a couple of coats of spray paint. I was badly mistaken. Instead of me dealing with the years of damage and neglect, I decided to try and cover the issue with paint. Just saying don’t try my method, because my method was oh so wrong.  I had hoped that primer and a beautiful shade of blue would do the trick.  From a distance it looks just fine, but with a closer look the rough edges, wear and tear of life can be seen and felt. 

It is the same with our lives.  Many times, we place on a mask going through life placing one foot in front of the other, all the time we are hurting inside. The rough edges and scars found on my chair reflect the attitudes and motives that are seen in our lives that come to the surface when we are placed under pressure. Because we have not dealt with the pain and past hurts of our past, those things keep coming to the surface, it all comes back to bite us.

It is time to deal with the past, and put it completely behind us, not just covered it up with a mask, just saying I am ok, you are ok. It is time to dig up the roots of shame, bitterness, deceit, and unforgiveness or whatever it is that has held you back. As we begin scraping and sanding these things out of our lives our future begins to look brighter, and we will have a brand-new outlook on life. As we do this, we will begin to walk in the freedom that Christ has made available to us through the cross. He paid the price so that you and I may live free, unencumbered lives, free from our past hurt and pain.  We cannot change our past, but we can do something about our present and our future. Each day is a new beginning, a new start. We can start with a clean slate. The only way this chair will look better is by me removing the paint then scraping and sanding away the past damage.  After sanding and scraping it can be painted again, revealing a chair that is ready for use again. Oh, it will still have some dents and flaws, but they will only remind us of the work that was done to make it beautiful. The peeling paint and rough edges represent our past issues that are holding us back from walking out a life of freedom. Healing doesn’t happen overnight; it is a process just like getting this chair scraped, sanded and painted again. Changing ourselves is a process that will be accomplished by allowing Holy Spirit to teach us, comfort us, and lead us with all our decisions. Some describe it as removing the different layers of an onion. I like to think the process is like the little chick pecking away at the shell until it is free to live its life in freedom without the confines of the shell. The act of pecking away at the shell helps the chick to become stronger in order face life’s challenges. God is wanting you to break free today from all that is holding you back.  Don’t give up when it gets hard. Keep pecking away at the walls that have you bound, walls of fear, insecurity, unforgiveness, low self-esteem, feelings of being unloved. As you keep pecking away, you will become stronger and stronger. You will begin to walk into the destiny that God always wants you to walk in. This is what Jesus said about it, John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed”.  His perfect will for your life is a life of freedom.

Be Blessed,

Terry

Galatians 5:1

1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 

Luke 4:18

18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 

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Have you ever felt like you are all alone in this journey that is called life? I will be the first one to raise my hand to state, “I have been there”! Whether you feel alone because your friends and family are so busy with their own lives that they do not seem to realize you even exist or that God feels so distant that you seem not able to find Him.  It is like He is hiding in some obscure place that it is out of range of your vision. Deep down you know He is near, but you cannot seem to find Him. I have heard it said, “during a test the teacher is silent”. I do not know about you, but I want to be able to raise my hand and ask some questions about the test when I am confused and do not know what to do.  I do not know that God is being silent because we are going through a test or if He just simply wants us to pursue Him.  Sometimes we are so busy waiting on God for the answer while He is waiting on us to pursue Him and to ask the right question. Sometimes when I do not understand why He seems so distant I ask Him two questions: “What am I supposed to learn from this situation?” and “How can You, God get the Glory from this situation?” What I always try to remember is that He is always near, that His love is great toward us and that He desires to receive glory through our lives. When I remind myself of those three things, I begin to see the situations of life a little clearer.  From my experience, He sometimes give me clarity quickly, while at other times it may be a while. Either way we need to trust Him in the process. Without a doubt He desires for us to quit our whining and complaining about the situation. We need to get our focus off the problem and instead gaze on the problem solver. As we begin to focus on the problem solver, we will begin to recognize the divine strategies He has available to help us to overcome whatever situation has presented itself.

Many of us try to work things out in our own earthly logic. He always has a better way and strategy than anything that we even can phantom. The Father desires to be real in our lives. He does not want to be seen as a last resort because we tried everything else before taking time to ask His opinion. We could save ourselves so much grief if He was the center of our lives and He became our first thought before going forward in life. Jesus did not die on the cross to give us freedom just so that we can obtain a ticket to walk through the pearly gates of Heaven. Jesus died and rose again because the Falther desired to have a family, that is you and me dear Friend. He wants to have relationships and communion with us.  Seek Him today and He will be found. He is hiding in plain sight.

Be Blessed,

Terry

Jeremiah 29:12,13

12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 

13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 

Luke 11:9, 10

9  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 

10  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

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