A Sweet Grace

 

A Sweet Grace

 2 Corinthians 9:8-9

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”

           

Where do I begin? The Lord is amazing in all His ways. I am a living testimony of the goodness of His grace that He pours upon me daily. There were many times when I was lost and did not know which way to go in life. I didn’t know my identity or purpose in why I was living. The Lord protected me from death countless times, I survived an abusive marriage, unhealthy relationships and friends that were unequally yoked, jobless, jobs where I was miserable working, setbacks, injuries, health issues, spiritual warfare and attacks against my mind and body, poverty, etc. 

In one instance, I attempted suicide. I was hurting so badly everything in my life seemed to have shattered in front of me. The years of hurt and pain can take its toll on the mind and body. When I heard some bad news that broke my heart and spirit that’s when I gave up. But the Lord wasn’t done with me. He wouldn’t let me die in my sleep with my stomach filled with pills and alcohol that I had taken.

The Holy Spirit blocked death from taking my soul. I made it to the hospital in time to have medical attention an hour before dying. Fast forward, that was thirty years ago from this present time. I cried out to God every time my life was going off track and when I was heading for destruction. He responded to me “I will create in you a new spirit.”

Today, I understand how sweet God’s grace is because He saved a wretch like me. I read the scriptures about His grace being sufficient and I called out to Him, and He answered me and showed me great and mighty things that I did not know or could see. The more that I read about Jesus the deeper I searched because I was able to see myself in the scriptures and now, I realized that the Word of God is about me too.

Christ died for me and bore all my iniquities and nailed my sins to the cross so that I would start believing that I was lost and blind, hurt, and confused. I’m a sinner whose eyes have now become open to hearing the words of God and the Holy Spirit helps me to abide in the Word and remain in the will of the Lord until my work is done on this side of heaven.

You see the Lord is working and weaving the Word of God into our lives through all the things that we are going through whether good or bad. If you are weary and your heart is burden, I urge you to start reading the Bible Book of John chapter one and continue to read the Word of the Lord for help and knowledge. The Holy Spirit will give you understanding and truth as you grow and seek the Kingdom of God.

The grace that we sing about is far more brilliant and indescribable. It has the power to resurrect the dead, find the lost, restore hope, blot out all sickness and diseases, call those things to be that are not, save the worst sinner, forgive all hurts and right all wrongs, wash clean every dirty stain, create a new spirit and heart inside a man, open blind eyes to see, rebuke the enemy, make peace with you and your enemies, etc. Hallelujah!

Please let God’s goodness lavish you and pray to receive it. Remember, when you are weak or in trouble, His grace is more than enough. Humble yourself and pour out your heart to Jesus and ask Him to help you. It starts with a contrite spirit and broken heart that the Lord runs to. Taste and see that the Lord is good, His grace is sweeter than natural honey, far greater than any riches or wealth that money can buy. I dare you to call on Him and seek Him, because He wants to show you the reader how amazing His grace is.

Sweet Grace

  My lips are full of praise

Words of peace and joy I sing

Heaven, I adore Your glory

 As the angels spread their wings

Whispers of Your presence fills the air

Holiness flows from Your feet

 Sweet Jesus sweet Jesus I praise

You are that secret place

While my soul sings to You

 Let Your power and Spirit embrace

Rain and pour Your sweet majesty

I am delighted to receive

 As I stand in the midst of paradise

I’ll keep praising and singing my all

You are holier than any miracle

 Sweet love sweet love unconditional

Oh my soul says yes I’ll serenade

My spirit is mesmerized by Your grace

 ã2004 “Naima’s Inspirational Melodies”

 

Live and Turn

Live and Turn 

John 17:1-5

1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

Every breath of air that we breathe is our lifeline to God’s grace flowing through us. If God should decide to take our life in the next breath that we take it would be the end of this earthly plane for us.  But He is so gracious and loving towards us to show us His perpetual mercies. And yet we are running to and fro throughout the day being driven to talk to the people that we feel are the most important to us, seeking something or pursuing a thing or person to fulfill us.

Let’s take a moment to ponder and reflect on a time when we loved someone that was so good to us that is no longer here on earth. The memories we may have or precious heirlooms, pictures, quotes, phrases, the things they said frequently seem to linger inside our minds and hearts i.e., “you are my favorite daughter” those five words will always be dear to someone’s heart because that was a piece of their soul that they left behind. The memories seem to still live on inside us by allowing us to reminisce and cherish the person that we loved and who loved us.

But as time goes on and the years are passing by and now that we’ve aged the memories seem to fade just like an old photo. The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and Jesus to be our comforter and helper and witness for Him. We have the everlasting Word of the Lord to always be a beacon of light and hope to us as we grow to understand that God gives life, and He takes it.

No matter how much we want to hold on to people that we’ve loved or vice versa, we must accept the truth that each life is given a precious gift of time. One minute we’re here and in another minute we’re gone. The Bible says James 4:14 “14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” You see we are to live for right now by giving our hearts, minds, souls, and strength to God for allowing us to see life today.

Jesus loves us and He proved it when He died for our sins. The Bible says there is not one who is without sin that have lived but Jesus. We must continue to grow and move forward in our faith about Christ. Our souls and spirits need the Bread of Life. God’s Word is our nourishment and where we must turn to get fed. The living will always have issues and matters that weigh heavy on our hearts. But we must know this that time is moving us into our eternal destinies in Christ Jesus.

Now we must shift our minds and concerns to elevate our thinking about the things of God. He has given us a chance to live and time to seek Him through the hard times as well as in the good times. Our lives are designed by Him and inside each of us He comes to bring us the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is a place inside us where God stirs up the living Word that He brings us. He makes it taste good when we are tired of carrying life’s burdens, and pain inside us. Blessed are they who depend on and put their trust in the Lord for everything.

Why should we forfeit the blessings and the grace that’s flowing into our lives by looking back at the past things and life we lived? Right now, is the best time to decide if we are going to go all the way with Jesus. His love is eternal, and He knows the way, the truth, and is the life to reunite us with Him and our loved ones who are His children too. 

Therefore, we must pray and study the life of our Savior and quiet our hearts and minds to let Him into our lives. He wants to give us rest in the things that worries us and lift our spirits to see the power of God working to protect us as we grow in the Word and spirit. His kingdom is spiritual, and we cannot grasp it nor see it with our physical or carnal eyes. But as we eat from the Bread of Life, we will receive the living waters and only drink and hunger after God’s righteousness. Because He is the Bread of Life and the fountain of living waters. This water never runs dry because He is the everlasting life.

The world will no longer have a hold on us to keep us bond in darkness and vain living. There’s freedom and peace in loving Christ and because He gives us the supernatural blessings that the world cannot take away for, we are united in Christ Jesus.

 

Look to God

Pray to our heavenly Father

Take everything to Him in prayer

He’s listening to see if you believe

Give Him your heart and trust

He will be gentle with you

You’ll never have to fear Him

He’s near the broken hearted

Count your blessings everyday

Show Him you’re grateful

Without His love and grace

There would be no hope

He loves everything about you

Your soul is deeply cherished

He knows your name

Lean on Him to see you through

ã2004 “Naima’s Inspirational Melodies”

 

 

Purpose

 

Purpose  

Jeremiah 18:3-6

3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! 

Lord, You are the Master Potter of our lives. Only You know the divine purpose to why You made us. Please help us to find our true purpose so that our time and lives will be accounted for Your glory and good pleasures. Some of our vessels are worn, weary, cracked, frail, broken, depressed, unstable, filled with debris, bruised, and discolored. We’ve lost our zeal for living and can’t sit up right nor stand. You are our only hope.

Life has taken so many of us into different directions that is leading to no where but to a sad ending. Tragedies have caused so much despair and grief to our minds and souls. This path only seems like gloom and doomed. Day in and day out the same old thing we’re striving to gain more things, unfruitfulness in our labors, working countless jobs and hours to make ends meet, picking up bad habits to find release from the pressures of life to only exchange one habit for another.

Some people feel extremely fortunate if they have nice material things, a career, profession of choice having the privileges of prominent status although life hits them hard sometimes too. Because depression, loneliness, anxiety, trauma, and loss have no discrimination. And yet this path seemed more promising with less grind to make ends meet.

No one wants their life to be a failure. Where is the joy in living if we cannot find our true purpose? It is the divine path that we must seek and pray to God to find. It starts there with God because He is the Creator of all and everything in the universe.  We are made in His image and have been given a purpose to fulfill while here on earth. Our mission is to search until we find it.

The Lord has a plan that involves mankind to be connected to Him as we live our lives. Our souls and health will be in balance when our spirit become awaken to the Spirit of God. When we become awaken to who the Holy Spirit is in us, we will be changed from the old person we use to be and transformed into a new creation in Christ.

Everything that we think we need and want will no longer control us or have our time. The Holy Spirit will reveal to us our purpose for what we were created for. He will help us to know many intimate things about Him and ourselves that God put inside each of us. That is where our spiritual gifts and purpose are hidden in the secret place with God. Our old desires, worldly pursuits and passions will no longer have the pull on our minds and hearts because God is transitioning our lives into a spiritual calling. He’s adding His mercies and blessings to us to now pursue Him and our divine purpose.  

He is the Master Potter and knows what to do with these vessels of ours. The process is going to be different for everyone as He reshapes and molds us into fine clay. It will be painful at times because we have been doing things our way and sometimes, we will still think for God in how the process should go. We must humble ourselves and remember that we are the clay and God is the potter. Therefore, the potter has the authority to do what He pleases with His lump of clay.

Let us be mindful that we are chosen vessels being set apart for a particular use that is for honor or for dishonor. The potter is the only one who gets to decide what will be or not be and the purpose for the clay. We must humbly yield, and surrender and give our will to God because He is Omnipotent. Our hearts must always hold reverence to Him and give honor to the Lord for His sovereignty.

We may go through many seasons that turn into years before the work is finished. We are not complete until the Lord sanctions His grace upon us. He’s working on this one sometimes longer than that one, but nevertheless He’s working.  The evidence is apparent to each vessel that the potter touches i.e., sometimes there’s a peace, a shine and glow that was not there before. That’s a part of the work that’s being seen because that’s where God starts on us. He creates a new spirit and heart in us. The old person did not want God nor His guidance and direction because we were following the world's systems and ways. The debris from sin and living makes us callus and selfish and rebellious towards authority. But only the Lord knows what’s really going on within us.  

Many of us first look to external things to study the world’s systems, processes, and patterns for our success and living. This of course replaces the Word of the Lord and further confuses us more because we are clueless to the divine purpose and calling that God has for us. Many choose this pathway because that fits them and those who don’t have a plan or vision just seem to wander through life squandering their time and end up in all types of situations that is not good for them, or many have been lucky to escape the dangers in living without a plan and vision.

Those of us who love the Lord are holding on to His hand and praying to know His will, plan and purpose for our lives. We desire to be vessels used for honor that pleases God. As we draw close to Him through prayer and His Word, we will not be ashamed of our faith. Romans 1:16-17 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

In closing, fret not if you have not discovered your purpose; pray and fast and ask the Father to reveal it to you. He loves us and desires the best for His children. We must humble ourselves and pray earnestly to Him. Our divine purpose is about who He created us to be before we were born to reveal His glory and workmanship to the world. Our faith and purpose unites us to live in Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

             

Work of Art

  

My heart is in the palm of Your hands

I will obey all that You command

I won’t complain because I know You care

 When the tears fall, I pray that You be gentle

I’m fragile and sensitive to the hurt inside

Lord I know that You have plans for my life

 I’m surrendering my all      

So that I can walk strong and have courage

Help me to fulfill my purpose

 As You mold me into a fine creation

I will read Your Word to feed my soul

While my soul rest inside Your will

 ã2004 “Naima’s Inspirational Melodies”

 

Time

 

Time

Psalm 90:12

12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

           

We’ve all been given the gift of time. God is the Creator of all things and decides how much time to give each living being. Time is a divine gift that we are given when we’re born, and the sum of time is subtracted as we live. Our time has been set for a number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds before we die.

Everything that we say and do is being recorded within this scope of time that has been allotted to us. There is a right and wrong way to live our lives. The Holy Bible is our instructional handbook for life to follow for righteous living. The Book of Ecclesiastes expresses how our living is divided up into time here on earth. The passages in chapter three reveals to us what seasons of life we’re in because this is the cycle of time that’s been written since man learned the knowledge of good and evil.

Many of us are in a hurry to live our lives to begin new adventures, study for a special career, attend an important event, a milestone celebration, or maybe we are stuck in a situation that’s giving us great frustration, or maybe it’s the opposite we’re doing okay. But for some people they are living their lives to the fullest eating, drinking and being merry going along their way.

As we ponder about our lives everything that we’ve loved or will love will leave us. Everything that we’re toiling for maybe nice and have given us some comfort and happiness, however, that too is only temporary. Basically, all that we may have are memories and even that fades over time.

People will come and go in our lives as we are always evolving. The way that we may feel today about life will probably be different in a few years. We think about how we feel or what we want out of life most of the time, without realizing that there’s no promise that tomorrow is ours.

We are being influenced in how our lives should be or look like through the lenses of Instagram or other social media platforms. The eyes of the soul is never satisfied with the blessings we do have. These spirits of excess and obsession will never be quenched. It’s like chasing the wind it never stays in one place it’s always roaming. New trends are coming out every single day enticing us to follow them.

Remember the clock is ticking and winding down towards those seconds of life. As we start to realize the life that we’ve been given by God our Creator our thinking will start to change. What will we be remembered for, who did we help, love, encourage, mentor, counsel, intercede prayers for and hold hand when life got tough? These are just a few thoughts to shift our minds and hearts to evaluate our time and our own realities that we’re living.

Everything that we talk about and focus on that’s what gets our time and energy. We must be mindful as children of God we are in the world, but we must not be chasing after the exact same things as the world glorifies and deems great. We need the wisdom to know the difference in who or what to follow in this age.

We are being influenced by spirits that attach themselves to these social media platforms. One of the signs to watch out for is how many hours a day do we sit and watch these platforms, and what is the content we’re consistently listening to? Here are a few questions to keep in mind: is the content helping us to forgive and love more, increase our faith, are we growing in the Word of God, being encouraged to pray and find our purpose to why we’re here on earth? We must find balance in how we choose to use our time. Enjoy life but don’t forget about God it is important that we love Him. 

Christ is our number one priority who we should be following. He must be the head of our lives and the reason to why we are motivated to doing good and exhibit His love to others. He doesn’t want our traditions, attending church service religiously, giving our tithes and offerings faithfully in place of laying our hearts and minds before the altar. God wants us to put Him in the front at the top of everything and above all the opinions of the people we respect, love, follow, like and admire. He is the one who holds time and offers everlasting life.

Truly the way that we live our lives is our choice but know this everything that we do for Christ will be accounted for and everything else will all go back to the dirt as well as our bodies. Our souls go back to God for judgement. A life that finds God will inherit an everlasting life. In all, love God first and trust His ways and plans for our lives, everything else will not matter because it is temporary.   

 

All Living Creatures

 

 Butterflies are beautiful to behold

When the heavens praise Me

I rejoice by sending you my sunlight

 All living creatures are special

I designed every creation that lives

There is purpose in living

 I send the rain to replenish the earth

When in doubt read My Word

For I created My Word to obey Me

 Don’t try to understand everything

My greatest creation is love

When you seek you shall find

 When you praise My name, I move

Look around and witness My glory

The earth is bearing fruit

ã2004 “Naima’s Inspirational Melodies”

Thank You God

 

Thank You God

 Psalm 9:1-2

1 I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.     

Thank you for lavishing Your goodness and mercies upon us. As our hearts beat for You, we will not hold back our praise.  We have life and breath in our bodies to lift up Your name Jesus! Your love flows through us as we raise our voices to sing about Your praises every day for You alone have given us the peace to trust in Your Word and stand because it is the foundation for salvation in Christ.

Every storm, trial, and test that we’ve encountered You were there reminding us to hold on and walk by faith. Many times, when the road was dark, and our sight was blurry You oh Lord were our eyes to make it to safety. The years of enduring the pain of not knowing the outcome was overwhelming and weighed heavy on our minds and hearts. The more we cried out to You with humility You revealed that Your hand was upon our circumstances.

The just shall live by faith is a beautiful scripture that speaks to our hearts because You didn’t forget about us. Thank you for blessing us to know You in that secret place before we were born. Our souls were with You in that secret place before time begin. We would have given up if it were not for Your loving kindness toward us.

There were times when we didn’t know which way to go left or right. So many struggles and hard times that knocked on our doors but the more we turned to Your Word the sun continued to shine upon our faces. This alone was the reason to keep trusting in You, Jesus. It is true that trouble doesn’t last always, and this too shall pass. You did not make two days the same.

Lord let it rain upon us as You see fit. Let Your will be our portion while we praise You. If it had not been for the storms in our lives, we would not have turned to You nor believed that You are God of the Holy Bible. You fed us throughout the journey from that time to this. Therefore, it was good that You afflicted our souls and allowed it.  The things that we learn from You is formed to prosper our faith so that our understanding will be from You about the things that we’ve suffered. Thank you.

The plans that You have for Your people are Your divine mysteries. Help us to keep trusting and believing till we have no more fear and doubt that we are fully in Your will. No matter what comes against our lives we will pray to stand on the Word of the Lord and not be moved by our emotions and human understanding. We thank You for forgiving us for our sins and amazing grace.

The one thing that comes to mind is that life is unpredictable. But the Word of the Lord is the solid rock of our foundation in why we believe in Jesus Christ. Seasons after seasons the Word continues to make our crooked paths straight and gives us strength to endure till the end.

People of God our faith is growing in the Lord through every test, trial, and storm that we overcome. Thank you, God, for using these unforeseen events to teach us the importance of our faith, and trust in You.

We are moving along day by day as we follow Your Spirit. Please let us continue to give our praise to You for Your love, power, protection, grace, mercies, Word, and the Blood of Jesus. Our lives have been set apart to glorify the Lord and sing His praises and let it be known that Jesus is alive.

His Spirit is Omnipotent, and He is our Savior and Lord. We must give Him an exuberant praise for being personally involved in our lives. He sends us the help when we call out to Him. We are fed by His hands daily with natural and spiritual food. Our souls belong to Him. He is the lifter of our heads and steps right in on time to rescue us from the evil surrounding us. Even when we are worn, tired, weary, weak, hopeless, and unfaithful; He is faithful because He is called “Faithful and True.” Thank You God. Revelation 19:11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 

 

Offering

  

Today I will give You my praise

Dear Lord, I honor Your name

Jesus You are the sweetest

Thank You for everything

I surrender my time and labor

As I seek Your kingdom

 When I look around, I am blessed

I cannot help, but to fall at Your feet

Your love and protection keeps me

 Through the storm and the rain

I have been restored and redeemed

I know of no other source

Lord I am offering You

Anything and everything

My soul lives because of Your grace

 Your goodness and favor flows

Into my spirit and upon my soul

Jesus Jesus, I do surrender

ã2004 “Naima’s Inspirational Melodies”

Fasting in the Spirit

 

Fasting in the Spirit

 Zechariah 7:4-7

4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me? 6 When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves? 7 Should you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?’”

 Dear Lord, please guide our hearts, intentions, and motives when we fast and pray. Please teach us how to reverence You, obey You, draw closer to You and help us to understand the significance of fasting in secret. Our lives will be changed by the power of Your hand working in our circumstances, situations, and dilemmas. Thank you, God for the victories, revelations, and mercies that You grant to us.

Many of us desire to fast for multiple reasons and for whatever that reason maybe let it be with a sincere heart and allow God to do what He desires in our time of need. Some matters are urgent, we may be fasting on behalf of others, or facing a crisis. We often ask first for what we want and need before we fast.  However, no matter how we look at fasting the end goal is to receive what it is that we ask for and desire.

Our victories are in the hands of the Lord, and He knows all about our issues, troubles, fears, and problems. We only see the worst of what could happen if God doesn’t step in to move on our behalf or may feel disappointed if we fail to receive the favor we need. God is the only one who can fix the hearts of men to move for us to give us the favor we prayed for and release the power to move these mountains in our lives.

We are His people, and He wants us to know Him, love Him and seek a relationship with Him before we need something. Fasting is one of the most intimate ways in growing our relationship with Jesus because it’s an opportunity for God to speak to us and a time when we are open to listen and receive a revelation concerning our lives. The Lord is listening to us, but we must also try to understand what pleases Him as we get to know Him through fasting.

Let’s ponder on some of the people whose lives were changed that had received God’s favor and victories.  King Jehoshaphat was granted the assurance that God would be with him always. 2 Chronicles 20:15   15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.  Noah and his family were found righteous and were saved from the flood. Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. But Noah pleased the Lord. Joseph knew the God of Israel as a young boy.  Genesis 39:2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. The Lord helped Joseph to become a successful man. He lived in the house of his master, Potiphar the Egyptian.

He smiled upon their lives and did these amazing miracles for them. They were not perfect men nonetheless, they were pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. The Bible only gives us some details about their lives. They feared the Lord, worshiped, prayed, and fasted because they believed in Him. That alone shows that they had developed an intimacy with God that caused Him to respond to them in many ways to let them know how much He loved them.  

As we prepare to approach God by prayer and fasting, we should be mindful of our hearts posture, humility, our attitudes and walk with the Lord. When we fast our minds are focusing on the things that we want and need from this transaction. However, we need to understand it’s a two-way street in a sense. We are on the receiving end and expecting something for our time and sacrifice. Yet not having food and water only starves the body for the time being, but our hearts and minds need to be repentive for our anger, unforgiveness, hate, rebelliousness, or perhaps our motives maybe wrong for why we’re fasting.

We must be willing to present ourselves in a humble posture to show the Lord our sincerity by acknowledging these sins that maybe our stumbling blocks in our lives. We must decrease and allow Him to be Omnipotent. When we come to God this way it lets Him know that we need Him to hear us and have mercy on us. He is the only One who can deliver us, fight our battles, move these mountains, silence our enemies, turn things around in our favor, bless our homes, marriages, families, reveal our purpose, fulfill our dreams, turn our sadness into joy, heal us from all sickness and disease. He created us and everything and knows the purpose for it. His resume is undefeatable.

During our fast we must be willing to allow the Lord to lead and humbly accept His will in how He chooses to answer our prayers and fast. Our devotion needs to be spontaneous and free while we’re fasting, so that the Holy Spirit can have the freedom to speak and reveal things to us. We should be intentional with reading the Word of God, sitting still in a quiet safe place, turning off the t.v., muting our electronic devices or anything that could influence our thoughts or distract us from hearing the Lord.

He is Omnipresent so we must not take it lightly or put God in a box. We must give Him our time and mind because He wants to draw us closer to Him so that we may know that the Father is as close to us as our breath when we breathe. Moments like these are precious because God wants our love to be pure for Him not because of what we receive but because He’s the God of the Holy Bible that died for our sins and He lives. Our fasting opens the portals of heaven when we come in a humble posture before the Lord seeking to know Him beyond our earthly whims and needs that we may have.

He wants to teach us about the things that the Bible says about the plans that God has for us. We must pull away from the world that we live and spend more time to develop an intimacy with the Father in heaven. The things that we’re chasing after in the world will crumble and anything else that we worship will not fulfill us i.e., degrees, accomplishments, and prestige. God the Father is hallow and there is no other god or thing that has the power to love us, save us, forgive us of our sins, and restore us from brokenness.  This scripture comes to my mind. Jeremiah 29:11   11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

When the Lord answers our prayers from fasting, we must delight in Him and continue to draw closer to Him. We must not let the noise from the world to drown out our worship and praise as we give thanks to the Lord who is forever loving and gracious to us. He is worthy of all our time and praise!

Lastly, fasting in secret is spiritual because it creates an intimacy between God and the person. When we pray and fast, we are placing our hearts on the altar for God to examine us and bless our petitions that only He is able to perform. His approval is manifested to us in many ways, i.e., when we can see it and hold it in our hands, receive that special phone call, meet the right person, a peace that comes over us about a matter, or sends us a witness confirming that it’s yours. Therefore, continue to trust in the Lord.

 

                               

Fasting through Seasons

 Stay on your knees in prayer

God sees your heart and trouble

Don’t break the fast

During the night when it’s dark

Let the tears fall freely

He’s working in the spirit

 Listen to your inner voice

Hold on and believe in prayer

You must develop the faith

 Read and meditate on His Word

Decree your desires to the Lord

Stop fighting your emotions and surrender

 The mysteries of God reflects His power

In the hour of glory a manifestation will come

The answer, an open door or deliverance

 Seasons are the evidence of time

As you get closer to your breakthrough

Prepare to shout and give God your praise

 ã2004 “Naima’s Inspirational Melodies”

 

The Fire Inside

 

The Fire Inside

 Isaiah 43:10-13

10 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior. 12 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the Lord, “that I am God. 13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?”

Lord Your Word is like a flaming fire that burns. It strikes, shakes, moves, creates, destroys, loves, fight, heal, delivers, restores, redeems, prevails, etc. There are not enough words in our tongues to capture the essence of what You do and who You are. Your Spirit is alive and mighty is Your hand in battle and yet as gentle as a dove to hold, and feed Your sheep who You’ve created, named, and chosen as Your own.

We bless Your name Jesus the most high God for Your power, presence, love, faithfulness and glory. United we stand to praise You from our hearts and souls because You are I AM. We pray that You will always love us as You have loved Israel. Your light and Word have proven Your mighty works. Our hearts are hungry to learn about You through Your first love. Thank You for allowing us to know that we too are a part of Your divine plan.

There have been many who have traveled to places in the earth to seek You, to hear a Word, to see a sign or to sit and walk in places where Your feet once tread. Jerusalem is Your holy city that sits on a hill. The world knows that You established Your people that You love. It shows from generation to generation how much You care and are an intimate God who is personally involved with people. Great is Your name in all the earth.

As we pray to know You intimately, please open our minds and hearts to receive from You God. There is room at the cross for every sinner. We need Your peace and love to help us believe that Your power and presence is with us. You revealed Yourself as a consuming fire to Israel. 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house. 3 When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever.”

Today, we have the Holy Bible to learn about who is this God and His nature and ways. Our hearts and minds must be in a posture of humility and thanksgiving. God sees us and knows each of our names. When we pray to the Lord let us confess our sins to Him. If we are holding on to anger, hate, unforgiveness, hurt, pain, jealousy, envy, bitterness, pride, ego, etc. This could block our prayers from being heard and answered. There must be a holy fear toward how we speak and approach God. Every man will receive according to God’s will, mercy, and portion.

Jesus is our Lord and Savior. His resurrection is the power of God that saves us. He said to His disciples that He would not leave them nor forsake them. He would send them the Helper the Holy Spirit. John 15:26-27 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

We must be honest and have a pure heart. The Lord is searching for souls that are hungering and thirsting after His Word and who are rightly dividing the Word of truth. His Word will make us clean as we read, study, and meditate in it daily. It washes away all the stains, old hurts and dark secrets that are buried inside our hearts. The Word makes us clean as a naked newborn baby. The longer we mediate on the Word and seek the ways of Jesus we will have this mind in us as it was in Him.

When we come to Christ and repent for our sins this is an individual transaction. Every man is given free will to come and are accountable for their own deeds that are done in their body. As we surrender our will and hearts to God and confess that we believe in Jesus as the Son of God who died for the sins of the world and rose three days later from the grave our lives will never be the same.

The Holy Spirit is the witness who was sent from the Father and Son to testify about Jesus Christ. He is the helper who is the Spirit of truth. We are blessed by Him to be chosen to live a spirit filled life as witnesses and ambassadors. He lives within each believer as a witness of Christ, and we are sealed to Him as a guarantee for the day of redemption.

We have the evidence living on the inside of us. The Spirit of truth is the guarantee of the down payment for the promises of God. There is a spiritual inheritance promised to those who love God and who follow the Messiah. Meanwhile, the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is the regenerative process of being born again. The new birth is creating a new spirit in us awakening our inner man, so that we will become children of God. The Holy Spirit will give us wisdom, knowledge, and understating of the Word by helping us to learn how to walk in the Spirit and teaching us as we are infants, then babes into maturing men and women walking in the Word. 

This equips us to become effective witnesses for the Lord. This is a lifelong process because the Holy Spirit never leaves us nor forsakes us. We are sealed to Him as valuable possessions. Because our souls have been accounted for by God as His sheep.   

Our old life to sin is dying as we live for Christ. The Holy Spirit will endow us with the fire of baptism to refine us and make us pure as gold in our service to the Lord. This is God’s power, and we are His chosen vessels. We must always yield our will and selves to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He will test us to determine when we are prepared to do the work of a good soldier according to the Father’s will.

Let us be slow to speak and quick to listen to the Holy Spirit and pray without ceasing to remain in the will of the Lord. This is a spiritual war, and we are in it and have been recruited for the battle. We shall march with the foot men through the valleys of life and witness the fires, floods, thunder, and storms. But remember the One who goes before us. Deuteronomy 31:8 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

Holy Spirit

He leads and guides me

He is that fire inside

He releases a feeling that cannot be denied

Hallelujah it is that unquenchable joy

Nobody in the world can stop Him

He’ll take you through the storms

He is the cosigner, lawyer, doctor, and friend

He’ll be with you till forever

He reveals the miracles, victories, and breakthroughs

Sent from above to seal you to the promise

You have His Word the Lord is with you

Proclaim His everlasting witness

ã2004 “Naima’s Inspirational Melodies”