The Battle is Over!

Current Mood: Anointed

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“Tell… [your children]…the mighty things I have done.”  Ex 10; 2 NKJV

 

It’s not enough to escape your past, its power over you must be broken; otherwise it’ll chase you the rest of your life. When you break away from something that keeps trying to recapture you, it’s crucial to get victory over it; otherwise you can’t move forward and enjoy the blessing God has in mind for you. It’s jarring to think something’s over only to find it isn’t. But remember, it was God who permitted Pharaoh to pursue Israel all the way to Red Sea. Why? For two reasons: 

1. “That I may show [you] these signs of Mine’’ (Ex 10:1 NKJV). God wants you to see that when you put your trust in Him, obstacles and opposition mean nothing. He wants this experience to be a “landmark memory” you draw faith from when you face your next problem. 
2. “That you may tell… [your children]… the mighty things I have done.”  You don’t have to live under Pharaoh (Satan’s rule) any more. Like the Passover, when the blood of Jesus was applied by faith to the doorposts of your heart, your status changed. You’re no longer a slave but a child of God. The generational curse is broken. Your children can now grow up under God’s blessing. Abuse, alcoholism, anger and abandonment may have been the story of the past, but it’s no longer the truth about your future. 

God can solve your problem in different ways, but sometimes He takes you through the Red Sea so that when you get to the other side you can look back and see Pharaoh and his armies “ dead on the seashore” ( See EX 14:30) and know the battle is over! 

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Material from “The Word for You Today”, December 2009 – February 2010 edition, Page 9 dated December 9, 2009

“But God…!” Testimonial Event 2011!

Current Mood: Anointed

Let Nothing Keep You from Your Breakthrough!

Releasing the Blessing

Current Mood: Anointed & Filled with Praise!!! & Highly Favored & Radical & Contraversial & On Fire 4 God! & Righteous Indignation

Today as I stood in my bathroom washing my hands, I stopped and said to the Lord,

“Lord, there is no way I could’ve ever deserved such favor that You’ve lavished upon me.”

His response to my gratitude and adoration was,

“Beloved, your obedience has released such favor.”

I was in awe.

I began praising the Lord for all He’s done and that led into worship.  I really cannot tell you enough how powerful obedience is.  I mean REAL obedience, not the warped, distorted version we find in most churches today.   Obedience, from God’s perspective, is pretty clean cut. 

I remember not too long ago, God had me preach at a church in Southside Atlanta, in which the central theme of the text was obedience.  About midway through the sermon, I asked everyone in the church to take out a sheet of paper and a pen (the Lord showed me this the previous day).  I waited for everyone to do so and even had my daughter to hand out clean sheets of paper for those who didn’t have any.  Once everyone had something to write on and write with, I proceeded to give them what I call a non-numerical mathematical equation that defines obedience from God’s perspective:

God’s command + doing it = obedience

God’s command – doing it – disobedience

God’s command + ½ way doing it = disobedience

It’s really just that simple; however, we like to make it complicated.  We use a myriad of reasonings which are often preceded by the word “but” – “But I tried and it didn’t work so I did my part.”  “But I don’t have the education or resources or people to help me do this.”  And the ultimate, “But I’m waiting on the Lord….”  Folks, when we begin reasoning, we often lead ourselves into a cloud of deception; which then cause us to think we’re not really in disobedience when in actuality, we are.  BIG TIME!  Using the very simple definition of obedience/disobedience listed above (my non-numerical mathematical equation), anytime you are not actively doing (to completion) the command or instruction God has given you, then beloved, you are indeed in disobedience. 

Just as a side note, do understand that when disobedience is in operation, rebellion and deception are in operation as well.  A good biblical example of this is in 1 Samuel 15 when God commanded Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites.  This included men, women, children, infants, livestock – EVERYTHING!  Well, Saul destroyed everything EXCEPT the king and the best of the livestock.  When God sent Samuel to confront Saul regarding his infraction, Saul tells Samuel that he did follow the commandment of the Lord (vs13).  In Saul’s mind, he thought because he completed ½ of what God told him to do that he was obedient.  But no.  In verse 22, God says through Samuel the often quoted verse, “Obedience is better than sacrifice”.  God gave Saul a simple command, to destroy all; however, Saul decided God didn’t mean ALL when He said ALL.  Because Saul rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord rejected him as king over Israel (vs26).  Saul’s not only lost his kingship but also lost God’s anointing on him as well as his life. 

Beloved, I don’t know about you, but there have been times when I’ve done ½ the commandment and expected all the reward.  But when I decided to fully surrender to the Lord a few years ago, I desired and determined to be obedient at all cost.  And yes, sometimes obedience WILL cost you.  I had to give up my place of employment/resign, my house, Lincoln Navigator, certain personal pleasures, a comfortable lifestyle as I perceived to be at that time, certain people in my life, and even move to a strange land (Atlanta), which I had never been, with only $200 to my name (all of which was borrowed).  However, all this was leading to a particular path (we’ll talk about that another time) I had to walk and what I am getting in return greatly supersede what I had to leave behind, as Jesus says, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:28-30). 

Now my testimony may fall under what some would consider as “radical” or “extreme” obedience; but however you want to categorize it, my determination was and is doing what God has told me to do NO MATTER WHAT.  I had spent many years, even decades, being rebellious and disobedient and paid dearly for it; however, when I finally submitted to God, I truly submitted my will to His; my wants to His; my goals to His; my plans to His.  In Colossians 1 and Revelation 4, we see that we were made by God and for God, according to His purposes; therefore, we are not our own but was bought with a price as clearly stated in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.   We were created by Him to glorify Him and you can NOT do that with disobedience.  That doesn’t bring Him honor but rather dishonor.  And just as obedience releases blessings with your name on it (will show you in a little while), disobedience releases curses with your name on it (Read Deuteronomy 28:15-68).  Beloved, just obey, as the cost to disobedience is VERY high and is never worth it in the end.

I would like to conclude this entry by encouraging you to just obey God.  Yes, that will challenge you to go deeper into the things of God as well as remove you out of your comfort zone.  But just look at these awesome blessings that God promises on the obedient:

 “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you heed the voice of the Lord your God.  Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field.  Blessed shall be the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your beasts, the increase of your cattle and the young of your flock.  Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading trough.   Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out.” –Deuteronomy 28:2-6

God doesn’t stop there, He continues:

“The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouse and in all that you undertake. And He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.  The Lord will establish you as a people holy to Himself, as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. And all people of the earth shall see that you are called by the name [and in the presence of] the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. And the Lord shall make you have a surplus of prosperity, through the fruit of your body, of your livestock, and of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.  The Lord shall open to you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.  And the Lord shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day and are watchful to do them.” vs.7-13

I’m sure you’ve heard these verses quoted by a lot of saints and may have even confessed these Scriptures over your own life.  But remember there’s a condition that precedes these blessings:

“IF YOU will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.  And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you heed the voice of the Lord your God.” Vs1-2

 

May you seek God for a willing and obedient spirit and seek to please Him consistently, without any compromise, in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

A Moment of Reflection

Current Mood: Blessed & Faith-filled & Humbled

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REV. DR. CHRISTINA W. ROUSON 

August 11, 1957 – January 26, 2010 

 

A Moment of Reflection…. 

It’s rare to have a person in your life who knows your many flaws and mistakes, yet loves you as you are and treats you as the person she knows you’re becoming. To have someone who constantly teaches you how to be a mighty warrior and how to lead with humility, even when she was off the platform and was just being herself. A person who possess a heavy anointing from God and knew it, yet she was gentle and very down to earth. A person who has numerous accolades; however, she taught that the title to strive for above all else is “Servant”. By example she taught how to be a servant leader.

This person I speak of is none other than Rev. Dr. Christina W. Rouson. She served as my illustrious Pastor up until her passing on Tuesday, January 26, 2010. Her death was very sudden and very unexpected. When I first learned of her death later that afternoon, I went into shock. I just couldn’t process that she was no longer here. I saw her Saturday when we were both witnessing her husband (and our Bishop elect) being consecrated into the sacred office of Bishop. That following day, which was Sunday, I seen her and was able to give her a big hug and whisper in her ear, “I love you”, not knowing that those would be my final words to her.

Once shock subsided, anger began. It was short-lived, but it still did happen. I was angry with God for taking her away. “Why did you do this?” “Lord, this doesn’t make any senses. Why?” “Why didn’t you warn me or give me a clue?” as if I was privy or entitled to that kind of information. Now, I am the first to admit that God does NOT owe me or anyone anything and He can do whatever He very well pleases; however, I must be honest with you about how I processed all of this. Having lost so much already, especially over the last year, and now He takes my Pastor? She was a very important person to me and a major influence in my life. I do not profess to be a part of her inner circle, outside of being one of the ministers, but she by far was one of the most important people in my life. Now she’s gone.

Before I proceed, I want to share something interesting that happened to me on the day she passed away as well as a few things that happened a few weeks prior. On the day of her passing, Tuesday morning around 9-10ish, I began experiencing chest pains. It felt as though my heart was swollen or enlarged and I experienced a tremendous amount of pressure on my chest. This in turn caused my breathing to become shallow. I didn’t understand what was happening to me and I tried to just take it easy; however, that didn’t work. Later that day, around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, I got the news that my Pastor passed away from a heart attack, and from that moment I went into mental shock; however, my body was still experiencing these chest pains. After being unable to sleep that night and my children expressing their concerns (I too was concerned), I went to the hospital the next day. They admitted me into the hospital and treated me as a heart attack patient. They hooked me up to the EKG machine and gave me three tablets of nitro glycerin and injected me with pain meds; however, not even the injections of morphine could take away all of the pain and discomfort. They took a battery of tests, including a cat scan and a series of blood tests, drawing blood from me every 6 hours (side note: I hate needles). When all was said and done, the tests came back negative. They were not exactly certain as to why I was experiencing what I was; they had theories but nothing concrete. Needless to say, I was released the next day.

I returned home and took it easy; however, I was still upset with God. You see, nearly 2 years ago I went into a seemingly deep part of the wilderness and it is there where alot of old ways about Naima had died. “Egypt” had to die in order to be prepared to enter AND possess the “Promised Land”; and after losing my car, house, assets, people, family, certain comforts and other personal things, I was now being shifted into a place of restoration. I didn’t embrace this at first because everything still looked dismal from a carnal perspective. Even as I am now writing this, I am facing the real possibility of being homeless within the next 2 weeks and I don’t know what my family and I are going to do. Additionally, the day after I was released, my daughter and granddaughter moved out and this was also sudden. I have these and other things going on, yet the Lord has been dealing with me on restoration. Nearly two weeks prior to my Pastor’s passing, it finally began to sink in because of what the Lord said to me at that time. I remember waking up early one morning and going into my prayer room. I just laid there whining like a baby, asking things like, “God, where are we going to go?” “I can’t take this no more”. “Lord I can’t do this any longer” “When will this be over?” Yes, I was truly having a moment. But then God spoke these 7 words to me,

“Arise from the ashes. It is finished.”

At first I was like, “huh?” but eventually I began to pair this with what He had been telling me: He is now restoring me. And since I know that in the Kingdom of God, you have to believe and receive before you see it, regardless of how things may look, I AM in a restoration period. It’s time to build! God said it so therefore it is! It took me a little time to really get to this place, but now I am finally there. But now I’ve met another challenge and another loss, my mentor and Pastor was all of a sudden taken away.

Anger itself isn’t a sin but holding on to it can cause you to sin, so I knew I needed to release this anger. I cried out to God in prayer and expressed my anger to Him (He already knew anyway). He then humbled me by reminding me that before she was ever my Pastor, she was and is His. He began to remind me that she was a wife for more than 28 years, a mother, a best friend, a daughter, a sister and many other things to many other people, but ABOVE ALL, she is His. I repented. My Pastor was and is a reflection of God’s love and His glory. He poured into her so that she could pour into the lives of others, and now her assignment is finished.

God does everything perfectly and does everything for a reason. There is NOT one flaw in Him. He is excellent in all of His ways, and in order for you to truly endure and be faithful to God, you must become comfortable with the fact that you will never know or understand everything He does. In Isaiah 55:9, God says, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” That is fact, and this is why it is paramount for us to trust God.

Today I stand as a better person because God blessed me to know His humble servant, Rev. Dr. Christina W. Rouson, known to me and others as Pastor Christina. She epitomized a great woman, lady and servant leader, and she has seeded heavily into my life. And those seeds fell on good ground and I plan to carry out every mission and vision my Heavenly Father has set before me. Since under her leadership, I’ve learned to be a more obedient and more of a humble servant. I am not where I want to be but I am by far not where I used to be either. I’ve become a greater woman of faith, a stronger prayer warrior, a more loving mom, a patient daughter, a better sister, a good friend, a more humble servant, a great leader and an even greater follower (of Christ).

I close by using a term that I haven’t used, seen nor thought of since my junior high school years in NYC – up until this very moment. It just kind of popped in my head as I was writing this post. The kids and I would tag our names or our crews’ name with the saying I am placing under her picture.  My Pastor was and is an extraordinarily classy lady, and I don’t think there’s any words I can use that encapsulates her personality, wisdom nor the impact that she’s made in the lives of many people.  But if there was any person who this term was best fitting for, it would be this great woman, fearless leader and humble servant of God.

REV. DR. CHRISTINA W. ROUSON

August 11, 1957 – January 26, 2010

 

2 GOOD

2 BE____

4 GOTTEN

 

PASTOR CHRISTINA, YOU ARE CERTAINLY LOVED AND WILL BE MISSED BY MANY.

Until I see you again….

 

If you’d like to read more about this great woman of God and her ministry, CLICK HERE or visit go to www.sgomonline.org

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The Vault Series: The Fruit of Unforgiveness

Current Mood: Anointed & Radical & Triumphant

 

The entry below is another entry from what I call The Vault Series, which are entries that I’ve written up until about a year on my eJournal at www.NaimaWilliams.com/blog.  The entry below was originally posted on December 23, 2008, and though that is the case, the principals and lessons to learn are still relevant to today’s issues.  I pray that you’re blessed by it and that the Heavenly Father brings you to a place of fruitfulness, obedience, and an abundant life to the full till it overflows, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

December 23, 2008

 

“But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:15  

By definition, forgiveness means to pardon an offender and to give up the resentment and desire to retaliate or pay the person back somehow.  In essence, forgiveness allows for the mistakes made by others.  In Matthew 6:14, Jesus tells us how important it is to forgive others: 

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” 

He also continues in verse 15 saying, “but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”  A question to ask yourself is “What would happen to me if my Heavenly Father didn’t forgive me of my sin? 

S   E   L   A   H 

When concluding the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, Jesus called the forgiven servant who DID NOT forgive “wicked” and proceeded with, “I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:32-35)

BE CAREFUL

Do not make the mistake of thinking that you’ve forgiven a person just because you said the words.  No, that is very untrue and indeed a misconception.  As Jesus mentioned above, we must forgive from the heart.  Anyone can say anything; however, saying it doesn’t make it true if you have something completely different in your heart. 

YOU CAN TELL BY THEIR (AND YOUR) FRUIT

In addition to forgiveness being the start of the healing process, forgiveness also manifests fruit.  In Matthew 7:14, Jesus lets us know that we can tell a truth about a person based upon their fruit.  So is the same about forgiveness.  Forgiveness exercises the fruit of the Spirit especially LOVE, which covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).  Similarly, unforgiveness also bears fruit, all of which are contrary to the fruit of the Spirit.  Some of its fruit, as well as the consequences, are: 

• Anger
• Self-pity
• Resentment
• Bitterness
• Revenge
• Hatred
• Depression
• Strife
• Unkindness
• Insecurity
• Envy
• Jealousy
• Tormentors are called on those who do not forgive.
• Prayers hindered
• Personal sins not forgiven
• Will call us to judgment on the matter
• Negatively effects other relationships (family, marriage, friends, business, etc)
• Has earthly and eternal consequences
• We block our spiritual communication with God.

 

NOTHING OR NO ONE IS WORTH IT!

It is better for you to quickly forgive than to jeopardize your own relationship with God.

MAKE A DECISION

Decide that you will forgive EVERYONE who has ever hurt or offended you in your life, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you to do this.  For some, you may need to go to the person and let him/her know that you’ve forgiven the offense.  This will help release you and that person from the negative feelings they’ve held on to as a result of the offense. 

Realizing that some hurts are more difficult to get over than others, another way you can go about forgiveness is to think to yourself, ‘What if I was in the other person’s shoes?  Would I want forgiveness?  Would I want God to forgive me if I committed the same offense this person did?”  Chances are you’ve answered “yes” to these 3 questions.  Even unbelievers desire to be forgiven for their offenses—as a bad conscious is impossible to escape.  Everywhere you are, your conscious will be, and there’s no amount of alcohol, drugs, or any other self-medicating substances or actions that can completely remove a guilty conscious. 

Forgiveness is a choice and decision that you must make; and the initiative you must take each time you are offended – whether intentionally or unintentionally.  Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to forgive quickly and completely, and then allow Him to do what He must do to get you there.  Be sure to also forgive those who have hurt you in the past so that you are released from those negative emotion and painful memories.  If you need to actually call the offending person or drop by for a visit, then do it!  It is far better for you to withstand those few moments of awkwardness than to allow unforgiveness, resentment and other negative feelings to eat away any good things in your life because you’re still locked to the bad things.  Unforgiveness robs you from joy, peace, and experience the fullness of love in your life. 

In closing, I’d like to say to you if you ever find yourself in a position that the offense was so ‘unforgiveable’ and the hurt was so immeasurable, then I invite you to go into the book of Matthew 18:21-35 (conveniently posted below), and read and mediate on the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.  For your convenience, I’ve posted this parable below and I truly advise you to read it, dissect it, mediate on it and ask the Holy Spirit to help you in this area.  Though sometimes it’s hard to forgive, especially in the beginning of your ‘forgiveness’ walk, the rewards of forgiveness greatly outweigh the offense.  The flipside to this is that the consequences of unforgiveness greatly outweigh the actual offense itself.  

Just do yourself the favor and just forgive! 

 

Matthew 18:21-35

Parable of the Unmerciful Servant 

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“The servant fell on his knees before him, ’Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii (Naima Interjects – far less than the debt he was forgiven for), He grabbed him and began to choke him.’Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. 

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

S   E   L   A   H

 

Original post on www.NaimaWilliams.com/blog on December 23, 2008

This is Real Talk…Again!

Current Mood: Anointed & Blessed & On Fire 4 God! & Righteous Indignation

I would like to share something with you that I wrote last December 2009, and I wrote it during one of the most difficult times in my life.  At that time, I was going through major stripping –stripping of everything – and I had to let go of my house, vehicle, people and certain comforts for a much higher purpose.  At the time I wrote this, I was crushed in spirit yet still determined to do all that God required of me.  As I face new challenges today, I do take the time to reflect on all that God has brought me through.  There was times when I thought there is no way that I can make it through this; yet God sustained my mind, my strength and my faith.

My prayer is that someone who may be going through a similar process may be encouraged today to continue to go through that which God requires of them; for there is certainly a radiant Light at the end of the tunnel.  Destiny and/or true anointing requires that a price be paid; however that required price pales in comparison to the price that is paid when we forfeit our destiny. 

May the strength of God be with you always and may He lead you into all the greatness He has for you, in the name of Jesus!  Amen.

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THIS IS REAL TALK!

Originally written December 2009

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Joy eludes me and anger is trying to consume me;

Nothing is coming up roses;

Everything is coming up thorns;

Yet You still say, “Trust Me”

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But I am angry with You, Lord;

When You told me to leave all that I knew to follow You, I obeyed;

When You told me to forsake my evil ways and give up my lustful desires, though I at times fell in the process, I obeyed;

When You told me to resign leaving my only source of income, as terrifying as it was, I still obeyed;

When You told me to speak no matter how hard the message or how high the cost, I cried then I obeyed;

When I was confronted with persecution and accusations, You told me to keep on going, and I obeyed;

When all seemed lost You still said, “My child, there is more that I require of you”, and I said, “Yea, Lord” and I obeyed.

 ..

But now Lord, look at my heart as it bleeds and see how everything and everyone has fallen down around me;

There are some who think I’ve caused these calamities upon myself, while others simply question the level of my sanity;

The good name I worked so hard to establish has been utterly destroyed;

And the only means of transportation I had has been repossessed;

My home, the beautiful home You blessed me with has been foreclosed, and now homelessness awaits me;

I turn to the left just to find that I’ve lost a child and to my right are the remaining children seeking my strength and direction;

But I have nothing to give but pain and despair, yet, through it all You tell me to trust and follow You.

..

Burdens and hardship continues to mount up on every side;

The brook has dried up and You no longer command the ravens to feed me;

I cry to You, “Lord, what’s next?  Where is the provision?” Yet Your answer is deafening silence;

All the while the devourer lurks in the shadows seeking to do more than just destroy me;

He wants to use me to hurt You;

He uses soothing words to entice me and makes all kinds of promises in hopes of seducing me;

He even says he can give me beauty for ashes and gladness instead of the aching pain I feel inside;

All of these are mine, he says, if only I serve him.

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But who can stand against the Lord and live?  And though I am broken, I am not ignorant of the enemy’s schemes and lies;

I know that no matter what, You are still God and there is NO ONE, including all of hell, who can stand against You;

Great and Mighty is Your Name, You are the Lord of hosts, the Great I Am, the great King of Glory;

You are everlasting to everlasting and there is NO wisdom, NO insight or NO plan that can succeed against You;

Though I am cast down, my heart still burns for You and aches for You, and I so seek Your glory, Oh Lord;

If You say You will never forsake me, then it is that which is true; therefore, somewhere provision lies and awaits me;

Arise, Oh Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered; renew my joy which is my strength; anoint me afresh with Your Spirit and bring me higher in You;

Restore me, Oh God, so that I may war for You, and through all of this mayhem, show me Your glory.

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Your Word says the prayers of the righteous avails much and I know it is these prayers that brings me strength on this day;

While I continue to walk through this valley of death, continue to press their hearts to pray for me;

And let their words be not their own words but the words of the Greater One within them;

And help me, Holy Spirit, to keep my eyes steadfast on the Father and not on the place of isolation and desolation;

Forgive me for any and all sin, and even in my suffering be magnified and glorified, let the people of God be edified and the body of Christ purified;

And let me be healed now in Jesus’ Name, let my mind not wander to dark places but let it be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work and Word of the Lord;

You say in Your Word to let the weak say they are strong, so in Jesus’ name I confess now that I am strong!

Thank You, Lord, for rescuing your servant and for leading me down the path that brings a greater glory to Your wondrous and sovereign Name.

Real talk. 

Amen.

All Tricks – No Treats!

Current Mood: Anointed & Prayerful & Triumphant

The Bible is very clear about the destiny of the devil.  Revelations 20:10 says “Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur…. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”  Notice that before he was tossed into the lake of fire, the Bible says that the enemy had deceived “them”.  Who are them?  The world!  The devil is fully aware of his destiny of doom, and consequently, he’s focused his attention on trying to take with him as many people as he can because he is the ultimate hater.  He hates God with a passion, and since he cannot defeat God, he goes after God’s most prized possession – man.

What I am about to share with you is actually a research paper I had written over 10 years ago, back in 1999.  The paper is titled, “The Origins of Halloween” and was put together after I had conducted personal research about this “holiday”.  As with many other Christian children, I was told by my Grandma, who was an evangelist, that Halloween was a day for Satan and this festival was not glorifying God, and I wanted to get more information about this for myself as well as to educate others. 

Oftentimes, we as a people tend to go along with traditions, whether bad or good, without asking any questions about its origins.  We let the majority tells us to go along without knowing how today’s traditions originated and why.  One popular belief is that if you’re celebrating a day like Halloween in the spirit of fun, then it’s harmless and fine.  But unfortunately that is far from being the truth; as its origins actually reveal the true spirits in operation during the observance of Halloween.  In addition, many of us do not realize the tremendous power that is released in agreement.  Let’s take signing a document.  Your signing the bottom line of an agreement supersede whatever you may really think or even say about the agreement, even if you don’t really agree with all the terms.  Neither does it matter if you fully understand the terms of the agreement or not, if you signed it then you are bound to those terms.  Well, as it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual.  When you participate in the traditions of this day, you are putting yourself in agreement with those terms (what this day truly stands for)  REGARDLESS of whether you fully understand the terms or your statement of “I’m just doing it in the name of fun”.  Just like there are natural laws, there are also spiritual laws, and they are in operation whether you fully understand them and/or choose to ignore them. 

Halloween, also known as the Day of the Dead or All Souls Day, is a day that has sinister and occultic origins, and unfortunately, many Christians today participate its festivities not realizing what they’re really getting themselves into.  I know I tried doing this myself during my years of rebellion and backsliding.  Last year I shared an experience I had over 10 years ago and posted it on my eJournal under the title “From Rebellious to Radical: A Halloween Story”.  This entry tells my personal testimony and you’re more than welcome to click on the above link and read about it.  However, the report I’m providing below is based upon researched facts, facts that are still true to this day.

We are repeatedly exhorted by God in the Word of God to disassociate with all things of darkness, and in case you haven’t noticed, Halloween glamorize, commercialize and exalts all darkness.  Folks, in my years of walking with God and studying His Word, I’ve learned that when God tells us to stay away from something, it is always for our own good.  An example of this is in the book of Genesis when God tells Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  This warning was to protect Adam as well as all of mankind, and because of our disobedience, mankind was put under a curse by the Creator—with its ultimate being eternal damnation.  No other person nor thing could override God’s judgment.  But thanks be to God that He provided us with a plan of salvation, which is found only through His Son, the Christ!  Halleluiah! 

My prayer is that as you read the article below, you will read it with an open mind and that truth prevails and sets you free!  I pray that you’re edified and God alone is glorified, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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The Origins of Halloween

Introduction

Witches, Vampires, and bats are major icons of the holiday many love to celebrate. Like everything else, Halloween has origins, but because of tradition, many people have simply ignored questions about the peculiar day. Once learned, the origins of this greatly observed holiday may disturb a lot of people.

Origins

Halloween can be traced directly back to Samhain, the ancient Celtic harvest festival honoring the lord of the dead. The Celts, a tribal people who inhabited most of Western and Central Europe in the first millennium BC, practice a pagan religion know as Druidism. As Druids, they were well versed in astrology, magic, and the mysterious powers of the plants and animals.

Samhain, now called Halloween, began at sundown on October 31 and extended into the following day. According to the Druids, the spirits of those who had died in the preceding year roamed the earth on Samhain evening. They lit bonfires and sacrificed fruits and vegetables, hoping to win the favor of the spirits of the deceased and to avoid their punishments. Along with the bonfires at sacred hilltop sites, they would perform rituals, often involving animal and human sacrifices, especially children, to honor Druid deities. On Samhain, it was believed by the Druids to be the day when the sun’s power waned, and the strength of the gods of darkness, winter, and the underworld grew great.

By the end of the 1^st century AD, the Holy Roman Empire had conquered most of the Celtic lands. In process of incorporating the Celts into their empire, the Romans adapted and absorbed some Celtic traditions as part of their own pagan and Catholic religious observances. In Britain, Romans blended local Samhain customs with their own pagan harvest festival honoring Pomona, goddess of fruit trees. Pure Celtic  influences lingered longer on the western fringes of Europe, especially in area that were never brought firmly under Roman control, such as Ireland, Scotland, and the Bretagne region people converted to Christianity during the early Middle Ages, a period that lasted from the 5^th to the 15^th century. The Roman Catholic Church often incorporated modified versions of the older religious traditions in order to win converts. For examples, Pope Gregory IV sought to replace Samhain with All Saints Day in 835. All Souls’ Day, closer in spirit to Samhain and modern Halloween, was first instituted at a French monastery in 998 and quickly spread throughout Europe. Folk observances liked to these Christian holidays, including Halloween, thus preserved many of the ancient Celtic customs associated with Samhain. Thought it was renamed from Samhain to All Saints’ Day to All Hallows’ Day to Halloween, it still holds association to its origin.

Closing Remarks

Please let it be known that none of the information given was from a personal perspective; but that all information was based on a variety of books and encyclopedias that can easily be obtained at your local library. The purpose of this article is to educate people about a holiday that holds dark origins—both then and now.

Sources:

• The Columbia Encyclopedia -5^th Edition
• The Encyclopedia Americana- International Edition –Vol. 13
• Man, Myth, and Magic- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mythology , Religion, and the Unknown – Vol. 3
• Holidays, Festivals, and Celebration of the World Dictionary -2^nd Edition- Edited by Helene Henderson and Sue Ellen Thompson
• The book of Festivals – Marguerite Ickis
• The Book of Holidays-J. Walker McSpadden
• Compton’s Encyclopedia- Volume 10
• Curious Customs- The Stories Behind 296 Popu8lar American Rituals – by Tad Tuleja
• Celtic Myths and Legends
• Early American Life – October 1 Charles Squire
• Celtic Sacred Landscapes by Nigel Pennick
• Microsoft Encarta Encyclodia992-v23 n5 p60
• Halloween’s Unholy Origins – by Julia Vitulio- Martin in Knight Ridder/ Tribune News
• Service, Oct. 27, 1998 n300 p 1027k838
• Holiday Symbols 1998- Edited by Sue Ellen Thompson

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  Bio: This fiery yet humble servant of God ministers under an authentic prophetic anointing yet has a teaching ministry style. She also has a deep, genuine passion for the building up and edifying the body of Christ. Since her membership of Shekinah Glory Outreach Ministries International in Chesapeake, VA, under the pastorate of Bishop A. Ray Rouson, she’s faithfully served as a part of the street team ministry, a Sunday school teacher, an Associate Minister, and later the Director of Evangelism. She also spearheaded their Online Outreach Ministry and served as its President and Editor in Chief. During her tenure at SGOMI, she also became certified by Christian International Apostolic Network founded Dr. Bill Hamon, to teach how to properly minister in the prophetic based upon Scripture. Additionally, she also served on the prophetic team at Destiny Spirit Apostolic Network under the pastorate of Apostle Astern. She served in these capacities until the Lord called her to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia in July 2010. To read more about Naima, click "About" then "Who's Naima" located on the top horizontal menu. You can also visit her official website at www.NaimaWilliams.org and her eJournal at www.NaimaWilliams.com/blog! Be sure to connect to her through MySpace and Facebook!

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