A Psalm of Hope

Many people have heard various parts of Psalm 34 quoted in sermons and teachings across the country.  This is what the Psalm says for those who may not take the time to open their Bibles and read it:

¹ I will extol the Lord at all times;  his praise will always be on my lips.
² I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³ Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶ This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
⁹ Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.
¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
¹¹ Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
¹² Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,
¹³ keep your tongue from evil  and your lips from telling lies.
¹⁴ Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶ but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;
²⁰ he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

²¹ Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
²² The Lord will rescue his servants;  no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

That comes from the NIV version.  This is a Psalm of hope, but the hope rests in our ability to connect with God through our praise and trust in Him.  David does not try to praise God or give God thanks, he issues a mandate to himself that he WILL bless or extol the Lord at ALL times.  It is interesting to me how Believers always want to try and do what God requires of them or try and do what is necessary in order to receive God's best.  However, we don't want God to try, we want Him to DO.  Believers expect God to wave His magic wand and wave all of their troubles away, but it does not work that way.  God works on our behalf and there is work for us to do as well.  In verse 4, David says that he sought the Lord.  That requires work.  When you have issues going on in you and around you, it is work to seek the Lord and to hear Him.  It is a fight sometimes, but it is worth it.  You can not get the results that David talks about without doing the work and that sometimes means fighting until there appears to be nothing left in you.  Notice I said 'appears' because God will restore you and it happens during worship when we take our eyes off of our situation and just start focusing on our God.  There is no magic wand nor formula for being able to break free, but there are steps that are required and David mentions them here.
Step 1. Verse 4 (Seek God daily.  Don't wait for hell to come up on you because you may be too weak then)
Step 2. Verse 5 (Look to Him daily.  True wisdom resides in Him, not us.)
Step 3. Verse 6 (Call on Him daily.  Talk to Him, humble yourself before Him, and be prepared to obey)
Step 4. Verse 9 (Respect and Honor Him.  He is not the source of your problems, that would be you yielding to your emotions, flesh, and past behaviors.  But He is the solution to your problems and will deliver you, if you obey)
Step 5. Verse 13 (Watch what comes out of your mouth, what you put out on social media, and what you text/email.  You can kill your blessing and literally work against God.  You can also open the door wider for the enemy to torment you.  We fail to recognize how much authority and power we have and the Bible tells us that there is life AND death in our tongue.)
Step 6.  Verse 14. (Be intentional about this.  And this goes for your actions and behaviors.  You can't control what other people do and Satan will ignite the fire in people so that they will come after you.  But you have to make sure that you hold your peace and go to God.  Why?  Verse 16, 21, and 22.  Trust that God has your back)

These steps must occur and be practiced on a daily basis if you want the blessings and abundance of God to occur in your life daily.  You have to practice these steps until they become natural, meaning that you do them without thinking.  When I first started practicing these steps, I would often say to God "Ok now God, you know your daughter and you know that if you don't step in things are gonna go down real wrong."  And God stepped in every time and He did it by dealing with ME!  He did it until people no longer had that affect on me.  He taught me how to control my temper and my anger so that no matter what, I was always listening for His voice and instruction.  And I am not the only one, there are millions of testimonies out there where God did the same thing and more for others.  I would love to add your testimony to it.  Those of us with the testimony are not better than you nor greater than you.  We have just been through test and can tell you about it.

Allow God to grow you and to love you.  You will not regret it.  So roll your sleeves up and get ready to work.  We are supposed to be building the Kingdom of God and tearing down the Kingdom of darkness and the last time I checked, construction was some hard work.  But the rewards are eternal.


Prayer:  God, I know you are tired of hearing me come to you over and over about the same old stuff because I am tired of talking about it.  I don't know what else to do and I am at my wits end.  I need you to work for me and in me like you worked for David.  David was not perfect and neither am I, but I am welcoming you in right now.  Into my heart, my mind, my home, my job, my car, everywhere I am I want you to be there.  Keep my mouth closed and my fingers from typing any time I am getting ready to go against your perfect will.  I just want to take the time right now to say, thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord!  You are my God and my refuge and I will run to you and you alone.  Speak Lord and I will obey!  In Jesus name, Amen.

Blessings and Love,

Pastor Nichica Melton


PS..If you have a testimony where God did it for you please share it and be an encouragement for someone who may be going through right now.

The Decision Is Yours

For the past few days I have been hearing the same scripture over and over again.  This scripture is Romans 12:2 which says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (NIV)

Over the years I have understood that God does not do anything by coincidence.  It is all  part of His plan (His good and perfect will)  Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I send my readers this message and I pray that you take it seriously and spread it....

As the title of this post reads.."The Decision Is Yours"...this is truth.  God gives us the ability and opportunity to make our own decisions.  We can not blame anyone for our decisions and our choices.  All the good , the bad, and the ugly that come from our decisions belongs to us.  Included in that, is the decision to follow God totally.  The Body of Christ is still picking and choosing which scriptures we want to follow and the ones that are picked are the ones that we are comfortable with or the ones that we can use to justify our actions.  God commanded us to follow every word that comes out of His mouth.  Whether it is a corporate word or an individual word...we are supposed to follow it.  Nobody said that it would be easy or that we would like it.  But if you don't follow God's instructions for your life...DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT THE RESULTS YOU GET!

The word of God says in Proverbs 23:7, "So a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" (NKJV)  This means that whatever you say about yourself or your situation, this is what you will be and what will happen in your life.  So if you say that you believe the word of God, then take the entire word!  Stop speaking the foolishness over yourself and stop speaking foolishness into your life.  The decision is yours!  Paul said that when I was child, I spake as a child, but now that I am no longer a child I have put away childish things (paraphrasing).  He made that decision and we must all make that decision. 

No more wasting time whining, complaining, talking out of the side of your head, and then expecting change to take place.  No more doing the right thing for a couple days or weeks or even months and expecting that you won't have anymore trials and tribulations.  No more expecting that the people around you will change just because you did.  Just like you have a decision to make, THEY have a decision to make.  And when we stand before the Father to give an account of our works, you will not be able to blame anyone else.  Because, the decision has always been yours.


Blessings and Love,

Pastor Nichica Melton

2014: Year of Great Obedience and Great Transition

I am sure that by now many of you have heard several messages that have told you what 2014 is going to be.  So here is another one for you and hopefully it resonates in your spirit to the point where it ignites you to spend more time seeking God.  Every year I ponder on what God wants me to know and share in regards to the next year.  And this year He has said this about 2014:

"It will be a year (not a moment) where you move from desperate to destiny and you will do this by positioning yourself for the promise."

He spoke this during two sermons that were preached on two different days at the church I attend in High  Point, NC.  In recent years I have not looked at myself as being desperate, but I have made some decisions or reacted in a desperate way.  Not desperate meaning 'needy', but desperate as if there were no other alternatives.  Although I know that God has all power and EVERYTHING and EVERYONE must submit to His power and authority, sometimes we allow our emotions and/or limitations move us.  God is telling us all that those moments of making decisions or reacting based on our own limitations are going to be weaned from us in 2014.  Or at least from those who submit to God's way of doing things and not to your own understanding or comfort level.  God is going to challenge us in 2014 because we are knocking on the door of our destiny.  But just like anyone who is knocking at your door with muddy feet, wet clothes, or just plain filthy...you would not let them into your house.  Because their filth will mess up your house.  God has to do some washing and get the grime and dirt off of us.  The grime and dirt connected to wallowing in the situation, when all we had to do was speak to it.  The grime and dirt that has to do with neglecting and ignoring His warnings and we wound up falling for and falling in the trap.  We must be cleaned up so that our past does not poison our future and our right now.

God is going to position us for each and every promise that He has spoken concerning you as an individual and the Body of Christ as a collective.  As I was meditating on yesterday and having my usual conversations with God He gave me a revelation.  He shared with me that you can be at the right place at the right time, but if you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing you will miss your blessing any way.  I perked up and asked God to explain that to me.  So I will share with you this analogy:  If you were instructed by God to go to a specific building, stand in the foyer, and hold the door for the first 20 people that walked in; but instead you went to the building and just stood in the foyer because in your mind you could position yourself to see the first 20 people that came in (leaning on our own understanding) and as you stand there you observe one of the persons who is coming into the door provide a generous donation to the person that held the door for 20 people.  Now you got the chance to witness what God will do, but you get that sunken feeling because you were not a part of what God was wanting to do for YOU.  You literally passed it on to someone else.  We must be found doing what God has instructed us to do regardless of how inconvenient it may seem or feel.

All of this is going to take place in 2014.  It is a year, not a moment.  All of God's promises are not going to fall into your lap all in one day.  Be wise, men and women of God.  Focus on being obedient and the promises will manifest themselves.  If you focus on the promise, you will find yourself trying to work it out yourself and be like the person in the analogy.  I pray God's favor upon you and also His wisdom as you go through this year and all the days of your life.  Whatever you have experienced from God up until this point, will pale in comparison to what He is going to do this year.  For all that were on the conference call during the season after Passover, I kept telling you that it was harvest time!  Well ...welcome to your harvest!  It is time to get to work!

Blessings and Love,

Pastor Nichica Melton

Prenatal Praise

I just left from an evening service in Gastonia, NC and the pastor that brought the message used the topic "Prenatal Praise" and he came from Luke 1:41. This text simply states that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby within her womb lept and she (Elizabeth) was filled with the Holy Spirit.  The preacher went on to say that although John was in his mother's womb he felt the presence of The Christ and began leaping or moving around alot in his mother's womb. Then he began describing the womb as follows:
         1.  Tight
         2.  Dark
         3.  Lonely

But in spite of all of that, he still praised the Lord because he knew he was in His presence.  WOW!  I know that I have been in many a tight, dark, and lonely place and I know that you have to.  But the key is learning how to instinctively praise God when we are in His presence.  It does not matter whether or not we see Him or if we have paid attention to the signs and hints that He leaves us to show us that He is with us.  We know that we are always in His presence and He is always with us.  REGARDLESS of what our eyes might encounter or what our emotions might feel.  It does not matter if we have a confirmation from any one else...that is not relevant.  As believers, our faith is not determined by emotion or other people's confirmations!  It is built on the Word of God and Christ has told us that He will be with us always; even until the end of time. 

Does it always feel like it?  NO!  Are there going to be hellified days in your life?  YES!!!  Are you going to find yourself feeling like you are all alone and in some tight and dark moments?  YES!!!  But even in the womb, you must release a prenatal praise, because the work that God is doing in you is not complete and God is trying to birth you WHILE birthing that which He placed in you!

I praise God for Pastor Omar Dykes and this awesome word.  I know that many of you may doubt what I am saying right now because you feel like you have been in more dark places than anything else.  But what harm would there be in believing and trying it God's way?  You already see what doing things your way brings...more darkness, more loneliness, and more tight places.  God's way will not eliminate all of your problems, but it will sho nuff see you through them AND with a VICTORY!

So men and women of God, unleash your prenatal praise!!!


Blessings and Love,

Pastor Nichica Melton

Lifeline

This message was sent to me by a friend who sent it to her.  I am now giving it to you and after you read it, feel free to share.  It is certainly a right now and relevant word.  Enjoy!!

Lifeline

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6

When mountain climbers make their way across an icy glacier, or the edge of an icy peak, one slip and they could tumble into a crevasse or slide down a mountainside. So they tie themselves together with a lifeline -- a long piece of rope that ties them to one another. If one slips, the rest dig their crampons into the ice and hold the line, preventing certain death.

We need a lifeline for our spiritual lives. When we stumble into sin, or slip into a period of overwhelming circumstances, we need a "rope" that will hold us fast; we need a lifeline to God that cannot be broken. The Bible says we have one: the love of God. The Bible says the God who began His work in us will complete it; He will never let it be thwarted. But Romans 8:35-39 details all kinds of trouble and obstacles in our path, things that might appear to cut us off from God's purpose. Paul says nothing will separate us from the lifeline of God's love (Romans 8:39). God's loyal and unconditional love is what keeps us tied to Him.

When you fall and start to slip away from God, reach out for His lifeline of love. He will never let you go.

Offense

I know reading that title probably brought up some questions as to what in the world I would be talking about in this particular blog.  Well..it comes from Joshua 1:19, which states "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." 

All of us have been offended and all of us at one point or another have offended someone, whether we did intentionally or unintentionally.  However, this blog entry is more along the lines of the offense created when we do not walk in the maturity of our calling and our anointing.  It causes us to hear things that weren't said, see things that aren't there, and say things that shouldn't be said.  A person can be called and be very much anointed, but lack maturity.  The lack of maturity will bring about humiliation, misdirection, and offense.  It's a sad thing when you are amongst leaders and they act middle schoolish.  The whining and bickering and there have been times when I could not distinguish the saved from the unsaved! 

Do we take into consideration the times that we offend the God that we say that we love?!  When our behaviors and mindset begin to reflect the world that we live in, but according to the Word of God, should not be in us.  The flying off of the temper, which unleashes the slashing of the tongue.  We offend God when we do things like that and the offense is one that brings about hurt and disappointment.  For parents, we understand all to well what that is when we feel the offense of our own children's foolishness.  It's almost like they weren't raised by us.  God has gifted us with all we need to fulfill the purpose He has given us, but maturity is a choice.  Immature people always crash and burn until they wise up and mature.  They are wreckless and to some degree clueless.  Think about that for a minute!  They are wreckless and clueless.......they are wreckless and clueless!  In the spirit that is a recipe for losing your soul and taking others with you!  And whatever is done in the Sprit manifests into the natural...adultery, drunkenness, stealing (from man and God), never being satisfied!

I urge you to seek God in regards to your maturity and yield to God's process of bringing you to where you should be.  Shut down the whining, the complaining, and anything else that comes from the moment of emotions that you are feeling and experiencing.  Quieten yourself so that Joshua 1:19 becomes more than a scripture but your lifestyle.  We are able to hear God best when we are quiet in our innerselves.  By allowing ourselves to hear Him, we allow Him to minister to us right where we need it, and lessen the chances of creating offense or being offended.


Blessings and Love,

Pastor Nichica Melton

Still Undecided?

I am going to share a post that came from someone I know and I think it is extremely relevant for the time.  The word of God tells us through Joshua 24:15 to choose ye this day whom ye will serve.  Joshua also made it clear that regardless of what anyone else did, he AND his house were going to serve the Lord.  It wasn't optional...not for anyone living under his roof!  Regardless of age, because some parents think the child should choose until they get older even though the Word instructs us to train up a child in the way that they should go and when they are older they will not depart from it.  Just saying. 

Read this post carefully.....you have no time to be undecided.   This could be your last chance.......

The warfare is not against you, it is against the Kingdom. You are not under fire. It feels like you are because you are a co-heir to the Kingdom and everything that comes with that position good or bad. You will experience it all. Keeping it real, satan could really care less about you personally. He is really trying to stop God's perfect will.

2 Corinthians 10:4 says, "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." It is not only the weapons but the war itself that is not of this world.

We must not forget that satan is a fallen angel. (This war started in heaven.) He was an angel that thought higher of himself than he should have. He was so full of foolishness that he was kicked out. Can you imagine being in heaven and then being KICKED OUT!!! To put the icing on the cake he was not just kicked out. He was kicked out AND was given a fate of eternal damnation. His gig is signed, sealed, and delivered. He is hell bound forever no matter what. So, he is trying to take everyone that he can with him. You know misery loves company. This cat is a rare breed! He just don't want any kind of company, NO, that is not good enough! He wants those who have turned against God. Those who knew God and still choose to do things their way. Those who have experienced and heard the word of God, but still think the world's way is easier. Those who are so full of themselves who don't want to give up the way of the world even after they have experienced the goodness of the Lord. In other words, those who are like him. Through his destruction of you the Kingdom's plan can not be completed....or so he thinks. God really does not need us, he chooses to be in relationship with us and use us. THANK YOU FATHER!

Let me share with you - satan is patient. He does not care how long it takes to get you twisted up. If there is a slight chance that he might get you tripped up, he will keep at you until you give in. That is why it feels like you are on a roller coaster, the enemy has no new tricks. You are just going up and down over the old stuff. He is placing the same booby traps in front of you hoping you will not recognize that it is all an illusion. He does not want you to figure out the only truth is in the Father.
So don't get tripped up the next time you are in the wilderness and it seems like there is no way out. Remember:

• It is not about you, so give it to the person it is about so He can handle it.
• Read and remember Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalms 32:7
• The enemy comes to steal, kill, destroy, and recruit company for his fate
• Christ came to give life so that we would have it more abundantly.
• The enemy and the Father have as much power over you as you give them. Which one  will you surrender too?

Blessings and Love,

Pastor Melton

God's Unmerited Favor

Today, one of my friends shared with me what took place over the weekend concerning them.  They had gone through doing what they needed to do in order to get their bills taken care of.  When they got finished they realized that they left something really important out.  (How many of us have been there?)  They had promised God that they would sow a seed into their church that coming Sunday and all that weekend Satan was putting thoughts into their head.  Here are some (see if you can identify)
                            1.  Just call some of your creditors and make arrangements on your arrangements
                            2.  You don't have to give all you said you were going to give this Sunday.  You can
                             break it up.  The important thing is that you give it at some point in time.

There were so many things and they kept telling themselves that God is my source and Lord you know my needs.  I am going to trust you.  They told themselves that all weekend, but Satan kept pressing.  So they decided to give all that they had promised the Lord and just trust God. 

Then they were supposed to go out to lunch with some church members after service.  They all went and during lunch one of the church members handed everyone an envelope.  In the envelope were 10 crisp one hundred (I typed it out so you wouldn't think there was a typo) dollar bills.  For those who don't add that well...that's one thousand dollars.  OMG!!!!   And their lunch was paid for...God threw that one in just because!  That's what we call an add-on. 

Psalm 37:7(NLT) declares: Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.  

I enlarged it because you need to embrace it.  We are so busy looking for what we want God to do that we miss what He is doing.  God is still in the blessing business and He is showing all over the world that He cares for us.  He just wants us to trust Him more and more each day.  Now the kicker is that the person that gave the money had been trying to do it for weeks.  And what I shared was that God needed you guys to upgrade your faith and trust in Him.  He already had the blessing for you, but you needed to be in the position that said "Lord I trust you!"  I understand that waiting on God gets hard and sometimes Satan will give us ideas that make sense.  But Samuel declared unto Saul that obedience is better than sacrifice.  Out of all the promises you keep (and I pray you keep them all), honor the word that you gave unto the Father.  For Isaiah 40:31 reminds us that:
they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

God's unmerited favor is waiting to rest on you, when you make up your mind to rest in Him and trust Him!

Blessings and Love,

Pastor Nichica Melton
 

Just Thinking Out Loud

A couple of days ago I was watching a commercial for a new TV show or movie.  I can't remember which one it was.  But the person in the commercial said, "We only accept the love we think we are worthy of."  OMG!!!!!

What a profound and true statement and when you say it out loud, it causes you to think about past relationships, whether they were family, boyfriend/girlfriend, marriages, etc.  And you think about the crap that you allowed to happen and also the things that you enjoyed.  Now based on this statement, the things we enjoyed were the things that we were willing to accept in our lives.  The things we felt like that we should have or were worthy of.  But the crap that we ALLOWED, was the mess that we also thought we should have in our lives and we didn't think we neither deserved better or could do better.

And before the necks start rolling and the teeth start smacking,  think about your pattern.  The pattern of people that you have allowed into your personal space.  The people that really mattered and had the ability to hurt your heart or cause you to go from zero to ghetto in less than 5 seconds.  The reason there is a pattern is because there was and possibly is a pattern in your thought process.  Whether conscious or subconscious...I can't say, but it is there.  That thought process told you what you were worthy of.

The Bible records that God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in Him would not perish, but would have the right to eternal life (John 3:16).  The Bible also records that Jesus, the Son of God, came that we might have life and life more abundantly (John 10:10).  That's a never ending abundantly.  That means that joy you experienced yesterday does not compare to the joy that God has for you today.  He has that much love for us and says that He wants to give us that love.  Do you feel worthy of God's love?  Is the reason that you have not given your life and heart to Christ because you don't feel worthy of that kind of love? 

NEWSFLASH:  WE ARE NOT WORTHY!!!  With all of the sin in our lives there is not enough time in eternity to make us worthy of what God gives.  But His love, which is the greatest love, is not based on worth.  It is based on His love for us.  He freely gives each and everyday.  Don't let another moment pass you by, where you allow yourself to reject a love so great. A love that causes every hurt and pain in your life to be healed and washed away.  A love that will embrace everything about you and encourage you to be better and greater than you ever imagined.  A love that doesn't focus on your past, but propels you into your purpose!

Give Christ your heart today!

Blessings and Love,

Pastor Nichica Melton

Thou Art Loosed

Today's entry is coming from a summation that was done by a couple of women that attended the 2012 'Woman Thou Art Loosed' conference.  I intentionally left off "woman" in the title because there are several things that they highlighted, that will work for us all.  Also, what they have mentioned ties into what I have been writing for the past week.  When something like that happens, it is imperative that we pay attention.

Enjoy!

The 2012 Women Thou Art Loosed Conference emphasized “The Pecking Order” in our lives.  (Joshua 6:20-25). He used the illustration of a chicken. Chickens have a certain order they follow when the eggs are being hatched.  There is a birthing process they follow when hatching.  The beak is a very important part of the hatching process…..if the embryo has no beak then it cannot be birthed because he is unable to crack the shell and come out….and if he can’t come out of the shell then he dies.  God wants to bring our lives into order as well.  Sometimes it takes a while to get things in order.  Throughout this process there are some things we have to ignore in order to focus.  The beak is our strength.  When we go through trials and tribulations in our lives (and we all do) then we need our beak (the Word of God) to break through these issues.  If we don’t have a beak (the word/prayer) then we have nothing to fight with.  When the baby chicken has a beak then he begins the process of birth by pecking away at the shell in order to get out.  We must also “Peck” our way out of situations in our lives in order to be free/delivered/healed/etc.  Take your position.  “Peck” the letters in this stand for P-Position (You must get in position for your deliverance) E-Exposure (You must expose people to what you see – this may help with their deliverance), C-Courage (you must have courage to act on what He has and is saying to you regarding your situation), K-Knowledge (you must have knowledge beyond your perimeters; it must go beyond your situation).  You must read the word like a pregnant women eats food.  You need these four things in order to be used by God and be ready in season and out of season.   

Pastor Cheryl Brady talked about “You Have It in You”, which is also the same title of her book (Phil 1:5).  Pastor Brady came from the scripture about  “He has begun a good work in you”.   When God calls you to do something he has already equipped you to do it and has given you the grace to do it.  There are some things in us that we can’t even see yet.  The enemy fights us because he knows God has something in us that is powerful and we must declare war on anything that disturbs our peace.  Check anxiety quickly because it can get out of control.  Fear is not a necessary part of our lives…God didn’t give us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.  Just remember meekness is not weakness….it’s strength under control.  Real beauty comes from the inside.  God talks of a meek and quiet spirit.  To have great peace you must have great faith.  The Word is so important because what we feed ourselves and put in us today determines how we are going to react tomorrow.  Watch your self-talk because what we say to ourselves is worse than what others say about us.  We have the power to react or not react to what people say….it’s what we do with words is the key.  Look at yourself in the mirror and encourage yourself in the Lord.  The battle ground is ALWAYS internally.  Understand YOU.  God says to let a man examine himself. 

Remember and keep the faith over things you have asked God for and not yet come to past.  Remember Sarah (Genesis 18:9) and how she wanted a child and God gave it to her well in her 90’s.  Be careful because you can get to the point where you have asked for something for so long and wanted it so bad and don’t have it yet….and you can get to the point where you don’t want it anymore.  BUT wait on God.  What you have rendered unconscious God is still going to do.  Believe again….you have it in you!  You can sometimes be your own abuser.  You cannot die until you have fulfilled the gift in you. 

Lastly, Dr. Cindy Trimm talked about not forcing open what God has shut.  When we have clutter in our lives there is dysfunction.  Get rid of what you don’t want in your life to make room for what you do want.  Stop talking about what you don’t want and talk about what you do want.  If you keep talking about what you don’t want you get pity and you undermine your testimony.

Pastor Paula White mentioned when God ushers a new purpose in your life there is always a shift (Judges 5:1-11), (Isaiah 49).  Prepare yourself to make ready the change.  To be virtuous women you have to go through something…what makes you virtuous is what you are able to withstand.  Prepare to make ready…reposition…cycle…change.  Everything you need is in you.  Rise and come into your being.  YOU are not going to stay broken.  Take on Gods nature and know who you are in Christ. No matter how many times you mess up God still hears you and will deliver you. Don’t let anyone (the enemy, people) take your wealth (Spiritual).  (Hebrews 12)  Lay aside every weight that so easily besets us. God sees Himself in you.

Patiently Waiting

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." Psalm 37:7 (NIV)

One of the hardest things to do is to wait.  Especially when we feel like it is something that we need or something that we really, really, really, want.  Waiting is the last thing that we want to do.  Waiting on God is even harder, because we have to do things His way and according to His plan.  If we don't, we prolong our blessing because of the detours that we decided to take.  We also get frustrated with people who aren't living right, not living according to God's word, not allowing their lives to reflect God, etc.  And because of that frustration we tend to want to try and make things happen on our own.  That is the worst mistake ever!  Here is what I have come to understand (basically from making many mistakes in this area), God doesn't work in the 'here and now'.  He works in the 'back then'.  What you are receiving now is a product of what God orchestrated 'back then' and all the pieces have to come together.  All the people have to come together.  So let's look at it from this perspective....a few months ago when God told you to step out on your faith or step out of your comfort zone and you either procrastinated, didn't do it, or didn't do it like He said....whose blessing did you delay, block, or detour?  Your actions were a piece of someone else's  puzzle.  So the next time you want to get frustrated with God or think about taking matters into your own hands, I want you to stop.  And take the time to pray for that person who may have had the same fear that you had. Or the same doubt that you have experienced. That person is holding a piece to your puzzle.  Pray for them and continue to wait on God....He knows what He is doing.  Remember...the Glory of Israel does not change His mind .........for those of you that read on a regular basis ;).


Blessings and Love!

Pastor Nichica Melton

In Spite of.....

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—  Psalm 103:1-2



In the above text, David had the right mindset that in spite of all he has been through, whether he brought it on himself or not, he was going to praise God.  And the reason he was able to do this was because he remembered all that God had done for him and brought him through.

We as so called believers tend to forget that small, but important concept.  We sing about it, preach about it, but don't live it.  There are so many songs out there that say, Lord if don't do anything else for me...you've already done enough.  Really?!  Is that really how you feel?  I don't think so.  If God only took care of our need, as He says in His word, would we still worship Him...would He still be worthy of all the glory, honor and praise (in our eyes)?  YES!!!  But would we give it to Him...that is the real question.  Pastor John P Kee used to say that there are only two times to praise the Lord.........
                         1.  When you feel like it  
                         2. When you don't

It is time for the Body of Christ to come out of our state of being SPOILED BRATS!  We are so much like the Israelites in the Old Testament that it is scary.  The God we serve is an awesome God and He has done so much for us and even orchestrated things that we have not even seen yet.  There should be an aching in us to praise God and a frustration when we don't.  It has often been said that when praises go up, blessings come down.  I don't believe that.  God has said that when we praise we release the blessings that are already around us and we open our eyes and our heart to the truth of His word.  That is what I believe,  for the Word of God says that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17).  Well if God is always with us and His spirit resides in us, then why would He come to us empty handed?  HE WOULDN'T!   His blessings, miracles, and everything else are with Him. 

So inspite of whatever and whomever.....BLESS THE LORD!  Don't let your situation or the people around determine your level of praise.  Let your love for your God, who has proven that He is your strength, your peace, your everything that you will allow Him to be.....let that determine your praise.


Blessings and Love,

Pastor Nichica Melton

Change and Transition

1 Samuel 15:29

 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”  New International Version (NIV)

When I read this text I had to pause and read it again just to make sure I knew who and what Samuel was talking about and referring to.  Just to catch you up, God is using Samuel to relay a message to Saul that he will no longer be king and God has found another that is a man after His heart.  A man that will serve Him and do His will.  ***CHANGE AND TRANSITION***

Now Saul's change and transition was brought about because of severe and consistent level of disobedience and the disobedience was over things that he KNEW God had told him.  There was no question in what God said, the question was Saul's commitment to God.  Our change does not always happen because we were disobedient.  I know at times it seems like it because the place that God has taken us to doesn't feel better than the place we just left.  There are times that we even question God and wonder why in the world would He take me through all this just to bring me here when I was happy, content, and satisfied over there. 

I have been there, so I know the feeling.  God is the Glory of Israel and the reason that He does not change His mind is because He does not make mistakes.  God's infinite wisdom knows all possibilities for us.  That includes every possible direction that we would take for every possible path that will come our way.  So if you are struggling with where you are right now, then I would encourage you and challenge you to do this:

       1.  Admit out loud to God how you feel about your change and transition (get it all out and be totally honest.  God can't help us unless we are  honest with where we are. Delusional believers are pathetic believers)
       2.  Ask God to show you the walls and areas of fear that you have in regards to your change and transition (don't argue with Him about it and don't take it lightly.  A barrier is a barrier)
       3.  Ask God to forgive you for doubting Him and to show you how to embrace where you are and where you are going. (We do this because often times we are ready to leave where we are, but we can't until we have learned what we need to learn.  And sometimes that is learning how to trust God)

We often times sit in awe of the people that we read in the Bible....Joshua, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Noah, Christ.  The only thing that was amazing about them was their level of trust in God.  Because they were able to trust God, they were able to obey God.  And because they were able to obey God, the anointing and power of God flowed freely through them.  GUESS WHAT?????   They are no more awesome than you!  Embrace your change and embrace your transition.  You will not always understand it or understand why...but the Glory of Israel does not change His mind.  Why? ......because He doesn't make mistakes.


Blessings and Love,

Pastor Nichica Melton

Pressing Your Way Through

Recently I was reading in Romans 8 and there is a verse that says "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace" (verse 6)  That verse is so powerful and it brought into perspective some things that I am going through now, which is literally dealing with the scars from my past.  What this scripture says to us is that if we allow our minds to be overtaken by negative thoughts, whoa-is-me type thoughts and emotions, allow fear to come in, etc...we will not make it through.  That thing which conquered us before will do it again and again and again.  Once the enemy is able to identify a weakness, he does not let up.  BUT...the mind that allows it to be controlled by the Spirit of God is full of life and peace.  That is how it is possible for us to be more than conquerors and that is why the Word of God reminds us that "He keeps him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him". (Isaiah 26:3)

There will be things in your life that trigger pains from your past.  There will be people in your life that are pains from your past, but our job is to make sure we allow God in and to be in control.  When the Spirit of God controls our mind, the foolishness of other people does not.  And we all know, the longer we meditate on something it starts to consume us.  So let us choose to meditate and absorb the Word of God.  Even if it is one scripture per week and allow that Word to become a part of our thinking and eventually our behavior. 

Last night in my prayer time, God gave me this to say and I want to share it with you all:
                "I am my Heavenly Father's daughter.  I am not under any generational curse because He is not cursed.  I do not walk in pain and fear because He does not walk in pain and fear.  I am my Heavenly Father's daughter and I reflect Him in what I do, what I say, and what I think.  I am my Heavenly Father's daughter and I walk in His power and His authority."

Let that be yours and keep pressing your way through!

Blessings and Love,

Pastor Nichica Melton

Waiting Without Complaining

This past Sunday, my pastor preached a sermon concerning waiting without complaining.  At the point that the sermon topic was given, the entire congregation seemed to groan.  It was one of those groans that said, I need to hear this but I don't want to hear this.  


Although my pastor was utilizing Galatians 5:22 (the Fruit of the Spirit), I am going to go to Psalm 27.  In this text David is encouraging and reminding himself about the greatness of God and how it is his goal to seek God and to wait on His way and His instruction.  This type of encouragement and reminding is needed on a daily basis.  It is easy to get caught up in the situation or even get caught up in the things of the past that resemble what you are going through now.  The mind is an extremely strong and powerful instrument that can be used for the glory of God and for our demise.  The Bible says in Phillipians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." (NIV).  God instructs us to do this because in the midst of whatever we have to endure or wait on, complaining, moaning, groaning, etc have the potential of taking over the situation and creating or painting a picture that is different from what God wants us to focus on.  In essence, the complaining starts a derailment!  A detouring!  Why pray so hard for God to move and for God to show you His path or direction just to derail or detour?  That is a lot of work to flush down the toilet.  


At this point, I want you to stop reading and turn to Psalm 27 (read the entire thing prior to continuing on with this blog entry).  It starts out with a declaration of who God is.  If we believe what is stated in Verse 1, then there is no need to complain because we know and understand that God knows what He is doing and we are trusting Him in the process.  Verses 2 and 3 prepare us for what the enemy is going to try and set up and establish in our midst and then what God is going to do in response to the enemies attempt.  Again, these verses are reaffirming for us the importance of allowing God to do it in His timing.  It is not about torment or pressure for us!  There are battles that God is fighting on our behalf!  Enemies and adversaries that He is shutting down on our behalf!  And He needs the time and our trust and faith so that He can do what He needs to do...FOR US!  

God has a perfect plan and if we trust Him and continue to place our faith in Him, we will see that everything was well worth the wait.

Prayer:  

Father God in the name of Jesus, forgive me for not placing consistent trust in you and your process.  I speak to every part of my being and decree that my body, my soul, and my spirit shall be surrendered and submitted unto your will and your way.  That your voice and your words shall be the trigger to shut down anything in my life that is speaking contrary to you.  I decree from this day forward that I will wait on you and not press you to move according to my timeline.  For your word tells me to be anxious for nothing, but in all things will prayer and supplication.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Mistaken Identity

Has someone ever approached you and thought that you looked like someone else and then they were shocked to find out that you were not who they thought you were?  Then they go on to tell you that you have a twin... a person that looks JUST like you.  Everyone laughs it off and all the while you are thinking...ok..that person is tripping because they know good and doggone well that whoever they are talking about does not look like me.

It's comical when we think about it.  But the same thing occurs in the spiritual...satan mistakes us alot of times for someone who is willing to accept defeat.  Someone who looks like they are beaten down and broken in the midst of the storm.  Someone who will give up on God when the going gets tough and things look dreary.  Someone who constantly attends pity parties and cries woe is me all of the time.  That's why he doesn't give up.  He is constantly coming at us.

Let the enemy know right now, THAT AIN'T ME!  Let him know that he has mistaken you for someone else.  They may look like you at first glance, but if he would just look  a little harder then he would see the Greater One on the inside of you. 

Now I know that everyone reading this post is not speaking the things of God into their life and at times they are that person that satan is referring to.  So if you are...SNAP OUT OF IT!  You don't have to be that person anymore in your life.  We all cry and we all have our moments, but it does not have to be how you are identified.  You are a child of God and you have access to His power, His anointing, and His authority.  That is your birthright!

Pray this prayer:  Father God in the name of Jesus, I ask your forgiveness for all my sins.  The times that I doubted you and I doubted your word concerning me.  I decree right now and speak into my own spirit that I am YOUR child, and I shall walk in my birthright.  No more believing just what I see, but I shall walk by faith and trust and believe that even in the midst of my storm..your favor is still following me where ever I go. Amen

NO MORE MISTAKEN IDENTITY! 

What's The Point?

As we enter the Lenten Season people will start fasting and giving up things either on their own or because someone told them to.  But really, what is the point?  Why are you fasting?  Because the preacher told you to?  We must understand the purpose of this season and why Believer's (Disciples) all over the world honor this season. 

Lent is a 40 day Season (not including Sunday's) and it starts on Ashe Wednesday.  It leads up to the point of the crucifixion of Christ...The Ulitmate Sacrifice!  Without His sacrifice and His obedience to the voice and will of God, we would all be messed up right now because we would not have access to salvation or the opportunity to be delivered from what ails us.

So as you think about honoring the sacrifice that Christ made think about  this....what is standing in the way of me honoring God the way that I should?  What is slowing me down from walking in my divine purpose?  Whatever or whomever it is...that is what you should be fasting from and then when Lent is over ...YOU DON'T GO BACK TO IT LIKE YOU WERE DOING BEFORE!   You don't allow it or them to become a hindrance in your life again.  Don't allow it to come in between you and God!  And yes, I understand that your Pastor may tell you what to fast about and you certainly want to do that.  And then you go to God for you and let Him lead you in a personal consecration to Him!

Take this time to draw closer to God and stop allowing what we honor and believe in as Believer's become a cliche...something we just do to be doing it.  God is worth more than that!

Blessings and Love!

Pastor Melton

My Feet Are Off The Ground

This post was sent to me by my cousin Barbara France.  Please read and enjoy:

My Feet Are Off The Ground'

From Tyler Perry: Writer and Actor

This morning I awoke and was so frustrated about all of the stuff that I'm dealing with in trying to get this studio open. I was about to open my mouth & start complaining when I remembered something that happened to me a year ago.

I was walking to my car when this woman who appeared to be homeless started walking towards me. I'm ashamed to say this but I thought, 'I don't feel like being hustled today.' Then I got quickly convicted. I felt guilty so I started digging in my pocket for some money. As she got closer I noticed that she had the kindest eyes that I had ever seen.

As I was reaching into my pocket she started to speak. I thought, 'Here goes the sales pitch'. She said 'Excuse me sir, I need some shoes. Can you help me?' My eyes filled with water because I remember being out on the streets and having only one pair of run over shoes. I was taken aback for a second.

I took her inside the studio and had my wardrobe people find shoes in her size. As she put the shoes on she started crying, praising God and thanking Jesus, and saying, 'My feet are off the ground! My feet are off the ' ground! Several of the wardrobe people started crying. I was crying. But I never forgot those words. 'My feet are off the ground!' I thought, 'Wow! All she wanted was some shoes.' She quickly disappeared and never asked me for a dime. I realized that I still had the money in my hand so I went out looking for her. She was gone just that quick so I looked all around the neighbourhood for her. I found her standing on a corner looking down at her shoes, still crying. I was so touched. I asked her how she had gotten homeless. She told me that she had AIDS and that she was waiting to get into a shelter.. She said that her family had turned their backs on her and that she had no place to go, but she knew that God would make a way for her. I said to myself, 'He just did'  Her faith and her praise moved me. I took her to a nearby hotel and put her up until she was able to get on her feet I had someone that worked for me to check on her from time to time and to make sure that she had food and clothes. After about a month or so we lost touch, but I never forgot her.

This past summer I was shooting 'Daddy's Little Girls' and this woman walks up to me smiling. I didn't recognize her face, but her eyes were familiar. She had on a really nice dress and her hair was done. It was her! She told me that the little help that I had given her had changed her life.

She was in a house now and doing very well. I said all of that to say this. After I met this woman, every time I think about complaining and mumbling I remember, 'My feet are off the ground!'

I wanted to share this with you just to let you know that when I say that I am thankful for you, I mean it. And when I say that you are a blessing to me, I mean it.

We take so much for granted sometimes that I just wanted all of you to know that I am grateful to God for you every day. Thank you for being in my life.

~Tyler Perry~

Freedom

The dictionary defines freedom this way: 

1. the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint

2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.

3. the power to determine action without restraint.

4. political or national independence.

5. personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery

 

Now as I compared this to Galatians 5:1 which reads: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. I came to the realization that many believers spend alot of their time being slaves instead of being free.  We are slaves to our jobs, slaves to our goals, slaves to our families, slaves to other peoples perceptions and views of us.  REALLY?!?  The word of God reminds us that whom the Son has set free is free indeed (John 8:36). 

 

So why do we continuously allow ourselves to be placed in bondage?  Is slavery so comfortable that freedom seems foreign to us?  Freedom requires responsibility and accountability.  It is the lack of excuses and scapegoating.  It requires us to seek God for ourselves and not trying to find a priest or minister to go to Him for us. 

 

We will not walk in the fullness of our gifts or our abundance while in slavery.  It is just not possible.  God can not be contained and he can not be boxed in....not even in the confines of our slave like existence.  He must be free to move and do as He pleases and He desires that we be free as well.  It is wonderful to have goals and objectives and family...but is God the head of it?  Is He the one leading and guiding or are you trying to have Him follow your pace and your path?

 

Getting free is one thing...staying free is another!  It is a conscious choice that has to be made consistently throughout the day...EVERY DAY!!  So as you go through your day...choose to stand firm in your freedom within God ...knowing that He has placed you as the head and not the tail.  Knowing that He has placed within you everything you need to fulfill your divine purpose.  Knowing that when you call He will answer.  Knowing that He will never leave you nor forsake you and that if you abide in Him, He will definitely abide in you!

 

Prayer:

Father God in the name of Jesus, we thank you for the sacrifice that you have given us in your son Jesus the Christ.  We decree right now that we shall walk in freedom and shall no longer be in any form of slavery.  We decree that every yoke and every form of bondage that has slowed us down, separated us from you, caused us to detour shall be terminated right now in the name of Jesus.  Instead God we bind ourselves to your joy, your peace, your unfailing love, your perfect will...God we bind ourselves to YOU!  We glorify you and exalt because you are truly wonderful and the best thing that continues to happen to us.  In Jesus' name...Amen!

 

 

Get Out of Your Way

As I reflect this morning on various things happening in my life and past occurrences...I can't help but chuckle.  I have listened to countless people and their issues..various Sunday morning sermons and there seems to be a pattern of the 'blame game'.  But the reality is, the only obstacle in our way is US!  If the Word of God is true, and I know it to be, it clearly states that "No Weapon Formed Against Me Shall Be Able To Prosper".  It also states that "Greater Is He That Is In You Than He That Is In And Of The World".  It also states that "If God Be For Me Then Who Can Stand Against Me"  WOW!  We are our own obstacle.  Now I am not saying that trials and tribulations don't come and I am not saying that Satan isn't busy...but none of the above have any power over our promise or God's divine plan for our lives.  It's almost like a mosquito bite...yes you felt it...yes it itches..and yes it leaves a mark but you don't stop pressing forward.  Paul made the statement that "nothing shall separate me from the love of God which is Christ Jesus".  NOTHING...not even himself.  So encourage yourself today and know that nothing can get in the way of you and your God and His perfect plan for your life but you.  Realize the awesomeness that God has placed in you and the authority and power that He has given you as His child and most precious possession.  Everything that God says must come to pass and everything that He speaks is true.....so when He says that you are more than a conqueror....YOU ARE!

Prayer:  Father God in the name of Jesus, I come before you God submitting my heart, my mind, my spirit to your way of thinking and your way of doing things.  I encourage myself right now that I am fearfully and wonderfully made because you made me and you shaped me and you formed me.  Regardless of the valleys that I must walk through and the mountains I must climb...I will trust you and I decree and declare that victory shall be mine!  As of this moment, I get out of my way so you can have your way in every area of my life!  Amen!

Blessings and Love!

Doing God's Plan Your Way

Doesn't the title in and of itself sound weird?!  How in the world would someone think to do God's plan their way?  The reality is that it happens all of the time ...honestly more often than not.  What tends to happen is that we pray to God for guidance and for Vision and we get so excited about what He is doing that we start to rely on our past experiences and our skillsets to figure things out or implement parts of His Vision.  OR..we find ourselves at a stopping point and instead of seeking God for the next steps and patiently waiting for his guidance and direction...we freestyle or play it by ear.  If it closely resembles something that we have done before we go back to that and then wonder why we hit a wall or things began to fail.  God says in Isaiah 43:19 "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland"

Let's point a few things:  He is doing it and it is NEW!  Let God be God and meditate on this text as you make up in your mind daily to do His plan His way!

Prayer:  Father God in the name of Jesus, I praise you on this day that you know what you are doing not only in my life but you know what you are doing period.  I praise you that you are consistently doing something new in my life.  That you bless me, forgive me, strenthen me, and restore me daily.  I decree right now that my body, soul, and spirit shall be on one accord with you and if ever I get to a point that I am not walking where I should, I give you permission to put me back where I should be.  Continue to lead me and guide me as I run this race that you have placed before me.  To the honor and glory of your name..Amen!

Blessings and Love,

Rev. Smith

New Era Dawning

I have been asked several times about daily devotionals.  Basically whether or not I offer them and I haven't in the past because of the hecticness of my life and because there are some revelations that God gives me and I forget to share them after I write them down in my journal.  So I am going to try and start doing devotionals...I can't promise that they will be everyday...but they will be.  LOL

I pray you enjoy them and please get the word out so that others can subscribe to this blog and get on our Virtual Bible Study every Wednesday.  Join me on FB to find out the number to call and the exact times for your time zone.

Peace and Blessings!

Rev. Smith

Aha Moment

So this past Sunday, I attended Williams Memorial CME Church in High Point, NC  where the pastor is Rev. Robert Williams Jr.  And Rev. Williams said something in the middle of his sermon that has stuck with me.  He said that our faith should be in the Gospel and not the gossiper.  WOW!  It really stopped and made me think for a second.  Because we do put too much stock into what people say and receive it as the Gospel and will spread it like wildfire.  And half of the time, the truth has not been told.  The Bible reminds us that there is power in the tongue...life and death.  Hmmmmm.  So we must watch what we say and also guard what we allow to enter into our inner atmosphere. (If you have been on the Virtual Bible Study calls you would know what I am talking about ;)  )  All of this affects our worship,which also affects our relationship with God.  Put your stock in the Word of God and silence the gossip (er) in your life---even if it is YOU! It is a slow poison that will ultimately cause you grief, heartache, and pain. 

Blessings and Love!

State of Confusion

I just read an article concerning Lamar Odom and the tragic accident concerning a car that he was being driven in.  According to the article Lamar was in NY for his cousin's funeral and he hired a transportation company to drive him around the city.  The driver of the car hit a motorcycle and the motorcycle flew into the air and hit a 15 yr old pedestrian.  The young man was rushed to the hospital but the head injuries were too severe.  He died the next day.  All I could say was "Oh My God!"  It is times and situations like these that we ask God what was the purpose?  Why did the 15 yr old boy have to die and why did this situation have to involve Lamar Odom?  A person with such a huge heart!  The frustrating thing is that we may never get the answers to these questions.  There are things in our own lives that have happened to us or someone close to us and we don't know why they happened.  None of it makes even the slightest bit of sense.  So this is the time where our trust and faith in God has to kick in.  We have to trust that God knows what He is doing and that He will bring comfort to all families involved.  That they will have peace of mind inspite of this trajedy that came out of nowhere.  I have heard testimonies of people who turned situations like this into something positive by donating organs or bringing awareness to things that people weren't paying attention to prior to the incident. I don't know what will come out of this but I am asking all believers and prayer warriors to lift these families up in prayer.

Blessings and Love!

Focusing on the Wrong Things

As a preacher of the gospel, a mentor, a teacher, a prophet, a spiritual mother...I often tell people to stay focused.  Keep your eyes on God and don't let things distract you.  I tell them that everyone slips and falls and stumbles, but if or when  you do...learn from it, get up, and keep it moving.  So I would be wrong to not share my slip and fall while I was have my intimate time with the Lord.  As I was talking with the Lord and He was ministering to me I began to cry and tell the Lord that I was tired of this and tired of that.  We all do it and it doesn't seem at the time that anything is wrong with it.  Why?  Because we are just expressing the truth to God.  Well before I could finish...the Lord convicted me.  He began to flood me with thoughts of things He worked out for me on my behalf...doors that only He would have been able to open and I immediately begged His forgiveness and began to praise Him!  I felt like a spoiled brat complaining about trivial stuff that wasn't stopping any miracle from happening in my life.

Children of God let me help you....everything you are tired of pales in comparison to what God has done and is doing.  If you were to line it up you would see that God has given you more joy and made more ways out of no way than you realized.  So instead of focusing on what you are tired of....praise Him for what He has done and is doing.  He is an awesome God and He is greater than any trial or tribulation that you have or are going through.  He took you through THAT....so you would be ready to go through THIS.  And because He brought you through THAT....you know THIS ain't nothing for Him! 

As soon as I began to praise Him...the burden of my THIS went away and the joy of the Lord overpowered me!  Stay focused on the right things so that you don't become a hinderance to yourself.

Blessings and Love,

Pastor Nichica Smith