Category: Prophetic

Do You Struggle To Love?

I have been a bit puzzled lately by the idea of Christians struggling to love others. Loving, showing love and being a loving person is a major attribute to anything connected to God. If we don’t love, we won’t share God’s salvation plan with those who are destitute and without hope. If we don’t have love for God we won’t follow His plan for our lives. The word tells us if we really love Him we’ll keep His statues (John 14:15). With these things in mind, why is it so difficult for believers to love God?

I believe it’s connected to several factors. The body of Christ today seems more concerned with material things than they are with the idea of being in love with Jesus. We have connected having more possessions to being blessed which couldn’t be more of a fallacy. A massive amount of material possessions or an abundance of finances doesn’t necessarily mean a person is blessed. Why? Because there are many unchurched individuals who have wealth. Being blessed is having a successful relationship with God. In addition, having a successful walk with the Lord doesn’t mean having an overflow of monetary means. Many Christian leaders have misled followers with the notion that more stuff means more faith. If we gain the world and miss heaven what good will possessions be (Luke 9:25)? For a believer that is truly in love with God, wealth merely means honor. It means they are in a financial position to bless the kingdom of God. It means God trusts them enough to allow them to have more than enough. It means they are accountable to God on where they sow in the kingdom. It’s not a means to engage in gluttonous behavior or a tool to manipulate church leaders with large offerings. God looks on the heart expecting those with an overflow to have a heart of love. If we keep Christ as our focus, we will not have challenges in the area of giving. Loving God will remind us that as quickly as our abundance came into our lives it can diminish just as easily. God wants our heart to rejoice in Him no matter what our position is financially but in order to have this mindset we must choose love.

Loving God means we live to perfect our worship. Many people say they love God but in reality they are trying to pimp Him. They keep track of how many times they’ve attended church or how much money they’ve given to the ministry. If they don’t see results in the time frame they’ve determined is reasonable, giving up on God is entertained in their minds. They expect quick answers when they pray and if God is taking too long they’ll cite that living for Him is useless or empty. When we entertain these warped ideas openly, it is an indicator that we truly haven’t fallen in love with God. Loving God with our whole being teaches us that we can’t manipulate Him nor would we want to. We must take on an attitude of servitude no matter the outcome in our individual lives. God is still working miracles around us everyday and our failure to acknowledge this illustrates a lack of belief. Believers need to be taught that trusting God will breed an atmosphere of love which is the catalyst for worship. When we worship, we are sending a message to the Lord that we are not selfish, but willing to give up our time so that we can talk to Him. We then learn real love doesn’t come with strings attached or has a time limit on it. When we worship, God not only exposes our manipulative goals but teaches us a valuable lesson each time a situation is presented in our lives that is beyond our control. Jesus says if we love Him, we’ll keep His words. He also stated He and the Father will commune with us when our love is embedded in genuine pure worship (John 14:23).

Real love born out of a committed relationship with Christ will birth a burden within each of us to see souls saved. This is our primary call after salvation and everything else secondary. Love will infuse us with the desire to share the gospel. Once we’ve fall in love with the Father, we’ll look for lasting, creative and real ways to offer Jesus to the masses. Whether we give out tracks, buy groceries for an elderly neighbor or give someone a ride to a medical appointment God can move on their heart so that they can see Him in us. We need to come back to this foundational truth in the body of Christ and ministry leaders should feel obligated to preach it more often.

The goal of ministry isn’t more tithes and offerings as many have assumed. The goal should be helping people understand they need a relationship with God. No monetary offering can be a worthy substitute for that. This will open the door to cultivate more disciples of Christ. Once they know God, the finances will come, the church will grow and all will be blessed.

We need to remind ourselves the greatest act of love was Jesus death on the cross. He didn’t die for a Lexus, a coach bag, Wii gaming systems or LCD televisions.

He died to save us from a burning hell. He died because He loved us who were spiritually poor and relationship needy. Only the love of God can bring hope, peace, victory and stability in our lives. We don’t have to be insecure castaways angling to manipulate others. Our love relationship with God teaches us to put everything in our lives in proper perspective. This includes our finances, our worship and our relationships with our fellowman. The love of God refines us in every area where are weak and stumbling in the faith. God’s love eradicates fear because fear hinders us from loving without restraint (I John 4:18) and His desire is to set us free.

Jesus’ death gave us a choice. We can serve Him or spend an eternity separated from Him. If we want to see real fruit in our lives, the choice should be clear. If we want to see our lives filled with blessings, we must commit to an honest relationship with God. Our first step in knowing God in fullness is realizing we need to love Him with our whole being. Loving God should be easier than breathing and if this is a difficult task, an examination of our motives is in order to see if walking with Christ is truly our desire.

In closing, let’s endeavor to fall so hopelessly in love with Jesus that loving Him will be our life’s desire that inspires a generation of new believers.

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Dr. Denise J. Williams was born & raised in Brooklyn, NY. Her book “The Healing Of A Broken Vessel” can be found on amazon.com. Her next effort, “The Chambers Of The Heart” is in production and slated to be released in 2012.

A Moment to Pray

When I wake early each morning I wonder what will become of my day? While my heart is yet uplifted, I take a moment to pray. I talk to God to tell Him about the battles in life I’m waging.

He showers me with blessings so my storms will cease raging. He is a companion who listens, a heavenly Father, you see. He’s fairest of the thousands who loves me indeed.

In the morning, when it’s quiet, my heart listens when He speaks. He soothes, nurtures and protects to bear me up when I am weak. Each day He ignites my desire, to serve with a willing heart. He fortifies my soul and gives my day the “right kind of start.”

He teaches me how to minister love to the inner man. Yet conditions me to forgive others as only He can.

When retiring in the evening I reflect on what became of my day. But I then realize MY SOUL is blessed so I take a moment to PRAY!

Copyright ©2008

Find Your Roar

Recently, I was watching a documentary on television and in it they were illustrating patterns of male lions. One of the facts that I found profoundly interesting was that the lion has a unique way of making his presence known. Many of us know lions roar, but what I was unaware of is that they first point their face toward the ground. Initially, I thought that was pointless. How would the roar be heard? However when he roars, the ground reverberates the sound which carries it for miles. Any animal within the lion’s perimeter is immediately alerted that the king of jungle is in their midst. I learned it is not just the sound of the roar alone that alerts them. However it is the noise as well as the vibration of the ground beneath them which makes them know to respect that the powerful creature that is near.

In our ever changing world today everyone seems to be “standing up” for something. We can gain a glimpse of what is important to an individual by observing the causes they passionately support. People who’ve measured the pros and cons of supporting their cause are usually willing to be uncomfortable, will submit to being jailed or in extreme cases martyred for their beliefs. They are determined, aggressive and steadfast in their convictions. Society advocates saving the whales, protesting wars, government rebellions or rally for the downtrodden. No matter the issue, we look for purpose to be fulfilled and many find what they believe to be their reason for living through supporting a cause. We find gratification in making an attempt to restore or repair a breach in society and God has embedded this desire into the recesses of our DNA. We were designed to minister to one another through nurturing interaction. These actions breed relationship for which we were designed!

Our personal convictions guide us into the decision making processes, while provoking us to ponder “What is worth my ROAR?” We need to look at what we are doing in our lives that causes a massive impact. What are we doing in body of Christ that causes a roar? What part of our salvation or faith filled works accomplishes the agenda that Jesus has commissioned? Are our agendas bringing glory to God? It is only His mandate that will cause a roar. It is His customized mission He’s prepared for you that will allow not only the sound that denotes physical presence, but a true connection to God. It is that assignment which compels the enemy to acknowledge that the presence of God almighty rests in, on and around us which he fears. We don’t make demons tremble because we say we are Christians, go to church, pay tithes, feed the hungry or take in the homeless. We coerce the devil to tremble through the ROAR God has given us! Power for us is found through the yoke breaking anointing that reconciles the lost back to Him.

We are truly the lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5), the lineage of King David. David was a warrior who had Judah’s roar. His praise was extreme, his worship pure and God made him a successful conqueror who overcame much adversity. Just as lions typically kill off threats to their pride (family); God allowed David to recover all that belonged to Israel and destroy any nation that would not respect their roar. The yoke breaking, miracle producing anointing that God has bestowed upon the body is our ROAR! It is what God has equipped us with in order to win souls. The enemy knows that he has no power against this pure, undefiled yet lethal anointing. We just have to count the cost and ROAR! Our God who goes before us into any cause, battle or territory will make our presence known so that those who oppose us are sure to feel defeat.

In this season, ask the Lord to help you find your ministry ROAR. Allow Him to cultivate you to a place of confidence so that you will, without hesitation offer your Roar in the body of Christ. When we all find our purpose and let God set the stage, our Roar will be felt while being effective in any endeavor we pursue. We are not without the tools needed to overcome. The economic desperation of this current dispensation provides us with a unique opportunity to show the world Jehovah Jireh is our powerful, omnipotent provider. He is our peace, our strong tower, our Judah, our ROAR. If you want to make an impact, find your divine purpose while experiencing a true sense of accomplishment. Gird up your loins and do whatever it takes to find your roar.

In closing I leave you with this: Man of God, Woman of God; I challenge you to seek the Lord without delay to FIND YOUR ROAR!
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Dr. Denise J. Williams was born & raised in Brooklyn, NY. Her first book “The Healing Of A Broken Vessel” can be found on amazon.com. Her second book “The Chambers Of The Heart” is in production to be released in early 2012.

Lessons of a Teen Aged Girl

As I glanced at an old photo of myself the other day, one thing stuck out in my mind about the time the picture was taken. I was just seventeen. In saying “just seventeen” I realized how different the woman I am today is in contrast to the mere girl in the old photo. At age seventeen I really, truly, honestly believed I had all the answers. I thought I had my life all figured out. I was spunky, opinionated and full of ideas about every single thing! I formed theories about life through the filter of inexperience. This blissful ignorance goaded me into believing it was permissible to remain self absorbed, careless and judgmental. Serving God was secondary to my own whims because I was so over confident in my own beliefs. Since He was quite low on my list of priorities I surmised I’d have plenty of time for Him once I was older. Until I reached middle age at least, I was all about living life my own way. After I’d finished partying my youth away, responding to my personal agenda, married the man of my dreams and have children then I’d consider serving the Lord.

As the years marched on something happened to me that threw a monkey wrench into my plan. I grew up finding that life and the circumstances it presents can be overwhelming to say the least. The control over my own destiny that I felt so confident I’d mastered paled in comparison against the backdrop of reality. My characteristic sarcasm I used to mask as confidence quickly became my downfall in real world situations. My opinionated attitude disguised my critical side and the spunk I nurtured was really arrogance. In living my life this way I learned I was persecuting Christ afresh (Acts 9:4)! It may not have been as graphic as nailing Him to a physical cross but the results were equally damning. I was guilty of minimizing the significance of His sacrifice for mankind. It vaguely reminded me of Saul before his conversion. Like Saul I decided to have God on my own terms. Saul persecuted Christians by killing them and I persecuted Christianity by brushing of its importance. God has a way of allowing us to reside in the valley of narcissism waiting for us to repent because He doesn’t need us. We need Him! After sending us messages that our lives need an overhaul He eventually shows up turning over our apple cart making it clear that we were never the captain of our life’s journey.

Many people are convinced like Saul that they are free to nurse their own convictions and keep accountability in a separate neat little pile. The problem we fail to see is that serving God is much more massive than any of us can ever imagine. In submitting to Him, we become students, comprehending the concept that nothing in relation to Christ is ever all about us as individuals. Our real lesson is in discovering we don’t have all the answers yet are globally connected one to another. Each life has a call to spread the love of Christ to their fellowman. We have the call of reconciliation. In 2 Corinthians 5:18 it is described as a ministry. We are together in this dispensation to minister to each other. Saul realized his vulnerabilities when he was confronted by Christ on the road to Damascus. It was then that he was called on the carpet for the way he viewed his self righteous rhetoric. He wasn’t about edifying anyone or defending the “church”. He was about building a reputation for himself that included control, fear and domination which gave him a sense of power. It made him a god in his own mind. The God of all glory didn’t get any praise from his actions. He perceived his thinking and actions as acceptable to God when in reality God never sanctioned such a directive. Saul was mortified to find out that God wasn’t on board with his man made mission.

Just like Saul had to lose his physical sight to see his own spiritual deficit we too must follow suit. In order to shake the pride and selfishness we embrace in our youthful folly we have to be willing to take a detour on the road in which we’ve traveled. Saul found (Acts 9:22) that peace, joy and truth were the answers he really longed to embrace. God illustrated to Saul as He does with us that we don’t need to devalue anyone else in order to feel validated in the kingdom of God. Saul’s self serving agenda coupled with preconceived notions about the Kingdom led him to miss this vital truth. He realized as we should that he was a religious pawn being used by the enemy. Who was the real enemy in this situation? The religious leaders that empowered Saul to kill Christians. He was tricked into believing works, tradition and coercion is what God seeks from man. How far he strayed from the truth! In order to find fulfillment, serenity and rejuvenation we have to cleave to the Lord. When we allow Him to elevate our thinking enough to receive His salvation, love, mercy and forgiveness we can recognize our end is dependent upon the choice we make today. Our possessions, money, prestige or ideology cannot replace a true relationship with Jesus. He knows our heart better than we ever will, counts the hairs on our head (Matt 10:30) and even loves us enough to save our tears (Psalms 56:9). Who wouldn’t cherish a God like that!

The seventeen year old girl in the photo has learned to live a successful life she needs to keep her priorities intact. She has recognized that the righteousness she walks in isn’t her own. It belongs to Christ Jesus who is worthy of all the honor. She now knows her passion to love her fellowman, share the word and worship with such fervor comes from a developed walk with the Lord.

Relinquish your heart to God today. He loves you with a ferocious, passionate and everlasting love. He weeps while waiting for you to commit to Him. He hurts when you don’t and is longing to know you. Forgive yourself of past transgressions that might hold you back, realizing they were committed when you had the heart of someone who was “just seventeen”

Be encouraged and blessed child of The Most High God~!

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Dr. Denise Joyce Williams lives in Florida with her husband who is a career soldier. Her book, “The Healing Of A Broken Vessel” was released by Publish America in March 2009. She’s currently penning her next book entitled “The Chambers Of The Heart”

Do You Have Real Peace?

Funny how you grow and change as time goes by. Funny how the Lord let you see you. I was thinking today about the state of my life and all the change that has taken place for me in ministry over the last three years. It was then that I suddenly realized something. I had the wrong idea of what true Christ like peace was supposed to be. At one time I thought REAL PEACE was having all the bills paid or being able to spend a couple of thousand dollars on clothes. I thought it was having that special someone or being cool with my girls. I thought real peace was having a job that was secure or validation by my church leadership. But in growing and learning I found out that isn’t true peace.

In the last three years, I’ve learned that true peace, real peace is in Jesus. REAL PEACE is when you just lost your job and you’re not stressed even when the rent is due tomorrow. REAL peace is when the only significant other in your life is Jesus and the relationship you have with him fascinates you so much that you don’t want to share your time with anyone else right now. REAL peace is knowing that you and God are so ok, that you don’t care if the others at church or anywhere else ever validates you. REAL PEACE is knowing you’re healed even if the doctor says there’s no known effective treatment. REAL peace is complete trust in God.

REAL peace is resting in God for everything. REAL PEACE is allowing Him to be your safety net, whether you can see the provision or not. REAL PEACE drives us to help someone else in need….even when we have a need ourselves! Real Christ embedded peace within us compels us to share the gospel, whether the person received it or not. REAL PEACE allows us to rest in the joy of the Lord and smile sincerely through all adversity. REAL PEACE, the God kind of peace gives us strength to deal with any situation or any loss that our lives may present us. When we’ve cultivated REAL peace in our spirit, we don’t trip when people betray us lie to us or on us. It teaches us how to ride out our storms that arise in our lives with grace and dignity. REAL PEACE tells us that the Lord will vindicate us from anything the enemy throws at us. REAL PEACE lets us truly love all people and pray for them without harboring any kind of malice. REAL PEACE in the Lord allows you to break forth in laughter and dancing even if there’s no music playing. REAL PEACE motivates us to greet each day with expectancy because we’re anxious to hear what the Lord will say to us next.

REAL PEACE comes when we kill more of our flesh and embrace the desire to be more like Christ. REAL PEACE in Christ is trust which is the foundation of any relationship. REAL peace is unwavering love for our Savior. I thank God for every revelation He gives me. He’s shown me how to come to that place of attaining REAL PEACE. During this holiday season, seek the Savior so that you too can find and bask in REAL PEACE.

Be encouraged child of the most high God~!

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Dr. Denise J. Williams was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and has over twenty-two years of ministry experience. The author’s first book “The Healing Of A Broken Vessel” can be found on http://www.amazon.com. She’s currently penning her second book and resides in Jacksonville, FL with her husband.

The Secret Of Prayer…

Like many people, I used to struggle in my prayer life. I would feel guilty, condemn myself and even evade the topic of prayer with others because I felt like a failure. I thought that my good work, faithful church attendance and tithing would offset the fact that my prayer life wasn’t what it should be for someone like me who professed an undying faith in Jesus. I would try to have devotions before I’d pray and fall asleep while reading scriptures. I’d engage in corporate prayer at church, but that didn’t satisfy the intimacy I needed with the Lord that comes through personal, private prayer.

I know that prayer is one of three powerful tools we have as believers. The other tools of fasting and studying the word are only complemented by having a strong, consistent prayer life. The bible says in the book of James 5:16 “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” This declaration that James makes reminds us that God hears and responds to prayer. He loves when we seek Him, worship Him and acknowledge Him. He loves to bless us! He wants us to know Him in a personal way and prayer offers us that. Prayer gives us a calming peace coupled with security that only the Father can provide for us. This peace that surpasses all understanding that is mentioned in Phillipians 4:7 is given to us freely by a God who loves us unconditionally.

I wanted to seek God about my prayer life and in order to do so I felt I had to make some declarations. The first one I made was that I needed a spiritual overhaul. The second was that I needed to repent to God for avoiding prayer and making excuses for not praying consistently. Next I wanted to learn how to pray so that my prayers were effective.

I needed to re-examine the scripture in James 5:16. It cites that the prayers of the righteous carry weight with the Lord, however it also states that we must “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” I didn’t realize it at the time, but I needed to be honest with fellow believers that I was struggling with finding quality time to cultivate my prayer life. I needed their support, their prayers and their love to help me get through the dry season I was experiencing with prayer. The times of pretending, hiding and borderline lying about how much time I was spending with God needed to stop. Immediately!

Next I wanted God to teach me how to pray. I searched the word and took a new look at the Lord’s prayer. In Matthew 6:9 Jesus tells the disciples how NOT to pray. He talked in the previous verses about “vain repetitions”. In other words, I shouldn’t try to impress God with selfish, distant prayers that petition Him over and over for the same things. I needed to be honest with God about whatever I needed at that moment. The next thing God revealed to me was that I needed to have conversations with the Lord, not feel like prayer is a forced, painful ritual that requires me to ‘put in time’. When I thought of prayer this way, as a duty it created a bondage for me and therefore I’d avoid it. When I re-read the Lord’s prayer I learned to dialogue with God which is what praying really is. This type of prayer teaches me to simply acknowledge God by telling Him his name is “hallowed”, sacred and holy. It tells me to ask God to make His will known in my life (thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven). It reminds me to ask God for provision or daily bread, to forgive me for anything I’ve done amiss and to have mercy on people that sin against me. This passage told me to always ask God to keep temptations from me while keeping delivered from evil. Then the closing acknowledges His sovereign power.

God used this prayer to give me a revelation. My spirit was illuminated after reading this passage! Why I never saw this before I can’t answer but I will never forget the day I’d received this revelation concerning prayer. The Lord showed me that I was simply making too much of a production of prayer. When I used to do this, it would make praying a burdensome task and I’d feel bondage not freedom. I couldn’t feel God’s love because I felt the bondage of obligation. The Lord showed me that praying isn’t a prison. It’s a way to simply talk to my best friend~Jesus! I didn’t have to have a structured prayer time every day. I could pray to the Father ANYTIME of day, any day of the week. Tradition taught me to set aside a prayer time daily begin and end. The Lord showed me that I could pray in my car, in class, at work or even in the kitchen when preparing dinner for the family. I could pray when washing dishes or while I’m cleaning the bathroom. I learned that my prayers to God don’t have to have be formal, they just need to be sincere.

I learned that God loves when we talk to Him. He loves when we are honest with Him and tell Him our vulnerabilities so He can fix what ails us. He wants us to cast all of our cares on Him. I’m so glad I sought the Lord about prayer because it freed me from the man made traditions that I was taught concerning prayer. Yes I could still have a set time daily to meet the Lord in prayer if I choose however if I miss that time, I could still talk to the Father and He will honor my prayer. The reason why I love the Lord so much is because when we struggle with issues, He speaks the answers. If we continue to listen we will hear Him. He loves us too much to allow us to feel any oppression because whom Jesus set free is free indeed.

Talk to the Father where ever you are so you too can begin to have honest conversations with the Lord. Make Him your best friend. That is the secret of prayer…..

Be encouraged child of the most high God~!

What Is Your Issue?

God has been dealing with me of late about the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25, Lev. 15:19 & Matt 14:34-36). I used these scriptures to examine her issues. God was showing me that this story illustrates the modern church. The wounded women are people in the church who believe in God but are not delivered from pain and hurt in their lives. They want to serve and be whole, but just don’t know how to get free. In this passage, the bible talks about doctors who tried or promised repeatedly to heal this woman but had no power to help her. Instead she ended up spending all that she had trying to find a true balm for her ailments.

This is what seems to have happened in our churches today. Believers are going from church to church looking to leadership for a true connection to God. They need someone who can get a prayer through so they can find peace in their spirit and healing in their bodies. They are like birds struggling to fly with a broken wing in spite of their very noticeable dysfunction.

The problem lies in that there is an obvious wound that needs to heal in order for them to soar. The disciples were operating in the traditions of church law in regard to this woman. Even though they were supposed to see her need and show compassion, they instead chose to cling to rules that deemed she was unclean. Their desire was for Jesus to just dismiss her, ignore her need and send her on her way. They felt Jesus had more important things to do and she didn’t qualify in their minds as one with a legitimate need. Our churches perform the same ritual weekly. People who are in dire straights seem to EMBARRASS many self righteous believers! They want ministry but don’t want to deal with people who have desperate needs in their lives. They say they want to fight as soldiers in the army but not really sold out enough to get dirty in the trenches. Real ministry means you have to get your hands dirty in order to pull someone out of the very real pit in their life.

Thank God for GRACE! This woman is an icon for the church and those that God wants to deliver from despair, abuse, oppression, fear and anything else that hinders victorious living. It grieves God I believe, because this is the face of modern day churches. We don’t seek God anymore with passion or consistency; therefore leaders are pitifully weak and profoundly ineffective. There isn’t enough fasting or prayer on a consistent basis so in effect; the church has learned to tie God’s hands. He can’t show up to heal if the atmosphere isn’t right nor will He move if there is no true worship. God didn’t fail us but it is we who have lost faith. Compromise in our walk has led us to witnessing more lukewarm believers that are nursing old wounds.

Jesus saw the heart of this woman and her desire to be free. The compassion of the Lord didn’t fail which compelled Him to stop and bless her on His journey.

In light of this act, we too need to see if we actually qualify to minister to the Lord’s people. We need to take a minute and see if someone else has a need that is pressing because it’s always about us! It’s all about God’s agenda. It’s about being in position to be used for His service.

We all have issues. We all need help to get healed and we’re unable to do it on our own. We need each other because we were designed for relationship and we need God because we can’t heal ourselves. We need the ministry of intercession back in the church. We need the ministry of the prophet back in the church for confirmation, correction and order. We need the wisdom of church mothers, mentors, spiritual fathers and missionaries to provide direction.

The woman with the issue of blood was unable to heal. Her blood didn’t clot properly so that she could put her painful past behind her. The bleeding was a constant reminder that her issue was not yet resolved. Her issue was painful and impacted her present life. It also threatened her future as she grew weaker from the blood loss with each passing day. Blood is binding and represents covenant. This is why Christ’s shed blood is so precious because in its’ shed state it offered us a covenant with Him. Blood has iron in it. When detectives apply Luminol to blood at a crime scene, it bonds with the iron component forcing it to illuminate. The blood of Christ once applied to our lives, our past and illuminates our hurt. Once the wound is identified, complete healing commences. There is no residue of the past or any other emotional pain. It’s been washed away forever and our slate cleansed.

Be encouraged child of the most high God~!

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Dr. Denise J. Williams was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and has over twenty-two years of ministry experience. The author’s first book “The Healing Of A Broken Vessel” can be found on http://www.amazon.com. She’s currently penning her second book and resides in Jacksonville, FL with her husband.

Every Place You Hurt

There she is alone at the well… Then a man shows up saying “give me to drink“. She wonders why because the Jews have no dealings with Samaritians. He’s different though and talks to her because He can see she’s in pain. He questions her about who she is. She tells Him the story about the well, Jacob their father and the worship that took place on that very mountain. He gets more personal by wanting to know about her husband. She says I’ve had five. Each of her  husbands represented a church, a covering that failed her in some way. Each covering has let her down, abuse in one, lied to in another, manipulated in the third one, abandoned in the fourth one and put out in the fifth one. She’s saddened discussing it all. Five husbands. Five coverings. Five failures. She was done. She was finished with coverings, husbands, churches the whole lot of it. No earthly covering understood her needs.

If you can relate to this woman it is probably because at some time in your life, the church has failed you. This woman has been talked about because she went from one covering/marriage to another. Some of us get talked about for going from church to church but can’t help it because some of us have pain the church can’t fix or won’t address so we search. Some of us need counseling that the church didn’t want to do because it might require a commitment from the leadership to meet with us weekly. Someone may have to miss their favorite TV show to help! Every deliverance doesn’t happen on Sunday and every healing doesn’t happen in the bible study. Some pain, some heartache, some emotional devastation needs to be tended to when others are home eating dinner or chatting on the phone with friends. Her pain was real just like it is for some of us. She was shunned among people of notoriety because of her past. Even in modern circles people still judge us for what we may have done in our past. The bondage this brings is crippling. Some people never forgive our mistakes even if we did repent and some choose to hold it over our heads. The loving church people wouldn’t reach out beyond their comfort zone. The thing is, this woman could have been any of us or possibly she is us?! She was someone with a hurting heart and needed the love of God manifested in a person that would help her heal. She was looking for love with each husband/church/covering and was unable to find it. Like many of us today she felt broken, isolated and ashamed.

But wait….Jesus is the sixth man. He is the sixth covering in the life of this woman who is at this well. Five is the number of grace however six is the number of mankind. Jesus redeemed, healed and offered Himself as her church. He was her covering and her husband. She found that in Him she is truly complete! That day she was the one that got a drink. It was a drink of deliverance! She received living water and she found renewed hope for her life. The gift of the GOOD NEWS was hers that day. She met Jesus! The promised one. The messiah. The only one that can heal every single place she hurt.

Be encouraged child of the most high God~!

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Dr. Denise J. Williams is the founder of Broken Vessel Outreach Ministries International. She has just completed her first book entitled “The Healing Of A Broken Vessel”  in early 2009. She and her husband reside in Jacksonville, Fl. http://www.thebrokenvessel.com/heal 

GIVE HIM YOUR ISAAC

 

Last night, my husband and I enjoyed the symphony with friends. As we watched, I was mesmerized by the melodious sounds resonating from the stage. Each musician was precise, accurate and totally engaged in their work. Every ounce of their discipline was evident as their offering of harmony delivered to our audience one perfected piece after another. In our lives we can see a mirrored scenario. We each harbor thFreeWomane potential to offer beauty in any endeavor we pursue. God offers us success, but after our journey in Christ commences we have to grow spiritually in order to wisely manage it. Without maturation we become a stagnant, useless carcass unable to fully manifest His glory among men in the earth. There are many zealous believers that desire to be used mightily of the Lord but in order for this to occur, there is a process of preparedness that has to be completed. In Genesis 22, Abraham was in the process of being re-constructed. He was on the cusp of being spiritually challenged in a way he never expected. In this look at Abraham, most believe God only wanted him to offer his son Isaac as a test of loyalty. The passage illustrates obedience to God in the midst of what human discerning may deem illogical direction. While this is definitely one perspective, God revealed something deeper concerning this conundrum to me.

In order to remain in a place of spiritual flexibility, we need to regularly be made uncomfortable! The reality that God places us in such situations may not be popular but is indeed a fact. Abraham fell into a place many of us find ourselves amidst. He was complacent. He served God, observed the holy days and offered the appropriate sacrifices when he was required to do so. He trusted his “safe” spiritual place yet his routine actually worked against him. Oh how we are more like him than we realize! We attend the worship service, pay the tithe, hear the sermon, wonder what restaurant has a dinner special and repeat the process the following week. Our God is a God of progressive change yet believers desire an ordinary seasonal predictability that offers false security. When God directed Abraham to offer his son Isaac for the sacrifice, he was shaken from his place of comfort and catapulted to an area he’d never known. Extreme faith! Abraham knew that the law of Moses offered him only judgment if he didn’t obey. However his blind obedience didn’t challenge his faith. Committing scripture to memory didn’t’ do it either. He needed something more. More than ritual, he needed a relationship with the Lamb.

Genesis 22 presents us with the ideal that the body of Christ has to endure a periodic agitation. If we are looking for the miraculous in our daily lives, we have to submit to an abrupt, sudden and permanent change in our spiritual thinking which is orchestrated by the Father. Our “Unknowing” will lead us as it did Abraham to a place of abundant faith. Abraham moved in his extreme faith when he said in verse five that he and the lad will go worship then return. He didn’t know if God would resurrect Isaac or continue to require his son to remain the sacrifice. All he could comprehend was that his humanity which is representative of wood is fallible. He knew somehow, someway that God would not let him down in relation to his son which he now perceived as the sacrifice. His child was the perfect offering before the Lord at that moment. This type represented Jesus’ death for all of humanities sins. Even more perfect than Isaac’s child. Isaac, in his quest to find the spiritual perfecting he needed, he had to give God his Isaac so he could discover the Lamb.

In verse six the question arose, “Where is the Lamb?” If we desire God’s perfect will we have to surrender our Isaac and find the Lamb. Just as the musicians who performed for me sought perfection through repetition, we too must repeatedly seek God in the realm of massive, unwavering faith. This will only come through allowing Him to place us in uncomfortable situations so that we can believe for more than we ever dreamed possible. This can only occur for us once we’ve attained grace from God through His Lamb.

If the church is to make a broader impact in the world and persuade the lost, we need to be ready to give up our safe places that offer us monotony. These are our Isaac’s. It encompasses those spiritual hiding places of hindrances or feat that challenge our growth. We can not continue to forsake the initiation of intimacy if we desire mammoth faith in Jesus. Any other misplaced confidence in our ability only encourages us to depend on ourselves instead of God.

As the symphony drew to a close the question again resonated within me. What is your Isaac? What is that sure thing, that carnal connection which I always know will come through for me? What do I always depend on that is not Christ? The body of Christ needs to realize a new dispensation is here just as Abraham had. The miraculous will not happen with believers hiding in the shadows with the fear they will offend someone with their salvation. It will not happen if we keep pacifying ourselves with church work nor will it happen through pretending to be full of wisdom. Our goal as believers is to show the world a more radical place of belief; not hide in the pews. We should be able to illustrate to the unbeliever that we have all power on earth to fulfill our prophetic assignment. Just as the musicians, we must be precise, strategic and totally engaged in the work of the Lord for the perfecting of the saints. Every ounce of our disciplined living should be evident in all the areas of our lives offering harmony to those around us.

What is your Isaac? If you yearn for more out of your relationship with God, let Him exacerbate your circumstances to propel you to a broader place of faith. Give Him your Isaac and watch God use you in a mighty way in the body of Christ.

Be encouraged child of the most high God~!

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Dr. Denise Joyce Williams lives in Florida with her husband who is a career soldier. Her articles have been featured in CALLED and WOW magazine. Her book entitled, “The Healing Of A Broken Vessel” was released by Publish America in March 2009. The book can be found: http://www.publishamerica.com. She can be reached via her ministry website http://www.thebrokenvessel.com. She’s currently penning her next book entitled “The Chambers Of The Heart”.

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What Time Is It For Believers?

Recently the body of Christ has been inundated with prophetic words concerning the immediate future. These messages have been released to identify the spiritual climate of our day to a weary church. Our dispensation is probably the most unique and the most active than any previous era. In examining the signs of our times several questions have emerged. What identifies the modern day believer? What is the spiritual temperature of the church? And lastly, why does the church seem to be complacent?

Ecclesiastes 3:1 explains there is a time for every purpose in our individual TimePiecelives but also as a corporate body. The church is poised for another tremendous prophetic move. Our generation is witnessing a surge of new converts, physical healings, dreams and visions like never before. God’s mandate is to equip the veteran while recruiting the lost in this season. Every event in our social structure that signifies stability is failing and many are being challenged to re-examine their relationship with God. Position or wealth are no longer enough to quell the false sense of security the world has duped itself into believing is real.

Our prophetic climate isn’t for naught. God is readying His church to address real concerns for those whose need is deeper than a weekly thirty minute pep talk topped with a “God bless, see you next week” We now understand as Jesus’ return becomes more imminent, spiritual warfare will become much more common place. God’s message to us is that we must get in position to deal with this kind of combat. The modern day believer must be completely engulfed in whatever directive God has ordained. Submission is key to not only acquire personal blessings but also to comprehend every strategy of the enemy. In exposing demonic schemes we are able to edify the body of Christ as a whole.

Our worship must exude a purity that hasn’t been infected with even a hint of compromise or worldly itineraries. This is essential in this season of exploiters who look for opportunities to deceive even seasoned saints. In order to identify the authentic pearls from the costume jewelry we must strengthen our relationship with the Father. The tools of study, fasting and intercessory prayer must DOMINATE our time if we are to overcome in this season.

We have to embrace serving Him as an honor; a relationship that must be tended daily. God’s eyes are scanning to and fro (II Chronicles 16:9) searching the heart of His bride. He peers into hearts that are innocent, willing and self sacrificing. Many in this dispensation believe the church should keep the unsaved as their top priority. While this is clearly important, there is an even more pressing need. More and more the church is constantly called upon to minister to believers! There are God fearing people who love Him yet are bound with spirits of oppression, depression, obsession, addictions, suicidal tendencies and many other bondages. Many pastors are burned out, churches are closing and false teaching is leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of the un-churched. God is calling the church to awake from its’ slumber by responding to the direction of the Holy Ghost! We ARE NOT washed up, powerless weaklings! It’s time for us to take authority over evil!

Now is the time to offer healing to the faithful who are wounded. Our time of complacency and fear must be put behind us. It is now our time to shine while offering the healing power of the gospel to a dying world. Let us seek out those needing to renew their faith to assist them in realizing their divine purpose. The impending move of the prophetic is contingent upon the people of God responding to His call. We can no longer shrink into the background! We are needed to carry out the agenda of Christ until His physical return. We must solicit the Lord concerning the ills of our culture. It is believers who require the balm of deliverance in order to forge ahead to offer healing. It is the modern day believer who is about to be restored, strengthened and poised to evangelize the nations.

What time is it? It is time dear friend for us to return to our first love. It’s time for all of us to serve the Lord with our entire heart.

Be encouraged child of the most high God~!

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Dr. Denise Joyce Williams lives in Florida with her husband who is a career soldier. Her articles have been featured in CALLED and WOW magazine. Her book entitled, “The Healing Of A Broken Vessel” was released by Publish America in March 2009. The book can be found: http://www.publishamerica.com. She can be reached via her ministry website http://www.thebrokenvessel.com. She’s currently penning her next book entitled “The Chambers Of The Heart”.