You Have Skirted This Mountain Too Long!

Zerubbabel was a descendant of King David (1 Chronicles 3:1,19 - see also Israelite Dynasties) who led a large group of Jews back to Jerusalem after their seventy years exile in Babylon.

Zerubbabel was given the task of doing what could not be stopped because The Lord cannot be stopped: He was given the commission to re-build the temple.

So he answered and said to me:
“ This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘ Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts. ‘ Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone. With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying: “ The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple;His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.” Zech 4:6-10

Is there a mountain before you this day? Does it appear insurmountable? Like the children of Israel, have you taken your journey into the wilderness and skirted Mount Seir for many days? Hear the word of God to Moses, saying: "You have skirted this mountain long enough, turn northward.

To Zerubbabel He said : "Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"

Let that be a word for you today! God will cause us to triumph. With God, there is always a way out, a way around, or a way through the wilderness and a way into His promises. He is the way, the truth and the life; He is the door. He's the how, the when and the where of it all!

Despise not the day of small things, for even as the eyes of the Lord rejoiced to see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel, He will rejoice over you when he sees you holding that thing you have believe for.

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© Candace House 2007, All Rights reserved.

The Homosexual Agenda-GLSEN

Last week I had on my show Todays Breathing Room Heide Janshon and Lisa Darrell. Our discussion was titled the Homosexual Agenda and Leadership. The show took an interesting turn however. I wanted to talk about gays in leadership in the Church and instead we talked about GLSEN which is the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network. This organization’s agenda is to indoctrinate our school children into exploring the gay life style at much younger ages. This group is comprised of educators whose sole role in life is to brainwash our children to accept the homosexual agenda.

The Traditional Values Coalition proposes GLSEN gets into schools by claiming that “homosexual” and “transgender” students need to feel safe and encouraged; and that so-called “homosexual/transgender” teens have high rates of suicide and need a support group. When this tactic fails, GLSEN then threatens legal action against school districts that refuse to allow these recruitment clubs on campus. The American Civil Liberties Union has volunteered to serve as the enforcement arm of GLSEN to impose a homosexual agenda on the nation’s public schools

You can listen live to the radio broadcast to find out what educators are really teaching your children. Click on the archive for Oct 8th. Parents would be alarmed at some of the material being sponsored by our school system to undermine what they are being teached at home.

According to an article that came out in TIME magazine this month kids are disclosing their homosexuality with unprecedented regularity–and they are doing so much younger. The average gay person now comes out just before or after graduating high school, according to The New Gay Teenager, a book Harvard University Press published this summer. The book quotes a Penn State study of 350 young people from 59 gay groups that found that the mean age at which lesbians first have sexual contact with other girls is 16; it’s just 14 for gay boys. In 1997 there were approximately 100 gay-straight alliances (GSAs)–clubs for gay and gay-friendly kids–on U.S. high school campuses. Today there are at least 3,000 GSAs–nearly 1 in 10 high schools has one–according to the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN, say “glisten”), which registers and advises GSAs. In the 2004-05 academic year, GSAs were established at U.S. schools at the rate of three per day.

Have you ever noticed that if you say anything contrary to what gays believe then you are a gay basher and homophobic? I am not a gay basher or am I homophobic. I have had 2 gay friends of mine that I loved dearly die. One died from AIDS ,the other was murdered by his lover.

I still however have friends that are gay. I do not condone their lifestyle. However I still love them. Jesus hates their lifestyle but still loves them very much so. What I don’t like however is gay people trying to seduce my children into exploring their lifestlye. So for those of you that would send me hate mail saying I am intolerant of others, FORGET IT. In the famous words of Dr. Phil, ” That Dog Won’t Hun’t .”




© Candace House 2007. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.ruachchayah.org/

The Testimony of Jesus

“And I fell at his feet to worship him. But [the angel] said to me,See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10)

A prophet, or prophetic ministry will be known by what it does, not by what it says it is. He or she will use the prophetic gift to speak forth the mind and counsel of God for repentance to be taught and righteousness to be preached in order to bring restoration and a return back to God and healing of broken bodies, souls and spirits.

What is written and said will be a testimony of the truth of Jesus—as revealed from Genesis to Revelation. They will communicate God’s priorities, the present day utility of God’s power and His purposes as He speaks.

Paul states that Jesus Christ is the only foundation to be laid: 1 Corinthians 3:11: “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

The modern day prophetic ministry will speak words of exhortation, comfort and revelation. There will also be individual and corporate edification, learning and comfort. In public usage exercise of the prophetic gift will prove to be a sign for believers.

This ministry will covet to exercise the prophetic gift for the purpose of edifying the Church of God whether it be in writings or in speaking.

Maturing the saints by preparing them for works of public service, or ministry, and teaching them how to build up the body of Christ is the mandate of the prophetic. Its purpose is to bring about unity of the faith that comes with the knowledge of the Son of God so that the body of Christ will mature into the full measure of Christ Himself.

Unity in the body of Christ is emphasized and must be based upon the truth of scripture, not other devices which overlook or ignore the truth of the Bible. All must be based upon the knowledge of the Son of God, which comes from the truth of the Word of God which teaches us of Christ.

A true prophetic ministry, just like the true Christian prophet, understands that their influence over others only comes when and if others voluntarily and willingly follow their example of personal holiness and servanthood to others by their public service, freely given.




© 2007 Candace House. All Rights Reserve
www.ruachchayah.org

© Candace House 2007, All Rights reserved.

Christ Indeed Is The Only Way

Since Christ is indeed the only way, then all other ways are wrong and headed for hell. With that being said, those who are convinced that Jesus is the only way will be those who are most fervent about evangelism. Those who are soft when it comes to evangelism are typically those who are not nearly as convinced that Jesus is the only road. I know this is a hard saying, nevertheless it is true. If we really believed in hell, we wouldn’t want anyone to go there. There is an old adage that says “the road to hell is pave with good intentions.” You can take it from there and fill in the blanks.

Saturday a man was killed on 95. He knocked of his motorcycle and survived. When he got up he was disoriented and wandered into the street and a another car hit him. He still was not dead. He got hit a third time and then he died.

My friend that is a pastor talked to this man that morning, told him about Jesus and invited him to church. The guy said maybe one day but he was not ready then. The pastor then asked could he pray with him and the guy said he didn’t have time. He needed to get going. Later on that evening he was killed.

God in His mercy, sent someone to witness to that young man the day he died. No one knows what happened after he left. Maybe he had a talk with Jesus. I pray that he did. The Fathers’ wish is that none would be lost but have everlasting life.

The road to eternal life is a narrow road that most reject, but it is a road that Christians had better stand firm upon and one to which we must call others to travel. As 1 John 5:12 says, “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” Jesus is very plain when it comes to who is in and who is out. Those who receive Him as God, Savior, and Lord are in, and those who reject Him are out. We should also note that “life” is singular. It is not “a life” but “the life,” and the answer is not “a Son” but “the Son.” Clearly, the teaching of Scripture is undeniably that Jesus is the only way.

Should this surprise us? It ought not to, seeing that Jesus is the only individual to ever walk this earth and not sin. He also is the only Person ever to die and rise again of His own power. All other founders of religions such as Budha, Mohammed, Joseph Smith, and Confucius, for example, are dead in their graves. Christians do not travel to a gravesite to pay homage because our Savior is not there, for He is risen.

The Thing that gets me is, most if not all world religions deny Jesus as being God. Some say that He is a son of God, but only Christianity believes that He is God. Some say that He was just a great teacher, a prophet, or some deluded lunatic. Yet how great was He if He was deluded about His own identity, thinking He was God when He really wasn’t, as they claim? And how can He be crazy if all of His claims came true?

It is obvious that the evidence points to the fact that Jesus was indeed Who He said He was- which is God. Christianity is the only “religion” based upon God drawing near to man rather than man working to come near to God. Religion by definition is, more or less, a working to be holy or to please a deity. This is why Christianity is more than mere religion. Christianity is a relationship regained between man and God because of the love of God in sending His own Son to die for our sins.

In reality it is not a stretch to say that Jesus is the only way. He is far different and very unique when compared with other religious figures. He performed miracles, He cast out demons, He gave up His life for those who rejected Him, and He conquered death, rising from the grave. Who else is like Him? It only makes sense that He is unique among the various paths of spirituality. No man comes to the Father but through Him and by Him. He is the door (John 10:9), the only point of entry to heaven.

What do we do if we don’t like this truth? Just like the guy I wrote about that was a Christian and turned to new age, He didn’t like this truth. We don’t have a choice because it is the truth. It is tough to come to the realization that so many are going to hell because they reject Jesus, but Jesus Himself said that the way to destruction is wide and that many go that way (Matthew 7:13). The answer is not to rewrite what Jesus said or to say that there must be other ways. The answer is prayer, brokenness over the state of sinners, and a bold and loving evangelism.

God wants none to perish, and He is merciful, giving us time to evangelize. Yet Christians must first be firm in our belief of the exclusivity of the Truth of Jesus so that we can then evangelize with the fervor that the first Christians had. Most of them had either witnessed the events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, or knew someone who had. They knew He was God and that none could compare; thus, they had a bold and unstoppable will to evangelize. We need the fervor, conviction, and commitment that the first Christians had, and it starts with a firmness in our belief that Jesus is the only way to heaven.

Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection didn’t happen behind closed doors. It was for all the world to see, which was fitting, since He died for the sins of the whole world. Jesus is the only path to God, but He is also willing to accept all people, unlike many other religions which discriminate or only allow a certain number to attain to the next life. He doesn’t discriminate based upon age, wealth, class, status, gender, education, race, or any other means. He wants everybody, and all will be received if they receive Him.

Christianity, though it is exclusive when it comes to the means of salvation, is the most open of all religions in that it invites all people to be saved. If we want to see fewer people go to hell and more people go to heaven, then we need to take them to the only road that can get them there- Jesus Christ. Other gods may reject them, and other religions might exclude them. But Jesus, because of His great love for all, promises that He won’t turn them away. May we direct people to the only Door that leads to life.


www.candacehouse.org


2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved.

OJ Simpson Should Really Act His Age

Over the last several days I have been watching the OJ Simpson saga. It is like a bad B movie that you watch over and over again, hoping the outcome is different. You know the kind of movies where you can’t believe the main characters are so stupid!

In the case of OJ Simpson a bible verse comes to mind that is apropos. ” When I was a child I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man I put away childish things” 1Cor 13:11.

My husband has a saying that he is known far and wide for. It goes a little something like this,” if you are going to be stupid then you had better be tough.” This sums it up in a nutshell.

According to Fox News, Simpson was arrested Sunday after a collector reported that a group of armed men charged into his hotel room and took several items the former NFL great claimed belonged to him.

According to the charges filed Tuesday, Simpson and the others went to the room under the pretext of brokering a deal with the men. Once in the room, Simpson prevented one of the collectors from calling emergency authorities on his cell phone “by ripping it out of Bruce Fromong’s hand” while one or more accomplices pointed or displayed a handgun.
The complaint does not specify which of the men involved was carrying the weapon.
Simpson’s lawyer, Yale Galanter, said he planned to ask for Simpson’s release on his own recognizance.

“If it was anyone other than O.J. Simpson, he would have been released by now,” Galanter said.
Simpson has insisted he was not armed and that he went to the hotel simply to retrieve property that had been stolen from him.

“You can’t rob something that is yours,” Galanter said. “O.J. said, ‘You’ve got stolen property. Either you return it or I call the police.”‘

Witnesses and authorities have said that they don’t believe Simpson had a gun but that some of the men who accompanied him during the confrontation were armed.

Everyone knows they have been trying to get Simpson for years after being acquitted for murder charges in 1994. How arrogant to think you are above the law. The Bible says “Pride goes before a fall.” OJ ‘s sitting in jail is a testament to how far he has fallen.

http://www.candacehouse.org/

2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved.

The Rosie O' Donnell You Don't Know

Have you ever looked at the behaviour of some people and said what in the world made them turn out this way? Well I have often wondered it about Rosie O Donnell. I have never cared for her because she was always brash and uncouth. Her mouth is filthy and she doesn’t care how she conducts herself in public. Let alone privately.

I often wonder when I see people who do not have regard for others, what has happened in their life to make them so callous. My granny always told me never to look at the surface of an individual. She said ” what is on the surface is a product of what is on the inside. ”
With Rosie O’Donnell that is certainly the case. Her new Book “Celebrity Detox” leaves us some clue as to why she acts the way she does.

According to Fox News Rosie O’Donnell used to break her own limbs with either a baseball bat or a wooden hanger when she was a child.

This revelation, as well as many about her experiences on “The View” last year, is contained in a new book she’s written due shortly called “Celebrity Detox.”

This personal memory, so shocking, is almost thrown toward the end of what is better described as a long essay than a short memoir.

All the proceeds from “Celebrity Detox” are going to Rosie’s charity, by the way. So it’s not like she’s putting her most painful personal memories on sale for self-aggrandizement.
But reading this passage is heart-breaking. Rosie, who lost her mother at age 10, felt she couldn’t get attention or sympathy otherwise.

She broke her own bones, she recalls, “my hands and fingers usually. No one knew. It was a secret.” She used a Mets baseball bat she got on bat day or the hanger. Why? It was “proof I had some value, enough to be fixed.” She recalls that she was no longer sad about her mother’s death, but “distracted.”

Rosie also dangles another clue about her childhood in two sentences. “There were many benefits to having a cast. In the middle of the night, it was a weapon.”

We will certainly keep Rosie in prayer, because there is more here than what meets the eye.

http://www.candacehouse.org/

2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved.

Bishop Weeks Denies Abuse of Juanita Bynum

Last Night I watched the press conference given by Bishop Weeks and was disheartened. It was very painful to watch. I wondered if maybe his mind was gone. I don’t know. Sometimes people who are in a rage really don’t remember what they did while in that state. I hope that is the case with him. Because the alternative is too ugly to contemplate.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution“Thomas W. Weeks, 40, also a preacher, said he felt compelled to speak his peace after his famous wife announced to the public recently that she was “the new face of domestic violence.”

Weeks, who face felony charges for allegedly beating, choking and stomping his wife to the ground at a hotel parking lot on Aug. 21, said there are “two sides to every story.”

“I want to be clear in saying I do not condone in any way, shape or form violence of any kind towards women,” said Weeks in a conference room at Global Destiny Church of Duluth. “My role has always been to operate as a protector and not as an aggressor. I have walked away from many situations between the two of us, just like I walked away that night.”

“Weeks said he and Bynum, 48, were trying to reconcile the night before the alleged attack. They separated in June.”

According to Fox News, Mr. Weeks has been accused of having a previous physical altercation with a female within the church.

ATLANTA (FOX 5) — “Two faithful followers of Bishop Thomas Weeks, III said last week’s alleged attack against his televangelist wife, Juanita Bynum was not the first time Weeks has shown violence against women. Aungelique Proctor reports.According to the news report, Weeks assaulted a worker by the name of Lorraine Robinson. Ms. Robinson failed to go to the hospital because the two women she confided in and supposedly Juanita Bynum herself discouraged her from doing so.”

The one thing that is glaringly obvious to me is that Bishop Weeks needs serious prayer. I am not saying this to be facetious, I am so serious. From my observations he has given himself over to another spirit, not the Holy Spirit. For a man to lay hands on a woman is reprehensible! But then he goes a step further and lay hands on one of his church members.

Signs were there that he needed help 8 months prior to him jumping on Juanita Bynum. People however over looked them and said that God would work it out. Well He did. He allowed it to come to the forefront.

You want to make sure you “work out your own soul salvation according to the Word of God with fear and trembling.” What does that mean? It means there is a price to pay for at the end of the day for un-confessed sins. There is an accountability factor involved here. And you will give an account of all you do in this body. The scripture goes on to say “Be sure your sins will find you out.” And “what you do in the dark will come to the light.”

There are deep seated issues that the Bishop hasn’t dealt with. And in all of this he is still in denial. They have irrefutable evidence that he did it. But yet and still he denies it. The prosecutor’s office says they have more than enough evidence to proceed with this case. So how could he hold that press conference and make the statements he did?

The bottom line is Bishop Weeks needs to come clean and get help. First he needs to repent. Then he needs to get professional counseling for his rage and bitterness. This is not just an anger management situation. This case is much deeper than this. For someone to go to the level he went to is so beyond simple anger.

For those in the church that wants to sweep this under the rug shame on you. This has been allowed to on too long as it is. Until we the church get right how in the world can we help someone else. For those that are blaming Juanita Bynum for going after her husband thereby getting her self beat up shame on you! How asinine is that statement? That is the reason women don’t come forth! Because they have been told by both the perpetrator and society somehow she was at fault. The woman then becomes to believe the lie!

The church needs to stop hiding behind religious piety and start being the church Christ has called you to be. Back in the day, both Jesus and John the Baptist laid into those that were overly religious. They both referred to the leaders of that day as vipers, vultures, hypocrites, liars and thieves.

They called them to task for putting burdens on the people and being unfair in their dealings with them. They hid behind their authority to and so called knowledge to place undo weights on the people.

The same thing is happening today. Along came Jesus on the scene and said “ He was sent to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captive, recover sight to the blind, and to set at liberty all who were oppressed. Does this sound like what the church is doing today? I venture to say a resounding NO!

Let us get back to being the church that Christ died for. Let us love our fellow man enough to help him. Let us not ignore wrongdoing and do nothing. Let us let our light shine so that others may see it and want to come to that light. As it stands you find so many that do not want to have anything to do with Christ, because of the representation of Him.

http://www.candacehouse.org/

2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved.

When The Word Of God Isn't enough

There is an interesting passage of scripture I overlooked in Luke 16. I was reading the story that involves Abraham, Lazarus the beggar, and the rich man. This morning I had a things that make you go hum moment.

Everyone that is saved for any length of time has heard this story or read it. Well sometimes we can read the Word or hear it numerous times that it becomes too familiar. We already go into reading or hearing a particular scripture with preconceived notions of what that passage is saying.

This morning the Lord showed me something that I hadn’t paid attention to even though I had it highlighted! So my spirit grasped it then. But there was an appointed time for me to consciously lay hold of it.

According to this story, there was a certain rich man who had more than he ever wanted Or needed. He lived his life for himself, in selfish indulgence, not caring at all about the poor. Lazarus was a poor beggar who like a dog desired to be fed the crumbs from the masters table, though it is not clear if he ever was fed by the rich man.

After they both die, we get a glimpse of their situations in eternity. Lazarus is with Abraham, symbolizing that he is grafted into the family of God by faith in Christ. He is in heaven. The rich man is in agony in the burning flames of hell. Between the two a great divide which cannot be crossed is fixed.

A conversation is said to take place between Lazarus, the rich man, and Abraham. The rich man knows that his five brothers are as wicked as he was and without a doubt end up in torment as he is, so he begs Abraham to send somebody, even Lazarus, to his brothers. He thinks that if his brothers see a person raised from the dead that they will repent and put their faith in God.

Yet Abraham explains that unless they hear the law and the prophets, which they already have available to them, they will not repent.

Abraham’s statement, told by Christ as He gives this story, is emphasizing that the Scripture is sufficient.

Unless a person hears what they already have in the Word of God, they cannot and will not be saved. Even if some miraculous sign happened for the rich man’s brothers or for any man for that matter, they would still not believe.

We can deceive ourselves into thinking that if only Jesus came and appeared
to all men that they would trust Him. We can think that we can come up with some other means to woo somebody to church or to Christ. The reality is that the greatest sign of all time has already taken place. Jesus Himself rose from the dead and people reject that, despite the overwhelming evidence of its historicity.

The Lord knew this and was foretelling in this story that even His death burial and resurrection would not be sufficient to bring some people to repentance. Christ Himself knew that only the Word of God could change a person’s heart. If Christ even by performing the greatest miracle of all time couldn’t convince a person to believe, what really do we have to come up with?

The Church has so many programs and works that they perform all to bring people to Christ. They are working themselves to death trying to come up with ways that will attract people into the household of the Lord.

Programs, skits, musicals, bazaars, fairs, workshops, auctions, giveaways, you name it the Church tries it. I look at all of the churches with theatre props, book stores, coffee houses, gyms, empowerment & business centers, soup kitchens, credit unions, colleges, schools, daycares, restaurants and so forth and so on. We here in America have made the Word of God secondary in comparison to all of the wonderful things we are doing for Him. Churches are not willing to preach the full counsel of the Word for fear of losing members. They have listened to polls that say people’s attention spans cannot absorb a sermon over 15 minutes. So the Word becomes secondary and the programs are first.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against a lot of this stuff as long as it is in its proper place. What has me concerned is the mindset that the Word of God is not enough to get people saved.

The Word of God can stand on it’s on. It doesn’t need any help. The only thing God put His full backing on is His Word. The Scripture is the Power of God in written form. It is only through hearing and appropriating the Scriptures can sanctification take place.
Good works, community service, and theatrics can have their place. The issue is whether they are sufficient to be able to stand on their own apart from the Word of God.

The Body of Christ needs to study, memorize and meditate on the Word of God. I am very concerned for the Church here in America because of what is coming down the pipeline for this country. The scripture says “Who have believed our report?” Isaiah 53:1. You have to first know the report in order to believe it.

Remember man cannot live apart from taking in the Word of God. He cannot be saved apart from hearing the gospel, and he cannot be a mature Christian without instruction from the Scripture. We already know from Romans 1:16 that the “gospel is the power of God unto salvation.” We know from 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Romans 10:16 says that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them in the word; your word is truth.”

All of our progress in being sanctified into the image of Christ is due to our being immersed in the truth of the Word of God. There is no short cut to this thing called Sanctification.

http://www.candacehouse.org/

2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email info@candacehouse.org for permission to use.

Paula White & Divorce In the Church

Today my co-host Lisa Darel and I talked about The Paula White story and divorce in the church. Leadership leads by example, or so we have always been told. In this case the leaders of Without Walls International is setting a very poor example for us to follow.

When leadership falls it causes others to stumble as well. Single women everywhere are questioning if a happy marriage is on the horizon for them. Many have lost hope because their Icon has fallen. That is why it is so important to not look to man. Because man will fail you everytime.

Subscribe to the RSS feed of the show Todays Breathing Room.to down load the show concerning Paula White. If you would rather hear the show now you can listen to the archive by clicking here.

Here is a quote from Christian answers concerning how the Lord feels about divorce.

God Hates Divorce

If anyone wonders whether there can be life and grace after divorce, it is worth meditating on a statement in Jeremiah. Often in the Bible, the main metaphor used to describe God’s relationship to Israel is a marriage. Likewise, the main metaphor for idolatry is adultery. So, through the prophet Jeremiah, God says, “I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce, and sent her away because of all her adulteries” (3:8).Many people know that in Malachi God says, “I hate divorce.” But they may not know why: God has been through it. He knows the humiliation of rejection and betrayal—from hard-hearted people like me.

God hates divorce because God is a divorcee. So he invented the first divorce recovery program. It started at a place called Calvary. The price was a cross. The program is still underway.

http://www.candacehouse.org/

2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved.

THE SEED

A successful Christian business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different.

He called all the young executives in his company together.
"It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO," he said. "I have decided to choose one of you."

The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today - a very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed.
He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.

Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by - still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened.

Jim felt sick at his stomach. It was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right.

He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed. A few felt sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.
Jim just tried to hide in the back.

"My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO.
"Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front.

Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"
When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed. Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Here is your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!"
Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said?

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed.

I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers.
"When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it.

Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!"

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust

If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.

If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.

If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.

If you plant hard work, you will reap success.

If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

If you plant faith in Christ, you will reap a harvest.

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

Two thousand years ago Paul wrote to the church at Galatia the same story but with fewer words, "What you sow, so shall you reap" (Gal. 6:7).

"We are grass that will wither and die but the incorruptible seed of God's Word will live forever - sow it daily into the life of your family! (1 Peter 1: 23 - 25).

--Author Unknown

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Domestic Violence Has A New Face - Juanita Bynum

Last night I watched a True Lady. This woman displayed so much grace and integrity it was such an joy to watch her. I am talking about Juanita Bynum. This is truly a woman of character. I watched her last night on TBN and the one thing that struck me was her grace under fire.

I have always admired this woman of God and have prayed for her over the years. But I have never witnessed what I did last night. There is a pliableness for lack of a better word to her.

There is a different type of anointing on her. It is the anointing of a warrior and and a defender of the weak. A champion.

When she was abused so horribly I was enraged! Why? Because this should not have happened. I personally wanted to go and tear Bishop Weeks from limb to limb. Instead I sat down and wrote about it. Juanita Bynum exemplified every woman, every where that was dealing with being abused. Surely now something would be done about this!

One of the things that struck me was, the enemy had no idea what he set in motion. Because of this public display of humiliation out the ash heap rises a victor and not a victim. Last night I saw a Champion. I wait in anticipation to see how the Lord uses her in this next dimension of ministry.

Go to TBN and watch the archive of the two hour talk show with Juanita Bynum and guest which aired Tues, Sept 04, 2007.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution has some excerpts from the show;

Bynum appeared Tuesday night as a special guest on TBN’s “Praise The Lord” program, a Christian talk show featuring ministers, gospel artists and other newsmakers.

On the show, Bynum said she had no bitterness toward her husband.

She would not say anything negative about Weeks. “Nobody could give me enough money,” she said. “As long as he’s my husband I won’t break that covenant.”

Also on the show, she said the church would help people by preaching more about personal experiences such as her own.

While interviews other guests, an emotional Bynum said, “I came here tonight to declare that I can bear it, I can bear it, I can bear it.”

Before the television appearance, in a room with flashing cameras, Bynum said she has forgiven Weeks for the alleged attack and that her ministry will take a new twist because of the pain she has suffered.

“Today, domestic violence has a face and a name and it is Juanita Bynum,” said the pastor.
“This is such a difficult moment for me,” Bynum said. “First, I want to go on record and say I forgive my husband and I wish him all of the best.”

The pastor said while some of her supporters have kept quiet about the incident, she does not intend to move on with her ministry as if the attack never happened.

“Relationships are what they are, [they] have their difficult moments,” she said. “… This has changed my life forever.”

Bynum said that after the alleged attack she was holed up with family feeling “weak and helpless.”

But Tuesday she said she won’t keep quiet on the issue of domestic violence.

“This isn’t a religious issue, it’s a social issue,” she said.

Bynum would not say whether she would participate in the prosecution of her husband or discuss her feelings about him. She said she is focusing on her new ministry. “Instead of a victim,

I want to become an advocate,” she said.

Let us continue to lift Prophetess Bynum in prayer as well as Bishop Weeks.

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2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved.

No Unsung Heroes

This morning I started thinking about an incident that happened to me. I was reading a verse of scripture when this came to mind.

“God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.”
—Hebrews 6:10

I remember when I implemented a program in a former church years ago to have a variety store for the poor. I went and set up an account with Second Harvest, a food warehouse where you pay pennies on the dollar for items. I solicited the help of my best friend who was a minister in the church as well. We asked the pastor for space in an industrial park the church owned to set up a free store. He said yes.

We stocked it with food, medicine, personal hygiene products, clothes, furniture and toys. My girlfriend and I were the ones who went and picked the items up and unloaded them. Furniture and heavier items we had delivered.

We worked the store 2 days a week. We also traveled 2 hours one way to pick up food for a couple of years before they would send a truck our way. Never asked for gas money, and half the time paid for the food. We did this at least twice a month.

We made these items available to people that had fallen on hard times for free. People that came in for assistance traded time working in the store for items given. It made them feel good to be able to contribute. During this time we had the opportunity to share the Love of the Lord with them.

Many came to the Lord through this outreach, and joined the church as well. After a year the pastor wanted to re-evaluate whether we needed to continue with this project and if it brought "any value" to the ministry. After fighting with him on this issue, at the end of two years we handed it back over to him to do with as he wished.

Someone else joined the church a little later with like vision and went to him and said how the church could get publicity for the store. He went for it. Mind you the church had been getting publicity all along on a local level. He wanted "his" "name" recognized regionally.

When it was all said and done, the pastor credited this person to the media for piloting the program and doing all of the work. My girlfriend and I were never mentioned.

I don't know if you have ever experienced this before: you do the work and turn in a great performance someone else gets the credit. They may not have done all that much to earn it, they were just there at the right time or simply knew how to "suck up" to the “people that matter.” They get the credit deserved by others who end up forgotten.

As Christians, this leaves us in a tough position. We don’t want to be selfish and egotistically toot our own horn. But it hurts. It’s not fair. It can lead to discouragement, anger, and resentment. I know it did with me for about a year I held on this.

When we find ourselves in this situation, I believe it is helpful to remember two things. First, we don’t work for our employer, teacher, manager, or boss or pastor: we ultimately work for the Lord. (see Ephesians 5:6-8)

If He is pleased, then we should be proud of our work and feel our goal has been accomplished even when we are not pat on the back. Yes, we all need some affirmation for a job well done, but sometimes it doesn’t come until the Father says, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Second, God who sees will not forget what we have done. He knows who really did the hard work and who deserves the credit. He will be the one to reward us for doing His work for His Glory even if no one else knows or cares. So if you’ve found yourself in this situation, IN GOD’S FAMILY, THERE ARE NO UNSONG HEROES!


Shalom,
Candace

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2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email info@candacehouse.org for permission to use.

Sleeping Through The Storm

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the old man's response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, and he returned to bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

Where to take it from here......

When you're prepared, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves firmly in the Word of God.

Author Unknown

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2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email info@candacehouse.org for permission to use.

The Devil Made Me Do It According to Bishop Weeks

What kind of mess is this? Bishop Thomas Weeks, the estranged husband of Prophetess Juanita Bynum, claimed anonymity when he said "The Devil Made Me Do It." Like we church folks say" The devil is a lie!" I guess when He stands in court he will also tell the judge this same ridiculous story.

This story below is taken from the Atlanta Journal Constitution

Weeks took the pulpit two days after his surrender to authorities in connection with the alleged attack on Bynum. His remarks included appreciation for the prayers and support that he said have come in for him and his wife and thanks to those in attendance in spite of the controversy.

Weeks sparked thunderous applause and cheers when he asked members to tell those seated next to them: "We've got certain things going on right now, but I refuse to stop coming to the house God built."

Weeks, wearing a dark suit and his customary bow tie, blamed the devil for the accusation that has him facing two felony charges. He didn't, however, offer any specifics before introducing a guest minister who preached in his stead, then exiting the room.

Weeks, wearing a dark suit and his customary bow tie, blamed the devil for the accusation that has him facing two felony charges. He didn't, however, offer any specifics before introducing a guest minister who preached in his stead, then exiting the room.

After turning himself in, he spent six hours in the Fulton County Jail before being released on $40,000 bond Friday.

Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil nor does He Himself tempt anyone. BUT EACH ONE IS TEMPTED WHEN HE IS DRAWN AWAY BY HIS OWN DESIRES AND ENTICED. THEN WHEN DESIRE HAS CONCEIVED IT GIVES BIRTH TO SIN, AND SIN, WHEN IT IS FULL GROWN BRINGS FORTH DEATH”- JAMES 1:13-16. Sin here comes about when people are drawn away AFTER THEIR OWN DESIRES AND ENTICED!

The Lord is cleaning house. He is sweeping back the rug so that the Church can look at itself in light of His Word. We are not alright! But thank God, HE will not leave us in the state we are in. He will uncover and expose so that we can acknowledge that there is a problem. Once acknowledge the problem can be dealt with.

Individuals come to the church for a healing of their souls. It supposed to be not just a place to fellowship but a place to worship! Time out for all of the prosperity messages and let us do the work of true ministry.

Candace House

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2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email info@candacehouse.org for permission to use.

Michael Vick Is Not Inhumane-The Animal Rights Actist Are

I am so sick and tired of hearing about Michael Vick abuse of animals. It is really starting to get to me. The news media is in a frenzy concerning him and this dog fighting issue. Why everyone has their panties in a wad over this is beyond me. Just slap him with a hefty fine and move on.

Today they announced that Vick, according to CNN made apologies and pleaded guilty. That is good however that does not warrant the stiff sentence they are trying to give him for dog’s lives. Give me a break!

According to the Washington Post, U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg said in a statement this morning that federal sentencing guidelines had appeared to call for a prison term of up to six months and that a first-time offender like Vick normally might not have received any jail time.
But because Vick's conduct was so "heinous, cruel and inhumane,'' Rosenberg said, prosecutors insisted that the sentencing range be adjusted upward to 12-18 months, and Vick's attorneys agreed. "It is highly unusual for a defendant to agree to recommend a sentence above the advisory guideline range,'' Rosenberg said.

How crazy is this? The world is so concerned about a dog’s right to life and human treatment but not concerned with human life. Animal Rights Activist would love to see this man go to jail for 5 or more years if they had their way. But these same people wouldn’t go to bat for babies with no voice.

Michael says it is time for him to grow up and he is concerned about his image to young people. All of that is commendable. But now that he has “found Jesus”, instead of going on the “save our animals circuit” he needs to turn his attention to the save our babies circuit.

This country has its priorities backward. It is a travesty! Why isn’t the media showing clips from partial birth abortion videos over and over again? No instead we had to watch the same clip of these same dogs fighting 50 thousand times!

Here is a quote from a partial birth abortion website.

“During the first year after the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act was introduced in mid-1995, many opponents of the bill, such as NARAL's Kate Michelman and syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman, insisted that anesthesia given to the mother painlessly kills the babies before they are pulled feet-first from the womb and stabbed through the back of the skull. But in congressional testimony in 1996 -- virtually ignored by the news media -- this myth was emphatically refuted by the heads of the two major professional societies of anesthesiologists. Other experts testified that the babies are alive and fully capable of experiencing great pain during a partial-birth abortion. To learn more about the pain that partial-birth abortion inflicts on pre-mature human babies, and about the "anesthesia myth,"

With just this little bit of information about this horrible procedure to you see why I can care less about dogs fighting. Human life is much more valuable than that of animals. Where is the outcry of the media over this issue?

Candace House
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© Candace House, All Rights Reserved.

Candace

http://www.candacehouse.org/

2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email info@candacehouse.org for permission to use.

LIVING ON BORROWED TIME!

We need to be cognizant of the times we are living in. Truly it is the last days.
We have heard this said from days of old and many have grown immune to the
clarion call to be aware of the times. Twice we see in scripture a story concerning the usefulness of the fig tree.

First we see Him Matthew 21:18-19

“Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.
And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing
on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.”
Immediately the fig tree withered away.”

In verse 19 Jesus cursed the tree. Why would He do this? The scripture gives no explanation of this. However, it is a fact that a fig tree should have figs by the time the leaves are evident. The fig tree actually produces green figs before the leaves appear and if no figs are produced by that time, then that tree will not have any figs that year. Therefore, this fig tree was professing something that it didn't have even though it was still too early for figs.

And again in Luke 13:6-9

6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that[a] you can cut it down.”

The fig tree represents the nation of Israel. The Lord planted the nation to bring forth the fruits of righteousness unto Him (Mt. 7:16-20), but they had been barren. The whole nation was worthy of judgment ("cut it down"--Lk. 13:7) just as we would cut down an unproductive tree and replace it with a good one. However, Jesus, who is represented by the dresser of the vineyard, interceded for the nation and gained an extension of God's mercy to see if the nation would bring forth the fruits of repentance (Mt. 3:8). They did not and therefore were "cut down" in A.D. 70 when the Roman army under Titus destroyed Jerusalem.

WHAT IS THE LESSON?:

Let us take a lesson from the children of Israel yet once again. Note thatat the end of Luke 12, Jesus reminded his disciples to always be readyand live with a sense of urgency about his return. Jesus began the nextchapter by calling on people to repent. Now Jesus is basically reminding usthat we are on borrowed time. We need to repent now. We've beenextended a season of grace to become fruitful, so we've got to befruitful. No more playing “church”. It’s time to BE the CHURCH! No more hypocritical living. No more operating in dead works. No more religious talk without living spiritual. He said to walk in the light as He is in the light. It's time to put up or shut up! And I am talking about producing fruit unto righteousness, not unto unrighteousness.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, Please help us to bear fruit unto righteousness. Please let it be fruit that remains. Prick our hearts by your Holy Spirit to be cognizant of the time and to live lives that are laid down for you. Let passion burn in our hearts for the things of you. Let our souls be set on fire for those that do not know you. Today let us not harden our hearts to Your voice but hearken unto your call when you say “come up hither.” We want to be sold out for you and not concerned about the trappings of this world. Help us to not procrastinate but do all for you with a sense of urgency knowing our time is short and there a more souls to be saved. This we ask in the precious name of our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach. Amen

Candace House

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2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email info@candacehouse.org for permission to use.

Paula White And Her Divorce-What Is Really Going On?

Okay guys, really what is going on? Paula and Randy White announced they are getting divorced. There were no allegations of infidelity or abuse, just a peaceful divorce. Randy White said as the head of the house He would take the blame. They did a press release on Thursday.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=82b1733f-2a15-48a2-87ef-dbd10838f773

How sad is the day when marriages in the church are breaking up and people are divorcing for no apparent reason other than irreconcilable differences. Give me a break. At least Prophetess Juanita Bynum has an excuse! No one should have to stay in an abusive relationship! Paula White on the other hand doesn't seem to have an excuse. At least one that is not being shared. however our prayers go out to her and her husband. Prophetess Juanita Bynum is a strong woman of God and will get through this time in her life as well with the help of the Lord.

The Lord had shown me months ago where the Church was going to be shaken and the walls were coming down. He showed where the scales were going to be lifted from the eyes of and deaf ears unstopped of His people. I preached a message concerning the state of the Church in America and how all of this undercover stuff was going to be exposed.

Do we think the Lord is pleased with these actions. The world looks at us and say well my God if they can't get it together then who can?

The Bible says that "we are living epistles read of men." 2Cor 3:2. We ought to be careful how we live our lives for others are watching to see if we are a beacon of light shining in a gross and dark world.

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2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email info@candacehouse.org for permission to use.

When Leadership Is Beaten- Juanita Bynum Story

Here is the link to the Atlanta Journal Constitution story about Juanita Bynum being beaten by her husband on early Wednesday morning.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/08/22/bynum_0823.html

This is a tragic story for women everywhere that deal with domestic abuse. This not only happens in the world but it happens in the church! And it ought not to be so. At the end of this post are a few quotes, which there are hundreds out there, that shows the mindset of the church concerning this issue.

God has allowed this to be exposed because it will help to set some women who have been silent to come forth. In Ministry I have run across a lot of different folks going through the same thing Juanita Bynum has been through. It is a travesty that was allowed to stay silent.

A girl I knew 12 yrs ago was being abused in a neighboring church. The pastor was apprised of the situation and told her "what God joined together let no man put assunder." So she stayed. Within three months of her "counseling session" she was dead! Her husband killed her and then called the pastor. Oh did I mention the Pastor was his uncle and had been beating his wife for years.

Lets move forward 8 years later. Another Saint of God was separated from her husband for 7 months because he abused her, this was at another church. Of course he shot and killed her. I knew his mother very well. And the girl that was killed was a fellow church member.

These are not the only stories I know of personally that are like these. This ought not to be so!

I am soooooooooooooo sick of this! I have dealt with at least 30 abused women in the church personally! I have even written plays and skits on this issue, trying to bring awareness to what is happining behind closed doors.

I went to one pastor about a lady in our church and was told sometimes you have to turn the other cheek for the Gospel sake. Of course I lost my everloving mind! And said a whole bunch of stuff the Holy Spirit did not sanction.

I am so angry that this spirit of abuse and murder is running rampant in the church. And the saints are not doing anything about it. Speak up if you know some one is being abused. Make the Pastor do something! Make sure you make it possible for the woman to be able to talk to you about what is going on. Do not sit on the side lines saying you do not want to get involved!

I have a big mouth and I am one that is ready to fight when it comes to injustice against another.
I may be a preacher but you better believe I will go in with both fist swinging if I see a man beating up on a woman. I have done it on several occasions. Yes I will pray for you, but I will also beat you down!

I know I am ranting and raving but this has me MAD! My husband thinks I am crazy! Because I told him when we were first married if he ever laid a hand on me he had betted not go to sleep, because I would break his knee caps with a baseball bat! I meant that and still do.

Unfortunately for me I don't know how to give good advice in these kinds of situations except for them to leave and don't look back. Forgive them but keep on moving. My other advise is to break a body part while you are going out the door.

I need to stop talking because this is all about how upset I am and what I would do and it is supposed to be about Juanita Bynum. Please pray for her and pray that bishop Weeks would be caught because he is at large and pray that he gets the help he needs. Because obviously the brother has problems!

The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. But God has come to give us Abundant Life. You sure are not living the Abundant Life getting beat upside the head!

For any man that is an abuser I pray that you would wake up and get the help you nee. there is that root of bitterness operating in your life that needs to be dealt with. And for the women who are being abused I pray you place enough value on your life to get out of the situation you are in. you don't have to take that. God has come to set the captives free and to heal those that are broken hearted.

Juanita Bynum is a strong woman of Faith and Somehow God will use this to elevate her in the things of Him and to help other women become free.

Comments

By triune
Aug 23, 2007 2:52 PM
this definitely shows us (the church) that spiritual warfare is needed. we are in a war folks and we need to be battling. satan hates marriages. we need ot pray for them , and not judge them. i feel strongly in my spirit, that God is going to get the glory out of this. What the enemy meant for bad, God will use for HIS glory. i feel a lot of women (even minister wives) will come out of the closet on suffering abuse in the home secretly, for not wanting to uncover their husband/pastor. we still love you both. please don't make any sudden decisions with the emotions raging. allow God to minister to both your hearts in all this. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. this act is unacceptable , yes, but God can heal and restore and build better than ever. love, triune

By triune
Aug 23, 2007 2:52 PM
this definitely shows us (the church) that spiritual warfare is needed. we are in a war folks and we need to be battling. satan hates marriages. we need ot pray for them , and not judge them. i feel strongly in my spirit, that God is going to get the glory out of this. What the enemy meant for bad, God will use for HIS glory. i feel a lot of women (even minister wives) will come out of the closet on suffering abuse in the home secretly, for not wanting to uncover their husband/pastor. we still love you both. please don't make any sudden decisions with the emotions raging. allow God to minister to both your hearts in all this. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. this act is unacceptable , yes, but God can heal and restore and build better than ever. love, triune

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2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email info@candacehouse.org for permission to use.

Birthing The Wind

“As a woman with child and about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, O Lord. We were with child, we writhed in pain, but we gave birth to wind.” (Isaiah 26:17-18, NIV).

Has God given you a spiritual vision that you seem to not be able to bring forth? While talking with Marilynn Griffith yesterday on Today’s Breathing Room I was reminded of my opening text. We were discussing among other things, people who were trying to make their visions come forth before time. There are a lot of people that are keenly aware of the vision but yet in still are not able to execute the vision God has given them.

God wants to give each of us a spiritual vision. He not only wants to give the vision but the purpose and objectives of it. He doesn’t stop there but also wants to reveal the plan on how to bring it to past. First you have to become pregnant with vision and it follows a natural process just like child birth. As you experience the "birth of a vision" you will become a co-creator with Him instead of a spectator.

The natural birthing process which brings a human baby into the world is similar to the process of the birth of a vision in the spirit world. You will experience the following stages as you give birth to spiritual vision."Conception" means to create. A spiritual vision is first created in your spirit by God.

When we first receive a spiritual vision, it is in "embryo" stage. Remember the embryo is a basic cell of life. God develops our spiritual vision as we grow in Him, just like the development of the human embryo. The basic cell of life in the human baby is the embryo, from it all the basic human features are developed. If you try to change the embryo, deformity or death can occur to the child. The same as in the spirit.The vision will grow and develop as you mature spiritually. Its features will not be the same as yesterday, last week, or last month. The same as the child growing within the mother. However never forget the basic vision which is the divine purpose for which you are called.

As the body of a pregnant woman stretches in the natural, so does your spirit house the vision . If the vision does not develop within you it will die. The vision is with you constantly. It becomes a vital, living part of you. It draws from your own life source as well as from the divine source which conceived it.

There are certain things a pregnant woman will deny herself of. These are things that would be detrimental to the development of her child. So to must you do the same as your vision develops. You may have to deny yourself of your own plans and ambitions. You will have to sacrifice time to fast and pray.Ecclesiastes 5:3 says, “For a dream cometh through the multitude of business.” The meaning of the word "multitude" is great. "Business", according to one Hebrew meaning, is travail [difficulty]. So a dream or vision can be seen to come through "great travail.” In natural birth there are facts about travail that parallel the spiritual travail which births a vision. Natural travail is a time of intense, concentrated effort to birth the child. This time of travail is also called "labor.” As in the delivery of a child, a spiritual vision is birthed by intense mental, physical, and spiritual concentration. As you are reading this concentrate on what God wants to birth in your spirit.

I remember with my middle child I was so tired of being pregnant. It was August, the hottest month of the year. I wanted Bryant out by any means necessary! I started thinking like a crazy woman! I created all kinds of scenarios in my mind of how I can get him out NOW! The craziest thought I had was to throw myself down the stairs and that would surly make him come. I told my doctor what I was thinking and she wanted me to be treated for depression. She said plenty of women fell into a depressed state when they were only weeks away from giving birth.
So too are we when the vision the Father has given us is taking to long. By any means necessary becomes our motto. We start rehearsing in our minds ways to bring it to past because we are tired.

We know that physically forcing the child into the birth canal before it opens can kill the child. The same is true in the spirit world. Let God take control of your life. If you try to birth the vision in your own strength it will abort the plan of God. Everything within you may cry out to push and bring the spiritual vision forth with natural abilities. But by self-effort you can destroy the vision. Peter cried out to Christ, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man," (Luke 5:8, NIV) when he realized what Christ was calling him to do. He knew the vision was too great for him to fulfill by his natural strength and abilities.

The Time of Transition

In the natural birth process there is a time during labor known as the time of "transition.” It is the most difficult time of travail right before the birth canal is open to permit the birth of the child. Also when God births in you a spiritual vision you will experience a time of transition. All transition means is change. The vision God gives you is going to require change in your life.

It will call for new commitment and dedication. It will call for strength and fortitude. During this time you must remember where your help comes from. We know that it comes from the Lord.

Why should you remember this? Because you will experience pressure in every area of your life. The heat will be turned up 7 times hotter. Everything within you may cry out for relief from the spiritual birth pangs of what God is bringing forth. This is the point where many fail to receive the vision. Over and over again God has brought His people to the time of transition to birth His vision within them. But because this transition was too difficult many have turned back.

They just couldn’t take the pressure. The heat was on! It required changes in their thought patterns and lifestyle, which they were not willing to make. They could not abandon self-effort and the traditional way of doing things. They could not set aside their own ambitions and desires to embrace the plan of God. This is the same thing that happened to the nation of Israel in my opening text.

We are told in Isaiah 53:11 that God witnessed the travail of Jesus Christ and was satisfied. A vision was fulfilled that day on Calvary ... a vision that had been promised since the fall of man into sin (Genesis 3:15). Through travail, the vision of redemption from sin became a reality.Travail is a painful experience, but it is only through travail that the vision can be birthed: “... yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery? Says the Lord. Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery? Says your God?” (Isaiah 66:8-9, NIV).

The Birth

The end of the travail is birth. We must guard against going into labor prematurely as well as a delayed birth. Both of which can result in death, Both in the natural birth process and in the birth of spiritual vision.

After birth in the natural world the child continues to grow and develop. After the birth of your spiritual vision it will continue to grow and develop. It will have new features and form, but they all must develop from that basic cell of spiritual life which is called the vision.

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2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email candace@ruachchayah.org for permission to use.

Struggling To Breathe

For the last 3 years I have been having difficulty breathing. I suffer from asthma attacks at least once a year. So of course what have been running through my mind are breath, breathing, and the ability to breathe.

Not only a person suffering from asthma has a hard time catching their breath, there are other things that make it hard to breathe from time to time. I'm sure you can all relate. Maybe some one you are in conflict with walks through the door and it causes you to catch your breath. Or a sense of foreboding comes over you as you anticipate something awful or unpleasant happening, and there is tightness in your breathing and in your voice. Or you fear the unknown, you fear the worst, and suddenly breathing becomes a bit more difficult. Or you feel guilty, you have regret, and it weighs heavily on your chest. Or we feel overwhelmed by everything that is going on in our lives and we have a mild case of hyperventilation.

All of our stress and anxiety and fear seem to locate particularly in our chest, and we say, "I can't quite catch my breath." On the other hand, when we feel a sense of well being and wholeness, we say, "We breathe more easily and deeply." There's both a physical and spiritual dimension to breath and our breathing.

It's important for us to realize that when the scripture speaks of the Spirit, and especially as we ponder the coming of the Spirit of God to people, we're talking about the breath of God. The Ruach of Yahweh. which is both Spirit and Breath.

Genesis 2 declares that all creatures have life from God. To be alive is to have a relationship with God. To be able to breathe is to be sharing the very breath of God. All living beings share, in some sense, in God's Spirit. Yahweh has come to give us Chayah which is life and means to live, let live, restore, revive, make alive, renew, God saves.

I watch my grand baby and see how deeply she breathes from the diaphragm when she sleeps. She is taking in such deep breaths and expelling with the same energy.Have you ever noticed how freely little kids breathe and laugh and live? But as we grow older life happens to us, and over time our ability to breathe get shallower. Fears, anxieties, guilt, regrets and disappointments settle on our chest and weigh us down.Our ability to live the Abundant Life is compromised because of shallow breathing.

What is it that is causing tightness in your chest these days? What is it that is causing you to breathe a little more shallowly? What is it that weighs so heavily on your chest that is stopping you from living life to the fullest?

Can you let it go for a minute and breathe, breathe in the RUACH(Breath/Spirit)of God.

Yahweh is as close to you as your next breath. And just as we share the air he provides daily, so we share the Spirit of God. He is ever as close as our next breath.

Are we so caught up in our day to day struggles that we forget, to breathe, to receive the breath of God, the Spirit of God?

Have you ever seen a little child get lost from their parents? They can't catch their breath to tell you the names of their parents because they are struggling to catch their breath. Their little chest is heaving up and down and they are hiccuping not able to articulate helpful information. You have to first calm the Child's fears by telling them they are not alone and together you will find their parents. Once the child is calm they are able to share the information you need to help them.

That is the same thing the Father wants to do for us. He has sent His Breath to calm us and to point the way to Him and to say all is not lost. "I will never leave or forsake you for Lo I am always with you always, even to the ends of the earth."

Cast aside all of your fears, your anxiety, your hurts, your disappointments, your guilt, your mistake, your sins, your feelings of inadequacy and your need to succeed. Lay them at the Masters feet, and leave them there

"Now Breathe in The Ruach of Yahweh"

http://www.candacehouse.org/
2007 Candace House, All Rights reserved. Email candace@ruachchayah.org for permission to use.