The Question of Obama's Religious Beliefs

The best speech Obama has ever given was not his famous 2004 convention address, but a June 2007 speech in Connecticut. In it, he described his religious conversion:

"One Sunday, I put on one of the few clean jackets I had, and went over to Trinity United Church of Christ on 95th Street on the South Side of Chicago. And I heard Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright deliver a sermon called “The Audacity of Hope.” And during the course of that sermon, he introduced me to someone named Jesus Christ. I learned that my sins could be redeemed. I learned that those things I was too weak to accomplish myself, he would accomplish with me if I placed my trust in him. And in time, I came to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world and in my own life.

It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity one day and affirm my Christian faith. It came about as a choice and not an epiphany. I didn’t fall out in church, as folks sometimes do. The questions I had didn’t magically disappear. The skeptical bent of my mind didn’t suddenly vanish. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt I heard God’s spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to his will, and dedicated myself to discovering his truth and carrying out his works."

For any one still thinking that Obama is a Muslim really is willingly ignorant!

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© Candace House 2007, All Rights reserved.

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 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.

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.

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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.

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.

http://www.candacehouse.org/

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

http://www.candacehouse.org/

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

http://www.candacehouse.org/

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.

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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

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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.

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"

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Can You Bless Me Please?

One of the things we do not do that is vital to our well being and the well being of others is to speak blessings over other's lives. We are to Bless and not Curse. We Curse our own lives and the lives of those we come in contact with by the words of our mouths. On the other hand we also Bless others and our selves with same mouth.

A lot of us are not aware that we are doing so, becuse we take words so lightly. Anything you say that is negative ends up being a curse. We need to be deligent to watch what we say.

The Power of Words: Guard Yours! The New Testament is rich with examples of Jesus speaking with power?and things changing because of His words. Then He gives us a stunning bit of information about our words:

Matt 12:36-37 "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Jesus is making the point that words are so much more powerful that we have ever realized. They are a power source that has almost been overlooked.

I read where Neuroscience is beginning to come up with explanations of why this is true! As we look at this, you and I, we start waking! What you and I have been saying is actually shaping our worlds.

We are given the opportunity and privilege to speak out words of power and life in the Spirit of Prayer?. To speak out words that originated in the heart of God and carry his life-force in them. To speak light into the darkness, to speak order in the chaos.

Ps 33:6 By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made and all their host by the breath of his mouth. (Ampl)

Heb 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the Word of God so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible. (Ampl)

We have the opportunity, as God did in the beginning. The world awaits our stepping up to the plate. Therefore my brothers and sisters I thank my God for this opportunity to bless you;
Dear One, listen with your spirit to Colossians 1:12-13 "?giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves?"
.

I bless you with sharing in and with a family of faith who lives in the light. I bless your spirits with being flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future He has promised you.

I bless you with knowing your dominion over all the power of darkness. I bless you with the eyes of your heart being enlightened to know your Father's incredibly great power for you, the same working of His mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms.

I bless you with knowing with certainty that He is far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given in this present age. Dear friends, you are blessed that God has put all things under the authority of Christ and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church., which is His body. You are blessed in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, Yeshua Ha Machiah, who fills everything everywhere with His presence. Amen.

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Sleeping In Peace

This morning I was looking at a movie on lifetime. The girl in the movie was having nightmares. Circumstances dictated she had a good reason to be afraid. Someone was stalking her. Fear had completely taken over her life and the life of her family members. It affected every area of their lives.

I thought about David in the scriptures being stalked by King Saul. Saul was trying to kill him as well. In the movie the girl was depending on the court system to protect her and they were failing miserably. However David called out to God and knew where his help came from. His sole trust was in Him.

For those that are troubled for whatever reason and are vexed in your spirit, try doing what David did. Give God a try and He will give you peace that passeth all understanding. What is this kind of peace? It is peace that comes from knowing YOU don't have to take care of the situation. It is already taken care of by Him. So no matter what it looks like, you know that HE is in control.

Psalms 4:8 " I will lay down in peace and sleep; For you alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety."

Dear Ones, you are under the protection of God who can do the impossible. I bless you with peace that comes from God who created light in great darkness, who brings light into the very shadow of death.

I bless you with knowing that God makes peace regardless of your circumstances. I bless you with knowing you can walk in the light because God decrees that the light of His presence shines in darkness.

I bless each of you my friends, with not being dependent on circumstances in your world, but receiving from your Father the peace that He offers in your life, no matter how dark it is around you. I bless you with peace that can only come because the Prince of Peace rules you.

I bless you with an anointing for taking the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ to those who do not know it, as an overflow of your life. When you walk in this peace, the peace of those around you will increase, although they carry turmoil.

I bless you with being known as someone who carries the peace of God with you everywhere you go, so that people will seek you out because they are so desperate for the Shalom of God.

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