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Pre-Order A Secret Worth Keeping NOW!
The count down begins to October 5, 2013! However, you don’t have to wait to order your copy of A Secret Worth Keeping because you can pre-order your copy today! Yes … Get your copy by clicking the link above. Go ahead, you know you want too! Click the link and then send it to all of your family and friends and challenge them to click the link.
I challenge you, today, to make “A Secret Worth Keeping” a bestseller! Will you?
In the red corner we have a man who offers temptations, hate, conflict, tears, pain and suffering, stuff that tears you down, people who stab you in the back, who try to speak death in your life, dig an early grave for you and then will throw dirt on you when you fall, people who like to see you down and out, those who laugh when you ask for help and take joy in seeing the tears you shed. He doesn’t have any wins under his belt but he puts up a hell of a fight. He likes to hit below the belt or when you’re off balance and even goes in for the kill when he thinks you’re almost out. Yes ladies and gentleman, in this corner fighting for his first victory … “The Enemy.”
In the white corner we have the undefeated, undeniable champion who has won all His battles by way of knock out. He has faced this opponent many times and each time the white corner is victorious because He allows the enemy to throw all the punches until he eventually gets tired. Yea, sometimes, He has to go all 10 rounds but that’s because not all battles are easy to win, yet, He doesn’t waver in the ring because He has strength that endures. He doesn’t have to take a timeout to regroup because He has a trainer that taught Him well and prepared Him in advance. He doesn’t need an entourage of folks around him because He found that those closest to you can be your enemy. He doesn’t need to vitamins just vigilant vessels. He doesn’t need an energy drink but eager workers! Yes ladies and gentleman, I introduce you to this Man, Jesus.
Now as you stand in the middle, choose your side. The red side offers death but the white side gives life. The red side offers sleepless nights but the white side gives rest. The red side gives storms but the white side gives shelter during the storm. The red side gives heartache but the white side gives mercy. The red side gives sickness but the white side gives healing. The red side gives pain but the white side turns it into praise. The red side gives suffering while the white side gives salvation. The red side gives grief but the white side gives grace. So, whose side will you choose? Now the red side will make it look like it is all roses until you reach for the stem and get pricked with a thorn and he will even make all your days look sunny until you leave the house with no umbrella. Yea, there are some bad days on the white side but Jesus has promised that on your darkest days, He’ll be there, when you ask of Him, he will come and when you can no longer stand, He’ll carry you. So, whose side will you choose?
“If you think it is wrong to serve the Lord, choose today whom you will serve. Choose the gods your fathers worshiped on the other side of the river, or choose the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
Our Father in Heaven, holy is thy name. God, I come petitioning your throne on a Saturday morning because someone is standing in the need of prayer. Maybe it’s me Lord in need but I come to you praying for that person who paced all night long with their body wracking with pain, for the sleepless mother who wept over the body of their child, for the son or daughter who is laying their parent to rest this morning, for the pastor who has to eulogized yet another member, for the drug addict who was on the verge of overdosing, the alcoholic who almost killed somebody last night, for the wife who is being abused, the child whose being molested, for the family without a place to stay, the child with no food and no help, the father who is contemplating suicide because he can’t provide for his family and the mother who is depressed because she lost her job months ago. God, I’m praying for the healing of the person dealing with any kind of sickness, cancer, chemo, dialysis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell, Trigeminal Neuralgia, heart disease, blood pressure, lupus, prostate cancer or colon cancer. God, I’m praying for those who had a difficult week or even month. I’m praying for those who keep smiling despite the tears that’s filling their eyes. I’m praying for those who always encourage because even they need encouragement sometime. Oh God, somebody is at their wits end and is about to give up, throw in the towel, turn around and go back but I know you’re able to see about them. God, patch the hole in the boat they’re drowning in, give them rest so they can finally get a good night’s sleep, let the call come today with the yes for the job, let the approval come today for the loan they need and let them wake up tomorrow renewed with a mind to go worship with you. God, I ask you to do it now like only you can. Do it now like only you can. Do it right now like only you can because I know you’re a Man of your word and you said you’ll come if I ask so I ask these things of you. Do it Father. In your name I pray. Amen!
Whew Lord! What a morning I’ve had. I got to work and realized that (due to kids) I had chocolate all over my pants which meant I had to go back home. Get home, change clothes and stop by Panera Bread for breakfast. The young lady made my coffee wrong and then she filled it up too far which means I spilled a little getting in the car. I get to the gate, at the job and my badge breaks. Oh, did I mention I ate an entire pecan cinnamon roll on the way to work? Again, I say whew! So, I park and as I am about to get out the car, the song played “Prayer will fix it, yes prayer will fix it!” So, I prayed and I came to realize that stuff happens. Ironic isn’t it based on the last 2 devotionals? Nonetheless, the message is prayer so I stop this morning or afternoon to pray but not just for me but for us.
“Our Father in Heaven whose name is Holy and who’s will shall be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven. Father, as I come petitioning your throne, I must first thank you. Thank you for the storms because they build our strength. Thank you for our pain because it improves our praise. Thank you for our sick days because it makes us appreciate our well ones. Thank you for allowing our good days to overshadow our bad ones. Thank you for the doors that have been shut, the no that have been spoken or the denial we’ve received because afterwards comes the open doors, the yes and the approval. Thank you for what we go through because it makes us grow. Thank you for what we’ve been through because it means we’ve been delivered. Thank you for breaking the chains that had us trapped because it means we’ve been set free. Oh God, somebody is dealing with some pressure that is about to make them give up but I know you are able to send relief. Somebody is dealing with pain they can’t control but I know you are a pain reliever. Somebody is dealing with the death of a loved one, the heartache of someone leaving or the separation from someone they miss but I know you are able to comfort them. God, right now, I come asking you to hear the prayers of your people, deliver those who seek deliverance, provide for those who are suffering, pick up those who have fallen and show yourself to those who seek you. Father, I know you are able to be exactly who we all need at the same time so I ask that you be that for us now. Heal, deliver, set free, stop the tears and hurt, restore joy and hope and give us the strength to endure the test of this world. I trust in you God because I know you to be a man of your word. Do it now God for all of us who need you like only you can. This prayer I submit to you because I know that prayer can fix it every time.
Amen”
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Yea, stuff happens but that doesn’t mean that God is punishing you for something. Oh, you think just because you missed church on Sunday, God is punishing you by letting your tire go flat or because you didn’t say grace before you ate, He is allowing your stomach to hurt or because you didn’t pray, now you can’t sleep; right? Well, God doesn’t work like that. Yes, we are supposed to pray every day but we are also supposed to not lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, judge folk, gossip, idolize material things and kill yet we do. Oh, but God gives us repentance that allows us to be forgiven. This is why 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Yes, there will be times you don’t always act “Christianlike,” you are entitled to a bad moment every now and then but don’t make those times a habit. If you are tired of struggling, getting frustrated sometimes happens, but that makes you human. I know I should quote a bible scripture here to let you know that God is your provider in the time of need but you know that already, so now is the time for me to tell you that it’s alright to have a momentary temper tantrum but then get yourself together. Chile, who isn’t tired of struggling to make the ends meet, tired of working all day and then your check is so small it almost like you are paying them to work, tired of being without, tired of doing without, tired of eating chicken when you want beef, tired of scrapping together a meal when you want to go out to eat, tired of patching up your jeans when you know you need a new pair, tired of getting taps put on your shoes because you can’t get another one; just plain ole tired of being tired? I am but that’s alright and you’ll be alright but don’t think this is God’s way of punishing you. For 1 Peter 4:12-16 (The Message Bible) says, “Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner. If you’re abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It’s the Spirit of God and his glory in you that brought you to the notice of others. If they’re on you because you broke the law or disturbed the peace, that’s a different matter. But if it’s because you’re a Christian, don’t give it a second thought. Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name!
No, you aren’t being punished when you go through yet you are being placed in your predicament to feel the power of the potter who is piecing you back together with patience and passion. No, you aren’t being punished but you’re simply passing through this peculiar place on your way to a perfect palace. No, you aren’t being punished you are simply practicing your praise until it’s time for your proclaimed performance. Oh no, you aren’t being punished but you’re being picked out to be part of the predestined promise of promotion to proudly prove that your purpose is bigger than your problems!
Lakisha, the Author