Agape Love Works

Just returned from a run...

A few days ago, I started running again. I haven't ran in about a year, so initially, there was a strong pain in the chest. After a few minutes of pressing past that pain (believe me, after all I've been through... a little pain is commonplace in my life)... got back in the groove.

I thank Father God for giving me divine strength to run the race again. Not anyone else's race, but my own. You see, we don't want to be 50 or 60 years old and look back on setbacks and wistfully wonder what would have happened if we hadn't given up on our dreams.

The other day under His glory and scribing the last words from His heart below, some scriptures jumped at me that I am standing on as I train in the physical realm for the work ahead:

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
 24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

.... wow! How powerful is God's Word! I love it and I love HIM!

The other prophetic words I wrote, where He referred to Himself as the Rock...there is another scripture that accompanies that Word...

1 Corinthians 10:4 reads:

 4and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

Yes, let us keep standing on The Rock!

Blessings upon the faithful readers of this blog, may you go from strength to strength and from glory to glory... may you run your race and fulfill your divine destiny as well for our Lord and Saviour!

Love,

Sis Keisha Dawn


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Have you ever been in a challenging time in your life and wondered how you would get through?

Remember, you overcame each time. You got through it, right?


I find it interesting how these times push us towards a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. It is during these times that I have noticed a "clarity" and
"peace" among the confusion when we seek His refuge. When times are prosperous and friends abound, we don't know who is really for us. Fairweather friends abound during high times. However, when times are challenging, those people quickly exit but God sends us people who will support us unconditionally and He opens doors of opportunity that point directly to His grace. This is part of the "clarity" and "peace" His refuge brings.

For, you see, our God is The Promise Keeper.

When we go through trials and tribulations in life, if we seek Him we become wiser and stronger instead of oppressed and bitter. Under His covering, gratitude and appreciation flows from us at higher levels toward people and opportunities that help us get through tough situations. The more we operate in a spirit of gratitude and with a genuine heart, the more blessings come our way as we bless others.

Let us remember that we are not successful based soley on our own doing. God has sent people our way to help. He has divinely appointed you to be at the right places and at the right times.

I encourage you to draw into a deeper relationship with Him. Let Him know that you want to seek Him with all of your heart and fully surrender your life to Him. If you have been living life in a prideful, selfish manner perhaps now is the time to re-evaluate your approach and way of thinking, particularly if life is not producing the results you are hoping for during these economic times.

Right now, my life is in a transitional state. I want more of Him to the point where there is no more "me". Whenever "I" get in the way (my wants, my needs, my approach), the results are less than desirable. What I am learning is that the only expectation we should have in life is if we follow His Will and His Way, we can expect the results according to His Word.

For, our God is The Promise Keeper.

Blessings upon you this day,

Sister K.D.
 
If you would like to surrender your life to the Lord, I recommend reading the following from Bible-knowledge.com

1. Seeking After the Lord with all Your Heart:

http://www.bible-knowledge.com/seek-the-lord.html

2. The Full Surrender Prayer

http://www.bible-knowledge.com/The-Full-Surrender.html

How God Uses Pain
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
02-04-2009
"I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things" (Isa 45:7). God will use pain in order to create a love relationship with His creation. This statement may challenge your theology. However, consider that God allowed Jesus to experience incredible pain in order to create an opportunity to have a relationship with His creation. Consider how Jesus created a relationship with Paul. He blinded him and used a crisis in his life in order to bring him into a relationship with him and use him for God's purposes. Consider how God recruited Jonah for the mission He had for him. This is not God's first choice for His creation. Romans 2:4 reveals that God's preference is to show mercy and kindness: "Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?" The problem is there are few people who respond to the goodness of God. God loves people more than He loves their comfort. He invests a great deal into mankind. He desires relationship with us and will go to great lengths to create such a relationship in order for us to receive the rewards and inheritance He has for us. I have observed this process in the scriptures in working with people through years of ministry. I have noticed three distinct stages. First, we live based on convenience. Our obedience is largely based on circumstances in our lives. We choose to obey based on the circumstances. The second stage is the crisis stage. God allows a crisis to come into our lives. We are motivated to obey God in order to get out of the pain of our situation. Many times God allows us to stay in this condition in order to demonstrate His love and faithfulness during our pain. Gradually, we discover something knew about God and often have a personal encounter with Him that changes us. Our very nature is affected by this God-encounter. This begins to move us into a third phase that is a relationship that is motivated now by love and devotion instead of pain. This is where God desires us to be. Another way of saying this is we are no longer seeking His hand. We are seeking Him. We want to know God personally. Obedience will not last when the motivation is only the removal of our pain. Obedience only lasts when the motivation is loving devotion. Where are you in your obedience and what is the primary motivation? If it isn't love, why not tell the Lord you love Him today and want to know Him for who He is and not for what He can do for you.

Keep A Steadfast Mind
Bishop Keith Butler

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3

You probably know your share of people who are messing up their lives big time, and some are already on the brink of destruction. Why is this the case? Well, most people don't practice keeping a steadfast mind.

When your mind is steadfast, then it is firmly fixed in place. Isaiah 26 says, "...whose mind is stayed on thee..." The word 'stayed' is important here because it means your mind is not subject to change. Your mind is firm in belief, determination, or adherence.

For years, I've noticed that many successful people master this issue of the mind. They have learned how to be firmly fixed, or to take the position to follow after what is the right course of action. They will apply their decision to the end and do whatever it takes to sharpen themselves once their minds are determined. This is certainly true regarding the things of God. You'll have victory in your life once you learn to keep a steadfast mind.

Isaiah 26 continues by giving you the reason why you need a steadfast mind. God will keep you in perfect peace. Having perfect peace is what you should strive for. It means regardless of what comes your way, you're cool and even-tempered. Nothing can upset, bother, or destroy you. You're at rest with things and you operate in total confidence.

When you learn to trust in God, the result is perfect peace. Yet, there are many Christians who don't have this peace. Let's examine why. James 1:5 says, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." You can't go around your whole life as a man or woman of two minds, who is always hesitating. That's being uncertain and unreliable about everything you think, feel, or decide. A steadfast mind is necessary in order to function in God's perfect peace.

James, chapter 5 outlines the problem of an unstable person: he's unstable in all his ways. Do you understand that a double-minded man is not just unstable in one area, but every single area of his life?

But, you can have a steadfast mind! Just keep your mind stayed on God and His principles, and it will produce perfect peace and victory in your life.

Scripture references: Romans 8:6

Market Resistance
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
01-21-2009
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5-6).

Have you ever heard someone say, "He was before his time?" There are many examples of people who invented a product or service in a time when the market was not ready to embrace the product yet. Other things had to develop before the product could be a success.

George Washington Carver experienced this. Born around 1861 during the Civil War, he was a man who should have been a victim to his circumstances. Discriminated against constantly, he lost his mother to slave traders. As a young boy he cried out to God in the midst of his circumstances and God heard him. God gave George an indomitable persevering spirit and he was highly motivated to learn.

Carver discovered that Southern farmers who planted cotton for hundreds of years needed to plant a new crop because the soil had worn out and the farmers were going into interminable debt as a result. To restore the soil Carver advised the planting of peanuts and sweet potatoes instead of cotton. After much persuasion, planters gradually increased their peanut and sweet potato acreage, until these became the number-one crops in the South. However, there was not substantial market for the peanuts and sweet potatoes. Forced to let the product rot in the fields, the farmers ended up losing more money then before.

This situation placed a great deal of pressure on Carver. He took the problem to God in prayer and said, "Mr. Creator, why did You make the peanut?" Many years later, he shared that God led him back to his lab and worked with him to discover some 300 marketable products from the peanut including lard, mayonnaise, cheese, shampoo, instant coffee, flour, sop, face powder, plastics, adhesives, axle grease, and pickles.

Likewise, from the sweet potato he made more than 100 discoveries, among them starch, library paste, vinegar, shoe blacking, ink, and molasses. Because of these new products, the demand for peanuts and sweet potatoes grew and literally transformed the Southern economy.*

Has God made you an inventor? Ask him to help you bring your product to market.

Bills have you down? Recession have you down?

Lift up a garment of praise!

You see, the more we praise Him, the more He lifts us up out
of the mire... the more we glory Him, the less power we give
our trials and tribulations.

Gas bill due?
Light bill due?

Thank the Lord for what you already have!
Show gratitude to Him for your current blessings.
Angels are empowered and released on assignment when you speak
God's Word over problems!

Bless the Holy Spirit!
Ask Him to stir up in you.
There are times when I"m just in His glory and I'm taken out of
the physical realm into the spiritual realm.

...and there is so much peace in the spiritual realm.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Seek Him with all your heart and I promise you He will carry
you through...

So no matter what you're going through... tap in... tap into the
Holy Spirit... your Counselor, your Protector...

Let Him consume you and give you peace...

A peace that passes all understanding!

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn-
shout for joy before the Lord, the King!
Psalm 98:4-6

"People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It never was between you and them anyway." -Mother Theresa

Greetings to you this day,

I hope you are well and encouraged.

It is the last day of this particular fast. Today, I'm going to just drink water, no juice.

Do you have trouble sleeping at night? I love to talk to God and then play anointed soaking music while sleeping. Please try it... the music will minister to your spirit and give you peace.

I know that some of you are looking at present situations and trying to find hope in this world. Please be encouraged by what the Word says.

Not that I have already obtained this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)

Our citizenship is in heaven. This is why I call myself a Kingdom Ambassador. We represent the Kingdom of God and we are to expand His territory here on earth and save the lost.

Let us look into the future at God's promises, at His plans for us. Not at present situations or the past. We are to learn, train and draw nearer and deeper into our relationship with Father God.

We are more than overcomers. We already have the victory. Let us speak of His faithfulness, His grace and His mercy.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:17)

I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip-
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you-
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm-
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
(Psalm 121)

My faithful readers, let us look forward and upward.

Grace and peace upon you this day.

Love,
Keisha Dawn

The prophetic words on December 9th 2008 titled "A Call From Lukewarm. Make Your Choice Now." were received by many people. However, there was one person who rejected the words, stating that God is gracious and patient. While I don't negate this fact, I do know that God disciplines His people. It is written in Revelations 3:19 "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent"

So, those particular words were to the church (the body of Christ) to do just that. Nothing more, nothing less. If God tells us to do something, we need to be obedient and do it.

To balance those words out, I wanted to share this devotional I received today through Streaming Faith. It was lovely to read this morning and I believe many people can identify with Zacchaeus, particularly doing these turbulent times.

Grace and peace upon you in increasing measure,
Keisha Dawn...

How Jesus Meets the Deepest Longings of Your Heart
Dr. Jack Graham More than likely, you've heard the story out of the New Testament of the chief tax collector, a man named Zacchaeus.  

As I have read his story over and over, I have come to realize that Zacchaeus' story is everyone's story-including yours and mine. 

As you read his story, you come to realize that Zacchaeus illustrates the four basic weaknesses and needs of every human heart: the feeling of emptiness, the feeling of loneliness, the weight of guilt, and the fear of death.

There really are some great life-lessons you and I can learn as we look at this man.  Let's pick up his story in Luke 19:1-9:

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."  So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.  But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."  Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."  And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." 

Zacchaeus was a wealthy man in his day, but he was empty inside.  His story is a great reminder that it doesn't matter how well off you are financially or physically, there is a need deep within every human heart to be filled with something that will last...something that will fill that emptiness we feel in souls.

Friend, you and I were made to know God, to love God, to experience grace, and to know true, saving faith in Him. 

It doesn't matter how much money you have...how much status you achieve...or how many things you have.  You need God because you were made to know Him...just like Zacchaeus was.

But Zacchaeus had another problem.  He was lonely.  He was a Jew working for the Romans to collect taxes, one of the most hated professions of that day.

He was skimming off the top, swindling and scandalizing his friends.  Zacchaeus was a man who seemingly had no conscience-and no friends.  He was an outcast of society!

As a result, he was a very lonely man...just like so many people today.  We were made to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, so we naturally feel lonely without Him.  And this is how Zacchaeus felt.

Along with that loneliness, Zacchaeus carried around a huge weight of guilt...a feeling everyone experiences.

Some people try to numb the pain of guilt with excessive alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, or unhealthy relationships. 

But no matter how you try to hide it...no matter how far you may try to run, you will never be able to dissolve that sense of guilt apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Finally, just like anyone who doesn't have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, Zacchaeus was afraid to die.  And while most people don't admit this fact, it's true.

Even though many considered Zacchaeus a waste case, Jesus knew that he was empty and lonely...Jesus knew that he felt guilty...and Jesus knew that he was afraid to die.  And that's why Jesus stopped!

I don't know where you may be in life today, my friend.  Maybe you can relate to one or more of Zacchaeus' weaknesses.

Whatever your station may be today...good, bad, rich or poor...I hope you have come to realize all that God is offering you through Jesus Christ...the Friend of the wounded heart.

Because through Jesus you can indeed know fullness for your emptiness, forgiveness for your guilt, and intimacy with God for your loneliness.  And through Him you have the ultimate victory, the victory over death.


Dr. Jack Graham's passion is to lead men and women from all walks of life into a more intimate and life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Pastor Graham is the voice of Power Point Ministries and has led the 26,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas since 1989. He is the author of several books including You Can Make a Difference, Lessons from the Heart, Life according to Jesus, and A Man of God. Dr. Graham lives in Frisco, Texas, with his wife and ministry partner, Deb. The Grahams have three children and one grandson. For more information, check out www.PowerPoint.org.

The following Sunday after meeting Leo, I was at the same corner on the way to church and there was another man sitting down.

He was smoking what smelled like a grandfather's pipe. He had a laid-back demeanor and a gruff voice.

We chatted a bit. He began to tell me his problems... I listened intently.

He told me how the meaning of his name had a negative connotation to it.

"Why did your mom give you a negative name?" I asked

"I don't know" he said remorsefully, blowing out a puff of smoke and shaking his head.

"Well," I said "What are you going to do, live out the meaning of your name or soar like an eagle above your situations"

He looked at me intently, waiting for me to go on.

"You need to see yourself as God sees you" I said.

"Why does God care about me?" he asked.

"He sent his son to die for you. He loves you that much." I said.

"Who are you?" he asked.

I smiled and laughed. "I'm on my way to church"

He smiled.

"There is a scripture that says 'as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he", remember that" I said.

He smiled again and nodded. "Mmm. That's good" Yenta was drinking God's word right up.

"Well, Yenta. It was an honor to meet you. You are going to do great things" I shook his head.

He shook my hand and beamed.

I believe that Sunday Yenta realized that he had a purpose and that God loved him. I honestly do feel that Yenta will remember our little conversation on that street corner. It is a blessing to use God's word to lift people up. There is power in the tongue. Let us speak life over people and exhort them; words are powerful.