Scripture: Isaiah 26:20-21
“Go home, Stay home and Rest!
I know many of you are asking, “Why has God allowed the coronavirus to ravish the world?” You are
wondering, “Why am I confined in my house?” “Why does God allow houses of worship to be
impacted?”
If you’re not asking these questions, I am asking them for you. I don’t claim to know the answers to
these questions. In my search for answers to these questions, I did find it on television. The CNN pundits
didn’t know the answers. I didn’t hear it on the radio. The answers were not found in astrology. In my
opinion, certainly, our elected officials didn’t know.
The answers to our deepest questions can be found in God’s Word. If we search long enough and seek
God’s voice, God will speak. The Lord showed me Isaiah 26:20-21, Living Bible Version:  “Go home, my
people, and lock the doors! Hide for a little while until the Lord’s wrath against your enemies has
passed. Look! The Lord is coming from the heavens to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The
earth will no longer hide the murderers. The guilty will be found.” Go home.
Isaiah 26 is a prophetic word from the Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, to God’s people — Israel. In this
three-part prophetic word of prophecy, Isaiah delivered a word of hope to the people as we learned in
our Sunday School lesson this morning.
Repraise
Part 1, Isaiah 26:1-15, is a song of praise for God’s deliverance. It is preceded by another song of praise
in chapter 25. A song of praise celebrates God’s deliverance from judgment. This was a prophecy to
assure the people of God’s future blessings. This song of praise assured the people that they would be
delivered.
That right there ought to say something to someone. No matter what you are going through, if you are a
child of God, you ought to have a song of praise for God’s deliverance.
The three Hebrews boys (Daniel 3) in the fiery furnace had a song of praise for God’s deliverance. “King,
O king, we will not bow down and worship your idol. Our God is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace.
But, even if God doesn’t, our God is still able.”
Daniel, in the lion’s den (Daniel 6) had a song for praise for God’s deliverance. The Lord sent an angel to
shut the lion’s mouth. He sang a lullaby to the lions and made a pillow out of them.
Queen Esther (Esther 4) had a song of praise for God’s deliverance of her people: “If I perish, I perish!”
You must have a song of praise for God’s deliverance.
Repent
Part 2, Isaiah 26:16-18, Isaiah spoke to the Lord on behalf of God’s people. Isaiah’s case for the people
to the Lord in verse 16 reads, “Lord, in their distress they sought for you. When your punishment was on
them, they poured forth a whispered prayer.”
In Judges 6:6, Israel cried out to the Lord for help because of the Midianites’ oppression. Israel lived in
caves and dens in the mountains. When Israel planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other

eastern neighboring nations came and destroyed their crops and plundered the countryside. They took
all their sheep, oxen, and donkeys. These enemy hoarders stayed until the land was completely stripped
and devastated. Israel lived in abject poverty.
This same thing is happening to Black America. We are losing our neighborhoods. Is it gentrification or
greed? Our people live in the streets. We can’t even buy toilet paper and bottled water.
Only 10 at a time can assemble in our houses of worship. We could lose our church buildings and the
land they sit on. If churches can’t pay the mortgage or rent, the lending institutions will foreclose on the
buildings and landlords will evict tenants. If church members can’t work, tithes and offerings won’t come
into the church.
God’s church is not the building. It’s the people in the building. Doors to the church will remain open
because we will continue to worship the Lord our God!
But, the Lord not only wants our worship, God wants our work. The church — the people of God -are
called to serve others. When people are hungry, give them something to eat. When people are thirsty,
give them something to drink. When people are homeless, invited them in. When people are naked,
clothe them. When people are sick, looked after them. Call them. When people are in prison, visit them.
This is what the church looks like!
We don’t want to lose our building. So, please pay your tithe and offerings — whatever you can. We
don’t want anyone to go without food, so let your church family know your need. Let the church be the
church!
Isaiah’s continued to present Israel’s case to the Lord in verse 16 and 18: “How we missed your presence,
Lord! We suffered as a woman giving birth who cries and writhes in pain. We too have writhed in agony,
but all to no avail. No deliverance has come from all our efforts.”
But, the Lord allowed the Midianites to harass Israel because the people of Israel began once again to
worship other gods. Church people — bishops, popes, presiding elders, pastors, ministers, stewards,
deacons, trustees, choir members, ushers, pew members — we better check ourselves before we wreck
ourselves!
If we want God to do something in this situation, the church better obey the word of God found in 2
Chronicles 7:13-14: “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour
the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble
themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven,
and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Then, God’s eyes will be open and God’s ears will be attentive to our prayers. Go home
Relax
Part 3, Isaiah 26:19-21, Isaiah spoke a word of reassurance to God’s people. “Yet we have this
assurance: Those who belong to God shall live again. Their bodies shall rise again! Restoration will come!
O people, God is going to open our graves and bring us up from them.”
God is going to restore our land — starting with the family, friends, church family, community, city,
state, United States, the world, humanity! This is our hope!

Those who dwell in the dust shall awake and sing for joy! For God’s light of life will fall like dew upon
them! It is God’s desire to always be in covenant relationship with His people.
Isaiah called the nation to repentance and to faith in a holy, all-powerful God. “Go home, my people,
and lock the doors! Hide for a little while until the Lord’s wrath against your enemies has passed. The
Lord will punish the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in
the heavenly realms. The Lord will punish and the kings on the earth below. They will be herded together
like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison.”
No matter what you’re going through, (1) reprise: sing a song of praise for God’s deliverance, (2) repent:
cry out to the Lord; pray and ask for forgiveness, and (3) relax: relax your body, mind and soul.
Go home. Stay home. Rest. Stop worrying. Listen to your to your body. Listen to the Spirit saying, “The
battle is not yours. It’s the Lord’s!”
Go home. Stay home. Be at home. Read your Bible, relate to your family, renew old friendships,
reconnect with neighbors, live righteously before God and let God restore your soul.
Be Blessed!
Rev. Jessie Faye Manuel

HOLD ON TO THE  WORD
Has anybody got a Word that you’re going somewhere?
Has anybody got a Word that has pointed you toward something greater than what you have?
Has anybody got a Word that stirs your faith, wakes you up in the morning, and carries you
through the day?
I’ve got a word
Somebody said: I heard a Word, but I couldn’t find God in it
I’m going to tell you something:
When God gives you a Word it carries his presence .I didn’t say it will always make you happy,
and I didn’t say it will always make you feel good but I said it will always carry his presence.
Moses said: If your presence go not with us, then do not take us up from this place.
His presence and his Word go together: I don’t care how religious it sounds or how appealing it
is to your flesh or your desires the first thing you better ask yourself is does it carry his presence?
Because the Word that carries his presence has the power to carry you, and keep you.
HOLD ON TO THE  WORD
Listen: I didn’t say that the Word guarantees you that you will have an easy life, and you will
never have to go through a storm.
I said: The Word will carry through the storm, the Word will hold you up, the Word will make
you Unsinkable.
I wouldn’t be here today if it hadn’t been for the Word of the Lord.
The enemy would have killed me, but I had a Word.
Debt would have sunk me, but I had a Word.
Family turmoil and strife would have capsized my vessel, but I had a Word.
Attacks on my integrity and my character would have drowned me in a sea of despair, but I had a
Word.
Depression and fear and anxiety would 
I’m telling you: Hold on to your Word
The Word makes you fire proof.
The Word makes you invincible.
The Word makes you unsinkable.
Isa 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither
shall the flame kindle upon thee.
The devil says: Your gonna die, the doctors report says (incurable) (terminal).YOU ONLY
HAVE 3 MONTHS TO LIVE

But the Word of God says:
I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD….. Ps 118:17
The Word of God says: But he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities,
the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed ……. Isa 53:5
The devil says:
You’ll never see those children saved, you’re just wasting your time praying for them, they’re
never going to serve the Lord.
But the Word of God says: And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be
the peace of thy children ……. Isa 54:13
Ge 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I
seen righteous before me in this generation.
Ac 11:14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
Let me ask you a question: Have you ever felt like there’s a bulls eye on your back and like the
devil has singled you out, and like he’s concentrating extra measures, and extra opposition and
extra weapons on you?
Have you ever felt like the devil has called off the little imps, and he has sent out the big dogs
after you?
If the answer is yes you ought to be shouting and praising God right now, because the devil
wouldn’t be concentrating so much of his energy and his resources on you if you weren’t a threat
to him.
The devil heard your words too: He knows you’re on your way to something:
That’s what keeps me moving: I know I’m on my way to something
I’m not going through this storm for nothing
I’m not going through this hell for nothing
I’m not walking through this valley of the shadow of death for nothing
I’m going through because I’m going to.
The fight isn’t about who you are today, or where you are today, the fight is about your word the
fight is about your destiny, the fight is about where you’re going and what you’re getting ready
to do.
The greatest storm of your life means your closer to your destiny than you’ve ever been and your
on the edge of the greatest breakthrough of your life.
Josephs brothers wanted him dead, not just because he was their fathers favorite but because he
had a dream, he had a word, a destiny, a future.

As long as you doesn’t have anything , and don’t want nothing, you have no dreams, no visions,
no passion, no aspirations to go anywhere or do anything (then you got a lot of friends).
But as soon as you start dreaming of a better tomorrow, and you start prophesying your destiny
and it’s bigger than your friends can see, it’s bigger than they can handle, They will try to
discourage you and talk you out of your destiny.
And if you won’t sale out, and won’t forfeit your dreams, and settle back into a life of mediocrity
and religious expectation, then you become a threat to them and they will turn on you and try to
destroy you.
You need to examine your friendship circle everybody can’t go where God is taking you) You
need friends that believe in you and what God is doing in you.
Believe me; if you ever set out to do anything for God, and if you ever get bold enough to launch
into your word and work out and walk out your destiny you are going to be attacked).
Physically, spiritually, financially, emotionally, there will be attacks against your marriage,
attacks against your ministry.
Why: Because you are dangerous, you are a threat to hell, your dreams make you dangerous,
your word makes you dangerous.
We understand that now and we have come to grips with that now, and we realize that our word
makes us a target for the enemy, and puts us in his line of fire….
But here’s the part that makes it really hard even for the most spiritual, most anointed, most
mature believer.
Have you ever felt like God did this great thing in your life, stirred you up, gave you this great
powerful word of destiny and then he just went to sleep and forgot about you?
And he just laid there and let the devil beat up on you let people lie on you and cheat on you, and
persecute you and criticize you, steal from you, ignore you, overlook you, underestimate you?
Come on: I’m trying to talk to some real people in the house.
I want to talk to some people that will just tell the truth.
Just because you’re CALLED doesn’t mean you won’t ever have any troubles, just because
you’re anointed doesn’t mean you won’t ever be lied on.
It doesn’t mean that God is going to wrap you in cotton so your feelings never get hurt.
In fact the more anointed you are and the more destiny you embrace and the more focused you
become on fulfilling your purpose the greater threat you are to hell, and the greater the attacks
against you.
Joseph was anointed, Joseph was favored by God; and repeatedly the bible says The Lord was
with Joseph.

Well if the Lord was with Joseph why didn’t God stop his brothers from stripping him out of his
coat and throwing him into a pit?
Why didn’t God stop Potiphars lust filled wife from lying on Joseph and destroying his character
and integrity in the eyes of Potiphar and his whole house?
Why did God let the butler forget Joseph for two full long years, after Joseph interpreted his
dream and it came to pass?
Was God on vacation? Was he asleep?
From the day God gave Joseph the dream, the dream never changed, but the dreamer went
through a process of stripping and refining to bring him to the place that he was qualified to live
that dream.
I’m in process
I know Today  that God never sleeps
Ps 121:4 Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
I know God never sleeps, but I promise you there will be times in your life when it feels like God
is in such a deep slumber that nothing can wake him.
It’s just part of the process.
Some of you reading this right now, have felt like God just went to sleep and let the devil have
his way with you, and to tell the truth it looks to you like and feels to you like you are farther
away from your word than ever before.
But I came to tell you today: God is not asleep, he has not forgotten you, his eyes are on the
sparrow, and his eyes are on you every minute of the day.
He’s been watching you all through the process, he’s been in charge of the temperature.
He’s been controlling the speed of the wheel.
He saw that storm coming before it ever got to you and he filtered it through his hands of love
and …..
He pre-determined that this storm was not going to kill you.
He pre-determined that this storm was not going to sink you.
He pre-determined that this storm was not going to destroy your ministry.
Before you ever entered the battle, He pre-determined that you had everything you need to
conquer, you had everything you needed to put you over and come out on top.
The answer is: He believed the Word that he spoke.
He knew the Word that came out of his mouth had the power to take them through anything, (he
knew that his word could not come back void but it would accomplish that which he pleased and
prosper in thing whereto he sent it.
You’re going through the storm of your life in your finances, but you believe the Word

You’re going through the greatest fire of your life in your health, but you believe the Word
You’re fighting for your children, they seem farther away than ever before, but you believe the
Word.
You’re been tried in your ministry, your character and your reputation and your integrity are
being attacked, but you believe the Word.
In other words go back to the Word. John 1:1 In the beginning was the word, the word was with
God and the word was God, the same was in the beginning with God,
John 1: 14 And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory as of the
only begotten of the father full of grace and truth.
I don’t care what the enemy is doing today, or trying to do, it doesn’t matter what the storm or
the test or the trial is.
It doesn’t matter how hot the fire is or how the flames, or how deep the water.
The answer is the same:
Hold on to the Word
Get back to the Word
Your word will get you through it.
God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent, hath he said it,
shall he not do it, hath he spoken it shall he not make it good …… Num 23:19
Mt 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Ps 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified
seven times.
Ps 119:89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
HOLD ON TO THE  WORD
Take that Word and make it a weapon
God didn’t give you that Word just to be a soft pillow for your head, he gave you that Word to
fight with.
He knew the enemy would attack you, he knew the enemy would oppose you, and he gave you
a Word to war with.
Somebody reading this to right now:
You’ve got a Word about starting a business; (but the devil is telling you it could never happen
in this economy.
Somebody else: You’ve got a Word about a new house, but you’ve almost forfeited your
promise because of the economy and your financial situation.
Somebody else :You have a Word that God is going to save your Husband, and save those
children, and deliver them off drugs and alcohol but they look farther away than ever before
and you’ve almost given up.
Somebody the lord has spoken to you about writing a book ..get your pen and paper. God will
do the rest.

I’m talking to somebody in ministry: You have carried a dream of ministry in your spirit for
years, and you fought to hold on to it (but to tell the truth you’re just tired and you’re on the
verge of just letting it go.
I came to tell you hold on to the Word: God is not a liar
He doesn’t give us a Word to frustrate us, he gives us a Word to motivate us and to strengthen
us in the battle and to give us a weapon to fight discouragement and doubt, and weariness.
Soldier of God: Pick up your weapon, pick up your Word
Doubt and worry, and anxiety and stress, and all the negative circumstances that surround
you are trying to drown your faith and steal the Word.
That’s what the devils after: he wants you to throw that Word away.
The devils telling you today that it’s hopeless, enemies are telling you that it’s hopeless:
But I came to tell you Hold on to your Word
If God ever spoke it, God will bring it to pass:
If God spoke to you about bringing that Godly husband into your life, then shop for your
wedding dress.
If God spoke to you about a new house, then start looking at plans, and start looking at the
furniture you want to put in it.
If God spoke to you about writing a book, then buy your paper and get on your computer and
expect him to give it to you.
If God spoke to you about going to other countries, then buy some suitcases, and get your visa
so they’ll let you in when you get there.
If God said he’s going to save your family, quit calling them heathens and acting like they’re
unreachable.
HOLD ON TO THE  WORD
Praise him like you’re already out of debt
Praise him like you’ve already written that book and are enjoying the blessings
Praise him like you’ve already moved out of the projects, Praise like you’ve already moved into
that new house, walk through it in your imagination, smell the carpet, touch the walls.
Praise him like you’re ministry is already international, you may be a pastor of 30 people but
you’ve got an international vision and you’ve got a heart to touch the world for Jesus.
Praise him like that family is already saved, holy ghost filled fire baptized, praise him like their
standing beside you with their hands raised tears streaming down their faces, glorifying God.
You just got to get your eyes off the problem and get them back on the promise.
I don’t care what’s happening in your life right now: I’m telling you.

“For I know the plans I have for you, …plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.” If you’re wondering how to trust God
because His plan for you is scary and hard, allow these words to bring back your
hope. They will comfort us and bring us to a new level of trust in Him. We don’t
have to know the plan, because God does.
Matt. 10:29-31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall
not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
These verses tell us of the value that God places upon His creation. Even the little
sparrow that falls to the ground does not escape the attention of the Almighty.
 The reality for us is that the Father is so concerned about our lives that He
knows the very number of hairs, which are upon our heads. If He is concerned
about something so insignificant as that, then we can rest assured that He will
take care to watch over the big issues of life. Since His knowledge of our lives is
so detailed, then we can be sure that He knows every possible thing there is to
know about us. The Lord knows our deepest and darkest secrets; He knows our
thoughts, our motives, our plans, and our dreams!
This is an encouragement to me because I know that nothing that happens in my
life catches the Lord off guard. He knows about it before it happens, Isa. 46:10,
“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are
not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” It had
to pass through the filter of grace before it could even make it to me, Rom. 8:28.
I think David summed up what I feel when I try to grasp something this big, Psa.
139:6. If you are trying to hide something from the Lord, then His omniscience is
a terrible thing, because you are going to get away with nothing. However, when
you are striving to serve the Lord, His omniscience is a blessing, because the
Lord knew everything that came to pass in your life before He ever allowed it to
come your way.
2.God Knows About Your Situations
Often our sufferings and burdens of life are greater than we feel that we can bear,
but during them, we have some pretty spectacular promises. A few that comes to
mind are:
1.   If God knows all about it then it must be part of His plan for my life. If that is
true, then I can accept it and trust Him to bring me safely through.
2.   There are times when the presence of God can neither be seen nor felt, but He
is there nonetheless, protecting, providing and watching out after His own.
3.  It may feel like God doesn’t care, but in truth, He cares far more than we could
ever know.

FOR I KNOW THE THOUGHTS THAT I THINK TOWARD YOU, SAITH THE LORD,
THOUGHTS OF PEACE, AND NOT OF EVIL, TO GIVE YOU AN EXPECTED END. (KJV)
JEREMIAH 29:11
YOU MAY FEEL THAT GOD DOES NOT THINK ABOUT YOU AT ALL, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO TELL
YOU THAT HE DOES! ALLOW ME TO SHOW YOU FROM THE WORD OF GOD EXACTLY WHAT THE
LORD THINKS ABOUT WHEN HE THINKS OF YOU. AS I DO, MY PRAYER IS THAT YOU WILL BE
ENCOURAGED TO KNOW THAT GOD HAS HIS EYE ON YOUR LIFE AND THAT HE IS CONCERNED
ABOUT YOU.
Nothing encourages my heart quite like Jeremiah 29:11. But then there are those
unwelcome circumstances, where hope feels like a distant dream. I question God,
“How can this be happening?” I push this verse aside and look for a different
answer. Dread finds its way into my thoughts and I feel like I’m constantly
fighting against it. I know God is with me during my fear, but I wonder. Could this
trial really be part of His plan for me?
If you’ve ever struggled to trust God through life’s hardest times, take heart.
Women throughout history have walked this road and discovered what it truly
means to trust our Heavenly Father. Women like Hagar. Through her seemingly
impossible situation, she learned a life-changing lesson in trust. Her story gives
us hope today as we face life’s battles.
I had a conversation with a dear friend recently about life’s difficult days. She’s
one of the happiest people I know. When something hard comes her way, her
instinct is to get as far away from the hurt as possible. She just doesn’t like to be
sad, so she seeks happiness to get past the hard.
Happiness is a good thing, but my friend shared an important truth with me that
day. We will have struggles, and sometimes we must stay there a while. So, when
we feel stuck, we can trust that God “will never leave us or forsake us.”
(Deuteronomy 31:6). God is there, even when we don’t see a way out now. Not
only did God provide just what Hagar needed in her darkest moment, he also
stayed with them as they moved into the next chapter of their lives. He will do the
same for us and work it all together for our good.
Remembering these promises helps me look at Jeremiah 29:11 with renewed
faith. I no longer dread those words when God’s plan for me is scary. Instead, I
can read that verse as if I am hearing my loving Father speak it to me for the first
time, reviving my heart with His gentle Spirit. Let’s try it together right now.

“For I know the plans I have for you, …plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.” If you’re wondering how to trust God
because His plan for you is scary and hard, allow these words to bring back your
hope. They will comfort us and bring us to a new level of trust in Him. We don’t
have to know the plan, because God does.
Matt. 10:29-31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall
not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
These verses tell us of the value that God places upon His creation. Even the little
sparrow that falls to the ground does not escape the attention of the Almighty.
 The reality for us is that the Father is so concerned about our lives that He
knows the very number of hairs, which are upon our heads. If He is concerned
about something so insignificant as that, then we can rest assured that He will
take care to watch over the big issues of life. Since His knowledge of our lives is
so detailed, then we can be sure that He knows every possible thing there is to
know about us. The Lord knows our deepest and darkest secrets; He knows our
thoughts, our motives, our plans, and our dreams!
This is an encouragement to me because I know that nothing that happens in my
life catches the Lord off guard. He knows about it before it happens, Isa. 46:10,
“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are
not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” It had
to pass through the filter of grace before it could even make it to me, Rom. 8:28.
I think David summed up what I feel when I try to grasp something this big, Psa.
139:6. If you are trying to hide something from the Lord, then His omniscience is
a terrible thing, because you are going to get away with nothing. However, when
you are striving to serve the Lord, His omniscience is a blessing, because the
Lord knew everything that came to pass in your life before He ever allowed it to
come your way.
2.God Knows About Your Situations
Often our sufferings and burdens of life are greater than we feel that we can bear,
but during them, we have some pretty spectacular promises. A few that comes to
mind are:
1.   If God knows all about it then it must be part of His plan for my life. If that is
true, then I can accept it and trust Him to bring me safely through.
2.   There are times when the presence of God can neither be seen nor felt, but He
is there nonetheless, protecting, providing and watching out after His own.
3.  It may feel like God doesn’t care, but in truth, He cares far more than we could
ever know.

Remember the words of that old suffering saint Job, Job 23:10! God knows the
way that I take, because God plans the way that I take. Everything God allows in
your life and mine is to mold us more into His image. “Till we all come in the unity
of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:”
 
What does God think about you? When He thinks about you, He does so with
love. When He thinks about you, He thinks of the great plans that He has for your
life.
 
No matter where you are in this world today. No matter what you are facing or are
what you are going through, there is help and hope in the Lord Jesus today.
 
It may bother you that the Lord knows about your sins, because you have never
trusted Jesus as your Savior. Why not do that today?
 
It may bother you as a Christian that your sins are not hid from the Lord. Why not
come clean with Him today?
 
You may be walking through the deepest, darkest, longest valley of your life and
wondering if the Lord cares, or even knows about it. Let me assure you that He
both knows and cares. Why not bring that need to Him today? I am inviting you to
come to a God who can and will help you if you will merely seek Him. He loves
you! Why not let Him help you as well?
 
My relationship with God has grown stronger.
I don’t know if that was one of God’s intended outcomes of my struggles.
Over the years I’ve tried to stop asking God, “Why?” Instead, I strive to ask
questions like, “What are you trying to teach me?” or “How can I use this to bring
you glory?”
I may not have all the answers, but I serve a God who does. As I anticipate the
trials yet to come, I will remember the words I once heard, “When faced with the
unknowns, I look to a God who is known.”

As women, we are gravely depleted and worn out because we absorb trauma, relational discord,financial stress, and the lion’s share of worry when raising children. I have learned thatcumulative depletion results from years of neglecting these deeper needs for adequate rest,
healthy food, mental space and a substantial dependence on God for what enlivens a woman’s
soul ultimately robs us of the true joy God offers us the midst of our circumstances.
God cares for our needs and has the abundance of heaven to offer us, but we cannot be passive
recipients of His attention and provision and expect to get the rest of what we are looking for.
We must take responsibility for our side of the equation on a daily basis. Consistently taking up
the task of not only living within your personal limits but also drawing deep from the well of
God’s wisdom for your life
Self-care is the physical, emotional, and spiritual equivalent of automobile maintenance. Change
the oil, check the transmission fluid, check the air-pressure, and get weird noises checked out,
then your car or truck should last. Ignore the “clunk, clunk” or the smoking tailpipe long enough
and expect a costly repair later.
We may have missed some simple things that we often do daily without knowing it. Simply as
eating right. Working as a nurse I would just eat a Snickers, some Sweet Tarts, jelly beans, you
name it and work my morning shift . I have probably eaten more processed sugar in my life than
all the my children and grandchildren. To put it bluntly: I treated the temple of the Holy Spirit
like a candy store. I do not have a miracle, “I started eating salads, lost weight, and feel great,”
testimony. But, I am learning to eat right because you are what you eat.
I see my neighbors waking briskly everyday and yes , exercise is another great thing to put on
your to do list. The Bible does not talk much about exercise, but it didn’t need to. Biblical
characters walked, herded, and gardened all the time. Exercise was part of life. We should, as
much as possible, adopt that mindset.
I have openly confessed my aversion to taking a Sabbath on Monday’s. I am averse because I
feel guilty if I am doing nothing, and I don’t like feeling guilty—like I am wasting time or being
lazy.
A day of rest does not imply a day of sleep; rest is more than that. It means to stop for a while to
let your body, soul, mind, and spirit catch up with each other. Without rest we cannot recharge
and without recharging we become like a spent battery: good for nothing except to be trodden
under foot of man.
I am an early riser and, apparently, it is only getting worse the older I get. Most mornings I
awake before my 3:00am . Some mornings it’s an hour before. I cannot sleep-in on weekends.
Only after the most strenuous weeks would I sleep until 6:00am on a Saturday.
It is a running joke with my friends that any text message before 8:00 or 10:00am may go
unanswered until later that morning.

Sleep is essential to optimal functioning, but sometimes it is hard to come-by.It is important to
seek help to process post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) symptoms and address addictions or
other means of self-medication.
As women, we are gravely depleted and worn out because we absorb trauma, relational discord,
financial stress, and the lion’s share of worry when raising children.
All too often, we simply don’t nourish ourselves with restorative habits to counterbalance the
difficult things we experience.
The cumulative depletion that results from years of neglecting these deeper needs for adequate
rest, healthy food, mental space and a substantial dependence on God for what enlivens a
woman’s soul ultimately robs us of the true joy God offers us the midst of our circumstances.
God cares for our needs and has the abundance of heaven to offer us, but we cannot be passive
recipients of His attention and provision and expect to get the rest we are looking for.
We must take responsibility for our side of the equation on a daily basis. Consistently taking up
the task of not only living within your personal limits but also drawing deep from the well of
God’s wisdom for your life..
We should practice self-care not for fear of extremes, but because it manifests this truth: we
belong to God—body, soul, mind, and spirit. And, we can love God better with each if we are
taking care of them as we should.

The Importance of Self -Care Woman of God
One of the most difficult challenges facing clergy is setting healthy boundaries. It is important
especially as women to be aware of the contributing factors that affect one’s own spiritual,
emotional, mental, and physical well- being.
Pastors we bear heavy loads, especially in these post-Christian and post-denominational ages.
Especially now that there is a new norm as we get a grip with the world changes and social
media congregations. There are a list of the reasons that I have been challenged as being a
pastor for a numbers of years and not even thinking about any me time or self-care.
Everybody wants the pastor to be a priest, an administrator, a building/facilities repair person, a
psychiatrist, the best preacher in the world, the teacher of Bible Study, the worship innovator, the
congregational growth expert, the ethicist of our day, the political voice of these times, the
millennial whisperer, HR specialist, Economist, missionary, fund raiser, the model
father/mother/spouse and, in some cases, just a plain ole’ savior.
By the end of the day, I am entirely at the end of myself.
I’m ready for a ice cream sandwich and looking for some classical music to calm my mind from
the many worries of the day .Instead of tackling the list of creative projects I take a power nap
collapsing onto the sofa chair and leaving many things left undone for another day or time.
When I finally peel myself off the couch, I wasn’t any better off than when I started. Wow!!!
And yet, I’ve honestly thought the term self-care was kind of lame. After taking “Clinical
Pastoral Care “ where I have learned the importance of self-care . I honestly learned how much
stress that I had voluntarily placed on myself . I didn’t even think about myself and not even self-
care.
I couldn’t put my finger on exactly where to start and what I didn’t like about it. I mean, a bath
sounds nice, spa with the works or even though I’m not a wine-drinker myself, I know plenty of
people who enjoy a glass now and then.(Humor)
I started wondering why all the chatter about self-care irritated me so much?
Until, one day it hit me. As I begin to look at magazine articles and commercials I continued to
think deeply about this issue of self-care. Unfortunately, many of these self-care promises barely
skim the surface of a much deeper issue: There is no one-time spa escape or miracle product that
touches the more serious need for a woman to be revived and replenished from the inside out.
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 1 Corinthians
3:16
Ultimately, self-care is not a work we do in ourselves. God does the work in us, we make the
space for it to happen, and we participate in that good work by taking hold of the various ways
God has supplied sustenance to our minds, bodies, and souls.

As women, we are gravely depleted and worn out because we absorb trauma, relational discord,
financial stress, and the lion’s share of worry when raising children. I have learned that
cumulative depletion results from years of neglecting these deeper needs for adequate rest,
healthy food, mental space and a substantial dependence on God for what enlivens a woman’s
soul ultimately robs us of the true joy God offers us the midst of our circumstances.
God cares for our needs and has the abundance of heaven to offer us, but we cannot be passive
recipients of His attention and provision and expect to get the rest of what we are looking for.
We must take responsibility for our side of the equation on a daily basis. Consistently taking up
the task of not only living within your personal limits but also drawing deep from the well of
God’s wisdom for your life
Self-care is the physical, emotional, and spiritual equivalent of automobile maintenance. Change
the oil, check the transmission fluid, check the air-pressure, and get weird noises checked out,
then your car or truck should last. Ignore the “clunk, clunk” or the smoking tailpipe long enough
and expect a costly repair later.
We may have missed some simple things that we often do daily without knowing it. Simply as
eating right. Working as a nurse I would just eat a Snickers, some Sweet Tarts, jelly beans, you
name it and work my morning shift . I have probably eaten more processed sugar in my life than
all the my children and grandchildren. To put it bluntly: I treated the temple of the Holy Spirit
like a candy store. I do not have a miracle, “I started eating salads, lost weight, and feel great,”
testimony. But, I am learning to eat right because you are what you eat.
I see my neighbors waking briskly everyday and yes , exercise is another great thing to put on
your to do list. The Bible does not talk much about exercise, but it didn’t need to. Biblical
characters walked, herded, and gardened all the time. Exercise was part of life. We should, as
much as possible, adopt that mindset.
I have openly confessed my aversion to taking a Sabbath on Monday’s. I am averse because I
feel guilty if I am doing nothing, and I don’t like feeling guilty—like I am wasting time or being
lazy.
A day of rest does not imply a day of sleep; rest is more than that. It means to stop for a while to
let your body, soul, mind, and spirit catch up with each other. Without rest we cannot recharge
and without recharging we become like a spent battery: good for nothing except to be trodden
under foot of man.
I am an early riser and, apparently, it is only getting worse the older I get. Most mornings I
awake before my 3:00am . Some mornings it’s an hour before. I cannot sleep-in on weekends.
Only after the most strenuous weeks would I sleep until 6:00am on a Saturday.
It is a running joke with my friends that any text message before 8:00 or 10:00am may go
unanswered until later that morning.

Sleep is essential to optimal functioning, but sometimes it is hard to come-by.It is important to
seek help to process post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) symptoms and address addictions or
other means of self-medication.
As women, we are gravely depleted and worn out because we absorb trauma, relational discord,
financial stress, and the lion’s share of worry when raising children.
All too often, we simply don’t nourish ourselves with restorative habits to counterbalance the
difficult things we experience.
The cumulative depletion that results from years of neglecting these deeper needs for adequate
rest, healthy food, mental space and a substantial dependence on God for what enlivens a
woman’s soul ultimately robs us of the true joy God offers us the midst of our circumstances.
God cares for our needs and has the abundance of heaven to offer us, but we cannot be passive
recipients of His attention and provision and expect to get the rest we are looking for.
We must take responsibility for our side of the equation on a daily basis. Consistently taking up
the task of not only living within your personal limits but also drawing deep from the well of
God’s wisdom for your life..
We should practice self-care not for fear of extremes, but because it manifests this truth: we
belong to God—body, soul, mind, and spirit. And, we can love God better with each if we are
taking care of them as we should.

One of the most difficult challenges facing clergy is setting healthy boundaries. It is important
especially as women to be aware of the contributing factors that affect one’s own spiritual,
emotional, mental, and physical well- being.
Pastors we bear heavy loads, especially in these post-Christian and post-denominational ages.
Especially now that there is a new norm as we get a grip with the world changes and social
media congregations. There are a list of the reasons that I have been challenged as being a
pastor for a numbers of years and not even thinking about any me time or self-care.
Everybody wants the pastor to be a priest, an administrator, a building/facilities repair person, a
psychiatrist, the best preacher in the world, the teacher of Bible Study, the worship innovator, the
congregational growth expert, the ethicist of our day, the political voice of these times, the
millennial whisperer, HR specialist, Economist, missionary, fund raiser, the model
father/mother/spouse and, in some cases, just a plain ole’ savior.
By the end of the day, I am entirely at the end of myself.
I’m ready for a ice cream sandwich and looking for some classical music to calm my mind from
the many worries of the day .Instead of tackling the list of creative projects I take a power nap
collapsing onto the sofa chair and leaving many things left undone for another day or time.
When I finally peel myself off the couch, I wasn’t any better off than when I started. Wow!!!
And yet, I’ve honestly thought the term self-care was kind of lame. After taking “Clinical
Pastoral Care “ where I have learned the importance of self-care . I honestly learned how much
stress that I had voluntarily placed on myself . I didn’t even think about myself and not even self-
care.
I couldn’t put my finger on exactly where to start and what I didn’t like about it. I mean, a bath
sounds nice, spa with the works or even though I’m not a wine-drinker myself, I know plenty of
people who enjoy a glass now and then.(Humor)
I started wondering why all the chatter about self-care irritated me so much?
Until, one day it hit me. As I begin to look at magazine articles and commercials I continued to
think deeply about this issue of self-care. Unfortunately, many of these self-care promises barely
skim the surface of a much deeper issue: There is no one-time spa escape or miracle product that
touches the more serious need for a woman to be revived and replenished from the inside out.
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 1 Corinthians
3:16
Ultimately, self-care is not a work we do in ourselves. God does the work in us, we make the
space for it to happen, and we participate in that good work by taking hold of the various ways
God has supplied sustenance to our minds, bodies, and souls.

As women, we are gravely depleted and worn out because we absorb trauma, relational discord,
financial stress, and the lion’s share of worry when raising children. I have learned that
cumulative depletion results from years of neglecting these deeper needs for adequate rest,
healthy food, mental space and a substantial dependence on God for what enlivens a woman’s
soul ultimately robs us of the true joy God offers us the midst of our circumstances.
God cares for our needs and has the abundance of heaven to offer us, but we cannot be passive
recipients of His attention and provision and expect to get the rest of what we are looking for.
We must take responsibility for our side of the equation on a daily basis. Consistently taking up
the task of not only living within your personal limits but also drawing deep from the well of
God’s wisdom for your life
Self-care is the physical, emotional, and spiritual equivalent of automobile maintenance. Change
the oil, check the transmission fluid, check the air-pressure, and get weird noises checked out,
then your car or truck should last. Ignore the “clunk, clunk” or the smoking tailpipe long enough
and expect a costly repair later.
We may have missed some simple things that we often do daily without knowing it. Simply as
eating right. Working as a nurse I would just eat a Snickers, some Sweet Tarts, jelly beans, you
name it and work my morning shift . I have probably eaten more processed sugar in my life than
all the my children and grandchildren. To put it bluntly: I treated the temple of the Holy Spirit
like a candy store. I do not have a miracle, “I started eating salads, lost weight, and feel great,”
testimony. But, I am learning to eat right because you are what you eat.
I see my neighbors waking briskly everyday and yes , exercise is another great thing to put on
your to do list. The Bible does not talk much about exercise, but it didn’t need to. Biblical
characters walked, herded, and gardened all the time. Exercise was part of life. We should, as
much as possible, adopt that mindset.
I have openly confessed my aversion to taking a Sabbath on Monday’s. I am averse because I
feel guilty if I am doing nothing, and I don’t like feeling guilty—like I am wasting time or being
lazy.
A day of rest does not imply a day of sleep; rest is more than that. It means to stop for a while to
let your body, soul, mind, and spirit catch up with each other. Without rest we cannot recharge
and without recharging we become like a spent battery: good for nothing except to be trodden
under foot of man.
I am an early riser and, apparently, it is only getting worse the older I get. Most mornings I
awake before my 3:00am . Some mornings it’s an hour before. I cannot sleep-in on weekends.
Only after the most strenuous weeks would I sleep until 6:00am on a Saturday.
It is a running joke with my friends that any text message before 8:00 or 10:00am may go
unanswered until later that morning.

Sleep is essential to optimal functioning, but sometimes it is hard to come-by.It is important to
seek help to process post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) symptoms and address addictions or
other means of self-medication.
As women, we are gravely depleted and worn out because we absorb trauma, relational discord,
financial stress, and the lion’s share of worry when raising children.
All too often, we simply don’t nourish ourselves with restorative habits to counterbalance the
difficult things we experience.
The cumulative depletion that results from years of neglecting these deeper needs for adequate
rest, healthy food, mental space and a substantial dependence on God for what enlivens a
woman’s soul ultimately robs us of the true joy God offers us the midst of our circumstances.
God cares for our needs and has the abundance of heaven to offer us, but we cannot be passive
recipients of His attention and provision and expect to get the rest we are looking for.
We must take responsibility for our side of the equation on a daily basis. Consistently taking up
the task of not only living within your personal limits but also drawing deep from the well of
God’s wisdom for your life..
We should practice self-care not for fear of extremes, but because it manifests this truth: we
belong to God—body, soul, mind, and spirit. And, we can love God better with each if we are
taking care of them as we should.

Matthew 14:13-21 But When
As a stressed and exhausted single working mother I remember how easy it was to pull
up to the drive-thru on the way home from work and school to order eat-on-the-go hot
food for myself and my hungry children in the back seat. How many kids live on chips
and sugary sodas to keep them going because there are no carrots or apples to munch
on as snacks? How many young parents haven’t a clue how to cook leafy green
vegetables? I don’t blame the moms who are just trying to survive day to day. (Tomorrow
I’ll go to the store and find something good for the kids, but I’ve got to just get through
today…) Once the kids are addicted to the good stuff, they won’t eat the carrots and
apples anyway.
I can’t fully understand Jesus multiplying loaves and fishes on the lovely Galilean
hillside. Am I mad at Jesus? No. I think Jesus manifests God’s love in the abundance of
this satisfying and sacred meal. Additionally, the scene on the hillside means to teach
humanity how it’s done – so that we can do the same thing.
I suppose thinking of myself giving my kids now grand kids drive-thru meals – which they
liked, by the way. And I also enjoyed all the mother-bonding in the car. Maybe it is the
bridge between the generosity of God as expressed in the miracle of the feeding of the
five thousands and the convenience on United States the consumer’s part.
And in our Scripture reading for today, Jesus’ hands takes common bread and a couple
of fish, and as he touches it, it multiplies. He breaks the bread for all to see and eat.
Before, the crowds could only stare at the few loaves and fish held, as they drooled with
the thought of having a few bites. But there was not enough for five thousands or even
fifty. Actually, the number of those present was more like fifteen thousands or twenty
thousands because there were five thousand men, not counting women and children.
Women and children weren’t important to most people, but Jesus wasn’t most people.
Here was a God who was not looking down on the world trying to see what he could get
from his subjects and control them, but a God who was genuinely touched by human
need.
I was struck as I read this passage several times this week at how it begins. Jesus
withdraws to a deserted place to be by himself. He has been pressed on every side for
days, weeks and months. And it is worse than being pursued by people who only want
to take a picture, because people are not only following him everywhere he goes, but
everywhere there are outstretched hands, often grabbing hands, are always around
others fantasize about. No noise, no voices, no people, just to be alone for a little while.
And pleading voices rising out of a sea of sorrow, sickness, pain and need. Everyone
wanted something from him, and he had been giving to everyone who came. So now he
has an opportunity to be by himself, to rest, to take a deep breath, to think and pray.
These are the kind of moments that busy people who are clergy has a need for a break.
But as I began to read the next sentence again , I was struck by two words: “But when…”
“But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. And it is

followed by the words, “When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had
compassion for them and cured their sick”. There is an interruption. The plan of getting
away for some alone time has been sabotaged. The people are running along the shore
as they keep an eye on the sail of Jesus boat on Galilee. They followed him on land. He is
off in his boat so he can be alone, but they are not going to let that happen. Their needs
are too great. As he lands, the people are already there waiting for him.
You might expect that he would be upset, but instead the Bible says, “When Jesus
landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” If it
were most of us, we would have had irritation, but he had compassion. He put his needs
aside and ministered to the needs of those around him. What he wanted did not come
before what everyone else wanted. He was not self-centered, but centered on the needs
of those he loved people he did not even know personally.
And so, once again, he ministered to the people all day. He listened to them and healed
them. He must have been exhausted. It was now evening. He is hungry and he knows the
entire crowd is hungry. These are people who live near the edge of starvation. It is just
how life was at that time. The disciples understand this and say to him: “This is a remote
place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages
and buy themselves some food.” This would have been a great way to get rid of the
crowds and have a little down time. No one would have questioned it. But again he has
compassion on the people.
Jesus turns to his disciples and says to them, “They do not need to go away. You give
them something to eat.” Can you imagine how startled the disciples were? They said,
“We have nothing here but five loaves of bread and two fish.” They lived in a small world
of limited possibilities, but Jesus lived in a world of unlimited possibilities. They realized
they had very limited resources, and the crowd had unlimited need. They knew they had
nothing to offer. But then Jesus, referring to the five loaves and two fish, said, “Bring
them here to me.” Now if we were reading this story for the first time, our hearts would
begin to beat a little faster and our curiosity would peak as we would wonder what Jesus
was going to do. What could he possibly be thinking? Who would have dreamed what he
was about to do. Certainly not the disciples. Even in the very next chapter where Jesus
feeds another 4,000 people, the disciples seem perplexed about what to do, for they say,
“Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” Where
indeed!
But we are not any different from the disciples. We still see impossibilities when God is
wanting us to see possibilities. We, like the disciples, need to see that the situation is not
in our hands, but in his hands, and when they are in his hands everything changes. We
look at our meager resources and say to God. We are in this same shape today we are in
a time of economic crises. Times are hard. Money is funny.
But what are these among so many?” And he says to us, “Bring them here to me.” He
places his hands upon our pitiful resources and everything changes. This is the formula:
We bring God our meager offering and he places his hands on our small gift and causes
it to grow thousands of times over. We never have the resources to meet people’s needs.
We have nothing, and all we can do is bring our nothing to Jesus and have him turn it
into something.
Jesus has the people sit down and prepare to receive. They want to begin the walk to the

nearest village so they can get something to eat, but he tells them to sit and wait on him.
And then he looks to heaven and says a simple prayer of blessing. And as he does so, he
takes two fish, and 5 little flat loaves, something like pita bread, and feeds thousands and
thousands of people who are in the middle of a wilderness.
We have nothing to give people without Jesus. We have nothing to say, nothing to give,
nothing to offer. What we do have is something to offer to Jesus. We take the little bit
that we have, that we were saving for ourselves, and give it to him — all of it. He takes
our pitiful little offering and turns it into something that can not only satisfy the needs of
other people, but abundance beyond that. A little in my hands becomes a lot in Jesus’
hands.
It also reminds us that Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never
go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). Jesus can make
bread because he is the Bread of Life. At the last supper, the Bible says, “While they
were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples,
Saying, ‘Take it; this is my body.’” (Mark 14:22). It is in this setting that Jesus not only
breaks bread, but he transforms it. This is the real miracle. Jesus not only meets our felt
needs, the needs of the body, but he meets our real needs, the need of our soul. He gives
us living bread. He gives himself. Too bad that we are hungry for so much other than
God.
How often we want to just have life become a little bit better. We want a therapeutic
gospel that will help us feel better. We want to feel safe and secure. We want a better
government. We want our relationships to be better. We want our finances to improve so
we will be more comfortable. We want God’s material blessings and think little of what
God really wants to bless us with.
How little we understand our real needs. How little we want to understand our total
dependence on God. He is our Creator. He is the source of all things. He is the One on
whom we are dependent for all things in this life. We cannot find life anywhere else. But
this is the very thing that people today do not want to acknowledge. We do not even want
to acknowledge that we are dependent on him for rain or food. We can do all this
ourselves — thank you very much. We do not even want to acknowledge that he exists.
We make it illegal to pray.
So where does all this leave us? It leaves us with a need to acknowledge our dependence
on God. It leaves us with a need to realize what our real need is: to know God and accept
his gift of the Bread of Life. It means we stop looking in all the wrong places for the
things that we think we need. We stop looking in all the wrong places for what we think
will ultimately fulfill us. It means that we rest, truly rest, in the God who can meet all of
our true needs. We turn from fear and turn to faith. Jesus said, “So do not worry, saying,
‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ But seek first his
kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day
has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:25-34).

BUT WHEN — We are in the wilderness
BUT WHEN — We are hungry
BUT WHEN— We sit and wait
BUT WHEN— We trust
BUT WHEN— We are miraculously fed by the hand of Jesus
BUT WHEN — We discover that the food he offers is himself.
BUT WHEN— We eat and find life.
Be Blessed!

Fighting for Those Who Forgo the Fight –
When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging
her.” Ruth 1:18‬ (
Proverbs 14:1
Every wise woman buildeth her house, Not only by her fruitfulness, as Leah and Rachel
built up the house of Israel; but by her good housewifery, prudent economy; looking well
to the ways of her household; guiding the affairs of her house with discretion; keeping
all things in a good decorum; and bringing up her children in virtue, and in the fear and
admonition of the Lord.
A woman who has no fear of God, who is wilful and wasteful, and indulges her ease, will
as certainly ruin her family, as if she plucked her house down. but the foolish plucketh it
down with her hands; the Vulgate Latin version adds, “being built”; this she does by her
idleness and laziness.
You know that friend who chooses the wrong guy over and over? Or those relatives who
keep cycling through the same struggles? The ones you love — but who make you
wonder how much they even love themselves?
We all have them.
And even when we can’t see it, they’re worth the fight.
Fighting for someone who doesn’t seem to want the best for themselves can be a real
drain on the emotions, though. I’ve been there.
It’s one thing to constantly remind a toddler that the purple crayon won’t taste like
grapes, no matter how many times he sneaks it into his mouth. But when we find
ourselves pleading with adults to change their harmful ways, it takes all the energy and
love of Christ not to eventually walk away.
Our unmet desire to see them thriving leaves the part of our hearts that’s reserved just
for them aching and empty.

Love makes us want more for them. Love makes us detest their bad choices. Love
makes us hang on when their will to fight for themselves appears to be diminishing by
the day.
What should we do when we’re fighting for them, but they’ve left us in the ring alone? If
they’ve given up on their own lives, shouldn’t we?
Jesus wouldn’t. Jesus didn’t. He fought for us when we were at our worst.
Let me pause here and say, this is by no means a suggestion to remain in a relationship
that’s dangerous or unbiblical. Quite the opposite.
We honor God by loving our neighbors as ourselves. (Mark 12:31a) If, or when, we find
ourselves clenching desperately to the end of our ropes, one strong wind away from
becoming an unrecognizable version of our worst selves, we’d want someone to love
us. To encourage us. To, at the very least, keep believing in us.
The issues causing someone to continue down a path of darkness are usually deeper
than what we can see from a shoreline level. Sometimes things like drug addiction or
past abuse are silent influencers.
For Naomi, it was depression and grief. After losing her husband and sons, she wanted
nothing more than isolation. She falsely believed that God had turned His back on her,
and she felt she had nothing left to offer.
Naomi’s daughter-in-law Ruth chose to believe otherwise, and despite Naomi’s best
efforts to push her away, Ruth didn’t let go. In the book of Ruth, Chapter 1, verse 18
says, “When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped
urging her.” Perhaps it was at that moment that Naomi’s hope began to be restored —
when she saw there was someone willing to fight for her.
A broken woman, frustrated with God, Naomi was set on being alone and miserable.
She even changed her name from Naomi, meaning pleasantness, to Mara, meaning
bitter. (Ruth 1:20) Naomi’s hurt was so deep that it became her identity!
Yet Ruth clung to her. She stayed with her. And she loved her.

Sometimes this is what it looks like to fight for those who have no fight left in them. As
much as we may want to give up on them and their destructive ways, we should lean on
God for the strength it takes to keep on loving them.
For Ruth, that meant leaving her home to start a new life with Naomi. It meant clinging
to her mother-in-law and keeping their relationship alive.God has a plan for our lives
(Esther 4:14)Mordecai nailed it when he said, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief
and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s
family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the royal palace for such a
time as this” (Esther 4:14 NIV). God loved the Jewish people. And, he didn’t create
Esther’s beauty and finesse for her and her alone. Esther was placed in a royal position
to assist in the delivery of God’s divine plan.
As believers, there are no such things as accidents or coincidences. God’s timing is
providential. Esther’s divine moment of providence came by accepting her responsibility
to go to the king. However, Mordecai was clear when he said to Esther that she could
be the one who saved the people, or not. God will use you only if you’re ready
Esther stood with courage (Esther 4:16).“I will go to the king, even though it is against
the law. And if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16 NIV). Esther was willing to die to save her
people. Sometimes we must stand in courage, even when it is not popular to do so, and
risk it all.
Esther’s obedience saved God’s people from genocide. The reality is that Esther didn’t
know what would happen when she approached the king. She acted in obedience and
by doing so she saved a nation and received the best. We don’t get a pass on this one.
Conclusion
Proverbs 14:1
Women are playing an important role in society today,

1. Women’s builts up a person
2. When you builts up a person you build up a home
3. When you builts up a home you build up a family
4. When you builts up a family you build up a society
5. When you builts up a society you build up a city

Women is very important in the society stay in connected with and build up a home as a
wise women.
For us, it may be continuing to bring a person before God in prayer even though they
are angry with Him. It may be going the extra mile to make sure they feel loved even
when they’ve been less than welcoming to us.
There are also times when fighting for them looks like cheering them on from a distance
while we heal and protect our own wounds. We have to seek God’s wisdom on how to
stay in the fight for those who have lost hope and have, frankly, become hard to be
around. He still loves them. He still wants them to live the best life they can on earth. He
still wants them to have eternity with Him, and so should we.
Jesus, You are the author of reconciled relationships. You drew me to You when I felt
like giving up. Help me love like You. Show me how to stand in the gap wisely for those
who desperately need You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Be Blessed ! Pastor J

Hold On To Your Dreams

I begin to think about my dreams that I have told to others and they have went on to do
them saying that it was their ideas. Some I have told to friends and family that had laughed
and said “That’s no way possible”. Dream killers. I was led by the Holy Spirit to share this
message with you today. 
 Unfortunately there are dream killers all around us. There are people who in your life will
try to keep you from what God has called you to do. There will always be people in your life
who will always try to kill your dreams. They try to kill your dreams because they cannot
see the possibility of that dream . God has given you that dream and since they can not see
it the only thing they think they can do is kill. Hold on tight to your dreams.
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a professional American basketball
player, Olympic athlete, businessperson and actor. Considered one of the best basketball
players ever, Michael Jordan dominated the sport from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. He
led the Chicago Bulls to six National Basketball Association championships and earned the
NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award five times. With five regular-season MVPs and three All-
Star MVPs, Jordan became the most decorated player in the NBA.
Growing up in Wilmington, North Carolina, Jordan developed a competitive edge at an early
age. He wanted to win every game he played. As his father James later noted, “What he
does have is a competition problem. He was born with that … the person he tries to outdo
most of the time is himself.”
Dream killers are okay with the status quo because there is no need for change . Dream
killers try to hinder whatever hinders the way things are. Dream killers are filled with negativity,
doubt and fear that will try to shoot down hope and assassinate possibility . How many of you
know some dream killers out there? I am going to say that again, dream killers will shoot down
hope, assassinate possibility and struggle creativity.
Dream killers can be anyone. You know who they are. They could be husbands or wives,
parents or children, associates or friends , family members or strangers, and even believers of
the same faith or no faith at all. They are not limited to any particular type of relationship .
They can be anyone. A dream killer would listen to your dream and tell you only the things that
are wrong with it. Dream killers will keep you from moving forward by trying to make you
ashamed of your past. Here Me now. A dream killer will walk into a church or any social media
platform and listens to the prayers and teachings of the saints.
God has given us a way to deal with the dream killers and aren’t you glad that you made it this
far despite of the people that tried to hinder you on this journey. Here we are introduce to you
a young man by the name of Joseph. Joseph is one of the youngest sons of Jacob, Jacob had
two wives Leah and Rachel. He had several boys by his first wife Leah but he was not drawn to

them because he was not drawn to her. When the wife he loved ,Racheal, had a son that his
hurt was drawn toward Joseph . Jacob loved Joseph so much that he favored Joseph among so
many other children. In fact , symbolic of his favoritism was this robe that he gave him which
was filled with brightening and many colors. This was a sign for Joseph but also a sign to his
brothers that he was favored highly among the rest. Well as it happen this brought parental
favoritism, brought brotherly disaffection, and his brothers hated him.
One day in the midst of all that hatred, Joseph had the audacity to tell them about a dream he
had. This dream pretty much went to the effect that one day they would be bowing down to
him. Now imagine if you will the contention that was amongst them already. But now this
young lad now tells his brothers and father that one day that they are going to serve him. As
any jealous person while hearing this they let that get into their heart and they disliked their
brother even more.
One day Jacob sent his young son Joseph to check on his brothers and when his brothers saw
him in the distance they looked at him and said “Here comes that dreamer”. When people see
you coming with that smile of happiness and joy on your face and with that glow of peace they
cannot stand it. It’s not you it’s the determination, perseverance and the strength that other
may see. Here comes this one who said we are going to bow down to him. “ Let’s kill him and
put him in a cistern and say that an animal got to him. Since he wants to dream so much . Lets
just kill him and then let’s see what happens to his dream.” It’s a horrible thing that your
brothers or sisters would want to kill you only because you had a dream.
The truth is since the beginning of time there where many brothers that was put against
brothers. In this story I just want to tease out some tales on how we can deal with the dream
killers in our lives. Whether you like it ,believe it or not just as these brothers would like to keep
Joseph from dreaming . There are people who are in your life to keep you from reaching your
goal. Hold on to your dreams.
I know you want to think that everybody likes you and I know that you want to think that
everybody is in your corner rooting for you on . We must understand that in this life there are
people in your life that their one task ,their one goal, their main objective is to keep you from
dreaming and to keep you from reaching the place that God wants you to be. I need you to
understand there is a way you can deal with dream killers. See if you are going to deal with
dream killers you got to understand that silence proves golden. I got the t-shirt that reads
“Silence is as golden as duct tape, silence proves golden.” In other words you don’t have to tell
everybody everything. A friend told me as I read in my Bible, “Don’t let the left hand know what
the right hand is doing.” ( clapping my hands with joy)
If you don’t believe me just read the story about how Joseph got in trouble merely by telling
his dream to his family members. I can imagine that he told the story with a little arrogance and
assurance. This same little brother was already being favored by the father and of course he
wanted to flaunt that in front of his brothers. And being the youngest and didn’t know what he

was doing was just telling them the dream a way that would make anyone that heard it would
be annoyed.
What ! God had given Joseph these dreams. The truth is when God gives you something you
can’t tell everybody, somebody needs to get that, not everyone has to know your dream or
your plan . I have found out that they will take your dream and try their best to stop you .
Not everybody is going to root you on , they are not going to pat you on the back, and they
are not going to be cheer for you. So, you don’t need to tell everybody everything because the
truth is not everyone can handle your dream and not everyone can be trusted with them. I am
doing the best I can. That’s why you have to discern who you talk to just because they are
family doesn’t mean you need to talk to them about your dreams. Just because someone is
connected to you doesn’t mean you have to tell them about your dreams.
There are some people if you tell them about the dream that God has given will not accept it.
Sometimes they will have jealously towards you because they are not dreaming. If they are not
dreaming they don’t want anybody else to dream. Have you ever met people like that? Have
you ever met people who are down in the dumps and would not be happy unless they keep
anyone else down in the dumps with them. I have reached a point in my life that if I see
somebody else being lifted up by God I want God to use me to help them the best way possible.
Stop hating on people, stop trying to bring people down and learn how to lift somebody up. Lift
somebody up today!
There are so many people who dreams has been assassinated by others. You give them the
bullets when you tell people everything, silence. Let me see if I can make this little plain here;
There was a man by the name of (?) he did a little prep talk that I listened to at this seminar. He
goes on to say that there is a study that shows when you tell someone your goals or ideas that
you are less likely to achieve them . He says that when you tell others there is something that
triggers in your mind that you are already satisfied just by telling them.
As a lesson in life I’ve learned not to tell people and to continue to work instead of talking . In
this you are more motivated to do it because you haven’t told anyone. Now if the truth be told
that when God gives you something you don’t have to worry about somebody taking it from
you. You all heard the saying that “ What God has for me is for me.” The truth is we given away
when we talk about it and we don’t put our foot to the pedals and get the work done.
Joseph got in trouble only because he talked about it to people who could not handle it. The
good news is that even though he made that mistake God still proved faithful. In spite of what
they did God used it for His glory and shows us that separation produces growth. If you don’t
believe me it’s in the story.
Finally, When they decided that they were going to kill him, one of the brother stood up and
said “ No let’s not kill him. Let’s just give him away . Lets just sell him into slavery.” They sold
him to some Egyptians and they took his coat and tore it up and put animal blood on it and took

it back to their father and said that an animal had killed him. Jacob was greatly grieved and
they thought that they were done with Joseph. Joseph was not killed but separated from his
brothers which was taken to another land where he actually end up in Potiphar’s house. He was
separated from the people that tried to kill him, let that sink in. They meant to get rid of him
but God used that separation to help grow him. See this is something that I have to learned
that sometimes separation produces the growth. Sometimes to fulfill your dreams there has to
be some disconnection with some people. There are some people who don’t mean you any
good and are trying to kill your dreams. But God . God will use this separation from them and
to bless you. It was not until Joseph was separated from his family that he began this journey
where he would grow and mature . God use him and it happened through the act of his
brothers, his brothers would not know it but they were setting a stage for God to do something
miraculous.

God is going to use you for his glory . I know you got tears in your eyes now but separation
produces growth. Sometimes God has to get you away from people and things so that he can
speak to you . Sometimes God has to separate you to talk to you and shape you and mold you
while getting you ready for what you have to do. There are some as long as you are close to
them they will drain you .

Superman was this super hero that had astronomical strength. Superman could leap over
buildings in a single bounce , he could shoot death rays with his eyes, he had the strength of ten
thousand men. He was stronger than anybody else in the world . But as the truth be told, all
strong women and men , so did Superman had a weakness . That weakness was kryptonite. No
matter how strong he was if he got close to kryptonite it would sup him of his strength and sup
him of his energy. Somebody ought to get this because there are some people whenever you
get close to them they sup you of your energy. They sup you of your strength. They sup you of
your joy. They sup you of your smile and God said in order to keep your strength I’ve got to
distance you from them because they are kryptonite.
Sometimes separation is preparation for elevation. Somebody ought to tweet that. You ought
to get that , that sometimes God use separation as preparation for elevation and if you are
ready to go a little higher get ready for some people to fall by the wayside. If you are ready to
go a little higher be ready for some people to say goodbye. If you are ready to go a little higher
be ready to walk away. So don’t cry too hard when people leave. Just try a little bit harder and
began to give God praise cause now that God is going to strengthen you . No matter who walks
out of your life just step away God is still with you.
And that’s why if you going to defeat dream killers you got to stay with God. It’s right there in
the story as you read on in the thirty- ninth chapter of Genesis. It says that as Joseph went into
Egypt, he was a slave and the text says that God was still with him. The good news is that no

matter who you are separated from you can never be separated from the love of God . No
matter who walks out, who steps away ,and whoever gets pulled away you can never be
separated because God is with you. You have to remember that not only is God with you but
you need to be with God because sometimes God would be with us but we would be so
focused on other thing or other people that we won’t be with God . But Joseph will show that
not only was God with him but he was alone with God.

And when you are with God and when God is with you, you will see how God will orchestrate
everything according to his will . We serve a God who would takes all the different parts of our
lives and will orchestrate it so that we will work according to his will and in the end God will get
all the glory .God took all the events of your life when Joseph was in isolation and not making
sense but once you put it all together and you see the outcome you see how God was
orchestrating everything to his will. God is the great orchestrator.
If you ever been to a symphony and heard an orchestra in the beginning before they begin to
play everything sounds chaotic. The wood wing they are doing their own thing, the brass
department are doing their own thing, the string are tuning up and the percussion is getting
ready. Everybody is doing their own thing getting ready to play but then there is a moment
when the orchestrator , the conductor, he or she stands on her platform. As he or she begins to
raise their hand everybody stops and at that moment no one else does their own thing but they
work according to the orchestration of the conductor. When the conductor starts to move
their hand everything sounds beautiful and sink because they are all now focused on the
conductor.
Sometimes there are situations in your life where it seems chaotic and it looks like it is out of
control. It seems like things are going the way that you don’t understand just the tune up at
some time the conductor is going to step on the platform, lift his hand and work everything
according to his will. Until he lifts his hands, I am going to keep lifting my hands and say thank
you, I am going to stay focused on the conductor. With my eyes on the conductor , I know
that all things work together for good. Don’t lose heart because of dream killers because God is
orchestrating everything according to his order.

Keep on dreaming no matter what tries to kill your hope, keep on dreaming no matter what
tries to bow down your head in shame,, keep on dreaming and God will lift his hands and
orchestrate things in your favor.
Be Blessed Today!
Faith Hopewell

I’ve been through storms. I’ve felt pain. I’ve been hurt. I’ve asked God “Where are you?” And even though the storm was hard to go through it taught me something. It taught me to trust in Jesus. It taught me to pray. It taught me to stand. With nothing else left but faith just faith. And like the song says “Through it all, Through It all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus. I’ve learned God. Through it all, I have learned to depend on His Word. Guess what? He’s never let me down.

It’s easy to be defined by one moment in life. Some people are defined by a failed relationship, a failed business venture, a divorce even, or even a career ending injury. In the Bible the devil is called the accuser. The accuser would love to convince you that because of that one mistake, because of that one failure and  because of that one season you should begin to look down on yourself .But let me tell you that no matter the mistake you’ve made. God’s plan will still prevail. God’s will still be done. God knew your end from your beginning. He knew all your highs and your lows.  He numbered your good days to exceed your bad days. You might have failed but you are not a failure. You might have had some bad choices but that is not who you are. You might have an issue or two but you are not your issue.

You see the enemy as an accuser will constantly throw negative labels to trying to define you. The accuser will try to define who call you. He will call you things like an addict, a failure, a loser, a dropout but the Word of God calls you redeemed. The word calls you a chosen generation and a royal priesthood. You are washed and made clean by the blood of Jesus.  You are healed by his stripes. You are the head and not the tail. Do not let the devil label you.  He does not determine your destiny. Refuse the labels that other people try to stick on you. Never believe the lies of the accuser. You are not defined by your mistakes but by what God says about you. You are forgiven. You are loved. You are saved by His Amazing Grace. So, move forward because your mistakes are in the past and God is in your future.

Have you ever been involved in a fight? A fight for your job, a physical fight, a fight for your relationship? We have all had to fight at some point and one thing we need to realize is that everyday from the time that we wake up to the time that we sleep we are in a fight. We are involved in a conflict. There is a struggle between good and evil and that struggle is a spiritual battle, and it goes on every day. As we grow older and become more mature Christians, we are called to be equipped with the weapons that God has given us. We were called to put on the whole armor of God. The question I want to ask you is “Have you answered that call? Have you answered the call to put on the whole armor God?”

“People of God!”  The very first thing we must remember in this battle is that we have an unseen enemy. It is not a thief. It is not the nightmare neighbor from hell. It is not the workplace bully. Our unseen enemy could only be revealed in the spiritual realm with the eyes of faith.   The enemy can only be identified through those spiritualize eyes of discernment.  And I want to inspire you today to encourage you and remind you that it is not God’s will for us to be slain by evil.  It is not God’s will for us to be defeated. God doesn’t sit in heaven looking down at you saying “Figure it out my child. You take care of this.” The Lord does not leave us to defend for ourselves.  He will not abandon us but hear me what God really wants us to do is the suit up. He wants us to put on His armor. He wants us to rise up! He wants us to stand up! He wants us to be on the battlefield fighting on His side. There is no middle ground in this warfare. If we do not fight for the Lord, then we are fighting for evil. The question is “Who will you stand for in this battle?”

Many believe fall in this trap of kind of sort of living for God. All that does is leave you lukewarm, but the good news is that God’s judgment has already been passed to the devil. The devil has been judged to suffer eternal damnation. But us as Children of God and Believers in Christ we are destined for victory. We are destined for victory when we make the choice to fight on God’s side and the Lord is not a dictator. He will never force us to stand with Him. He granted us the free will to let us choose between right or wrong and between good and evil. He granted us free will to be a warrior of God or warrior of enemy. What will you choose as soldiers of Christ?

We go into every battle knowing that we are more than conquerors. We have already won! We are the ones that will testify that we are not fallen soldiers but victorious one. Knowing that His truth should ignite a fire in you it should give you enough encouragement to boldly proclaim your faith, to stand, and witness for Christ. Ignite the fire to fight a good fight against the unseen enemy.  Someone may be asking the question “How?” How do we fight an unseen thought? How is it possible to fight an invisible force?

Well, God as our commander and chief has laid down the battle plan for is warriors.  As children of the highest we are called in this battle to be His prayer warriors. We are called to pray without ceasing but have you ever thought why we are praying without ceasing. Some interpret this as repetitive prayer, but it is not it means we have a focus on God with everything that we have. Where is the best discipline of our faith as a prayer warrior everything we love everything were associated with must be covered by prayer. That means our family and loved ones and friends should be under the umbrella of prayer. Even though the highs and lows, the struggles, hardships, milestones, and successes everything that we go through should also be done in prayer. You see going to church, reading the Bible, doing good deeds are necessary for Christian living. But only through the discipline of prayer can we overcome temptations and struggle. Only when we become a prayer warrior can we defeat this unseen enemy that is lurking in the dark trying to deceive us. Only through prayer can we experience God’s power and might. Only then can we experience what it is like to live under the protection of God Almighty. It is only by this display that we can maintain our course and not lose focus on the commands of our King and Lord Jesus Christ .So the next time you find yourself in a fight remember the posture that you need to have. The one that is on your knee surrender and willing for the Lord to have his way. Have we already decided who is side we are on in this battle? Will you stand for the truth? Will you stand like Joshua stood and made a choice saying, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”. It is now or never to make the decision to fight for God. It is now or never to fight on God’s side. Where do You stand?

Lessons I’ve Learned So Far  From The 20/20 Pandemic

There’s no denying 2020 has been full of challenges. Some have been unwanted, some have been desired, and some have been more than needed. Even though God did not cause this pandemic, He has used it to usher in transformation and speak to the hearts of His children. Because we as a people had become apart and everyone for themselves. There was people praying for families and the healing of the land.

With all that’s happened since the beginning of the year, changes in routine, lifestyle and expectations have been inevitable. But the biggest change I’ve seen in people’s lives has been an essential one. We’ve seen a global shift in our general sense of identity.  Now that families and love has had a time of quarantine time together we have began to know the strangers that has been in our homes , we have slept with nightly and provided care for. So I feel that God has shifted this world by using the pandemic to wake us up as a people.

For me, I’ve always struggled with finding my identity in all the wrong places. From a young age, I bought into the cunning lie that told me I needed to earn my own worth in order to experience love. I needed to prove myself and merit the approval of others if I wanted to be accepted. Like many humans on this planet, I entered into the performance cycle, which simultaneously resulted in me spiraling down into shame whenever I didn’t measure up. My identity became entangled with what I did, and I was constantly wondering if everything I was doing was enough. So now, I have learned that everyone , even me, are enough and there shouldn’t be no competition in this life.

So much crazy going on around us today – wars, conflicts, persecution, violence, crime, natural disasters, terrorism, economic uncertainty, unemployment, divisions, disease, death. We fear for our children’s future, we fear for our families, we fear for our financial future, we fear for our safety. The list goes on…long. There actually is a lot we could potentially worry about.

Yet reality tells us that so much of what we spend our time worrying about never even happens. Living under the weight of the “what if’s” is a hard place to dwell. From writing of my book ”The Gift Of Time “ has opened my eyes that time is a gift that is given to us and we should be good steward over.

Even though my head knew the right answers from the Bible, my heart was having a difficult time applying the truths I kept reading. Did He really not judge me by my works? Was the gospel more about who I am than what I do? I had one foot planted in the world’s standards and one foot planted in Christ. I couldn’t balance both, and I felt like any minute I could fall. So, I had to get myself together and now I am whole in Christ.

The Bible tells us, “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28). By this logic, even hardships in life, like this pandemic, can be used for the benefit of God’s kids and kingdom. Oftentimes when life gets shaky, God picks us up and places our feet on the only solid ground that lasts—the foundation of the cross.

With lockdowns happening all around and people having to change their old ways of life, God has used this uncertain time to show us the certainty found in Him. God never changes. This means the way He sees His children never changes as well. We may struggle to recognize our eternal worth, but God has used this pandemic to challenge our true sense of self. Areas of our lives have been stripped away, leaving only the core of our identity behind—who God is and who we are to Him.

I want to share three golden nuggets that I have learned during this not yet resolved pandemic:

A  building  is not needed to be a part of God’s Church.

When the church we were attending before the pandemic closed its doors because of regulations, we felt a loss. My fellow clergy colleagues and laity  felt it the most. There is power and beauty in communal worship, teaching and fellowship. However, as these nine months carries on, the Lord began to reveal an even more prominent truth.

The Church is not a building. It’s a people.

All over the world, the Body of Christ is joined together through the same Holy Spirit. Although church doors are physically closed, the way to Jesus remains open. God’s children are still one in purpose, power and passion. We still serve the same Father and rely on the same gospel. The children of God cannot be boxed in and the movement of the Holy Spirit cannot be contained.

God is always acting, always drawing others to Himself, always overcoming the darkness. His plan will prevail, regardless of the regulations that are set in place. The virus cannot stand victorious over the cross.

2. Loneliness brings us to knowing God’s Love.

If anything, the relational toll of the pandemic has been the most trying. Even very introverted humans miss person-to-person interaction. Being away from family and friends has made it difficult to celebrate and mourn with one another. It’s hard to do life with others when you are not able to be close to them. Especially, when I great and meet people in the stores and in my daily walk and cant hug or take a selfie pictures.  It make me feels like I am being anti-social so my boutique sales now a t-shirt that says “ I am not anti-social I am social distancing.” But God tells us clearly that nothing can separate us from His love.

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

When our hearts hurt because we cannot be with our people, the gentle voice of our Creator reassures us we are never alone. God is always with us. Our relationship with our Savior can never be taken away. Our access to the Holy Spirit can never be disconnected because His home is within us.

No one can make you social distance from Jesus.

When we rely solely on Him, we will find He is the abundant source of hope, truth and love our souls fully need.

3. Important  Kingdom Work

The workforce has experienced a complete makeover. Working from home became a new way of life for many. People lost their jobs and have been trusting God for their income. An area of identity for much of the world was uprooted and now we have the chance to delve deeply into the realities of God.

No matter what we do for our jobs, the most important work we will ever do is for the Kingdom. Sharing the gospel. Making disciples. Being the hands and feet of Jesus wherever we go. Nothing is more important than this holy vocation, and it starts first with our family at home.

God has given many people the gift of extended time with family. This gift of time as I have written in my book “ The Gift of Time” has invited way for more honest conversations, more joy, more opportunities to let go of things that were not as important as I thought. Being with my loved ones has helped me realize they are my greatest ministry. Besides God, they are my most precious treasures and the ones deserving of my time.

I’m grateful for the change of perspective the pandemic has brought to our land. We needed to shift our priorities back home and focus on God’s good purpose. God has brought us back to the basics.

As I conclude this article. Where do we go from here?

As life slowly begins to look a little more “normal,” I pray we as God’s daughters and sons remember what matters most to our King of Kings and Lord of Lords.. It’s tempting to slide back into old thought patterns and revisit familiar behaviors, but what would it look like if we claimed our true identities and allowed them to make us new—if we saw eternity through the eyes of our Father and acted on His mission? I can promise you one thing—we would witness a revolution centered on the core of our glorious God. That’s the kind of widespread love that has the power to change the world.

Be Blessed

Faith Hopewell.,  Wordpress.com,11/9/2020