Dear children,

My child, I love you.
I love you good or bad with no strings attached.
I love you like this because I know all about you,
I have known you ever since you were a child.
I know what I can do for you and
I know what I want to do for you.

My Child, I accept you.
I accept you just as you are.
You don't need to change yourself,
I'll do the changing when you are ready.
I love you just as you are.
Believe this, for I assure you it is true.

My child, I care about you.
I care about every big and little thing which happens to you.
I care enough to do something about it.
Remember this,
I will help you when you need me
ASK ME!
I love you, I accept you, I care about you.

My child, I forgive you.
I forgive you and my forgiveness is complete.
It is not like that of humans who forgive but cannnot forget.
I love you and my arms are open with love that asks
Please come here! Come here to me!
I forgive you.
Do not carry your guilt another moment,
I carried it all for you on the Cross.
Believe this. It is true!

Love,
God

IT'S ALL IN YOUR MIND

Dr. Creflo A. Dollar

Your mind holds tremendous creative ability. That's why God gave you an imagination--so that you could create mental pictures, add faith to them and see those pictures manifest in your life.
Once you have an image in your mind of something you want to do or become, nothing can stop that image from coming to pass. Whatever you meditate on will become the blueprint for your reality. Too often, though, Christians suffer from "stinking thinking." They give the devil control of their minds by meditating on thoughts that do not line up with the Word of God. Then they reap the results of the curse because their carnal mindset produces the fruit of the flesh described in Galatians 5:19-21.

To keep the devil from gaining a foothold in your life, you must develop a sound mind that is completely controlled and directed by the Holy Spirit. In other words, you must renew your mind with the Word of God. Romans 12:2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." When you become born again, your spirit instantly changes; you are recreated in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). Yet your mind is not recreated. You must conform your thinking continually and on purpose; it is not an overnight, one-time event. Renewing your mind to God's Word every day is vital. By reading the Scriptures and meditating on them thoroughly, your thinking will be transformed to line up with the mind of Christ. And when you have the mind of Christ, you can do anything!

When you set your mind on the Word of God, you'll also experience soul prosperity and peace (3 John 2). The Bible says that the issues of life flow out of the heart (Proverbs 4:23). The word heart in this scripture actually refers to your soul--your mind, your will and your emotions. If you can control your mind, you can control your destiny. But it will take a quality decision on your part to dedicate your life to changing the way you think.
First Thessalonians 5:23 says, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is God's will that your mind, will and emotions be whole, with nothing missing or broken. As a Believer, you can receive a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). It is then up to you to enforce and maintain soundness of mind by keeping your thoughts and imaginations in line with God and His Word (Isaiah 26:3).

When your mind is focused and directed by the Word, you will position yourself for success. You'll have wisdom, discernment, insight and the ability to accomplish anything. A renewed, Word-controlled mind guarantees abundance and prosperity in every area of your life. Don't let another day go by without a daily dose of meditation. Set your mind on the Word of God and let it become the focal point of your life and purpose!

Dr. Creflo A. Dollar is the senior pastor of World Changers Church International, 25,000 member church in College Park, Georgia. He is committed to changing the world one person at a time, and his award-winning "Changing Your World" television broadcast reaches nearly one billion homes worldwide. Visit www.CrefloDollarMinistries.org to learn more. Click here to browse and purchase Books, CDs, and DVDs by Dr. Creflo A. Dollar!

WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

Monday, January 12, 2008

By Linda S. Mintle, Ph.D.

I had to laugh once when I read this newspaper headline in USA Today: "Psychologists now know what makes people happy." I didn't know happiness was a secret to be discovered by my noble profession! Curious, I kept reading. What were these exciting new findings?If you are a student of the Bible, you won't be surprised. Research only validates God's way of doing things.

1. The happiest people are those who spend the least time alone and pursue intimacy and personal growth. When I read this, I immediately thought of Jesus. He was proactive when it came to community. He poured His life into a faithful band of followers and developed an intimate circle of 12 men. And through those men, He established the church. The early church was all about community, intimacy and personal growth.

2. Happy people don't judge themselves by what others do or have. That is, they don't compare themselves with others. The Bible is clear that we are not to measure ourselves by the yardstick of others, only by the Word of God. As we obey God's Word and choose to please Him, blessing and contentment follow.

3. Materialism is toxic for happiness. The parable of the rich young ruler in Matthew bears this out. Despite this man's riches, he wanted something more -- eternal life. Jesus stressed the importance of keeping the commandments but told him something more was required. He must sell his possessions and follow Him. Sadly, the young man chose material possessions over Christ and walked away feeling "sorrowful."

4. Optimism is important, even in dark times. Because of Christ, hope abounds. Jeremiah 32:17 proclaims, "'Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You'" (NKJV). In the last chapter of Job, after Job suffers much and has been tested, he cries out, "'I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You'" (Job 42:2). Over and over, we are given biblical examples of people who refused to be downtrodden because of circumstances or events. Their hope was in the Lord. The end result is rest and peace.

5. Actions matter. It's not just what you believe or your outlook on life that contributes to happiness. People who give to others and aren't self-absorbed are more satisfied with life. No surprise here. God gave His only begotten Son, the ultimate sacrificial gift. Giving is a biblical principle whether it involves finances, service, food, shelter, time or talent. The result of giving is blessing.

6. Happy people know their strengths and use them. We are stewards of God's gifts and are to use them for His glory. When you move in those gifts and do what God has equipped you to do, you are happy. Psychologists call this moving in the "flow." People of faith "flow" in the Spirit.

7. People who feel gratitude are happy. We are eternally grateful for Jesus and His sacrifice and for all God has done in our lives. Out of that genuine gratitude flows happiness.

8. The strongest link to happiness is a willingness to forgive others. The benefits of forgiveness are well documented psychologically. And for the believer, forgiveness is not an option; it is a command from Jesus. We forgive others because He forgave us.

The search for happiness will fall short if it doesn't lead to the One in whom contentment can be found. Authentic happiness is unrelated to events, money, power, fame or anything else our culture associates it with. Happiness is a choice, as the Scriptures declare: "Happy are the people who are in such a state. Happy are the people whose God is the Lord" (Ps. 144:15).

This new year, make it a goal to choose happiness by following the guidelines above. Look to God for your satisfaction and learn to trust in His sovereignty and omniscience. Obey Him and believe that He works all things for your good. Remember, His joy is available to you, and it is that which gives you strength.

HIGH HOPES

Sunday, January 04, 2009 High Hopes
Dr. Frederick K.C. Price

Hebrews 10:23 says: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."

There are two words in that verse which I want to examine-confession and hope. Before I learned how to walk by faith, all my wife and I lived on was hope. But hope will not change your circumstances. It takes faith to release the power of God to change your circumstances. Hope will only keep you alive until things change. If you never bring faith to bear upon your circumstances, all you will do is live in hope. Your circumstances will never change.

However, in order to really walk by faith, you have to have hope. Hope is a goal setter. What's your goal? My goal or objective is to reach the top of the mountain in all areas of life. Everybody should have a goal. If you do not set a goal you will never reach one. This is one reason why many people, and even many Christians, never achieve anything. They never set goals. They have nothing for their faith to obtain. Hope sets the goal and faith achieves it.

Hebrews 11:1 says: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Hope by itself has no substance. Faith adds substance to your hope. If you do not have hope then you have nothing for your faith to obtain. On the other hand, if you have hope and do not have faith then you have nothing by which to obtain that which you hope for.

I want to challenge each of you to high hopes this New Year. I have high hopes and I obtain the goals I set. Though there still are some that have yet to manifest. I know that some things take more time than others.

I want to challenge you to have high hopes, to set some goals for 2009. If you do not set any goals you will never reach any. Now be careful and use wisdom when you set your goals. Do not set them so high that you become frustrated and lose hope. If you do, it will cause you to give up and do nothing.

Have you set goals concerning your financial and spiritual needs? Do you have any goals with regard to your desires, your family, your husband, your wife, your children, your job, your career, your education, your ministry or your physical health?

You need to have high hopes and there are steps you can take to obtain any goal. The first one is to remain steadfast, as it says in Hebrews 10:23. You have to be tenacious and hold on to your goals. Do not let go until your goal manifests. It takes that kind of attitude. Stay with it even if it takes forever. It may take a while for your goal to come to pass, but if you remain steadfast sooner or later it will manifest.

First Corinthians 15:58 says: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

If you want to reach your high hopes you have to be steadfast. Even if hell rises up against you, if the water rises, you stick with the goal. This is what steadfast means. It takes discipline and commitment to be constant.

Jesus said in John 15:18-19: "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."

The enemy will put pressure on you when you attempt to reach your goal. But you can handle it. Jesus did. You are in good company. In fact, you are running with the best. He has already warned you. If they persecuted Him they will persecute you.

Situations may arise in which you are unable to figure out what to do. We all have encountered this at one time or another in our lives. When you are walking in the Word and by the Holy Spirit you have divine, inside information to meet your goal.

Second Corinthians 4:8-9 says: "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;"

If you are steadfast, standing through the persecution, deliverance is at hand. You can obtain your High Hopes.


This devotional was excerpted from Dr. Price's audio teaching, "High Hopes." Please call us at (800) 927-3436 or visit our website: www.faithdome.org for a complete list of his products.



Dr. Frederick K.C. Price is the founder and pastor of Crenshaw Christian Center West in Los Angeles and CCC East in Manhattan. To obtain more information about his ministry, please call (800) 927-3436 or visit http://www.faithdome.org/.

WHAT IS LOVE, ANYWAY?

What Is Love, Anyway?
Today's message is from Germaine Copeland.

As the afternoon shadows melted into evening a young mother prepared dinner and then helped her children with their homework. The rest of the evening they watched television, then and the children settled into bed. With a deep sigh, the mother sat down with the latest novel, looking for the great escape. But painful thoughts intensified as she considered the perceived neglect by her husband—lack of money, no help with the house or the children.

The feelings of that long ago honeymoon had faded. She concluded that her husband no longer loved her. She thought, I have made the worse mistake of my life.

The next day she loaded up the children and a few clothes and drove to her parents’ home. Her wise mother listened with an understanding heart. As the days went by, the older woman introduced positive thoughts and ideas that displaced the negative image the young wife held of ­her husband.

Gradually, these words began to take root, and in the mind of the young wife she began forming a positive image of her husband. After one of the numerous phone calls from her husband, she loaded the children into the car for their return trip.

Today, in their retirement years this couple is enjoying their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Their relationship continues to grow.

What held this marriage together? It was not the love portrayed on television, in the theater, and in movies. Love is not about feelings; love is commitment. Love is a man and woman aligning themselves with one another. Keep Christ as the center of your marriage. Since the Holy Spirit has poured out God’s love into our hearts—let us love one another even as we love ourselves.

A marriage takes work: learning good communication skills (which includes listening), assuming responsibility, forgiving and appreciating one another. Pray together, make room for each other to grow spiritually, and be thankful for one another.

MAY IT BE

May It BeTGIF Today God Is First
Volume 2,
by Os Hillman12-24-2008

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her (Luke 1:38).

Have you ever had a boss come to you and give you an assignment which had rules never before used? Not only were the rules different, he was asking you to agree to them not knowing the outcome or impact it would have on your life. That must have been the way Mary, the mother of Jesus felt.

God was about to do something so extraordinary that it required a face to face meeting with the subject, Mary, and his key angel, Gabriel. What God was about to do was so foreign that it needed detailed explanation.

Mary had been handpicked to give birth to the Christ-child. Can you imagine!? However, in order to do so she was going to be pregnant while yet unmarried, something totally taboo in her culture. In fact, women were stoned to death if found to be fornicators. So, when Mary heard the assignment and responded by saying, "May it be," this tells us what a courageous woman of faith she must have been.

She did not understand the implications of what she was about to do. However, she placed her total trust in God and knew that if God chose her for such an assignment, she could trust the outcome to Him. She would even have to trust the explanation to Joseph, who was not going to understand. In fact, when he discovered Mary was pregnant, he immediately considered divorce proceedings.

However, when God saw Joseph's response, He sent an angel to explain the situation through a dream. I am sure the time between her telling him and his dream must have been difficult to explain. She did not know God was going to solve the problem. This is another example of her faith and courage. I would imagine most women might have responded to the angel like this, "I won?t do it unless you tell my husband!"

Do you have an assignment from God that seems impossible on the front end? Is God calling you to trust Him for the outcome? Take a lesson from Mary and release the outcome to God.

IS IT TIME FOR YOU TO INDUCE?

Friday, December 05, 2008

Is It Time For You to Induce?
Milan Ford


At some point today (possibly even as you read these words), my wife and I will be delivering our third child, and our first baby boy; and I am pretty excited about it.

As a 32 year-old husband and father of two lovely daughters (ages 3 and 2), I can't even express how happy I am to finally have another man in the house with me. Being tossed back and forth between helping my girls comb through Dora the Explorer's hair and enduring yet another episode of HGTV with my wife, can drive even the most dedicated believer to pure insanity!

So needless to say...I am pretty excited.
Geeked. Stoked. Amped. Hyped. Pumped Up. And most importantly...READY.

But as hard as this maybe for you to believe, there is actually something (or should I say someone) for whom I also very excited about. Can you guess who?

...Sorry...I can't hold the suspense any longer!!

I am excited...
...about YOU!

Now I know that sounds extremely corny, so please allow me to explain.

This past Monday (December 2nd), my wife and I went in for another ultrasound. Our due date was not for a few more weeks, but our doctor had advised us to come in for an examination.

The reason: our soon-to-be-born baby boy was already...full term.

And as the ultrasound soon would indicate, our soon-to-be-born baby was not only full term, but he was now tipping the scale at (hold on to your seat mothers)...8lbs. and 4oz!

Yep. That's exactly what we said: Wow!

Our doctor informed us that if we still wanted to pursue a vaginal delivery, which is what we had with our other two children, and the procedure that my wife still prefers, then it would probably not be wise for us to wait any longer.

The doctor's words of advice to us: "It's time to induce."

So why does that make me excited about YOU?
I'm glad you asked.

Later on that evening, as we considered what the doctor had recommended, my wife and I discussed how our situation was much like many believers in the Body of Christ today.

Here we are, drawing to the end of another year, and many of us are still carrying around things that God had placed within us that have yet, much to our dismay, come to pass.

For some, it may be the promise of a new job or the start of a new relationship. While for others, it may be the desire for better health or a stronger church. Perhaps a new business venture.

Whatever the case may be, there are many of us as believers who still remain pregnant with a hope that what God promised you earlier this year will still come to pass.

Yet, here we are. It is December. And for some of you, nothing has happened yet.

Well, I have a question for you today. This is a question that you may have to wrestle with for a little while. We did as a family...and now perhaps it is your turn.

Is it time... for you to induce your labor?

Are you still waiting on God to do something for you this year that perhaps He has already given you the ability to do yourself? Are you still waiting for things to just happen naturally in your life?

Do you realize that where you are in your life right now perhaps has already come full term? How much longer do you want waddle around in pain and pity? How much bigger are you going to allow this baby you're carrying inside of you to get before you decide to get up and activate your faith?

Now don't get me wrong. It is perfectly okay to wait if you would like to. I know God is a faithful doctor that is more than willing to perform a C-section and deliver the baby you've been carrying if it is necessary for Him to do so.

Sometimes, for the health of the baby and vision He provides us, there are times when he has to do just that. But that's exactly why it is time for you to examine where you are today.

Is it time... for you to induce your labor? With a little less than 4 weeks left in this year, it may be one of the most important decisions you will need to take to God today in prayer.

Believe me when I tell you, we have.
And that's why...even as you read this...

It's A Boy!!



Milan Ford has been a leader (and survivor) of ministry within the local church for over 12 years. A lover of Red Vines Licorice and all things pointing north, Milan's first book, 83 Things I Wish The Black Church Would Stop Doing, is scheduled for release February 2009. You can find Milan blogging at ThePewView.com