2003 Standard edition

April/May 2003April/May 2003April/May 2003April/May 2003April/May 2003 11111

April/May 2003April/May 2003April/May 2003April/May 2003April/May 20032

Heavenly Tours is a Christian based & operated coach/tours Bus Company. Along with providing busrentals for your traveling needs, we will also be sponsoring different tours/trips & recreational

Christian activities for you to enjoy & fellowship with other saints throughout the year. Trips will beleaving from the Washington, Metropolitan area. Heavenly Tours is the Washington, Metropolitan

areas true Christian tour company.

Founded by Co-Owner, Harold R. Spencer Jr., Heavenly Tours…allows saints to travel theirChristian experience, in an anointed atmosphere of fellowship & love.

DATE TRIP LOCATION

April 12, 2003 American Music Theatre Lancaster, PA“One Voice: The History of Gospel Music”

June 7, 2003 The Tabernacle Lancaster, PA

June 2003 Fishing TBD

August 2003 Sight & Sound Lancaster, PA“Daniel”

August 16, 2003 New York City Shopping Trip New York City, NY

October 2003 Sight & Sound Lancaster, PA“Abraham & Sarah”

December 2003 Sight & Sound Lancaster, PA“Miracle of Christmas”

For more information about our trips or to schedule a trip please give us a call or email us [email protected].

Look for more information as we go live in April at our website: www.heavenlytours.us


Table of ContentsCover Story: LOVE OF THE CONQUERINGCover Story: LOVE OF THE CONQUERINGCover Story: LOVE OF THE CONQUERINGCover Story: LOVE OF THE CONQUERINGCover Story: LOVE OF THE CONQUERINGKINGKINGKINGKINGKINGInterview with Bryan Lynch, Landscape & ChristianArtistbbbbby L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. TararararardydydydydyArtwArtwArtwArtwArtwork: "A Sense oork: "A Sense oork: "A Sense oork: "A Sense oork: "A Sense of Beautyf Beautyf Beautyf Beautyf Beauty." ." ." ." ." bbbbby Bryy Bryy Bryy Bryy Bryant Lant Lant Lant Lant Lynch, Artistynch, Artistynch, Artistynch, Artistynch, Artist

8TESTIMONIALSTESTIMONIALSTESTIMONIALSTESTIMONIALSTESTIMONIALS5 VISIONS5 VISIONS5 VISIONS5 VISIONS5 VISIONSAfter reading the article Istarted visualizing having myown magazine called "Visions,"I knew right away that the HolySpirit was speaking to me...bbbbby L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Tararararardydydydydy

6 MIRACLES WITH6 MIRACLES WITH6 MIRACLES WITH6 MIRACLES WITH6 MIRACLES WITHPRAPRAPRAPRAPRAYERYERYERYERYERPrayer from family members hastruly healed me in difficult times.While I was walking to my dormin the hallway, a piercing painwent through my back. This wasa pain so sudden and powerfulthat I had to stop walking andlean against the wall...by Cedric R. Whiteby Cedric R. Whiteby Cedric R. Whiteby Cedric R. Whiteby Cedric R. White

ARTICLESARTICLESARTICLESARTICLESARTICLES7 BEAUTY FOR ASHES:7 BEAUTY FOR ASHES:7 BEAUTY FOR ASHES:7 BEAUTY FOR ASHES:7 BEAUTY FOR ASHES:THE TRANSFORMINGTHE TRANSFORMINGTHE TRANSFORMINGTHE TRANSFORMINGTHE TRANSFORMINGPOWER OF THE LORDPOWER OF THE LORDPOWER OF THE LORDPOWER OF THE LORDPOWER OF THE LORDThe story of one girl’s transfor-mation through the power ofLord...by Lisa Horanby Lisa Horanby Lisa Horanby Lisa Horanby Lisa Horan

6 OUT OF THE OVER-6 OUT OF THE OVER-6 OUT OF THE OVER-6 OUT OF THE OVER-6 OUT OF THE OVER-FLOW OF THE HEARTFLOW OF THE HEARTFLOW OF THE HEARTFLOW OF THE HEARTFLOW OF THE HEARTExamining how what we say outof our mouths is actually what isin our hearts...by Penelope Allen Whiteby Penelope Allen Whiteby Penelope Allen Whiteby Penelope Allen Whiteby Penelope Allen White

14 AD14 AD14 AD14 AD14 ADVVVVVANCING IN GODANCING IN GODANCING IN GODANCING IN GODANCING IN GODExplaining how we can grow bystudying God’s word...by Karmen Bookerby Karmen Bookerby Karmen Bookerby Karmen Bookerby Karmen Booker

POETRY CORNERPOETRY CORNERPOETRY CORNERPOETRY CORNERPOETRY CORNER12 POEM OF THE MONTH:12 POEM OF THE MONTH:12 POEM OF THE MONTH:12 POEM OF THE MONTH:12 POEM OF THE MONTH:“REMEMBERING MY FIRST“REMEMBERING MY FIRST“REMEMBERING MY FIRST“REMEMBERING MY FIRST“REMEMBERING MY FIRSTLOVE”LOVE”LOVE”LOVE”LOVE”bbbbby Ky Ky Ky Ky Karmen Yarmen Yarmen Yarmen Yarmen Yorkorkorkorkorkererererer

12 “12 “12 “12 “12 “ANOANOANOANOANOTHER DTHER DTHER DTHER DTHER DAAAAAYS JOURYS JOURYS JOURYS JOURYS JOUR-----NEY”NEY”NEY”NEY”NEY”bbbbby L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Tararararardydydydydy

12 & 13 “THE EPITOME OF12 & 13 “THE EPITOME OF12 & 13 “THE EPITOME OF12 & 13 “THE EPITOME OF12 & 13 “THE EPITOME OFTHIS JOURNEYTHIS JOURNEYTHIS JOURNEYTHIS JOURNEYTHIS JOURNEYbbbbby L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Tararararardydydydydy

13 “CHILD OF GOD”13 “CHILD OF GOD”13 “CHILD OF GOD”13 “CHILD OF GOD”13 “CHILD OF GOD”bbbbby L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Tararararardydydydydy

13 “JUST AS THE ANGEL13 “JUST AS THE ANGEL13 “JUST AS THE ANGEL13 “JUST AS THE ANGEL13 “JUST AS THE ANGELSAIDSAIDSAIDSAIDSAIDbbbbby L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Tararararardydydydydy

222221 & 31 & 31 & 31 & 31 & 31 F1 F1 F1 F1 Felloelloelloelloellowwwwwshipping...shipping...shipping...shipping...shipping...

38 38 38 38 38 CHRISTIAN AUTHORS CHRISTIAN AUTHORS CHRISTIAN AUTHORS CHRISTIAN AUTHORS CHRISTIAN AUTHORSCORNER...CORNER...CORNER...CORNER...CORNER...

48 MINISTRIES...48 MINISTRIES...48 MINISTRIES...48 MINISTRIES...48 MINISTRIES...

Upcoming Events...(insideUpcoming Events...(insideUpcoming Events...(insideUpcoming Events...(insideUpcoming Events...(insidecover)cover)cover)cover)cover)

4949494949 SUBSCRIPTION ORDER...SUBSCRIPTION ORDER...SUBSCRIPTION ORDER...SUBSCRIPTION ORDER...SUBSCRIPTION ORDER...

16 PRESSING T16 PRESSING T16 PRESSING T16 PRESSING T16 PRESSING TOOOOOWWWWWARDARDARDARDARDTHE MARK OF THE HIGHTHE MARK OF THE HIGHTHE MARK OF THE HIGHTHE MARK OF THE HIGHTHE MARK OF THE HIGHCALLING IN CHRISTCALLING IN CHRISTCALLING IN CHRISTCALLING IN CHRISTCALLING IN CHRISTJESUSJESUSJESUSJESUSJESUSEmbracing new technology...by B.R. Whiteby B.R. Whiteby B.R. Whiteby B.R. Whiteby B.R. White

17 CHRIST IS ENOUGH17 CHRIST IS ENOUGH17 CHRIST IS ENOUGH17 CHRIST IS ENOUGH17 CHRIST IS ENOUGHFOR MEFOR MEFOR MEFOR MEFOR METestifying to the fact that JesusChrist is all you need to besatisfied and fulfilled...by B.R. Whiteby B.R. Whiteby B.R. Whiteby B.R. Whiteby B.R. White

18 REAL LOVE18 REAL LOVE18 REAL LOVE18 REAL LOVE18 REAL LOVEWhat is the meaning of “reallove”...bbbbby L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Tararararardydydydydy

19 GOD OF MY SILENT19 GOD OF MY SILENT19 GOD OF MY SILENT19 GOD OF MY SILENT19 GOD OF MY SILENTTEARSTEARSTEARSTEARSTEARSBook review of the new book, Godof My Silent Tears by YvonneMajett Cooper...by Nikki Jonesby Nikki Jonesby Nikki Jonesby Nikki Jonesby Nikki Jones

222221 GOD A1 GOD A1 GOD A1 GOD A1 GOD AT WT WT WT WT WORK INORK INORK INORK INORK INYOUR LIFEYOUR LIFEYOUR LIFEYOUR LIFEYOUR LIFEWhat it means to be borne againand living God’s way...bbbbby L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Tararararardydydydydy

22 FIT BY GOD’S DESIGN22 FIT BY GOD’S DESIGN22 FIT BY GOD’S DESIGN22 FIT BY GOD’S DESIGN22 FIT BY GOD’S DESIGNHow we can fight temptations ...by Sherise L. Shieldsby Sherise L. Shieldsby Sherise L. Shieldsby Sherise L. Shieldsby Sherise L. Shields

27 HOW TO INVEST IN27 HOW TO INVEST IN27 HOW TO INVEST IN27 HOW TO INVEST IN27 HOW TO INVEST INOUR CHILDRENOUR CHILDRENOUR CHILDRENOUR CHILDRENOUR CHILDRENHow to raise our children in Christby Gloria C. Okoroby Gloria C. Okoroby Gloria C. Okoroby Gloria C. Okoroby Gloria C. Okoro

27 WE W27 WE W27 WE W27 WE W27 WE WALK BALK BALK BALK BALK BY FY FY FY FY FAITHAITHAITHAITHAITHAND NOT BY SIGHTAND NOT BY SIGHTAND NOT BY SIGHTAND NOT BY SIGHTAND NOT BY SIGHTEach of us our on a God-drivenpath ...by Penelope Allen Whiteby Penelope Allen Whiteby Penelope Allen Whiteby Penelope Allen Whiteby Penelope Allen White

333331 ARMY OF THE L1 ARMY OF THE L1 ARMY OF THE L1 ARMY OF THE L1 ARMY OF THE LORDORDORDORDORDHow we can are in a battle to fightoff the wickedness of the devil ...by Rickey E. Macklinby Rickey E. Macklinby Rickey E. Macklinby Rickey E. Macklinby Rickey E. Macklin

35 WHO I AM IN CHRIST35 WHO I AM IN CHRIST35 WHO I AM IN CHRIST35 WHO I AM IN CHRIST35 WHO I AM IN CHRISTby Chicago Longby Chicago Longby Chicago Longby Chicago Longby Chicago Long

37 HOW DO I GROW?37 HOW DO I GROW?37 HOW DO I GROW?37 HOW DO I GROW?37 HOW DO I GROW?bbbbby L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Tararararardydydydydy


L.C. TL.C. TL.C. TL.C. TL.C. Tararararardy Publisherdy Publisherdy Publisherdy Publisherdy PublishersssssPresident/FounderPresident/FounderPresident/FounderPresident/FounderPresident/Founder

Executive EditorsExecutive EditorsExecutive EditorsExecutive EditorsExecutive EditorsPenelope WhitePenelope WhitePenelope WhitePenelope WhitePenelope White

Managing EditorsManaging EditorsManaging EditorsManaging EditorsManaging EditorsKarmen BookerKarmen BookerKarmen BookerKarmen BookerKarmen Booker

ColumnistColumnistColumnistColumnistColumnistPastor Sheritha BowmanPastor Sheritha BowmanPastor Sheritha BowmanPastor Sheritha BowmanPastor Sheritha Bowman

Writers/Regular ContributorsWriters/Regular ContributorsWriters/Regular ContributorsWriters/Regular ContributorsWriters/Regular ContributorsL.C. TL.C. TL.C. TL.C. TL.C. Tararararardydydydydy

KKKKKarmen Yarmen Yarmen Yarmen Yarmen Yorkorkorkorkorker-Booker-Booker-Booker-Booker-BookerererererSherice ShieldsSherice ShieldsSherice ShieldsSherice ShieldsSherice Shields

Lisa HoranLisa HoranLisa HoranLisa HoranLisa HoranGloria C. OkoroGloria C. OkoroGloria C. OkoroGloria C. OkoroGloria C. Okoro

Nikki JonesNikki JonesNikki JonesNikki JonesNikki JonesPenelope Allen WhitePenelope Allen WhitePenelope Allen WhitePenelope Allen WhitePenelope Allen White

Cedric R. WhiteCedric R. WhiteCedric R. WhiteCedric R. WhiteCedric R. WhiteBR WhiteBR WhiteBR WhiteBR WhiteBR White

Darius E. WhiteDarius E. WhiteDarius E. WhiteDarius E. WhiteDarius E. White

ArtistArtistArtistArtistArtistBryan LynchBryan LynchBryan LynchBryan LynchBryan Lynch

Graphic DesignersGraphic DesignersGraphic DesignersGraphic DesignersGraphic DesignersCody BeasleyCody BeasleyCody BeasleyCody BeasleyCody BeasleyFred BookerFred BookerFred BookerFred BookerFred Booker

Chauntika BrogginChauntika BrogginChauntika BrogginChauntika BrogginChauntika BrogginMinister Rickey MacklinMinister Rickey MacklinMinister Rickey MacklinMinister Rickey MacklinMinister Rickey Macklin

ErErErErEresa Tesa Tesa Tesa Tesa Tararararardydydydydy

ProoferProoferProoferProoferProoferJennifer R. StovallJennifer R. StovallJennifer R. StovallJennifer R. StovallJennifer R. Stovall

Karmen BookerKarmen BookerKarmen BookerKarmen BookerKarmen Booker

Print CoordinatorPrint CoordinatorPrint CoordinatorPrint CoordinatorPrint CoordinatorTTTTTCG Printing/WCG Printing/WCG Printing/WCG Printing/WCG Printing/Washingtashingtashingtashingtashington Timeson Timeson Timeson Timeson Times

Circulation CoordinatorsCirculation CoordinatorsCirculation CoordinatorsCirculation CoordinatorsCirculation Coordinators

Bible references are from the KJV and NIVBible references are from the KJV and NIVBible references are from the KJV and NIVBible references are from the KJV and NIVBible references are from the KJV and NIV

Main OfficeMain OfficeMain OfficeMain OfficeMain OfficeL.C. Tardy PublishersLandover, Maryland

(301) 324-4975

Visions Christian Magazine

is available throughsubscription.

Please give us a call at(301)324-4975

VCM is also availableonline at

visionschristianmagazine.com

Visions Christian Magazine

Revelations 2:1-5Unto the angel of the church

of Ephesus write: Thesethings saith he that holdeththe seven stars in his righthand, who walketh in themidst of the seven golden

candlesticks;

I know thy works, and thylabour, and thy patience, andhow thou canst not bear themwhich are evil: and thou hasttried them which say they areapostles, and are not, and hast

found them liars:

And hast borne, and hastpatience, and for my name’ssake hast laboured, and hast

not fainted.

Nevertheless I havesomewhat against thee,

because thou hast left thy firstlove.

Remember therefore fromwhence thou art fallen, and

repent, and do the first works;or else I will come unto theequickly, and will remove thycandlestick out of his place,

except thou repent.


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“My Soul wait thou only upon God,for my expectation is from Him.”

Psalm 62:5

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VVVVVisionsisionsisionsisionsisionsbbbbby L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Tararararardydydydydy

Freelance Writer/AuthorFreelance Writer/AuthorFreelance Writer/AuthorFreelance Writer/AuthorFreelance Writer/Authorq

On December 3, 2002while relaxed I read an articlein “Life in the Word,” a magazineproduced monthly by JoyceMeyer Ministries. Thearticle was called, “GetComfortable Not

Knowing.” Joyce Meyer said, “Ichallenge you to fast from reasoningfor thirty days—make a commitmentto yourself and God to stop trying tofigure things out, and I believe that asyou do this, you will enter a new levelof God’s rest, begin to experience more ofHis peace and joy, and when you least expect it,He’ll give you the heart revelation you’ve beensearching for all along.” I had decided to just relax andlet the peace of God rule in myheart on that day.

After reading the articleI started visualizing having myown magazine called “Visions,”I knew right away that the HolySpirit was speaking to me. TheHoly spirit told me to read twobooks called, “Answering the

Call DiscoveringYour Purpose,”written byJennifer R.Stovall, and“Woman ThouAre Called,” byMinister BessieAshworth; goodfriends andSisters at myChurch home,Jericho City ofPraise. So Idecided to“Answer theCall.” The HolySpirit told me touse all of mytalent that He hadgiven me, and put

it into the magazine called, “Visions.” In fact, fifteenminutes earlier I had spoken to Jennifer Stovall about“Waiting to hear from God,” and the day before thatJennifer had called me, and ask if I was at the8:00’clock Sunday service, because Assistant PastorJoel Peebles had preached on “Working In YourPurpose.”

Pastor Joel Peebles said, “If you have been

searching for a job and cannotfind one, you need to start working

in your purpose, and your purpose willfinance your future.” I realized that

the Lord had used Jennifer tospeak a word to me concern-

ing my future, and God’spurpose for my life, as wellas speaking to me throughJoyce Meyer’s articles.

I immediately satdown at my computer and

started putting together adraft of the magazine called,

“Visions.” The Lord had put me inremembrance of His Word, Proverbs 16: 9 “A

mans heart deviseth hisway, but the Lorddirecteth his steps.”And my Lord also said,“The steps of a goodman are ordered by theLord.” Joyce Meyerhad referenced ascripture in her article,Proverbs 3:5,6 “Lean

on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with allyour heart and mind and do not rely on your owninsight or understanding. In all your ways know,recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He willdirect and make straight and plain your paths.”

Joyce Meyers said, “As long as you and I aretrying to figure everything out on our own, we areproving that we are not trusting God. But when wechoose to rely on God to let us know what we need toknow, when we need to know it, we prove that weare trusting Him and we put ourselves in position forHim to move miraculously.”

On May 3, 2002, which was my birthday, Iattended the Joyce Meyer Praise Fest at the CapitalCenter, Landover, Maryland; on that day I wasbaptized with the Holy Spirit, and received my prayerlanguage. This is the best gift and miracle that I haveever received, and this magazine called, “Visions,” isproof of another one of the Lord’s miracles mani-fested in my life.

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!! VCMVCMVCMVCMVCM

Linda C. TLinda C. TLinda C. TLinda C. TLinda C. Tararararardy is a Fdy is a Fdy is a Fdy is a Fdy is a Frrrrreelance Weelance Weelance Weelance Weelance Writer/Ariter/Ariter/Ariter/Ariter/Authoruthoruthoruthoruthor. She is. She is. She is. She is. She isthe Publisher of this magazine, Visions Christianthe Publisher of this magazine, Visions Christianthe Publisher of this magazine, Visions Christianthe Publisher of this magazine, Visions Christianthe Publisher of this magazine, Visions ChristianMagazineMagazineMagazineMagazineMagazine. Ms. Ms. Ms. Ms. Ms. T. T. T. T. Tararararardy currdy currdy currdy currdy currently livently livently livently livently lives in Les in Les in Les in Les in Landoandoandoandoandovvvvvererererer,,,,,Maryland and attends Jericho City oMaryland and attends Jericho City oMaryland and attends Jericho City oMaryland and attends Jericho City oMaryland and attends Jericho City of Prf Prf Prf Prf Praise-85aise-85aise-85aise-85aise-850000011111Spectrum DrivSpectrum DrivSpectrum DrivSpectrum DrivSpectrum Drive- Le- Le- Le- Le- Landoandoandoandoandovvvvvererererer, Maryland., Maryland., Maryland., Maryland., Maryland.

TTTTTop: op: op: op: op: CoCoCoCoCovvvvver fer fer fer fer for the pror the pror the pror the pror the premier issue oemier issue oemier issue oemier issue oemier issue offfffVisions Christian MagazineVisions Christian MagazineVisions Christian MagazineVisions Christian MagazineVisions Christian Magazine

by L.C. Tardy

Tes t imon ia l s


rayer can change anything! “Is any sickamong you? Let him call for the elders of thechurch; and let them pray over him, anoint-ing him with olive oil in the name of the lord.

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and theLord shall raise him up…pray for another, that yemay be healed. (James 5: 14-16)”

Prayer from family members has truly healedme in difficult times. While I was walking to my dormin the hallway, a piercing pain went through my back.This was a pain so sudden and powerful that I had tostop walking and lean against the wall, this did little toease the discomfort that I felt. I entered my room andcollapsed on the bed, having difficulty breathing andfeeling a numbing sensation come through my leftchest and left arm. I was afraid to fall asleep notknowing what could happen next.

As the week passed I thought that the painwas going to only be temporary. After about four

days of returning pain and short breathing I went tovisit the doctor. After taking some breathing test andx-rays I was diagnosed with a probable leak or holein my left lung. The situation could persist and lead to

Miracles with Prayerby by by by by Cedric R. WhiteCedric R. WhiteCedric R. WhiteCedric R. WhiteCedric R. White

2nd year FSU student2nd year FSU student2nd year FSU student2nd year FSU student2nd year FSU student

a total lung collapse.As I went back to my room that

night, I called my parents. Thefirst thing I told them waswhat had happened thepast few days andwhat the doctordiagnosed. Afterprayer on thephone with my

mother, I was still concerned about how the situationwould turn out. I continued to pray privately and myparents prayed for my health status also. Over thatweekend there was a difference in how my chest felt.The next Monday I reported to that same doctoragain to get more x-rays taken to see if there hadbeen any improvements or not. When the doctorviewed the x-rays, the first thing he said was “Thereare definitely more blood vessels reaching to the endof the lung sac.” From that day on I have had verylittle pain, if any, in my left chest and back area. Nomedications were taken, just the prayers of my familyand myself. I know for myself God’s miracles canand do happen with prayer! Thank you, Lord!

Prayerfully submitted,

Cedric R. White

aaaaaaaaaaaaaa“Is any sick among you? Let him call for

the elders of the church; and let them prayover him, anointing him with olive oil inthe name of the lord. And the prayer of

faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shallraise him up…pray for another, that ye may

be healed.”James 5: 14-16

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c2000 by Cedric R. White. Permission for use granted upon request

VCMVCMVCMVCMVCM

Tes t imon ia l s

q


oneliness. Rebellion.Desperation. If you had todescribe the first twodecades of Angela

Hansen’s life in three words orless, these would be the

ones. It wasn’t that Angela didn’tknow God; she just turned her backon Him for a time. But God neverturned His back on her. He knewher heart, and He had plans to usethe very struggles she endured tobring glory to Himself.

Born in Washington, D.C. to a single mother, Angelawas sent to live in Mississippi with a grandmother shehad never met when she was just two years old. As ayoung child, she never felt she belonged. Then, afterfour years, her mother, of whom she had no recollec-tion, moved Angela back to the Washington, D.C. area.For Angela, this meant moving to a strange place witha stranger. “I remember crying out from thedarkness in my new room asking Jesus tocome into it and stay with me,” recallsAngela. “I never doubted the Lord’sexistence. I just didn’t have any Godly rolemodels around me.”

In the absence of such role models,Angela’s struggle to fit in during her high schooland college years only intensified her own un-Godlybehavior. She turned to alcohol, drugs, and sex as away of finding acceptance and masking her pain.However, few people knew the real truth. She man-aged to hide her addictions by doing well in school, infact receiving a B.A. from Colby College and, yearslater, a law degree from George Washington Univer-sity.

One aspect of her life that she could not hide, however,was her failing health. Diagnosed with rheumatoidarthritis at the age of 13, Angela struggled regularlywith excruciating pain. During her sophomore year ofcollege, she was also given the grim news that shewould never be able to bear children. Later, she wasdiagnosed with fibromyalgia, a debilitating condition thatcauses severe swelling and pain.

By the time she turned 23, Angela was at a crossroads.Her health was declining, her rebellious behavior wassoaring, and she was reeling from the devastating lossof her younger stepbrother. “He was actually the first

person I ever really loved and the only person whomade me feel accountable for my choices,” explainsAngela.

“Somehow, that little boy alwaysmade me stop and

think aboutwhat I was

doing withmy life.”Hisdeath at

age ninelaunch

signaled thebeginning of a life-changing

transformation process for Angela.

One of the most significant events in that process tookplace at a Christian retreat she was attending. “Iwanted so desperately to believe I was a Christian, butI just couldn’t believe that God had forgiven me,”

remembers Angela. “It wasduring quiet reflection at thatretreat that I relived everyhorrible thing I had done over

the years. Each time I recalledan event from my past, I heard avoice saying ‘I know. I wasthere. And I still love you.’”

Months later, Angela heard another call.This time, the call was not aimed at her

salvation, but rather that of others. “At one of myEmmaus meetings, a woman began talking aboutKairos, a program that brings God into prisons, and thespirit immediately jumped from within me,” saysAngela. “As I talked to the women prisoners, my lifeand all that I had gone through began to make perfectsense. I knew then that God’s plan was to use everyhurt I had ever experienced to help these women.”

Today, Angela is a living testimony to the transformingpower of the Lord. She lives happily with her husbandand their two adopted children in Silver Spring, MD,and continues to share the Good News with womenprisoners in the area. In spite of the constant physicalpain that she endures, Angela’s exuberance is hard tomiss. “The joy that I have has nothing to do with howI’m feeling, nor does it have anything to do with me,”she says. “It’s all about the spirit God has placed inme. Only He can give me the strength, grace, andinclination to do that which He has called me to do.” VCMVCMVCMVCMVCM

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Beauty for Ashes: The Trans-forming Power of the Lord

“I wanted so desper-ately to believe I was a

Christian, but I justcouldn’t believe that

God had forgivenme,..”

qby Lisa Horan


Love of Our Co nquering KingLove of Our Co nquering KingHow Bryan Lynch Brings Hope through his Landscape and Christian Art Work

t’s truly amazing how God brings his childrentogether when he needs to bring forth hisWord. He searches the hearts of those witha thirst to express the spiritual gifts and

talents He has given to us. The Lord set a vision in myheart to do this magazine, “Visions.”After I received this vision from theHoly Spirit, I decided to search theInternet for a “clip art of Jesus,” orart that resembled heaven, to put onthe front cover of this magazine. Istumbled across a website that wasselling “Paintings,” I decided tobrowse the site and view thepaintings. All of the paintings werebreathtaking and beautiful. Butthere was one particular paintingthat stood out from the rest. It wasa beautiful image of Jesus with anilluminated cross in front of hisface. The work of art was entitled,“Love of Our Conquering King,Bryan Lynch, Artist. I was stunned. I couldn’ttake my eyes off of it. I double-clicked thepainting so that I could view a larger version of it.Then, I just kept starring at it. I started to feel asthough Jesus was starring back at me, and speaking tome. I knew then, that the Holy Spirit had lead me tothat website. I immediately searched for the artistsemail address to ask his permission to use his Artworkon the front cover of my magazine.

It was a pleasure communicating with BryanLynch, the Artist who displays his God-given talent andgifts with excellence. I expressed how God had givenme a vision to develop this magazine called “Visions,”

Bryan, was truly humble and honored to have his Workof Art on the front cover of a magazine. He expressedthat he is currently seeking out publishers, and believesthat there is a company out there that will find merit inhis work of art. He talked about the power of the Lordand how God can do a mighty work in his children. Westayed in touch through email, and I kept him up to date

regarding the development of themagazine. I had no idea that I wouldeventually do an article on Bryan Lynch,Landscape & Christian Artist. It wasthen that I realized the Lord had spirituallylead me all the way to Roseville,California in search of a gifted artist, witha thirst to express his talent that the Lordhad given him, and promote the Word ofGod through his beautiful Christian Art.One of Bryan’s favorite scriptures sumsit all up: “For the eyes of the Lord run toand fro throughout the whole earth, toshow himself strong on behalf of thosewhose heart is loyal to him.” (IIChronicles 16:9) As I stated earlier, it istruly amazing how God brings hischildren together, and the Lord said,“And we know that all things worktogether for good to them that love God,to them who are the called according to

his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).

BRYAN LYNCH

Bryan Lynch is a young gifted 24 year old Landscape& Christian Artist. Bryan is a graduate of SacramentoState University, where he received his Bachelor ofArts Degree in Art Studio, and minor in BusinessAdministration, in May 2001. He has been married to

Top: BryanLynch, Landscape& Christian Artist

Iby L.C. Tardyq

Cove r S t o r y


Top: Sense ofBeauty byBryan Lynch

Kim Lynch for three years. Kim and Bryan were (highschool sweethearts) they have no kids right now, butdesire to in the future. Bryan currently works forPinnacle Telecommunications, as a CADD drafter. Heand his wife live in Roseville, CA (15 miles aboveSacramento) Bryan had livedin Los Angeles until he wasten years old, then his parentsmoved to Auburn, CA. Hisparents are Mr. & Mrs. Craigand Lorette Lynch. Bryan hastwo younger brothers, Keithand Jay. Bryan explained thathe received Jesus when hewas a little boy, and that herenewed his faith and wasbaptized when he was 18years old. Bryan alsoexplained that it was when hehad recommitted himself tothe Lord that brought himwhere he is today, and nowthe Lord is unveiling the manytalents within him. Bryanattends CelebrationCommunity Fellowship, achurch that is 2½ years old,and has 300 members.

t was a pleasurebeing able tointerview Bryan Lynch. I would like toshare with you how the Lord has orderedBryan’s steps. Bryan expressed that he

had been creative in art since he was a kid, andseriously began pursuing it when he was a freshman inhigh school. He was able to explore different mediumsand styles, ranging from pencil to pastel, but his

medium of choice was oils. During Bryan’s first yearin college he studied many subjects, but in 1998Bryan’s passion for painting was once againreinforced. He was inspired by the work of “ThomasBlackshear,” a well known artist whose work of art,

called “Forgiven,” hadaroused Bryan’s passionfor painting. Bryanexpresses it this way, “Itwasn’t just the artisticability of the artist thatstruck me, but theemotional aspect as well,I can’t quite put it intowords, but I felt the tugin my spirit that art wassomething that Godwanted me to do.” Sothe next three yearsBryan had intenselystudied art, and fullydeveloped his skills inthe art field. Bryanbegan to take a stand infaith and believe thatGod had given him thisgift. Bryan said, “Ifinally explored my ownartistic voice that Godhad set in my heart.”

Bryan began getting his name out in thepublic by taking part in art shows,exhibitions, concerts, and presenting hisartwork at his church home. In May

2002, Bryan really began to promote his artwork to thepublic, and God’s blessings started to flourish in manyways. His Christian prints are currently being sold inseveral

I

Love of Our Co nquering KingLove of Our Co nquering KingHow Bryan Lynch Brings Hope through his Landscape and Christian Art Work


Top: Love of AConqueringKing-shown oncover-by BryanLynch

‘Love of Our Conquering King’ Printsavailable:

16x20" - $55.008x10" - $22.00

Iris-Giclee Prints on Arches Paper Contact Information: [email protected] Phone Number: 916-772-4948 www.absolutearts.com/bryanlynch

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Christian bookstores in the area that he lives. Bryanstated that he trusts that his artwork will expandoutside the area, and he believes that God will enlargehis territory in God’s time frame. Bryan is currentlyapart of various websites that sell his art. Hislandscapes have recently been accepted into somegalleries, and he will continue to explore more galleries.I asked Bryan what inspires him and he replied, “Topursue and create the type of art that God desires ofme, and the plans that I believe God has for me,inspires me to seek him more in everything I do,especially art. He desires to do great things through us,but if we don’t seek and honor him, we will miss out onhis blessings and plans for us.” These are just a fewof Bryan’s favorite scriptures:

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give youthe desires of your heart. Commit your ways to him,trust in him also, and He shall bring it to pass.”

2 Thessalonians 1:11“God may count you worthy of his calling, and thatby his spirit, He may fulfill every good purpose ofyours and act prompted by your faith.”

Ephesians 3:20“And to Him who is able to do immeasurably morethat we can everdream or imagine,

according to thepower that iswithin us.”

ryanfurtherexplainswhat

inspires him, “Itamazes me to thinkthat as I strive to beloyal to God that Hedesires to show himself strong on mybehalf. This changes the way I thinkas far as not putting limits on whatGod can do. God’s promises give mehope, faith, and purpose in my art. Itis my desire to use my time, talentsand treasures for him and his kingdom. It may be acliché at times, but I really believe this. Thus, it givesme great joy to create and serve God with my artistic

talent.” Bryan states that God writes our skills, abilitiesand talents in us, and it is our responsibility to developour talent and use iit to bring glory to God.I thought that Bryan’s “Work of Art,” “Love of Our

Conquering King,” was simply a Masterpiece, and Iknow that others will too, so I asked Bryan to explainhow this piece came together, and here is what he said:

LOVE OF OUR CONQUERING KING

This piece came together while I was working onanother piece entitled ‘Blessed Nation.’ As I wasworking, I began to visualize Jesus’ face that I hadpreviously drawn, with a transparent, illuminated crossover it. The piece is a combination of pencil drawingand computer enhancement. To start, I scanned mypencil drawing into my computer. On the computer, Ibegan to develop the cross, color and light. When Iinclude aspects of art on the computer, it is my goal forit to not look computer generated. I believe that thiscan be somewhat distracting and lessen the emotionalaspect of what one is seeing. I use the computerprogram Painter 7. The important thing for me iscreating something that emotionally interacts with theviewer. Creating the piece was very smooth andeverything just came together incredibly well.

Summarizing, I wanted the overall emotion of‘Love of our Conquering King’ to speak on a deeper,intimate level. One can feel both the love and powerof Jesus as He senses the agony ahead, yet also thevictory in store, as He will conquer death and the crossby resurrecting from the grave.”

Here are just a few of Bryan’s favoriteContemporary Artists, Danny Hahlbohm, OvanesBerberian, Robert Wee, and Impressionist Masters:

Cove r S t o r y

April/May 2003April/May 2003April/May 2003April/May 2003April/May 2003 1 11 11 11 11 1

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ave you noticed that sometimes we saythings from our mouths that are not really inour hearts? The prophet Jeremiah said thatthe heart is deceitful.

If we listen to people long enough, wewill eventually hear what’s in their hearts. This versetells us that what comes out of our mouths is a spilloverof what’s in our hearts. There is a connection betweenthe two. Always know that God sees the heart.Though we may try to cover up what’s in our heart-

Out of the

OVERFLOW of the Heart

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“Out of the overflow of the“Out of the overflow of the“Out of the overflow of the“Out of the overflow of the“Out of the overflow of theheart the mouth speaks”heart the mouth speaks”heart the mouth speaks”heart the mouth speaks”heart the mouth speaks”MATTHEW 12:34 NIVMATTHEW 12:34 NIVMATTHEW 12:34 NIVMATTHEW 12:34 NIVMATTHEW 12:34 NIV

“Out of the heart, the mouth“Out of the heart, the mouth“Out of the heart, the mouth“Out of the heart, the mouth“Out of the heart, the mouthspeaks”-KJVspeaks”-KJVspeaks”-KJVspeaks”-KJVspeaks”-KJV

by Penelope Allen White

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Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne. I asked Bryan what hedoes when he is not painting, he explained that hespends time with his wife Kim, and they both enjoymusic, movies, spending time with family, outdoors,traveling, and most of all finding time to praise God forthe gifts and blessings he has given to them. I alsoasked Bryan was he a leader or a follower?

“I would describe myself as a leader by nature.I am not afraid in taking chances and going against theflow of culture. I want to be the artist that Goddesigned me to be, and I thrive on the challenge oftrying to develop my own individual artistic voice. Iattended Promise Keepers in October 2002.Something that one of the speakers said really struckme. He expressed how important it is as Christians topursue significance over success. When we putsuccess over significance, we can miss out on some ofGod’s plans and blessings that He has for us, but whenwe pursue significance, He can use us in a powerfulway and we can experience more success than wecould imagine.”

“I try to keep this in mind everyday with myartistic endeavors.”

because we feel wehave to beguarded and notlet people knowhow hurt, angry,rejected, disappointed,or even how happy we are.

One of the matriarchs of our church had beenbedridden for many years. Her speech was verylimited because of a stroke; yet, I always knew whatwas in her heart because her mouth said ‘THANK/THANK/THANK-anyhow Thank God” and GOOD-GOOD-GOD” she’s saying God is good. What atestimony -that even in what we might call tryingcircumstances, what’s in her heart and in her mouthwas PRAISE TO OUR GOD.

Sometimes when I overhear my students saysomething that is inappropriate (and I seem to heareverything), they immediately want to apologize andsay, “I didn’t mean that “or “it just slipped” when inreality the words have only reflected what the heartcondition is. If we say they slipped out-it’s becausewe have been trying so hard to keep them in, but thewords were in the heart all along. Let us then submitand admit. Acknowledge that we can not clean ourown hearts-only the blood of Jesus can do that andthen submit our hearts, mouths, and every part ofourselves to the authority of the Lord Jesus. Then andonly then can wholesome and holy things come fromour mouths because that is what will be in our hearts.

PRAPRAPRAPRAPRAYER-Let the worYER-Let the worYER-Let the worYER-Let the worYER-Let the words of my mouth and theds of my mouth and theds of my mouth and theds of my mouth and theds of my mouth and themeditationmeditationmeditationmeditationmeditation of my hear of my hear of my hear of my hear of my heart be acceptable in Yt be acceptable in Yt be acceptable in Yt be acceptable in Yt be acceptable in Yourourourourour

sight, O Lord. PRAISE GOD! Amensight, O Lord. PRAISE GOD! Amensight, O Lord. PRAISE GOD! Amensight, O Lord. PRAISE GOD! Amensight, O Lord. PRAISE GOD! Amen

©2002 Penelope Allen White. Permission for use available uponrequest

ScriptureScriptureScriptureScriptureScripture“The Lord does not see as“The Lord does not see as“The Lord does not see as“The Lord does not see as“The Lord does not see asman sees; for man looks atman sees; for man looks atman sees; for man looks atman sees; for man looks atman sees; for man looks at

the outward appearance, butthe outward appearance, butthe outward appearance, butthe outward appearance, butthe outward appearance, butthe Lord looks at the heart”the Lord looks at the heart”the Lord looks at the heart”the Lord looks at the heart”the Lord looks at the heart”

1 Samuel 16:71 Samuel 16:71 Samuel 16:71 Samuel 16:71 Samuel 16:7

Linda C. TLinda C. TLinda C. TLinda C. TLinda C. Tararararardy is a Fdy is a Fdy is a Fdy is a Fdy is a Frrrrreelance Weelance Weelance Weelance Weelance Writer/riter/riter/riter/riter/AAAAAuthoruthoruthoruthoruthor. She is the Publisher o. She is the Publisher o. She is the Publisher o. She is the Publisher o. She is the Publisher of thisf thisf thisf thisf thismagazine, Visions Christianmagazine, Visions Christianmagazine, Visions Christianmagazine, Visions Christianmagazine, Visions ChristianMagazineMagazineMagazineMagazineMagazine. Ms. Ms. Ms. Ms. Ms. T. T. T. T. Tararararardy currdy currdy currdy currdy currently livently livently livently livently livesesesesesin Lin Lin Lin Lin Landoandoandoandoandovvvvvererererer, Maryland and attends, Maryland and attends, Maryland and attends, Maryland and attends, Maryland and attendsJericho City oJericho City oJericho City oJericho City oJericho City of Prf Prf Prf Prf Praise-85aise-85aise-85aise-85aise-85000001 Spectrum1 Spectrum1 Spectrum1 Spectrum1 SpectrumDrivDrivDrivDrivDrive- Le- Le- Le- Le- Landoandoandoandoandovvvvvererererer, Maryland., Maryland., Maryland., Maryland., Maryland.

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Poem of the MonthPoem of the MonthPoem of the MonthPoem of the MonthPoem of the Month

“““““RememberingRememberingRememberingRememberingRememberingMyMyMyMyMy

FirstFirstFirstFirstFirstLove”Love”Love”Love”Love”

Jesus Christ is my first love. I've got to keep pressing, pressing my way,For Jesus Christ is my first love everyday.

I love Him because He first loved me.

He has been a true and faithful friend,Since I accepted him as my Lord and Savior.

He is always there,And never leaves me with burdens I cannot bear.

He leads and walks with me,So I can spiritually see.

He comforts and talks with me along life's stony road,Which helps me press toward the finish line - my heavenly abode.

What an honor to experience His awesome glory.His Word is the most beautiful life story.

words bywords bywords bywords bywords by

“Another Days Journey”

Before you were bornI prepared a journeyFor you;

I lifted up the SandsTo cover you gracefullySo that when you Arise!You will have theInheritance of yourFather;

You walked uponThe works of my handAnd played in it’s mist!

You wandered in theFields of green foliageIn the Garden of EdenYou ventured throughThe streams of Ethiopia

I instilled in youMy laws; that whichYou obeyed;

In you I createdSapphire, emeraldsAnd Gold, you withheldThe Glory;

wwwwwororororords bds bds bds bds by L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. TararararardydydydydyVCMVCMVCMVCMVCM

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Poe t r y Co rne r

mmmmmeeeeennnnn ooooo ooooo eeeeeaaaaaKKKKK rrrrr BBBBB kkkkk rrrrr

Yet, you propelled tojourneyA Universe of iniquityNow my brethren

It’s Another Days Jour-ney!

©Copyright June 2001

We have step over into God’s world nowWe are no longer conformed to the things ofthis world. We have been saved by grace, and not byOur own good works, we are covered now by thebloodOf Jesus, we are being raised by God the FatherInto the Children of ObedienceWhen we were once the childrenOf disobedience, not knowing thecovenant of promise, without hope, living indarkness, held in captivityBefore God can move us to a high level in HimBefore we see our breakthroughWe are tried in the fireWe are shown the things in which God

“““““EPITOME OFEPITOME OFEPITOME OFEPITOME OFEPITOME OFwwwwwororororords bds bds bds bds by y y y y L.C. TL.C. TL.C. TL.C. TL.C. Tararararardydydydydy


Has delivered us from, because God the fatherDon’t want us to forget where he brought us from,

For this reason we are able to see the widespreadof workThat still needs to be done to those who are heldin bondage, living in darkness,Then are we able as Children of Obedienceto minister effectively

the Word of God.It is through our faith, testimonies that we are able to

bless others, win souls, and bring God glory!!which is the epitome of this journey.

To God be all the Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!

You are a Child of GodMarvelously madeBy GodIf you can feelThe work of God’s handThe starsThe MoonIn Your heartSpiritually in visionGod’s light uponThe water, thenYou are a Child of GodMarvelously madeBy GodHandcrafted fromHead to toePlaced in a gardeWhere the NileRiver FlowYou are a Child of GodMarvelously madeBy GodDivinely setup to leadMarvelously madeBy GodSaved by the bloodOf the Lamb with aChrist-like mindFearfully, wonderfully,Marvelously Obviously, designedBy God… VCMVCMVCMVCMVCM

© August 15, 2002

wwwwwororororords bds bds bds bds by L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Tararararardydydydydy“Child of God”

And God sends his angels,more than 72,000 angels

charge over my life,to keep me and

bare me up in their handsbefore I dash my foot

against the stonePsalm 91:11-12.

There’s a rainbow in myroomacross the ceiling, abovethe windowit’s pink, blueand whiteI know it’sthere to protect me

I met an lady on thetrainwho carried a messagefrom God for meshe said, “On the day ofRain”look for the rainbowso I did

I went home and thelady calledand prayed with me, andsaid,“God wants to protect,establish and ground youturn to his Word andread,” Ezekiel 1:28, andit said,

“As the appearance of thebowthat is in the cloud in theday of rainso was the appearance ofthe brightnessround about. This was theappearance of the likenessof the glory of the Lord.”

Ever since that day, I looked for the bow inthe sky. One week after talking tothe lady,

as I was leavinghome

it had justfinished

raining, I looked up, and there itwas, “On the day of Rain, a pink, white and bluerainbow, the same as the one in myroom.I knew that it was there as a sign of protection,and promises fromthe Lord.

Just as the Angel said...© Copyright May 2002

VCMVCMVCMVCMVCMworworworworwords by L.C. Tds by L.C. Tds by L.C. Tds by L.C. Tds by L.C. Tararararardydydydydy

Although things are not perfectBecause of trial or painContinue in thanksgivingDo not begin to blameEven when the times are hardFierce winds are bound to blowGod is forever ableHold on to what you knowImagine life without His loveJoy would cease to beKeep thanking Him for all thethingsLove imparts to theeMove out of “Camp Complaining”No weapon that is knownOn earth can yield the powerPraise can do aloneQuit looking at the futureRedeem the time at handStart every day with worshipTo “thank” is a commandUntil we see Him comingVictorious in the skyWe’ll run the race with gratitudeXalting God most highYes, there’ll be good times and yessome will be bad, but...Z ion waits in glory...where noneare ever sad!

many prayers,Penelope WhiteNumbers 6:24-26

“Untitled”“Untitled”“Untitled”“Untitled”“Untitled”words by Penelope Whitewords by Penelope Whitewords by Penelope Whitewords by Penelope Whitewords by Penelope White

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THIS JOURNEYTHIS JOURNEYTHIS JOURNEYTHIS JOURNEYTHIS JOURNEY”””””wwwwwororororords bds bds bds bds by y y y y L.C. TL.C. TL.C. TL.C. TL.C. Tararararardydydydydy

thethethethetheangelangelangelangelangel

said”said”said”said”said”

“just“just“just“just“justasasasasas


God’s desire is for us to grow. This is clearly indicatedthrough the Bible. Some scriptures that reflect this are:

II Peter 3:18I Peter 2:1-3Ephesians 1:17Hebrews 5:13-14

HEBREWS 5:13-14 SAYS:

Strong meat are principles that are beyond thefoundational principles of the doctrine of Christ.

Hebrews 6:1-2 outlines these principles. Itreads:

Therefore leaving the principles ofthe doctrine of Christ, let us go inunto perfection; not laying againthe foundation of repentance fromdead works, and of faith towardGod, of the doctrine of baptismsand of laying on of hands, and ofresurrection of the dead, and ofEternal judgment.

The Greek word for “perfection” is telesphoreo, whichmeans to be a hearer to completion; maturity.

So you see God wants us to strive for maturity in theknowledge of Him.

How Do We Do This?By reading, studying, and meditating on the Word ofGod. II Timothy 2:15 admonishes us to study. It says:Work hard so God can say to you, “Well done.” Be agood workman, one who does not need to be ashamedwhen God examines your work. Know what his Wordsays and means.

The Greek word for “spoudazo” means to make effort,be earnest, be diligent, labour. So we must seek tomake time to read the word with understanding, on aconsistent basis. We must be consistently consistent,

Joshua 1:8 reads: This book of the law shall notdepart out of thy mouth, but thou shall meditate on itday and night, then thou shall have good success, andthou shalt make thy way prosperous.

The Hebrew word for meditate is “haw-gaq” whichmeans to ponder; to think about carefully; deliberate.

After using the R=reading, S=studying, M=meditatingmethod, we must obey the Word of God. This requires:

A. Walking by Faith - Habbakuk 2:4; Hebrews 11:6B. Fulfilling our God-give obligationEcclesiastes 12:13; I Samuel 15:22C. Walking in God’s footsteps -Jeremiah 7:23-24 andII Thessalonians 2:15

When you attach yourself to God, youfollow (obey) where he leads. Godbecomes the leader, instead of you.However, you can detach yourself from

God by disobeying his Word. Disobedience causes oneto digress (go backward). As long as you are goingbackward, you cannot walk forward. The twodirections are diametrically opposed.

Once you start going backwards, you open the door forSatan to wreak havoc in your life through deceptionand confusion. James 3:16 says: For where envyingand strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.However, there is a way to turn and go forward andget back on the straight and narrow path that leads tolife - eternal life. That way is REPENTANCE.

Benefits of Maturing

1. Discernment between things of God and the thingsof the Devil. I once heard a pastor say this on theradio, “Once you know the truth, you can recognize alife.”

not consistently inconsistent. It is not only important toread and study the Word of God, but to meditate on theWord of God.

ADVANCNGIN GOD b y K a r m e n B o o k e r

Authorq

God’s desire isfor us to grow.



Attention church leaders!!! It is very important that thebody of Christ is up to date with technology that is herenow and technology that will be arriving in the near future.For the past eighteen years I have been a sound engineer/audio consultant in the metropolitan Washington D.C.area. As new technology come and go, one thing that Ihave found that remains consistent is that churches ingeneral are reluctant to embrace new audio technology. Onaverage it takes between five to ten years for audiotechnology used in the entertainment industry to be usedin the church. We have CD players and DVD players inour home, let us now as churches begin to utilize thesenew technologies?

For the past 25 years cassette tapes have been the mediaof choice for communicating God’s Word in the church.Excluding houses of worship, when was the last time youpurchased a cassette rather than a CD? Has your teenagedaughter or son ever purchase a cassette recording? Oneof the purposes of our church audio ministries is tocommunicate and disseminate Gods word. How can weaccomplish that with a media that fewer and fewer areusing?

Let’s consider the facts. A good quality blank duplicationcassette, with case and preprinted label cost about onedollar. For that same amount of money two CD with casesand labels can be purchased. A high-speed stereocassette duplicator (the selection are becoming fewer andfewer) that make two to three copies in seven minutes costabout $2,200. For a few hundred dollars more, about $3,200you can purchase a high speed CD duplicator that canmake seven CDs in three minutes. With CD you havedigital sound, no tape hiss, no tape breakage, and a greateraudio frequency range. CDs are sold at the retail level at aprice higher than cassettes.

My last encouragement is to begin considering DVDs now.It has been estimated that within the next five years or sothe VHS tape with go by the way of the Beta tape. Haveyou noticed that fewer and fewer movies are available onvideotape at your local video rental outlet? RecordableDVD will be the replacement technology. Now is anopportunity for the church to be leaders in media technol-ogy and not followers as we get the gospel of Jesus Christout to the world.

©2003 B.R.White. Reprinted with author’s request.

PRESSING TOWPRESSING TOWPRESSING TOWPRESSING TOWPRESSING TOWARD THE MARK OF THEARD THE MARK OF THEARD THE MARK OF THEARD THE MARK OF THEARD THE MARK OF THEHIGH CALLING IN CHRIST JESUSHIGH CALLING IN CHRIST JESUSHIGH CALLING IN CHRIST JESUSHIGH CALLING IN CHRIST JESUSHIGH CALLING IN CHRIST JESUS

(Embrace New T(Embrace New T(Embrace New T(Embrace New T(Embrace New Technology)echnology)echnology)echnology)echnology)qby B.R. Whiteby B.R. Whiteby B.R. Whiteby B.R. Whiteby B.R. White

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Wisdom is knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:6and Proverbs 1:5 and 7)

Purpose of Wisdom

A. To be able to walk uprightly in honor to God. Godis pleased and greatful when you follow His command-ments (Proverbs 4:5-6 and 7-9)

B. Benefits of Wisdom are:

1. Avoid a lot of problems and negativity in your lifeby making right choices.2. Bless other people through the wisdom you havegained through counseling and praying with others.3. Help others to change their lives.

Continue to Seek Wisdom

A. Stay on the straight and narrow path that leads torighteousness andpeace. If youdon’t you’ll veeroff the path, andon to the path ofdarkness, thatleads to muchtrouble and totaldestruction.(Matthew 7:13-14)

B. Seek wisdomlike you would ahidden treasure.Keep searchinguntil you find it,and once you do,apply it in yourlife daily. (Prov-erbs 8:10-11 andProverbs 4:7) VCMVCMVCMVCMVCM

2. Greater Revelation3. Wisdom

Definition of Wisdom


hrist is all I need in life. He is there when noone else is there. He provides me with allmy necessities or He places people in mylife that will help provide for me. He is my

friend I can talk to him at any time and He canprovide me with advicelike no other can. He cangive me advice throughreviling it through His wordor by examples in life. Hisword and guidance to meis complete and straight tothe point unlike others.Earthly advice can beincomplete or inexperi-enced unlike the advicefrom my heavenly Father.

Christ can also providenourishment for my body.We cannot survive on foodalone to survive. We needthe word of God to nourishour souls. I thought Ineeded three meals a dayto survive and be healthy.When I choose to fast forone week and only eat one meal a day and concen-trated on the goodness of God and what He has doneand is going to do for me I was not hungry during theday. I realized that reading the Word was all thenourishment I needed.

The Lord can also be your caretaker and doctor intime of sickness He can heal any wound or take awayany sickness. The only thing that is required of us isfaith and belief in Him. He will also provide all youneed that is ok according to Him. There have been alot of things I have wanted in life. Some I have asked

for and others I have tried real hard to get. I learnedthat God will provide your needs in His own time.There is no rushing Him at all if you’re not ready forwhat He has in store for you then you will not receiveit. There are a lot of things I sought after in life and

wondered why I was notgetting those things butthrough growth andmaturity I realize that Iam not ready for thosethings and I may neverbe ready.

In conclusion, I want totell you about thenecessity that God canoffer which no one elsecan. That is the gift ofeternal life. This is theonly thing that’s worthliving forit is everythingyou need. The things ofthis earth will pass awaybut eternal life is for aneternity. The simplestthing about it is that it isthe only thing God will

consider you are ready for if you ask. If you ask, youare ready. Other requests you may have to mature forthem, but not this one. God is love and life and every-thing I need to prosper. He is everything I need in thislife and the life to come.

©1999 author, Darius E. White. Permission to use granted uponrequest VCMVCMVCMVCMVCM

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The Lord can also be your caretaker and doctor in time of sicknessHe can heal any wound or take away any sickness.qby B.R. Whiteby B.R. Whiteby B.R. Whiteby B.R. Whiteby B.R. White

Christ Is Enough For MeChrist Is Enough For MeChrist Is Enough For MeChrist Is Enough For MeChrist Is Enough For Me



adies and gentlemen! It istime for a wake-up call! Theway the world has taughtyou to love is not “real love.”

The kind of love we have known mostof our lives have been a “Selfish love,”that’s right! A selfish love. Every one

of us is looking for someone else to love us the waywe want to be loved. Our relationships are based onself-gratification, expectation and role-playing. Wehave actually forgotten how to love and, I will tell youwhy. This is because when we left our first love, orbroke off the relationship from our very first love,which is God. We became useless, so now we lookfor others to make us feel useful, and loved. Whenthat person is not available, or wedon’t get what we are expectingfrom that man or woman, we startto feel alone, depressed, unloved,unwanted. Here’s the worse part,when that woman or man comeshome, there is a lack of communicationbecause your desires were not met; thenyou both get into role-playing, pretending that there’ssomething there, when it’s not. You become mentallydrained. So what do you do now? You start to lookfor love outside of your relationship, setting yourselvesup for failure and pain again. Let me tell you sistersand brothers something for your own good,something that will benefit you for the rest of yourlives. First, let me ask you a question, “Do you thinkthat you could sacrifice your one and only child to die,to save someone else’s life? That’s unimaginable!Right? Well, God loves you so much that he gave hisone and only son to die for you, that’s right, for you,and whosoever believe in him shall not perish, but haveeternal life, John 3:16. Jesus said, “I am the way, thetruth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, butby me.” (John 14:6) Until you decide to open yourhearts to the greatest love ever, you will live in vain.You are never going to know what “Real Love” is untilyou are fulfilled, happy and content within yourselves.The only way to obtain this kind of love and happinessis through the love of Christ Jesus. Without the love ofGod in your life, everything you do, every relationshipthat you encounter will be in vain. Pastor Joel Peeblesat Jericho City of Praise said, “The area of yourmisery is the area in which you lack a relationship withChrist.” Again, I will say, until you decide to open yourheart to the greatest love ever, you will live in vain;you will continue to live as bondwoman or man, held incaptivity of your own mind, living in complete dark-ness. (Until you are satisfied with the love of God

alone, learning to spend time with yourself and God)You will never be free. This is your only path tofreedom in your life. Romans 12:2 “And, be notconformed to the things of this world, but be trans-formed by the renewing of your minds.” to prove whatis good and acceptable to God. Christ wants you tofeel loved at all times, not just part-time, but evenwhen you are alone, you will never feel alone becauseyou will know that Christ dwells in your heart at alltimes. Christs love is unconditional (Agape-Love) Hesaid, in Matthew 28:20. “I am with you always, evenuntil the end of the world.” Now, sisters and brothers,has anyone ever told you this in your lives, and meantit from their hearts? Our total existence is nothingwithout Christ, for without Him, we are simply living alife without purpose. Did you know that we werecreated with a purpose in God’s mind and made in hisimage? That we are his masterpiece, Wow! Do you

really know what that means? That means that weare “Heirs of God,” and “Joint Heirs,” withChrist Jesus, which means we have an “Inher-itance.” That inheritance is wisdom, righteous-

ness, sanctification, and redemption, (redeemed fromthe curse of the law) so that we can follow the law ofGod, unconditional love, peace, freedom, salvation, andprosperity for all eternity. All of this comes in a“Grace-package.” Now, this is something that we willnever get living in this world without Christ. Do youunderstand? God’s love is real, and so is his love foryou, but we must obey his commandments. The Lordsaid in Deuteronomy 11:13 “So if you faithfully obeythe commands I am giving you today-to love theLORD your God and to serve him with all your heartand with all your soul- then I will send rain on yourland in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so thatyou may gather in your grain, new wine and oil.” Ifyou do not know Christ, you need to take the time rightnow, and repeat these words: I (say your name) cometo you in the Name of the Lord Jesus. I know that Iam a sinner and need your forgiveness. I confess withmy mouth the Lord Jesus. I believe in my heart thatyou (GOD) raised Jesus from the dead. I now inviteJesus into my heart as my Lord. Thank You, Lord, forsaving me. Amen.

Fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace longsuffering,goodness, faith, loyalty, honesty, gentleness, meekness,and temperance.

WWWWWithout the love of God in your life, everithout the love of God in your life, everithout the love of God in your life, everithout the love of God in your life, everithout the love of God in your life, everything you do,ything you do,ything you do,ything you do,ything you do,evereverevereverevery ry ry ry ry relationship that you encounter will be in vain.elationship that you encounter will be in vain.elationship that you encounter will be in vain.elationship that you encounter will be in vain.elationship that you encounter will be in vain.

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Linda C. TLinda C. TLinda C. TLinda C. TLinda C. Tararararardy is a Fdy is a Fdy is a Fdy is a Fdy is a Frrrrreelance Weelance Weelance Weelance Weelance Writer/Ariter/Ariter/Ariter/Ariter/Authoruthoruthoruthoruthor. She is. She is. She is. She is. She isthe Publisher of this magazine, Visions Christianthe Publisher of this magazine, Visions Christianthe Publisher of this magazine, Visions Christianthe Publisher of this magazine, Visions Christianthe Publisher of this magazine, Visions ChristianMagazineMagazineMagazineMagazineMagazine. Ms. Ms. Ms. Ms. Ms. T. T. T. T. Tararararardy currdy currdy currdy currdy currently livently livently livently livently lives in Les in Les in Les in Les in Landoandoandoandoandovvvvvererererer,,,,,Maryland and attends Jericho City oMaryland and attends Jericho City oMaryland and attends Jericho City oMaryland and attends Jericho City oMaryland and attends Jericho City of Prf Prf Prf Prf Praise-85aise-85aise-85aise-85aise-850000011111Spectrum DrivSpectrum DrivSpectrum DrivSpectrum DrivSpectrum Drive- Le- Le- Le- Le- Landoandoandoandoandovvvvvererererer, Maryland., Maryland., Maryland., Maryland., Maryland.

by L.C. Tardyq


control, He has to push us out on the edge where wehave to rely on Him. For Cooper, I would say this wasthe edge.

But God knew what she could handle and what sheneeded to give Him, the glory. God could have allowedCooper to just be thrown into jail, but He showed her acontinuous flow of favor. God allowed her to literallygo through this thing step-by-step. There were peoplebeing used by God, even the prosecuting attorney, todemonstrate that it would be only Him that could bringher through.

Cooper’s journey to purpose led her from being aprestigious Administrative Law Judge, to a convictedfelon, and into a Woman of God. The woman that Godcalled her to be. Over her eight months of incarcera-tion in four different jail systems, you will experience avery up close look at that journey.

After reading this wonderfully inspirational work, thereaders will find themselves rededicated and motivatedto continue in Faith in God and His promises. As I wasreading about Cooper’s jail experience, one scripturekept coming to mind: “And do not be conformed to thisworld, but be transformed by the renewing of yourmind, that you may prove what is that good and accept-able and perfect will of God”(Romans 12:2, NKJV).Because of Cooper’s obedience, and her humbling ofherself to share her testimony with the world, manypeople, including those she shared cells with, will beable to reflect on areas in their lives an walks with Godthat need to be dealt with. Reading God of My SilentTears has been a truly eye opening experience.

God of My Silent Tears, by YvonneMajett Cooper is an up-close and extremely personalstory of how, in the midst of the storms, God will neverleave you nor forsake you. Cooper tells us in blatantdetail how God took her through a wilderness experi-ence, the test, to take her to the life that He hadpurposed for her, the testimony. This story gives a trueaccount of how the Lord can turn our Test into ourTestimony, and touch the lives of a multitude of people,regardless of race or religion.

The foreword done by Cynthia D. Lomax of Spreadthe Word Ministries, truly captures the entire essenceof the book: Hebrews 13:5-6, Let your conversationsbe without covetousness; and be content with suchthings as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leavethee, nor forsake thee. So that we may bodly say, TheLord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall dounto me. As a reader, and a Christian, the amazinglyconsistent level of faith that Cooper demonstrated frombeginning to end inspired me. I believe that when mostpeople hear of charges being brought against them,they usually moved into a panic mode. Forgetting allabout the fact if God is for us, who then can be againstus?

Cooper sets the stage of the story by giving us a bit ofhistory about the prestigious career and lifestyle shewas living. she seemed to esteem herself highl,.“based on the premise that she was a good person.”Cooper states, “My family and friends held me in highregard, and I held myself in high regard. If you wantto know the truth, I thought I was a honey bun and abag of chips.” In her mind, although she knew thataccepting gifts for favors, regardless of whether it wasbefore or after the deed,she rationalized her behaviorby telling herself that she was just helping people out.Then God stepped in and allowed her to fall from herself-proclaimed throne. Sometimes, when God wantsto pull us closer to Him, and remind us that He is in

qqqqqby Nikki Jonesby Nikki Jonesby Nikki Jonesby Nikki Jonesby Nikki Jones

“GOD of My Silent Tears”

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“GOD AT WORKIN YOURLIFE”qqqqqbbbbby L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Ty L.C. Tararararardydydydydy

When you are bornagain, a whole newprocess of birth begins.The Spiritual process of birthis similar to the physicalprocess of birth, yet spiritual. Godraises you from a babe, to a child, toa mature adult in Christ. You began tosee the works of God manifested in yourlife. You no longer conform to the doc-trines of the princes of the air, or the things ofthis world. “And be not conformed to thisworld,” but be ye transformed by the renewing ofyour mind, that ye may prove what is good, andacceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2. Youbecome a new person, and the old person no longer exists inyou. You are now saved by grace, and delivered from thedarkness of this world, and placed into God’s marvelouslight. You are redeemed from the curse of the law, andreleased to the blessings of Abraham. “Christ have re-deemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse forus.” Galatians 3: 13. What this means is that we are nolonger under the laws of this world, but God’s Law, sowhatever we do, we are performing for an “Audience ofOne,” and if it is not pleasing in the sight of God, you areconvicted by God, not the world. Now don’t get me wrong,I’m not saying that you can go rob a bank, and because youare not under the world’s law, that you won’t get arrested orconvicted. People in the world will chastise you, while Godis at work in your life. You see, God can’t come down hereand speak to you face-to-face, so he uses those in theworld, be it saved or unsaved. He will speak through thebiggest sinner on the streets, just to tell you that you needto “Humble yourself.” so you need to know when God isspeaking, as well as whom he is speaking through. There-fore, no matter what the circumstance is that surrounds you,by performing for God, you are being humble and obedient,having respect for God’s authority. You are being raised upthe righteous way; God is establishing and grounding youto be mature adults in Christ; thereby knowing how torespond to worldly matters. You can only know God’spresence when you are walking in the Spirit, because theflesh cannot understand the things of the spirit, and thespirit cannot understand the things of the flesh. So duringthe course of a day when you communicate with those whoare carnal, (have not submitted himself to Christ-walking inthe flesh) you have to keep in mind the things that yourFather God has taught you, and bear the infirmities of theweak, and not please the flesh. Before I was “Born again” Icared only about the things that pleased my flesh. I had noshame or regard on what I did, but now my Father Godworketh in my life, and I obey because I am ashamed to dowhat is unrighteous in the sight of God. Our Father said,“What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now

ashamed? Forthe end of those

things is death.”Romans 6:21. Now my

Father God has taught methat I am to perform for him

in the Spirit, and to be a servantfor Christ, and not a servant of

men, but to always be obedient andhumble as if I am serving the Lord. I

have been called to liberty, and will onlyrefrain liberty, only for an occasion to the

flesh. It is through my faith that I am justifiedby God, and receive his blessings. Therefore,

Galatians 3:14 tells me that I have received thepromise of the Spirit through faith.” Knowing this, I know

that God is at work in my life, because now I have access byfaith into the grace, and he said in his Word, “Thereforebeing justified by faith, we have peace with God through ourLord Jesus Christ,” by whom also we have access by faithinto this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of theglory of God. “And he also said in Romans 5:1-5, “And notonly so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing thattribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience, andexperience, hope, and hope makes us not ashamed, becausethe love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the HolyGhost which is given unto us.” It is through the grace ofGod that I no longer bear the works of the flesh, but weshould bear the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace,longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, andtemperance. Galatians 5:22. Lastly, I have seen the power ofthe Spirit of God at work in my life, he said in 2 Corinthians10:4-6 “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, butmighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds,casting down imaginations, and every high thing thatexalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringinginto captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, andhaving in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, whenyour obedience is fulfilled.” You know that God is presentwhen you can rejoice in the midst of being attacked by theenemy, because God told you in Deuteronomy 1:17 “Be notto be afraid of their faces that he is with me always.” Godhas taught you the “Power of Prayer in Ephesians 6:18“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in theSpirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance andsupplication for all Saints.”So you need to let the power and peace of God rule in yourheart, know when God is at work in your life, and perform forhim only. After all, God’s purpose in raising you again is sothat you can deliver others who are held in captivity, livingin darkness, and offer them hope. Your primary purpose isto shine your light in the lives of others, win souls for God,and bring him the glory. That’s why we say:

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!! VCMVCMVCMVCMVCM

21April/May 2003April/May 2003April/May 2003April/May 2003April/May 2003


They seemed to be calling me. Tostitos. Key Limeflavor. Sesame seed sticks. Carbohydrates. Anykind. Crackers. Bread and peanut butter. These arehealthy snacks, right? So what’s the harm in eatingthem? Even if I did finish almost half of the package inone sitting. No one was watching. I’ll put them awayif someone comes down the stairs. No one will know,right? Sure, they’ll notice that a bunch were gone, butwhat does it matter? No one will think it was me.Who cares that I had a piece of cake at work? Noone saw what I had there, right? And no one knowswhat I had here, right?

No one cares...

Only me.

And God.

Oh, I feel so bad. Why did I do this? Why did I eatso many? Now my body feels icky and my spirit feelsshaky. Why did I do that? Father, please forgive me!I didn’t intend to do that. They were good, but I triedto stop. I’m so sick of this happening! Why me? Ijust wanted a few chips. But as I watched that“Cosby Show” episode on Nickelodeon and then “AsTold By Ginger,” I just sat here, snacking. It’s like atradition. And then I had some dessert to havesomething sweet. Just me, “Ginger” and my dessert.And You, too, Father. I feel so baaaaad. I promisedbefore that this wouldn’t happen again, but it did.Why?

PLEASE forgive me!!! I did not intend to do this—again! I’m so sick of this!

This scene may be familiar to you. It happens overand over again to many women—and men. Even

children. So many promises. So many temptations.And so many disappointments.That is the enemy’s task: to get us to do the very thingthat we promised our Heavenly Father and ourselvesthat we would not do (often many times before). Andafter we fall into his trap, the enemy tries to make usfeel guilty about it.

Why do so many of us fail? Why do we keep fallinginto that same trap? Often many of us go through thiscycle over and over and over and over… often endingwith the same promise: “Lord, I promise I will not dothis again.” And this prayer for forgiveness: “Iknow—my body is a temple, and right now, my templeis defiled. Lord, please forgive and deliver me.”

Yet, two weeks later, it happens again.

At the time that I am writing this, I am facing theenemy’s particular attack on me to try to get me toovereat. Why? Because he knows God haspreordained designated plans for my life and my body.(Romans 8:29-30) So he attacks my appetite, makingme think I am still hungry, when I actually am not.

Instead, I am walking in his form ofhunger: gluttony. Also because myflesh wants to do what it wants to do,and what I want it to do, in my spirit, itwill not do, as the Apostle Paul said.When I want to do good, evil is there.I want to do God’s will, but there issomething waging war against the

law of my mind and making me prisoner to the law ofsin. (see Romans 7:14-23)

Knowing these things should make it somewhat easierto attack him, since I know that he is doing this out offear. Yet, since the love of the Lord is more thanenough and He has equipped me to handle temptation,to be honest with you, it makes me feel worse aboutnot following through with my promises to my AbbaDaddy. So I just feel badly.

“I know He wants nothing but the best for me, and Ihave fallen. Again.” I say this over and over.

Then what began as the conviction of the Holy Spirit(which had ceased once I laid a repentant spirit beforethe Lord) becomes twisted by the enemy to becomeguilt, which I feel towards myself. Then I begin towallow in it.

This time it lasts for an hour.

After feeling guilty for an hour, I realize (yet again)that this was not of God. He loves me. It is not Hisdesire to make me feel guilty after I have already

qbbbbby y y y y Sherise L. ShieldsSherise L. ShieldsSherise L. ShieldsSherise L. ShieldsSherise L. Shields

FIT BY GOD’S DESIGN


asked Him for forgiveness! Only the enemy does that.Jesus came to free me from shame and guilt. (Romans8:1-2) Since it is not from Him, I shake it off. Or I tryto. I pray. I sing praise songs. I read the Word to findScripture to free me up from this bondage that keepscoming up over and over. After 20 minutes, it is over.Until the next time.

Yes, this is a cycle that I lived for years. When I hadmy own apartment, it was a ritual. Tostitos and TV.When I moved back home to live with my parents for abit, it became dessert and cartoons.

Yet through it all, God sustained me. He kept me fromgaining weight. He kept me healthy. He knew thebattle I was up against. I could not fight it alone. SoHe always gave me the power to resist temptation. Healways provided an out. Yet, for some reason, I did notwant to take that out. I did everything I could to stay inthe will of my flesh; in my will. I felt helpless, yet Iknew that God was doing something behind the scenes.Though it resulted in the same thing, each time I knewI was closer to a breakthrough.

I was not alone.

Freedom!

Several times, I even went to the altar for deliverance.I WANTED TO BE FREE FROM THIS DEMON OFGLUTTONY! I hated it so much. I knew God woulddeliver me. But what was taking so long? I knew Hewould deliver me again, like He’s done so many timesbefore. In my spirit, I could see it, but what do I dountilit is manifested?

I kept taking the spiritual tests that kept coming myway. Some I passed. Others I failed. In themeantime, I soaked up every lesson about self-control,overeating—anything that would strengthen me againstthat thing. I had heard once before that in order tofight, you’ve got to be prepared. You’ve got to bestrong. You’ve got to be able to stand against theenemy’s tricks—WITH THE WORD OF GOD. Sothat’s what I used against it: “I am more than aconqueror.” (see Romans 8:37) “Flee from

temptation.” “Place no other gods before Me.”“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every Wordthat comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

Then one day, my desire to sit in front of the televisionstuffing my face ceased. God had taken away mydesire to overeat!

In retrospect, I am glad that He allowed me to see thatperiod. Sure, the temptations still come, but I attack inthe same way: with The Word of God. “Therefore,there is now no condemnation for those who are inChrist Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law ofthe Spirit of Life set me free from the law of sin anddeath.” (Romans 8:1-2)

And I feel so FREE! “Why allow something to bindyou up that cannot help you, but only hurt you?” Irealized. “For if you live by the sinful nature, you willdie…” (Romans 8:13a)… Diabetes, heart disease,obesity, depression-the list goes on…

From this experience, I learned an important lesson:Find the ROOT of that issue and attack it. “…But ifby the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the bodyyou will live, because those who are led by the Spirit ofGod are sons of God.” (Romans 8:13b)

God does not want us to be in bondage. Sometimeswe overeat because we are depressed. Ask Him toshow you the root of that thing. He will reveal thatroot to you and He will remove it, showing you what toreplace it with. “You have been set free from sin andhave become slaves to righteousness.” (Romans 6:18)

Joy, peace, self-control are yours. Good health is yours.It may take a lot of prayer and fasting and belief thatHe Who promised is faithful and just to perform it.Just believe. Walk in it. I stand in agreement with youthat the Lord will give you a release from thatbondage—or any other stronghold that is holding youback. It is not yours. Speak life over it, take authorityover it, give it to the Lord and watch Him work!

You see, we are not fighting against flesh and blood,but principalities. For though we live in the world, wedo not wage war as the world does. The weapons wefight with are not weapons of the world. (2Corinthians 10:3-5)

There are some demons that are trying to hold youback. You know them as addictions. The enemy wantsus to be hurt and depressed because he is simplyjealous of the place that we have in God. So he throwsthings at us that we think are unconquerable.

Let me tell you what I heard Pastor Tony Evans

Several times, I even went to the altar fordeliverance.

I WANTED TO BE FREE FROM THISDEMON OF GLUTTONY!

I hated it so much.I knew God would deliver me.


minister so eloquently recently: the term addiction isthe world’s way of telling you that you are not able tocontrol the thing. (The enemy actually tricked us intothinking that these “addictions” are things that wehave to just maintain or simply get counseling for. Butwe know that the devil is a liar, right? So anythingthat comes from him or belongs to him is wrong.)

These things are actually strongholds. For example,when we eat for emotional reasons like fear or torelieve stress, we’ve trained our senses to believe thatfood is meeting an emotional need in our lives, insteadof turning to God. A stronghold can be drugs, alcohol,or sex as well.

Think of your mind as an open field. Next, imaginethe enemy tossing building materials like bricks andwood to build the foundation, then the first floor of ahouse. We can either hit those bricks and wood slabsinto the sea, using the Word of God or the NAME OFJESUS (and never let satan build) or we can allow thebricks and wood to pile up. If we let him build, theenemy has set up shop in the mind. He has a nice,cozy little bedroom inside of the house and a kitchenwhere he can cook up whatever he wants and feed itto you. Literally. Those pieces of wood and bricksare the thoughts that he throws to tempt us to eat alittle more of we know we shouldn’t have.

Our flesh wants to take the road of least resistance,so we often do not stop him, said Marty Copeland,Kenneth and Gloria Copeland’s daughter-in-law,during a recent series on Health and Nutrition on the“Believer’s Voice of Victory” program.

We now have a stronghold.

And it is hard for Christians, because everything weplan—all of our events—are centered around food, asCopeland also pointed out. The world has otheroutlets, like drugs and alcohol, that become theirstrongholds. But for Christians, who tend to not turnto sex, drugs or alcohol for relief, food becomes ourstronghold.

We need to realize that we do not need the food, butwe need to turn to God and pray about a situation.(I’m speaking to myself too) and the Holy Spirit isgoing to begin to remind us to do that.

“For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to theSpirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinfulnature,” so they are in constant battle. (Galatians5:17) During this period I learned a vital lesson:Often, it is not even the enemy who is turning us tofood, but our own sinful nature-our flesh.

First, it starts off as a little extra piece of cake. Thenit becomes not wanting to take a walk but to sit in frontof the television instead. Before we know it, we areallowing him to build more and more, as we eatwhatever we want, not consulting the Lord first.Eventually, we become too tired to exercise. Thiscontinues for a week, a month, two months, a year…(I’m speaking to myself too!)

The stronghold has grown. Some of us have allowedhim to build apartments in our minds; others ramblers,and a group of us, mansions. But the Word of Godsays that no matter how much we have allowed theenemy to set up shop, the Lord is more than able tofree us from it.

Watch the sweet Hurricane Holy Spirit blow thathouse to shreds, from the foundation to the top floor,and blow all of his remnants into the sea. Then Hewill guide you as you use the power that is inside ofyou to overcome any temptation.

That means we can rebuke them, cast them into thesea, ask God to remove them from the ROOT, so theywill never return again, in the Name Lord Jesus. Thenwe can simultaneously release the sweet virtues ofself-control, peace and joy to work in our lives.Remember: We are more than conquerors throughChrist Jesus who loves us. And we are not toconform any longer to the pattern of this world, but betransformed by the renewing of our minds. (Romans12:2a)

You see, the world’s way is to believe that theaddiction is something that we cannot control. That

What You Eat is Essential.Now it’s time to MOVE!!!

Tae Bo founder Billy Blanks uses this Scripture toremind you of a way to view fitness:“You Walk By Faith; Not By Sight.”The Surgeon General says that more exercise willbe the difference between a healthy adult/childand a non-healthy one.Here are some ways to spruce up your day withexercise:• Take a brisk 15-30 minute walk daily• Walk the dog, sweep the floor,• take the stairs, wash the car,• play tag with your kids, bike, swim,• play sports, walk with a pedometer.


we have to live with it, hide it or be ashamed of it. Butthe Apostle Paul said he gloried in adversity orweakness. Because where we are weak, God makesus strong! (Another lie of the enemy has beendispelled. HALLELUJAH!!!)

Also, look at how the world glories in fast food andfood items that are not healthy for us. These thingsare killing our bodies slowly. People say that it is okayto eat it if we do it in moderation. Sure, moderation isthe key, however, so many of our foods are sochemical-laced that I am not certain of their trueidentities. When I read the backs of packages, myquestion is: Am I eating Food or someone’s ScienceExperiment?

“Why would I even want a smidgen of that inside ofme?” I ask myself.

I know. It is difficult to change behaviors that many ofus have grown up doing.

You’ve been there. You decide: “This is the day that Iam going to stop eating junk.” But no more than twominutes later, you see that burger joint on the corner afew blocks away from your job, where you shared somany fond memories with a bacon and Swiss burger.Then you pass by a fried chicken shack, your usualdinner spot. Next to that is the Chinese place whereyou’ve spent many dollars for “Fun Fridays.” Forget

about the oil, grease and other stuff that dominates therecipe, masking the vegetables that we think arehealthy. Add to that the huge portion sizes… HELP!“But I made a promise to stop…” You think toyourself, unconvincingly. “Oh, one more won’t hurt.”So, you make a turn into one of your favorite spots.

The flesh won one more time. These foods would befine to eat this if it was truly created in the way thatGod intended our bodies to digest it: with olive oil andother natural ingredients. Unfortunately, that is notalways the case.

Sometimes these foods are made to make you eatmore than one serving—so you can buy more. Fastfood restaurants are set up to make you return overand over, making the doctors richer and richer off ofsick people. It is a set up of the enemy. But, being inChrist, we see all of his tricks and can act accordingly.I am not claiming any of that for you, because the devilis a liar. But I see you eating healthily, for your body, inthe Name Lord Jesus. It is my desire that you knowthe truth and for doctors to see less diabetes and heartdisease patients as a result of diet—something that wecan control.

A December 2001 U.S. surgeon general’s report statedthat More than 61 percent of American adults areoverweight, and 27 percent of them-50 million people-are obese. We can stop the threat to our health. TheFramingham Heart Study shows that obesity doublesthe risk of heart failure in women. Other facts showthat a man with 22 extra pounds has a 75 percentgreater chance of having a heart attack than one athealthy weight. Gaining just 11 to 18 pounds doublesthe risk of developing Type II diabetes-an illness thathas increased by nearly 50 percent in only the pastdecade.

Weight is also affecting our children. The percentageof 6-to- 11-year-olds who are overweight has nearlydoubled in two decades, and for adolescents thepercentage has tripled. Pediatricians are treatingconditions rarely before diagnosed in young people,according to an August 2002 U.S. News article.

Lynn Swann, Chairman of the President’s Council onPhysical Fitness and Sports, stated that Americaspends $117 billion a year on medical costs related tooverweight and obesity . . . And an additional $100billion on the costs associated with Type II diabetes.What if we had that $200 billion available for otherthings? Swann asked. He mentioned needs of thecountry, like schools, roads and public transit. I wouldlike to throw in this: What if we had those additionalfunds to build up the Kingdom of God?!

SOME WORD TO HELP YOU FIGHT THESOME WORD TO HELP YOU FIGHT THESOME WORD TO HELP YOU FIGHT THESOME WORD TO HELP YOU FIGHT THESOME WORD TO HELP YOU FIGHT THEENEMY AND CONTROL YOUR FLESHENEMY AND CONTROL YOUR FLESHENEMY AND CONTROL YOUR FLESHENEMY AND CONTROL YOUR FLESHENEMY AND CONTROL YOUR FLESH:::::

1 Corinthians 6:19Know ye not that your body is the temple of the HolyGhost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye arenot your own?

Psalms 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and hedelighteth in his way.

Galatians 5:17-18For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spiritagainst the flesh: and these are contrary the one to theother: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Romans 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants ofrighteousness.

Galatians 5:22-23 (particularly self-control)But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,gentleness, goodness, faith,Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.


In January 1961, newly elected President John F.Kennedy said “….ask not what your country can dofor you - ask what you can do for your country.” I’dlike to change this to: “…ask not what God can do foryou, but how you can honor Him with the body Heblessed you with, until He returns to take you home.”

Today, our battle against obesity is another majorthreat to our well being as a Body of Christ. We canbe healthy to help those around us. But we cannot doit as a law. That’s what dieting becomes, according toMarty Copeland, fitness instructor/nutrition counselorand wife of Kenneth Copeland’s son, John. Butinstead, allow the Holy Spirit to have His way. Andtrain ourselves, like children, to follow Him. And ifyou already have diabetes or heart problems, exercisecan increase your blood circulation and aid in thehealing process.

Ask God to reveal to you His dietary plan for yourbody. “Then you will be able to test and approve whatGod’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”(Romans 12:2b)

And watch God manifest it Himself. You do not needto live in bondage of addictions, no matter the root.Jesus sees you FREE. So do I!!!

Please pray this prayer with me: “Father God, in theName Lord Jesus, I thank You for everything Youcreated, including me. Thank You for loving me.Please forgive me for my sins, including not alwaysloving myself—Your Spirit’s temple—in the way thatYou want me to. In not truly loving myself, I havedone some things that do not take care for Your templein the way that I should have. Please forgive me. Atthe same time, I speak over my body and I reclaim itfor You. I rebuke you Satan, in the Name Lord Jesus,for all of the lies you have told me about my body. Iam fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139) and Ihave been created for God’s purpose—not yours.Therefore, Satan, I cast you into the sea and all of theplans that you had for me, never to resurface. Theywill not prosper, for no weapon that is formed againstme shall prosper. Thank You, Lord, for pulling up theroot of the overeating situation and any other productof the enemy’s schemes. At the same time, Isimultaneously release the sweet virtues of Heaveninto my life. I release self-control. I release joy. Irelease freedom to live for Christ, doing what He hascalled me to do. I release clarity of purpose and Iallow Your love to infiltrate the areas that were hurt,broken and bruised because of the lies of the enemy.At the same time, I accept that I am to love myself sothat I can in turn love others, and I thank You forteaching me and helping me to do that. Please give

me, with the guidance of Your Holy Spirit, a dietaryand exercise program tailored especially for me andmy body-one that is based on my past experiencesand present and future needs. Thank You for helpingme to continue this new way of life. In the NameLord Jesus I pray. So be it. Amen.”

Now, please allow me to pray for you: “Dearestomnipotent Father, thank You for creating us. ThankYou for desiring sweet fellowship with us. Thank Youfor salvation. Thank You for Your love for us. Lord, Ipray, in the Name Lord Jesus, for my brother or sisterwho just prayed that prayer with me. Lord, I knowthat it is your desire that each and every one of Yourchildren walk in perfect health, as their soul prospers.And it is definitely my desire, as You have placed thatpassion inside of me. So many of Your children arehurting and their bodies become the conduit of thathurt. Now that Your son or daughter just prayed thisprayer that they would do better at loving themselvesand others, and that the enemy would no longer holdonto them, I thank You for their DELIVERANCE! Ithank you for their PEACE! I thank You for theircompleteness in YOU! Lord, in my spirit, I seemillions of men and women and children no longerslaves to the bondage of overeating, no matter the rootof the situation. And I thank You for starting withthese precious ones who just prayed this prayer withme. Lord, You who are just, mighty and righteous,want nothing more than our love. And this we pray tofreely give to You. Thank You for loving us when wearen’t always so lovable. You are always true to YourWord. Thank You. Now, Father, You said that Youwould provide an out for us whenever we are tempted,so Lord, when these precious ones (including myself)are tempted, I pray that we will see that way out andtake it, without hesitation. Thank You for sending Yoursweet Holy Spirit to remind us that we do not need tofall to temptation. And thank You for His sweet,gentle guidance. Please help us to follow Him.Gratefully, In the Mighty, matchless and righteousName of Jesus we pray. The Name that holds ALLpower. So be it. Amen.

I praise God for you and for your new, free life inChrist! As in all other changes, be sure to support thischange with the Word of God. Remember: With eachlevel there is a new devil. Be ready!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sherise L. Shields is a writer and minister of Christ from LargoMaryland. She attends the Jericho City of Praise, a mightyministry where Jesus is the Lord, which reaches out to hurtingpeople through the Word of God. She has written for manynewspapers, including USA TODAY, The Oakland (Calif.)Tribune and The Kansas City (Mo.) Star. This article is anexcerpt from one of the books she is working on. It wasoriginally written on January 16, 2003, as a personal testimony,and has been amended for immediate publication in VisionsChristian Magazine, Inc.

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How to Raise Our ChildrenIn Christ.The Word of God says that ourchildren are a heritage from God

gate [Deut.11: 19-20] NKJV.This is the Lord’s command to us parentstoday. It demands diligence andconsistency. We therefore teach them theWord by reading it to them always,teaching them memory verses [Iillustrated many interesting ways to teachmemory verses to our children usingvisual aids in my book], and sharing with

them the stories of the heroes of faith. As we diligentlyteach the Word of the Lord to our children always andin accordance to the Lord’s instructions, this will helpour children and us to keep the Word in the midst ofour hearts and in our eyes always. In Hebrews 10: 16The Lord says:“This is the agreement [testament, covenant] that I will set

up and conclude with them after those days,…’I willimprint My laws upon their hearts, and I will inscribe them

on their [minds [on their innermost thoughts andunderstanding]’”

Thus, the Lord will cause His word to beimprinted in their spirits. and He will be teaching themby Himself, guiding them in life through His Wordwhich He deposited in their inner mind. His Word inthem will be a lamp unto their feet and a light untotheir part. And because they are founded on the solidWord of God, they will not depart from the Way theLord Jesus, but they will be fruitful and always flourishlike trees planted by the rivers of water. Those stories of the heroes of faith teach themlessons of perseverance, faithfulness, patience andsteadfastness in spite of pressures. This include thestories of Joseph, the young man who resisted theungodly advances of Potiphar’s wife and was falselyaccused and thrown into prison. He like Danieldetermined in his heart not to defile himself and sinagainst the Lord. Daniel and the three other Hebrewboys also each faced times of great trial, but they alldetermined in their hearts not to deny their faith in theLord in spite of the fiery furnace and the lions’ den.Esther the young Jewish virgin girl who was made thequeen of King of Persia also took a risky step of faithaffirming “If I perish, I perish”, and thus saved her

[Psalm 127:2]. They are “reward” anda “blessing” from Him. He commandsus to “train a child in the way heshould go, and when he is old he willnot depart from it” [Prov.22: 6]. InJohn 14:6, the Lord Jesus says, “I amthe Way, the Truth and the Life…”,and He thus commands us to “suffer”them to come to Him, for of such isthe kingdom of God. This command God gave us overour children is a responsibility, and as a responsibility,we have the authority to raise our children to be theentire the Father has planned them to be. We start by leading them to make the decisionto accept Jesus into their lives to be their Lord andtheir savior as early as they can speak. In my book,How Do We Invest In Our Children?, I gave someillustrations on various visual aids that can help usexplain salvation message to them. This includes theillustrations on the condition of the heart and the life ofthe sinner [the life where Satan reigns as king] beforehe invites the Lord Jesus to be the Lord of his life. Inthe Bible, the Lord Jesus gave illustrations of theprodigal child and the lost coin. The use of the visualaids helps them to understand the condition of the lifewithout Christ and then, invites Him into their lives. Inthis case, we lead them to confess with their mouththe Lordship of the Lord Jesus over their lives, and tobelieve in their hearts that God has raised Him fromthe dead. The Word of God says,If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believein your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you

shall be saved. For with the heart one believes untorighteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto

salvation [Romans 10: 9,10]. Having surrendered their lives to the Lord JesusChrist, we begin to train them in the Way they shouldgo [the Way of the Lord, Who is the Lord JesusHimself]. The Lord God commanded the children ofIsrael concerning His word saying,You shall teach them to your children, speaking unto them

when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way,when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shallwrite them on the doorposts of your house and on your

by Gloria C. Okoroby Gloria C. Okoroby Gloria C. Okoroby Gloria C. Okoroby Gloria C. Okoroq HOW TO INVEST INHOW TO INVEST INHOW TO INVEST INHOW TO INVEST INHOW TO INVEST INOUR CHILDRENOUR CHILDRENOUR CHILDRENOUR CHILDRENOUR CHILDREN


people from the law that was established for thedestruction of all the Jewish people. All these peopletrusted in the Lord in spite of the pressure that cameagainst them to do otherwise, and the Lord faithfullyhonored their faith in Him. This shows that God isfaithful. Our children will therefore learn that God isfaithful and will put their trust in the Lord who willnever disappoint all those who put their trust in Him. In teaching them the Word, we are also mindfulof their environment, the kind of friends they keep andthe things they watch on the television and on theInternet. All these have great influence on theirdevelopment both psychologically and mentally. Manyprograms we see as children programs do not helpthem because of the kind of things such programsteach them. This includes those pokemon shows, andall those shows that teach them lessons on violence,occultism and rebelliousness. When we listen to themclosely at times, we see and hear them role play thosepocket monsters of pokemon, and saying things that arestrange, such as “mesmerize”, “my Psychic powers”,which they all pick from television. All these gamesteach them horrible lessons on occultism, which theLord forbade. Pokemon means pocket monsters whichthey even put in boxes of cereal so that children willalways carry these monsters which would fight forthem against their enemies. This is witchcraft. TheWord of God warns: “There shall not be found amongyou any one who makes his son or his daughter to passthrough the fire, or that useth divination…or a witch…or a wizard…’[Deut.18: 10]. God drove out thoseHittites, Canaanites, and Jebusites from their land andgave their inheritance to His people because of suchpractices. And He warns them not to practice thoseabominable things lest the land vomit them. Theydisobeyed God, and were carried into captivity. Wehave to be careful what we allow our children towatch, pick, or read. They don’t need to watch thoseHarry Potter magic shows or read such books and soforth for all these influence them. Christian childrenvideotapes and software are very good substitutes... As we teach the Word to our children, we alsodepend on the Lord through our prayers to continue todo His great work in their lives. A pastor used to saythat any failure in life is a failure in prayer. Prayer is agreat tool that releases the power of God in our lives,circumstances and in the lives of our children as we

continue to intercede for them. The Lord Jesus, in oneof His parables of the kingdom says:The kingdom of God is like a man who sowed good seed inhis field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy cameand sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. Whenthe wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds alsoappeared. The owner’s servant came and said, “Sir, didn’tyou sow good seed in your field? Where did the weed comefrom?” “An enemy did this,” he replied [Matt. 13: 24-28] An enemy did that because the owner of the fieldwas sleeping. This is what happens in the life of ourchildren when we are not diligent in praying for thespiritual lives of our children. We will not know whenthe enemy will go and sow contrary seed in their lives,which will start manifesting when we cannot controlthem. As we pray diligently for them and listen to theirconversations, the Lord will continue to reveal to us alot of things that is happening in their lives. He will somuch alert us each time the enemy tries to strike intheir lives so that nothing ever takes us unawares. Aswe pray for them, we need to stand on our authority asbelievers and as parents. The Lord says, “My people

perish for lack ofknowledge”. Whenwe understand ourauthorities as childrenof God who have thepower to use thename which is aboveall names – the nameof Jesus, we canstand upright at alltimes. Also the LordJesus says to thebelievers in Luke 10:19, “Behold I havegiven you authorityand power to trampleupon serpents and

scorpions, and [physical and mental strength andability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]:and nothing shall by no means harm you”. Ourauthority as believers is our legal ground to stop theenemy in our lives and the lives of our children. Also,as parents, because the Lord gave us responsibilityover our children, we have authority over them. Thecenturion understood the issue of authority when Heasked the Lord Jesus Christ to speak the Word only,

We start by leading them to make the decision to accept Jesus into their lives to be theirLord and their savior as early as they can speak.



for his servant will be healed. He understood hisauthority as a commander and as one who have all hissubjects under his control. In the same way, the LordJesus has authority over diseases and that the diseaseswould obey the voice of Jesus. The Lord Jesusmarveled on his faith and the centurion’s faith, whichhe placed on the authority of Jesus over diseases,saved him. We parents need to understand that theenemy cannot operate in our children’s life except hegoes through the authority of the parents – that isexcept parents gives him room to do that. Thisincludes fear, anger, frustration, ignorance of the Wordof God and disobedience to the Word of God. But theWord of God warns us not to make any room for theenemy.We are rather to resist him steadfast in faith. This isalso why we need to teach our children to obey theirparents in the Lord as the Word commands them inEph. 6:1-2, so that it will be well with them. For whenthey obey their parents in the Lord, they will stayunder their authority of their parents, which also istheir protection. Let us also remember the place of the bloodof Jesus in our prayers, and the Word of God. Theword says that they overcame him [the enemy throughthe blood of the lamb and the word of theirtestimonies. The word of God in our mouths is theSword of God in our hands. The word {Jesus]defeated him on the cross and the victory of JesusChrist on the cross is our victory.

The Word of God encourages us in ourobedience and our diligence in raising our children inChrist not to be weary in well doing for in due season,we shall reap if we faint not. The Lord shall cause ourchildren to fulfil their destinies and He will reward usparents. Our nation shall be great and God Himselfshall be glorified.

For more information on raising our children in Christ, orderHow Do We Invest In Our Children? by Gloria C. Okoro. [forOrdering information turn to page…]. VCMVCMVCMVCMVCM

We walk by faith and notby sight…

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“We walk by faith and not by sight...”2 Corinthians 5:7

God’s grace and peace to you, my dear brothers andsisters in the Lord,

As you travel on this Christian journey, please know itis my blessing, privilege, and pleasure to have traveledwith you and my, my, my- how the Lord has indeedblessed!God used your Pastor, my dear friend, Rev. Dr. Dianeto be tangible evidence of His answer to my urgentprayer. Thank you seems so inadequate to express allthat is in my heart, perhaps the Lord will reveal to youmy heartfelt appreciation for your role in this phase ofmy journey.

Remember that each step is planned by our Guide,Who is also our Destination as we continue on thisGod-ordained path. He has traveled from the begin-ning to the end of this road, so graciously put us on thepath, and leads us step by step to insure our safearrival (with lots of joy and adventure along the way)!It is not a dull journey !When you seek the Lord for guidance and ask “Lord,which way?” May you hear His voice say, This is theway, walk in it”. Many sojourners have gone beforeus to show us the way, yet so many are lost and can’tfind that way. If we but stay alert to the road signs,encourage those who journey along side us, determineto not take one step off the right way, and invite othersto walk with us, we can hasten the day that level pathscan be made for other travelers.

Please keep a journal so that when we met again onthe next leg of this journey, I will know all the details ofyour travels. My heart rejoices in anticipation of allthat we will share. In the meantime, know that theLord longs to be gracious to you and that He rises toshow you compassion on your journey.

Numbers 6: 24-26,Your sister and roadmate, Penelope White

ScriptureScriptureScriptureScriptureScripture“Commit your way to the“Commit your way to the“Commit your way to the“Commit your way to the“Commit your way to the

LORD, trust also in Him, andLORD, trust also in Him, andLORD, trust also in Him, andLORD, trust also in Him, andLORD, trust also in Him, andHe shal bring it to pass”He shal bring it to pass”He shal bring it to pass”He shal bring it to pass”He shal bring it to pass”

Psalm 37:5Psalm 37:5Psalm 37:5Psalm 37:5Psalm 37:5

by Penelope A. Whiteby Penelope A. Whiteby Penelope A. Whiteby Penelope A. Whiteby Penelope A. Whiteq


by Rickey E. Macklinby Rickey E. Macklinby Rickey E. Macklinby Rickey E. Macklinby Rickey E. Macklinq“JUST ST“JUST ST“JUST ST“JUST ST“JUST STAND”AND”AND”AND”AND”

nbeknown to most Christians,spiritual attacks are waged against useveryday of our lives. Unfortunately, out of

ignorance we commit to fighting a spiritual battle usingcarnal methods. We quickly forget the principle Jesusshared with Nicodemus. Although the content of thispassage of scripture deals with being born again, Jesusmakes it plain that there are two natures at workwithin man. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “That which isborn of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of theSpirit is spirit.” (John 3:6)

You must understand that your fight is not against thedevil per se. The Lord Jesus has already made an openshow of him, and he is a defeated foe. Your battle isagainst his wiles, tricks, deceptions, illusions, concealmentof the truth, and the evil spirits that he sends onassignment to your life. Say — you’ve been around fora long time and you know every trick in the book? Well,my dear friend, I submit to you that Satan has beenaround much longer. He has 6,000 years of experienceunder his belt. He’s been studying mankind from theGarden of Eden - through the crucifixion of Jesus - toour present age. He knows every trick in the book as itrelates to pulling man off course. Don’t fool yourself!Listen to Paul’s words to the Corinthians who thoughtthey had arrived at a specific mark in life.

I Corinthians 10:1212 - Wherefore let him that thinketh he standethtake heed lest he fall.

So then, Satan operates undisturbed by your ideas ofspiritual awareness - regardless of your title or age. Hefocuses most of his attention on your mind. It is his desireto allure you to question your identity. You see, if he canget you to question your identity, then he can and will usethis to cause you to forfeit the inheritance that the LordJesus has made available to you. However, the Biblesays that the devil is a liar and the father of them. (John8:44) We cannot continue to succumb to the devil’s lies.We must walk in the truth of whom God has called us

and by faith in Him, allowing Him to bring us to Hisexpected end. These two principles of spiritual warfaredemands us to study the Word of God to discover whowe are and what God has predestined us to become inHim.

The word of God tells us in Hosea 4:6 that God’s peopleare destroyed for the lack of knowledge. This does awaywith the old adage, “what you don’t know won’t hurtyou”. The truth of the matter is “what you don’t knowcould kill you”. We must understand that there is aconstant battle going on and that as Christians, we cannotjust sit back and expect to gain the victory. Please, keepthis principle in mind: There can be no victory withoutconfrontation. As my Late Bishop, James R. PeeblesSr., would say, “That which you compromise you aregoing to lose” and “if you don’t stand for what’s right,you will fall for anything.”

I wrote the book “God’s Whole Armor” out of my veryown struggles with right and wrong. As a Christian andone brought up in the church from youth, I understoodGod’s requirements from his people but how to performthem I found rather difficult even at the age of nine.Well, some years later after graduating from college Ijoined the US Navy. At that point, I did not realize thatGod was going to teach me a lesson that I would neverforget. During the time that I joined we were engagedin the Gulf War. God began to teach me through thevictory we won in the Gulf how to win wars.

What I discovered was that we win wars because of the5 P’s principle I had heard someone quoted years ago.“Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance” The USwin wars not just because we have the latest and greatestweaponry and have been trained well in how to use them,but also because we study our enemies, learning of theirstrengths and vulnerabilities. I would have to apply thesesame principles to our enemy the devil to be as victorious.

Well, this was good for me but the burden was notremoved because many other Christians I knew wereexperiencing this same struggle. Thereby the book wasbirthed. This book discusses with practical application:

ArArArArArmy of the Lormy of the Lormy of the Lormy of the Lormy of the Lorddddd

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(1) Who is our enemy?(2) What is in the mind of our enemy?(3) When will our enemy attack?(4) Where is our enemy located?(5) How will our enemy attack?(6) Why does our enemy so desperately want todestroy us?

Now, I do want you to realize that you have an enemywhose name is Satan and the Devil but he goes underseveral aliases. Some of which are “the anointed cherub,”“son of the morning,” “angel of light.” Other namesinclude Abaddon, the accuser of the brethren, theadversary, Apollyon, Beelzebub, Belial, the dragon, theenemy, father of lies, god of this world, King of Babylon,ancient serpent, prince of the power of the air, son ofperdition, the tempter, the wicked one and the devil. Theword devil is an English translation of the Greek worddiabolos, which means to slander. But you mustunderstand that you have power over all the power ofthe enemy. Let’s take a look at Luke 10:19,20.

19 - Behold, I give unto you power to tread onserpents and scorpions, and over all the power ofthe enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.20 - Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spiritsare subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because yournames are written in heaven.

The first power mentioned in verse 19 comes from theGreek word exousia which means authority and thesecond comes from the Greek word eunamis whichmeans ability and might. Jesus is saying unto us thateven though the enemy has power you must understandthat it is limited. You ask me how I know? Becauseevery thing that is created has limitations. The only entitythat is not limited is God Himself. He alone is Jehovah -the Self-existing One. So, Jesus says that I have givenunto you authority (the usage of the name Lord Jesus)over all of the ability of the enemy (Mark 16:17,18). Jesusgoes on to set the record straight by saying that this knownfact is nothing to get excited about (demons and evilspirits are suppose to listen to you). But if you are goingto get excited, get excited over the fact that your nameis written in the Lambs book of life!

Now, Soldier you need to get into the word of God andfind out who you are and what has been made availableunto you. And as I use this term soldier I do not use itlightly because the biblical phrase that identified a manas a soldier was that he “drew the sword.”

1 Chronicles 21:55 - And Joab gave the sum of the number of thepeople unto David. And all they of Israel were athousand thousand and an hundred thousandmen that drew sword: and Judah was fourhundred threescore and ten thousand men thatdrew sword.

For the Christian, the sword is the only piece of offensiveweapon he has. Yet like the Hebrew writer puts it, theword of God is sharper than any two-edged sword!(Hebrews 5:12) So if you are not drawing your swordyou cannot be considered a soldier.

In Genesis 1:26-27, God created mankind in his imageand likeness and gave them dominionship over all theworks of his hand. Then in Psalm 115:16, He furtherreiterates this by saying that the heaven belongs to himbut the earth has he given to the sons of man. God hasliterally taken the title/deed to planet earth and has put itin the hands of his most capable sons and daughters tooccupy it until he returns. And hey, just like Daddy Godrules heaven we should also be ruling earth. We shouldwalk like him; make decrees like him; act like him; andlove like him. In Matthew 18:18 Jesus says that I havegiven unto you the keys. The keys represent a few things– two of which are access and authority. Now, here’sa problem that many have. They have allowed the enemyto come up in their God-given homes; sit back in theirGod-given lazy boy chairs; prop his feet up on their God-given stools and command the believer bring him a drinkfrom their God-given refrigerator. But the Devil is aLiar! You must arrive at the point where you can boldlysay that, you’ve had enough of that stuff – kick the devilout and command the peace of God in your home – inthe name Lord Jesus! So how does he get in there in thefirst place? Remember that he’s the master deceiver.When I was a little boy, I remember the older folks sayingthat if you aren’t a good little boy “the devil is gonnagitcha!” I was told that he lives way down under theground in a place called hell, and that he had a long forkwith a sharp end which he used to rule Hell. They saidhe was an ugly old creature that was black and red andhad a long tail that followed behind him. They also said,“Be good or else the Boogie Man is gonna gitcha!”However, when I became grown, I found out to myultimate surprise that the devil could be bodaciously fine!There are times when he has the body of a sculpture’sdream; and then walks with the grace like the stroke ofan eagle’s wing. We must not forget that the word ofGod describes Satan as an angel of light. What am I


saying? Don’t be fooled! The devil knows how tocamouflage the hook by putting the right kind of bait onit. He will also adjust the bait accordingly. According towhat? According to your desires.

As a believer however, remember that God would nothave you ignorant of Satan’s devices – his plans and hismodes of attack. What is his desire? His desire is todistract you in an attempt to take you out of the fight.What is a distraction? It is simply, a momentary toolused by the devil to pull you out of the presence of God.How shall he get you off the battlefield? Let’s see …how about sicknesses? Loneliness? Death? Suffering?Tragedy? Women? Men? Ungodly positions? The lottery?Family members? – I believe you got it! All of theseare attacks on who you are and who God has ordainedfor you to be. He manipulates situations andcircumstances that bring distractions to set you up forthe kill. But again, I say unto you that God would nothave you ignorant. Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 – 18says to stand. It reminds me of what one famousgentleman called God. He referred to God as the“Unmoved Mover”. God says I want you to respondlike me when things began to happen in your life – beunmovable and unmoved. When sickness does visit your

body – when you experience a bad marriage – whenyour children become unruly, be determined within yourspirit not to be moved. Regardless of the situation – juststand! For you football fans, it reminds me of what mycoach use to tell us down in the red-zone; we called itgoal-line defense. We would defend our goal line at anycost. Sure the battle will intensify at times – sure the evildays will come but when we suit up with the whole armorof God, we receive God’s ability to STAND. Paul tellsTimothy in his second letter to endure hardness as a goodsolider of Jesus Christ. Then he states why. He saysbecause no man that warreth entangles himself with theaffairs of this life – because he has the prime mission toplease Him (God) who has called him to be a soldier!After you’ve done all you can, Just STAND! VCMVCMVCMVCMVCM

“From childhood you have known the“From childhood you have known the“From childhood you have known the“From childhood you have known the“From childhood you have known theHoly Scriptures, which are able toHoly Scriptures, which are able toHoly Scriptures, which are able toHoly Scriptures, which are able toHoly Scriptures, which are able to

make you wise for salvation throughmake you wise for salvation throughmake you wise for salvation throughmake you wise for salvation throughmake you wise for salvation throughfaith which is in Christ Jesus.”faith which is in Christ Jesus.”faith which is in Christ Jesus.”faith which is in Christ Jesus.”faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

2 Timothy 3:152 Timothy 3:152 Timothy 3:152 Timothy 3:152 Timothy 3:15

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WHO I AM IN CHRIST

Composed by Brother Chicago G. LongComposed by Brother Chicago G. LongComposed by Brother Chicago G. LongComposed by Brother Chicago G. LongComposed by Brother Chicago G. Long

Who are you? I’m the righteousness of God, in through, by and because of Christ Jesus, I am an heir ofGod, I am a joint heir with Jesus Christ, I am more than a conqueror, I am a soldier In the army of the

Lord, I’ve got my feet shod in andWith the preparation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I’ve got a helmet of salvation, the breast plates ofrighteousness, I’ve grown a great shield of faith, above all I’ve got the word of God that stands on Itsown, Its sharper than a double edge sword, I command over 72,000 angels, I am a prayer warrior, InThe spirit and in the natural, I am indeed a worshipper, I control my atmosphere with God’s praise, I

been given the keys to heaven, that whatso-ever I bind onEarth shall be bound in heaven, I am the Image of God, I’m created in HisLikeness to do like things, I’m purpose filled, spirit filled, I’m full of the

Faith, God has giving me great talents and wisdom and I use it to his glory, I amThe called, I am a peculiar person, I am a royal priesthood and a holy nation,

I am a child of the most High God, I am the light of the world, I am rooted andGrounded in the word of God, I am God’s hands and feet; reaching out and walking

Out to this dead world, I am humble, I am meek, and I am slow to speak that which I want toSay and swift to hear what thus smith the Lord, to say to myself or to minister.

I am a flame of fire, I am good, I am great, I am all that God says I am, I amA servant of the great I am, I am patient, I am loving, I am my brother’s keeper,

I am forgiving, I am God’s anointed, I am heavily equipped and dangerouslyLoaded with the word of God, ready to rightfully divide it and speak it in love,

I am compassionate and I do have the mind of Christ, therefore I am a leader inThe kingdom of the most High and holy God................I am not like anybodyElse but my Heavenly Father ........God bless !! And peace be unto you in theName of the Lord of lords and King of kings! Now go give God some praise!

Just for who you are! And who He is to you!

Chicago

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qby L.C. Tardy

irst, we as brethren have confessed with our mouths the Lord Jesus Christ, and believed in ourhearts that God has raised Him from the dead. Romans 10:9. Now we also have trusted andheard the “Word of Truth,” the gospel of our salvation. We have believed and now we are

sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is our inheritance. Ephesians 1:13. We are brought with aprice, and our peace have been paid for by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, by grace we aresaved, and we walk not as children of disobedience, but as Children of God. “We are raised up togetherand seated in heavenly places with the Lord Jesus Christ.” “We are no longer gentiles in the flesh, noraliens from the commonwealth of Israel, or strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope,and with out God in the world.” “ Through Christ we have access by one Spirit to the Father.” “We arebuilt upon the foundation of the Apostles,” Ephesians 2:20, who have been called to setup the church, thePastor, who is the under Shepard lead by the Chief Shepard, the Teachers, who breaks down the “Word,” forapplication, the Prophets, who hears from God. We as brethren grow into a holy temple in the Lord. Sincewe have tasted the “Grace of God,” we should no longer be “babes,” in Christ, and need to put aside allmalice, guile, hypocrisy, envies and evil speakings, and let no corrupt communication proceed from ourmouths, but build up a Spiritual house, a holy priesthood, and offer up Spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God byJesus Christ. Growth is a must and a requirement in God’s work. Paul let us know that it is not enoughjust having imparted into our spirit eternal life, but we need to grow so that the works of God will bemanifested in our lives. Hebrews 6:1-2. Therefore, those Apostles, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers andProphets who are chosen by God for the Saints to be perfected through the working of their ministry, for theedifying of the body of Christ, who also are Leaders. Ephesians 4:11. We as saints will learn from ourleaders, to come into the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, untothe measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We need to grow from “Childhood,” having not aweak-will, unstable, unreliable, wavering, and changeable spirit, nor torn between the carnal (fleshly)and the spiritual things, attempting to worship God by clinging to the things of the world, nor beingtossed to and fro, carried away with every wind of doctrine, Ephesians 4:14, but we will grow up in ChristJesus from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies,according to the effectual working in the measure of every part that makes increase of the body to theedifying of itself in love, and Christ will dwell in our hearts by “Faith,” so that we will be rooted and groundedin love. Therefore, we must understand that it is through “Faith,” acting on God’s Word, that we nowunderstand that the worlds were framed by the “Word of God,” so that things which are seen were not madeof things which do appear. So “Faith,” is the substance, belief, trust and loyalty. We now believe that He(GOD ) is. Therefore, we can trust in the things we hope for, because our “Faith,” is the evidence of thingsnot seen, and the things that we believe in God for will come forth. But without faith it is impossible toplease him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them thatdiligently seek him. Hebrews 11: 6. Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great acloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let usrun with patience the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12.

HOW DO I GROW?F

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2003 Standard edition