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The Walking In My God Given Authority (WIMGGA) blog was created to Encourage, Equip and Empower all Women of God everywhere.  As women we have a hefty load to carry in life and sometimes the load binds us or keeps us stuck in certain positions or places.  Unfortunately, we often accept this predicament of bondage as we become complacent where we are by settling for less instead of breaking free from everything and everyone that binds us. 

Jeremiah 29:11 states, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Based upon this declaration it was never God's intent that we stay stuck in a place of bondage.  His desire is to prosper us as we continuously trust and rely upon Him. 

This is a place where the Word of God is used as the weapon to break yokes of bondage off of women, God's daughters.  Here you will find transparency and truth so liberation can be received by all who dare to want it.  No longer do we want to merely claim liberation but we want to actually possess it.  Together we will accomplish this goal by activating and walking in our God given authority. We shall degree and declare we have the power to overcome and win every battle within us and against the enemy.   

Matthew 10:1 states, "Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness."  The same authority Jesus gave to the twelve disciples, He has freely given to us as women and His daughters.  All we have to do is... Walk It Out!

Lady J's Inspirations
Wednesday, April 08 2020
Jesus Is Alive

As Christians, this week represents our most sacred time of the year... Holy Week and Resurrection Sunday!!!  Before I go any further, I just have to take a moment to say Thank You Jesus!!!  My God, I am grateful for Calvary and even more grateful for His resurrection... That is exactly what this week is all about, being grateful for the death, burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  One more time... THANK YOU JESUS!!!

We have celebrated this sacred time year after year for centuries yet, I think we can all say that this year's celebration will be one for the ages.  We are currently in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic and many are calling for the cancellation of the Easter celebration.  Due to the number of people affected by this virus we are under governmental orders to stay at home.  As a result, most won't be able to attend the usual Easter egg hunts, they won't be able to go to the mall to get pictures taken with the Easter bunny nor they be able to wear their fancy Easter clothes to church because many churches are also closed due to this pandemic. 

Although Easter may be canceled this year, the Resurrection celebration is NOT canceled!!! Oh no my brothers and my sisters, we should be more determined than ever to give God our BEST praise and worship for the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!!! To be totally honest, this pandemic  has made me more appreciative of what He did for us... My God!!! He took my place on that cross... He took your place too.  Because we are sinful by nature, we were sentenced to death.  But, God sent His Son, Jesus to die in our place because He loved us so much.  Jesus paid the ultimate price for us because we were not able to pay the price for ourselves.  Just imagine going to an upscale restaurant and you order the most expensive items on the menu.  After you finish eating you go to pay the bill but you don't have enough money and someone comes and says I will pay it for you...  Without hesitation or question this person pays "your" hefty bill that you couldn't afford to pay and you are free to go without paying.  My, my, my that would be a reason to be eternally grateful.    

Not only did He take our place and pay our debt but He was nailed to the cross with all of our infirmaties. Isaiah 53:4 says, Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.  He carried the weight of the world on that cross with Him and there is no way we could've carried that much weight.  We have issues carrying the weight of not being able to pay our electric bill, car payment or mortage payment let alone our sicknesses or diseases.  As He carried that cross and as He was nailed to the cross every pain, disease and illness was added to His weight.  The weight he carried on the cross with him was waaaaaaayyyyyyy too much for any of us to bear.  

I am so glad He was strong enough to carry it all.  That means that every sickness and disease has been conquered due to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Even this Coronavirus is subject to the cross and we are healed!!! This Holy Week reminds us just how powerful our God is!!! The leaders of the world have no clue and they are going by trial and error to find the solution to the world's problems.  But I know Jesus for myself and He healed me from Stage 3 cancer and He is able to heal this land from this horrible virus.  I truly believe He wanted to get our attention so we could turn our hearts back to him especially during this time of year.

He has my attention, not just during this virus but even more so after we come out of it!!! So, on this Resurrection Sunday I am committed to giving God my best praise even in the confinement of my own home.  I will reflect and celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior as if I was in my church building because my praise is not contingent on a location.  I am determined to praise God anywhere and everywhere I go because I owe my life to Him and I owe Him the praise!!!  If you believe like I do, come out of this confinement more committed to God because of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us all.  

Lady J

Posted by: Lady J AT 12:00 am   |  Permalink   |  1 Comment  |  Email
Wednesday, April 01 2020
Encouragement is Necessary

By nature I am an encourager.  I love to speak life into people when they are hurting, feeling sad and on the verge of giving up.  It is easy for me to find the words and prayers to uplift and encourage others however, if I am totally honest it was not as easy for me to encourage myself.  I believe many of us have struggled with encouragement in one form or another.  Either we find it hard to encourage others or we find it hard to encourage ourselves. 

One thing I know for sure is that all of us, regardless of race, gender or age, we need encouragement.  Thus, it is paramount that we work on our encouragement skills as they relate to others and ourselves.  A continued lack in the ability to encourage can have a detrimental impact on someone’s spiritual, physical, mental and/or emotional growth.  I am at a point in my life where I no longer want to be responsible for stopping or stunting anyone’s growth.  A lack of encouragement has caused many people to give up and quit assignments prematurely or caused them to give up on living life. 

We have to encourage so we won’t have unfulfilled purposes or assignments in the earth realm.  Encouragement is also necessary so we won’t have “zombies” or people just existing in this world and not living.  So many are going through this life without encouragement to seek or fulfill their purpose.  Not a nary nother person do I want to loose on my watch!!!  Although I don’t have the power to save, heal, deliver or set free, I do have the power to encourage. 

Encouragement is synonymous with support.  You could say giving encouragement is simply supporting someone by giving confidence or hope to do something or to continuing to do something, especially if the result will be beneficial to the person.  Today, I want to encourage each and every one of you to stay the course.  I encourage you to not quit or give up prematurely on your assignment because someone in this world is depending on you to be successful.  I encourage you to live out your true purpose in life so you can hear the Lord say “Well Done My Good and Faithful Servant.”  You can do it! Whatever, your “it” is, keep striving through all of the obstacles and endure until the end because the reward will be worth it.  Be Encouraged!!!

Lady J

Posted by: Lady J AT 12:00 am   |  Permalink   |  0 Comments  |  Email
Wednesday, May 08 2019
Taming The Tongue

My husband and I officially launched a new ministry on December 31, 2018 at our first Watch Night Service.  The vision for the ministry, as God gave it to my husband was to Encourage, Equip and Empower the people of God with the Word of God.  Basically, our mission is to help people mature in God by teaching them how to love God through the daily application of His Word.  The main thing we realized as we were preparing to launch was we had to be first partarkers.  Meaning, everything we teach we must be the examples! Many times, we as people do not merely do what others "tell" us to do but we do what others "show" us to do. Back in the day I learned in a psychology class that behaviors are learned so we mimic what we see and what we have been taught. Trust me this change in the life of my husband and I is requiring a heavy commitment from us and it is requiring some serious praying and studying of God's Word daily. We realized we could no longer be bound by the same issues that had us bound 15, 20, 30+ years ago.  If we want to be effective in helping the people of God mature, we had to mature first!!!

This brings me to the topic of Taming the Tongue. We need the Lord to help us tame our tongues because spiritual homicides and spiritual suicides are occuring rapidly and exponentially due to our untamed tongues. I do not know about you but one spiritual death is too many for me and I no longer want any part of killing someone else spiritually nor do I want to experience spiritual death from within me.  Therefore, as the Body of Christ, we have to do a better job of following Jesus' example when it comes to speaking to and speaking about others ourselves.  This even applies to people who don't like you and it applies to people who you don't like.  Watch what you say.  

James 1:26 states, "Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless." Let's just pause there for one second and reread that verse... Wow!!! This verse hits right to the heart of this matter.  This reminds me of several questions I heard a preacher ask a long time ago, "Are there any cussers in the house? Are there any gossipers in the house? Are there any liars in the house? Are there any backbiters in the house? You get the point... Just take a moment with me and say "Lord, help me with the things that come out of my mouth!!!

God with His Omniscient Power knew the small muscle in our mouths would bring us so many problems that He speaks about the tongue throughout the Bible. Let's take a closer look at some of the scriptures relating to our tongues or speech. Proverbs 20:19 "A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much." How long ago was the Bible written? (rhetorical question...lol) This verse still holds true to today!!!  How many people are in your inner circle who talk way too much?  How many people in your inner circle can't keep a secret? How many people in your inner circle got an opinion about everything and everybody else but nothing to say about themselves or their own situations?  The Bible tells us to avoid those people yet, we continue to hang around with them talking way too much. 

Proverbs 18:6-7 says "The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating. The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives." The sad part of all of this is that we have become so comfortable with negative speech that we literally entertain and allow the spirit of pride to take residency in our temples.  Instead of seeking God for guidance or thinking before we speak, we just keep on talking foolishly.  Our children are learning these bad traits from us and it is going from generation to generation, house to house, church to church, city to city and having a huge impact on the Kingdom. 

Psalms 34:13 says "keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies." We must do a better job of not speaking evil into the lives of our own children and most importantly God's children.  Furthermore, we must stop the lying!!! Let's just get a clear understanding,  a lie is a lie!!! There are no little lies compared to big lies.  There is no truth or reason for even telling a so-called little white lie.  The truth can stand alone all by itself it needs no assistance nor any fluffing.  Although it may be painful, the truth is necessary to set people free from the bondage of negative speaking.    

Now, I want to provide some practical and applicable ways we can tame our tongues.  First, stop hanging around people who mainly gossip and talk too much.  Simply change the company you keep and watch your speech begin to change.  Next, as you let go of the wrong type of people to keep company with, find some new people like you who are serious about Kingdom business and pleasing God. Ask them to hold you accountable for the type of language you use even when you become upset.  I must note, this type of company will tell you the truth and you may not want to hear it but you have to be prepared to accept it and make the necessary changes. Also, begin to read the many scriptures about the tongue and how powerful it is.  Read what God says we should do and what we should not do with our tongues and begin to make conscientious decisions to change the way you talk. 

Ladies, we may slip up every now and then with the words that come out of our mouths.  However, if we make a commitment to change,  the slip ups will be way less than the daily habits we formed from our old way of talking.  Thus, as I conclude just imagine the collective impact of starting a movement to change the way we talk? The world as we know it would be completely different.  If we spoke the Word of God more than we gossip, slander and lie, our families, churches and communities would become stronger and united.  Our husbands would show more love to us, our children would obey us more, our co-workers would have more respect for us and we would see an enourmous amount of growth in the Body of Christ.  Let's make it happen and together we can change the world!!!

Lady J  

Posted by: Lady J AT 12:00 am   |  Permalink   |  2 Comments  |  Email
Wednesday, April 17 2019
Temporal vs Eternal

This upcoming Sunday we will celebrate Easter Sunday or as I prefer to say, Resurrection Sunday.  Resurrection Sunday commemorates our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ being raised from the dead as King of the Spiritual Kingdom.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ further established Him as the only all-powerful Son of God who has authority over everything including death.  Because of the resurrection, followers of Christ become born again or spiritually resurrected with Him so that we no longer live life after the flesh or the systems of the world as slaves to sin.  Instead, we live our lives through faith according to His Spirit as we receive eternal salvation from our sins and we receive salvation from the penalty of sin which brings death to our spirits. 

In addition, Resurrection Sunday culminates the most sacred week of the year also known as Holy Week. Although Holy Week ends on Sunday, it actually began on last Sunday which was Palm Sunday. Christians throughout the world celebrated Palm Sunday to commemorate the triumphal entry of Jesus riding a donkey's colt into Jerusalem as a King. This entry into the city was significant because the people gave praise and adoration to Jesus by waving palm trees and crying out Hosanna which simply means salvation has come. You see, the people were only praising and celebrating Jesus because they believed He came to save or deliver them from the laws of the Roman authorities.  They believed He was a King coming to lead them in a revolt against Rome to establish a kingdom of their own.  They had no idea He was coming as King to save them from sin. In Luke 19:42-44 Jesus weeps because He knew the crowd had no clue of the thing that would really bring them peace on earth despite adoration of Him. They didn't recognize that God himself was right there with them and because of their blindness they would suffer even more at the hands of their enemies. They were more concerned about the temporal things of their lives and not the eternal things. 

Truth be told, at times we behave just like the cheering crowds from back then over 2000 years ago.  We mainly want Jesus to simply deliver us from people or things that causes us problems, or you know those other temporal things we desire.  We want a miracle when we don't have any money to pay our bills, we want increase in our finances, we want the pain to stop when we are heartbroken, we want our bodies healed when we receive a bad report from the doctor, we want a new job, a new car, a new house, we want God to handle the person who antagonizes us, we want him to fix our relationships, we want the newest hairdos and clothes, we want to live the glamorous life, we want everyone to like us and be our friends, etc., etc., etc. All of these things will fade, go away or even end.  Yet, we rarely seek or ask Him to help us with the things that will last forever like the condition of our spirit and the understanding of applying His Word in our lives so we are adequately prepared for our eternal homes in Heaven.  

Heaven is a major part of the Spiritual Kingdom King Jesus came to establish. Colossians 3:1-2 explains what Jesus really wanted the cheering crowd to understand.  Regarding the condition of our spirits it states, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." They were so worried and concerned about their earthly desires that they never set their affection on the more important things such as the place where their spirits would spend eternity.  For further insight to this point, you can go and read the entire third chapter of Colossians so you can understand the specifics of "how" to set your affections on things above.  By doing this, you can receive your full spiritual inheritance when you transition from the earth into Heaven. 

Personally, I was one who mainly focused on my temporal problems and desires with little to no focus on my spiritual inheritence in Heaven. Like many of you, Heaven was a place that seemed light years away so I really had a lack of knowledge and understanding.  This lack of knowledge and understanding caused me to fall short in my spiritual walk with God.  But, taking the time to study about the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus has helped me prioritize my life.  I am now more cognizant of the importance of living a life pleasing to my King.  He is not merely a Deliverer of my temporal problems but He is the Savior of my eternal salvation, He is the Lord of my life and He is the King of my home on earth as well as the King of my home Heaven. 

This knowledge has helped me to better endure my temporary problems because they are nothing but a light thing compared to the things I shall have in eternity.  Romans 8:18 says, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Furthermore, Isaiah 53:5-6 clearly explains, But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  Even though I go through many trials and tribulations I have an assurance that I shall overcome them because of Jesus' death on the cross.  I have a hope that all of the negativity in this world is not going to overtake me because Jesus died and He rose again to set us free from the bondage of sin and from the attacks of the enemy.  He also established a Kingdom where I shall live forever and there will be nothing but joy, peace, praise and love.  No more sickness, fears or worries but I shall rejoice forever.   

As we are in the midst of Holy Week, let's get a full understanding and appreciation for what God did for us by sending Jesus to die for our sins and to prepare a glorious place for us to dwell in eternity with Him.  Let's reflect on the things of God and His Kingdom and what we need to do to ensure we get there and receive our full inheritence.  Let's work on the areas in our lives that are blocking or hindering relationship with God.  Let's do a pulse check on our spiritual being by setting our affections on the eternal things and not the merely the temporal things. Let's not limit our appreciation and affections to just one week out of the year, but let's work on this thing 52 weeks a year on a daily basis.  Believe it or not, the authority Jesus possessed to overcome the world is the same authority He has given to us to overcome and to experience Heaven here on earth. We just have to keep our minds stayed on Him.  Go to church on Sunday and worship God like you never have before and give Him ALL the Praise, ALL the Glory, ALL the Honor and ALL the Adoration because He is Worthy of it ALL!!! 

If it had not been for the Lord on my side... Without Jesus I am nothing... He didn't have to do it BUT He did... I can do ALL things through Christ that strengthens me... I am more than a conqueror... My God shall supply all of my needs... My, my, my I have a praise rising in my spirit right now... Thank You Jesus!!!

Lady J

Posted by: Lady J AT 12:00 am   |  Permalink   |  1 Comment  |  Email
Wednesday, April 10 2019
Lack of Spiritual Discipline Part 3

Ladies, this will be the last part of the series "Lack of Spiritual Discipline".   Please understand spiritual discipline is vital to us becoming whole.  Wholeness consists of being spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physcially healthy.  I previously wrote about the importance of reading and applying God's Word on a daily basis because this is where spiritual discipline begins.  I also discussed the importance of bringing our souls under the subjection to the Spirit of God which dwells within us. Both of these areas require discipline and in the prior postings I provided straightforward and uncomplicated ways to assist you.   

Now, in part 3 of this series I want to make it known that discipline is such an extensive topic that it cannot be limited to one or two areas.  In fact whatever area you can think of, discipline is required!!! No matter if it is loving, reading, praising, fasting, praying, worshipping, talking, spending, saving, exercising, working, resting, eating, drinking, teaching, learning, warring, etc.  You name it and it requires some form of discipline so writing a million blogs will never cover all aspects of this expansive topic.  The great news is you can find help in the Bible for any and every area of your life lacking discipline.  

The need for discipline in every area of my life really hit home for me on this past weekend.  My husband had to take me to the emergency room due to symptoms related to high blood pressure.  At one point my pressure read 204/115 and the other readings were not much lower than that.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), consistency in these type of readings is considered the most severe form of high blood pressure which could lead to death, heart attack, stroke, organ failure, etc. Let me pause for one moment... James 5:14-15 clearly states, "Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up."

I definitely believe in the healing power of God!!!  However, I do not believe He is required to nor will He simply do everything for me.  There is some accountability on my part which is where discipline comes to light.  Yes, this applies to me the main one writing blog posts about discipline is what the Lord had to remind me.  I have to be more disciplined in taking my prescribed medication as well as eating and exercising appropriately.  Having Faith only is not enough!  Please read James 2:14-26, it speaks about Faith without works is dead!  Some of you may have undisciplined eating habits, lack of exercise, not getting enough rest, working too hard or too much, drinking too much, especially alcholic beverages and sodas, unhealthy eating or any other things that can cause sickness or diseases in your body.  Please listen to your body, read the scriptures for healing, activate your faith and prayers but by all means please go see a doctor and become more disciplined in your eating, drinking and exercising.  

Another area I feel led to discuss is the tongue.  Trust me, this was definitely another undisciplined area of struggle for me.  Although I have grown from how I used to be in my speech, my tongue is still a work in progress.  Proverbs 18:21 says, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."  Our tongues can either bring healing to a situation or it can bring death to it.  Some of us speak so much negativity that we have talked ourselves into a depressed and desolate state.  Many of us have even resorted to gossip, lies and cursings not realizing that we bring it all back on us as we speak those things out of our mouths. 

I am not too naive to believe that everything is perfect and there are no areas of disappointment or discouragement in your life.  We all face trails and tribulations on a regular basis.  But, I believe we can overcome the negative with more positive speaking instead of negatively speaking.  Our God is bigger than any problems we face so we have to speak the Word instead of always talking about the problems.  If you are always saying negative things about your husband to everybody then your marriage will more than likely end or become loveless.  If you keep speaking negative things about your children then more than likely they will remain in their wayward state.  If you keep speaking negative things about your job then more than likely you will continue to hate going to work. If you keep speaking sickness and not healing then more than likely you will stay sick.  I don't know about you but I am more purposeful about the discipline of my tongue! I speak life for me and my family, I speak health and wellness, I speak truth, I speak wealth, I speak wholeness and despite what it looks like or even feels like, I speak the Word of God over every trial and situation I go through in the Name of Jesus... 

As I conclude, I must reiterate I have only covered a few areas where discipline is necessary.  There are a plethora of other areas that are just too many to discuss.  Thus, I encourage you to identify any and every area in your life lacking discipline.  Whether it be your eating habits, exercise routines, your tongue and speech, prayer, church attendance, finances, balanced living, etc., no matter what it may be, ask God to reveal your undisciplined areas and begin the process of working on these areas one step at a time using His Word as the guide to aid you.  If we do not become more disciplined in every area of our lives we risk the loss of blessings, opportunities and for some our very lives.  The truth of the matter, we all have something to work on.  Let's hold each other accountable and help one another become better so we can all win! 

Lady J

Posted by: Lady J AT 12:00 am   |  Permalink   |  2 Comments  |  Email
Wednesday, April 03 2019
Lack of Spiritual Discipline Part 2

Ladies, last time I wrote I discussed the importance of spiritual discipline and how God had to remind me that everything spiritual begins with His Word.  We must demonstrate discipline in both the reading and the application of His Word if we want to sustain our spiritual growth.  Remember, just as we eat food at least 2-3 times a day we must spiritually eat the Word at least 2-3 times a day.  If you have not already done so, here are a few suggestions to help establish this process; you can set timers on your phone as reminders, you can read the bible while you are actually eating one of your meals, you can have an accountability partner remind you and read with you, etc.  Basically, whatever routine works best for you just incorporate it into your daily routines. 

 Although spiritual discipline begins with the Word of God, reading His Word is not the only thing that needs discipline. One area in particular that has caused me havoc and chaos is having an undisciplined soul.  As you recall, our mind/thoughts, our emotions/feelings and our will/desires are all housed within our soul.  At times in my life the thoughts in my mind have been contrary to God’s Word. Instead of casting those thoughts down I let them take root in my mind.  Most of these thoughts were lies told to me by the enemy that were like seeds planted in the ground of my mind taking root and growing. 

John 8:44 explains that the enemy was a murderer from the beginning not holding any truth and he speaks nothing but lies and he is the father of all lies. You must understand that the enemy has limited power compared to God.  He cannot read our minds or thoughts but he can and does speak lies and we have the free will to choose whether or not we will accept or reject those lies.  For example, as a woman I sometimes battled with the notion that I was not good enough or worthy of my blessings.  The enemy would plant seeds such as, you are not qualified for this, you do not have enough experience, you do not deserve this, you won't make it, you don't have what it takes, you don't have enough money, etc., etc., etc.  All of these thoughts were nothing but lies and many times throughout my life I found myself believing the lies instead of the truth. 

The Bible is the truth and it clearly explains in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 that God chooses the foolish over the wise, the weak over the strong and the lowly and despised because He doesn't want us to get it twisted by boasting that our strength or knowledge got us anything.  I now recognize that He chose to bless and empower me and all I have to do is be grateful and bless His name in return.  It doesn't matter what the enemy says nor does it matter what other people think because God chooses who he wants to bless and use.  In the book of Exodus, Moses did not think he was qualified to do the work of the Lord but he soon learned, just as I had to learn and just as many of you have to learn, God does not call the qualified but he qualifies the called.  Even Exodus 33:19 tells us that God told Moses He will have mercy on whomever He chooses and He will have compassion on whomever He chooses.  So, if God is blessing you enjoy it and walk in it with His authority and power no matter who does not like it.  Phillipians 4:13 says we can do ALL things through Christ Jesus that strengthens us.  Tell your haters to go have a seat and a talk with God if they have a problem with you being blessed. 

Another area within the soul that needs discipline is our emotional area.  I don't know about you but sometimes my emotions can be all over the place.  If I am not careful I will react out of my emotions and trouble will surely knock on my door.  No matter what trials or hardships we face, we must display self-control in relation to our emotions.  Proverbs 25:28 tells us that a person who lacks self-control is like a city whose walls are broken.  Meaning you have no protection and any and everything can get through to hurt or destroy you.  When you feel your emotions rising call on God, pray and ask Him to help you get your emotions under control.  We are not allowed to just go off and start cussing and hurting others because we are hurt or upset.  Neither are we allowed to just go on a pleasure binge and do whatever we want because it feels good at the time.  We must display self-control over our emotions at all times.  

Lastly, we must align our desires to the Will of the Lord.  Psalms 42:1-2 says, as the deer pants for the water so my soul pants for you my God, my soul thirsts for God. We have to desire God, His Will and His Presence. I pray that this scripture takes root in my spirit because I want to long for God so I can know Him better.  Also, I continually and I request that His Will be done in my life that my tastes and desires are in accordance with His Will.  There was a time when my tastes and desires aligned to my soul and my flesh.  Trust me after a while of living like this I felt like I was in hell on this earth.  Nothing worked and everything was failing not to mention I was miserable.  I had to cry out to Him and ask Him to help me get my life back in order.

Getting my life back in order required discipline within my soul by having my soul fall under the subjection of the spirit.  Here is another friendly reminder, the spirit is the area where God dwells within us as long as we are in His will.  For me, the moment I allowed my undisciplined soul to reign supreme over my spirit was the moment God left His dwelling place within me.  I had to run back to Him and as I cried out he revealed the imbalance in my life.  I had to invite Him back into my spirit and let him clean out the impurities so my spirit could lead my soul so my soul would guide my body to do what was right.  

Ladies, as I close I want to encourage you to not live your life under the authority of your undisciplined soul where you have no control over your thoughts, emotions or desires.  Living such a life will most definitely bring destruction.  If I am totally honest, I had to learn this lesson the hard way because I allowed my soul to lead me down the wrong path.  But, thanks be to God that I acknowledged and accepted the truth that I had to become more disciplined in my soulish area and I had to feed my spirit so it could be healthy enough to lead my soul and body.  I am still a work in progress but at least I am back on the right track because I am reading and applying His Word to help me keep my soul under subjection to the Will of God.  

Lady J

Posted by: Lady J AT 12:00 am   |  Permalink   |  2 Comments  |  Email
Tuesday, March 26 2019
Lack of Spiritual Discipline

As a 50 year old woman of God I was spiritually null and void.  I know that is an oxymoron but it is true none the less.  My spiritual growth came to a sudden stop!  Internally it seemed as if all of the outward religious motions of clapping, dancing, singing, attending church, preaching, teaching, etc. were no longer effective, useful or even wanted.  Then God, the Omniscient One intervened on my behalf and revealed the biggest problem with my life.  The truth was I had a lack of discipline coupled with an unwillingness to not have total control over my life.  This problem of not having discipline had proven to be very costly for me to say the least.  

Wow! A lack of discipline is my problem? What else did I need to do to become more disciplined in my walk with the Lord? I mean I went to church nearly every Sunday for the majority of my life (more than a half century) not to mention the numerous amounts of Bible Studies, Revivals and other Church Services I attended are all just to numerous to count.  Yet, I had a huge void in me that only seemed to grow the more I went to church.  What was this all about?  How was this growing void connected to my lack of discipline? How was this my fault?

After going through the church motions for so long I began to learn and mimic the things of God but it was all based solely upon my years of experience and not a continuously growing relationship with God.  Just as the Pharisees in ancient times, I had become addicted to religion but lacked the vital growth components needed to sustain my spiritual and emotional health.   

You see, as humans we are tri-part beings.  We all have a physical part which is our body, we have a soul which consists of our mind, will and emotions and we have the all important spirtual part which was created in the image of God to serve as a dwelling place or temple for Him. The aha moment came when God revealed to me through an analogy of how I needed to eat natural food to sustain my physical body, I also needed to eat spiritual food to sustain my spiritual body.  Sounds simple but yet it is profound at the same time.  Let's look at this a little closer, I was doing the physical and tangible things of God but without fully understanding the need and importance of strengthening the spiritual and intangible things for contiued spiritual growth.  As a result, I plateaued or became spiritually and emotionally stuck and stagnated. 

God had to remind me that everything spiritual begins with His Word.  Basically, the void that was growing in my life was due to my own fault and it was something that only God could fill.  I had to repent because I wanted and expected my husband, my children, the church, my ministry, my job, my friends and anything else you can think of to fill this void.  Nothing worked!!!  I started to become depressed and I was slowly dying internally and I became desperate for the answer.  The Lord revealed that the more I was neglecting the needs of my spirit, my soul suffered which then negatively affected my body.  What else could I do? As everything within me and all around me made me feel worse, the more I leaned and relied on my own understanding, ideas and opinions.  I was trying to heal myself with faulty expectations of other people, places and things.  Proverbs 3:5-6 clearly admonishes us to lean not unto our own understanding but to acknowledge God in all that we do.

Truth of the matter, my knowledge, my experiences nor my faulty expectations could not sustain me.  I needed something higher than I which could only come through continuos feeding of His Word at least 2-3 times a day (just like physical meals) on normal days but even more on those trying and arduous days.  Please understand, just reading his Word is not enough! If all we do is read but lack the application of what we read, then we are still lacking the spiritual nourishment we need to sustain our living.  The key is allowing the Word to penetrate our spirit so it can guide our soul to guide our physical bodies to actually do what it says.  As we work this process under the influence of God our father, we become whole. 

Actually applying James 1:22, being a "doer" of the Word and not a "hearer" only,  was more paramount than I imagined.  Because of my lack in this area, I literally deceived myself.  I always found it easier to use the Word for someone else to encourage them and/or find fault with them but it wasn't as easy when it came to me.  Just like many other Christians, I was deceived because I was merely listening to the Word but not totally applying it to the issues within. 

I suggest you read His Word throughout the day on a continuos basis.  But every week or so, do a status check by asking questions like, What is the Word revealing about yourself?  Are you changing for the better?  If your status check reveals no growth and you are not seeing the fruit of your labor, then ask the Lord to open your spiritual eyes.  One thing is certain and this one thing I know for sure, God's Word cannot lie.  It brings life to our spirit and soul.  Thus, if you are not noticing growth and you are still lack in your spirit, you have been spiritually blinded.  Sprititual blindness can only be cured by God so you should begin to read and recite daily Ephesians 1:17 until the scales come off.  Ask the Lord to give you the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation so you can know Him better which in turn will cause you to make the necessary changes needed for spiritual maturity and nourishment. 

My sisters, many of us have missed or lossed so many opportunities and blessings due to our lack of discipline.  As a result, many of us have even become stagnated or even declined in our spiritual growth which has negatively impacted our natural lives.  But, there is hope! The good news is we can get it all back because God is not lack in His promises.  Once we correct our spiritual discipline of reading His Word and applying His Word, we will experience growth in exponential measures.  So much growth will then flow and fill every void and empty place in our lives. 

Love You Ladies!

Lady J  

Posted by: Lady J AT 12:00 am   |  Permalink   |  11 Comments  |  Email