YOUR TIME

Get off your knees,

stand to your feet,

fear nor stress is yours to keep;

Loose yourself from trivial care,

There're no burdens for you to bear,

Jesus loves you...God answered your prayer;

Imaginary holds you think you feel,

Let 'em go...they're not real,

There's nothing of yours Satan can steal;

Now's the time,

Use your mind,

Peace and joy you're sure to find;

Don't be shy,

Hold your head high,

And reach for the sky,

Tell dead weights and confusion good-bye;

All skeptics will know,

They must go,

No place for them in the final show;

There's no way,

Doubt can stay,

Believe in your heart this is your day;

Doors stand open just for you,

Procrastinate, no longer do,

Get up, stand tall, and walk on through!!

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Words of Encouragement from me to you.

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SCARS OF THE WORLD

Praise God for you, Mom,

I'm back home,

Where I belong,

I know you have spent many restless nights,

Praying for me to be alright;

I know that I caused you much sadness and sorrow,

Even at times...your last dime,

And all you could scrap and borrow;

I've caused your heart to throb and to ache,

Because I refused to give,

I was eager to take;

All night roaming, rambling,

Drinking hard liquor,

Cussing and gambling;

I was disgusting and shameful to see,

And now I bear the scars of the world on me;

Oh! how I praise Jesus, the Son of God,

For cleansing and purifying my heart;

I am so happy to be delivered and free,

And Mom, I know it's all because

You didn't stop praying for me.

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Selection: from Complete Bits and Pieces

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Words of Encouragement: " Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace."

MARTIN LUTHER KING

Marching was one method of receiving attention and being heard,

As he spoke edifying and encouraging words;

Reaching the hearts and minds of most people,

While depending on guidance and courage from his Keeper;

Thoughtful of the impressions he left behind,

In concerned hearts and opened minds;

Never seeming to let his tiredness show,

As he spoke and traveled to and fro;

Letting love and understanding freely flow,

As he cared for those whom he didn't know;

Unselfishly seeking ways to make the Black,the poor and the oppressed free,

The way he knew that God meant it to be;

Even though falsely accused and rediculed,

His dream lives today and brings hope for a better tomorrow,

As time erases the sadness that brought tears and much sorrow;

He strived to accomplish the work appointed to him,

Even tho there were times when success looked hopeless and dim;

Enjoyment and the folly of this life didn't phase his mind,

As he left his beloved family behind;

Respectful of the opinions and decisions of his fellowman,

When some would disagree or fail to understand;

Reaping peace and understanding for all mankind,

That he knew would come in its season and time;

Kindness shone all over his being,

In his mode of living, and in his tone of voice as he shouted,

"Let freedom ring!! "

"Let freedom ring!!"

Not discouraged by others' doubt,

For he knew his dream for equality would be carried out;

Gone now from our daily reach,

But his motives and his methods we shall not fail to teach;

REVEREND MARTIN LUTHER KING,

The Black man who had a dream.

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Sharing Through Testimonies

Testimonial- expressive of appreciation; tribute; public profession of religious experience.



Purpose: To give God the glory that He and He alone deserves.

Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might. The Heavens praise your wonders, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. We will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. One generation will commend your works to one another; they will tell of your mighty acts...we are that generation.

As born-again, Spirit-filled Christians; we know that according to the Word of God...that if we delight ourselves in Him...He will give us the desires of our heart. He is faithful to keep His promises.

Let's take time to thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for answered prayers. Let's make His blessings to us known to the world as we give Him all the glory. No thing that we may share is too small. Every word that we speak/write for our Lord's glory is a word against the enemy(Satan). We overcome by the words of our testimony.


I decided to share testimonies that were shared with me. Read, enjoy, and be blessed.


My daughter, Karen Martin-Ogunmusesan wrote this experience, "I was in Walmart shopping one evening; went to the self-check out and forgot to scan over half of the items I had purchased. When I got to the exit door, I had passed through without any beeping sound or alarm going off. But, by the time I almost made it to the outside walk, I remembered that I had not scanned all of the items. I quickly returned inside and spoke to the greeter at the door. The man greeting that night was a face that I would see alot of times when I shop at Walmart. He was so shocked at me returning inside to admit my error. I told him that I was a Christian and that I could not live peacefully with myself knowing that I had walked away without paying for everything. Yes, it was easy to walk away, but I came back and told him what had happened, went back through the line and finished paying for everything. He was so very impressed and asked me where I was from, and that he remember me coming into Walmart alot. Each time I go there now, I see that same employee all the time and he looks at me with alot of respect and admiration. He said that he knows that I am truly a Christian. This may not sound like much of a testimony, but I am grateful to the Lord for keeping my mind and heart in the right place at the right time. You never know who is watching you. The Lord has a way to get our attention through the simplest things that can change the next person's life. The Lord says the He will draw all men unto Him."

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I praise the Lord for my daughter and how she obeyed the leading of the Holy Spirit. She may have won a soul. The glory belongs to God.

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This is another eye-opener that I received via email:



Rugena writes, " Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home town to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back...it would be wrong to keep it.' Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter...who would worry about this little amount?' 'Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it...accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet.' When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change.' The driver, with a smile, replied,'Aren't you the new preacher in town?' 'Yes' he replied. 'Well, I have been thinking alot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change...I'll see you at church on Sunday.'



"When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.'



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I am truly blessed to read that we[born-again, Spirit-filled Christians]are giving God the glory that He and He alone deserves.
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Supporting Scriptures: Psalms 21:13; 37:4; 71:6; 89:5; 138:2; and 145:4.

CHANGE

Dear Readers:

Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I trust that you all had a blessed and merry Christmas...spending time with your families, friends, and love ones...giving, sharing, and worshipping our Lord. I was and am truly blessed to witness this wonderful season.

As we embark upon the new year, I am looking forward to and have decided that I need "Change;" I desire "Change," and will have "Change." I will contend for the faith and anointing that breaks the yoke of bondage. I desire that my life will reflect the love of God among His people; that I will walk in the Spirit, that as I cross the path of those who are in need of and are seeking for joy, peace, contentment and compassion, that I will be sensitive to that need or needs and that I will hear from God to be of service for [Him] in meeting the need or needs of His people.

I am convinced that we (born-again, Spirit-filled Christians) are left on earth to serve our fellowman. Yes, to serve. We are servants of God. To serve God, we serve His people. Because of love we serve one another. This pleases God.

The Holy Spirit has provided instructions (the Holy Bible) for us to follow. If we love God we will obey His instructions. When we really know Jesus we will want others to know Him.

In effort to serve, we must live it...our strongest testimony is our daily life. In order to serve, we must love people...not pretend to love. The other person knows our motive immediately.

My "Change" is spending more time studying God's Word, obeying God's Word and truly loving God's people. I praise God for His unconditional love and for planting concerned born-again, Spirit-filled people in my path over 40 years ago. These people of God were responsible for planting seeds of love into my life that led me to Jesus, and I have not regretted one second of this new life. Praise the Lord for them and their obedience to His voice.

God loves the soul more than all creation. He fashioned it after His own image and made it like unto Himself. Every soul has departed from God and gone astray, and God has bought every soul back again with a price. That price was in, and through, and by Jesus Christ. God loves every soul with an everlasting love.

As born-again, Spirit-filled Christians, let's make it our "Change" to remember our responsibility to pray for all men, and especially for those who are in leadership roles; home, family, local assemblies, churches, and synagogues; leaders in County, State and Federal government. We must pray without ceasing. We cannot forget that our warfare is not physical...but spiritual, and that our Spiritual weapons; the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and sword of the Spirit must be in our arsenal for Spiritual warfare.

Jesus said to His Disciples, "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet."

My "Change", When people observe my life, I want them to see the love of Christ.

SUPPORTING SCRIPTURES: John 13:14, Acts 2:28; 20:19, Romans 7:6; 8:28, Galatians 5:13, Ephesians 6:14-18, II Timothy 2:15; 3:15-16, and James 5:16.

HOLY BIBLE

Holiness is the only way,
That we'll meet the Lord in peace someday;
Holding up the blood stained banner,
And living in a holy manner;


Only in the Word of God,
We'll find rest for our soul, and peace for our heart;
Obeying His ev'ry command,
As He gives strength and knowledge to understand,


Standing against the wiles of Satan,
Not yielding to sin and temptation;
Loving thy neighbor as thyself,
Sharing and giving till nothing is left;


With gladness within the heart,
Knowing this is the will of God;
Yes, life is sweet and filled with joy,
As we climb higher in the Lord;


Climbing a ladder invisible to man,
Holding on to God's unchanging hand;
Believing with all thy heart,
There's only one true living God;


Lord of Lords is He,
None other power can set man free;
Included in the Word of God,
Is nothing unseemly and nothing hard;


The way of eternal life is written therein,
As promised to all holy men;
Because of God's love for man,
He sent His Son and salvation plan;


That through His holy name,
Eternal life is there to gain;
Love this great came from above,
In the beauty and likeness of a dove;


If all to Him we freely give,
His Word says we shall surely live;
Ev'ry Christian should take a part,
In leading lost souls to God;


This is a small price to pay,
For eternal life someday;
A life we're striving to receive,
And will, if we read, accept, and believe.

Submitted from: Complete Bits and Pieces

THIS SEASON
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The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus."

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For to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on his His shoulders, and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

This is a time when we can lean on the goodness of God and rejoice in Christ's birth.

In the midst of activities; shopping, cooking, wrapping gifts, going to parties, programs and much more---let us remember who that Baby was and share the story with those in our life. Let us not miss out on the genuine worship of Jesus. Let us take time to go before Him in prayer and worship singing songs of praise.

Jesus came to save us from our sins and to give us eternal life--this is the reason to give Him the worship He deserves!

So let us give glory to Jesus for being our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

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Supporting Scriptures: Mark 10:45; Luke 1:28-31; Isaiah 9:6

Excerpts from: Daily Living for Seniors