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It’s Okay To Want To Be Loved!
As a minister, I have the privilege of getting to meet & talk to lots & lots & lots of people & the one thing most of them have in common is that they all want to love & be loved. And that’s okay! There is nothing wrong with wanting that. For many reasons people have a hard time admitting that without sounding desperate. It took me a while to understand why. It seems that being honest about wanting to be loved makes people feel & appear to be weak or vulnerable. In addition, it also makes them look at themselves in a negative way if they don’t have the love they want; kinda like they are defective in some way. So they bottle the need for love up inside themselves until its bursts out in some form of desperation. And we all know how that looks; on ourselves & on others right?
Let’s kick this around for a little while. We all may want love in our lives but what about all the crap still going on inside of us? Will someone still love us once they find out about it? How many people have you cut out of your life once you found out about their crap? So what do we do? In the effort to hind our crap, we swing the pendulum way to the other side & we start lying & playing games with people because we don’t want them to ever see who we truly are. Now everybody including you says they hate people who play games but if that were true why are so many people still doing it? What’s up with that?
Come on let’s be honest. Don’t you just wish someone understood, respected, appreciated & loved you just the way you are today; with all your mess & cuckoo crazy? Of course you do! That’s what we all want because we all have some cuckoo crazy inside of us. And there’s a reason that you want to be loved. It’s because God made you that way. God built you for close intimacy – a close satisfying relationship that makes you be better & encourages you to do the impossible!
Well, why don’t you have that? The answer is simple. You don’t have the love you want because you’re looking for it in all the wrong places. I know it sounds corny but its true. If we all just looked into our relationship history we would probably find out just how true it is. I know it was that way for me. Even though I can laugh about it now, I can’t believe so of the jokers I dated! I have to admit I was looking for someone to fill a hole inside of me that I couldn’t fill myself. What was your reason?
The key to getting the love you want is to start with the only love relationship that matters. And that’s the love relationship between you & God! He created you to have an up close & personal relationship with Him first, and then He will bring others into your life who will love you properly. That’s after He teaches you to love properly. So, our 1st problem is we have not made having a love relationship with God a priority. What do you really know about God? How much time do you spend learning about God & getting to know Him? Matthew 6:25-34 sums it up nicely for us as Jesus tells us not to worry about anything in this life because God has you covered but I really want to focus on Matthew 6:33 (amp) which says, But seek ([a]aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness ([b]His way of doing and being right), and then all these things [c]taken together will be given you besides. So you can see that everything you want & need comes out of this scripture. If you seek love, seek God first.
In the presence of God is the only place where you can reveal your deepest, craziest stuff & not be judged. In the presence of God is the only place where God will take your stinkiest crap & replace it with something golden! Check out what David says about being in the presence of God in Psalms 16:11 (amp); You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore. You can’t get this from anyone else but God. David gives us another great example in Psalms 63:1-3 (msg); God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you! I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts. 2-4 So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open, drinking in your strength and glory. In your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains. I bless you every time I take a breath; my arms wave like banners of praise to you. Even as David sat in the wilderness of Judah with all the pressure & stress that brought, he knew all was well as long as he could be with God.Sin has caused a wedge between God & us so we started seeking what we need in worldly places & people. But God created you to hang out with Him so He can reveal Himself to you showing you things that will change you forever! He will heal your soul by washing away all your past hurts & pains. He will heal your body from every sickness & disease. He will free you everything that binds you freeing you to deal with all your “perfect imperfections” as John Legends likes to call it. None of us are perfect but we are made perfect by hanging out with God. So as you spend time with God, His love will flow to you and as you learn to love yourself that love will flow out to others. Then the love you want will find you! I know, another corny line, but it’s true. It worked for me & it will work for you.
It’s okay to want to be loved & God wants to love you too! Please let Him!
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Are You The Only Jesus Some People Ever See?
Did you know that you may be the only Jesus some people ever get to see & meet?
Think about the numerous lives that your life intercepts on a daily basis. The guy at the gas station; the lady at the bus stop; the neighbors you stop to chat with, the person in the checkout line at various stores, etc. At all of these encounters you have an opportunity to introduce “Jesus” to all of them. I’m not talking about being a track & bible thumper (nothing wrong with that) but I’m referring to how you respond & treat people & the things you say to them in the moment. This is your chance to bring a real life Jesus to their lives in a practical way.
A few days ago, I was sitting in a courtroom providing cover & support for a family member. The situation was stressful so I had my mind on my mission. There were four rows of chairs & pew benches & I was the only one seated there. From the door on the opposite side of the courtroom an older gruff looking man came into the room. I didn’t pay him too much attention because of all the seating space available to him. Image my dismay when he chose to sit right next to me like we were together. My flesh didn’t like it at all & my nose didn’t like it either because this man stunk. He smelled like he hadn’t take a bath in a very long time and he also smelled like every kind of smoke if you know what I mean. I can hear you laughing at me because you know how you would react in the same situation.
However, my spirit had a totally different reaction to the man. So even though my flesh was boiling over, I knew in my soul that I had to make myself available to God so He could use me in any way He needed to. No one comes to a courtroom because they don’t have anything else to do. No one comes to court unless they have to be there. And since no one wants to be there it wouldn’t hurt to help this guy out. So I asked God what He wanted me to do. He told me to say the same prayer & sing the same praise song for this guy that I had prayed & sung for my family member. So, as we sat together in silence with my nose hairs burning from the man’s stench, I began to pray for this man & sing a song of praise under my breath.
Now this man never said a word to me & I never said of word to him either. I didn’t know why he was in court that day. At one point he even turned his back to me but I just kept praying & praising. I covered his victory just like I did for my family member. He eventually got up smiling and left without any words being exchanged between us. And even though my nose was glad to see him go, my spirit was glad that I was able to act as an intercessor for him.
All of us have had those short interactions with people as you go through our day but are you consciously aware of what these divine appointments are for?
As followers of Jesus Christ we have a responsibility of showing the world what Jesus might look like in real life situations & circumstances. Keep in mind that there are so many people in the world today that will never go to a church or read the bible or hear a sermon preached on television, so how do you think God will introduce Himself to those people? How will those people get to know who Jesus is and how Jesus really acts? The answer is they will get to see Jesus through you!
Let’s look at what Jesus says in John 17:18, As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. Here you can see Jesus is talking to God about his disciples; what he has done with the people God gave him and His prayer for them. In that conversation/prayer, it confirms that just like God sent Jesus to earth to tell us about God, Jesus sent us to tell others about Him.
Now you know that here at Workdatword, we are honest & transparent, so I have to say that I have not always risen to this challenge but I have gotten better via practice. I had to learn to be fluid & flexible so when God needs me, I respond & move easily knowing that this is seed sown for me to harvest in the future.
What about you? There is no such thing as coincidences in this life. Everything matters & happens for a reason. So remember that when you find yourself in a seemingly brief encounter with someone, no matter how awkward & uncomfortable, no matter where it is, know that it is a set-up not only for the other person, but also for you. Just in case you’re asking what kind of set-up, let me tell you. It’s answered prayer for both of you. You’re going to give that person what they need and your obedience is seed for you to harvest later. Everybody wins!Check out what Galatians 6:9-10 (amp) says; 9 And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. 10 So then, as occasion and opportunity open up to us, let us do good [[a]morally] to all people [not only [b]being useful or profitable to them, but also doing what is for their spiritual good and advantage]. Be mindful to be a blessing, especially to those of the household of faith [those who belong to God’s family with you, the believers].
The short version of this scripture is simply this – what you make happen for someone else; God will make happen for you. You will reap what you sow. If you needed help wouldn’t you want someone to stop & help you? Of course you would. These encounters are God’s way of helping you help yourself.
So let’s wrap this up. Know that you are so valuable to God that He sent you just like He sent Jesus to show the world not only who Jesus is but how Jesus is though you! So you may be the only Jesus some people ever get to see.
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How To Conquer The Demon of Fear!
All of us have had some run-ins with the demon of fear, but do you know what to do when the demon of fear attacks you?
Let’s talk about three different ways that fear may appear in your life.
The first type of fear would be considered the good or beneficial type. This kind of fear protects us. For example: not running a red traffic light even though you’re in a hurry; not jumping off a building thinking you just might be able to fly; not hitting someone even though you’re mad at them because you don’t want to get hit back; not committing a crime because you fear going to jail, etc. So even though you are tempted to do something, this kind of fear speaks caution to us to keep us safe.
The Bible talks about fear too. The second kind of fear is “the fear of the Lord” and its blessings and benefits. You can see some of these benefits in Psalm 111:10 (amp) – The reverent fear and worship of the Lord is the beginning of [a]Wisdom and skill [the preceding and the first essential, the prerequisite and the alphabet]; a good understanding, wisdom, and meaning have all those who do [the will of the Lord]. Their praise of Him endures forever. In this scripture “the fear of the Lord” does not mean that we are to be afraid of God but we should respect and honor Him. This allows you to have a personal relationship/connection with God so you can get to know Him for ourselves, get to know His ways and His voice. This way you can hear His instructions for every area of our lives. This allows God’s wisdom and power to flow through you and bring success and victory to your life! Check out these scriptures in the amplified translations for further insight: Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 19:23, Proverbs 14:27, & Proverbs 14:16. All of them speak to the importance of bringing God into every area of your daily life, getting Him as involved as you can. They also speak to how it makes you foolish not to. No one is perfect, and many mistakes will be made in this life, so if there is a way to keep that number low, you should take full advantage of it, right? You need this type of fear.
However, the third type of fear is demonic in nature. This type of fear is so dangerous to you. The Bible refers to this demon as “the spirit of fear”. The demon of fear will manifest and appear in your life in any way that it can. The most commonly known way is through phobias. The goal of this demon is to freeze you where you stand, preventing you from moving forward. But have you noticed that it will allow you to run backwards?God has placed scriptures in the Bible to encourage us because He is well aware that this demon will attack us. He also tells us in 1 Timothy 1:7 that this demon does not come from Him. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. So who do you think sends him?
God has not left you on your own to deal with this demon. Let’s look at Isaiah 41:10 (amp) – Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice. As you can see God loves you too much to leave you without help.
Defeating and overcoming fear is really simple – trust God! Sounds too simple right? This is what David said after he was captured by the Philistines in Gath in Psalms 56:11 (amp) – In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? If you are anything like me, if I were captured by my enemy I know that fear would be right there too. But in that moment I get to make a choice about whom and what I believe. There are many things that happen to you in this life but you too get to make the same choice each and every time something attacks you. Can this be scary? Of course fear comes in the form of scary; God would not tell us in the bible to not be affair if that was not the case. But you now know what your response to the demon of fear is to be. You make the choice not to give into fear because you know that God is with you in that dark scary situation.
But I want to take this a step further. Demons don’t move until you move first. Trusting God means turning to God at the first sign of the attack for His instructions, then you have to do whatever God has instructed you to do. This means you pick up your foot and step toward whatever God has said. This means stepping through the demon of fear. You have to walk right through it! Yes, your knees will be shaking, yes, your hands may be sweating, my hands get very cold, my stomach gets very tight, but I simply hold onto God’s hand and walk right through the demon of fear. Then you will notice just like I did – that in that very moment I stepped through that demon, he backed up off me and in most cases he just disappears; thus freeing me to reach my goal.
Praise God! God gave us the power to take dominion over everything in any form on this planet and He fully expects us to do just that. So stop asking God to do something that He has fully equipped you to do. Learn to develop & equip yourself. Your stronger than your know in God!Yes, Satan will attack you, but God tells you that in Isaiah 54:17 that as long as you are connected to Him NONE of them will ever defeat you! Believing this is the beginning of how you conquer the demon of fear. Then you simply trust God, get and follow His instructions, then step out following those instructions.
Do you know how to conquer the demon of fear? Now you do!
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What Cha Doin With Your Faith?
What cha doin with your faith? The Bible tells us at the end of Romans 12:3 (amp); … but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him; that God has given us all some measure of faith, so we know that everyone has some. So what are you going with the faith God gave you?
Let’s first get the basic definition of faith. The dictionary tells us that faith is a “a complete trust or confidence in someone or something”. Sounds simple, right? The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1 (amp); Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]; that faith is the assurance or confidence that we have in something that we may not be able to physically see or measure. Sounds similar, right? So if you have complete trust & confidence in God or anything else, then you have faith in it. But, do you live like you have “complete” trust in God? Is your faith in God at 100%? If we are willing to be honest, most of us would have to say “no”. But, let’s come back to this in a minute. Let’s take a look at the things we seem to have more faith in.
Every day we put more faith in other things than we do in God. When you go to bed at night we have faith that we will be safe during the night & no one will break in and attack us, right? We put our faith in our driving every time we get in our cars, but especially when we come to an intersection. We believe that the driver coming in the opposite direction will see & obey the traffic light, right? We put our faith in our employers who promise to pay us after we have already worked for them for 2-3 wks (that’s how long it may take to get the first paycheck) & not only that, we continue to work before we get paid as long as we are there. Any particular reason they don’t put their faith in us & pay us first? We all know the answer to that question. LOL. We even put our faith in furniture every time we go to sit on or in it, believing it will hold up under our weight. We put our faith in people when they tell us they love us, that they will be there for us, & are committed to us. We have so much faith in that, that we step out on that faith & marry that person. And the list goes on and & on because we put our faith in many different things.
However, as we all know, each of the examples listed above can & do fail us at one time or another. Many people have their homes broken into at night as they sleep & many of them are harmed in the process, but we still go to sleep at night. People run traffic lights daily causing all types of car accidents, yet we still drive. Companies go out of business or lay people off & fail to pay its employees what they promised, yet we still go to work. People change their minds about how they feel about us, they chose to stop loving us, & then leave & divorce us, yet we still want to marry!
Why is that? Why do we put the faith God gave us into everything but Him? It’s because we want the benefits of the promises made to us in those things! But, shouldn’t we feel the same way about God? God has made us many promises in His word, & if we take an honest look at our lives, we can clearly see just how many of those promises God has kept. I’m not sure about your life, but God has allowed many of His promises to me to manifest! And I am still looking forward to the manifestation of ALL of the rest of them!
Just like there are benefits in those other things, there are great benefits in the promises of God. For example, promises for our healing, prosperity, our children, power over our enemies, promises of success & good fortune, etc. Yet we put more faith in earthly promises that will fail every day than we do in God’s promises that will NEVER fail.
It’s your faith in God that moves His hand. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6 (cev); But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that he rewards everyone who searches for him; that it’s your belief in Him that prompts Him to bless you. It makes God feel good to know that you trust & believe in Him. Doesn’t it make you feel good when your parents, friends, children, & employers believe & trust you? Of course it does!
So, let’s stop being religious about this thing. God has made you many promises that will guarantee your victory & success in this life. Don’t you want to know what those promises are? How many of them have already happened for you? If you are reading this, then you are alive due to God’s grace. So you still have plenty of time to find out what God has promised you & to have those promises come alive in your life! Woooo Hoooooo!I suggest you spend a little time with God & google just getting to know what God is saying to & about you, to bless & empower your life & the lives of the people you love.
God sent you to earth to do great things, but you will definitely need His help, guidance & direction to walk in that greatness.
So, I’ll ask you again, what cha doin with your faith?
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Great News!!!!!!
Dear Family & Friends,
As you may already know, in order fulfill the purpose of God on my life, God has directed me into full time ministry. Out of that direction, Real Life International Ministries (RLIM) has been born, yeah! This is an amazing opportunity for Bruce and I to step out on faith to start this new ministry. This is not a church, (we have enough of them), but a people/community based ministry. Our goal is to bring God into the lives of people in a more direct & dynamic manner.
- Vision – To see the transformational power of God in the daily lives of people.
- Mission – To use our ministry programs to connect people to God on a practical, personal level.
- Impact – In direct response to the violence in our city, we are committed to showing people how to replace choices that bring death (crime, addictions, illiteracy, etc.), with choices that bring life (employment, education, business opportunities, etc.).
Just like you, RLIM wants to help our families, friends, churches and communities to rebuild, grow, develop, prosper & be safe so that they can operate and flourish the way God designed. Just like you, RLIM has been called by God to be a part of that process! Here’s how we plan to do just that:
- Personal 1 on 1 Deliverance Coaching and Mentorship – while you’re out saving the world, who is saving you?
- Online Spiritual Training & Support – workdatword.com, Podcasts, Video Blogs, etc.
- Group Conferences & Leadership Training – Topical meetings, ministry leader training, workshops, etc.
- Community Based Programs – empowerment training for at risk youth via project Lighthouse; partnerships to offer support to existing community programs; become resource hub for the community, etc.
RLIM is currently in Pre-Launch phase and we want to give you an opportunity to give your financial support. There are many costs associated with bringing this ministry to life. Our goal is to raise the $5000.00 needed to cover all pre-launch expenses without debt by September 30th. We’re asking at least fifty of our friends to give a minimum of $100.00 or the best gift possible to enable us to be better prepared for our official launch in October 2014. We cannot do this without you!
Please make checks payable to Karen Nichols and mail donations to:
Real Life International Ministry
P.O. Box 56081
Philadelphia, PA 19130
You can also donate via PayPal by using my email address – knicent@gmail.com. Simply log-in to your on PayPal account, go to your account overview page, then click on “send money to a friend”, put in my email address & follow the instructions.
Thank you so much in advance for your gift of love. Bruce & I truly appreciate it!
