Keeping it Real

Posted on January 9, 2008 1:53:39 PM PST

I am a young Christian...and a very young struggling to discover myself, build a relationship with Christ, and become a godly wife.  My husband and have been married about five months, all of them have been an uphill battle.  We both grew up in abusive homes, and that has taken a severe toll on our marriage as neither of us seems to know what a marriage should be.  I am at a point of desperation because I have no friends and feel so alone in my struggles.  I know that God is always there, but I desperately need some Christian women to look up to and go to when I need advice or encouragement.  I have been struggling with severe depression almost to the point of not wanting to go on.  My marriage although so young has hit rock bottom since my husband and I had a physical fight, a one time thing, but I don't know how to undo the pain.  I am just now beginning to come out of a life of lies, and want to live free from that habit.  I love my husband so much, and want to make this work nomatter the cost.  We are in severe financial distress, and I guess we just need prayer.... i need some friends and women willing to help a young christian along her journey! RIC      RIC

Posted on January 6, 2008 11:24:11 PM PST

A belated Happy New Year everyone!!! I would have wrote something sooner, but I was in the process of a move back to NJ at the time. I hope that everyone is blessed with much joy and abundance in 2008.

Peace and Love,

Donna

Posted on January 1, 2008 8:00:43 AM PST

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope that you have a wonderful new year with blessings and opportunities that focus you on living the life God created you for.

Judy

Posted on December 24, 2007 3:59:53 PM PST

May all of you and your respective families have a very Merry Christmas, and a blessed, joyous 2008!!!

Peace and Love,

Donna

Posted on December 14, 2007 4:42:33 AM PST

 Hi Judy and Cup-of Joy

I often wonder if we never went through the trails and tribulations, would we ever really exercise our faith? My grandmother would often say "I can see further off the end of your nose than you can". For years this statement puzzled me, until God gave revelation, after going through a very difficult time. He knows our present, future and right now, He and only He knows our expected end, which He says is good. In saying that, He knows what we can handle and when we can handle it, remember God said he would not put more on us than we could handle. So He sees further off the end of our noses than we can; therefore knowing when we can handle a trial and knowing what trials we can handle at that time.The blessing, break through, revelation and victory comes when we activate our faith and take a stance not to turn around no matter what may come. God gets excited when we stand up for Him, not that He needs us to but wants us to, that signifies that we trust Him, then that's when we begin to feel the weight of His Glory. That when He says well done my good and faithful servant, that's when we begin to have growth spurts in Christ Jesus. We would never get there with out the exercising of our faith. Be encouraged and remember as this 2007 years comes to a close that the number "7" represent the number of completion, some of the things that we have struggled with for years, I believe God is bringing to a close and because the number "8" represent NEW BEGINNINGS, all things will become New. I know I had to just start decreeing somethings for my life, my children, my family and friends things that I expect closure for, and things I expect God to manifest for me in 2008.

If you were expecting rain, would not you prepare for it, by taking a umbrella, Do Not go into 2008 without expectations on God, it's another way of exercising you faith. Start decreeing great things over your life, and family and friends, finances, health, whatever you need. God is the "GREAT I AM" What is it that you need him to be? What is it that you expect him to be, Well start preparing for you breakthrough, you are already expecting it , right?

I Love all y'all

 Thanks for keeping me encouraged and focused on the most HIGH GOD.

Merry "CHRIST"-mas

Jesus is the reason for every season

Posted on December 13, 2007 6:37:34 PM PST

ministersfbrown

Those words were a blessing. I especially liked your words about it being hardest just before the break. It gives a little extra encouragement in the tough times doesn't it. Thank you for all of the reminders of remaining in God, trusting in him and exercising our faith.

Judy

Posted on December 10, 2007 5:51:16 PM PST

Minister Brown, again your words hit home for me. Too often we want instant gratifiction...instant reward...instant money....but, patience is the key and waiting for our dream o be manifested in God's time when h knows we are ready! Again your words are a light unto my feet.

God Bless,Donna (a cup of joy)

Posted on December 9, 2007 10:07:08 PM PST

Hey Donna, I have wonder that myself from time to time, as recently as a few weeks ago when a position I just knew I was a shoe in for was given to someone else. I ran it over  and over in my mind. I started thinking about all the good I had done, how I had worked when no one else cared to show up, I asked God WHY NOT NOW!!, and then LORD When? After a few weeks, I heard the answer, while it wasn't the answer I wanted it was still the answer. It came from the book of Eccelesiates :3 "There Is A time For Everything. While I was asking for an answer I hadn't taken time to really listen. The world says it this way "serve no wine before it's time,. We are a people that want instant gratification, I call it the right now effect; but what we fail to realize, is that, while we think we are ready, only God knows when we are really ready. The in between time is  when"we begin" say it's taking too long" or start to question if what we've heard God speak is really what we heard. This is a trick of the devil, this is his opportunity, to tempt you with a wilderness mentality like the children of Israel. But it is these time when we must understand and see the devil for what and who he is, he comes to steal, kill and destroy, your, hope, joy and promises from God, the only way he can do this is when we give in to saying "this is taking to long" the devil has an opportunity if we don't realize his tricks, to set up doubt and discouragement ultimately, causing us to walk away from God's promises. Donna way to often the devil doesn't have to steal anything from us, we openly and willingly walk away, all because we don't want to endure for a night.  Often what we deem astaking long, is not long in the eye sight of God, I believe that God is still perfecting us or our circumstances and preparing us, in order that no good thing shall be kept from us in due season. The scriputres tell us that w"ecan not put old wine in a new wine skin". Sometimes God allows us to go through a empting process, so He can re-fill us with  treasures from HIM, humbleness, meekness, patience, compassion,  holiness, mental readiness and so many other good things, if we never complete the process we never really get the victory.

So if God has promised you something, given you a Rhema word, showed you something, or you are believing God for something, HOLD ON, and remember "God Can Not Lie" If He said it in any shape form or fashion, it will come to pass.

In closing, what we don't always see is that, the wait gets the hardest right before the break through, (promise) Just like child birth, What I've  learned is to wait on the promise, labor with it, it will bring forth whatever God said it would bring. We have to learn to stop contemplating God's promises to us, we will take or mother's, father's, pastor's ,best friend ,and others at their word, and never question them or what they have said, is not God soooooooooooooo Much More.

Wait upon the Lord, He will renew you strength, is not the promises  God has given worth waiting for?

The race/price is not given to the swift, but unto to him that endures to the end!

Be Blessed and know that God is the Great  I AM, Whatever you need Him to be in your life, He is, all one must do is believe..

Posted on December 3, 2007 5:05:13 PM PST

Question: How do you know when you are or are not in God's timing in regards to your relationship/marriage/career? Waiting for God's timing is soooo HARD sometimes. It almost makes you wonder if God's will for your life is what you believe it is, or if you are heading in the entirely WRONG direction. If God means for something to happen, WHY does He take sooooo LOOOONNNNGGGG to bring it to pass?!?!? AAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!

Hope all of you and your respective families are well. Take care and God bless.

Peace and Love,

Donna

Posted on November 19, 2007 1:02:10 PM PST

Hey Everyone-

I may or may not have told some of you ladies about a situation I am facing regarding an old job from a few years ago. Long story short, I was wrongly terminated based on fraudulent disciplinary charges brought against me by a disgruntled supervisor. (This was the Child Protective/Child Welfare position I had held for about 5 years prior to being let go.) Well, after numerous delays in the case, and playing phone tag with my union and grienvance reps throughout the life of the case, I had received a voicemail message from my Union Grievance Representative. It was a neutral voicemail just asking me to call him back, BUT I am hoping, praying, and believing that he FINALLY has some good news for me regarding this matter, and that this matter will be settled in my favor, which is the professional as well as the financial repositioning/restoration that I am in DIRE need of at this time. I am respectfully asking all of you ladies to please pray for me, and that this situation gets resolved in my favor in as expedient a manner as possible, (with it still happening in GOD'S timing of course....lol) I appreciate any/all prayers in advance Thank you. I hope that all of you and your respective families are well. Take care, and God bless. Also have a safe, happy, and Blessed Thanksgiving in the event that I do not speak to any of you before Thursday.

Peace and Love,

Donna

Posted on November 12, 2007 8:56:38 PM PST

Good morning, so often, we do find ourselves in the Samson situation, falling back into that old nature. But what I have found is that we may have the faith for a thing; but lack the confidence in God to bring that stronghold under true submission;therefore we continually  to go back and forth with that struggle. Then you also find that sometimes we are not ready to give that thing fully over to God, because then we are asking God for true deliverance, Samson did not want to be delivered from Delilah at least not at that point. So God had to allow him the experience of coming into the full knowledge of who He was even though yes Samson's hair had grown back, but even the more, his confidence in God had grew to the point where his dying words were "  O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes" Judges 16:26. Samson had obtain enough confidence in God that he believed that God would allow him to see the enemy be brought down before he died  When we have Faith and combine it with the Confidence that only the Lord can give, we can conquer anything and really do damages to the kingdom of darkness; such as Samson did. Thank you for my weekly reading. Proverbs 1:7 says that knowledge begins with the Respect of the LORD! Once we begin to accept that our knowledge begins with respecting the Lords word our confidence in the word will strengthen along with our faith. Likewise the end of that scripture says "Only a fool rejects wisdom and good advice.

Be blessed talk to you soon.

Posted on November 12, 2007 3:17:33 PM PST

Hello Minister Brown. How was your weekend, and day? My minister touched on Samson and Delia in Judges 16 yesterday and put somethings out I never thought of about Samson. We tend to see the Philistines as the enemy, but Samson was his own worse enemy as the devil knew his weakness and was able to tempt him with that weakness (his old ways). Similarly, the devil will tempt us with our weaknesses (old ways) when he sees that we are near the prize God has for us. We need to keep our strength and wisdom to know when temptation arises, and how to combat it. That's something to reflect on for me, as the devil wants to tempt us with our old ways to not win the prize (Victory) God has for us. I've been re-reading Samson's story starting at his birth, for it is definitely good encouragement and makes us encouraged to keep on the right path God has for us. I feel even more encouraged! God guides us with wisdom to know the tricks, tricksters,and trickeries that try to prevent us from claiming the prize!

Have a beautiful Day & God Bless, Donna (a cup of joy)

Posted on November 6, 2007 9:33:04 AM PST

This is from an e-mail a friend of mine sent me. Enjoy.

Posted on November 5, 2007 7:50:32 PM PST

Awesome Woman of God, I see why God would be selfish in His choices for your life. You truly have so much that must be accomplished through your writing. My Pastor did a teaching recently on the Word of God out of  Romans 12:2
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God". Your subject on refueling your mind, body and spirit reminds me of this, so often we stop at the good and acceptable and fail to reach the third dimension which in my opinion is the most important, which is the perfect will of God. It's not enough just to refuel but it's a continuum practice of refueling that not only is good, acceptable but becomes  the perfect will when we start tearing down the kingdom of darkness, changing our ways of thinking, and allow the God given inward changes in our lives to be manifested through our lives.

What an awesome word!! Thanks for sharing

If you don't mind can I print this off and share it with my Women's Ministry group?

Posted on November 3, 2007 3:54:43 PM PDT

Hello Minister Brown. You will enjoy my next entry at www.a-cup-of-joy.blogspot.com