It has been a few months since we have shared the love of Christ, our Messiah. Many times I would sit down to begin a message to you from my heart and nothing would come. Nothing. My fingers would lie still across the keyboard, and I would simply stare at the screen. I knew in my spirit to simply close the screen, for how can a drink be given from an empty cup?

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A few years back I had a great opportunity to experience this lesson in it’s purest form. I had a friend that owned an upscale consignment store. My husband and I were Prayer Pastors at a church during this time. Due to the economic stress in my friend’s life, she had to put her store up for sale. A lady from our church bought the store. During their business transaction something occurred that upset the lady buying the store, and she became very angry at my friend.

 During that same span of time I noticed that this same lady began to act differently toward me also. I did not know her well, but we always had a cordial relationship. She stopped speaking to me. When I would see her she would look the other way. I kept thinking that with time she would return to her normal self.

 Months began to pass. She remained the same. I would visit her store and when she saw me come in she would leave the floor and her employees would wait on me. I began to pray over the situation in general. I didn’t understand her attitude. I knew that she had a problem with my friend, but she and I had never had any difficulties as we barely knew each other.

 One day a woman from my church that was very close to this lady called me. She told me that the lady was causing great harm to me in the spirit by the things she was saying about me. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Proverbs 18:21 Thus I went before the Lord asking Him to explain this to me. The Lord spoke clearly to me and said, “guilt by association.” (the spirit of friendship) I said.” Lord, what must I do to bring peace and restoration to this broken fellowship.” He reminded me of Matt. 25:3-4 “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

 So I began my pursuit of reconciliation. I tried many times to speak with her but she would not talk to me. I sought the Lord again, and He gave me a specific plan. He told me to go to her store before it opened, and to wait for her to arrive when she would be alone. So I did just as the Lord instructed me. I drove to her store early one morning and parked my car in an inconspicuous place and waited. It wasn’t but a few minutes until she arrived. Her store was in a strip mall and she was walking up to the door with keys in hand. I quickly walked up to her and said, “May I speak with you for just a moment?” When she saw me she said “NO! Please go away and leave me alone.” I said, “It won’t take me but just a minute.” Again she emphatically said, “NO,” as her keys were going into the door. Fearing that she would get inside and I would miss my opportunity to obey the Lord, I immediately fell to my knees on the sidewalk outside the store, between her and the door. I said, “I ask you to forgive me for whatever I have done to hurt you.” She said, “What are you doing, get up, get up!” I persevered, “Do you forgive me?” She said, “Yes, yes, yes, just get up!” I said, “I thank you for forgiving me and I love you very much.” As I stood up she rushed into the store as I slowly walked back to my car with tears pouring down my face.

 A few weeks past and the Lord began to deal with me again to go back into her store. So one day I slowly walked in and just browsed a bit. She saw me, spoke to me and helped me with a purchase. The Lord kept leading me to go back to her store again and again. Slowly she begin to soften. Through the next year she became very friendly and we talked many times. One day I received a call that her 18 year old son had been killed in an auto accident. He was her and her husband’s life. This was a very special opportunity for me to then be able to give myself to her without measure since I had obeyed the Lord in the beginning. A year later she had a gall bladder attack and during the operation her liver was cut and she almost died. She suffered for a long while and had to undergo another operation to restore her injured liver. Many days through all her trials I would stop by her store and pray with her as the Lord would allow me to minister to her in such a precious way.

 Besides the Blood, Forgiveness is one of the most powerful weapons we possess against the enemy. We are using the same weapon that Christ used against the enemy on the cross…Forgiveness. “Then Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34a We must forgive to be forgiven. There isn’t one without the other. Forgiveness is the key that opens the door to some of the greatest blessings that the Kingdom of God has to offer.

Sometimes God places people in our lives whose presence weaves in & out through the passing years. They are Godly people with whom we enjoy different seasons of fellowship. Even though our lives may move in different directions, the spiritual bond that God used to bind us together never changes. This is the story of a friend of mine.

This woman is a devoted intercessor. Intercessors pay a high price for the call upon their life. Standing between someone and Satan draws fire and retaliation from the enemy. Over a year ago, this woman called me out of the blue. She began to pour out her heart to me and tell me a story, which in most respects would provide the perfect scenario of a script for a Hollywood horror movie. Thus over the past months I have counseled her spiritually as well as providing a shoulder for a friend to cry on.

She has walked a very hard path, one that many could not endure. She has been through the depths of despair. She has lost everything, her husband, her children, her home, and her business. Even though she has been through periods of weakness and depression, she did not give up hope. When she would call me, we would begin to speak the Word of God together over her situation. She knew the Word for she had studied to show herself approved. In the past, she was a Women’s Intercessory Ministry Leader and used her home for Intercessory Women’s Retreats.

Many times our love for the Lord can result in zeal before wisdom resulting in a lack of discernment. There are times that God desires for us to assist His children in common sense ways. They need a natural word. My friend called the other day and as we began to talk, I realized that she needed natural advice, ideas, and confirmation that what she was doing in the natural part of her life was the right thing to do. She needed a natural plan. We live in two worlds at once–the natural and the spiritual just like our Lord when He walked among us. We as Christians must be sensitive to the needs of others in the natural as well as the spiritual.

Before our conversation ended, she related that she felt more at peace as she realized that there was a way in the natural to start over and she could do it. Christians often overlook natural counsel, encouragement, and edification for loftier spiritual heights. Jesus fed the five thousand natural food before He fed them spiritual food. (Matt.14:13-21) Our love for the Lord will result in our service to Him, however as we seek to find ways to serve Him more, let us desire the anointing of the Sons of Issachar; (1 Chronicles 12:32) to be able to discern the times in our lives and the lives of those  God sends our way.

Often I wonder just what my readers would like me to write about in my blogs. Blogs in general are amazing to me, from the time I first learned of them until now. To me they are somewhat like reading someone’s diary, very personal– yet written in a forum that the whole world can read.

We live in a world of enquiring minds…everyone wants to know everything about everyone. Yet so few people want to know anything about the most famous and important person that ever walked on the face of this earth…Jesus Christ.

Why do so few people want to know so little or nothing at all about the man that holds the power of life and death in His hands.The man who holds the keys to death and the grave, as well as the kingdom of heaven? 

We have become a self-absorbed society, filled with self-centeredness and selfishness. How did this happen? How did it get so “all about me?”

God has definitely blessed America. We are a blessed people living in a blessed land; a land of plenty. Many times when we have had so much for such a long period of time, we forget how it was not to have plenty. We forget those times in the past when we struggled to survive, prayed and God miraculously came through for us. Since then pride has crept in and we begin to feel that we deserve to be blessed. It is our right, not a blessing.

Let us never forget where our help comes. It comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Let us repent and remember our past that we may be thankful for the present and for all that God has planned for our future. 

Thanksgiving is a season to remember. It is a season to remember and be thankful. It is more that stuffing ourselves with a huge turkey dinner of which so many of us do. It should be a special day that our country corporately gives thanks to our creator for all the things that He has done for our families, our friends, our land, and us. 

America, America, God certainly has shed His grace upon us. Can we do any less? Let us show grace and mercy to those around us and live to serve others, the way Christ so unselfishly served us; by giving His life we might live. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all, 
but more than that– 
Thank you Jesus for all you have done for me.