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We love to think of Jesus as our meek and mild Savior. However, when we read Matthew 10:54, it draws a stark contrast to that notion. Imagine Jesus saying He did not come to bring peace, but a sword! Yet, this is what He asserted in this chapter in Matthew.

Jesus often taught in parables. This is how many Rabbis taught on that day. So, it was not too strange to hear the stories and parables. Moreover, Jesus wanted people to not only hear His words, but to obey them. Obeying the word takes us into a deeper relationship with God. This is where our intimacy with Him is at.

Living in obedience to Jesus’ teaching will bring conflict and division in your life with the things of this world. Here lies the rub. We often want to live both ways. We want to take on the things of this world and say that we love Jesus, too. Still, Jesus said show your love for me by obeying me. (John 14:15).

Obeying Jesus brings challenge, tension, and separation. It brings a sword into our lives. As a result we are constantly choosing. We are choosing whether we are going to follow Jesus or the world. Thus, no peace as we choose. This is radical when you think about it.

We must not live on how we feel. Our feelings are fickle and lead us down the wrong path and away from Jesus’ teachings. It is the deception of Satan. Jesus did not sugar coat what we would face if we became one of His followers. There are sacrifices and sufferings. Even so, we also know there are blessings and rewards. There is a higher calling for us all. There is an abundant, victorious life here for us on the Earth. These are the things that Jesus knew would bring us heavenly peace on Earth. These were the spiritual things He emphasized and was pointing us to.

God LOVES our teachers! Therefore, we LOVE our teachers, too! Teachers serve as surrogate parents. They are considered school moms and dads. This is something that is not taken lightly. They treat students like our own. They provide for them when the school budget has been stretched to the limit. Invariably, they go into their pockets for extra supplies/equipment that students and parents cannot afford,  enrich a lesson and even provide breakfast, lunch or a snack for hungry students. This is the reality of being an educator.

Where Is God Now Ministries want to recognize the sacrifices teachers make. We thank you for the teacher nominations you shared and why these teachers were deserving. We are recognizing two teachers!

When we read through the nominations and supply list, the Holy Spirit said to me some of YOU have these new or gently used items in your home that you are not using. Please see the below list and let me know if you have these items. I will come and collect your items on Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 14. Of course, if you want to drop your items by my garage door, let me know so I can be on the lookout for them. 

                                                             SUPPLY LIST

Folders and Binders (for student portfolios)

Color Coded Bins (for class materials)

Label Maker

File Organizers or Trays (for differentiated assignments)

Small Rewards (pencils, stickers, erasers, etc.)

Games for Vocabulary Review (Scrabble, Taboo, Bingo, etc.)

Tissues

Hand Sanitizer and Wipes

Stress Relief Tools for Calming Corner

Snacks (for students who come to school hungry)

Dry Erase Boards and Makers (for small groups)

Highlighters (for reading comprehension strategies)

Vocabulary Flashcards (including academic and tired vocabulary)

Bilingual Dictionaries (English and Students’ Native Language)

14 pc. Stainless Steel Cookware Set

Portable Ice Maker

Pot Holder/Oven Mitts

You may also make a tax deductible donation! Please click the link to the website. Scroll down and click on “Donate.” on the right side of the page. 

https://whereisgodnow.org

Thank you for your continued love and support.

You may share with whomever…

Love & Blessings!

Gwen

David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). David loved God. Unfortunately, because we are in these fleshly bodies, we sin. Fast forward to 2 Samuel 11-12, we see David’s sin with Bathsheba. Not only did David commit adultery to cover up this sin, he committed murder, too. David arranges to have her husband, Uriah, killed on the battlefield. Bathsheba became pregnant because of their indiscretion. Later, David marries pregnant Bathsheba who is carrying his child.

Sin is hideous. It is why God hates sin. It opens the door for more sin as we see with David. It derails our humanity. It reduces us sometimes less than human. Pride, guilt, shame, lies, deceit, etc., piles on. These are the hallmarks of Satan. Therefore, it leads to death to our souls and spirits.

David had sunk to an all time low. Thankfully, we serve a loving and forgiving God. David did experience the consequences of His sin. As a result, the child did not survive. Further, he dealt with some self-inflicted wounds to his character.

God is our redeemer. After a year of pretending nothing happened, David was confronted by Nathan, the prophet (2 Samuel 12) . Finally, David confessed his sin. For a year David lived miserably. It is in Psalm 51 we see David asking for forgiveness and a renewing of his spirit.

David asked God to give him a clean heart. A clean heart is a pure heart. That is not to say we will be perfect. But it is a heart that is bent towards God. Moreover, our hearts are capable of making right decisions. Our vision is clear. It allows the Holy Spirit to flow through us to do God’s will. This was the desire of David. This clean heart is a supernatural heart that wants to please God. David loved the presence and favor of God in His life. He once again wanted the relationship to be restored. God in His graciousness did just that… Amen. Love & Blessings!

God has promoted us an abundant victorious life on the Earth! Through Jesus Christ we have that life. God wants us to enjoy our lives. He wants an intimate relationship with us so we will do that life with Him.

We do not serve a boring God. Just look at creation. He has given us so much! In the summer, we experience so much of creation. Although, it gets heated and humid, some people prefer this type of weather. They love going to the beach to soak up the sun and play in the water. Depending on which beach they visit, they can see white, beige, red, pink, green or black! Think about that… God is not boring!

The God gives us different variations of flowers. They come in vibrant colors, too! We have yellows, whites, purples, blues, red, orange, just to name some. These colors attract pollinators like butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. They come in different variations, too!

God has given us sea animals to enjoy. We go crabbing and fishing a lot during summer. Not only is this a sport for some, but some use them as a feast. We also feast on oysters during the summer. This is good eating!

Let us not forget about our summer fruit and vegetables. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are plentiful during summer. Melons are dripping with hydration for our bodies. Watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew are often sweet, too. Corn on the cob is always a hit along with tomatoes, butter beans separately or together for a delicious succotash.

These are just of the wonderful things God has given us during summer to enjoy. The time is passing quickly. Schools will reopen and before we know it fall will be upon us. In the meantime, I encourage you to make sure you enjoy God’s wondrous creation this summer. You will not regret it. Love & Blessings!

It is always humbling seeing God WORKING and MOVING in the lives of the ladies. This cohort of ladies participating in the weekly Bible Study has been revealing on so many levels. Let me share…

Every week I have the ladies celebrate their sobriety. The Holy Spirit revealed to me some time back Jesus had already healed the ladies from their addiction. When Jesus died on the cross… it was FINISHED! They had been set FREE from their addiction. Now, it was up to them to WALK in their sobriety NOW! Of course, their sobriety will look different for each of them.

I have to admit I was sensing some of the ladies were not embracing their sobriety and FREEDOM. One of the ways we celebrate is thanking God for the number of days He has kept them sober. It’s no secret that drugs find their way in jails/prisons. We hear about it in the news. So opportunities are there for people to indulge.

I asked God why some of the ladies were not embracing their sobriety. God shared sobriety, like everything else He has promised us, is for “Whosoever”. The Bible uses this term throughout scripture. So I knew it was the Holy Spirit that revealed this to me. Specifically, Mathew 16:24-26 talks about denying ourselves and following Jesus. It is where the abundant, victorious life on Earth is.

I shared my observations with the ladies and what the Holy Spirit had shared with me. I explained to the ladies the celebration, counting the days of sobriety, receiving their sobriety was only for “Whosoever”. Those who wanted it. Furthermore, the healing comes through Christ, who keeps us everyday. Moreover, He is able, if we lean and depend on Him. If we try to do it on our own we start to sink like Peter walking on the water with Jesus. Invariably, when we take our eyes off of Him, we start to sink. Since sharing this revelation with the ladies, the ladies have embraced it enthusiastically and with thanksgiving.

The other strange occurrence I observed with this group was their knowledge of the Bible. There are diverse populations in jail. Different races, ages, educational backgrounds, cultures, disabilities, etc., are there. Two ladies in particular had a keen knowledge of the Bible. As a former educator, I would suspect these ladies may have had additional educational support services in school. I encountered many instances of them quoting scriptures and finishing my sentences about scriptures before I completed them.

This happened frequently. Curiously, I asked the ladies how they knew so much about the Bible. One recounted how a deacon in her church used to teach the scripture to her as a child. The other talked about growing up in the church. I had to ask God what was this. Once again, the Holy Spirit revealed to me it was lip service. He took me to Isaiah 29:13 and Matthew 15:8-9. It talks about people serving God with their lips. Yet, their hearts are far away from Him.

I shared this observation with the ladies, too. Immediately, one of them agreed that she needed to be more committed in her relationship with God. There was a consensus of head nodding and speaking aloud this was true for the rest.

The Holy Spirit never fails to show up and provide what is needed during our Bible Study sessions. Wonderfully, it is an opportunity and a privilege! It is a BEAUTIFUL thing! More deeply, it is God reaching out to these ladies and providing them with TRUTH and HOPE as He does with us all… Amen. Love & Blessings!

God  forgives us because of the Cross. He forgave the Sinner through Jesus Christ. Christ paid the penalty for us. It is the reason He walked the Earth. To take care of our sins. This is POWERFUL!

As powerful as Jesus dying on the cross to take our sins, it is just as powerful when we forgive others. Just as Jesus set us free, we set ourselves free when we forgive others. When you think about it, refusing to forgive others is prideful. It is telling God we know what is best for us than He does; therefore, I choose not to forgive. If Jesus did it, why can’t YOU?

Satan is the author of such acts. It is another one of his deceptions to keep us in bondage. Unforgiveness drips in bitterness, hostility, hatred, and the negativity goes on and on. This is not of God.

The things of God set us FREE. It lifts us up. We are propelled into higher levels in life. It allows us to live in the Fruit of the Spirit. The Fruit of love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, and the other Fruit. Who would not want this life?

Unforgiveness will BLOCK these blessings. The Bible says, if we do not forgive others God cannot forgive us (Matthew 6: 14-15, Mathew 18:35). So if God cannot forgive us, we block our blessings from Him.

If you find it difficult to forgive, God will help you. It is a process in some cases. We have to turn it over to Jesus… Cast our cares upon Him for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7). Knowing that the Holy Spirit is our Helper in AlL things helps us to lean in. To receive the help that we need (John 14: 16, 26, 15:26, 16:17). Forgiveness gives us FREEDOM… Amen. Love & Blessings!

Our relationship with God is SPECIAL God loves us with an everlasting LOVE. He has the BEST plans designed for each of our lives. His plans also include giving us the desires of our heart.

We wonder how this happens. When we are delighting in God, He will align our heart to His heart. As a result, our desires will start reflecting God’s will for our lives. This gives us excitement and anticipation, right?

When we delight ourselves with the Lord, we honor Him with our life. Therefore, we bring Him into our everyday conversations with others. Moreover, we take on the mind of Christ in our lives. Further, we allow God to get involved in the details of our lives. Instinctively, we cast our cares on Him. We uplift Him in everything that we do.

These are the things that put a smile on God’s face. We bend our will towards God, that is something He cannot ignore. It is His desire and pleasure to give us the BEST plan He has for our lives (Philippians 2:13). In turn, we will be fulfilled in life bearing the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

On a deeper level, we enter into an intimate relationship with Him. We become quite familiar with His presence, blessings, and favor in our lives. It is the abundant, victorious life He promises us here on Earth. It is a beautiful way to live. To have the desires in your life that God wants you to have. It is heaven on Earth…Amen! Love & Blessings!

The previous blog highlighted God hears and listens to our prayers. This week we will highlight God making our crooked places straight. For years I have heard this quoted by many people. However, I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant until recently, I had experienced it recurrently.

CROOKED PLACES STRAIGHT: One

This experience happened when I was working on a project. We were participating in an event and the set up location was not favorable. It became concerning and alarming to me. Instead of me complaining or trying to negotiate something better, I instinctively took it to God. Our God hears and listens to our prayers, right? So, I took it to Him!

When the day came for it to be discussed, I talked about a different location to set up for the event. Everyone was in agreement! Wholeheartedly, I recognized God had taken care of it! The scripture the Holy Spirit whispered to me was I will make your crooked places straight. I knew it was the Holy Spirit. God speaking to me letting me know He had gone before me to straighten out this potential problem for us.

CROOKED PLACES STRAIGHT: TWO

Another issue popped up within days. We needed the manpower to help with set up for the larger event. I instinctively took that to God, again. The night before the event I went to the venue to set up my display. While there, I asked the staff if anyone was available to set up the other areas that needed to be set up for the event the next day. We got willing spirits who came to set up the other areas that were needed. Once again, I recognized God making our crooked places straight. It became a burden and concern of getting the people we needed to do this task.

CROOKED PLACES STRAIGHT: THREE

Lastly, we had an overwhelming response of items donated to the ministry for the event. We were concerned that maybe we would not have enough items to give to the needy. We ended up having more than enough… God makes our crooked places straight! He actually multiplied what we had initially collected. People the day before and day of the event were bringing items in to donate to the needy.

It is always humbling seeing God moving and working on the Earth. It is even more exciting when we can actually see the scriptures in the Bible coming to life in our lives…Thank you, Lord! Amen. Love & Blessings!

We serve a God who is an omnipresent God. That means He is everywhere at the same time. I believe God sees and hears all on the Earth. That is AMAZING when you think about it. We are supposed to BELIEVE that God can do anything but fail.

We sometimes get tripped up when we pray. When we do not get what we want we start doubting that God is not who He says He is. But, He is! Because He is a God who wants the BEST for ALL of His children. He is working on behalf of ALL of His children. That means that what we see in the natural may not work out the way we want it to. Why? He has something BETTER for us.

Because God is working on all of His children’s behalf that means His ways are not like out ways. His thoughts are not like ours (Isaiah 55: 8-9). We, as His children, are supposed to take on the mind of Christ. We are suppose to be reflecting Christ in our lives to the world. So that means sometimes in our Earthly eyes we may not see what we want. But God ALWAYS has a plan working in all of our lives… He is LISTENING! Love & Blessings!

The Bible talks about how God DANCES and SMILES over US! (Zephaniah 3:17) What a BEAUTIFUL image, right? It is because of YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, and YOU Where Is God Now Ministries, Inc., was able to feed and provide other needs for 39 households! These needy households consisted of infants, children and adults 18 to 60 plus ages. YOU helped us collect and obtain over 850 items! God MULTIPLIES! Your GENEROSITY was TREMENDOUS! I believe God DANCED and SMILED over that!

When God gives us assignments or projects, the Bible says we should do it as unto the Lord. (Colossians 3:23-24). WE are the hands, mouth, and feet of Jesus on the Earth! The Holy Spirit MOVES us to get His work done on the Earth! It is HUMBLING and a BEAUTIFUL thing to SEE God WORKING on the Earth!

These are some of the things Satan tries to KILL, STEAL and DESTROY in our lives. The Bible says God does not SLEEP nor SLUMBER. (Psalms 121:3-4). That means He is always watching over us and working on our behalf, too!

Here are some photos of the Pop-Up Food Pantry YOU helped provide at the Chesapeake Reentry Council Job/Resource Fair for justice involved individuals and the community at large. If you click on a photo it will open the gallery…

Thank you for your continued love & support.

Please share with whomever…

Love & Blessings!

Gwen