That you would prosper....

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

                                                                                                   -3 John 2:1

John pens this prayer, in his third letter,  to encourage his friend Gaius. We can also pray this prayer and promise over our own lives, as it was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is obviously in the will of God.

Let's look at some definitions:

The Greek word for prosper is euodoo, which means to have a successful journey through life; that things would go well with you.

Prosper - To advance, make progress, succeed, be profitable, and to thrive;

Health - A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.

Soul - the "psyche" consisting of the mind, will, and emotions.

Rephrase:

Beloved, I pray that you may (advance, make progress, thrive, succeed, and be profitable) in all things, and be in (a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being), just as( or at the same time that) your soul (mind, will, and emotions) are advancing, making progress, succeeding, being profitable, and thriving.

Prosperity of your soul includes,

Being transformed by the renewing of your mind
Submitting your will to God's will in all things
Being emotionally stable, and balanced in your mood, temperament, and personality.

Thank God that we are able to advance, make progress, and prosper in these areas by God's grace and by the power of His Holy Spirit!!!!

I pray that you would take hold of this promise and that it will manifest in your life, as it continues to manifest in mine. :-)


With lots of  Love,

Apple of His eye :-)

Whatsoever things are lovely - stress management

Be anxious for nothing, but in all things by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:6-7

This is one of my favorite scriptures. Paul tells us : don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. Make your requests known to God. The bible also tells us to cast our cares upon the Lord because He cares! We can find peace in placing our burdens in the hand of an all-powerful God, who knows the beginning from the end, Who has great plans for us, and who delights in giving good gifts to His children :-) I love the next few verses of this chapter. Paul, Being led by Holy Spirit must have realized that even after we have prayed we might be tempted to become anxious and discouraged when we don't see things happening right away, or when things don't work out the way we think they should. The word tells us:

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace WILL BE WITH YOU. Phillipians 4:8-9

We are instructed to think about And meditate( focus on, chew over, mull over)things that are good and true, noble and praiseworthy. For me personally, I think about the goodness of Jesus, I think about His sacrifice on the cross, and what that means for me, I think about my righteosness in Him, I think about all the victories He has won for me in the past, and I think about all the promises of God in the Word for me. Holy Spirit may bring a scripture to your remembrance that is specific to your situation that you can recite, or He may remind you of a specific time where He came through for you before. This concept can and has been diluted to "thinking happy thoughts", but the Word of God is living And powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword...(Heb 4:12). God's word through the power of Holy Spirit is able to break through fear, anxiety, confusion, and stress. When we continually meditate on these things, we develop an attitude of gratitude. Which will eventually make trials and hardships seem like water off of a ducks back. When we do these things we create an atmosphere in our minds and in our environment that is welcoming to the Presence of God. Verse 9 tells us that the God of Peace will be with us!!! He will be with us, walking joyfully through the valley until we get to our high place. He will be with us while we rejoice and thank Him for the victory. God is sooo good!! Practice His Presence, and watch your life change, until it is totally and completely IN HIM that we live and move and have our beings :-) Be blessed! Apple of His Eye!

Pray yourself happy!

The bible tells us to persist in prayer.

 Matthew 7:7:11 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks RECEIVES, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who if his son asks for bread will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish will he give him a serpent? If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give good things to those who ask Him. ( Luke adds: give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him) 

 Well, I had an especially awesome time in prayer this morning. I felt empowered by the Holy Spirit to pray, and by the time I was finished I just wanted to leap and shout Hallelujah!!! I know that something supernatural took place. Something was birthed or called forth into existence. I don't know what it is yet, but I know it's GOOD!!!

 Acts 2:4,6 - and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, ...And the multitude came together and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language

 The bible tels us in Romans 8, that we don't even know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit helps us out. The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us according to the perfect will of God. When we pray in the Holy spirit, we are praying the Perfect will of God. Although our understanding may be unfruitful at the time, our mind is lining up with the mind of Christ and our Spirits are lining up with the perfect will of God. When we pray in the Holy Spirit, we are praying those things which God has already prepared for us into existence 1 Corinthians 2:9-12. 
 We also build ourselves up in our most holy faith, according to Jude 20. We strengthen our faith muscle so that it is well equipped to be put to use! And we know that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes. Romans 8:28 - so go ahead and pray through your breakthrough!!! :-) 
 If you haven't yet been filled with the Holy Spirit,with the evidence of speaking in tongues, ask and you will receive that your joy may be full!!! Ask the Father to fill you with His Holy Spirit. It is His good pleasure to give you the kingdom!! If you have already been filled, stir up the gift of God on the inside of you! Become fluent in your prayer language by practicing. In the car, in the shower, on your bed. You don't have to feel a rumbling in your belly to pray in the Holy Spirit. Just open your mouth and let it flow!!!! 
 Daddy has great and wonderful things in store for you!!!! 
 With Love <3 Apple of His Eye!!! ( I love calling myself that :-)

Those who are alive and remain, may YOU rest in peace!

In those last moments standing in the presence of the one you love, surrounded by family and close friends nothing else really matters besides the one you've lost. Suddenly sad memories fade away and are replaced by happy recollections of your time together. Things you've done, places you've been, things you've said, lives you've touched, and legacies that will live on forever. As family members share embraces, tissues, and tears, suddenly it doesn't really matter who hurt you, made you mad, owed you money, or talked about you behind your back. Suddenly you realize that there is so much more to life than what you have been living. You are grateful for all that you have, all that you have accomplished, and all that you are privileged enough to still be able to do. You give thanks for the impact your loved one made in your life, and you rejoice knowing that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (where the real party begins) and hopefully you'll remember that in life, there is no greater accomplishment than to love and to be loved! Enjoy it! Letting out a heavy sigh as I say goodbye to someone whose love, faith, and zeal for life has touched the hearts of many!! He will be soo greatly missed, but Congratulations brother Lou. You made it!

Do Not Judge

Matthew 7:1-5
Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged; and the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me remove the speck from your eye; and look there is a plank in your own eye? HYPOCRITE! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Krino is the Greek word used for "judge" in this text, and it means to "condemn" or "avenge".These verses warn against a critical/condemning spirit. The King James version uses the word mote instead of speck. You will often hear the type of people described in this verse referred to as mote-hunters, or fault finders. I have noticed in my time spent among different types of people; that people who are quick to point out others short comings, who are quick to criticize and condemn others don't have to talk very long before they are exposing their own sins, their own frailties, and their own shortcomings.

The bible tells us to deal with our own "logs", or our own sins or shortcomings before we can try to deal with somebody else's.
Once we have truly examined our selves and allowed God to deal with our shortcomings, then we will respond to our brothers and sisters out of love and we can say with a sincere heart: If God can do it for me, if he can change me, then He can do the same for you.
It becomes a total shift in perspective, because we understand that it is only by the grace of God that we ourselves are not slaves to the same bondage.
Luke 22:32 - Simon, Simon! Indeed Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I (Jesus) have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren!
Love builds up, hatred tears down!

Fellowship of the Unashamed!

This wasn't written by me, but it was sooo good, I had to share! Happy Resurrection Sunday everyone! I pray that you all personally experience the POWER of the resurrection in Christ! Be blessed... apple of His Eye :-) 

FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED!  

I am a part of the ‘Fellowship of the Unashamed.’ I have the Holy Spirit Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight-walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving and dwarfed goals!   I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer and labor by power.   My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity.   I won’t give up, back up, let up or shut up until I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up and stayed up for the cause of Christ.   I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know and work until He comes.   And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear.   ~Author Unknown

The Blame Game

Our society's moral condition is at an all time LOW. The world is pointing the finger at the church, and the church is busy pointing the finger at each other, and of course at the world.

 To the church:
 The lack of love and compassion in the body of Christ today is very saddening. Especially when the bible clearly tells us that: By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35) Today we are seeing the church looking less and less like the disciples of Christ, and more and more like the carnal Christians described in Collosians 3:5-11. Instead of taking our rightful place as the warrior bride, seated in heavenly places with Christ, we've chosen to take a much lower seat with the enemy and launch vicious attacks of hatred, judgement, and criticism towards our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. It is about time that we all just GROW UP into mature men and women of God, more like the new man described in the latter part of Collosians 3 verses 12-17. The bible tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not CARNAL, but mighty IN GOD for the pulling down of strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4), and we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12). We seemed to have forgotten who the real enemy is. So what should we do with the people? What the word says; pray for one another (James 5:16), Restore one another in love ( Galatians 6:1),Settle the matter between the two of you, or take 2 or 3 witnesses (Matthew 18: 15-16). Agree to disagree, and if all else fails, part ways in peace (Hebrews 12:14)
None of us are perfect, not one. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.(Romans 3:23) We are not called to perfection, but to be models of progress in the faith. We should all be striving to look like little Jesus'. This, I believe is a lifelong journey in which we have something to look forward to because we know that when we see Him, we will be like Him! 1 John 3:2-3 The awesome thing about God is that He gives us His word( which is Himself) that we can look into and be transformed; if we would allow it! Lastly,here's something to think about: Matthew 24:12 "Because sin abounds, the love of many will grow cold, but he who endures to the end shall be saved. 13. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

 To the rest of the world:

 Yeah "those Christians" are phoney, they're hypocrites, all they want is your money, and they are oh so judgmental. At the end of the day, however, every individual is responsible and will have to give an account to God for their own actions. It is the goodness of God, not the people, that is meant to lead you to repentance. Please don't let the actions of a group of people be the reason for you neglecting to get to know this Precious Savior, and spending an eternity apart from him in hell. That excuse will not hold up, and it is totally not worth it!

Moral of the story, take responsibility for your own actions, and let God take care of the rest!

 With love,
 The apple of His eye :-)

Pretty Woman

I was watching one of my favorite movies the other night; "Pretty Woman", with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.

For those of you who haven't ever seen it, it's about a young woman (Julia Roberts) who is a prostitute. While working the strip one night, she stumbles across Richard Gere, a rich business owner looking for directions. Long story short, Richard Gere ends up hiring her for a week. He takes her off the streets, brings her to a fabulous, ritzy hotel, buys her new clothes, takes her to operas, polo games, fancy dinners, and introduces her to very influential people. He introduces her to a brand new lifestyle. One which she had never so much as imagined.  As she begins to realize that there is such thing as a "better life" She no longer has any interest in returning to her life on the street. As a matter of fact, after being showered by Richard Gere's goodness and managing to fall in love, the idea of going back to what she once was, was pretty much out of the question.

Needless to say why this is one of my favorite movies. It reminds me of the Kingdom of heaven, and of course makes me think about my relationship with the Lord.

1 Collossians 1:13 -  "He has delivered us from the kingdom of darkness (sin and death) and translated us into the Kingdom of His beloved Son"

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet in sin, Christ died for us. While I, Tiffany, was yet in sin, living a sinful lifestyle, rejecting God, and rejecting the Holy Spirit; Christ's sacrifice had already been made to reconcile me back to God. His blood had already been shed just for me, so that when God looks at me, He sees me righteous, sanctified, and justified (Just as if I'd never sinned!). He looks at me and sees His Beloved Son!!! :-)

When you make a decision to do a you-turn to Jesus, and receive His Holy Spirit,  He will shower you with goodness. Give peace where there's chaos, joy where there's depression, love where there's rejection, comfort where there's loneliness, health where there's sickness, and life where there was death. Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, truly gives something real and lasting. He offers a great exchange, or a great deliverance, where we can be free from the things that keep us bound. The things that keep us separated from Him. In the age we live in today, joy and peace in its truest most genuine form is a rarity. There is a huge, God-sized void in human hearts, waiting to be filled with the goodness of God!!!We've managed to try and temporarily fill it with drugs, alcohol, sex, relationship after relationship, careers, etc. Yet just like everything else that's temporary, when its over it leaves you in the same condition you were in before and worse off with each attempt. I can personally attest to that fact!!!!!

So yeah, I feel kind of like Julia Roberts in pretty woman when I say that Jesus truly changed my life!

The goodness of God leads you to repentance (Romans 2:4). After you have truly, without a doubt experienced the fullness of God, and all His goodness, a lifestyle of sin doesn't seem as appealing. He gives me everything I need, so I give Him my life!!!! ( Took that quote from Danielle Latty)

But don't take my word for it, Oh taste and see for yourself!!!

Apple of His Eye <3

Finding Rest

Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light - Matthew 11:28-30

Here is a little personal testimony:

If anyone really knows me, they know that I love to challenge myself, I am a problem solver by nature. I am always trying to figure things out, make things happen. My mind runs at 1,000 miles per minute. So, of course, road blocks never really sit well with me.
Over the past couple of months, I found myself caught in the middle of several roadblocks, so my natural response was to work a little harder, push a little harder, come up with a plan B, C, D, E,F,G
I know now that this was not the will of God or the best of God for my life, because the result of my futile attempts at breaking through, was that I became frustrated, discouraged, and physically, mentally, and spiritually EXHAUSTED. I found myself entangled in a yoke of fear: Fear of bondage, fear that God would not come through for me when I needed Him. Fear that God was not with me in my time of trouble.

The bible says that: Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it...For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. ( Hebrews 4:1,10)

The Word of God definitely has a way of showing you your condition. It says that the people missed out on that rest of God because of disobedience and unbelief" Believing that they know better than God, Having to always take matters in their own hands. ( Yes I was guilty!) Thank God for His anointing that DESTROYS yokes  (Isaiah 10:27)...

So I was determined to enter this REST that was promised. I had just graduated nursing school, was studying to take the NCLEX, was working part-time and struggling to pay my bills! Before I left Baltimore, one of the ladies at my church home came up to me after service and said God had been leading her to pray for me. She proceeded then to pray right where we stood. She touched on everything ( Thank God for people who are lead by the Holy Spirit) One thing she prayed that stuck out was that God would lead me and guide, that He would tell me when to get up, when to study, and when to relax, and that I would REST in Him. Of course I received that!!!

When I got back to NY, I decided to turn off my 5 am daily alarm and allow the Holy Spirit to wake me up, and direct my day. The first day, I woke up at 5 am, out of routine, I started to pray and fell right back to sleep in the middle of it. ( Not very effective). The next day, I slept in till almost 11. I woke up and was excited about spending time in the presence of God, and I did and thoroughly enjoyed it. The more I read the Word, and spent time in His presence was the more I started to fall in love again and I wanted to spend more and more time with Him through out the day. So for the next few days, I allowed Holy Spirit to take charge. I was awakened at various times in the morning. One morning 9am, one morning, 3:30 am, one morning 6, 10 and so on. I was no longer tired, worn out, or frustrated. I was somehow managing to complete all my daily tasks without strenuous effort. Not only that, but God was beginning to open significant doors that would lead me in the direction of my destiny. My focus shifted from worry and fear to Him, and in the midst of that exchange, my finances were taken care of, my bills were paid. I was beginning to receive money that I had been waiting for and praying would come through, and It is definitely not over yet! I am still on this journey and loving it!!!!!

The moral of this story is LET GOD DO IT!!! Our God who is omniscient (all-knowing) can accomplish more in a day than we can in a lifetime of our own futile attempts.

Still the apple of His eye :-)

My journey to Love

Started with a feeling deep within me that couldn't be satisfied by any person or thing. What in the world could this be?? This insatiable feeling pulling and tugging at me. I guess I heard Him calling me, but until now I had been running. Too afraid. I wasn't ready. But now I am. I need Him more than ever. I need Jesus! 
So I searched for Him the best way I knew how. Where would I find Him?? 
Bright and early Sunday morning I decided to begin my quest. I know a church, its not too far away!! It seemed like it took forever to get there, but I did. As I walked up the church steps, I felt a rumbling in my stomach. I thought maybe I should turn back, but I kept going. I hit the door, then came streaming tears. I had cried so many tears throughout my years, but this was different. It was uncontrollable. The first great release! Before I knew it I was scooted up to the alter, repeating the sinner's prayer. 
Ok, so I did it. Was this the end? No just the beginning. I could tell from this feeling that there was so much more. My first encounter with the supernatural Power of God had me hungry for more. Yet, it wasn't a hunger that struck me to move. So I laid back while He pursued. Finally I began to see that all along He had been looking for me. So He kept leading and drawing me close. Wherever He lead I was destined to go. He was so faithful to keep His word and stay close to me as I drew closer to Him. He made Himself so real to me, and was much much more than I imagined Him to be.

This relationship began not like any other. It was very different. Not quite Love at first sight. But it was undoubtedly a deep lasting love penetrating my heart and soul. He knew me for many "years" He had been watching me for quite some time. He somehow knew everything there was to know about me, better than I knew myself. He knew my every thought, He saw every tear that fell or didn't fall. He was ready to mend!

So I had to find out more about Him, to find out more about His love. I needed to know everything about Him, His likes, dislikes. How I could please Him, How I could give my life to Him. It sure wasn't easy at first, the long hard process of dying to self, of putting my needs aside for the One that loves me unconditionally. Laying your life down sounds obsurd in a world where its all about me, me, me, me, me. Yet He did it. He made Himself flesh and dwelled in a world full of sin. He was beaten and slain, wounded and killed just so that I could lay my sins upon Him, to offer me forgiveness and reconciliation ( closeness to Him and My Father). To give me the choice of life. How could I possibly love Him? How could I express my gratitude? No greater love has anyone shown than to lay down His life for a friend, and He did it for me. Even though I ignored Him time and time again.
What could I possibly give Him in return? What is He asking of Me? That I give Him my life as a reasonable sacrifice. So that He could use me..

Lord knows I desperately wanted to give Him all of me, yet I had no idea how to begin to do that. That's where the Holy Spirit comes in. The comforter, the Spirit of God sent to empower, to guide, and to lead us into righteousness. Without Him, our righteousness is like a flithy rag. There is nothing we can do to please Him - being born in sin - but to be born again. To realize that our lives can only truly be lived through Him.

So I gave Him my life, and as if He hasn't already done enough, He just keeps blessing me. He gives me joy for my sorrows, and peace in the midst of storms. He gave me a second chance and a brand new beginning. I can truly do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I am amazed at how He reveals Himself to me everyday. Those old cliches I hated hearing now have meaning. Brand new mercies everyday truly keeps me going. Even when I fall and make mistakes, He is always waiting lovingly with open arms to keep me going on my way. He gives me hope for a brighter future. In his presence is the FULLNESS of joy. He allows me to come freely into His presence where I experience a little taste of heaven here on earth. He's shown me that there is so much more to life, so much more to Him than just going to church on Sundays. He can be found outside of the four walls of the church. He can be found in His Word, He is His Word. He wants to come into your heart and He is ready to meet you wherever you are. He really does love you and has a wonderful plan and purpose for your life!! When God has a plan, no man can stop it. It may be delayed but never stopped. 

Get to know Him, He is amazing!!!!!!

..... And this is only half of my story...