Plato Quote

Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees any one whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter light, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light. PLATO

T.D. Jakes Ministries/The Potter's House

Often we don't give ourselves permission to succeed. Nor do we appreciate people who look like us and are successful. Surround yourself with those who won't compete with you but will revel in your success and somehow see your ascent as a reflection of their own possibilities. Don't forget that success is not just cash in the bank or degrees on the wall; it is living out of your life's purpose.

The most dangerous thing that can happen is to become imprisoned by emotions. You cannot place yourself in solitary confinement. Even when you feel you don't have anyone who is sensitive to your heart's cry, you must cry out to God because Jesus is your only answer. Open your heart so God can get down into your wounded spirit and heal you. Bishop Jakes

Prayer

“Lord, teach me to live within Your boundary lines for me. Help me to use Your authority within those boundaries. I pray that You would break through any restrictions that the enemy has put upon my life. I thank You that he will not damage my inheritance. You will help me to reach my full potential in You. The enemy will not limit my vision and all that You have planned for me. Help me to stretch beyond my limitations to the boundary you have set for me. ‘I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me’ (Philippians 3:12). I choose to press through in prayer and become all that You have designed me for. I partner with You with my dreams and the desires of my heart. I refuse to let the devil squeeze me into a narrow place but I stretch forth my stakes, pushing to the limits (Isaiah 54:2). I repent of believing the lies of the devil (name any lies you have been believing). I shake off any negative feelings of hopelessness or insecurity (Isaiah 52:2). Help me to speak out Your Words of truth and worship You daily. Help me to obey You completely. I claim Your promise in Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.’ Thank you for the freedom I have in You. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Cast all your cares upon Jesus

God's will can only be done when you give ALL your circumstances to Him and pray, worship, praise: give of yourself to Him. If you give EVERY care to Him, He will show you just how much He can do for you. Jesus' outstretched arms are ALWAYS reaching out to you.

The Real Fred Hammond's Thoughts

God always cuts, prunes, strips, removes, crushes and tears me before He elevates. Anything that can be shaken is shaken, I've seen it time and time again trust me it's always been that way. The cutting is surgery, the pruning is to bring new ripe fruit, the striping and removal is to Add new, the crushing is for the anointing, the tearing is for humility and preparation, but the BLESSING=PRICELESS

Life Lessons

No matter what happens,
How bad it seems today,
Life does go on
Tomorrow is a brand new day.

You can tell a lot about a person by
The way they handle four things:
A rainy day,
The elderly,
Lost luggage, and
Tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned,
Regardless of your relationship with your parents,
You'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

I've learned making a living
Is not the same thing as making a life.
I've learned life sometimes gives you a second chance

I've learned you shouldn't go through life
With a catcher's mitt on both hands.
You need to be able to throw something back

I've learned if you pursue happiness, it will elude you
But if you focus on your family, friends, the needs of others,
Doing the very best you can, happiness will find you

I've learned when I decide something with an open heart,
I usually make the right decision.

I've learned though I have pain, I don't have to be one.

Reach out and touch others lives.
A smile, a warm hug, a pat on the back,
Show them the love of Jesus in you.

I've learned I still have a lot to learn.

Hebrews 13:1-3

Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

THE REAL FRED HAMMOND

There's always an Opportunity to Love. God will see to it by allowing people to come into our lives to test us. So when they come remember this is not just a test, It's an opportunity.

My personal prayer to my Lord, my God

God I set my mind to gain understanding and revelation and to humble myself before You. Please reveal to me the clear and powerful discernment, comprehension, and empathy of Your will and Your ways. Reveal Your manifest Glory Lord, that makes You worthy of the homage and adoration of all creation, and Your incomparably great power that is available to me. I desperately need Your power to fulfill the vision You put in me. I have such a burning desire to know You, adore You, and worship You, completely. I desire to be so stirred up by the revelation of who You are, my heart so fixed in my confidence in You, I never fail to trust You, lean on You, hear You, and complete Your will for my life. I’m totally dependent on You. I am nothing, I have nothing, I can do nothing, without You. I need You to have my being, to move and breathe, to survive, so please remove from me everything that’s not of You, burn it up Lord, pull it out by the roots.

My Lord, My God

I am the Lord God, the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.
Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. The one who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father—to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Tests & Trials

Tests have many purposes — the most obvious purpose is to prove your skill or mastery of a particular subject. Tests also show areas where you need to improve. While tests may be feared, they can also serve as confidence builders when you complete the test. Even if you fail the test, you realize that it was not the end of the world and you were able to get through it.
Life has many tests. The Bible speaks directly to the tests and trials that every person experiences. The reality of living in a fallen world with fallen people is that circumstances change, bad things happen, and tests are a certainty. The Christian is not immune to tests; anyone who has been a Christian for more than five minutes can vouch for this. In our text, James writes, “...when you fall into various trials...” (James 1:2, NKJV). Jesus echoes this same sentiment, “In this world, you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NKJV). So all of us will experience various trials and tests until our very last breath. The only person with no problems is a dead person, and only those who died trusting in the LORD Jesus Christ.

The love of God

To all of you who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

Knowing God

God, we know You will never take us
Where Your grace cannot keep us,
Where Your arms cannot support us,
Where You cannot supply our needs,
Or You cannot endow us with Your power.

God, we know You will never take us
Where Your Spirit cannot work through us,
Where Your wisdom cannot teach us,
Where Your army cannot protect us,
Or where Your hands cannot mold us.

God, we know You will never take us
Where Your love cannot enfold us,
Where Your mercy cannot sustain us,
Where Your peace cannot calm our fears,
Or where Your authority can be overruled.

God, we know You will never take us
Where Your comfort cannot dry our tears,
Where Your word cannot feed us,
Where Your miracles cannot be done,
Or where Your omnipresence cannot find us.

God kept me so I wouldn't let go!

I Am a ' Kept ' Woman........and loving it.
You see, there were a few times when
I thought I would lose my mind,
but GOD kept me sane. (Isa. 26:3)

There were times when I thought I could
go no longer, but the LORD kept me
moving. (Gen 28:15)

At times, I've wanted to lash out at those
whom I felt had done me wrong, but the
LORD kept my mouth shut. (Psa. 13)

Sometimes, I think the money just isn't
enough, but GOD has helped me to keep
the lights on, the water on, the car paid,
the house paid, etc. (Matt. 6:25-34)

When I thought I would fall, HE kept me up.
When I thought I was weak, HE kept me
strong! (I Pet. 5:7, Matt. 11:28-30)

I could go on and on and on, but I'm sure you know!
I'm blessed to be 'kept.'

WE ARE BLESSED

Yvonne Tate

Yvonne and I have been more than best friends the last 45 years, we have been sisters. She became ill a few months ago and made her way to heaven yesterday. She was on a respirator, but that couldn't keep us from communicating. All we did was look into each other's eyes and squeeze each other's hands. She knew where she was going and told me she was very tired. Most of my family have gone on, and she was the only one left I could start a conversation with remember when... As we made our way through life, just hearing each other's voice made us smile, and helped us make it through many situations. There are no words to explain how hard this has been. It feels like something hit me very hard in the gut and I can barely breathe. My daughter made a beautiful video of her life for the funeral. None of us could speak it, we all loved her so very much. I can't imagine how anyone could make it through something so painful without God's help. Jesus carried me while God held my hand. It was the only way I could get through the days that ran together and the nights filled with tears. We must discern the things we can't change, or deal with on our own, give it to God, and worship and praise Jesus for loving and caring so much for us He gave His life to save us. It is then our responsibility to share these experiences with those who don't know Him, and pass on the comfort we received to help others going through life.

Let Jesus Carry You

I had an unexpected visitor this morning. He arrived early to sit down and chat for a while about how things were currently going for me in my life. He carefully and compassionately listened to all I had to say. He saw the stress on my face and the tears in my eyes.

He leaned over and gently held me for awhile. He reassured me and told me not to worry everything would work out for me and be just fine. He asked who I knew that could use a visit from Him. I immediately thought of you and gave Him your name and told Him where you lived. He gave me another reassuring hug as I walked with Him to my front door. He told me He was on His way to your place.

Jesus

            Jesus
The Faithful One

The confidence we have
the trust we hold
the hope we carry
rest in His Faithfulness

Every promise He has made
He purposes to fulfill

He has the authority to
accomplish all He has spoken

His power is limitless...
His character changeless
His love endless!

PRAISE GOD

Praise God!

Sing Hallelujah!

For every wondrous gift of joy

For every heartfelt kindness

For every forgiving friend

For every caring stranger

For every lesson learned

AND ESPECIALLY

For His love that is a constant

forever and ever

A Wonderful explanation of Heaven

A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.

Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know.

You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side? The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.

I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing...

I know my Master is there and that is enough."