Thankful

So this past week God has been shaking and moving mountains in my life!!!! today we found out that my mothers test came back good so she is a healthy amazing beautiful 57 year young woman of GOD!!!! I mean when you have God on your side you will never ever lose. I have enjoyed my time with God my prayers my peace my strength and most of all my families beautiful strength. Life is such an amazing gift a treasure and the more that we get an opportunity to share it with the better. Today I pray for all of you out there who may not believe that a miracle can happen stay faithful trust God and know with all your heart that GOD can and he will move mountains in your life if you just stay faithful and trust in his promise!!! I know that God has so many beautiful things in store for my life and for my families. Now more than ever I have a thirst for God's love his touch and just his presence in my life. I know there have been times when I couldn't stop crying because  i thought that my situation was going to stay the same but it didn't. I can tell you that life is not perfect but God is and with prayer, fight and most of all amazing faith God can turn your life all the way around. Today I know that my prayers and needs will never leave God's heart!! I pray for anyone today who needs a break through, who needs Gods presence in their life. I pray that you ask God and trust in his word : in Matthew ch 22: 32 god says " I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead but of the living". That means that God is all of our Gods not some of us but all of us so trust in him and know that he will give you all that you need!!! You are in his heart and he see's you!!! Trust and have faith!!! But give him thanks today for what he has already blessed you with.

AMEN!!!!

WITH ALL MY LOVE :)

Christa Bennett

Praise Report!

Today is day 10, which means the last day for me. I have been truly blessed in these past 9 days, even as early as day 1. God has been revealing himself to me all throughout this thing. First, day 1, had a dream about Carmen (my old roommate), she graduated in June and has been living in Chicago with a part-time job and the help of her mom trusting God to bless & provide. In my dream she was launching her clothing line in a store, and in the tag of a jacket I saw clearly the name of th line. I woke up and something told me to text her, so I did right then and there, I told her about my dream and that I believe God is about to do something great for her in this year. What was amazing is that she told me I was the second person in that day to tell her something similar, and that she had been praying for a name for her line and the name that I saw in my dream fit perfect! I knew then it had to be God. 

Next, our church was doing something called S.O.S. (starting off strong) for the first week of the new year there was live broadcasting of the word online 24/7. At anytime of the day we could tune in and watch preaching, poetry, music, dancing, talk shows etc. As part of my fast I also told God that I was not going to watch or listen to anything that wasn't feeding my soul, so I was tuned into SOS all week. It was truly a blessing. Only those who I was fasting with know that I was fasting for my family. Day 3, my pastor sent me a text telling me that he was about to pray for me online and did I mind, I told him that I didn't mind at all. When they prayed for me, they prayed for me and my family and their salvation. LOOK AT GOD! That was really amazing & exciting! It let me know that God does hear me and He's ready to work! 

The following day (day 4) me and Shamica spent the night at church since the doors were open 24/7, we just really wanted to be in the presence and let the word marinate in our spirit as fasting even while we were sleep. That was our night to be there! Of all the nights we couldv'e been there, that was the night we choose & that was the night that was a real blessing to us. The speaker spoke on the message "Woman Thou Art Lossed", about the woman that God healed who was cursed by an evil spirit and bent over for 18 years. His message was that God knows what we are going through and He can & is ready to loose us from our situation. At the end of that message, he called people to the alter that had something that was suppose to keep them from coming that night to pray over them. I didn't go up, and as he continued to speak he looked right at me and said "Right there in the  orange shirt, I don't know why you're not up here because I've been talking to you all night" I got to movin! lol. He layed hands on me and prayed over me, and while I was praising, crying and thanking God all I heard him say as he prayed was "No weapon formed against you shall prosper!". Though I don't know what he prayed for, I have been praying and believeing God for my healing so I just believe God that this was for that. Shortly after praying for me he called Shamica up "You in the gray sweater, come here". He layed hands on her and prayed over her called out the very things that she has been struggling with! God is just amazing! 

Also, earlier that day I had been reading 1 corinthinas 12 & 14 on speaking in tongues. I went up for an alter call in the summer to be filled with the holy spirit and speak in tongues. Well it didn't seem to be happening and I had started to think well maybe this gift isn't for me. God proved me wrong, that same night while I was praising God my jaw began to shake and I just let it out! Later that night we also gave the last of the money we had for offereing, and he prayed that "Nobody will go without in their obedience to give sacrificially". I gave my last 3 or 4 dollars. 

The next day (day 5) when we left church we were feeling good and burning! We had worked out twice that morning before we left. On our way home we just talked about how good God was and how blessed we were. While we were waiting on the second bus, I didn't know it but my bus pass had expired. When the bus came I put my pass in and the driver told me "It's expired." Now most bus drivers would just let me go ahead so I assumed that's what he was going to let me do. I asked "Can I still ride?" he responded "You have to pay a fare" I told him, "My pass just expired and this is all i have" he says "Then you gotta get off". I knew we wasn't bouta get off that bus cuz I aint have no $ Shamica aint have no money lol, and uhh we had to get home & I remembered the prayer from the night before "Nobody will go without". I called back to Shamica and told her "my pass is expired and dude ait lettin me ride" A lady sitting in the front says "Wait a minute..." and she pulls a bus pass out of her purse and hands it to me "God bless you" she says. I respond "no God bless you" then I go to put the pass in and tell the bus driver "And God bless YOU!" not in the nicest way, lol, but then I asked God to forgive me for that attitude (and I have been praying that God helps me change my attitude)

Lastly, later that night when I was walking to withdraw the money from my account to get my bus pass, an older couple asked me if I could buy them a bus pass so they could get to the homeless shelter, I immediately thought about the lady who gave me a bus pass. I told them to walk with me and I would get it for them. I bought them 2 bus passes and gave them some $ to get a little something to eat. They told me I was an angel . I asked them for their names so that I could keep them in my prayers (be praying for Becky and her husband). God gives blessings to who He can give blessings through, remember that!
Lasty, Saturday night I forgot to set my alarm. When I realized it, it was the middle of the night and I was in the bed. So I prayed that God would wake me up at 10 a.m. Sunday morning, day 7, God woke me up at 10 a.m. on the dot!!! We serve and amazing God!!

All in all, I have really enjoyed my time with God for these past 9 days. Nothing big has happened but I just thank God for the small ways that he has been revealing Himself. It just gives me a sense of peace and forces me to acknowledge His presence even more. I feel that my faith has increased even in this short time. I know that God has heard all of my prayers and I know that he knows my heart so I believe that he will honor the time that I have been fasting and focused on Him. I am extremely excited about what God is getting ready to do in my life and the live's of the ones I love! And I thank God that it is going to BLOW OUR MIND! We are bout to be part of a monement! As Mali Music said "God's people are about to take over!" and I believe it, all for His glory! AND THANK GOD that He can do exceedingly & abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine!!

Love you all, 

Sierra Shanay

And By Faith...(salvation cont'd)

Total access to any and everything comes through faith. When we have faith there is nothing that cannot be done! Matthew 17:20 says "...if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain 'move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing would be impossible" We cannot expect to reach our full potential nor recieve everything that God has in store for us if we have little or no faith. Here's a little secret, everything is about faith! Christianity, what some call a religion is really about faith. When Jesus died on th cross He paid it ALL and granted us all access to the riches of the kingdom of God, but if we don't have faith then He died for nothing and we have nothing! Don't let that incredible, loving act be vain in your life. David defeated Goliath by faith, Daniel survived a night in the lions den by faith, the woman with an issue of blood was healed by faith, Bartimaeus (the blind man) was healed by faith, Esther went before the king taking a chance at death and saved the Jews by faith, Noah built an ark (as silly as it sounded) and saved his family by faith, Moses freed and led a nation of people through the parted red sea by faith, Abraham was named by God the father of many by faith. I could go on and on. Every great thing that happened in the bible happened by faith! Without faith, we have no vision, no direction. Think about it, we cannot see God, it is only by faith that we trust Him and everything written in His word. Romans 3:25 says "God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. having faith in Him sets us clear." We all have faith in something, even if it's the chair that we sit down in everyday having faith that it will support us. We have to learn how to grow our faith in Jesus because it is through Him that we can have anything that we ask and more! "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" Hebrews 11:1. Take a risk, jump out on faith, He will catch you everytime. 

God is love, 

Sierra Shanay

Salvation

Isn't it amazing the way that God continues to love and bless us in spite of us? I thank God for Jesus, but most of all I thank God that He would send Jesus to save all of us while we were all His enemies. I mean who does that? What kind of king comes down from his throne, comes down into the mess and problems of these people who care nothing about him and die so that they can live?!?! That is some kind of love I tell ya. Think about this though, not only did he plan to do it, but he actually did it!! If i were Jesus, everybody would probably die, because as soon as people got to turning against me, spitting on me, mocking me and O LORD, nailing me to the cross....that's it, it's a wrap! I'm coming down off that cross and showing everybody a thing or two. But look how amazing this man is, and only because of Him are we given the grace and mercy of God for our sins. There is no sin great enough to outweigh God's grace. Romans 5:9-11 says "Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we're at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually recieved this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!" When Jesus died on the cross he paid for us all! Good news, salvation is a gift and it's free, the only thing we have to do is accept it. This wonderful gift from God is the only free thing I know of that so many won't take advantage of. And to think, it's the most valuable gift anyone could ever get. I think it is amazing that God gave us commandments to live by but then He turns around and says, but here, I give you my Son as well, for when you mess up. If you have faith and believe in him as your Savior, no matter what you do or how much you do wrong you can still be forgiven, and you can still enter heaven. Isn't that just amazing? But you must have faith, faith is the key to getting everything that God has for you, every prayer answered, every blessing, every miracle, all the riches, everything he has in store.
TBC...

God is good,
Sierra Shanay

Safty in his arms/ trusting

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart." 37: 3-4

All I have today is a want to trust in his word. No matter what may happen or comes our way God has a hand on all of it. We must have faith in his word and know that no matter how bad our circumstance may be trust that the will of God will never take us through anything that the spirit of God will not keep us through. Learning to understand and listen to God instead of questioning. Thank you Lord for what you have already done and for what you are going to do. We may not always understand where you want to take us but we know that with you we will never get lost for you are our GPS. So my prayer is that today and every day we trust God with your life. AMEN Praising you always! Trust!

peace be with you!!

Live, Love, Laugh!

Sending my prayers and Love!

CB

"I Need You Now" By Smokie Norful Amazing!!!

vnd,

Tamela Mann - Safety In His Arms