Dear Sister,

You must have time in your day when you are in complete stillness and silence before God. This is the time when you can simply experience Him and who you are in Him. It’s the time when you can discover the path to the realization of divine vision for your life, and know the miracles of everyday life.

May there be miracles in your life today and every day. And, may you have the eyes to see them.

Because HE lives, I am

angela

Dear Sister,

Just a note to let you all know that I am still here. I’ve been allowing God to do some work in me so that I can come back with something fresh and powerful to speak into your lives. This has required that I be still and allow God to work on me for a while. I will see you all back here again soon. Remember me in your prayers.

angela

Dear Sister:

How many tongues do you speak in daily? The following list was taken from the table of contents of “30 Days to Taming Your Tongue” by Debra Smith Pegues.

• The Lying Tongue
• The Flattering Tongue
• The Manipulating Tongue
• The Hasty Tongue
• The Divisive Tongue
• The Argumentative Tongue
• The Boasting Tongue
• The Self-Deprecating Tongue
• The Slandering Tongue
• The Gossiping Tongue
• The Meddling Tongue
• The Betraying Tongue
• The Belittling Tongue
• The Cynical Tongue
• The Know-It-All Tongue
• The Harsh Tongue
• The Tactless Tongue
• The Intimidating Tongue
• The Rude Tongue
• The Judgmental Tongue
• The Self-Absorbed Tongue
• The Cursing Tongue
• The Complaining Tongue
• The Retaliating Tongue
• The Accusing Tongue
• The Discouraging Tongue
• The Doubting Tongue
• The Loquacious Tongue
• The Indiscreet Tongue
• The Silent Tongue

I found my tongues in the list. I didn’t realize I spoke so many languages. I decided to hone my tongues down to two—the tongues of truth and love.

angela

Dear Sister:

I have had a tumultuous past twelve months. The fact that I am still standing is a testimony unto itself that God is. Today as I sat reflecting on the events of the past year and bordering on the beginnings of a grand and glorious pity party, the Holy Spirit said to me, “Consider Job.” I picked up my Bible and took another look at this man.

Job was a man who suffered much. The bible says he was a man who possessed much. Then suddenly he lost it all and soon after that his health failed him as well. He suffered greatly. Yet, in spite of all the calamities that repeatedly visited him in rapid succession, he blessed God.

Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

And naked I shall return there.

The Lord gave and the lard has taken away

Blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1:21

What sustained Job?· He believed God – He looked not at the circumstances. Instead, he looked up claiming God’s right to rule over his life.

Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity? Job 2:10

· He looked ahead counting on God’s promises. He knew that in that future time all adversity would be removed and that those who trusted God would never be disappointed – he believed God.I know that my Redeemer lives,

And at the last. . . I shall see God. Job 19:25-26

· He did not try to explain the change in his circumstances—he trusted God.

I know that Thou canst do all things, things too wonderful (too deep) for me,which IAnd that no purpose of Thine can bethwarted. . .Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,did not know. . .I will ask Thee, and do Thou instruct me. Job 42:2-4

Job knew he couldn’t correct his situation in his own strength but he did know, believe, and trusted the One who could. He utterly trusted God’s plan and purpose for his life even in the day of adversity.

angela

Dear Sister,

What does your relationship with others, God and yourself look like? Would you be surprised to know that whatever they are, they are a reflection of you. Do you want them to change? If so, start with the woman in your mirror. First, discover how you feel about yourself. The status of every relationship in your life begins with the one you have with you. How you feel about yourself is reflected in every horizontal relationship (with others) and your vertical relationship (with God).

Grab a mirror and look into it. Grab a pen and paper, draw a line down the center and write down what you see in the mirror on the left side. Be honest. Review what you have written, ask yourself and ask God what can be done to address each one, writing the answer down on the right side of the paper.

Lay those things on the altar before God. Give them to Him with the willingness to take the corrective measures as He shows them to you no matter how uncomfortable it may feel—or whether you want to do it or not. Trust Him to know what is best. God desires for us to have right relationships with others, Himself, and ourselves. The core issue is usually self-rejection. Allow Him to deal with you and the other relationships will fall into place. Some may even fall away—but let them fall where they may—not everybody is going to be ready for the new you.

angela

Dear Sister,

 These are unstable times that we are living in. The social and political landscapes are in such a state of confusion and corruption. We are surrounded constantly with external  and spiritual forces that assault our bodies, minds, and spirits. These are the days that will test what we are made of. These are the times to stand immovable always abounding in the Word of God. And, when we have done all we can, we are commanded to stand therefore.

 

Refuse to allow your emotions to rule in these times. Do not be afraid, intimidated, or shaken in any way—be still, listen for the still quiet voice of God, trust His promises and His immutable Word. Stand strong in faith, trust God and He will bring you through. Is there anything too hard for Him?

 

angela

Dear Sister,

When was the last time you danced?  If it’s been a long time, why have you waited so long?  What’s turned your dance music into a mournful blues?  Do you feel like you are so caught up in the storms of life until you can’t carve out a single moment to dance?  Many times troubles come to try our faith.  If your faith is worth anything, it will stand the test.  Dross is afraid of fire, gold is not.  It takes no faith at all to trust God on the sunny days–when friends are faithful, the body is well, and the sprits are soaring.  Anybody can dance on those days.  “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him,” is heaven-born faith.

So, when the rain comes–and it surely will–turn up the volume on the praise songs that are in your heart and DANCE IN THE RAIN.  Tribulation worketh patience, patience worketh experience, and experience worketh hope.  And hope is the impetus that moves us toward greater trust in the promises of God.  And, in trusting Him, we have every reason to DANCE IN THE RAIN.

angela

Dear Sister:

I know you’ve heard the expression, “you are what you eat.” Well, for us there is another truth—“you are what you speak.” I know someone who always says, “you have what you say you have.” What are you saying to yourself and others? Do you find that you are speaking self-fulfilling prophecies contrary to what you want? It’s a lesson I am still learning, but what we say does come to pass and what we say impacts our lives for good and evil—depending on what we are saying.

Examine your words and this week set a guard at your mouth being careful of what you say. Watch your words. Be mindful of the things you speak regarding yourself and others. Let’s start today on the journey toward consistently speaking words that are healthy, affirming, and destiny-driven. Let us speak with confidence the things that are not as though they were.

The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk

will reap the consequences. – Proverbs 18:21 (NLT)

If you want to experience “the amazing” in your life—start speaking it. You will be astounded at how God partners with your words and bring wonderful things pass in response to the words of your mouth.

angela

Dear Sister,

I don’t know where you are today. But, I woke up this morning struggling with understanding just what is going on in my life and why. I know some may say, “How can you be in such a place if you truly trust God.” I say it because that’s where I honestly am in thought in this moment and God already knows that. Sometimes I go to this place of struggle. But, I don’t stay there.

So, I rolled out of bed and did what I do at times like this. I prayed and opened my Bible. I was first led to Psalms 28. I saw some things there that encouraged, answered, confirmed and convicted. But none of those things related to my present issue. Then I turned to Proverbs 20 and in verse 24 I saw:

“How can we understand the road we travel? It is the Lord who

directs our steps.” (TLT)

There it was. The Holy Spirit led me to where I needed to be. He knew what I was struggling with. This passage reminded me that our lives are not our plans—their God’s. He knows the plans he has for us and reveals them on an as needed basis. We don’t get a panoramic view of the big picture. We get one piece of the puzzle at a time and have to trust Him for the outcome even when we don’t understand.

So, what I woke up struggling with this morning was wanting things to happen when I wanted them to happen and in a way I understood. Well, sister, they just don’t happen that way. That call is not ours to make.

“But if we look forward to something we don’t have yet, we must

Wait patiently and confidently.” –Romans 8:25 (TLT)

angela

Dear Sister:

If the Juanita Bynum story teaches us nothing else, it teaches that abuse is present even in the body of Christ. And in that body even at the highest levels. All around us, there are thousands of women (and men) who suffer at the hand of their mates either physically or emotionally. We see them and most of the time don’t have a clue because they act as if nothing is wrong. You may even be one of those living the lie publicly and suffering privately.

Not every abuser is a spouse or mate. Abusers come in many forms. But it doesn’t matter how they show up. It doesn’t matter how long they have been present. Today, wherever you are right now, take off the mask and go to war. In this moment take authority over the spirit that is the source of this attack on you. Bind and take authority over every foul spirit that is holding your abuser captive. Loose the power of God into their lives every day, throughout the day if you have to. Stand in all that you know. Seek a trusted prayer partner to stand with you, if you need to, and put those demons to flight. In doing so, you set the stage for your abuser to be set free and lay the foundation to begin your walk in the sweetness of liberty.

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock , in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.”

–2 Samuel 22:2-4 (NLT)

For encouragement, edification, and example read the 22^nd chapter of 2 Samuel in its entirety. Today is Independence Day for all of us if we just act on what we know and trust in whom we know.