God Heal our Nation By Kimberly McCants

Daniel 2:21-23 (NLT) ²¹ He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.

²² He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light.
²³ I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength.
You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

I realize that with everything that is going on around us, sometimes it is very difficult to even know where to begin or even know how to pray. We begin to get weary in the midst of these heated political battles, the pandemic, the injustice and even through these uncertain times.  We begin to cry out to God for his mercy and his understanding. We long to see God heal our land. As for me, sometimes I even wonder if my prayers are even effective at this point. No matter how we feel, we know that God is yet Faithful, and the Peace and Power of God still reign over all the chaos and calamities around us in our nation today. That same Power that allowed prison chains to break, healed the blind man, healed the woman with the 12-year issue of blood, raised Lazarus from the dead, parted the Red Sea, and delivered the delirious from demons, that exact same Power is at work even today. God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever more.

 2 Chronicles 7:14 King James Version (KJV)  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

I once heard a statement, “To get our nation on its feet, we must get on our knees.” May we, as Kingdom people and Christians, begin to stand together in unity and as believers in Christ, and pray for God to heal our land, and strengthen His people. We can start by doing a self-evaluation and asking God to humble us and to help us be more like Him. May we get rid of the things that are not of God and turn from our wicked ways. May we fall on our knees and our faces before God and pray. Let us not only talk about prayer, but pray.  Let us not only agree on the importance of prayer, but pray. Let us not only preach on the power of prayer, but pray. May we pray for all those in authority and leadership (whether it be the government authorities, our spiritual leaders, work supervisors, etc.). May we pray for God’s miraculous intervention, for blind eyes to be opened, for bodies to be healed, and for many to see the Power of God like never before.

An Attitude of Gratitude By Kimberly McCants

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”    Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, let us be mindful of the many blessings in our lives. Most of us need far less than we have to survive. We are blessed to have nice homes, food, heating and cooling, running water, electricity, clothing, and people who love us.

Do you ever pause and Thank God for his goodness and also remember that our hearts should be attuned to praise him the entire year and not just on Thanksgiving Day? Sometimes we take the simple things in life for granted like: our families, friends, health, jobs, and our homes. With a spirit of gratitude and gratefulness in our hearts, we recognize all that God gives us and tend to lose sight of what we think we want but do not have. It sometimes takes a season of hardship, loss, and suffering to remind us of all we have been given and to appreciate how God provides even when we don’t deserve it. 

So, as the celebration of Thanksgiving approaches, and as we begin celebrating, partying and feasting, let’s not forget to worship together and thank God for the many ways he has blessed each of us. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

Silence!!!!! By Schmieka Dean

Psalms 62:1-2
Most babies don't sleep through the night in the first several months of life. Many others don't catch on for the entire first year or even longer. Once they finally settle into some kind of sleep pattern, other challenges happen. Like disciplining a two-year-old, potty training and answering lots and lots of questions. Sometimes just the noise level is enough to send you over the edge. Where is peace you may ask? Where is quietness? Where is restoration?
Psalms 61:1 says, "My soul finds rest in God alone. " Literally, the word rest here means "silence".

Silence!!  When is the last time you heard it?  Sit on the stairs late at night after finally all your family is in bed and listen to the stillness of your home. Turn off the radio in the car after dropping the kids off at school and just take in the quietness. In these unexpected moments of aloneness, such as sitting at a red light and your baby is asleep in the car seat; when you wake early for some reason one morning and no one else is yet moving, resist the urge to fill the silence with noise. 

Pray. Listen. And just let your soul find its rest in God alone.  I don't know about you, but I need some Silence, in the spiritual and natural.  Be blessed!!!      

Thank you By Samantha Kyles

Numbers 6:24-26 New International Version (NIV)

24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;

25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Isaiah 38:19 New International Version (NIV)

19 The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today;

parents tell their children about your faithfulness.

Thank you means a polite expression used when acknowledging a gift, service, or compliment, or accepting or refusing an offer.

Every day we wake up we should tell God thank you. He gives us 86,400 secs, over 30,000 breaths, and we blink our eyes over 15,000 times. He gives us so much time in a day, we should be glad to tell Him thank you. Every time we inhale & exhale, He is allowing life to stay in our body. Every time we blink our eyes, we know we are still alive. Tell God thank you!

When people do stuff, buy stuff, give to you, share with you, acknowledge you, compliment you, etc. tell them thank you. No one is required to do anything for you. Tell them thank you!

As our Thanksgiving holiday approaches let's show God, we appreciate him by waking up giving thanks, loving our family, and continue to love each other daily. Nothing wrong with saying Lord I thank you!

Thank you for reading this word. Have a blessed and prosperous day!

I Love you!

Samantha

Kingdom Building By Andrea Johnson

Choose to build the Kingdom...Every day...Some way.....Somehow....

 In life we have to make choices. Sometimes it’s difficult to make a sound choice due to some situations we are faced with. Do we consult God before deciding to do something or commit ourselves to a specific task? Do our decisions help build  the Kingdom of God?

As I go through my day to day routine as a General Manager, I am tasked with building sales for my organization through my location. At the beginning of the year,  I am given a yearly sales projection that’s broken down into 12 months. This projection entitles me to come up with plans to make a profit. I have to look into the previous years’ sales, guest counts, staffing, and other different profit opportunities to try to make an increase for the current year.

I work hard to beat those numbers from the previous year to make a profit. Now this is my earthly job and how I make a living. After putting in all this work,  I ask myself what works have I done to advance the Kingdom of God? What choices or research have I made that will promote God and help build the Kingdom?  Have I told my testimony to someone?  Have I shared a word about God’s love?  Have I showed God through me?

 If God is the source then I should be making choices that will not only make profits for my organization but bring people to Christ. The word says "we should have no other God before me". Sometimes we make our jobs a god and we journey on day to day not relying on the Source (God).

So as we perform our various job duties this week, let’s pray to God that He direct our paths and let us make choices to build His Kingdom within our jobs, shopping malls, or even our social media posts. Take pride in serving a just God and let Him direct our paths!

 Scripture: Proverbs 16:9 NLT

“ A man’s heart plans his course but the Lord determines his steps.”