Friday, July 27, 2012

Give Unto the Lord

Money, money, money...it makes the world go around. Seems the more you have the more you want and the more you need it. Right now, I need some money. I have a little bit in my pocket. The worldly thing to do is to hold on tight to the little bit but I have learned as a christian to give things away when I have a greater need. Sometimes you need to clear things out to make room for other things. A seed produces more seed. You sow one seed to get one plant of corn. Each plant might produces several ears of corn. On those several ears there are hundreds of seeds. All those seeds came from one seed. If you are faithful in a little, God will bless with more. It seems to me that I have been holding onto seeds instead of planting them. The more seeds you plant the bigger the harvest. The harvest sometimes comes in souls or other things. Just because you sow a financially doesn't mean you will get financial harvest but you will get a return of some kind. I had a friend tell me that she didn't believe in tithing and as a consequence, she was always broke and still is. 10% of your income is not a lot of money. It is only 10 cents on a dollar. It is not just the money you give but the attitude in which you give it. If you don't believe in tithing or don't want to do it then God doesn't want your money. You will not be blessed in your giving because you are not a cheerful giver. I always gave to Jesus in the past but now it seems harder to give. Maybe this dry season I am going through with money has to do with how I am treating God with my finances.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

God Is Right On Time!


      This summer has been trying on my patience. It has been one financial snag after another. In the mist of this, I have been trying to find a new apartment. It seemed like no matter what I did no door would open up. Actually, I had someone keep me from getting a new place to live- God bless them. My whole life was just one big bag of confusion. I know that the Lord is not the author of confusion so I just stopped striving trying to fix things on my own. It was like I was running up against a big wall.  I decided to just move home to West Virginia for a while and put my stuff in storage. During this time I just waited. Joel O'steen always says you should follow your peace. I just didn't peace about anything. I didn't know whether to move home or stay in Tennessee. I really had a hard time leaving my apartment because I loved living at Allandale but I had to go.
      One thing I knew for sure is that I would have to go back as a full-time student so that I would be able to afford rent in the Fall because I could not get into a low income apartment. But first I packed up  and went  to West Virginia, I was flat broke, I had spent all my money trying to move myself into storage and feed myself. I was bankrupt. While at my mother's house, I decided to work on adding classes to my schedule for school. Still I didn't know what I was going to do about an apartment in Kingport because everything I had was riding on me having a residence in Tennessee before school started. As I was adding my new classes, a new screen popped up showing me that I had an additional 1300.00 coming to me this year in grant money.  It was a blessed surprise. God knows what we have need of and he said he would never see his seed wanting and begging for bread. The only glitch was that  my extra money would not come until two weeks after school  had started but that little boost gave me some hope.
     After about 8 days of laying on my mother's big brown couch, I drug myself to the computer and looked at the classifieds online in the Kingsport Times Newspaper. I looked at every rental but it seemed like all the apartment listings wanted what I didn't have.  I didn't have a deposit or a full months rent. On top of that I had a bank note payment due in days with no money in the bank. I was about to go to a pawn shop and get rid of my computer and printer.(Later, I actually tried to pawn a few things but no luck.) One apartment complex caught my eye called Crosscreek. They were offering a free months rent and the apartment complex was owned by the same company of the apartments I just left.I am just glad that I left the apartment in decent shape. I talked with management at Crosscreek Apartments and they showed my an apartment when I came down to Kingsport a couple of days later. It was small but it was nice. Another bonus was that if I had good credit that I would not have to pay the adminstration fee. I didn't have it so anyway so I paid the $25 dollar application fee and left. They told me they would contact me that evening or early the next day if I qualified.  I went home to West Virginia that day and waited for the call -it didn't come. Early the next day, I picked up my phone to call to call Crosscreek Apartments.. As I was dialing, the phone rang in my hand and I answered. It was Crosscreek Apartment managers. I didn:t qualify for the deposit to be waived so I had to pay the two hundred dollars. I prayed about it and God said my mother would help me. Without me asking her she gave me $300.00 dollars to help with moving and the deposit. I will get 100.00 off my 2nd month's rent in September.  They also said I could move in at any time. God did a complete turn around in less than two weeks. I am so happy to be moving in on August 1st. It has been nothing but God's grace. Without His Grace I don't know where I would be.



Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns


SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by MARSHA BURNS
Breakthrough is the order of the day.  Circumstances that have seemed resistant to conclusion will now give way to resolution.  This time of bringing things to completion will seem like a sweet and refreshing rain that breaks the drought or dryness that comes with stagnation.  It will be like the breaking of a dam that frees the movement of a river to flow to its designed destination.  Rejoice, says the Lord.  Let the flow of My Spirit carry you to destiny. 
John 7:38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
http://www.ft111.com

Friday, July 13, 2012

Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns


Faith Tabernacle
July 13, 2012
SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by MARSHA BURNS:
 

I speak to multitudes when I tell you that your quest for attention and recognition is simply selfish ambition as you seek to express yourself in unique ways.  But, My purpose for you is that you become a vessel through whom the expression of My Spirit can flow, unhindered by your flesh.  You do not have to clamor and strive for position or compare yourself with others.  Simply be what I have created you to be and surrender completely to My purposes in and through you.  Even if you happen to acquire the attention you think you need, it is still empty and vain.  Establish yourself in secret communion with Me, says the Lord.

John 7:4a "For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly."

Monday, July 2, 2012

Praise/Prayer Report

Marlena, my teacher, did not call my school. The Lord worked out my problem out without her. I got credits from old college which now makes me a junior....hurray. Pray for all of my family and friends in West Virginia. Everyone is without power there and some are still without water. There was a huge storm system that passed through the East Coast of United States which caused major damage to power lines and water lines and now there is a heat wave. Much prayer for my fellow West Virginians. I left a day before the storm hit but the enemy hit me with a blown out tire on the way home. Praise the Lord, I was going at a low speed and there was no accident. I am also praising God that my family is safe with no major disasters to their property or their lives.

On another note, I am in the process of moving or getting a roommate. I am not sure which one is going to happen but I need my finances to change. I cannot afford to continue to live here without help. Please keep me in your prayers.