Dear Friend,

Have you ever had to praise your way out of a situation? Have you ever been under such great attack that the only thing you could do was lift your
hands unto the Lord? Have you ever experienced an attack so fierce, violent and brutal that you couldn't say anything ... your tears was literally
your praise? The specific focus of today's encouragement is admonishing you to practice praising God for who we are in Jesus, and how praise will radically impact how we go through times of struggle. I don't profess to be an expert, but trust me, I've had my share of ups and downs where praise was all I had to pull strength from! I discovered early in my walk as a Believer that
praise is the mechanism God created for us to focus on Him instead of everything around us. We look at Him and worship Him for who He is and then He shows us what He means “in us.” Wow! When we are going through, we might stop for a
moment and glance at our circumstances, but our total gaze is on our Savior! listen to me carefully. In times of struggle, God gives us an incredible
amount of grace. In that grace, He teaches us of His purpose and that He is working. He makes scripture come alive for us and speaks to us to give us a word when it is needed. He gives us wisdom when we need it. If you never praise and
have no faith in this process, then you will miss it.  This is when we make poor choices due to being stressed out or depressed.  Praising Him opens up the door for Him to give you supernatural wisdom. Get this, He fills us with so much Jesus, that Jesus comes out during trials to such an extent that people are amazed at our strength and faith. Have you ever had someone say to you, “how are you being so strong?” And you say, “It's my God strengthening me.” God does not just get us by. No sir.  He raises us up in grace and strength to
be a testimony of His grace and strength! Hallelujah!! Whatever trial we are in, we are there to display His glory and the glory of His
graciousness. He will lavish so much of Jesus in your life that you cannot help but be a testimony to His glory. Now tell me – how powerful is that? How strong does that make you! Glory to God!  My friend, no circumstance, crisis, or critic can take away our real, actual life. No circumstance, crisis, or critic can keep God from working His purpose. No circumstance, crisis, or critic can create any struggle beyond what we can handle. No circumstance crisis, or critic can remove His presence from our lives. Now, those perceptions should change your life! When we praise God, we proclaim our faith in Him. Psalm71:14-15 says, "As for me, I will always have hope. I will praise you more and more.  My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure." That statement always blows my mind!!! A sacrifice of praise is something that we offer to God — in times of well being and in times of sorrow.  Never allow praise to become a habit or a trite activity.  It is a
priceless honor to kneel before the throne of our Lord and Savior. God does not need our praise, but certainly, He desires it.  He knows when life takes an unexpected turn toward sorrow or when a serious illness lingers for months and even years, praise has the ability to lighten our hearts and fill us with a sense of love and security that can only come from one place....... God's throne! Personally, I have experienced trials so horrific that I forgot breathe! Praise helped me to be joyful and thankful regardless of my circumstances.  It prepared me to continue in God's service and it helped me to see beyond my present circumstances to the immense possibilities that were mine through faith in Jesus Christ. Nehemiah wrote in 8:10, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Praise teaches us to turn our eyes away from circumstances to the One who has the ability to heal, save, renew, and mend every broken heart. Lots of people think I'm happy all the time, but that is certainly not true! I explain to them, there is a difference between happiness
and joy.  Happiness is something we experience for a moment and is often short lived. Joy is eternal. It comes only as a result of living a life of praise.  Praise comes as a result of a heart that is overflowing with joy that may even come in lonely moments. Suddenly, you find yourself being comforted by the One who created you and who understands your grief and sorrow. You may be in a situation right now where you feel as though you cannot praise God, but if you will just take a step toward praise, you will sense God’s arms surrounding you. Your praise doesn't have to be eloquently spoken or deep, your praise can be as simple as this: "To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God." Just let praise steady your heart when trouble comes and gain God's perspective on your current situation.  Take time to thank God for what He has done for you.  He has saved you and given you an opportunity to know
and love Him. Remember He loves you with an unconditional love and will not withhold any "good" thing from you. In closing, when God wanted to bring down the walls of Jericho he didn’t send an army he sent the musicians and choir. There is power in praise. On the day of Pentecost the disciples were waiting, praying and praising God, and the Holy Spirit came and the world was changed. When Paul and Silas were in prison they were praising God at midnight and their prayer and praise released an earthquake that all the doors of the prison flew open and their chains came loose. When God’s people praise him powerful things happen. Again I say, there are times we do not feel like praising God. Just as there may be times when we do not feel like saying “I love you to our spouse. It is a choice. It is what we were created to do. It is what we are commanded to do. The Psalmist felt he was
going to drown yet he still said he was going to praise God.
 
Let's pray: "Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace and mercy that You have extended towards me. Thank You for showing Yourself mighty and
strong in every detail of my life. I ask Your continued favor upon my life, finances, health and careers. Teach me how to have a steady
relationship with You. Teach me how to trust You. Teach me how to share my faith. In Jesus Name, Amen"
 
A Simple Nugget: "Even if you don't make a sound GOD still hears!"
 
FYI: "Nothing qualifies for worry; everything qualifies for prayer!"
 
My Confession: "I've been let down and I've been knocked down; but God has
never failed to help me up again!"
 
All my love and prayers,
Minister Dorothy King

Dear Friend,
 
I was a part of a “Time Management” workshop and the facilitator started the session by saying, “Lack of punctuality is a theft of someone else’s time.” Whew! That statement really penetrated the core of my being. He expounded further by saying punctuality is not holding others back with our inadequacies; it is a form of reverence which
respects the time of others, and acts quickly when God and others call on us. He said this shows that you care and respect others. It is realizing that time is important; the time of others is valuable. Time is a treasure and an investment that pays off in eternity. We are not to waste or take advantage of others. We are to strive to do our best with all God has given; including the time and
opportunities of our own and others. We were challenged to answer four pointed questions honestly:

1. How do I exhibit punctuality in my life?

2. What can I do to develop a better willingness to be on time, to show that I value people?

3. What blocks punctuality from working and being exhibited in me?

4. How can I make punctuality better, stronger, and faster, even in times of uncertainty and
stress?

The workshop enlightened me. It pointed out how our life and opportunities are very limited. When we detain others, we are infringing on their character and opportunities. We are, in fact, wasting what God has given us and preventing others from exercising what God has given them. When we impede or hinder others, we are
robbing them of their gifts and opportunities. When time is misplaced by overloaded schedules or fear, we become absent from life’s precious moments and opportunities, and, as a result, our effectiveness and character will be absent!
Later on in the session we divided into groups. We had to write a paper addressing six question:

1. How would you define punctuality? Are you a person who is careful about how he/she uses time? If so, do you slow others up?

2. What part does punctuality play in your relationship with family, friends, church members,
co-workers? How can mismanaging our time harm relationships, as well as other aspects of life and work?

3. How does being a procrastinator counteract punctuality? What is the cost to others when
you are a person who is always in a rush, and tardy?

4. What happens to your relationship with God, with others, and with the opportunities God gives
you, when you are hindering others?

5. Can you think of a situation where you failed to be on time, but, you should have been?

6. What issues in your life that would improve with increased punctuality? Do you use your schedule to glorify God and help others, or is it just a private matter where you are not concerned with time?

The group sessions were my favorite part of the workshop. In my opinion, many people consider punctuality not worth the effort of study and practice. We live in a time when we are slaves to the urgency of schedules and appointments, where our meetings and outings dictate our use of time, and even our relationships. We over-commit, and over-schedule, and do not give it a second glance. Yet, time is important, and our management of time will give others a glimpse of our priorities and character. We may not see our being timely as important but God does! We are on this earth for such a short amount of time-compared with eternity-and we need to make the most of our time and opportunities. When we are
careless with time, we hold others up, and miss valuable opportunities. Our time is a treasure that is given to us, and we are responsible to dish it out fairly, in a clear and concise way- to the best of our ability, and accordingly to the situation.

In closing, some of you reading this letter might say, “What is so bad, about consistently being a few minutes late?” “Does the Bible have anything to say about punctuality?” I believe I can show you that it does! To clarify matters, let me make it perfectly clear that I am not talking about one who is occasionally late or one whose good intentions to be on time are derailed by unforeseen circumstances. I am addressing the practice of arriving at places tardy more often than arriving on time. Consider an example of the five virgins who
were late to a wedding, as recorded in Matthew 25:1-13. They were unprepared for the coming of the bridegroom. Hastily, they attempted to get themselves ready and then appeared at the wedding only to find the door shut and their entrance denied. If these ladies had been on time, with the necessary supplies, they wouldn’t have missed out on the celebration they obviously wanted to attend. Consider Ephesians 5:16 “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil”; redeem means to “buy up for oneself.” Paul is
not asking us to buy back time, because once time is gone no amount of money can ever buy it back, but he wants us “to pay the necessary price in effort and sacrifice to use properly the time (opportunities) we have now.” These are some
routines the facilitator offered us  in our endeavor to be punctual. It may benefit you, as well, to try these practical tips to help you, and your family, to get to places on time. 

1. Have a plan. Resolve to get to the places ten or fifteen minutes before time start. Make your
definition of "late" as anything after that designated time, not the start of the event.

2. Set a goal. Decide what time you need to leave your house so you’ll arrive at your designated time. Make every effort to leave at that time – even if your hair isn’t fixed perfectly or your shoes are untied. If you make this consistent policy you will
know what to expect and will adapt accordingly!

3. Think ahead. Lay out clothes the night before or an hour before departure time.

4. Get organized. Gather any materials needed beforehand so it’s easily accessible when it’s time
to leave.

5. Take care of physical needs. Eat; make
important phone calls, etc in plenty of time to be finished and cleaned up before it’s time to leave.

My friend, I know that you will find being punctual much better for you than persistent tardiness!!

Let’s pray: “Heavenly Father, help me to do
what promote holiness and separation of my life, my heart, my very lifestyle and every action unto You. In Jesus name I pray....
Amen!”

One Simple Nugget: “You may delay but time will not!”
 
All my love and
prayers,

Minister Dorothy King

Dear Friend,
 
I was studying 1Timothy 6 and a friend suggested I read this book entitled “A long obedience in the same direction,” by Eugene Peterson. There is a passage that really stands out: It says, “One aspect of world that I have been able to identify as harmful to Christians is the assumption that anything worthwhile can be acquired at once. We assume that if something can be done at all, it can be done quickly and efficiently. Our attention spans have been conditioned by thirty-second commercials. Our sense of reality has been flattened by thirty-page abridgments. It is not difficult in such a world to get a person interested in the message of the gospel; it is terrifically
difficult to sustain the interest. Millions of people in our culture make decisions for Christ, but there is a dreadful attrition rate. Many claim to be
born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim. In our kind of culture anything, even news about God, can be sold if it is packaged freshly; but when it loses its novelty, it goes on the garbage heap. There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long
apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.” I don’t think that could have been stated more plainly if I had attempted to write these words myself. It is very concise and powerful! He makes it very plain that the Christian life is not a hundred-yard dash; it’s a marathon, it’s a “long obedience in the same direction.” Starting well is easy; finishing well is another matter. We all will encounter numerous hindrances. But, those whose burden has been lifted at the cross will persevere. If you’ll notice, in the final section of 1 Timothy 6, Paul tells Timothy and us how to go the distance. Timothy found himself in a difficult situation that was seemingly not suited for his timid personality. He had to confront the false
teachers who had arisen among the Ephesians’ leaders by refuting their errors and by teaching the truth. No doubt he was catching flak from many in the church who had been led astray by these men and their errors. So Paul, like a coach at half time in a rough game, reminds Timothy of the game plan and challenges him to hang in there, even though it’s not easy. He gives four commands in verses 11 & 12 that I believe are pillars for perseverance: Flee; pursue; fight; and, take hold. In other words, to persevere, a man or woman of God will flee worldliness, pursue godliness, fight for the faith, and take hold of eternal life. The title, “man of God” is used in the Old Testament of men like Moses, Samuel, Elijah, David, and a few prophets. It means a man who belongs wholly to
God, who follows God’s Word in every aspect of life. A man or woman of God has a certain dignity and aura about them so that when you’re with them, you sense the presence of God, because their life is so entwined with God. There’s no greater title that any Christian can covet for himself or herself than to be called a man or woman of God! But it doesn’t happen automatically! To be a man or woman of God, you must resolve to stand against the tide. You must flee worldliness, pursue godliness, fight for the faith, and take hold of eternal life. Can you
imagine a coach saying, “Listen, team, the men on the other team are big and tough. When they come at you, I want you to turn tail and flee!” You don’t win by fleeing, do you? But Paul knew that there are times when the way to victory is to flee, not to fight.  In 1Corinthians 6:18, we’re commanded to flee immorality, in 1 Corinthians 10:14, idolatry, 2 Timothy 2:22 youthful lusts
and, here, to flee the love of money and false doctrine; but, James 4:7 tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us. So we need to know when to fight and when to flee! I am a little ashamed to say that earlier in my ministry; I promoted some of false teaching, especially on prosperity and self-esteem. I am so thankful God graciously opened my eyes to it, in part, through my reading of
the Word and sitting under “Seasoned” teachers. I know now, whenever a teaching appeals to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes or the boastful pride of life, we need to take off as fast as we can in the opposite direction. To persevere in the Christian life, the man or woman of God must flee
worldliness!
 
In closing, we aren’t just to run from worldliness, but also to run to these six character qualities. When I researched the word “pursue” it is sometimes translated “persecute”; it has the nuance of eagerly going after something. It implies
effort, diligence, and determination. In other words, you won’t accidentally attain these qualities by hanging around church buildings long enough. You’ve got to go after them deliberately over the long haul. They are:

1. Pursue righteousness: Here the word refers to conformity to the standards of God’s Word.

2. Pursue Godliness: The word is closely related to righteousness. It has the nuance of reverence or awe in God’s presence. A godly person lives with an awareness of God’s holy presence, and so
he fears God and flees from sin. As we saw in 4:7-8, we must discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. You won’t roll out of bed some morning and find out that you magically attained it overnight. You won’t get it by going
to a spiritual conference or having some emotional experience. You have to diligently discipline yourself to pursue godliness.

3. Pursue Faith: This refers to the trust in God that consciously relies on Him in every situation of
life.

4. Pursue Love: We often have the mistaken notion that love just flows effortlessly. If we have to work at it, it must not be love. But why would the Bible so often command us to love one
another if it didn’t require diligent effort?

5. Pursue perseverance: The word is not “patience” (putting up with difficult people ha ha), but perseverance or steadfastness, which means bearing up under difficult circumstances. We only can pursue perseverance by daily trusting in God as we hope in the promise of His coming and the blessings we will enjoy throughout eternity with
Him.

6. Pursue Gentleness: The word doesn’t mean meekness in the sense of weakness. Timid Timothy wouldn’t need to pursue that quality, since he seemed to have plenty of it! Rather, it means
strength under control.

Maybe there have been times in your walk as a believer where you’ve fallen and became
discouraged. God wants you to stand upright again and to sink down roots so that you can weather the storms ahead. The roots that you need to persevere are to flee worldliness, to pursue godliness, to fight for the faith, and to take hold of the eternal life to which He has called you. Will it be easy? No! Fleeing, pursuing, fighting, and taking hold all imply hardship and effort. But with Paul, Timothy, and many others who have gone before, God will give you strength to go the distance as you seek to obey His Word.

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, empower me to trust you in all circumstances of life. In Jesus Name, Amen!”
 
One Simple Nugget: "What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog." General Dwight
Eisenhower
 
All my love and prayers,

Minister Dorothy King

Dear Friend,

While working on the final details of an upcoming
event, I thought, “Is this event really imitating Jesus Christ?” Jesus’ ministry was predicated upon accepting people. He erased the artificial boundaries of culture and status, looked beyond people’s sin, and accepted them. He touched
lepers, ate with sinners, visited the homes of tax collectors, and washed the feet of the betrayer. Through countless loving acts, Jesus made a clear
statement: “I will never withhold my love from you; regardless of the circumstance, I will always love you!” I sat quietly meditating over the agenda, wanting to make sure it reflected the attributes of Jesus Christ. Many times, if we are not careful, we put on an event that brings attention to us
instead of our Lord. We want people to leave our function talking about US instead of the Lord. Often time we refuse to change anything about our projects because we are afraid it will take the spotlight off of us. I am honored to say, when our staff members are putting together event formats or publicity strategies, one of the things we spend lots of hours praying about is; does it send the message of all inclusive? Those who work with us in the planning and development area of the ministry understands we are trying to reach all sectors of society. God has blessed us. We have been very fortunate to offer “free” or very cost effective projects to the communities that we are called to serve. I’ll be the first to admit, there have been times when we’ve felt like we were completely in over our heads! But we’ve learned, “Every vision from the Lord has a voice, and IT will call its own resources!” In fact, God moves so quickly and mightily that sometimes we
don’t know the full cost of something until it’s over! I will share this with you; A couple of years ago God chose our ministry as an instrument to bring into existence a powerful tool for reaching young girls. From a human standpoint it was a tremendous task! Not really financially, but the level of spiritual attacks that were launched was horrendous!!!! We had “major players” in the
Christian community going behind our backs trying to sabotage what God wanted  to do. The only problem with fighting a vision is; you would have to think that you are bigger than God. There were leaders we thought would support us 100%,
and it was very disheartening to discover they were the main ones sowing discord behind closed doors. Little did they know the people they were
soliciting to help them hinder us-were never a part of the ones called to help us? To make a long story short, the project went over BIG and God got all of the glory! To date, it is one of the biggest multi-cultural events for girls in the State of Alabama. I personally believe that the burden of any Christian event should be Christ-centered and Gospel boasting! We should always make it a
 priority to exalt Jesus Christ. I know we like hanging out with people who look like us, act like us, like what we like, and are similar to us; however, the Christian life is not that neat. The point of the gospel is not to unite people
according to the flesh, but rather to unite people in Jesus Christ. If our events are “cliquey” then we are enjoying exclusive relationships with folks
while excluding others whom Christ wants to bring together. To be honest, we unwittingly undermine a major aspect of what Jesus Christ wants to bring in through the gospel. For so long ministries have promoted their personal agendas to a position of supremacy and put the gospel in a position of submission. This should never be!! My friend, the heart of any event should be unity. And it is
emphasized when God calls people from various backgrounds, cultures and ages to come together and display the harmonious message of Christ’s supremacy. 

In closing, any project from the Lord is always
designed to serve the people. The greatest example and teacher of servant hood projects is of course the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said of Him in Philippians 2:7 that He took "the very nature of a servant,” and Jesus said of Himself in Matthew 20:28 that "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Although Jesus' entire life’s projects were one of service, the most notable example of His service projects was that
of washing His disciples' feet on the evening of His betrayal. The instance was notable both because of the setting and because of the mundaneness of His service. Jesus of course knew that it was the night of His betrayal and that the very next morning He would suffer on a cross for the sins of the world. He would, from our viewpoint, have had every reason to be preoccupied with His
imminent sufferings. Yet Jesus took time to tend to a duty—that of washing the feet of guests—that was usually left to the lowest servant in a man’s household. He did this under full awareness of His own Divine dignity. John says of Him in John 13:3-5, "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that,
he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." Doesn’t that bring tears to your eyes? It was not in spite of His greatness but because of His greatness that Jesus served His disciples on that evening. Through His own attitude toward servanthood. He taught us that true greatness in the Kingdom of God consists not
in position or authority but in serving one another.
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power. Jesus recognized that He was the sovereign God, that He was both Creator and sustainer of the universe. His Incarnation and humiliation did not alter the fact that He was the eternal God the Son. And in full knowledge of who
He was and the authority that was His, He arose from the table and began to wash the feet of the disciples. In the mind of Jesus, acts of mundane service were not inconsistent with authority and greatness but rather part of it! So, the next time you are planning an event, ask yourselves, “Does this vision serve God’s people?” If the answer is no, trash it and start over with Christ being
the main attraction! Remember, no one ever gets to a place within society as a whole or the Body of Christ in particular where he or she is too important to serve others in the ordinary tasks of life. In fact, the true test of whether we are servants is that we don't mind being treated like
servants!

Let’s pray:
“Father in the Name of Jesus, I yield everything that I have and everything I am to You today. I resolve in my heart to center my love on things above, and by the reviving power of Your Spirit to keep my flesh disciplined, laying aside every sin and weight that would hold me back. I set myself to do Your will. I'm asking You to make clear to me MY heart, speak to me and tell me what needs to become different in my life. I position myself now to hear and obey Your voice. I ask this in Jesus Precious Name, Amen!"

A Simple Nugget: “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed!” Proverbs 11:25

Have a great weekend and be intentional to add value to every person you meet!"

All my love and prayers,
Minister Dorothy King

Dear Friend,

There is this slogan that says, “It’s a jungle
out there.” I’ve never really given any thought to what the meaning was until today. "It's a jungle out there" is an idiomatic English expression describing a dangerous and threatening situation. It often has the broader implication that
the entire world is the proverbial "jungle," a dangerous environment filled with hazards in which all parties are out only for themselves. In other words, the real world is severe. My interpretation sparked from a situation where you have to acknowledge the “haters” in your life. Yep, all of us have some haters! A hater is someone that is jealous and envious and spends all their time trying to make you look small so they can look tall.  When you make your mark, you will
always attract some haters. That’s why you have to be careful who you share your blessings and your dreams with because some folk can’t handle seeing you blessed! But how do you handle your haters so that you won’t abort the blessings that God has for you? How do you handle your haters so that you don’t miss the opportunities that have been scheduled for your life? First, you must
recognize our biggest hater is SATAN! He hates us because we look like God, act like God and have been given the power as believers to function in a role of authority. He hates us because we can stand boldly in resistance to him and he has to flee! Please understand haters don’t want to see you happy. Haters don’t want to see you succeed. Haters don’t want to see you get the victory. You can handle it when your haters are your enemies, but how do you handle the haters who you least expect to have your guard up against?  First of all Luke 6:27-31 teaches us that our response to difficult people should center on the examples provided by Jesus, for He surely
dealt with many “haters” during His time here on earth. His interactions with these people were never with an attitude of superiority or dominance, but rather one of subservience. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was quite specific: “But
I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” My mama would say, “That’s a hard pill to swallow!” Philippians
2:3-4 gives some advice similar to that of the passage by Luke, and just as difficult to follow. This is Apostle Paul writing to the Christians in
Philippi, when he tells them to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Furthermore, Proverbs 12:16 tells us that “a fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent
 man overlooks an insult.” Chapter 13 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians contains a description of true Christian love—it is to be patient and kind.
Putting all this together, the way to deal with difficult people or your haters is to love them, pray for them, expect to give rather than to receive, maintain a humble spirit, and relate to them in patience and kindness. But more important
is the need to pray for the Spirit’s power to change our own hearts and minds toward the difficult person and enable us to see them as needing the same love, grace and mercy that God extended toward us. Luke 23:34-39 shows Jesus forgiving the men who were killing Him! The way to deal with difficult people or “haters,” is to imitate Christ’s humility and love. That kind of response is
 both edifying to us and pleasing to the Lord. Another way to overcome your haters is by being confident in your purpose. When you understand your purpose you can focus without being distracted. When you have a purpose you know
who you are and whose you are. When you have a purpose you know where you’re going. A purpose is having a clear sense of what God has called you to be! You can also handle haters by knowing something about them. Why should we let people who can’t get it together, keep us from having it together? Before we give attention to folks, check out their history (marriage) can’t get along with their own spouses telling you how to get along with yours; can’t keep a friend telling you how to get a friend. Does any of these sounds familiar? Ha ha!

In closing, most haters don’t even know why they
hate you! They have no viable reason. Through study of the Word, however, we can locate the answer: When the blessing is operating in your life, and others can see that; it often results in a spirit of envy, which provokes hatred. Envy is
a tactic of the enemy that is specifically designed to steal, kill, and destroy. As Believers, we must guard against this demonic spirit and refuse to
give it place in our lives! The primary way to
guard against envy (so we won’t become a hater) is to purpose in our hearts to not ever compare ourselves to anyone else. Comparison opens the door to the spirit of envy. Also we must recognize it as a work of the flesh and immediately deal with it when we feel envy trying to creep into our hearts towards someone. When we feel the enemy trying to attack us with a spirit of envy immediately
rebuke it and refuse to yield to it! 1 Peter says we should “lay aside” malice, envy, jealousy, slander and evil speaking. Envy allowed to go unchecked will absolutely destroy our lives! If you are dealing with some people “hating” on you, keep in mind that the blessing in your life is what the enemy is
attacking, not you as a person. God has given us every tool to be victorious in our lives. We have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit helping us every step of the way. Haters may hate, but when God’s blessing is in operation success is an
inevitable result.


Let’s pray:
“Heavenly Father, I find myself at the
beginning of another day. I do not know what it will bring. Please help me to be ready for whatever it may be. I know You are with me in every
transition and change.  I enter into this day with excitement and even some anxiety, but I’m reminded of your deep compassion, presence, and abounding love. I thank You for the gifts, talents and skills with which you have blessed me. I even thank You for the experiences that have brought me to this moment. I thank You for the work of others that gives breadth and depth
to my own work. I ask that You be with me today as I rejoice while carrying out your plan. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen!” 
 
Two Simple Nuggets

1. "When people disappear from your life, let them. It could be God’s way of removing the seeds
that would have come up weeds!"

2. "Jealousy is when you count someone else's blessing instead of your own!"

FYI: "Never waste your time trying to explain who you are to people who are committed
to misunderstanding you!"

Dear Friend,

Before you can actively pursue that challenge you must first recognize your ministry. In other words, what is your unique part in helping to bring souls into the kingdom? Esther 4:14 says, “Yet who knows that you have come to the Kingdom, for such a time as this!” We live at a unique time in history, and God has placed each one of us in a distinct position. The opportunities for Christians today are immense, and it’s time for us to arise. Young or old, whatever our race, whatever our upbringing or background, whatever our ability, whatever our present circumstances, the Lord Jesus Christ wants to raise us up, equip us, and release us to advance His Kingdom, in preparation for His return. I am constantly reminding believers that God does not always choose the most likely,
or the most talented to bring blessing to the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:7-12 explains, but to each one of us grace has been given as Christ
apportioned it. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built
up. So where are the Deborah’s, Esther’s, Nehemiah’s, and Ezra’s? – The men and women who are prepared to make a difference in our generation? They are here! You are a, potential leader like David, intercessor like Daniel or Anna, prophet like Elisha or Jeremiah, Godly mother like Moses’ mother Jochebed, Jesus’ mother Mary, Godly grandmother like Naomi, evangelist like the Samaritan woman at the well, a person with a servant heart like Phoebe, or a Christian
business-woman like Lydia. I could go on and on, yet the truth is that God has designed your ministry just for you, although it will have similar qualities to these great patriarchs and matriarchs of the Bible. Whatever place you are in
now, whether you know the Ministry that God has called you into, or you are still uncertain, whether you are functioning in your ministry, or are wondering how to get started, or even if you are still running in the opposite direction
like Jonah, God wants to speak to you and move you forward. First, you must understand the word minister simply means SERVANT. Therefore your ministry is simply a tool of service. Your ministry is not designed to give you a position
of prominence or to thrust you into celebrity status. It’s a vehicle to lift Jesus Christ higher so that unbelievers can be drawn to Him. It’s a way to reach outside of the four walls of the church building and into the crevices of
communities. 25 years ago, God put a fire in my heart for local evangelism. The Holy Spirit would impress upon my heart to ride through various communities and pray and claim them for the kingdom of God. It would have been easy if that was all God was asking me to do; but it led to our family becoming Foster Parents, sitting on political boards, creating programs in local schools that promoted parent-teacher partnerships, and becoming a voice for cultural diversity.
Eventually, Stop the Madness Outreach
Ministry was born. It was so awesome how this outreach ministry utilized every gift in our family. Everybody has a unique place and it doesn’t work any other way! My daughter-in-laws, grandchildren and God-children all play a specific role to make the wheels turn on our ministry’s vehicle. With us, it is truly “A family affair!” There are some principles in recognizing your
ministry.

1. Your ministry will come out of your relationship with God. God must always take first place.

2. Ask others who you trust in the body of Christ to pray with you; especially your leaders. Your leaders can often recognize God’s call on your life when you cannot – talk to them before stepping out, when you feel God is leading you in a specific area, or if you are uncertain where God is leading you. It is essential to allowing room for accountability within the ministry for the purpose of consistency and obedience to God's Word.

3. Expect God to speak through His Word – your ministry needs to be on a solid Biblical
foundation – God may give you a specific Word.

4. Expect Him to speak through others – as people are ministering the Word of God etc. something may light up for you.

5. Specific prophecies for you – if God speaks directionally through a prophet, it can often
be confirmation to what God is already saying to you, or perhaps you need to hold on to it, and allow God to build on it, and open the right doors. All prophecy needs to be weighed, you should never move out on a prophecy alone!

6. Recognize the witness of the Holy Spirit in your life and the excitement in your spirit.

7. Be willing to step out in what God says; don’t limit Him. – If it is His call on your life He will also
equip you. – He is not looking for your ability, but your availability.

In closing, it is important in order for the Kingdom of God to advance; we must be willing to move into our God given ministry. In order to have a strong and balanced outreach ministry, we have to build a framework of non-negotiables. These are; consistently studying and applying God's Word and remaining “plugged in” to our local
church. Jesus and for the early Church, the way to effective ministry was very much through discipleship. Younger Christians would get alongside those who were more mature in the faith, and learn from them, so there was very much a continuous flow in the body of Christ. The emphasis today is very much on getting back to that Biblical foundation. If you know and are functioning in your ministry, it is important that you keep your ministry submitted to God – there can be a danger that we know how to do it
and try to run off on own. We need to remain teachable, and close to God, so that our ministry remains fresh and effective, God often wants to do a new thing in our lives. For some it may be that God is saying that now is the time for you to disciple someone else. Trust me, that alone can be very challenging and carries with it new responsibilities. Are you prepared to allow God to speak to you and show you the ministry He has prepared for you so that the Body of Christ may be
build up? Your ministry is like a seed, full of growth potential. He wants to call you and equip you so that you can function well, and grow. There has never been a better time for us to arise, as Deborah’s, Esther’s, David’s, Daniel’s,
Nehemiah’s, etc.  God wants to speak to you, He is building His Kingdom, and the doors are opening! Our ministry’s reach must exceed its grasp. An ever-enlarging vision must be forged. The challenges we take should be beyond our resources, so that our reliance and faith remain upon God. Our dreams and our plans should be
God-sized. 

Let’s pray:
“Heavenly Father, bless us with the wisdom to know and do Your will. Empower us with your Holy Spirit so we will walk upright in all situations. Help us to represent You in every area of our lives. Teach us the integrity of Your Word. Strengthen us to turn away from evil and to always do what is right in Your sight. Fill us with Your love and let it show in all our deeds and actions. In
Jesus name Amen!

A Simple Nugget: "Obstacles are things a
person see when he takes his eyes off his
goal!"

All my love and prayers,
Minister Dorothy King