Dear Friend,

I was sitting at my desk working on the outline
for my Bible study group and thought; I’ll share this with my email friends! This week I’m teaching on vision. A “vision” is a clear mental image of a
preferable future, imparted by God to His chosen servants and is based upon an accurate understanding of God, self, and circumstance. Based on this definition, there are three aspects of vision: (1) GOD: your vision comes from God, it is
not something you thought overnight; (2) SELF: Your priorities and spiritual gifts will help you focus on your vision; (3) CIRCUMSTANCES: your vision begins where you are now; so you must face and solve your problems, and then overcome all barriers to fulfill your dream. A vision is a dream, an ambition. To “envision” means to see ahead or conceive something your heart desires. A vision
is a mental view or image of something good and worthwhile which is not yet actually present. To envision means to imagine, plan beforehand, or consider the possibilities. Vision is for you, not just leaders. Vision is all about the future, not the past and present! Having vision is very important. Vision applies to all individuals, churches, organizations. People who don’t have plans
for the future are planning to fail! What a BLUEPRINT is to a future high-rise building, a biblical VISION is absolutely essential to successful living. Proverb 29:18 says, “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” Your present vision will serve as a bridge to walk from the past to the future. Vision is the eye of faith to see the invisible, a decision to get it started, and a motivation to make it happen! Vision can be compared to painting. First, you get a canvass and all. Then you imagine an image of
something that doesn’t yet exist. Then you start sketching, etc. In vision you paint things in mind that will help make your dream come true. Those who are so close to God see something others don’t see! I Sam. 9:9 let us know a seer is a
prophet. A prophet is a visionary. And a visionary is one who sees first and sees most. He sees farthest into the future! He gets things started and done! Your vision gives purpose and adds meaning to your life according to Philippians
1:21. While it is true that you might not accomplish all your personal dreams, but having a vision will at least help you realize some of the things you want to do for the glory of God. Note that a true vision cannot be self-serving or self-centered! Your vision will help you have a sense of direction and fulfillment as you work your way to your dreams. When you put yourself in advance to the future, you’ll be energized by your dreams Romans 4:18 says, “Hoping in spite of hopeless circumstances, he believed that he would become
"the father of many nations," just as he had been told: "This is how many descendants you will have." Romans 8:24 informs us that in spite of hardships, you’ll possess joy, peace and hope as you press towards your goal. Your vision will help you endure and sacrifice to make your dream come true. Great achievements are born out of great sacrifice. No Pain, No Gain! No Guts. No
Glory! Your vision must grow out of biblical principles. Needless to say, your vision must be tied up and consistent with the Word of God. It is your key to happiness and blessedness! Your vision from the Lord must be so clear to YOU-
that you are always aware when it stops looking like itself! Because of sensitive clarity You can always adjust your spiritual lens to bring YOUR
vision back to “righteous” focus.

In closing, allow me to share six principles your
vision will involve.

1. Your vision will reflect your walk with God.
Proverbs 23:7a says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

2. Your vision must grip your soul. As you search for life’s purpose, your vision
will grow in your heart and soul. As you search for God, He will vividly show
you His plan for your life.

3. Your vision involves inevitable CHANGE which
most people don’t want to do. “If you always do, what you have always done, you will always be where you have always been.”

4. Your vision must not be hindered by present
weaknesses and limitations. The Bible is filled with stories of men of faith in difficult situations, with limited resources, against impossible odds, who
prevailed and did something great!


5. Your vision must be so great and seemingly
impossible that it calls for supernatural help from
God.


6. Your vision must include the price you’ll be
paying and the earthly things you’ll be losing to reach it.

My Friend, vision is what we see, but it is also the way in which we see. Vision is the lens that interprets the events of our life, the way we view people and our concept of God. Jesus said that our eyes are the windows of our heart. Paul prayed that the eyes of our heart would be
enlightened. In other words, we perceive with our eyes but we see with our hearts. Our minds receive images from our eyes but our heart interprets these images. If our heart becomes bitter, jealous, hurt or in some way infected, the
lens of our heart is distorted. Keep in mind, what we perceive is happening and what’s really going on could be two completely different things.
The things we perceive to be true determines the way we respond to the world around us and to God who lives within us. True Godly vision consists of foresight, insight and oversight that come from HIS sight. After the plan is established, goals must be set. The final stage of seeing the mission accomplished is establishing your steps. Proverbs 16:19 says, “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Psalms says, “The steps of a righteous man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the one who holds his hand” 

Let’s pray:
“Heavenly Father, help me to simply live in the
world and not be controlled by it. Give me the grace to adapt my days to Your plan, Your will. Endow me the wisdom to place control in Your hands. Replace my limitations and impatience with your unlimited power and peace. Lord, give me
the wisdom to see that patience is the cure for frustration. Make it a daily part of my life, in my family relationships especially! Grant me the grace to be able to extend it to all, and particularly to those whose views do not correspond with mine. Help me to show patience with myself, in recognition of my failures and limitations. Jesus, help me to place EVERYTHING in Your hands,
knowing You will do what is best for me, and in Your own time frame. Help me to wait patiently for You. I make these requests in Jesus Mighty Name
Amen!”

One Simple Nugget:
“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare!”

FYI: When someone tells you it can’t be
done, it’s more a reflection of their limitations……..not yours!

All my love and prayers,
Minister Dorothy King

Dear Friend,

As a minister, not only do I listen to people who have genuine problems, but I also listen to a lot of people who complain on a daily basis. When I hear them whine about how bad things are in their lives, I think, what happened to the “attitude of gratitude.” Perhaps, you may think why should I be
grateful when my life sucks or when things do not go my way? Listen to me very carefully; we are grateful when we realize who our Lord is and what
He did, when we realize our depravity and our past hopelessness and now, the great wonder we have. Our gratitude will come when we fully understand that we have been rescued from sin and darkness and from hopelessness and despair. This has to hit home deeply in our hearts and minds. To venture beyond our saving faith, we have to take heed and be encouraged that God is our rescuer! Therefore, we are to respond in gratitude for His provision and gifts. We should
be literally overwhelmed-consumed with extreme joy and gratitude-because of what God has done for us. This should also allow us to feel that thanksgiving that sets the life theme and tone for our personality, actions, and reactions. Then,
we can turn and spill gratitude onto others around us. If this is not true in your life, then read Romans 1:21 that say, “For though they knew God,
they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened.” Another aspect we need to realize is that we are rescued from the powers of darkness; now our place is secured in eternity. Think about it; if we have a Savior in Whom we can have faith and trust…….and we do! Then our gratitude will help us lead a life of resilience and distinction no matter what
is thrown at us. These are things we cannot accomplish by our own means, and that’s why we need Jesus. He needs to be placed first! For gratitude to function as Paul demonstrated in Colossians, we are to put Christ first, and then move on to spiritual maturity. From this perspective, we know His Truth so we can still
be triumphant in Him during the time we have here on earth. Take a look at who you are in Christ. Christ redeemed you; you are welcomed into His presence and Kingdom! God is even pleased
with you. This gives us hope and a reason to live and prosper. Jesus Christ now becomes our chief purpose and makes our mission in life to glorify God. Thus, we are now a friend of God and when we do this, we please Him and our gratitude is the indication this is at work. Also in so doing, we give Him our honor, love, and service, which we do to glorify Him. Our gratitude, from the realization of our place in life and eternity, can help us truly worship and praise Him through loving, behaving, and putting Him first just as Jesus demonstrated by His obedience. In converse, our ingratitude will only show our self-focused mindsets; our ungratefulness will just nullify our impact and do
 the opposite of pleasing God. The key is to receive what Christ has given, to trust and obey Him, and to make Him our primary and foremost outlook in our lives as He is in the universe; this will please Him. Then, our hearts will be filled with gratitude and we will have a life that overflows with His fruit as we become the quintessence of a pleasing sacrifice. Gratitude shows us that God is the One we should honor. This helps us to have an "attitude of gratitude" which is so essential for our faith and practice no matter what we have been through or have lost. Being thankful also helps us to have hope, and to forgive and live and have joy by which we display God's goodness. Without gratitude, we are ungrateful people---ingrates; this is an insult to God and as a result, we will live a self-inflicted, miserable, hopeless life no matter what we have or could have had. As a result, God's goodness that is to be shown
through us is veiled by our disrespect. Being grateful gives us joy! For us, to receive the great joy of our salvation required a great cost of suffering of which Jesus was fully aware and willing to suffer for us. The prize and promised
reward enabled us to partake in and receive too. He could have avoided the cross, but He did not, so we are saved and our biggest problem is
solved. 

In closing, the way to improve our lives and relationships is to have an attitude of gratitude. We start with how we honor and respond to our Lord and Savior! We are to respond to His precepts with our personal holiness! Because we received His grace that sanctified our heart and covered our sin, a chord should strike within us to respond. Out of our gratitude for what He has done for us, we should be willing to strive to seek righteousness in all that we do. This is the sweetness that spills unto others; this is the honor and trustworthiness we earn in the hearts and minds of the people God brings into our lives. What builds a good life and church, even a good personality? It’s our growing relationship with Christ! He is the One who changes us and forms our character. All we do is adoringly respond by faith and commit to His precepts. When we are grateful: We will realize that His grace is sufficient! We will have a thirst for God's Word and our spiritual growth! We will have a thirst for righteousness! We will have an eagerness to dispense the Fruit of the Spirit!
We will be speaking words that edify others, and
bringing Christ glory because those words are attuned to Christian commitment! We will be using the resources that our Lord has given us to live a triumphant and content life! We will be taking the love and compassion He has given us to help others in need! The secret of life is to realize that God is in charge; He is Sovereign. We can be content and live a life characterized by our
Lord in the application of our gratitude. Somehow in the ternary of busy-ness of life, our stress, and our various happenings, we forget to be thankful.
Yet, it is so essential that we be so, because thankfulness comes from our enjoyment in Christ. When we realize who and what He is and our indebtedness to Him, we then respond. This is the opposite of people who are centered upon
themselves and who whine, nitpick, and moan when things do not go as they would like, which only leads to the buildup of anger and anxiety; neither of which can change their situation. I have discovered, being grateful leads to having joy,
and becoming a better Christian for our Lord's
glory.

Let’s pray: “Heavenly Father, I give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Your will for us in Christ Jesus. As we commit ourselves to You Lord, please give us wholeness and the ability to have character. Lord, help us exercise thankfulness so we can get rid of our bad personality flaws and
misplaced traditions that conflict with Your Word.
I understand that the practice of anything that is worthy has its obstacles and hardships that take
our time and effort……including faith. I know we can't be growing Christians without having reverence for You and being appreciative for what You gives and has done! Lord, I know, when we have joy in You, we will have joy in our lives no matter what! In Jesus Name
…..Amen

A Simple Nugget: “When life is sweet say thank you and celebrate. When life is bitter say thank you and be grateful!”

FYI: I have too many flaws to be perfect. But I have too many blessings to be ungrateful!”

All my love and prayers,
Minister Dorothy King

Dear Friend,
Have you ever experienced such a “low period” in
your life to the point you question whether God loves you? Maybe not, but I sure have! Honestly, over the 58 years that I’ve been on this earth there were times I said, “God where are you?” “Do you still care about me?” After much prayer I’ve always been able to gather my thoughts enough to KNOW God does care!!!  It’s critical to know He loves us, not just in our heads, but in our everyday life experience. We need to know God loves us "experientially" so that no matter what happens to us circumstantially, emotionally or physically, the security of His Love is always there.  First of all God reveals Himself to us as one who is near us, faithful and concerned about us. In the book of Isaiah He said, "If you go through the fire I will be there...I have written you on the palm of my hand." Also in the 40th chapter, God relates to us as mother: "Does a woman forget her baby at the breast; even so I will not forget you.” In Deuteronomy 32:10, God is imaged as guarding us as the pupil of His eye. But God relates to us with much more tenderness and graciousness than even such expressions convey. In Psalm 103 God has compassion on us as a father has
compassion on his children. Further, God reveals Himself as our lover and husband. To the people of Israel, Hosea pictures God as saying: "I will allure her into the desert...she will call me my husband." Ezekiel describes God as the
lover who finds Israel in the desert like an abandoned young girl, and then when she is grown, he finds her beautiful and makes her his own through a marriage covenant. These metaphors and images refer to God's relationship to the people of Israel socially - as a community. Because of the revelation we have of Jesus
Christ we know that these metaphors can also apply to us individually. There is another big key to
positioning ourselves to trust God with the issues of our life. It is very important to know how God sees us, what He thinks about us, and what His desires for us are. How can you trust somebody who you aren't really sure is looking out for your best interest? How can you freely put your life in the hands of somebody who you perceive may use you and not be trustworthy? That is one of the
fundamental reasons why Believers today have a hard time trusting God. They know little about Him and how He sees and has good things in mind for them! Therefore, studying up on how God sees us, and getting it down into our spirits that He really does love us, desires good things for us, and cares for us, is vital to our ability to trust Him. The fact is, until you know in your heart that God really does love and care for you, it's going to be difficult to believe His promises for you... they just won't make much sense! I like how Benny Hinn once said that when you believe in God's power, "God can"... but when you believe in His love, "God will." After I heard that, I felt the Holy Spirit saying to me, "Believe in me, believe in my love for you." The verse in Psalm 147:11 came to me, saying, "The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put
their hope in his unfailing love." God's Word also tells us in Romans 5:8 that He loved us not because of anything we've done, but because of who we were. Christ was not sent to die for the saint, but the sinner (which includes all of
us at some point in our lives!). 1 John 3:1 says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the Sons of God: therefore the world knowth us not, because it knew Him not.” Galatians 4:6-7
says, “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Talk about giving us all
things, just stop and meditate on how God's Word tells us that we're heirs of God through Christ. Do you know what an heir is? It is an inheritor... just like when a rich parent dies, an inheritance is left to the children. We are heirs of God through Christ! Anybody who reads verses like this and still thinks that God is all about poverty and is not eager to give us good things (health, finances,
wisdom, deliverance - you name it!). All of these things are provided for us in the Word of God and through the work of Christ on the cross. 

In closing, God desires to have a loving and
genuine father and son relationship with us. Not a father and son relationship that many today have came to know, but a loving, caring, and wonderful
relationship. I’ve discovered in my dealings with a lot of unbelievers, that many times, when a person has an abusive relationship with their earthly father, they tend to perceive their relationship with their heavenly Father the same way. In my observation this causes a lot of people to have an unhealthy fear of God, which drives them away instead of closer to Him. This is exactly what the
devil wants us to do, and it grieves the heart of God. Our heavenly Father is the most loving and caring Father that anybody could ever ask for! God is a good God who takes pleasure in
blessing! The Bible is clear in story after story, passage after passage, that God takes pleasure in blessing and being good to His people who love Him. Proverbs 8: 17-21 says, “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue
than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures. Do you know of anybody who loves and cares for you,
enough to count the very hairs on your head, and give each one a number? I assure you that our heavenly Father has done just that! Jesus made it clear that our heavenly Father is concerned over even the smallest details in our lives. If it concerns us, it concerns Him! Isaiah 62:5 there are other things in the Word of God that many Christians have no clue even exists! For example Isaiah 62:5
lets us know that God rejoices over His children, sings over them, and even considers them the apple of His eye? My friend, the Father loves us, as much as He loved Jesus. While Jesus was praying to the Father, He revealed this life-changing truth. This is something that we need to mediate on, and it will change our whole outlook on life and our relationship with God.

Let’s pray:
“Heavenly Father, I understand before we are born, You have determined what kind of a person You wants each individual to be. You have a unique special plan and purpose for every individual. You even determine the length of a person’s life before He’s born. I know You are in control, even in our conception. Your Word says, "He knit me together in my mother’s womb".
Therefore, even in our conception You gives us the qualities needed to serve You in the capacity You have predetermined. Lord, our lifelong goal and purpose are to be like You and to be loved by You. In Jesus name, Amen!”

Simple Nuggets 
“Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be
wonderful!”

“To walk out of God’s will is to step into
nowhere!”

All my love and prayers,
Minister Dorothy King