Thank You Jesus for the Heart of God

Some wonderful person who I will keep anonymous send me this–Yesterday on my birthday.
Greetings of Love to you Sister~ In Jesus Precious Name! Today I am rejoicing with you in the goodness of the Lord. Since I read your testimony, you have bean heavy on my mind, and in my heart, in a special way daily. Here you are…one year later to the day….and the Lord has brought you through…..for a reason….for this season…for such a time as this. I know we don’t believe in coincidences…no such thing….simply God’s perfect timing! To be given the very real possibility of a death sentence on your birthday…was no mistake….but preparation for the ministry God called you to….faithful obedience….plain spoken truth in love…no frills….God’s Word. He has given you a special love…a special calling…a special ministry few are called to…a special compassion…a special way of looking past the labels, the sins, the shattered lives to see the person’s heart and their need for a Savior….You have been given the mind of Christ for this purpose….all for His Glory… to minister to the broken~hearts….to the hopeless….the reviled….the forgotten…as some of us were. To shine God’s Light in the darkness…..to show the Love of Christ….joy and peace in spite of circumstances….each life is special…each person matters….there is something worthy of love in every person ever born…The truth is~~we are all on death row…from the moment we are born. Most people are uncomfortable with that thought….it is in our human nature to deny our own death….right up until that last moment…our final breath….we wait for a miracle…a reprieve…..There is one abiding grace and mercy in knowing the final hour…that final moment…..there is that final opportunity to repent…prepare to meet God……sometimes there is time for a testimony…..and there is a new peace…an acceptance of sorts…other times….only God and one person know what transpired in that final second. The thief on the cross said “Remember me!” there was no time for service….baptism….just a moment for the “Do not pass me by” Gentle Savior. You have been called to a painful….troubling…disturbing ministry…it is a great gift and blessing for you…to be counted worthy…to have a love for others….to care for them through their darkest days…..for this…..you have been spared! I feel this so strongly in my spirit~~all of life is fleeting….the stays of executions may be few and far between, if at all…..but the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord is precious and priceless. Thinking of Carla Faye Tucker…..Sam Burkowitz (Son of Sam)….Carla’s life was not spared, but God gave her a voice and a ministry…..Sam is still a voice in the wilderness. Perhaps if these had never entered the prison system….they never would have received Christ…..Perhaps this is what it took for God to reach them….and in His Great Mercy he touches them and draws them to Himself. You probably realize that we don’t agree on everything in regards to the death penalty…..but we do agree that God loves each of these women….He would have gone to the Cross for them alone….He wants them to be clean…washed in the Blood of the Lamb…He wants to restore them and call them His own….He careth for them….He careth for you….I pray he will make a way….for you….for these woman….for His ministry…all for His Honor and Glory~~~In Jesus Name…He is able to make all…all…ALL Grace abound!!! I love you Sister….you are in my prayers…Birthday Blessings…Many More….and Lots of Hugs!!

It Takes Feet to Win Souls.

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God Reigns!” Isaiah 52 v 7

In the prior post, I shared another scripture about feet. It is also a beautiful scripture:Romans 10 v. 15: “And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Its amazing how the Lord says that feet are beautiful. He could have said the hands, or heart or the mind of the person is beautiful but He specifically said the feet. Why? because, it takes the feet to go out and share the good news of the gospel. When I was just coming to Christ, I wasn’t very bold, so I would look for unique novelty pens and pay to have scriptures customized on them. Then I’d visit restaurants and distribute them. But now, that I have matured in my walk with Christ;  He has given me so many beautiful assignment. The assignment that I am engaging in right now is a good example: writing to the women on death row. Oh Lord, I want to thank you for allowing me to become a soul winner for you. In Proverbs 11 verse 30, it says that “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”

Very few believers today are soul winners. They think its the job of the Evangelist, so when they are in the doctors office, on the grocery store line, at the bus stop or even on an air plane, they fail to share the Good News with others.  Trust me; they are not opening up their mouths to bring about the salvation of the lost. God gives us many opportunities to share the gospel. How many times has someone come to you to tell you about some problem or difficulty they have encountered? How many times have you used their situations to share that the resolution to what they are experiencing lies in the risen Christ? The believer who fails to share the Gospel with others is foolish. Hell is real, life is short, and   we are vapors. Don’t you know that  people need to be born-again to escape the wrath of God? (John 3:36; Romans 5:9; 2nd Thessalonian 1:8-9). You may have thought we were saved from sin but Paul says we are saved from wrath. (Remember, this is not God’s wrath towards sinners, but his wrath towards ungodliness and unrighteousness and those things which keep us from him.) Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! (Rom 5:9)

The bible gives us a parable that describes the believer as being the salt of the earth,  it says that “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for nothing except to be but to be cast out, and to be trodden under the foot of men. What an analogy; we are flavoring, enhancing and preserving life. The question is asked, “What good is salt if it has lost its flavor?” What happened to the passion, the fervor, the fire that was burning in your bones when you first believed? I t needs to be reignited because without it you will not be a threat to the devils kingdom.

As I reflect on the biblical notion of feet, I think of the sinful woman who washed the feet of Jesus with expensive anointing oils, tears and her hair. She didn’t know it but it was to prepare him for his crucifixion. The outcome was, she was forgiven of her sins. Notable too is the humility of Jesus; he washed the feet of  the disciples before he went to the cross. Both activities involved the washing of feet, and invoke the feeling that feet are uniquely special.  I am decreeing and declaring a spiritual foot washing for those who are not sharing the gospel. Truth be told, if you are not sharing the gospel you couldn’t possibly be opening your bible. I am praying for a revival in your soul;one that regenerates you and propels you to witness, one that compels you to keep your saltiness, because if you are not soul winning, you are  spiritually dead and already on death row.

And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?

Romans 10 v. 15: And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God.

What a powerful word. Meditate on this scripture for a moment and then think and realize how profound it is to be sending the word. Yes, to be sending the word. This is exactly what I am doing. My mission is to send the Word(God) in the form of the scripture to the women on death row and when the word gets to them… The bible says that it will not return void.

Imagine God going some place and not accomplishing His purpose. Oh that’s impossible. Isaiah 55 v 11 says “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” What is it that the word has come to do. Well, John 1 verse 14, we find out: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. When you send the word of God somewhere, that is exactly, what it does. It becomes flesh and dwells! I am sending the word of God to dwell in the presence of the women on death row.

You may have  the thought in your mind right now that they have the bible, they can read the word. Yes, that may be true. Nevertheless, the bible says in Psalms 107 v 19-21 “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. 20He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destruction’s. 21Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving-kindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men!” God’s practice is to SEND HIS WORD!

In fact, there is a story in the bible about a Centurion leader seeking healing from Jesus for one of his men. He comes to Jesus and says that he is a man of authority in such that commands an army of men. He further elaborates that whatever he tells them to do they do, and wherever he tells them to go that is where they go. One of his soldiers is on his sick bed and He is seeking  healing from Jesus and the fact that he is not requiring that Jesus go anywhere and is only requesting that He sends the word. Matthew 8:8 gives us the account “The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Jesus responds to the Centurion by commending him for such great faith, one that is rarely exhibited. Jesus then heals the solider.

Today I am prayerfully mailing my first batch of letters and scripture cards to the several of the 50 odd women on death row because the word will bring about conviction. Hebrews  4 verse 12 says. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.”

Nothing Can Separate You From God’s Love

Come Near to God’s Love:

Move toward God’s love. Accept and embrace His hope for your life.

“Submit yourselves, then to God…Come near to God and He will come near to you…Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up. ” James 4:7-10. 

Many of the women on death row may have a defeating  perspective of themselves and what they have done. This way of thinking masks feelings of unworthiness that might be acted out in acts of rebellion. Its a camouflage, a smoke screen for hiding the guilt and the shame, when the bottom line is that they feel unlovable,or  unworthy of God’s love. And to make it worse, they have lived out a lifetime doubting God’s love for them. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that “hurt people,hurt people,” as this is the reason why they have encountered death row.

But the message of the Gospel opposes this view. Regardless of how angry, rebellious, defiant and worthless we feel, when we  surrender our lives to God we will find that He embraces us. Another version of this same bible scripture says “draw near to me and I will draw near to you,” and right after it is revealed how: with clean hands and a purified heart..God does not condemn us; God is seeking a changed heart. He is ready to come to us but he requires a new way of thinking, a new disposition, a heart of repentance, a purging of the old self and a regenerated mind.  Romans 12 verse 2 says “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” God has already declared His love for us but He is waiting on us to turn to him, to submit to Him and permit Him to have His way in our lives. God is willing to lift us up, in fact He is flooding us with His love right now, at this very moment. For one the bible says in Job 22 v 29 “When people are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then he will save the downcast.

The beauty of God’s message is that He loves us unconditionally and nothing can ever separate us from His love. Romans 8 v 35-39 “Does it mean (Christ) no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?…I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away…Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”Let me repeat that nothing can ever separate us from the love of Christ. His unconditionally love for us renews us, restores us and redeems us. This is the redemptive power of Christianity. It is what it means to be a Christian. No other religion offers the hope of transformation, renewal, and restoration that God offers through the blood of Jesus Christ. When we humble ourselves before a loving God, he can lift us up and give us a new life in HIM! But the beautiful part is that once we know Him, nothing can ever separate us from Him again.

Lifting up my eyes towards the hills…

“I will lift up mine eyes until the hills, from  whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121 v 1-2

It is the discipline of my pastor that defines my life. He equips everyone who wants to receive. I love how he goes to the mountain at the end of every year to get a word from the Lord. He goes to the mountains to be alone with God. It is in this intimacy, that he hears the voice of the Lord clearly. It is a model for us believers in the body Christ; we are not exempt from knowing that our help comes from the Lord; and that if we seek him with all our heart, we will surely find Him. Jesus did it and my pastor is no exception.

The New Year is an exciting time in my church; it’s a time of great expectancy. When our pastor goes to the mountains, he is fasting and praying to seek insight from the Lord for the church. How divine is this? Be assured that nothing can be greater than having a passion for, a desire for and a thirst for a revelation from God for His church. It is illuminating, inspiring and uplifting to receive.

Brooklyn, New York’s Abundant Life Christian Center Church

Sr. Pastors of Abundant Life Christian Center- ALCC Winner’s House
Dr’s Festus & Anthonia Adeyeye

Recently I relocated to Morrisville, North Carolina. I left my church Abundant Life Christian Center, aka ALCC Winner’s House located in Brooklyn’s East New York and I am seriously having trouble transitioning.

Pastors  Dr’s Festus and Anthonia Adeyeye are God’s containers for integrity, compassion, humility and faithfulness.  I have meet many pastors in my lifetime but this couples unique; they are committed to ministry, dead to self and on fire for the Lord. Where am I going to connect to such an anointing? My quest for a new church home has failed, none can compare. Besides who wants to be in the economy seat when they can ride first class? I have decided that they are forever mine; I choose not to be disconnected. They are my spiritual parents, my core, next to Jesus.

An empowering impartation came from the mountaintop visit; It became the vision for ALCC for 2014. The word from heaven was  ”If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat of the good of the land” Isaiah 1 v 19. What a word! What grace and what mercy. Everyone wants an inheritance, we all want to receive the good of the land but there is a price: we must be willing and obedient. What is it that’s our inheritance? For me it’s my health. Last year I received a negative report, but through the love and mercy of the Lord, He is a keeper, and He kept me from the pit. This year I am going to be made completely whole as I intend to fulfill the Isaiah 61 v 1 vow.

This year the Lord instructed me to take the word of the Lord to the women on death row, through a special ministry that the Lord himself has downloaded. It involves a praying church and the word of God. It is through this ministry that I am to encourage and share the message of salvation to those uncertain of eternal life. It will enable the women on death row to be the redeemed of the Lord.

This is the vision for ALCC for 2014

The Living Water: Jesus

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well` “Will you give me a drink?”(John 4 v7)

John 4 v 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” In verse 10 Jesus responds, ¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” And the rest of the conversation goes like this: ¹¹ “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Brethren, the water that I am bringing to the women on death row today is the LIVING WATER. I am praying that everyone who drinks  of this water will never thirst again and that the water will become in every death row inmate a spring of water welling up to eternal life and that they like me, will never ever thirst again, in the mighty name of Jesus.