Blessed Magazine August/September, 2015

August/September, 2015

To Listen or Ignore God: The Choice is Yours!

Telling God He’s Not Enough

What to Do When You’re Too Distracted to Pray Becoming a Fearless Christian

Body Alterations: Fixing God’s Mistake

M A G A Z I N E

Homosexuality & the Church: Satan’s Secret

Agenda Encouragement For Christians Who Struggle with Perverse Sexual Desires Recipes Sure to Please Your Family Top 10 Ways to Boost Your Energy

Classes Now Available Anger Management Domestic Violence Intervention Crisis Intervention and Prevention Parenting Skills Call or Click Today to Register

Precious Life Services

830.372.5980

Blessed Magazine Promote your business, ministry and upcoming events

Advertise now at very affordable rates

Contact us Today and discover how you can reach more potential customers with our affordable ad space prices…starting at $10/quarterly

FREE Ad Space for 1 month on our Blessed Magazine Website with purchase of ad space in our magazine

1(917)310-7570 blessedmagazine.org contact@blessedmagazine.org

4

BLESSED MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

August/September, 2015 Homosexuality & the Church: Satan’s Secret Agenda

Special

Discouraged to Encourager

23

Paul Brailer, Founder of Criptaedo for people with disabilities has overcome the odds of living a life in a wheelchair….see him in action

31

Features 15 Dear Blessed Magazine Have a question you want answered? Dear Blessed Magazine is the place to ask whether it’s about your walk with the Lord or other issues of your life

29 We Heard You!

38 What to Do When You’re Too Distracted to Pray

After the Supreme Court announced it’s decision on same-sex marriages, our readers sounded off with their thoughts

On the Cover: Southern caramel cake has always been a classic that I could have any day of the week. My family has made it for decades, and it is definitely an old time Southern favorite. The funny thing about this cake is a lot of people did not become familiar with it until the movie ―The Help‖ mentioned it. After the movie was released, I saw tons of replicas of this classic cake online (definitely real deal caramel cake imitators).

44

Telling God He’s Not Enough

BLESSED MAGAZINE

5

Life

62

Encouragement For Christians Who Struggle with Perverse Sexual Desires

Becoming a Fearless Christian

To Listen or Ignore God: The Choice is Yours!

56 49 Recipes Sure to Please Your Family

Top 10 Ways to Boost Your Energy

10

68

Body Alterations: Fixing God’s Mistake

In Every Issue

16

Letter from the Editor A Word from the Lord

06 27 and 59

6

BLESSED MAGAZINE

Letter From the Editor

Praise the Lord My Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

First giving all glory and honor unto the Lord Jesus Christ for without Him in my life, nothing I could ever do would amount to anything!

And, I would like to render a praise report for the many souls who have accepted Jesus into their lives these past months.

Continue praying for this ministry as it is all done to the glory and honor of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!

I am so excited to bring you another issue of Blessed Magazine filled with articles to spark your interest as well as provide insight for your walk with the Lord!

God is the center of our lives and with this ministry of producing Blessed Magazine, we encourage you to seek the Lord with your whole heart, mind and soul and allow Him to be your everything As with every issue, I encourage you to read each article with an open mind, open heart and if at any time you have questions or need to contact the author, please reach out to us here I also want to thank our many subscribers and readers of Blessed Magazine as well as our contributors.

Again, please enjoy this issue of Blessed Magazine and if you are not a subscriber, subscribe today by visiting www.blessedmagazine.org Yours in Christ,

Laraine Turner Editor in Chief

BLESSED MAGAZINE

7

CHECK US OUT ONLINE We Are Completely Mobile Friendly For Individuals On The Go

What You‘ll Find Inside‌.

Packed with inspirational articles to educate, encourage, inspire and uplift, recipes, diet advice, health, beauty, nutrition and fitness, Blessed Magazine is the ultimate companion for individuals who want to look great, feel fabulous and enjoy the benefits of a healthy, spiritual life.

Subscribe for yourself or give as a gift to be blessed all year-long!

www.blessedmagazine.org

Powerful Prayers for Believers of the Faith When you feel like you have nothing to say in prayer, lean on the timeless Word of God. These life-giving prayers can kick-start your conversations with God

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate having this available to me. It has inspired me to develop a better relationship with God. You guys are the best and I pray others will be blessed by this book - Susan

Exclusively at Blessed Magazine Get Yours Today! No Purchase Necessary!

Will Never Give Up On You!

10

BLESSED MAGAZINE

Top 10 Ways to Boost Your Energy

By Colette Bouchez Experts offer some fatigue-zapping tips that really work

E

Top 10 Energy Boosters

veryone is familiar with all-out energy drain -- that

exhausted day (or night) when no matter how enticing that new movie, fabulous shoe sale, or friendly barbecue, we just can't psych ourselves up to go.

What can be harder to recognize is a low-grade energy drain. In this case, you may not necessarily feel the classic signs of exhaustion -- like achy muscles or that allover tired feeling. What you do experience is an increasing lack of get-up-and-go for many of the activities you used to love.

"You may also find it harder to concentrate on tasks, and, eventually, you can also find your patience grows short and your level of frustration rises, even when confronted with seemingly simple challenges," says New York University nutritionist Samantha Heller, MS, RD. If this is starting to sound familiar, take heart. Energy zappers are all around us, some obvious, some hidden.

The good news: There is a way around almost all of them.

To this end, we asked health experts to help compile this list of the top 10 energy boosters. Try one, two, or all 10, and you're bound to see your energy levels soar.

1

Increase Your Magnesium Intake Eating a balanced diet can help ensure your vitamin and mineral needs are met. But if you still find yourself too pooped to pop, you could have a slight magnesium deficiency, Heller says. "This mineral is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including breaking down glucose into energy," Heller says. "So when levels are even a little low, energy can drop.“ In a study done at the Department of Agriculture's Human Nutrition Research Center in Grand Forks, N.D., women with magnesium deficiencies had higher heart rates and required more oxygen to do physical tasks than they did after their magnesium levels were restored. In essence, their bodies were working harder which, over time, says Heller, can leave you feeling depleted.

The recommended daily intake of magnesium is around 300 milligrams for women and 350 milligrams for men. To make sure you're getting enough, Heller suggests: 1. Add a handful of almonds, hazelnuts or cashews to your daily diet 2. Increase your intake of whole grains, particularly bran cereal 3. Eat more fish, especially halibut

BLESSED MAGAZINE

11

Walk Around the Block

2

Take a Power Nap

While it may seem as if moving about when you feel exhausted is the quickest route to feeling more exhausted, the opposite is true.

Experts say that increasing physical activity -particularly walking -- increases energy.

"I like walking because it's accessible, easy to do, doesn't need training or equipment and you can do it anywhere," says Rita Redberg, MD, science advisor to the American Heart Association's "Choose To Move" program.

In experiments conducted by Robert Thayer, PhD, at California State University, a brisk 10minute walk not only increased energy, but the effects lasted up to two hours. And when the daily 10-minute walks continued for three weeks, overall energy levels and mood were lifted

4

Research has shown that both information overload and pushing our brains too hard can zap energy. But studies by the National Institutes of Mental Health found that a 60-minute "power nap" can not only reverse the mindnumbing effects of information overload, it may also help us to better retain what we have learned

Don't Skip Breakfast -or Any Other Meal "Studies show that folks who eat breakfast report being in a better mood, and have more energy throughout the day," says Heller. Her personal theory, she says, is that breaking the fast soon after rising supplies your body with a jolt of fuel that sets the tone for the whole day.

Moreover, studies published in the journal Nutritional Health found that missing any meal during the day led to an overall greater feeling of fatigue by day's end.

Eat More Whole Grains and Less Sugar

7

The key here is keeping blood sugar balanced so energy is constant. "When you're eating a sweet food, you get a spike in blood sugar, which gives you an initial burst of energy," Heller says. "But that's followed by a rapid drop in blood sugar, which in turn can leave you feeling very wiped out."

6

Drink More Water and Less Alcohol You may already know that it's easy to confuse signals of hunger with thirst (we think we need food when we really need water). But did you know that thirst can also masquerade as fatigue?

Make It a Latte Pair a quick caffeine hit with the sustaining power of protein by having a low-fat latte instead of just a cup of coffee, advises Ayoob. "All that milk turns your java into a protein drink, which provides not only extra energy, but extra calcium, which is good for your bones," he tells WebMD. Combine it with an ounce of almonds, he says, and the healthy fat will really tide you over -- while making you feel you're spoiling yourself silly!

3

Reduce Stress and Deal With Anger

5

One of the biggest energy zappers is stress, says psychologist Paul Baard, PhD. "Stress is the result of anxiety, and anxiety uses up a whole lot of our energy," says Baard, a sports psychologist at Fordham University in the Bronx, N.Y. Like worry or fear, Baard says, stress can leave you mentally and physically exhausted -even if you've spent the day in bed.

More commonly, he says, low but chronic levels of stress erode energy levels, so over time you find yourself doing less and feeling it more

8 9

Have a Power Snack Power snacking is more than just eating between meals, Ayoob says. He suggests a treat that combines protein, a little fat and some fiber -like peanut butter on a whole-wheat cracker, or some yogurt with a handful of nuts. "The carbs offer a quick pick-me-up, the protein keeps your energy up, and the fat makes the energy last

Continued next page

12

BLESSED MAGAZINE

One of the strongest foundations on this earth is FAMILY Steps for a Strong Foundation in Jesus Read the Bible Together Pray Together Go to Church Together Communicate with Each Other Blessed Magazine

10

Check Your Thyroid Function and Complete Blood Cell Count It certainly won't provide an instant boost. But if you're constantly low on energy -- especially if you feel sluggish even after a good night's rest -- Heller says you should talk to your doctor about a blood test for thyroid dysfunction as well as anemia. "Thyroid can be a particular problem for women -it often develops after childbirth and frequently during the perimenopause -- but a simple blood test can verify if this is your problem," says Heller. If you're diagnosed with low thyroid function, medication can bring your body back up to speed. In anemia, says Heller, a reduction in red blood cells can mean your body isn't getting the level of oxygen necessary to sustain energy. So, you tire easily. "This can sometimes occur during a woman's reproductive years, particularly if she has a very heavy menstrual cycle," says Heller

BLESSED MAGAZINE

13

CHECK US OUT ONLINE We Are Completely Mobile Friendly For Individuals On The Go

A digital subscription to Blessed Magazine gives you instant access to our inspirational articles, recipes, diet advice, health and beauty tips, fitness and more.

Our mobile friendly publication platform enables you to access our advertisers websites right from within our magazine

Subscribe Today It’s FREE and Always Will Be!

Beautiful, Affordable and Functional Church Websites One Low Price

$99.00*

Domain Name and Hosting Not Included

Call or Click Today www.ltenterprises.net 917.310.7570 LT Enterprises – Big Solutions for Small Businesses

BLESSED MAGAZINE

15

Dear Blessed Magazine…

Dear Blessed Magazine,

Dear Blessed Magazine,

I was really shocked to read on your Facebook page your embrace of the gay community! How could you take what has happened in America and welcome those who obviously are sinning against the Word of God to fellowship on your page. Because of that, I have chosen to un-like your page until you start upholding the Word of God and refrain from socializing with gay people – Angry in Chicago

I play your bible trivia every day and want to express how grateful I am to finally be studying God’s Word on a regular basis. Thank you so much – Bible Trivia Player

Angry in Chicago,

Bible Trivia Player, That is so awesome and we appreciate receiving your letter. We pray we can continue being the source you need to study the Word of God. Keep us in your prayers. Remain blessed of the Lord Jesus always! – Blessed Magazine

prayer to see how they are doing.

Continue praying for us to be the source God uses for His people.

Remain blessed of the Lord Jesus always! – Blessed Magazine

Dear Blessed Magazine, Some of your views on homosexuality is hard for me to swallow especially when you posted that article ‘What Does Jesus Say About Homosexuality?’

It clearly was a misrepresentation of Christians and I feel you need to apologize. – Concerned Christian Concerned Christian,

Thank you for voicing your opinion and we are saddened you have chosen to un-like our page, but please keep this in mind; Jesus embraced all people. He fellowshipped with sinners on several occasions and even told those who did not understand that He came for the lost (the sick). He also told us to love one another which included the homosexual. If we begin shutting out sinners from fellowshipping on our page, then we are going against the Word of God. We pray our response will touch your heart and you reconsider how you feel about people, even those who are homosexuals. Remain blessed of the Lord Jesus always! – Blessed Magazine

Dear Blessed Magazine, You guys are so wonderful and I thank God for finding your page on Facebook! When I asked for prayer, your volunteers not only prayed for me, but kept tabs on me periodically.

No other page I’m a fan of has ever been so personal with me. Thank you again and God bless you and your ministry! – Grateful Fan

Thank you for writing us and voicing your opinion. The article was that of a guest blogger and not the views of Blessed Magazine, but nevertheless, if we have offended anyone, we sincerely apologize and will apologize to anyone who contacts us that was offended because of the article.

Again, we do appreciate your letter to us and pray you have accepted our apology. – Blessed Magazine

Grateful Fan, It is always our pleasure to go before the throne of God on behalf of our fans and yes, it is our policy to keep tabs on those who reach out to us for

Want to write us? Email us at contact@blessedmagazine.org

16

BLESSED MAGAZINE

By Anna Diehl

God’s View of Body Alterations

How does God feel about things like nose jobs, facelifts and liposuction?

Is it wrong to try and change our physical appearance?

When God created you—the little soul who He dearly loves—He also created a highly complex machine for your soul to drive around in during its brief trip through this physical realm which we call earth. Just as you are a unique soul, the machine He put you in is also unique. On this site, we call that machine your earth suit, and one of its components is the physical body that you see when you look in the mirror.

Now nothing in this world is perfect. God didn’t put you here to experience perfection. He put you here to experience trials which are created by Him to strengthen your personal bond with Him. One of the ways He does this is by giving you a problematic earth suit.

18

BLESSED MAGAZINE

There are countless ways for an earth suit to become problematic to you. God can give you an earth suit with real flaws, or He can give you an earth suit with perceived flaws. A man who is born without a leg has a real flaw. A woman who has a unibrow has a perceived flaw. There is really nothing wrong about having eyebrows that are so long and bushy that they meet in the middle. But if you live in a culture that says eyebrows must be shaped in perfect little arches with a nice patch of hairless skin between them, then you will see your unibrow as an embarrassing flaw.

reversal of God‘s system. God loves variety. He likes straight hair and frizzy hair. He likes wavy and He likes kinky. He likes jet black, soft brown, fiery red, snow white, and platinum blonde. But then Satan comes along and says we all have to look the same. America is full of women with naturally curly hair who spend their mornings straightening it with a flat iron.

If you catch these women on an off day and you compliment them on their natural look, they wrinkle up their noses in disgust and say, ―Bleh, I hate my hair like this. It looks terrible.‖ It doesn‘t look terrible, but they honestly think it does because they‘ve been brainwashed into accepting their culture‘s standards and their culture listens to Satan. All cultures listen to Satan when it comes to bodies, and this is why we see them

There‘s nothing wrong with birthmarks.

If we had God‘s eye for artistic variety, we‘d find these random colored spots on our skin to be fun and different. But if we live in a culture that calls these things ugly blotches, then suddenly we find ourselves feeling embarrassed and ashamed of something that God considers good.

There is no such thing as an ideal waistline. God doesn‘t want all thin or all fat, He wants an exciting variety of shapes and sizes. If we were all His definition of healthy, some of us would be quite rotund, others of us would be of medium stalk and others would be quite thin. God has programmed each of our earth suits differently when it comes to the creation, storage and maintenance of fat cells. But if you are a woman living in modern America, then you are taught that ―healthy and beautiful‖ means looking like a starving skeleton. If you‘re anything more than a starving skeleton, you‘re taught to feel like a fat pig.

Satan is always pushing us to accept a

making up such ridiculous rules about how people should look.

Some cultures say it‘s terribly lewd for a women to wear pants and a shirt—instead, women are supposed to go around in tents all the time. Other cultures say true beauty is expressed by sticking a huge clay plate in your lip or by having bits of metal protruding from your face. Some cultures want face paint and brightly colored clothes while others go for muted earth tones.

But whatever one culture says, there will be a ton of people stuck in that culture whose natural bodies do not align with their society‘s standards, therefore they are made to feel bad.

BLESSED MAGAZINE

Now if something about the way you naturally look is causing you to be bullied, ridiculed, and shunned in life, then of course you are going to do anything you can to make a change. This is where we get into plastic surgery and beauty parlors. If getting a set of breast implants or a deep tan is going to make us feel more accepted by our peers, we‘re going to do it. We need to feel accepted in life. But while we‘re busy altering our bodies to earn the approval of others, what does God say?

God fully understands your human experience. He also takes full responsibility for choosing the features your body has and then placing you down in a culture in which He knew some of those

features would be adamantly rejected. When God gives you a huge nose or a set of ears that stick out from your head and all the kids at school are calling you hurtful names, does He have any sympathy for your case? Yes, He does. Does He think you‘re spitting in His face when you go and have that embarrassing mole removed by a plastic surgeon? No, He doesn‘t. God looks on the heart. God is also the One who made these body altering procedures available to us. If you have some embarrassing body feature and God gives you a way of eliminating it, He doesn‘t

19

think you‘re a worm for using it. The key here is to be honest with God about these things. Involve Him in the process. Don‘t try to make changes to yourself in some closet while you pretend He doesn‘t see you. God knows all about peer pressure and society‘s satanic definitions. He doesn‘t bring problems into your life just to torment you. Problems are about strengthening your bond with Him, but in order for trials to have a positive effect on your soul, you need to stay engaged with God. think you‘re a worm for using it. The key here is to be honest with God about these things. Involve Him in the process. Don‘t try to make changes to yourself in some closet while you pretend He doesn‘t see you. God knows all about peer pressure and society‘s satanic definitions. He doesn‘t bring problems into your life just to torment you.

Problems are about strengthening your bond with Him, but in order for trials to have a positive effect on your soul, you need to stay engaged with God. Every earth suit has features which the soul inside that suit would like to change.

Not every external problem is just cosmetic—some things are serious health issues. Some women have such large bosoms that their spines can‘t handle the weight. Chronic back pain is the result, along with painful ridges in their shoulders from bra straps digging in.

Some babies are born with both male and female genitals. Is God going to look down on these people for cutting away some of their organs? No, He isn‘t. God understands the human experience and He doesn‘t sit around pretending not to get what our problem is when we tell Him that we hate some feature of our bodies. God wants honesty from us— honesty and trust in His good intentions

20 towards us. If God has saddled you with some troublesome physical feature and then He gives you a way to get it out of your life, there‘s no shame in taking Him up on His offer of help. But the key here is to stay in close communication with God, otherwise we might find ourselves chasing options that are not good for us. We need to remember that demons play a very big role in how we view our bodies. Before we rush off to get face lifts and liposuction, we need to be asking God to guide us and to give us His view of the situation. Satan offers us many ―solutions‖ in life that only result in worse problems than we had before, so we need to be cautious and not just rush to grab at any improvement we think we see on the horizon. Our lives are in a constant state of flux, and some feature that we hate today might become of great value to us later on.

Don‘t underestimate the power of perspective. Maybe you have a physical feature that you really hate right now. Maybe your hair is dry and frizzy and hard to manage. Maybe you hate the color of your eyes.

Maybe you hate your small chest or your hairy back.

If you find yourself saying ―yuck‖ every time you look in the mirror, it‘s time to ask God to help you see the beauty that He sees in you. You will be amazed at how much difference perspective can make when you learn to look at yourself through the eyes of your loving Creator instead of through the eyes of demons who hate you. When we don‘t like some physical feature about ourselves, our eyes naturally focus on that feature every time we look in the mirror, and this only intensifies our repulsion. But as God starts to change our perspective, our eyes stop zoning in on our ugliest features and we start to see our earth suits as the amazing machines that they are. We start to appreciate the whole instead of getting hung up on a few parts and pieces. We start to appreciate what‘s right about them instead of thinking only about what‘s wrong.

Every earth suit has plenty of features that are worth saying thank you for. Maybe you don‘t like the shape of your nose, but did you ever stop to think about how well your fingers work? Maybe you don‘t like how hairy you are, but when‘s the last time you appreciated how easily you can walk or how effortlessly you can breathe? From fingernails that

BLESSED MAGAZINE protect the ends of our fingers to nose hairs that keep us from choking on dust particles to eyelids that constantly moisten our eyes to joints that allow us to flex and move about, God has given each of us an incredible machine to drive around in on this earth.

Maybe some parts don‘t work, and maybe those parts are pretty critical. But a lot of other things are working or else you‘d be dead. When we‘re annoyed or in pain, it can feel too difficult to scrape up any sincere gratitude. But God meets us where we are at, and if we ask Him to have His way in our lives, He will. We don‘t need to feel bad about how far we still have to go. Instead, we want to focus on how far God can take us when we give Him full rein in our lives.

Not every trial in your life has to be accepted as a permanent thing. If you‘ve been struggling with some bodily problem for years and now there‘s a solution suddenly at the door, don‘t let a bunch of guilt about changing God‘s original design keep you from moving forward. Stay in communication with God and obey His convictions. When He gave you your body, He didn‘t say He was giving you a machine that He never wanted you to alter in any way. Some of us will need to do a whole lot of altering and overhauling and replacing just to keep our machines up and running. Each path is different. There‘s nothing immoral about adjusting your earth suit as long as you aren‘t violating a specific conviction that God has laid on your heart.

But remember that when God convicts you, He is clear, He is specific, and He is empathetic. He doesn‘t accuse you of trying to insult Him when He knows that you sincerely care about pleasing Him. Your life on earth is a grand adventure and God is the only One who is going to walk the whole journey with you.

Rely on Him to guide you and be open to new experiences. Remember that God loves variety and constant change. He is a Creator who is always coming up with new stuff. When we play around with make-up and face paint, when we dye our hair different colors and try new styles of clothing, we‘re expressing the creativity that He put within us. You can‘t go wrong when you are staying in communication with God and involving Him in every area of your life. God enjoys sharing your journey with you, and He is going to unveil plenty of surprises along the way.

www.shopjicwithpauline.com 510-472-0446

BLESSED MAGAZINE

23

Criptaedo Self-defense and Fitness

For Disabled Paul Brailer has Spina Bifida and uses a wheelchair, but he‘s not about to let anyone push him around. After practicing karate and tae kwon do for several years, the 42-year-old founded a self-defense program called Criptaedo for people with disabilities.

Paul Brailer

Brailer remembers being sheltered and discouraged from trying many activities when he was a child during the 1970s and 80s.

―When you hear ‗No, don‘t‘ and ‗You shouldn‘t‘ for your whole life, you develop low self-esteem and low selfimage,‖ he said.

It wasn‘t until he reached adulthood that Brailer discovered martial arts and began to come out of his shell. ―I had three friends with Spina Bifida who passed away in a short span due to poor health, so I started thinking about becoming active and healthy, and then soon after, two of my friends with Cerebral Palsy got mugged,‖ Brailer recalled. ―It made me think: Ok, how can I be active and healthy, living with a disability, and be able to defend myself if necessary?‘ he said. Those incidents, and a chance meeting at a local burger joint, introduced him to the martial arts world.

When he saw a woman walk into the restaurant wearing a shirt that read ―The Art of Karate,‖ Brailer, who idolized Bruce Lee as a kid, struck up a conversation. The woman, Heidi Rudibaugh, invited Brailer to come check out her classes. ―That was a self-esteem boost in itself,‖ Brailer remembered. ―Here‘s a lady inviting a 35-year-old guy in a wheelchair to a karate class. I didn‘t even watch first; I just signed right up.‖ As he progressed, eventually rising all the way to the rank of black belt, Brailer had to make modifications to certain techniques, particularly the foot strikes. He was just joking around with friends when he suggested starting ―Criptaedo‖ for others with disabilities, but they liked the idea and Brailer decided to make it happen. ―I just want to inspire people to be able to protect themselves using any means necessary, to develop themselves and be healthy,‖ Brailer said.

Criptaedo has a GoFundMe account and would really appreciate your support to assist others like him to gain their independence as well as improve their self-esteem. You can visit Paul on Facebook and/or donate to his cause by clicking on the icons below. He‘s also available for speaking engagements. More information visit his website

Real People

Real Miracles Many will say; “God doesn’t perform miracles today”, but within this astounding eBook lies stories from ordinary people who have experienced first hand the miracle power of God!

Click Here To Download Your eBook “This book is amazing with real life accounts of people telling their stories of how God moved in their lives. This is a must read for those who are ever in doubt” – John F.

Exclusively at Blessed Magazine Get Yours Today! No Purchase Necessary!

Beautiful, Affordable and Functional Church Websites One Low Price

$99.00*

Domain Name and Hosting Not Included

Call or Click Today www.ltenterprises.net 917.310.7570 LT Enterprises – Big Solutions for Small Businesses

Blessed Magazine Promote your business, ministry and upcoming events

Advertise now at very affordable rates Contact us Today and discover how you can reach more potential customers with our affordable ad space prices…starting at $10/quarterly

FREE Ad Space for 1 month on our Blessed Magazine Website with purchase of ad space in our magazine

1(917)310-7570 blessedmagazine.org contact@blessedmagazine.org

BLESSED MAGAZINE

27

A Word From the

Lord

by Evangelist Nancy Turner When you are feeling lonely and seem like no one cares You don't even feel good about yourself you need a word from the Lord‌ I find myself in that position sometime, but I failed to realize that God is yet on the throne and that there is nothing too hard for God and that He knows what we're going through. Jesus wants us to depend on Him and believe in His words and stand on His words. His words will never fail us, but His words will comfort us and keep us during these times of feeling down. But my Sister and my Brother; look up because help is on the way, only in the words of the Lord if you believe this everything will be alright Fear thou not: for I am with thee: be not dismayed: for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee: yea, I will help thee: yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness: Isaiah 41:10 My Sister and my Brother that is a Word from the Lord Amen

28

BLESSED MAGAZINE

CHECK US OUT ONLINE We Are Completely Mobile Friendly For Individuals On The Go

What You‘ll Find Inside‌.

Packed with inspirational articles to educate, encourage, inspire and uplift, recipes, diet advice, health, beauty, nutrition and fitness, Blessed Magazine is the ultimate companion for individuals who want to look great, feel fabulous and enjoy the benefits of a healthy, spiritual life.

Subscribe for yourself or give as a gift to be blessed all year-long!

www.blessedmagazine.org

BLESSED MAGAZINE

29

After the Supreme Court announced it’s decision on same-sex marriages, you spoke your mind on the subject of ‘What Does Jesus Say About

Homosexuality?”

Mike Breeden - Homosexuality is wrong even modern day science proves it. But the question is does Jesus who is God in the flesh condone it. NO. With that said read john 3:17 God did not send his son to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Jesus Christ. So it doesn't matter that Jesus didn't say it was wrong but the father said it. Our only job as Christians is to state the truth and word of God. To act Christ like means to show the love of Jesus Christ an not to bring condemnation on anyone. For how can we lead anyone to Christ with condemnation and no love.

the Law, Luke 4:18-21.The Law cannot be separated from Jesus. Scripture must be understood in context, culture and intended audience, This is called Hermeneutics. The crux of the matter is; Homosexuals are a clear and present danger to all of us like many other diseases. This is why we must love them by letting them know that this practice is hell bound. This does not negate the fact that we must address the other socials ills of society also

Linda Brown - It is sin but deliverance is available to all.

God loves all not our sin.

Marcel Hutson - Jesus brings hope for everyone, even homosexuals. Many times those who run to the Bible for answers think they know what they are saying without having a theological base. Unfortunately, some surface Christians are in this lot. This is how we end up with eisegesis as against exegesis ,that is rightly dividing the Word of truth. I wish to make a few observations. If everyone decides to be gay, civilization will come to an abrupt end contrary to God's design.

Second, Jesus is the fulfillment of

Teresa Murphy - Jesus didn't have to say anything because He is not concerned with the acts we commit, but our souls and I haven't read anywhere where He said anything about homosexuality

Barbara Koontz – Unbelievable how people react to someone expressing their thoughts. I'm so glad Jesus didn't disassociate Himself from me while I was still in my sin

Evangelist

LSN

Very Respectfully, In the beginning was the WORD and the WORD was with GOD and the WORD was GOD. JESUS said HE and HIS Father Are One. And they all are one FATHER, SON and HOLY SPIRIT Likewise they are the WORD! The WORD says a man shall not lie with a man as with a woman and that homosexuality is an abomination to GOD and homosexuals along with adulterers and fornicators, etc as well will not enter the Kingdom of GOD unrepented. Everything I quoted is Scripture-The WORD. Woe to those who wish to use other scriptures in conjunction with the defense of those who wish to sugar coat and bypass the WORD of the LORD! And it has nothing to do with religion, but GOD's WORD!. Speaking HIS WORD and informing others what HIS WORD says is not condemning, it's speaking the WORD in TRUTH. I also noticed that the scriptures written by Moses was quoted, but not the scriptures by Paul, who speaks about homosexuality being a sin and against GOD along with the other sexual sins and all sins, and Paul didn't reference whether or not JESUS said it, just as Moses didn't either. Now is not the time to be confused or deceived nor distracted by other scriptures being used to discredit other scriptures. GOD Forbid.

God's Promises JULIAN HINDSON As believers, we are spiritually wealthy because of the exceedingly great promises we have in Jesus, our Savior. There are some wonderful guarantees we have been given in Scripture

‗God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in trouble‘ - Psalms 46:1 “Thank you for pulling together these Bible verses which are the basis of our Christian faith. God of compassion, redemption, encouragement and hope fill these passages with promises of His love toward mankind and each of us personally. God through His word speaks to the need of his people today each of us personally what ever our situation. We need to share daily, with the strength of the Holy Spirit , these words of strength, hope, forgiveness with others and share his Love with those we meet what ever their need.” - Angela “Thank You This is So Beautiful!!!” - JM “This message is a blessing and very timely. We read God's promises to our disabled daughter every day. God bless you.” - Diane

BLESSED MAGAZINE

31

Homosexuality & the Church: Satan’s Secret Agenda

By Anna Diehl

Sin is sin and God hates it all. But there are some sins which we all engage in, therefore we‘ve decided that they‘re fine, such as gossiping and lying. Other sins don‘t lend themselves to public display so we keep them secret, such as porn addictions. Still other sins make us act weird, so we tend to keep them out of Sunday service, such as getting plastered. But there are certain sins which are the perfect combination to Satan: they‘re shocking, they can be flaunted in public, and not everyone is doing them. Homosexuality falls into this particularly useful category.

32

When it comes to sin, Satan loves it all. But he doesn‘t have time to sit around basking in our carnality. He‘s at war with God and he‘s out to hit Him where it hurts: the Church. It‘s not good enough that the Church is full of sinners—thanks to Jesus, those sins have been forgiven. It‘s our ATTITUDE towards sin that Satan is after. God wants His people to hate what He hates. Satan wants them to love what He hates, right in His face.

BLESSED MAGAZINE

Two men may be actively engaging in homosexual activity yet one might be hating life and begging God to help him stop while the other is thoroughly enjoying his sin. We humans would judge both men the same, but God sees them quite differently. The man who sincerely wants to please God yet lacks the strength to control himself is on God‘s side.

The man who is ignoring God‘s conviction is expressing hatred towards God. One soul blesses God, the other grieves Him.

Today the Church is having the issue of homosexuality shoved down her throat. But the real question on the table is not what God says about sleeping with the same sex. We all know what God says, and that‘s exactly what makes it so perfect for Satan. He has purposely chosen a behavior about which there is no moral grey area—no confusion about where God stands on it. Satan doesn‘t want the Church to forget that God hates homosexuality— he wants her to stand up and say she doesn‘t care about God‘s feelings.

Photo Credit: Mlive.com

Satan is after hardcore rebellion. He wants the Church to defy God right to His face—that‘s where the real victory lies. Just being nice to gays isn‘t good enough because we‘re called to be nice to everyone. Being compassionate and understanding about their struggles doesn‘t go far enough—Jesus is compassionate and understanding as well. There‘s a particular line Satan needs us to cross in order to get his victory: we need to CELEBRATE the practice of sin. THAT is how demons can get points on the scoreboard.

The Church is made up of humans and we can‘t see the heart of a man like God can. We can only judge by externals. We don‘t see the temptation phase, we only see the follow through. God calls us to preach His truth about His standards, to love all souls but hate sin. He also instructs us NOT to allow souls to hold positions of leadership over His flock who are publicly engaging in sin because it can lead them far astray. Now here is where things get sticky.

Does this mean we shouldn‘t have any gay leaders in the church? We can‘t answer this question until we are clear about what it‘s asking.

Homosexuality is no different than any other sin in that it has two stages: the temptation to sin and the behavioral follow through. God doesn‘t blame us for being tempted, in fact He is quite clear that our fallen bodies will continue to fight us until the day we leave this planet. So whether we want to sleep with the same gender, sleep with animals, or sleep with kids, God understands our struggles and meets us in the midst of them to point us towards righteousness. Then comes the critical moment: how we respond to Him. We either agree or disagree with His Spirit about what we should be doing.

There‘s no way I‘m going to know your sexual orientation unless you publicly broadcast it. In our culture, no one walks up to a stranger and says, ―Hi, my name is ___ and I‘m sexually attracted to ___.‖ As a general rule, we keep our temptations private. We don‘t announce when we‘re feeling tempted to lie, cheat, steal, hate, or lust. This means there‘s no way I‘m going to know someone‘s gay unless that someone volunteers the information or is publicly flaunting their perversity in my face. As soon as any man begins to flaunt his sin, he

BLESSED MAGAZINE

absolutely flunks the qualified leader test.

Satan doesn‘t want the Church to welcome gays into her midst with the same warmth as she welcomes other sinners. He wants her to promote active gays to positions of leadership and send a message back to God that she doesn‘t care one wit about the things He‘s told her to do. Satan wants shepherds who will exalt sin in the face of the flock, thereby encouraging them to celebrate sin in their lives as well. Let‘s be clear: there‘s nothing special about gays to Satan. It just so happens their particular struggle is very useful to him at this stage in the war.

The goal of Satan is to drag the Church ever lower.

Photo Credit: Eurweb.com

He isn‘t content for her to simply coast in a crippled state. The worse the better, that means he will continuously choose new themes. There was a time when he had to work hard to get us to swallow the prosperity gospel package. Now we love the idea that we can bribe God into blessing us—we‘re writing copious books on the subject and the biggest Christian church in North America pumps out this message on a daily basis. Score one for demons. On to something new. Now it‘s time for universal acceptance of a sin we‘re still on the fence about.

Homosexuality fits the bill. It used to be very obvious to us that people who are flaunting a lifestyle of perversity have no business leading the flock. But Satan‘s been working very hard on this issue and we‘re seeing the effects. More and more churches are now crossing that line of compromise.

33

Every time they do, the Bride is slapping her Husband in the face and Satan is loving life. Once we all get onboard with the gay thing, he‘ll find something new to hit us with—some new area of sin that we‘re still conflicted about. It is the goal of Satan to drag the Church in a continuous downward spiral. There‘s no better way to hurt God than to have His wife celebrating everything He hates.

Whenever the Church finds herself being pressured to compromise, Satan whips out some ugly sounding phrases and uses them like cattle prods to drive her in the wrong direction. The Church is accused of ―hating gays‖ if she blocks them from being leaders.

Many Christians don‘t want the hate label put on them so they feel pressured to avoid the hot topic of homosexuality and not protest as the leadership around them slowly caves in.

As always, the topic on the table is just a facade to distract us from the real issue at hand. Satan hates homosexuals with the same enthusiasm that he hates all humans. He isn‘t trying to genuinely help them, they are merely his pawns in a bigger war against God. The Church will stumble every time she lets Satan define the issue. Satan wants the Church to think she has to prove her love for gays by letting them take a crack at leadership positions.

But this isn‘t the issue at all. The Church is really being pressured to defy God: to openly embrace something He hates—sin. A Christian man who secretly struggles with perverse desires yet who lives a life surrendered to God might make an excellent leader in some situations. But a man who‘s going around holding hands with his boyfriend is flaunting his sin and declaring his rebellion against God. When the Church takes people who are publicly defying God and promotes them as models to the flock…well, we already know what happens. We‘re seeing it all around us.

64

The blood of Christ, a perfect man the Son of God the great I AM, he died for all our sin debt paid to God alone for mistakes we made.

He sent his Word, a virgins child I quote, fulfilled all laws which Moses had wrote, the prophecies of old said Christ would come quick, the Word became flesh and He healed all the sick.

The works He did God showed him the way being led of the Spirit He knew of His day, He told the high priest that he was the One which blew them away this can't be Gods Son He knew the whole story for this reason He came the cross now the calling for Jesus' name

but with us in His future our fate in His hand He saw the future glory and for us He did stand So God input the sin of all the world and then He took our punishment for us and we became His kin, the earth now quakes and rumbles with skies now all jet black and God for us forgot Him as he slowly did turn His back For sin our God forsook his only begotten Son where man would have to believe in what that He has done and this is wisdom from up above from God the Great I Am for He provided a sacrifice for sin a spotless and perfect lamb.

Christ blood is now and has always ball our one and only chance for He was sent for all to see and in His name we dance, our Savior, our Lord, the Only Son, from God in whom we seek, for in His name the souls of men now free from sin we speak.

In Jesus name we pray to God who gives us all the right, as Sons of God now free to call of whom is now our plight, The covenant of God for peace to all and goodwill for through this man, condemned no longer our minds now free to Christ we all now stand.

The blood the blood we are now clean is now our battle cry for Jesus has paid for all sins as to the flesh we die, it's not about us or what we've done because God is judge to all, it's about His Son and Faith in Him and did you heed the call.

Against God we've sinned and He's the one of whom we all must ask forgive us O Lord from all our sins we've accepted your Son you've tasked.

Our Savior and Lord, Redeemer from sin, our High Priest from up above who God made flesh to dwell with man to show us all His Love.

God bless...

Glendon Hartwell

Get the compelling book that sheds light on the lies, feelings and truths about being single as a Christian

―There is a peace in knowing that when I think I am alone, God reminds me He is always near‖ - Laraine Turner

“With God, you are capable of existing as a whole person without anyone else’s help” - Anonymous

Classes Now Available Anger Management Domestic Violence Intervention Crisis Intervention and Prevention Parenting Skills Call or Click Today to Register

Precious Life Services

830.372.5980

38

BLESSED MAGAZINE

SHAME -

This is a big one. When we feel intensely ashamed or guilty over something we have done or are currently doing, it’s easy for Satan to drive us into a corner of silence. To get back out, we need to remember that God already knows everything about us. We can’t keep any dark secrets from Him. At first this might sound threatening, but it’s actually a good thing, because it means we can’t ever shock or surprise God.

What to Do When You’re Too Distracted to Pray

By Anna Diehl

Once you are a Christian, Satan is going to do anything he can to try and create a sense of division, distance and/or friction between you and God. One of the most effective ways for him to do this is to get you in a position where you are avoiding certain subjects in your prayer life.

Whether it‘s past sins, past traumas, current struggles, anger issues, looming fears, or anything else, it is vital that you keep those lines of communication totally open So how do you do this? In this post, we‘ll talk about some strategies you can use to help break through the emotional barrier. But first, you need to identify your reasons for shutting down in the first place.

Satan works hard to get you to think God is reacting to your issue with the disgusted shock of a human who just found out some dirt on you and now they’re opinion of you has radically changed. But this is not how God thinks.

He knew this issue would become an issue since before He even created you, and He still wanted you. God loves you as you are. He isn’t standing around waiting for you to clean up your act before He’ll look at you. Whenever we start feeling trapped in shame, God’s truth is what we need to set us free again. Read the following posts to gain some perspective about what God’s attitude really is towards you at this time:

ANGER & HATE -

Sometimes anger and/or hate is the reason we shut down on God. Maybe He’s done something to you that you can’t forgive Him for. It’s okay to hate God—did you know that? Hate is a very normal and natural response when you feel deeply wounded by God. Hating God does not make you a bad Christian, nor does it mean you are spiritually flawed. God wants total honesty from you. If you are furious with Him, He doesn’t want you to pretend otherwise. The key here is to avoid isolating yourself from God, because then Satan will have a field day with you. Hate and anger become powerful instruments of torment when we refuse to let God help us process them in healthy ways. If you are willing to talk to God honestly about why you are angry with Him, you will actually end up with a stronger, deeper and more joyful relationship with Him. If you are feeling nervous about being honest with God about your anger

FEAR -

Sometimes we stop praying because we’re afraid that God is going to lash out at us in anger. We hope that if we don’t pray, God won’t notice us, and then maybe we’ll be safe. This logic is based on a very wrong and damaging deception about who God is. God is not an unreasonable monster who is just waiting to explode on

BLESSED MAGAZINE

you. Maybe you‘ve had to deal with some shorttempered humans in your life, but God is extremely patient, gentle and kind. Yes, He gets angry, but only with those who are willfully defying Him. Are you trying to defy God? If not, then He‘s not angry with you.

Our behavior is not what provokes God to anger.

He responds to our heart attitudes. Maybe you‘re doing something that you know God doesn‘t like, but you can‘t find the resources to stop.

Meanwhile, you figure He must be boiling with fury over your ongoing sinful behavior. If this is the case, then stop to consider what your heart attitude is. Do you sincerely want to please God? If so, then God is not upset with you. God responds to our heart attitudes, not to how well we are able to manage our flesh in a given moment.

You can‘t overcome your flesh without God‘s help, and if He‘s not helping you, He has a positive reason for withholding the resources you need.

Or maybe you think that God demands that we tremble in His Presence. After all, aren‘t we commanded in the Bible to ―fear the Lord?‖ Yes, we are, but this is a fear that is based on a positive respect for God‘s power, not a negative fear of His cruel Character

PAIN -

Maybe God has hurt you one too many times and you have shut down as a way of trying to protect yourself. The problem with this is that God hasn‘t gone anywhere. Silence doesn‘t really separate us from God‘s Presence or power, it just makes us feel cut off from His love. The truth is that God puts us through painful experiences in order to draw us closer to Him so that we can ultimately experience greater joy in our union with Him. To learn more about why growing closer to God has to involve some painful experiences

STARTING THE CONVERSATION Now that you‘ve identified the issue, it‘s time to start the

39

start the conversation. But how? There are several different exercises that can help you break through the emotional barrier—see which one works best for you.

The Chair -

This exercise is particularly useful for helping you connect with the reality of God‘s Presence in the room with you. Get two chairs and set them up facing each other. Then sit down in one of them and imagine God sitting down across from you. Start talking to Him out loud as you would a person that you can see.

Praying out loud helps focus your thoughts and having the chair to focus on helps you connect with the reality of God‘s attentive Presence.

The Indirect Approach - When you find it too difficult to talk to God directly, it can help to take a more indirect approach. Describe your problem to yourself in your mind. Then pause to reflect on the fact that God hears all of your thoughts. Invite Him to comment on everything you‘ve just said by praying something like, ―Any thoughts?‖ or ―I‘m open to feedback.‖ This approach gets you to the point of listening to God without having to try and get through a long speech to Him. Sometimes we are in too much pain to bear the image of speaking to God directly for more than a few seconds.

Writing It Out -

Writing out our thoughts helps us focus on what we are trying to say. It can also help us get around the intensity of direct communication. Write or type God a letter explaining why you have stopped talking to Him. Be honest. Don‘t minimize. If you think He‘s been a jerk to you, tell Him. If you‘re afraid He doesn‘t love you or that He won‘t forgive you, say so. End the letter by asking Him to help you get back into a better place with Him.

Changing Places -

The goal of this exercise is to help you get more connected with God‘s positive view of you. Imagine that you are a parent who has a child that you dearly love

40

If that‘s a bad image for you, then imagine that you are standing somewhere with a very good friend. Whoever the second person is—child or friend—put them in the position you are now in with God. Give them all the emotions that you are now feeling—pain, anger, fear, or shame. Because of the way this person feels, they have stopped talking to you. But because you love them very much, it grieves you to have this barrier of silence between you. Imagine how you would go about encouraging this person to start talking to you again. You understand the false assumptions they are making about you. What would you say to help them understand how positively you feel towards them?

BLESSED MAGAZINE

God loves you far more than you love any other human and He is already responding to you with far more gentleness, patience, and empathy than you dare to imagine. Once you stop talking to God about certain things, it is very easy for Satan to fill your mind with all kinds of lies about who God is and how He views you. You need to realize that images of God glaring down at you in your mind or smirking at your pain or turning His back towards you are not coming from Him. Such images are manufactured by demons who are trying to make their lies sound more credible. If you are a Christian, God is never going to push you away from Himself or say anything to you that makes you feel discouraged, hopeless, and fearful in your relationship with Him. If you are not a Christian but you want a relationship with God, then your desire for God proves that He is calling you to Himself and inviting you to start a relationship with Him. Either way, the silence on your side must be broken.

Start talking to God today.

Don‘t help Satan take you down.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

When we turn the tables and try to see ourselves from an outsider‘s perspective, it‘s often much easier to connect with God‘s love and compassion for us. If your child was afraid that you were upset with him, you would go out of your way to assure him that you weren‘t. If a friend was deeply wounded by something you did to her, you would try to convince her that you completely empathized with how she felt and you would try to help her understand your positive motivations.

When those we love are in crisis, it brings out our compassionate and caring side.

GLOBAL WORD NETWORK Inspiring Souls Across the Globe through Videos, Podcasts and Sermons

It's our vision to reach millions of individuals across the globe and we want you to be a part of this vision.

Global Word Network is available for all those in ministry who wish to have their message of hope, love and joy of Jesus Christ seen across the globe. We are now accepting applications for our line-up of programs to air on our network at http://www.globalwordnetwork.net

Real People

Real Miracles Many will say; “God doesn’t perform miracles today”, but within this astounding eBook lies stories from ordinary people who have experienced first hand the miracle power of God!

Click Here To Download Your eBook “This book is amazing with real life accounts of people telling their stories of how God moved in their lives. This is a must read for those who are ever in doubt” – John F.

Exclusively at Blessed Magazine Get Yours Today! No Purchase Necessary!

Blessed Magazine Promote your business, ministry and upcoming events

Advertise now at very affordable rates Contact us Today and discover how you can reach more potential customers with our affordable ad space prices…starting at $10/quarterly

FREE

Ad Space for 1 month on our Blessed Magazine Website with purchase of ad space in our magazine

1(917)310-7570 blessedmagazine.org contact@blessedmagazine.org

44

BLESSED MAGAZINE

Telling

God He’s Not Enough

By Anna Diehl

There are many sad stories in the Bible, but a few are totally heartbreaking. One of the most crushing moments for God in human history was when Israel demanded to have a human king. Just blink and you‘ll miss this short exchange found in 1 Samuel 8 and yet it tells us so much about where we went wrong with God. There are many sad stories in the Bible, but a few are totally heartbreaking. One of the most crushing moments for God in human history was when Israel demanded to have a human king. Just blink and you‘ll miss this short exchange found in 1 Samuel 8 and yet it tells us so much about where we went wrong with God. The prophet Samuel is old and the sons he appointed as judges in the land have turned into crooks. So the people rise up against him and say: “You have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations” (v5) Don‘t miss those last four words. Like many Christians today, Israel wanted nothing to do with being set apart in the world. God had left her without a human ruler on purpose because He was her King. But He was doing a sloppy job as far as she was concerned, and she foolishly thought a human being could satisfy her better. How often do we turn our backs on God today the moment He allows bad things to happen to us? Instead of coming to Him and allowing Him to teach us some valuable lesson, we stop praying and get all huffy. We rush to put other things in His place: friends, distractions and sensual pleasures. We don‘t stop to consider His feelings, we only think about ours. Though He sacrificed His Son to save us, we are shamefully quick to call Him our enemy and believe He is bent on our destruction.

Samuel is immediately disturbed when he hears the people‘s request, yet he‘s taking it as a personal insult which the Lord quickly corrects:

“Listen to the voice of the people in regards to

BLESSED MAGAZINE

45

all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.” (v7) We can almost see the knife that Israel has just plunged into God‘s heart by her demand. God knows His people have never been that into Him, and once they have a human to focus on, the distance between them will only grow greater. But you can‘t make someone love you, so in an effort to hang onto His precious people, He agrees to give her what she wants. If He goes along with it, at least He can guide the process.

In an effort to dissuade the people, Samuel gets up and paints a very grim picture of what life in a monarchy will be like. There will be taxes, forced labor, seized land, and military drafts. If they think life is bad now, a king will make it much worse.

“Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day” (v18).

But the prophet‘s warnings fall on deaf ears. Israel has her heart set on being like the pagan nations around her. They all have a human king. She doesn‘t care about God‘s feelings.

Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the LORD’S hearing. The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint them a king.” (v19-22) And there we have it. Israel gets her way, God‘s heart is broken, and thus begins a long and miserable history of evil kings who abuse her and lead her further astray. One need only flip through the succession records found in Kings and Chronicles to see that Israel had far more evil kings than good ones. ―Yet he did evil in the sight of the Lord,‖ is said over and over again when summing up the reign of individual monarchs. Very sad.

God has never wanted a distant relationship with us. When Jesus came, one of His main goals was to eliminate the need for any human mediators between us and God. Today we Christians are God‘s new ―chosen people‖ and, like ancient Israel, He is longing for a direct relationship with us. We mustn‘t miss this.

After being pushed away by ancient Israel for so many years, God has gone to extreme measures to start over again with us—this time

46

BLESSED MAGAZINE

with no middlemen. We are all invited to come directly into the Holy of Holies—an invitation ancient Israel never received. And yet many of us are making her same mistake. Instead of kings, we have erected bible scholars, priests and teachers as our new rulers. We bow down to them in our hearts, and give them far too much reverence while we ignore the Holy Spirit‘s constant call to come to Him directly. Christians, we must not push our God aside. We must stop running after other shepherds. We belong only to Him. He bought us with His own Blood. No diploma or theologian should impress us more than the cross of Christ. Don‘t we see how jealous we are making our Husband? And, like Israel, these human leaders we cling to are doing us far more harm than good because we have put all our trust in them instead of relying on the Holy Spirit. Yes, there is a place for shepherds, teachers and apostles in the church. But the days in which God only spoke through a few designated prophets are long gone. Now He speaks to each of us directly in our own hearts. We don‘t have to rely on the words of human beings who try to woo us into following them with their programs and trinkets and entertaining shows.

We shouldn‘t be promising allegiance to bible scholars and buildings. All this guff about who‘s a member and who isn‘t is pure rot. God never wanted His Bride to break up into bickering factions. There is only one Church and we are it. The physical buildings we call church were never supposed to become points of pride. ―How big is your church? Mine has 10,000 members.‖ How ridiculous all this boasting sounds to God. ―My pastor‘s written multiple books and has his own television show.‖ So what? The bigger the church, the more glamour and glitz, and the more tares there are in the wheat. While we boast about how many worldly souls we can entice into our theaters, the Holy Spirit is searching through our large congregations for hearts sincerely seeking Him and finding very few.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

We should find it suspicious when teachers start heavily promoting some 6-month series of sermons way in advance and never wavering from their agenda. Are they really listening to God? It‘s all fine to start off with a certain theme, but since when does the Holy Spirit never change course?

Since when does He align with our agendas and interests with such perfect submission? In the Bible we never hear God quoting human beings. We don‘t hear Him saying ―Thus says Isaiah…‖, yet today we are constantly quoting other human beings from the pulpit. Some big name writes a book on God

and we all repeat his words and pass out his study questions as if he is the ultimate source of wisdom. The God we read about in the Bible is extremely jealous and has a track record of striking people dead for trying to steal a piece of His spotlight. Yet today we act like God is all too happy to help us increase our book sales and exalt certain humans as extra wise. What is God thinking when He sees thousands of Christians whooping and cheering after some respected teacher delivers an entertaining speech? Is He perhaps a bit jealous? If He is, we certainly don‘t seem to care.

We have no business trying to direct God, He is the One Who directs us. We have no right to decide for Him what He should say, nor should we dare to ever modify His words to fit some political or social agenda. There are far too many passages of Scripture being ignored because they‘re too convicting. Like Israel, we think if we have human leaders between us and God, we can control what they do and say, giving us the illusion of controlling God. But it doesn‘t work like that. Like Israel, God will use the very leaders we put in His place to lead us into bondage.

BLESSED MAGAZINE

47

On earth, there are consequences for sinning—even for the chosen ones. We have been testing His patience now for so long with all this misdirected worship and adoration of fancy titles, Christian rock stars, Bible scholars and polished pastors. We are a scattered flock, running after every shepherd but our own. We have made our jealous Husband very angry with our callous rejection of Him and our disregard for His feelings. Let us each examine our hearts and ask the Holy Spirit to show us if we are exalting anyone else above Him. If we are, let us ask Him to help us dethrone the imposters at once, and return to the kind of direct relationship He has always wanted: the Church bowing down to One King, with no mediators in between.

BLESSED MAGAZINE

49

Becoming a Fearless Christian

By Anna Diehl

Spiritual Growth is filled with irony. Learn how God amplifies fear in order to cripple fear’s power in our lives Suppose you have a house that you feel pretty safe in. After all, it‘s kept you safe and dry through many storms. Its structure is sound. The roof doesn‘t leak. In this fine house of yours, you sleep peacefully every night and you feel like it is your safe refuge from the darkness of the world.

But then suppose I‘m standing with you in your house one day and I start flinging lighted matches around your living room. One hits the carpet, one lands on the couch, one brushes the drapes. In seconds, the room is filled with flames. You don‘t feel very safe in your house now, do you? Suddenly the very thing which protected you now threatens to kill you and you run for the door as fast as you can.

But perhaps I don‘t come and light your house on fire. Suppose I drive up with a wrecking ball instead and start smashing through your perfect walls. Once again, the house you put so much trust in becomes a death trap.

50

When you stop to think about it, there are so many things that can go wrong in a house. Water pipes can burst in the walls. Mold can fill the air with poisonous spores. Termites can eat away at the wood.

What you once viewed as your invincible fortress has turned out to be nothing more than a collection of parts and pieces which could all fail at any moment. So much for security.

In many ways, our relationships with God are like the house we‘ve been describing. We start off feeling naively secure with Him, believing every pretty promise in the Book and trusting that He will never ever fail us. Like the house that makes us feel safe and warm during the storms, so also God seems to be our unfailing refuge in the storms of life. Trials come and go, yet for the first time, we aren‘t upset by them because we are so aware of God‘s Presence with us. Suddenly we are experiencing whole new levels of peace and joy in our souls. These things aren‘t illusions—they are really happening. God is being our perfect Refuge in the storms of life. He is being more than we hoped or dreamed. And as things continue on so smoothly, we think we have far more trust in Him than we actually do. In reality, what we have is only a very frail and shallow rooted trust which God is intentionally shielding with screens of extra grace and emotional calm. But the day comes when He decides we are ready to move on to bigger and better things. That‘s when He starts taking the screens away.

The day comes when God strikes a match in our relationship with Him and intentionally sets our safe house on fire. He does something shocking and unexpected which instantly makes all of our security in Him feel like a phony illusion. Perhaps He lies. Perhaps He abandons. Perhaps He breaks our hearts. Perhaps He shatters our lives. Whatever it is, we feel as if we have been driven out of our safe place into a place where we feel lost, frightened, and confused. The day comes when God strikes a match in our relationship with Him and intentionally sets our safe house on fire. He does something shocking and unexpected which instantly makes all of our security in Him feel like a phony illusion. Perhaps He lies. Perhaps He abandons. Perhaps He breaks our hearts. Perhaps He shatters our lives. Whatever it is,

BLESSED MAGAZINE

we feel as if we have been driven out of our safe place into a place where we feel lost, frightened, and confused.

Without God‘s protection, how can we possibly feel safe in this dark and scary world? Yet God Himself has driven us out of the safe place He brought us into and is now tearing that place apart so that we can never return to it. All we can do is watch helplessly as He burns critical portions of our theology to the ground and shatters all the ―God would never‖ that once made us feel so secure. Yes, God is the source of our misery. No, we can‘t just blame it all on Satan. Yes, God does help the wicked carry out their plans against the righteous. Yes, He could say one word and make it all better again. No, He‘s not going to.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Why does God do this to us? Why does He make happy baby Christians pass through terrible valleys of intense disillusionment and suffering before He restores the peace they once had? If you talk to a newly saved infant and a mature Christian who has survived being torn apart by God‘s refinement machinery, both souls will praise God. Both will say He is the best thing that ever happened to them. Both will say they trust Him with all of their hearts. Yet the mature Christian‘s definition of trust will be vastly different than the baby‘s. The baby Christian will say, ―I know that God will never fail me,‖ because He never has. But the mature Christian will say, ―I know that God will never fail me,‖ because they have lived through Him failing them in every way that matters, and their whole definition of ―fail‖ has changed.

BLESSED MAGAZINE

God wants His children to feel totally secure with Him. He wants us to know beyond all doubt that He will never, ever fail us. The only way to get us there is to eliminate all factors that cause us to feel insecure with Him. How does He do this? Not by sheltering us from those factors, but by making us face them head on.

Suppose I want to convince you that you are physically invincible. How do I get you there? If I hire a squad of bodyguards to protect you everywhere you go, what will happen? You‘ll become so dependent on them that you‘ll panic when they‘re not around. The moment you get caught alone in an alley with a mugger pointing a loaded gun at your head, your heart will melt with fear and you‘ll do whatever he tells you to do just to make him go away. God does not want His children being pushed around by demons. He wants us to be able to stand in the face of their best ammunition and be able to laugh in their faces. So how does He get us there? By letting them nail us with everything they‘ve got.

51

It is the same with God and us. He knows that we are absolutely secure in His care. He knows that He is devoted to doing what is absolutely best for us and that He will never fail us in any way. But we don‘t know this. We are all walking around with a long list of scenarios that would instantly cause us to question God‘s faithfulness and love. Many of us are unaware that these lists exist until God suddenly does one of the items on them. Then we are shocked by how strong the tidal wave of doubt is in our lives. We are stunned by how instantly our strong faith crumbles into dust. God isn‘t shocked, because He‘s known about our secret doubts and fears all along. Just as a woman feels safe in her town until she is assaulted on the public street, so also we feel safe with God only as long as He avoids doing certain things. When we cry out to God to take us all the way with Him, He rolls up His sleeves and sets out to make all of our worst fears and insecurities come to life. One by one, He creates the scenarios we are so certain would be the death of our relationship with Him, and one by one, He proves to us just how invincible our bond with Him really is.

Are we afraid of demonic attacks?

Does the proximity of demons make us doubt that God is still with us? If so, He gives demons license to attack us like they never have before. We hear them, we see them, we even worry that they‘ve gotten control of our bodies. God gives them however much freedom they need to create our worst case scenario. And then He proves to us just how incapable demons are to ever tear us from His hands.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

If I want to convince you that you are physically invincible, I‘m going to stab you with knives, gun you down with automatic guns, bathe you in the fire of a flamethrower, send rabid animals to attack you, inject you with poisonous serums, make you walk across a row of landmines—I will do everything I can possibly think of to demolish every fear that exists in your mind that somehow, someway, you could become mortally wounded.

Are we afraid of emotional lows? Do intense bouts of depression make us fear that God has left us? If so, He sends us through the mother of all deserts. We are so depressed we want to kill ourselves. We become incapable of worshiping. We forget what it ever felt like to be happy. However deep our fears go is how far God goes to make their reality spring to life. When the lesson is over, we learn that even emotions are powerless to damage our bond with God. Are we afraid of physical trials? Do we believe somewhere deep inside that if we can‘t serve God in some physical way, His love for us will falter?

52

If so, He will knock us flat on our backs with any manner of injury or illness. Whatever it takes to utterly immobilize us so that we will become overwhelmed with feelings of uselessness. He‘ll keep holding us down until we‘re convinced we are the worst piece of deadweight in His kingdom. Then He‘ll prove to us that nothing we do or fail to do can ever change how much He loves us.

Are we afraid of over-sinning? Do we think that if we got caught up in some foul bit of immorality that God would cast us away in repulsion? If so, then He will thrust us headlong into what He knows we think is the foulest of sins. He‘ll make us addicted to the grime of it and leave us wallowing in it up to our necks until He has finally convinced us that our own lack of perfection can never change His love for us.

Are we afraid of our own unfaithfulness? Are we worried that if we should turn away from God, blaspheme His Name, or embrace hatred towards Him in our hearts that He might cast us out? If so, God will become so monstrous to us that we are driven to scream and curse at Him without apology. He will keep jabbing us with sticks of torment until we are constantly snarling against Him, hating Him in our hearts and then hating ourselves for what we‘ve become. Then He‘ll show us that our faithfulness to Him has never been the glue that keeps our bond from failing. He is the One who holds us safely in His hands, and not even we can pry ourselves lose from His grip.

Every individual’s path is different because everyone has a different list of scenarios. But in the end, we all fear the same basic things. We fear God rejecting us, losing interest in us, or not loving us. We fear Him abandoning us in our hour of need. We fear Him withdrawing His Presence from our lives. We will fight as long as possible to avoid facing our own fears because we know instinctively that they would overwhelm us. Yet as God prepares us to experience intimate soul communion with Him, He drags all of these secret fears to light and exposes each one as the sham that it is. When God says He is faithful, He means it. When He says His love is unfailing, He means it. When He promises never to leave us, it is a promise we can count on. But He knows we can’t just

BLESSED MAGAZINE

just take His word for any of these things. We need Him to do more than hand us a Book of dusty old manuscripts. We need more than the testimonials of other Christians who have ―been there‖. At some point, we need God to prove Himself to us personally. We need Him to destroy the bondage of fears in our personal hearts that only He can see with total accuracy. This is exactly what He will do if we ask Him to take us all the way with Him. Is it upsetting? It‘s terrifying. Is it worth it? Yes. You cannot put a price on fearless living. You cannot measure the peace that comes with being absolutely confident in God‘s faithfulness and love—not for other Christians, not for the dead guys in the Bible— but for YOU. When God sets us free, we are free indeed.

Read the comprehensive series outlining what it truly means to wear the 'Armor of God' and Make No Mistake: WE ARE AT WAR! Available for download or online reading

www.shopjicwithpauline.com 510-472-0446

'How Love Can Survive Prison Walls' Get the compelling book that provides hope and tips on how to survive while your loved one is in prison Click Here To Download Your eBook “I don’t know how I would have survived if it wasn’t for the prayers of the staff at Blessed Magazine. They truly love God’s people and are always providing inspiration for those of us who are hurting. Thank you again for this eBook; it was a blessing to me and my family!” – Teresa A.

Exclusively at Blessed Magazine Get Yours Today! No Purchase Necessary!

Blessed Magazine Promote your business, ministry and upcoming events

Advertise now at very affordable rates Contact us Today and discover how you can reach more potential customers with our affordable ad space prices…starting at $10/quarterly

FREE

Ad Space for 1 month on our Blessed Magazine Website with purchase of ad space in our magazine

1(917)310-7570 blessedmagazine.org contact@blessedmagazine.org

56

BLESSED MAGAZINE

To Listen or Ignore God: The Choice is Yours! ―When God speaks, neutrality is not an option.

A response is unavoidable, and the condition of peoples‘ hearts is revealed in that response.‖ Henry and Richard Blackaby Hearing God’s Voice Many times I have heard God‘s voice and in response I did nothing. Overtly I may not have committed an evil act, but my actions were still wicked. Not only that I missed out on what God wanted to do through my life. Have you ever ignored God‘s call?

I think it happens almost every day. We see a person sitting all alone and we get this thought that we should go and strike of a conversation with them, but instead we stay were we are. We find the new TV that we wanted on sale, but it is still a tad out of our price range. We decide to make the purchase even though God has revealed to us that our money should go to the missionaries who visited our church last week. It is painful to think about how much we have missed out because we have ignored God. Do I need to mention that this is deadly to our relationship with God? Ignoring God‘s will causes us to miss experiencing God‘s power at work in our lives. I believe the number one reason so many people feel stagnate in their relationship with God is because they haven‘t experienced Him in their lives. They maybe faithful in their Bible Study, prayer, and church attendance, but they haven‘t stepped out and really done what God has asked them to do.

When we ignore God‘s will we declare that we are the ultimate rulers of our lives. It is a passive

BLESSED MAGAZINE

57

By Paul Steele act of rebellion. This isn‘t just about living moral lives. Many try their best to live a moral life based on the commands found in the Bible. The reason they do this is because they mentally agree with God. They understand God‘s way is the best way.

Let‘s face it the best way to live is to remain faithful to your spouse. The best way to live is not to murder anyone. The best way to live is to be honest. In some aspects following Jesus makes life easier because we can avoid a lot of unnecessary baggage that we otherwise would pick up. Lives that are lived in obedience when we agree with God doesn‘t mean we have made Him Lord of our lives.

The true test of God‘s lordship is when we obey even when we don‘t agree with what God has asked us to do.

“Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever…So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will continue to live in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.” ~ 1 John 2:15-17; 24-25 (NLT).

It is our obedience to God‘s commands that demonstrate our loyalty and love for God. Obedience isn‘t just about sin management, but it is also about serving others in love. True obedience is found in following God even though we don‘t understand where He is leading.

If we have truly surrendered to God then the word no is no longer in our vocabulary when it comes to what He wants us to do. Jesus cannot be Lord of our lives and we respond with a ―no‖ when He reveals His will to us. "No" and "Lord" cannot be used the same sentence if you are a Christian. Our one responsibility once we know God‘s will is to obey. It can be no other way.

Classes Now Available Anger Management Domestic Violence Intervention Crisis Intervention and Prevention Parenting Skills Call or Click Today to Register

Precious Life Services

830.372.5980

BLESSED MAGAZINE

59

A Word From the

Lord

by Evangelist Nancy Turner We all have trouble in our lives and don't know what to do?

We all have people that will bring trouble to us and we wonder why me?

We don't even know what or how to deal with the troubles that come our way?

But my Brothers and Sisters God knows the trouble that you are having right now and will face in the future.

God does not want you to feel you can't endure and have the Victory over ever situation that you may find yourself in with your walk with the Lord.

The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And, they that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou LORD has not forsaken them that seek Thee: Psalms: 9: 9-10 A WORD FROM THE LORD AMEN

God's Promises JULIAN HINDSON As believers, we are spiritually wealthy because of the exceedingly great promises we have in Jesus, our Savior. There are some wonderful guarantees we have been given in Scripture

‗God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in trouble‘ - Psalms 46:1 “Thank you for pulling together these Bible verses which are the basis of our Christian faith. God of compassion, redemption, encouragement and hope fill these passages with promises of His love toward mankind and each of us personally. God through His word speaks to the need of his people today each of us personally what ever our situation. We need to share daily, with the strength of the Holy Spirit , these words of strength, hope, forgiveness with others and share his Love with those we meet what ever their need.” - Angela “Thank You This is So Beautiful!!!” - JM “This message is a blessing and very timely. We read God's promises to our disabled daughter every day. God bless you.” - Diane

BLESSED MAGAZINE

61

CHECK US OUT ONLINE We Are Completely Mobile Friendly For Individuals On The Go

A digital subscription to Blessed Magazine gives you instant access to our inspirational articles, recipes, diet advice, health and beauty tips, fitness and more. Our mobile friendly publication platform enables you to access our advertisers websites right from within our magazine

Subscribe Today It’s FREE and Always Will Be!

62

BLESSED MAGAZINE

Encouragement For Christians Who Struggle with Perverse Sexual Desires Some temptations you can run from. Others come with you.

If you love Jesus yet you find yourself constantly plagued with perverse sexual desires, this post is for you. If you believe that a truly committed Christian would never struggle with such things, you have been misinformed, and this post is not recommended reading.

By Anna Diehl

The sex drive is one of the most powerful drives we have. This means that when it gets twisted, you‘re in serious trouble. You‘ll find yourself not just fighting a corner battle, but trying to survive an epic war. There are many reasons why the sex drive can get twisted in a person, but going over those reasons is of limited value. God deals with the here and now and that is the focus of this post. The sex drive is one of the most powerful drives we have. This means that when it gets twisted, you‘re in serious trouble. You‘ll find yourself not just fighting a corner battle, but trying to survive an epic war. There are many reasons why the sex drive can get twisted in a person, but going over those reasons is of limited value. God deals with the here and now and that is the focus of this post.

Thanks to our society‘s current obsession with homosexuality and porn, it‘s become a little easier to admit that you‘re attracted to the same sex or that you‘re looking at porn on the internet. A growing number of people in the Church are willing to acknowledge this as a valid problem and have some sympathy for your struggle instead of just writing you off as a worm. But what about the Christians who are struggling with

BLESSED MAGAZINE

the darker desires? What about the ones who are plagued with a sexual craving for children or animals? Who is going to embrace these souls and give them an empathetic ear? Jesus will.

The more you care about God, the more tormenting it is to be trapped in the same body as some sick desire. You need to understand a few key facts about your position. First, you are not any less regenerate than Christians who don‘t struggle with such lusts. Second, the Holy Spirit is not at all squeamish about dwelling within you, despite the dark fantasies that are constantly floating through your mind. Third—and this is a big one—from God‘s perspective, you are not responsible for the trash in your brain. That last point needs a little unpacking.

Demons like to hit us where it hurts. Christians who secretly struggle with perverse lusts are some of their favorite victims because you are so quick to take credit for the things that they put in your head. How do I know that you‘re not the producer of all those nasty images? Easy. While part of you is magnetically attracted to those dark thoughts, another part of you is repulsed and trying to pull away. This is the only reason you are tormented. If your soul wasn‘t writhing with disgust about what you feel drawn to do, then you‘d be out doing it with gusto, not reading this post. Don‘t miss this point: your strong repulsion to your own perversity proves beyond a doubt that your soul has chosen righteousness. Your soul‘s choice is the only thing God will be judging you by, not by all the grossness in your mind. the darker desires? What about the ones who are plagued with a sexual craving for children or animals? Who is going to embrace these souls and give them an empathetic ear? Jesus will.

The more you care about God, the more tormenting it is to be trapped in the same body as some sick desire. You need to understand a few key facts about your position. First, you are not any less regenerate than Christians who don‘t struggle with such lusts. Second, the Holy Spirit is not at all squeamish about dwelling within you, despite the

63

dark fantasies that are constantly floating through your mind. Third—and this is a big one—from God‘s perspective, you are not responsible for the trash in your brain. That last point needs a little unpacking.

Demons like to hit us where it hurts. Christians who secretly struggle with perverse lusts are some of their favorite victims because you are so quick to take credit for the things that they put in your head. How do I know that you‘re not the producer of all those nasty images? Easy. While part of you is magnetically attracted to those dark thoughts, another part of you is repulsed and trying to pull away. This is the only reason you are tormented. If your soul wasn‘t writhing with disgust about what you feel drawn to do, then you‘d be out doing it with gusto, not reading this post. Don‘t miss this point: your strong repulsion to your own perversity proves beyond a doubt that your soul has chosen righteousness. Your soul‘s choice is the only thing God will be judging you by, not by all the grossness in your mind.

Demons like to hit us where it hurts Now Satan will work overtime to try and convince you that your soul is on his side, and that‘s why you‘re such a creep. But this is an absolute lie. You cannot hate sin and be sold out to Satan at the same time. It doesn‘t matter that your mind keeps hitting replay on all those nasty scenes. Your soul is crying out in protest because it has chosen God and desperately wants to be freed from the foul environment it is trapped in. So then, if God hates perversity, why is He rejecting all of your pleas for healing?

You, my friend, have been chosen for the tough track. If the Christian walk could be compared to a treadmill, yours has been set on maximum incline.

Because of the internal environment you‘re

64

trapped in, it is way harder for you to grasp the depth of God‘s love for you, or the fact that you are a new creation in Christ. You weren‘t one of those blessed few who got instantly healed of their perversion the moment they were saved. God has called you to trudge on in the midst of a very intense war. This is NOT an indication that He loves you less. Quite the contrary, He clearly considers you one of His toughest soldiers. Maybe you don‘t feel so tough, in fact you probably feel more like a house of cards that Satan can blow over with one puff. But you are stronger than you know and all the sick fantasies in the world can‘t separate you from the love of God. Let‘s be clear: the mental movies are being piped in by demons, not your dark and twisted soul. Satan is planting images and ideas in your mind the same way that he whispers suggestions into the minds of other Christians who struggle with the more ―acceptable‖ sins of jealousy and gossip. Satan always dangles the bait, and God tells us that we must resist taking it. Easier said than done, as you know. But let‘s be clear about where the line of failure lies. Satan will tell you that you‘ve failed the moment you mentally embrace whatever inappropriate image he comes up with. If you believe him, then you‘ve come to the conclusion that you fail constantly, because you just can‘t tear your mental focus off of those tantalizing images no matter how guilty you feel. But what does God see? When the battle begins, He is watching your soul, not your body. He sees that your soul is utterly repulsed and dreading yet another defeat by your flesh. Yet your soul is not defeated. In God‘s eyes, it won the victory the moment it turned away in repulsion. But because your fallen flesh lusted after the images like a hungry man lusts after a plate of his favorite food, you mistakenly believed that you truly desire such sordid things in the core of your being, therefore your soul must be rebelling against God, therefore God must be disgusted with you, and on and on the spiral goes until you just want to crawl into a hole somewhere and kill yourself. This is, of course, Satan‘s ultimate goal: that you would end your life before you have the chance to discover just how much damage you can do to him.

BLESSED MAGAZINE

Christians like you, who have the foulest of foul desires woven into the fabric of their fallen flesh, are the most dangerous Christians from Satan‘s perspective. This is why demons are trying so very hard to convince you that just the opposite is true: that dragging you down is laughably easy, like fishing in a bucket. Remember that demons always lie. In truth, you are like a crate of dynamite that could explode in their faces any second. They must tread carefully with you, working night and day to keep you convinced that you are already a lost cause. Demons simply cannot afford to have someone like you grasp how loved you are by God or how truly free you are in Christ. The ramifications of this would be devastating for them.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

From the perspective of demons, if a Christian who only struggles with the common sins gets a decent grip on the concepts of mercy and grace, it‘s not so threatening. There‘s just a limit to how much you can appreciate grace when you don‘t associate yourself with those who are particularly loathsome.

But a Christian like you, who is wallowing daily in mires of passions that no one dares to talk about because they are so shocking and shameful, if you were to get a firm grip on the concept of grace, you would understand it in a way that very few souls do. Then you could start explaining it to others and your voice would have a ring of authority that would cause jaws to drop and souls

BLESSED MAGAZINE

to gather round. Demons absolutely cannot afford to have you unleashed on Christendom, going around confidently announcing that there truly is no condemnation in Christ, and that God cherishes the vilest of sinners with the same enthusiasm as He loves the holiest of holy. If you succeed at locking onto your identity in Christ down here in the gutter, there will be no context in which anyone can ever take it away from you.

So many Christians who think they are strong find their confidence shredded to pieces the moment they fall to new low depths. But you started off already on rock bottom. Whatever truths you grasp here will become a permanent part of you and demons will be unable to pry them away from you.

This is why they MUST keep the pressure on. They must keep you convinced that you have already lost the war, that you are weaker than most and not threatening to them in the least. If they keep telling you these things night and day, perhaps they can stop you from realizing that just the opposite is true. Yours is a special calling. God has carefully selected you out to overcome one of the toughest battles there is. He did not make a mistake. At least for now He is not interested in silencing your flesh, which is why you are getting so little help on that front. His goal is to help you grasp critical truths in the midst of the war because He wants to give you an understanding of His love which few souls have.

As a Christian struggling with perverse desires, you are intimately connected with your inability to overcome sin. You‘ve dropped the pretense of strength because you‘ve been forced to. You are reminded on a daily basis that without Christ, you can truly do nothing at all. You must see the extreme advantage of your position. God spends the entire lives of other souls just trying to get them to the point of humility that you are already at, and most of them never get there.

Yours is a special calling. God has carefully selected you out to overcome one of the toughest battles there is. He did not make a mistake. At least for now He is not interested in silencing your

65

flesh, which is why you are getting so little help on that front. His goal is to help you grasp critical truths in the midst of the war because He wants to give you an understanding of His love which few souls have.

As a Christian struggling with perverse desires, you are intimately connected with your inability to overcome sin. You‘ve dropped the pretense of strength because you‘ve been forced to. You are reminded on a daily basis that without Christ, you can truly do nothing at all. You must see the extreme advantage of your position. God spends the entire lives of other souls just trying to get them to the point of humility that you are already at, and most of them never get there. flesh, which is why you are getting so little help on that front. His goal is to help you grasp critical truths in the midst of the war because He wants to give you an understanding of His love which few souls have.

As a Christian struggling with perverse desires, you are intimately connected with your inability to overcome sin. You‘ve dropped the pretense of strength because you‘ve been forced to. You are reminded on a daily basis that without Christ, you can truly do nothing at all. You must see the extreme advantage of your position. God spends the entire lives of other souls just trying to get them to the point of humility that you are already at, and most of them never get there.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

66

BLESSED MAGAZINE

One of the strongest foundations on this earth is FAMILY Steps for a Strong Foundation in Jesus Read the Bible Together Pray Together Go to Church Together Communicate with Each Other Blessed Magazine

They die thinking they can handle the battle just fine with a little assistance from God. They go around announcing that they successfully resist all temptations to sin now that they are new creations in Christ. They think they have a better grip on the Gospel than anyone else when really they‘ve missed the whole point. We must realize our utter weakness and total dependence on God in all things if we are to ever know intimacy with Him. By leaving you in this most difficult of places, God has given you an incredible spiritual advantage; He has gifted you with insights about your own limitations that few souls ever grasp. You must see this, for it shatters the lie that He has abandoned you in your misery or that you are somehow less desirable to Him. Nothing could be further from the Truth. You are one of the chosen few: in you He sees particularly great potential. You must not lose heart or give up on Him, for He has not at all given up on you. Wait patiently for His work to continue in your soul, for He will not fail you.

One day He will use you to tear other souls out of the vice grip of torment with deep truths about His love, grace, and mercy which only those who have crawled through the foulest of mires can learn.

Powerful Prayers for Believers of the Faith When you feel like you have nothing to say in prayer, lean on the timeless Word of God. These life-giving prayers can kick-start your conversations with God

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate having this available to me. It has inspired me to develop a better relationship with God. You guys are the best and I pray others will be blessed by this book - Susan

Exclusively at Blessed Magazine Get Yours Today! No Purchase Necessary!

68

BLESSED MAGAZINE

Recipes Sure to Please Your Family Nothing expresses love like a good meal and in this issue, we have put together some of the most mouthwatering dishes sure to please your entire family‌.ENJOY!

Recipe by: Jocelyn Delk Adams of Grandbaby-Cakes.com

BLESSED MAGAZINE

69

REAL DEAL SOUTHERN CARAMEL CAKE INGREDIENTS For the Cake:

For Aunt Bev's Caramel Icing:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature ⅓ cup vegetable oil 2½ cups granulated sugar 3 cups sifted cake flour 6 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks, room temperature 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1½ sticks butter 2 (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk 2 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Cake: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, oil and sugar on high until fully incorporated and light and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes.

3. Turn mixer to medium speed and mix in eggs and egg yolks one at a time until well incorporated.

4. Add in vanilla extract and mix.

5. Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt into a medium sized bowl.

6. With mixer on slow speed, alternate adding in flour mixture and sour cream ending with flour mixture until mixed through.

7. Do not over mix.

8. Spray three 9 inch round cake pans with baking spray or grease and flour them.

9. Pour batter into individual cake pans evenly.

10. Bake in preheated oven for 23-30 minutes or until fully baked (but DON'T OVERBAKE THESE CAKESCHECK THEM EARILER SO THEY DON'T DRY OUT).

11. Remove cake pans from oven and cool on cooling racks for 10 minutes.

12. Remove cakes from pans and wait until completely cooled to ice.

For the Caramel Icing: 1. Add butter, evaporated milk, and sugar to saucepan over medium heat until everything has melted together.

2. Leave over medium to low heat stirring periodically for about 1½- 2 hours (watch the entire time to make sure it does not burn until thickened and caramel has darkened to a beautiful golden brown.

3. Make sure that the caramel turns the color of the photo below before stopping the heat.

4. It should also coat the back of a spoon to ensure thickness.

5. Be careful to watch, adjusting heat temperature to not let it burn.

6. Remove from heat and add in vanilla extract.

7. Cool for about 15-20 minutes before icing the cake.

70

BLESSED MAGAZINE

Recipe by Creole Contessa @ creolecontessa.com

BLESSED MAGAZINE

71

Cajun Lasagna Ingredients 1 lb ground turkey, 1 lb andouille sausage, fresh, casing removed, 1 box lasagna noodles, dried, 1 red onion, diced, 1 bell pepper, diced, 1 stalk celery, diced, 1/2 bunch Italian parsley, minced, 4 cloves garlic, minced, 2 cups chicken broth, 1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes, 1 6oz. can tomato paste, 1 1/2 tablespoons creole seasoning, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper and 1 teaspoon sugar For the Ricotta/Cheese Mixture:

1 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated, 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated, 2 cups jack cheese, grated, 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, grated, 2 cups ricotta cheese, 2 eggs, beaten and extra virgin olive oil Instructions 1.

2.

3.

4.

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta for 6 minutes.

Rinse Pasta with warm water, drain, coat with oil and set aside.

Mix seasonings, reserve 1 tablespoon for ricotta/cheese mixture, and divide remaining seasons in half, set aside.

5. In a large soup pot heated over medium heat add 2 tablespoon of olive oil, add onion, bell pepper, and celery.

6. Saute for about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

7. Add ground turkey and andouille sauce, break into small chunks. Season with half of the seasoning blend and cook until browned about 15 minutes.

8. Add tomato paste and mix well, cook for 5 more minutes.

9. Add crushed tomatoes and chicken broth, season with remaining seasoning blend and mix well.

10. Lower heat to medium-low add parsley and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To Assemble Ricotta/Cheese Mixture: Mix eggs, ricotta, parmigiano reggiano, 1 cup sharp, jack, and mozzarella cheese with remaining seasoning blend and set side.

To Assemble Lasagna: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

In a large greased 13X9 inch casserole dish, place about 1 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom.

Top with lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping noodles.

Top with more pasta sauce, top with about 6 heaping tablespoons of ricotta/cheese mixture.

Top with a handful of remaining grated cheeses and repeat with another layer of lasagna noodles, meat mixture/ricotta cheese mixture/grated cheese.

For the last layer top with noodles, pasta sauce and remaining grated cheeses.

Cover casserole with greased foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and cook 20 minutes more.

Remove from oven, allow to cool 10 minutes. Serve with garlic bread.

72

BLESSED MAGAZINE

SMOKEY MAC & CHEESE PASTA INGREDIENTS 2 slices thick cut bacon, coarsely chopped 1 cup chopped red bell pepper 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion 1 package Knorr® Pasta Sides™ - Chicken flavor 2 cups bite-size chunks cooked chicken breast 1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese [or cheddar ] DIRECTIONS 1. Cook bacon in medium saucepan over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 4 minutes.

Stir red pepper and onion into saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

Remove from saucepan and set aside.

2. Prepare Knorr® Pasta Sides™ - Chicken flavor in same saucepan according to package directions. Stir in chicken, cheese, peppers and onion during the last 2 minutes of cook time.

3. Garnish, if desired, with chopped parsley.

Recipe by Knorr

BLESSED MAGAZINE

73

WINTER FABIS STIR FRY Ingredients 1 cup thin sliced carrots.

1 cup thin diced parsnips.

1 small bunch of green onions, chopped 1/4 inch 1 cup thin sliced and chopped Walla Walla Onions 1 cup Brussels Sprouts, cut in quarters 1 ounce of freshly grated Root Ginger

4 cloves of garlic , crushed and chopped 1 small bunch of green onions, chopped 1/4 inch Light flavored Olive Oil. (1 Tablespoon 2 cups water., bring to the boil, simmer.

1 Tbsp Vegetable Bouillon ( or other vegetable stock) 2 teaspoons Arrowroot powder or Cornstarch, mixed to a cream

Directions

Pre slice all the items and have ready for easy addition.

Make up the vegetable broth, until just about to boil.

Combine the garlic, ginger and green onion and add to the stock; boil 2 minutes.

Preheat the pan to 300 F and add the oil.

Immediately add carrots, then parsnips, then onions, then the Brussels sprouts. Allow a minute between each addition.

Stir, then let it sit to just color, then stir again. Allow about 4 minutes when all are added.

Add the arrowroot 'cream' to the stock mixture, stir to thicken and then pour it all over the vegetables. It will quickly glaze the panful of veggies.

At this time you can taste and then serve, or add a pre cooked protein of your choice.

Recipe by Washington Grown

74

BLESSED MAGAZINE

7 UP BISCUITS Ingredients 4 cups Bisquick 1 cup sour cream 1 cup 7-up 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions

Mix Bisquick, sour cream and 7 up. Dough will be very soft - don't worry.

Knead and fold dough until well mixed.

Pat dough out and cut biscuits using a round biscuit / cookie cutter.

Melt butter in bottom of cookie sheet pan or 9x13 casserole dish.

Place biscuits on top of melted butter and bake @ 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until brown.

Recipe by Melissa Turner

BLESSED MAGAZINE

75

BROCCOLI SHRIMP ALFREDO RECIPE Ingredients Sauce:

Main Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter [4 TB] 1/2 package cream cheese (4 ounce)[ may reduced Fat] 2 teaspoons garlic powder 2 cups milk 1 1/2 cups fresh grated Parmesan cheese 2 TB flour 1 tsp salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tsp pepper

1 lb large shrimp 1 bag frozen broccoli florets thawed (or 1 large fresh bunch) 1 box linguine pasta, cooked

Directions Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add 1 1/2 cups milk and Parmesan cheese, whisking to smooth out lumps. Add 2 TB flour to remaining 1/2 cup cold milk, mix until smooth, add to sauce. Stir well, and then add salt and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency.

Start pasta in large pot.

While pasta is cooking, Add shrimp, broccoli and Alfredo sauce to large skillet, and simmer on medium-low for about 10 minutes [until broccoli is tender].

Toss with hot pasta, serve.

Recipe by Robert‘s Recipes

Real People

Real Miracles Many will say; “God doesn’t perform miracles today”, but within this astounding eBook lies stories from ordinary people who have experienced first hand the miracle power of God!

Click Here To Download Your eBook “This book is amazing with real life accounts of people telling their stories of how God moved in their lives. This is a must read for those who are ever in doubt” – John F.

Exclusively at Blessed Magazine Get Yours Today! No Purchase Necessary!

GLOBAL WORD NETWORK Inspiring Souls Across the Globe through Videos, Podcasts and Sermons

It's our vision to reach millions of individuals across the globe and we want you to be a part of this vision.

Global Word Network is available for all those in ministry who wish to have their message of hope, love and joy of Jesus Christ seen across the globe. We are now accepting applications for our line-up of programs to air on our network at http://www.globalwordnetwork.net

Blessed Magazine Promote your business, ministry and upcoming events

Advertise now at very affordable rates Contact us Today and discover how you can reach more potential customers with our affordable ad space prices…starting at $10/quarterly

FREE

Ad Space for 1 month on our Blessed Magazine Website with purchase of ad space in our magazine

1(917)310-7570 blessedmagazine.org contact@blessedmagazine.org