Women%27s frontline magazine issue november 2017

CELEBRATING THE SPIRIT WITHIN

WOMEN'S FRONTLINE November 2017

on the cover KIESHA

PETERSON INCARCERATED INSPIRED INPOWERED

Magazine

FEATURE AGAINST ALL ODDS

DREAM HATERS

Gratitude Journey

ENIZAGAM ENILTNORF S'NEMOW

celebrating the spirit within

WISDOM

DISCERNMENT

AWARENESS

WONDER

G E T T I N G

W A R M

T H I S

W I N T E R

IN THIS ISSUE 22

Cover Story Kiesha Peterson

06

Alton reveals his method to ensure that From the Editor sirloin steak is perfectly cooked

08

Contributors peppers, this bread scores a touchdown

Stuffed with steak, cheese, onions and

ofTylerkindness 10 Acts steak with Florence

Make delicious and hearty stuffed flank

12

Welcome November share his Peppercorn Steak recipe

14

Alex's Cauliflower Steaks may steal the Dear Notebook

16

Cook up this recipe for country-style cubed Deborah, voice steak from Alton Brown of God

David Egan, of Cattlemen's Steakhouse,

Thanksgiving turkey's spotlight

32

05 Validation: FROM THE EDITOR How bring more A briefto note from Health Mag's editor about how we should make a health revolution fulfillment for the better. to your relationships 13

GREEN SMOOTHIE CRAZE We jump on the bandwagon and introduce you to our three original recipes

38

Dream Haters

17

FOOD OR HORMONES?

42

Why and how our food affects our health and its impact on our hormones.

Gratitude Journey

WOMEN'S FRONTLINE MAGAZINE IN EVERY ISSUE

46 Against all odds

23

- COVER STORY - FEATURE - DEAR NOTEBOOK

Do you ever get amazed by the ''wonders'' of each season?

cultivate discernment, you can snuggle up and catch up with your bible reading. There is a lot of spiritual awareness that can help us in the days ahead.

This month, we are honored to Welcome to the month of welcome Kiesha l. Peterson on November that is full of its our front cover as she shares own magical wonders. The her story of being incarcerated clock has turned and the long and how she took the winter nights have begun. necessary steps to get inspired Though the temperatures have and ''inpowered'' to live a dropped and the flowers have totally transformed life. faded away, there is still lots of color and light that can be This issue is full of awesome found in the winter months stories that need to be read. ahead. Look around you, and Our feature this month is a be aware of your series called ...Against all surroundings as nature odds'', where four women speaks its language and share their stories of guides us everyday. overcoming their odds in life.

But if you really want to

WOMEN'S FRONTLINE MAGAZINE CELERATING THE SPIRIT WITHIN

Our vision is to raise up a writer in you.

Writing gives us the ability to put our thoughts in one place and share them with the world. Your story needs to be heard and Women's Frontline Magazine creates a platform to neccesitate that.

We are also thrilled to welcome all our new writers to our team and invite you to join us as we continue to write our story.

Blessings Mucha Founder

Women all over the world are being raised up to move to the frontline ,to build and establish a kingdom legacy.

God is calling us out of the ashes to the forefront of his gospel. What you thought would kill you is the very thing that God wants to use to raise you up ,so you in turn can raise nations.

Something about telling your story is; someone , somewhere will always be touched by it.

Our magazine caters for all types of writings; journalism, story telling, essays, articles, devotions, advice, journals, poetry or any other types.

Take the time to send us your story at womensfrontline@gmail.com

W O M E N ' S

F R O N T L I N E

M A G A Z I N E

CONTRIBUTERS A U T H O R S

Shondel Andrea Jackson is a believer of Christ who has walked with God for 21 years. She is a registered nurse who works in management. A Professor of nursing and the Founder of Battered Women and Challenge Teens Ministries (BWCT). She is an active member of Nassau Tabernacle of Praise, Elmont, New York.

God has given her a burden for the ministry of women and teens who are broken, hurt and abused.

The author can be reached at bwctministries@gmail.com.

My name is Juanita Wooldridge. I gave my life to the LORD during my teens but then began to follow the ways of the world. Then I was blessed to get pregnant and met a wonderful woman at a pregnancy counseling center at a church where I started attending. An amazing God delivered me instantly from alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes when I became pregnant. I recommitted my life to Christ and I have tried to allow Him to be in control since then. That was 35 years ago.

At the age of 25, M.I.T. Felicea had a Damascus Road experience where God told her that she had to make a decision to completely follow Him. From that day forward, her life would never be the same. She has served under great ministries as she grew in the Lord, and is ever grateful for the leaders she has come across in her travels that have nurtured and cultivated her spiritual development;

Hi. My name is Alice Mills. I think the hardest thing for me to write is anything autobiographical. I can say definitively that I love Christ, I love people, and I love to write.

Visit me at http://poemachronicles. com/

As Founder and Executive Director of Break Free Release Ministries (2007), Yolanda Sherman has inspired many to embrace spiritual change and live a more fulfilling life, free from bondage. Yolanda is a licensed Christian Counselor, board certified by the National Association of Christian Counselors.

Monique L. Ray is a woman of God, who has a keen sense of who she is and her purpose in life. Monique has proven that with God’s help, you can overcome anything and become stronger, wiser, and better.

Eric Otchere: He is a passionate Christian who writes to help people build their mental and spiritual capacity.

My name is Joy Jallah and i am originally from West Africa in Monrovia, Liberia. I came to the United States of America in 1990 because of a war in my country. I came to America as a Refugee and now I am a United States Citizen. I love to encourage others and bring their dreams and vision out of them.

ACTS OF KINDESS

WOMEN'S FRONTLINE MAGAZINE

ou ap fo

2

COOK A MEAL Why not cook a meal and invite someone you normally would not invite to your home

babysit there are lots of moms ut there who are tired and would ppreciate someone babysitting just or a couple of hours..

reach out try reaching out to someone who is sick or going through a hard time

11

Welcome

NOVEMBER

appreciating the small things in life

www.womensfrontlinemagazine.com

D E A R

NOTEBOOK

I see the power of being in Your presence. As the enemy attempts to throw fear on me, I come to You, worship, and hear Your reassurances. You wash away the lies that he speaks, his insinuations, and his view of where I stand with You. You are so loving as You speak holy words to me, as You bring the truth to mind, and encourage me to keep standing.

BY MARY EISENACHER

The charge You have given me sometimes causes me to question why You have chosen me to do Your will. That thinking is beyond my comprehension, and I know enough to stand in faith that You have chosen me for noble deeds.

Yet, You desire to have relationship before anything else.

It is such a privilege to know You and spend time with You, precious Jesus. I’m so glad that You aren’t a legalist. Even though You know and desire the best from us, still You love us when our performance falls short. It’s a good thing, because I find myself scattered at times and unsure as to how to proceed with life. When it gets too bad, I know that my only remedy is to run to You – my Strong Tower.

Futility in the flesh is what I see; overcoming power by the Spirit is what I want in all instances. You are truly perfecting me.

I know there may be some things that it will take a lifetime of Your tender care to complete. I am growing!

Studying about Heaven lately has given me an appreciation of life after death. Having to admit that Heaven sounds so good that maybe now would be a good time to go there, You corrected me and told me to stay in what You have charged me to do.

So, that excited me too, because I don’t want to waste what You have sown into me. I want to run the good race and finish my course – but not before my time. Old age could present some real wisdom to impart.

Oh, now I’m laughing at myself. I know You have a good sense of humor, Lord. I count on it I see You laughing at the enemy’s plans – knowing that You are continually producing overcomers!!!

Not just in the book of Judges but throughout Israel’s history, the Israelites

DEBORAH VOICE OF GOD would obediently follow God until they became too complacent and then they would once again begin to follow the ways and the customs of the people around them.

by Juanita Wooldridge They would forsake the God who had delivered them so many times and they would be overtaken by the one they had begun to emulate. And as so many times before, they would cry out to God for mercy and He would send one of His judges to help them because God was faithful to His children because of His Covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Vol. 2 (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co. n.d), p. 139 .

Deborah loved God and she was the most godly of all the judges of Israel.

She was a judge during a twenty year period of slavery and oppression in Canaan.

We read in the Old Testament book of Judges about the judges who God sent to deliver His people.

When the judges ruled, the people obeyed God and lived peacefully and obediently, but when the judges would die the Israelites would revert back to their old ways, turning away from God.

The Israelites had lost their claim to the Promised Land due to their disobedience and their evil practices and now were enslaved to Jabin, King of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor and Sisera, the commander of his army.

God did allow His children to be overtaken so that He might show them His mercy and grace through the judges He would place over them.

But God is always in control and knows exactly what He’s doing. By establishing Deborah as judge He placed His voice over His people.

Though most of the judges placed over the children of Israel were men, God’s fourth judge was a strong, courageous woman, Deborah.

Deborah means “a bee”, Matthew Henry points out that “her name suggests the very work of a bee: industrious, sharp perception (discernment), great usefulness, sweetness to her friends, and sharpness to her enemies.”

(Matthew Henry Commentary

He knew Deborah and Deborah knew Him, and she knew His voice.

She had the courage and the confidence to speak what she heard. She would sit under the palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim.

As she sat under the tree, the Israelites would come to her and she would resolve disputes and proclaim God’s will and she had authority in all civil and religious matters.

In Judges chapter 4 we see Deborah as a “prophetess” (4:9:17-22). Three prophetic words were given to Barak who was called to lead the children of Israel: 1. God had called him 2.

Glory would go to a woman 3. God would give him the victory. would manifest exactly as God had spoken through His servant Deborah.

I am to praise God as I stand together in unity with my sisters in Christ.

I am to praise God for His presence All three prophecies (4:6, 4:9, 4:14) and guidance. I am to praise God for would manifest exactly as God had raising up a deliverer for His people.

I am to praise God for His righteous spoken through His servant Deborah. loved and respected that acts of peace and security. I am to loved and respected that the palm praise God for faithful believers who awaken and volunteer to fight tree under which she sat to give counsel was renamed “the Tree of against the enemy.

Deborah”.

I am to praise God for victory over the enemy. I am to praise God for all In Judges chapter 5 we see the courageous women who are not worshipping Deborah, with her song of praise and thanksgiving to afraid to take a stand. the God who gives victory to His people. In her song of victory I discovered, as a woman after God’s heart, I am to praise God for my leaders and if I feel God has called me to be a leader, I am to take that step of faith.

I am to praise God for the total defeat and utter hopelessness of the enemy, for all of the enemies of God to be defeated and destroyed. I am to praise God and pray for all who love God to be strong and to shine as the noonday sun.

Deborah, the voice of God...

As I praise God I thank Him that as a woman He has raised up a worshipper, a warrior, an intercessor and so much more.

And He is continually working on me to make me more like Him every day.

do, we cannot look at the problem even if we don’t see the solution.

“I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me” Phil.

4:13. For God promised that He will always provide a way of escape.

God can and will accomplish great God has given us authority in the things through women who are Name of Jesus to proclaim, to yielded to Him and led by Him. declare and decree His Word, be it Deborah led people through battle, the written Word or if He speaks and through her faithfulness the in some other fashion. We are not Israelites were delivered from here to be wallflowers but to be their enemies. warriors as was Deborah.

She influenced the people to She was on the frontline and so return to God and renew their are we today, especially as the love relationship with Him. time grows near for the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In our walk with the Lord, will we We must be prepared and God has influence people to come to the given us all that we need and it Lord, to return to Him, because of can be found in the Word of God. our countenance, because of our love and trust in Him. Can we He thoroughly equips us for battle stand with Deborah and influence just as He did Deborah. That’s the world for the cause of Jesus where relationship comes in, Christ. trusting and waiting on Him. He will never send you into battle Deborah’s life challenges us, as alone, He has promised never to women, in many ways. We must leave you Heb. 13:5 (b) He is with you everywhere you go.

There is no place that He is not there with you, read Ps 139:7-12.

Our focus has to be on what we can do and not on what we cannot

make ourselves available to God for His purposes regardless if we feel adequate or not because scripture reminds us that the battle is not ours but it is His 1 Sam. 17:47. We must be willing and obedient to step out in faith.

Deborah, the voice of God... worship enters you into the very Deborah’s life challenges us, as presence of God. Praise is women, in many ways. We must celebrating all that God has done, make ourselves available to God worship is celebrating Who God is. for His purposes regardless if we The most important part of feel adequate or not because developing any type of successful scripture reminds us that the battle type of ministry is to have that is not ours but it is His 1 Sam. foundational relationship with 17:47. We must be willing and your Lord and Savior. Deborah obedient to step out in faith. could not have been effective without a relationship with God. We don’t look at ourselves as we We can do no less than follow this look at the Israelites. It’s not the godly example of a woman after same, or is it?

God’s own heart, Deborah, Voice of How often do we, God. even as believers fall into the same trap? We get caught up in our Awaken Women of God, Arise, Be neighbor’s business, the newest all that God has planned and electronics, tv programs, sports, purposed that you might be. families, jobs, relationships?

Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine, for your Tragically, our ministries can even light has come! And the Glory of come before God. There are so the Lord is risen upon you.” many things that we can find to put before God. The enemy would have you to be so distracted that you are ineffective in your service to the Lord. It is time to lay down those distractions and focus on what is important, on what is eternal. It is time to take a stand and resist the enemy “Submit yourselves therefore to God; resist the enemy and he shall flee from you”. James 4:7 As chapter 5 reminds us, praise and worship are critical to overcoming and defeating attacks from the enemy and more important than that, praise and

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www.womensfrontlinemagazine.com

CELEBRATING THE SPIRIT WITHIN

WOMEN'S FRONTLINE NOVEMBER 2017

COVER H

STORY

INCARCERATED INSPIRED INPOWERED

KIESHA PETERSON to ronfomed tc bAndeno bythe d 1ans2:2 ransforme Rom beyet yprove ut ma lword:b ,thatye this ourmind able,and y ept inewngof ,andac r god t. ihatstha lofGod w ct,wi perfe

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BIOGRAPHY Kiesha L. Peterson is a mother of 3, grandmother of 3, two-time Amazon Best-Selling Author, Amazon International BestSelling Author, ordained minister, blogger, INPowerment TM Motivational Speaker and Self-Publishing Coach.

She was the Administrative Assistant to former Assemblyman William D. Payne and received her Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from Everest University (online).

She is also Co-Author of: Stories from The Pink Pulpit: Women in Ministry Speak!, She Shall Rise: Empowerment for Kingdom Women and Pieces of My Platform. Author of Knowing When Enough is Enough: My guide to building your selfesteem, Book of Poems, Vol. 1 and I Am Who God Says I Am, under

the pen-name G. C. Peterson.

She is the CEO and Host of The Gospel Show Network. and has published articles on bullying..

Memberships: The Pink Pulpit, Silver Life Member of NAACP Tri-City Branch, National Council of Negro Women, Women’s Speaker Association, International Sisters Strengthening Sisters and The Soul Restoration Center.

Contact Information E-Mail: MinKieshaLPeterson@gmail.com Cell Phone: (443)917-1969 Web Site: www.KieshaLPeterson. net

COVER STORY KIESHA L. PETERSON Romans 12:2 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

I am a single mom of three adult children.

My son is twenty-six and my daughters are twenty-four and nineteen. I also have three grandchildren: two granddaughters ages four and six months and a grandson who is six months.

Have you been told you would not be able to obtain what you aspired to be or do?

Or, that you would not be able to reach your dreams because you are a single mother, because you were incarcerated, because you have a criminal record?

No matter what, NEVER let anyone or any situation stop you Growing up I never imagined that from making your dream come to this would be the path I would be pass. on.

We have even played ‘Cowboys and Indians’ and doctor.

Sometimes playing doctor was the one that got us in trouble!

There was even a game called ‘Life’ where the objective was to have the most assets at the end of the game, from going to college, working and raising a family. Then there was Monopoly.

Monopoly allowed us to own all types of property, get Free Parking, pass Go and collect $200, but most of all, we could obtain a Get Out of Jail Free Card.

One day my husband and I were talking about the type of work I did for the insurance company where I worked. I told him that I discovered many accounts of people who shared his exact name with different addresses.

Unfortunately, games do not necessarily mimic real life.

Purchasing property is not easily obtainable for some. Getting out of We entertained the thought jail can be a horrendous process. could I get away with creating a check for him and send it to his Very few places allow Free Parking mother’s house? anymore and, if you are not attentive and mistakenly The thought became an action. park in a handicap space without the correct credentials on your vehicle, you will get a ticket that can be well over $100!

Most of all, there is no place on life’s path that will allow us to collect $200 without work effort.

After experiencing “success” by not getting caught from our first two check generating ventures, we decided to continue in our new found enterprise...

WELCOMING THE FRESHMEN! I kept creating and

sending the checks, he

By Paul Parker kept cashing them.

And we both kept A newsletter is a regularly spending the Proceeds. distributed publication that is generally about one main topic of interest to its During this time, andand subscribers.

Newspapers leaflets are types of even before, I really newsletters.

enjoyed my life. I had are publishedI by just Newsletters gotten married. clubs, churches, societies, hadassociations, two children, my and businesses own—especially place, acompanies—to car and provide information of most of all, I lived interest to members, right around the customers, or employees. corner from my church.

My parole violation stemmed from my inability to make my appointments with my probation officer located in New Brunswick, New Jersey while I lived in Union, New Jersey. I had no way to get there.

I was living comfortably and didn’t want for anything. I A newsletter is a regularly pretty much had what distributed publication that is generally about one main I needed. At the age of topic of interest to its 28,subscribers.

I was incarcerated Newspapers and are typesof of forleaflets violation newsletters. probation.

Newsletters are published by churches, societies, Myclubs, husband and I associations, and businesses were placed on —especially companies—to provide information probation for of interest to members, embezzling money customers, or employees.

from a company I had worked for.

As I look back on that time in my life, I now realize that I could MY FAMILY HAShave GONE TO DORADO asked to EL have my UNIVERSITY case AND to I'M Union SO EXCITED transferred or TO FOLLOW Elizabeth, NewTHE TRADITION. Jersey. But had I gone Katie Jones, AB be that route, I would not Communications where I am today.

My incarceration allowed me to realize several things.

First, life does not always go as we plan.

Second, be aware of what you think and dwell on. Our thoughts ultimately become our beliefs and actions.

What started out as a curiosity and consideration became a class X felon.

Just like with Job, God allows things to happen in our lives to help strengthen us and prepare us for our next stage.

You Better Watch Out

BY DOROTHY MITCHELL

When I was first Essex County Jail on Create a holiday newsletter that you can send out to your relatives, placed in police West Market Street friends, or even to the entire community just before the Christmas custody, the first in Newark, New season arrives. You can inform people about upcoming events, share thing I thought Jersey, exciting news, or simply spread holiday cheer. where I had about was, “I have to wait for transport For the front page, give a breakdown what others can expect from some calls to make toofthe New reading the entire newsletter.

Keep the focus on a particular theme to make sure my Brunswick (in this case, Christmas!), as a starting point to write children are takenand use itCorrectional articles. You can tackle different careinteresting of”. as well as heartwarmingFacility, located in aspects related to the month of December, such as holiday places to North Brunswick, visit with the entire family, suggested songs to sing for Christmas At that time, only New Jersey.

I Eve mass, games toI play at reunions, and food to prepare Once on hadChristmas my son anda holiday my newsletter was settled I to Day. Create that you can in, send out your relatives, friends, orbut even to the entire community just before oldest daughter; quickly made the Christmas season arrives. informto people about I my the husband was inYou can calls people upcoming events, share or simply spread holiday no condition to exciting news, knew would take cheer. raise to young care of my children children ages five until I was able to and three. return to society. I first called my son’s My first stop was father first.

SNEAK PEEK If it had not been

02

for the fact that my husband had already called Sweet Giveaways him, You'll he Lovewould not have believed what he was hearing. The same with my Gift Wrapping aunt, Ideas who when I called her, she agreed to take care of my daughter.

Mama Joan's Pumpkin

03 04

Spice Recipe

19

I never did cry. I knew I had to do whatever needed to be done to hurry to my children. I Foods back that are unprocessed was sentenced to eighteen and unrefined, processed months; however,or I only did three andmonths refined as little as possible, because I was released to ISP, being consumed. thebefore Intensive Supervision Program. I only had to do a year on the program.

Through it all, I maintained my loveTechnical for God. Even though I Definitions knew I had done wrong, I had to In the library technical sense, a "magazine" paginates withmy each story, issue starting at page three.

Likewise, a share not just with the "journal" has continuous pagination throughout a inmates, butBusiness withWeek, thewhich Correction volume. Thus starts each issue anew with one, is Every a magazine,time but the they Journal of Officers aspage well.

Business Communication, is a journal. saw me, they would ask if I made Some professional or trade publications are also peera wrong turn at the top of the hill, reviewed. Academic or professional publications that are not peer-reviewed generally out professional because I surely are looked of magazines. The fact that a publication calls itself a place in there.

I knew that "journal" does not make it a journal in thethis technical sense.

The Wall Street Journal is actually a was no doubt going to be mynewspaper. testimony to others.

my children even though we were Magazine not physically Distribution together.

To this day, they do not Magazines can be distributed through the mail, through sales remember me being by newsstands, bookstores, or other vendors, or through incarcerated. only free distributionThey at selected pick-up locations. The subscription business models distribution fall into remember that my sonforlived with three main categories. his dad for a while, and my In the paid circulation model, the magazine is sold to daughter with my aunt. readers for a price, either on a per-issue basis or by subscription, where an annual fee or monthly price is paid and issues are sent by post to readers.

Along the way, time away from Non-paid inspired publication means thatto there is no cover price my family me be all and issues are given away, for example in street that Idispensers, could airline be, not for orme butwith in-flightjust magazines, included History of Magazine Publication other products or publications. for my children. I had been told it The earliest of magazines Erbauliche I lived withexample my dad andwas my step- would be difficult to find a job Monaths Unterredungen which was launched in 1663 in mother while wasandon ISP. magazine.

My paying well enough to help me Germany.

It was a Iliterary philosophy The Gentleman's Magazine, first published in 1731, in son London, livediswith his dad and my take care of my children and pay considered to have been the first generalinterest magazine. daughter lived with my maternal restitution. aunt.

I had children every Edward Cave,my who edited The Gentleman's Magazine was the first to use the term "magazine," ultimately weekend. Even when I was I had a curfew, ISP group derived from the Arabic: ‫ مخازن‬makhazin ("storehouses") incarcerated, mylanguage. family brought meetings, and community service by way of the French my children to see me every other assignments which alternated Sunday, until it got closer for me between Community Food Bank to come home. in Hillside, New Jersey and my ISP Officer’s church. In the I told them to bring them only if beginning, I had to attend AA they asked for me, but I still meetings, which I still cannot called. I had to maintain that figureout for the life of me why. communication, that bond with

I endured breathalyzers, pop-up visits at home and urine testing. But I knew I had to follow the rules if I wanted to graduate from the program on time.

was recommended for a full-time Administrative Assistant position with Assemblyman-elect (at that time) William D. Payne. He had just won the Assembly seat for the 29 th Legislative District in Newark, New I was able to find part-time work as Jersey. a Teacher’s Assistant at Essex County College Training, Inc. The office manager for 10,000 Program, which I had attended a Mentors personally recommended few years before for AutoCAD me for the job and submitted my (Computer Aid Design). resume.

I used to wish I had taken that class more serious than I did, but then again, I would not be where I am today. Through ECC Training Inc. Program, I obtained an Office Assistant internship with the nonprofit organization, 10,000 Mentors, which provided When I arrived for my interview mentoring for at-risk children in with the Assembly man-elect and the city. his Chief-of- Staff, we met in a nice building just behind the Federal I enjoyed working for both Building located on Walnut Street organizations. Not only did they in Newark, New Jersey. believe in me to give me a chance, knowing that I had been The first question he asked me was if incarcerated, they gave me an I knew who my Congressman was. I opportunity to learn as I worked. told him “No sir, I do not”.

Some months later, I was He asked me if I knew whose office I recommended for a part-time Clerk was in. I told him I thought it was Typist position with Rutgers his.

College of Nursing.

He then asked how did I expect him There I learned how to create to hire me if I didn’t know the manuals for the Nursing Students, answers to those questions. I had to registered them for classes and think quickly. I kindly responded testing for their nursing license. that I had never been in that office before, nor was I really into I still maintained a close politics at that time. relationship with 10,000 Mentors and through that relationship, I

He laughed and said, “You are sitting in my brother’s office, Congressman Donald Payne, your congressman. You’re hired.”

bring me to where I am today.

I am an Ordained Minister. I am a two-time Amazon Bestselling Note, I was still considered a Author of Stories from the Pink convict because I was on ISP. Pulpit Women In Ministry Speak!

There was not a day that went by and She Shall Rise Empowerment where I did not thank God for for the Kingdom Woman. I have making things fall into place as also gained Amazon International they did. You see, all throughout Bestselling Author status through my journey I stayed in church and Stories from the Pink Pulpit I kept my children in church Women In Ministry Speak!. taking four buses, one to church, then two back to take my son to his father’s, and then another one to get home to my dad’s house.

I diligently worked for the Assemblyman for nine and a half years. During that time, I became a Notary Public and I obtained my Associates Degree in Criminal Justice through Everest University (online).

I am a three-time self-published author under the penname of G.C. Peterson of Knowing When Enough is Enough: My guide to building your self-esteem, Book of Poems, Vol. 1 (both published while working part-time) and I Am Who God Says I Am (published while unemployed).

I have an article titled Bullying: When Will It Stop!?, published in Virtuous, Victorious Valued magazine, January/February 2017 – 19 th Edition (pages 44 & 45).

All of the above served to

I am also a Self-Publishing Coach and Motivational INPowerment speaker.

I am currently a member of NAACP Tri-City Branch (Silver Life Member), National Council of Negro Women, Women’s Speaker Association and the International Sister’s Strengthening Sisters Ministry, The Pink Pulpit and Soul Restoration Center Ministries.

To this day, I do not know why I did what I did. My husband did not have a gun to my head, forcing me to create those checks. I never thought about the consequences of being caught.

Maybe it was the adrenaline rush of doing something and thinking how no one knew what was going on. At the time, my husband was dealing with an addiction to cocaine, so I partly rationalized that the extra money would come in handy.

Remember the part when I said I was incarcerated? Yet with God’s help, I have been able to accomplish things so many men and women think is not possible after incarceration. We have been conditioned to think once a “convict” ALWAYS a “convict.”

Photo by: Anthony S. Thomas.

NEVER let your past dictate your future. NEVER let the people who cannot see YOUR vision dictate how your vision looks.

NEVER let anyone deter you away from your dream.

Knowing that society said I could not be what I wanted to be after incarceration only INSPIRED me to work harder to do just what I was told I could not!

If we humble ourselves and listen to what God is saying to each and every one of us, we will live to see our dreams come to pass.

Validation: How to Bring More Fulfilment to Your Relationships

V

alidation is the little recognized glue than sustains relationships. After all, we live in our own selves all day, every day.

previously little or none existed..

The primary myth about validation is that by affirming another, you affirm their beliefs as well. To the Understanding someone uninitiated, validation means else’s journey takes a good selling out your position for deal of effort, in part because the sake of peace and a couple clearing the decks of our own of feel good moments. experiences is so challenging.

Not true. Affirmation of a But the rewards of validation person is not endorsing their are manifold. Validation belief structure. Rather it is builds trust, opens previously acknowledging and accepting blocked channels of that their experience is worth communication, and creates taking the time to understand. relationship where

BY ALICE MILLS

Validation is offering someone else a chance to fully express themselves. Someone skilled in the art of validation possesses the maturity to acknowledge that while two people may have attended one event, their experiences might be quite divergent.

Validation is not about intellectual debate. Nor is it about trying to score points. Affirmation of another is a personal act of love quite apart from argument.

Most couples I know fight about the same thing. “He or she never listens to me” is the universal complaint. If that is the case, couldn’t it be solved by not only giving each other the chance to talk, but filling their need to be heard?

They may in fact, really enjoy them. Incomprehensible, but there you go.

Validation works the same way.

Recognizing and supporting the feelings of another does not in fact, mean that you feel the same way.

In some cases, you may even be highly offended by their beliefs.

You do not have a right however, to dismiss anyone as a person just because your worldviews clash.

Steps to Successful Validation: Open your ears.

Here I will admit to you one of my pet peeves. I hate it when people act disgusted by another’s food choices. While I may fancy myself a bit of a foodie, that does not give me the right to judge someone else’s partialities.

Learn to be an active listener.

Sometimes I think the hardest skill to acquire is listening. I’m a bit dissociative still so I fade in and out if I am not careful. But listening deeply to another person is a deliberate act of love.

I personally do not like eggplant, broccoli, cabbage, or Brussel sprouts. Nor do I care for Taco Bell. However, when people eat them, I understand that their experience of these foods is different than mine.

In order to really listen, you have to drop your own agenda. If you are listing in your mind your responses, you are not listening. If you are thinking about how wrong this person is, you are not listening.

In fact, listening requires that you only be thinking about what they

VALIDATION....

This requires a significant amount another. of self-control. The only thing going on in your mind is the Accept their selfattempt to clearly comprehend what it is the other person is disclosures. trying to say.

When a loved one opens up about their fears or their hurts, we are So let me ask you. Have you ever sometimes tempted to fix what we listened to anyone that purely? see as their problem or perhaps An even more painful question. reframe their issues in language Has anyone ever accorded you that makes us more comfortable. that honor of listening to you with their undivided attention?

The reason for this is that their feelings make us uneasy. The worst example I know is commonly heard at funerals.

In the words of Scott Peck, People say to the grieving that God bracketing is the “temporary wanted another angel in Heaven. giving up or setting aside of Well, the God I know and love one’s own prejudices, frames of doesn’t kill people, especially reference and desires so as to children, just to be with them in experience as far as possible the Heaven. He has no problem speaker’s world from the inside, being with them on earth. stepping inside his or her shoes.”

Learn to bracket.

This is the exercise of empathy, to enter for a moment the painful world of another.

It requires humility to leave oneself behind, even for a moment, in order to enter into the interests of another. But this is the redemptive work of love, leaving the safety of one’s own reality in order to experience the reality of

BY ALICE MILS If someone’s confessions are difficult for you to hear, then probably you have felt the same thing.

was how she felt. It sounded silly to her when put that way right back to her. She laughed and then began the harder work of self-expression.

Don’t say, “You shouldn’t feel that way.” Who are you to tell someone what they should or shouldn’t feel?

Let them be who they are.

Sometimes that is the best validation of all, allowing someone to drop their mask and just be sad or fearful or even mad at the world in front of you.

No judgment, just them expressing their truth at that moment.

Mirror the other person.

Reflecting back to them their exact words accomplishes two things.

One, you show them you really hear them. Two, they hear themselves.

I remember one young woman telling me, tears streaming down her face, “If I have to break up with my boyfriend, I will die!”

Now she really wanted to break up with this dude, but feared the inevitable pain on both their parts.

I looked at her and said in agreement, “If you have to break up with him, you will die.” I said it in all seriousness. I could tell it

She felt guilty about going out with him in the first place. She was embarrassed because people would think she was fickle. I could have told her that but I wanted to give her the gift of just listening and reflecting. I’m pretty sure she already knew it, but once she found I was safe, she became brave enough to tell herself the truth with me present.

BY ALICE MIILLS

works most of the time. Sentences like ‘I can tell you are outraged’ and ‘You seem really upset about this’ work wonders.

Acknowledge their suffering.

I find that when my husband recognizes my emotional or physical pain, it diminishes.

When we first married, if I complained about a physical issue, his response was a lecture on maintaining good health. I found this infuriating. I am only human, lol. Now he is so good about responding in a loving way. “I can tell it hurts,” he will say. Or if it is an emotional issue, he will hug me and say, “You have every right to feel sad about this.”

The bottom line of validation is honor. The best definition of honor I have heard is ‘valuing people over things’. Much of our conversation does not require intense listening, much less the work of validation. However, to give someone the time and attention needed to validate them is to put aside things like deadlines, work schedules, tasks, and all the needful things of a busy day. It is honoring them above the multitude of worldly cares that assault us daily

It is love. To love one another I make it a practice now as often as as we love ourselves is not I can to acknowledge the suffering easy, but in this act, we plant of others, whether it is the seeds of real intimacy. disappointment or grief, anger or rejection. Emotions are better managed if they are admitted to and affirmed. Mere observation

LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD

MATTHEW 5:16

WORKS, AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN.,

.

DREAM HATERS Hatred is the coward’s revenge for being intimidated.

-- George Bernard Shaw.

BY ERIC OTCHERE

ARE YOU A DREAMER? WHAT HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED SINCE YOU BECAME CONSCIOUS ABOUT THE DREAM ON YOUR HEART? I AM SURE IT HASN’T BEEN ALL SMOOTH AND ROSY. .

Every dreamer faces haters.

Dream haters are people and systems that work to frustrate the realization of a worthwhile ambition, idea or vision.

One clearest case of a Man who faced perpetual haters from cradle to grave was Jesus Christ.

This article uses His early life to draw lessons about dream haters; what they exhibit and how to deal with them. The whole of Matthew 2 will be helpful in this character The size of your dream determines the sizes and shapes of study on dream haters. your haters.

HOW DREAM HATERS MANIFEST There are signs and character traits that dream haters possess that make them out.

In this part of this piece, let’s look at how they manifest in whatever form. There are three identifiable traits we can find in the story of Jesus:

troubling heart is a sign of hate.

They Act Pretending (Matt. 2:7 ; 8): Dream haters manifest in pretentious actions. King Herod pretended to be a worshiper of baby Jesus. to worsip something means “to revere” or “to hold in high esteem”. Pretenders work in subtle ways as if they are in favour of the dream.

Their pretenses are aimed at getting the dreamer by working They Feel Troubling through people close to the dream.

(Matt. 2:3): He wanted to use the wise men. But they were wise to act. It is crucial to Not everyone celebrate the birth welcome wise people to your of a dream. King Herod and the dream who will not fall in the people were troubled by the hands of haters in order to come dream called the king of the Jews at you. and savior of the world.

They Seek Destroying and Killing Only insecure leaders become (Matt. 2:13, 16): troubled by the dreams of others.

They infest their followers with Dream haters’ agenda is to destroy this attitude. They hate and kill the dreamer. Once they kill competition. A foremost reason for the dreamer, the dream and its this attitude is that they compare impacts on humanity would die. themselves with others. They think Imagine Jesus had been killed. The similar dreams call for salvation of the world would have competitions. been at stake. Joseph’s brothers wanted to kill him in order to kill Can you stand the promotion of the dream (Gen. 37:20). others? Are you competing unnecessarily with others? If yes, then you are harboring the They knew a principle about spirit of hate. A preacher man dreams: You cannot kill the dream once said that if you hear God has without killing the dreamer. blessed your neighbour, it means Protect yourself from killers. you are next in line. A state of

DREAM HATERS

BY ERIC OTCHERE

Dealing with Dream Haters Stay Silent (Matt. 2:11): Jesus’ parents never broadcasted His birth. Rather they kept silent at the sheep’s pen. No one knew about it except the wise men. One major attraction of dream haters is what psychologists call “uncontrollable loquacity”.

It means inability to keep your mouth shut about your dream. The hate Joseph suffered with his brothers is unavoidable if you don’t keep your mouth shut (Gen. 37:5).

Learn from the parents of Jesus who kept silent when the dream was young.

Stay Hidden (Matt. 2:11): The biggest lesson for dreamers: Stay hidden from haters until they go into extinction. Don’t expose yourself before your time.

Hide from enemies.

Move outside their shadow. Grow and mature in the secret before you manifest in the public. Staying hidden guarantees safety from haters.

Stay Connected (Matt. 2:13): The father of Jesus never acted until He heard from God. He acted in obedience to the voice of God and

not men. Sometimes we act on our own or on the advice of others and end in failure.

What you trust is what you act upon. If you received your dream from God, you must trust His instructions. Stay connected and God will supply you the strategic plan of action.

You can benefit from His strategies if you are a kingdom person. Get connected, stay connected and benefit from God.

Dream haters abound everywhere.

How you deal with them is what is vital.

We have all at points in life been careless about who we share our dreams with. In as much as we cannot avoid them totally, we must look for wise ways to quench their missile attacks.

Eric Otchere (My mission is to help build spiritual and mental capacities) reach me on WhatsApp: +233242355152 Email: otchereeric@gmail.com

BY MONIQUE RAY

GRATITUDE JOURNEY Life is a journey, and in this journey it consists of many choices.

We

as people have the choice to choose to do right or wrong, because these choices can define who we are.

On my life’s journey, I haven’t always made the right choices I had allowed situations to determine who I was. In doing this it cause me to create a person who was never supposed to exist.

committed union between you and God. In making wrong choices it pulled me further away from God and my purpose.

These wrong choices brought many consequences that I had to endure.

It wasn’t until I surrender my entire life unto God that I was able to embrace and be grateful for my entire life’s process. I said my entire life’s process, because I now realize as Until we truly come into a true relationship with God, people we choose which we can’t begin to embrace parts of us that we want to give to God and which parts our journey. of us that we want to hold Until then we are just existing in what we call life on to. and not living God’s When I came into planned life for us. God acceptance with God, I created each of us in His finally realize that “All own image and He is the Things Work Together For God of Life.

Good to Them That Love God has created us all with God, to them who are the purpose, but to know your called according to his purpose.” purpose and to be able to effectively operate in our purpose it requires a

Gratitude Joruney

by Monique Ray I realize now in every situation that I was confronted with good or bad that it was working for my good. Once I understood this, it was then and only then that I became grateful. I became more appreciative and can now truthfully embrace my journey in God knowing that every situation was a part of God master plan for my life.

because of me, but because of the God I serve, who had a purpose for everything I encountered turning my sorrow into joy.

A lot of woman experience domestic violence and the outcome is death, but thanks be to God I’m still here. Every hurt I endured, every rejection I endured, all the pain I had to endure, it was all necessary for what God is accomplishing through me now.

I challenge you to embrace God so that you can embrace your journey no matter what you have gone through or is currently going through know that God is with you.

God said, “He’ll never leave you nor forsake you”, God is just waiting on you, to turn it all over to Him. “Trust Him it’s your story, but for Gods Glory.”

Not because the things I went through was pleasant, but because it caused me to grow to understand that “the joy of the Lord is my strength.’ God gave me strength to survive it all.

Knowing in growing in God, I A lot of women have gone could get heal and become through being abused and whole in Christ. God knew that have been killed, but thanks be one day I would be sharing my to God I’m still here. A lot of journey with others, so they too woman have been rape and can know that their Journey then killed, but thanks be God was all a part of Gods plan for I’m still here. their lives.

I’m still here and I thank God, everyday for this journey and for keeping me. I’m grateful to God for keeping me even when I caused infliction on myself. I realize that I’m still here not

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.

He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry.

He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."

EZEKIEL 37:1-10

FEATURE

Agains

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AGAINST ALL ODDS There are times in our lives when we are faced with adversity and seems like there is no plan of escape.

We must know within ourselves that we will be able to survive against all odds. This setback in our life will not determine our final destination. You must remember that you are an overcomer by the words of your testimony. I have discovered that when all odds are against me my faith becomes more stronger than ever. This pushes me in a place of total dependency on God and His plan for my life.

Don’t start rationalizing your current situation and allow your emotions to cloud your judgement. God is in the midst of the uncomfortable situations that are occurring in your life right now.

In other words, don’t be moved by what you see just grasp on to God’s hand and allow Him to navigate you through it.

by Yolanda Sherman

When something is against you that mean it is fighting or opposing you.

You must understand that no weapon formed against you shall prosper in your life. God is with us and for us in the midst of the odds being stacked against us.

There is a uniqueness on the inside of you that is ready to be released into your God Given Purpose. You must stand up tall in your faith against anything that would come against your purpose. The one thing that keeps me walking in my purpose is the assurance that God is with me every step of the way.

If you only knew all the tears of pain an agony I occurred from my back being against the wall.

Here is apart my testimony and I thank God I am a survivor.

I would like to briefly encourage you with my testimony . I remember going through so many obstacles at one time and it seemed like there was no plan of escape.

AGAINST ALL ODDS

It seemed like I was starring in a movie with many different scenes. In the first part my sons were arrested facing five to ninety nine years in prison.

The second part was Child Protective Custody battle for my first granddaughter that was being abused by her mother.

Third scene was me almost dying from health issues related to the stresses of the adversities in my life. The fourth scene was being harassed on the job by a evil boss that was cruel to me for no reason at all.

Then I had marital and financial issues that nearly gave me a nervous break down. Now I can encourage you to hold on to your faith in God and the purpose He has for your life.

God is truly the reason I can witness to you on today , because my life has been restored to greater. This year of 2017 I received a Doctorate Degree in Christian Counseling.

I am the CEO of Break Free Release Ministries International which is my nonprofit organization. God has opened the door for me to open my own business UniquenessNU Enterprises that will be launched this month. I am so excited to to share and encourage you that against the odds I am still standing.

Listen to me there is uniqueness inside of you that can’t be confined in a box.

This is your time to defeat the odds that are stacked against you. You must persevere through every obstacle in your life that tries to hinder you.

You are destined for greatness and don’t allow the inner man to talk you out of your purpose. Tell yourself I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.

You are not the victim of your circumstances , because God has made you victorious. We are celebrating each other’s God Given Purpose. My sisters our future is bright in God and failure is not an option . Walk in your God Given Purpose!

AGAINST ALL ODDS

BY FELICEA HENSON

Born to a teenage mother who would

become an alcoholic single mother of five, I have faced many devastation in my life. I could tell you about each of those struggles, but it would take perhaps months and the list would still go on and on. Some of those challenges were because of bad decisions on my part and others of which I had no control over. But of all the challenges one stands out as ‘Against all Odds’ cause it had to do with my sight!

Sometime after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2009 it became increasingly difficult to see at night, so much so I would eventually limit my driving at night unless necessary.

My doctor thought I was too young to restrict myself to only daytime driving. The doctor referred me to see an ophthalmologist who said I had cataracts in both of my eyes.

After monitoring me for some time, the doctor decided I was a candidate for having the cataracts removed.

In November 2015 they replaced the lens in my left eye without any complications. The same procedure was repeated on the right eye in December 2015. As with any procedure, I was closely monitored.

Approximately six weeks after the initial surgery my left eye became very painful and blurry. I was told it was due to inflammation. Just like the left eye, six weeks after the second procedure inflammation started in the right eye. I was going to the doctor for weekly eye appointments sometimes twice in one week.

AGAINST ALL ODDS They tried eye drop after eye drop, steroid eye injections you name it and they tried it on both my eyes.

Still the inflammation continued to spread leading the specialist to warn me I would lose my eyesight.

I was praying and pleading the blood for my sight! I was desperate for a healing and was quoting healing scriptures like never before.

Lord your Word says, in Isaiah 53:5 “He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with His stripes we are healed.”

Yet I was still being seen by one specialist after another and no one could give me rhyme or reason for my condition except one specialist who stated “your eyes got really mad with the replacement lens.”

As a nurse I understood that our bodies can sometimes view new organs as foreign objects, my flesh wants to know why this is happening to me? thou so far from helping me?”

Psalm 22 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” “Why are thou so far from helping me?”

But God always knows just how much we can bear!

1 Corinthians 10:14 There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Months had gone by and hundreds of tests on both eyes and still the inflammation remained. I was tired of all the testing, probing and experimental treatments on my eyes. My faith was steadfast, and I stood on His promises.

After all the Word did say in Psalms 37:25 I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor their seed begging bread.

From January 2016 until January 2017 I was seen by Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, National Institute of Health and John Hopkins Medical Center.

Through it all I never lost faith that God could do the impossible and he did just that…

AGAINST ALL ODDS

I could put your latest eye pictures

in a textbook of what a normal eye looks like. I began screaming “Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!” It was definitely nothing short of a miracle because I was there to discuss chemo It was January 2017 my church treatments. Now not only am I a was having our annual 21-day consecration. We prayed morning, believer noon and night. We were in our He is Jehovah Rapha but also he final week of the consecration I made the doctor a believer too! I was walking up and down the halls of John Hopkins participating know there is always a lesson to be learned from our trials and in the noon prayer and was praying for a family member of a tribulations, but patience really is a virtue to be learned. fellow believer. When the conference call was finished I What comes immediately to mind went to sign in to be seen by the is Galatians 6:9 “And let us not doctor the same as every other grow weary of doing good, for in appointment. due season we will reap, if we do I had gone to have the pictures of not give up.” my eyes done before the Against All Odds conference call because it God makes all things beautiful in was customary to have them done his timing and his timing is always perfect. If everything happens in before seeing the doctor, so they the spirit realm before in the could discuss your progress. natural what was the lesson to be The doctor came running out from learned from my ordeal? Was it long suffering, patience, to know the back yelling “Felicea, him as a healer or was it a testing Felicea,” “Praise the Lord”. of my faith (You have to see it She took me to the back to look at before you receive it)? the results of my pictures from the beginning of my ordeal to the Oftentimes we as women find ourselves in situations that we present day pictures. Just as suddenly as the inflammation had didn’t ask for or don’t deserve. We started, it was now suddenly gone. must learn one important lesson and that is to rest in our faith no The pictures were like night and matter what the odds are against day. The doctor went on to us. say, “It’s a miracle!”

We can learn this valuable lesson through some of the well-known women in the bible.

First Hagar who was forced to be with Abraham because of Sarah’s lack of faith which made her take matters into her own hands.

Hagar conceived and then trouble started for both women. Hagar initially fled but was soon encountered by the Angel of the Lord near a spring in the desert.

The Angel told her to return to her mistress and submit. Then her descendants would be too numerous to count. God kept his promise. I imagine that promise was not seen overnight but perhaps took years to see. Nevertheless, God’s word did not return void.

Or what about the story in 1 Samuel 25 when Nabal refuses David’s request for food and shelter?

David was furious at the rejection and swore to kill every male associated with Nabal household.

counsel of the Lord.” Abigail was sent home in peace!

Lastly, let’s look at the widow in 2 Kings 4 who cried out to Elisha because the creditors were coming to take her sons into slavery.

First, he sent her out to ask for empty jars from all her neighbors. Then he told her to go in the house and take the one small jar of oil she already had and pour the oil from that jar into all the other jars she had obtained from her neighbors. How many of us would have thought he was crazy? What could she lose at this point? Because of her obedience or should I say her faith she was able to pay off her debts and still had enough left to live off.

God heard and answered all three of the women mentioned. Each of them had the odds stacked against them but no matter the odds it is in no comparison to our faith.

Luke 1:45 says Nabal’s wife, Abigail puts her life at we are blessed because we risk by confronting David. David believe. recognized Abigail had kept him Wow! We don’t have to do from shedding blood and thanked anything except believe and we the young woman realizing she was Against All Odds receive God’s sent from God. favor and protection! So the next time odds are stacked against How much time did Abigail seek you, whether the odds are the God’s face before deciding to size of an elephant or the size of approach David? an ant Rest in your Faith!

1Kings 22:5 “First seek the

By Shondel Andrea Jackson

charlie & katie are

against all odds!

Trusting God against all odds is a vital part of our daily walk with Him. Trust and faith are two of the key ingredients that we all need in order to live lives that are pleasing to God. The Bible says in

times. Everywhere we look around us, we see signs of trouble.

There are storms, hurricanes, earthquakes and wild fires in cities and places where some of these natural disasters have never been predicted to occur.

Even in all of this, God is calling his people to a place of trust.

In Daniel 11:32, it says “but the people that do know their God Hebrews 11: 6, “without faith it shall be strong, and do is impossible to please God”. exploits”. Believers this is the time that God is calling us to live It is super easy to trust God when close to Him and trust him against things are great, for example all odds. when the bills are paid and all of our family members are healthy. The Bible is filled with many stories However, would you dare to trust of men and women who dared to him when things are not how they trust God amidst times of are supposed to be? In other copious trials and overwhelming words, would you dare to trust signs of defeat. One such story, him when the odds are against depicted in Mark 5:24-34 about the you? bold faith of a woman who put her odds to the test upon a rare Friends we are living in perilous encounter with Jesus:

“If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.�

Many of us can identify with the experiences of numerous odds that this woman was reported to face. On first account, she was physically ill. The bible says that she had this condition for 12 years and no one could heal her. She probably went to every doctor in town and even out of town and no one could heal her.

In fact the word of God said that her condition grew worse. Could you imagine bleeding daily for 12 years?

Some of the symptoms that could manifest as a result of continuous bleeding are fatigue, extreme tiredness and generalized weakness. That is usually as a result of anemia, which causes a decrease in the amount of oxygen going to the organs of the body.

Even in all this, she continued to push through the crowd determined to achieve her breakthrough.

Not only was she physically suffering, but she was most likely suffering emotionally as well. I cannot begin to imagine what it must have been like for her emotionally as she travelled from

town to town, village to village seeking physical healing only to be faced with continuous disappointments. According to Jewish Law she was deemed ceremonially unclean (Leviticus 15:25-27).

Not only was she deemed unclean, but also everything that she touched was deemed unclean. She was not allowed to go into the temple or attend any Jewish religious ceremonies. In other words she was more or less an outcast to society.

Could you imagine what having such a status may have done to her self-esteem, confidence and emotional wellbeing?

Hence the reason for her terified reaction when Jesus called her out. She was probably afraid of the consequences.

This woman basically risked her life to acquire her healing. She could have gotten killed or faced severe punishment for knowingly touching so many people who were in that crowd and causing them to become unclean.

Nevertheless she pressed through to reach Him.

charlie & katie are

against In addition to all this, she was also suffering financially.

In verse 26, the Bible says, “She had spent all that she had”. She had most likely emptied her bank account seeking the healing she so desperately needed. She heard that Jesus was coming into town and she decided that she was going to trust him that day to receive her healing.

Another odd that was against her was the tremendous crowd that she had to push her way through to get to Jesus. I am pretty sure she was not even sure if she was going to get through the large crowd. Nevertheless she kept pushing. With her present physical condition she risked being crushed, but she refused to look at anything else except the fact that she needed to get to Jesus in order to receive her miracle. The bible says that as she was approaching Jesus, she thought, “If I could only touch the hem of his garment”.

Despite her physical illness, she pushed through.

She chose to focus on her healing rather than the endless possibilities of injuries that she could have suffered.

all odds!

If anyone had reasons to give up, it should have been this woman.

Everything she had tried for the last twelve years had not worked. We go through periods of defeat for two to three months or years and we lose hope.

Could you imagine what it was like to be in this state for twelve years?

She could have come up with so many excuses such as: “I don’t feel like going into any crowd today”, “what’s the use”, “everything I have tried so far has failed anyhow”. I am sure that the enemy was also enhancing the situation by whispering words of discouragement in her ears.

Words such as, “you better not even try.

Every time you have tried to receive healing, you have been disappointed. Save yourself the disappointment girl, and stay home”.

Nevertheless she chose not to fixate on all the odds that were against her and rely on God. Jesus did not fail her. God honored her faith. Believers, God is calling us to a place of trust. These are the days God is calling us to a higher level of faith. A level of faith that would allow us to dare to believe His word against all odds. It doesn’t matter how dead your situation looks, God is calling you to trust Him.

It doesn’t matter what the enemy is whispering in your ears right now, dare to believe God. It doesn’t matter how dark or dismal your situation looks, dare to trust Him.

mightily to us if we would only dare to trust Him against all obstacles placed in our paths.

If we would only push through the crowd and be determined to touch the It doesn’t matter what medical hem of his garment, we would be made science has said or what the doctors whole. My question to you today is: has said, God has the last say my Would you dare to trust God against all friend if you dare to trust Him. This odds? Would you dare to trust Him situation that you have found against that negative doctor’s report? yourself in at this point in your life is Would you dare to trust Him against no surprise to God. He knows that empty bank account and that that you, his child would have been jobless situation that seems so hopeless? right where you are at this point and period you are at, right now. He The Lord is saying to you today, if you controls the seasons and our times would trust Him and push through the are in his hands. hurt, the pain, the tears and the disappointments and reach for the hem God can use what looks like our of His garment, He will honor your ultimate failures and faith. If you would dare to trust him disappointments for His glory if you against all the lies that the enemy has dare to trust Him. He can speak calm been whispering in your ears, He will to every storm in your life and give honor your faith. If you would make the you the victory. decision to look pass the storms and set your face towards Him, He will honor Like this woman who suffered for your faith. twelve years with this ailment, God wants to honor your faith Reach out and touch the hem of His in him today. He is calling you to garment and He will turn your pain trust him one more time. He wants into gain. He will turn your scars into you to push against the crowd, block stars. He will turn your story around out the whispers of the enemy and and give you the victory if you place exercise your faith in him. your confidence in Him. Step out in He will come through for you and faith today and dare to trust Him, will not disappoint you, just like he and just like He honored the faith of came through for this woman who the woman with the issue of blood, He didn’t have her name recorded in the will honor yours. bible. Even though her name was not important to anyone, God knew her May God richly bless you all. name and honored her faith and he will also honor yours.

I feel very strongly in my spirit that God is waiting to prove Himself

against all odds!

BY JOY JALLAH

Sometimes in life the odds are from every direction.

However, keep pressing forward toward greatnes as you focus on moving towards your new season.

God's strength is working even in our weakness. God makes a masterpiece out of broken pieces.

When we are weak, it is when we are really strong.

It is the point of complete dependency on God. It is when we completely learn to trust upon All odds from your old season will God. We can do nothing no strong challenge your purpose. Just stay of our own. focused and be persistent and consistent in moving forward in Without God, we are nothing. life.

With God all things are possible.

Do not give up, just move forward. It takes courage and bravery to believe in yourself and to believe in others. Be courageous and strong.

The scriptures says.... '', In your weakness, God strength is made perfect. '' It is when we think that we are weak, that we conquer the most.

God wants his people to trust him and to trust his timing for everything. Prayer conquers all odds against visions and purpose.

Prayer defeats all odds against God will. The only way to conquer is prayer and by being led by the spirit of God.

No weapon form against you shall prosper.

With God nothing is impossible to them who believe.

ourselves and others.

Pursue building lasting relationships

Just believe and you will see the glory of God. The Lord will never leave you or forsake you. God will Do pursue having the best interest see his people through every thing of others. And showing how much against them. we care .

God split the red sea and the people walked on dry ground.

The Lord is with you.

Lord guide us and lead us into all truth. Lord let your spirit show us the way that pleases you. Jesus help us in following Be not afraid and fear not, for the what you ask us to follow. Jesus Lord is with you.

Christ give us courage to live life through the characteristic of God step right in and changes lives God. and Impact lives.

May the spirit of the Lord lead us Without faith, it is impossible to into all truth. please God. Have faith in God. All God require is a mustard seed There is a time and season for faith. everything where God give us knowledge and understanding of Believing connects us with God his word. and God works wonders in our lives.

To conquer all odds is to dig deep in the word of God and to apply Pursue God and his will for your the word of God to everyday life. life. God will never fail his people.

Faithful God remains faithful.

Have faith and see God manifest his promises. Faith is what make Have a spirit of gratitude and things happen. thankfulness often.

The scriptures say, “Be joyful always in all circumstances.�

It pleases God when we thank him in our daily lives. is everything.

Pursue God like character.

Pursue walking in love towards

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