Posts Tagged forgiveness

Rise Spiritually Pray Journey-Day 27-29

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Thank you for joining the 40 Day Prayer Journey. Begin right where you are and go back and start at the beginning at a later day. Hopefully you are examining your conduct and walk with the Lord , your prayer life and your study of the Word. Read the scriptures listed under the daily prayer focus. Answer the questions in your journal if there are any for the day and write your reflections. Meditate on the Word each day. Daily pray the prayer points for the day. Make an entry in your journal each day as lead by the Holy Spirit. Make sure you complete the “Spiritual Rise Act”. Go to the first day February 18 if you want to review the earlier statements about the purpose of this daily prayer journey to encourage each of us to rise spiritually in the ways of Jesus.

DAY 27 – Monday March 16 Seeking to Rise Spiritually by Forgiving
Scriptures: Mark 11: 25-26; Ephesians 4:31-32; Col. 3: 12-17

Pray:
• Repent of not forgiving those who have sinned against you and of walking in pride, superiority or opposition to others in the body of Christ.
• Pray that members of your church and yourself practice forgiveness, demonstrating the grace we each have received in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• Pray that you will grow in the knowledge of God’s Word for every aspect of your life.
• For God to rise up men and women of integrity, faith and love to places of spiritual authority throughout the church and the city.
• Pray for persons who feel rejected. Pray that they will know that the Lord will never forsake them and that He loves them.
• Pray for our nation and its leaders that they my rule with honor and wisdom and that wickedness in the leaders will be hindered so that all may lead quiet and peaceable lives.
• Pray for elderly persons. Pray that God’s strength and peace would be poured out on every one who is advanced in years. That they may be honored; that they may be cared for; that they may live to see their prayers answered; that loneliness be banished in lasting friendships and family bonds; that meaningful service be found.
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Spiritual Rise Check Up- Write responses in a journal or notebook
 Think of a time when the sin of unforgiveness existed that it affected your attitude and your joy.
 Are you currently allowing the sin of unforgiveness to affect your attitude and joy?
 How should a parent respond to a child’s confession of wrongdoing? What kind of changes would come out of that?

Spiritual Rise Act-
Meditate on one or more of the scriptures above. Let the Spirit teach you important things about confession, forgiveness and restoration from the verses.

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Day 28 – Tuesday March 17- Seeking to Rise Spiritually by Demonstrating the Love of Christ
Scriptures: John 3: 1-21; 1John 3:1-23

Pray:
• Pray that the church will be a living force of love in the earth today.
• Pray that the disciples of Christ will be known by our love for one another and the loving-kindness of the Lord that leads to repentance.
• Pray that members of the church and yourself show love through deeds that touch the lives of the unsaved, unchurched and unsure.
• Repent from demonstrating the letter of the law rather than the Spirit of liberty and love.
• Pray for persons who are unsaved. Call out their names.
• Pray for depressed persons. Pray that God’s healing presence will reach them; that the light of truth will dispel the lies and the oppressive power of Satan; for helpful counsel and God’s wisdom; for God’s healing of long standing wounds and the renewing of their minds in Christ.
• Pray that fathers will look to God as the ultimate spiritual head of their household, and serve their families by carrying responsibility for the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of their wives. Pray that God will instill a vision of wholesome, supportive, fatherhood to all fathers.
• Pray for single people. Pray that Christ will protect them; that friendships and church fellowships bring ample fullness of healthy relationships; for wisdom to choose sexual purity and holy lifestyles; for marriage.
• Pray for broken families. Pray for the healing of broken or embittered hearts. Pray for the children of such homes.

Spiritual Rise Act:
Love 3 –Write a prayer for 3 persons who you have not shown appreciation for or for persons you know need encouragement. Take time to think of some other action you can take to build them, bring joy or to let them know someone cares. You do not have to reveal who you are to them until Easter.

DAY 29 – March 18 Seeking to Rise Spiritually by Demonstrating Mercy, Loving-kindness and Goodness
Scriptures: Rom. 2:1-16; Gal. 5:22-23

Pray:
• Repent of failing to show acts of kindness to those who mistreat or offend us or our love ones.
• Repent of withholding mercy and love out of judgment and vengeance.
• Pray that believers and you grow in grace, mercy and love to make an impact in the lives of others and in the world.
• Pray that the fruit of the spirit will abound in you and in and through the church.
• Pray for the physically disabled. Pray that they will be surrounded with loving friends and family; for physical stamina and healing; for financial burdens of therapy and special care, and that they will love and honor God.
• Pray for prisoners and their families; Pray that people in jail will hear the gospel and follow Christ; for fellowships of Christians in prison to multiply; pray that persons in prison will be protected from violence and the forces of spiritual evil.
• Pray for the spouses and children of prisoners. Pray that they will be sustained, protected, provided for and that their hearts are healed.
• Pray that former prisoners will find strength and wisdom to live restored lives and will not return to the actions or ways that led to their imprisonment.
• Pray for the Health and Fitness Ministry.

Spiritual Rise Check Up- Write responses in a journal or notebook
Identify the 9 fruit of the spirit stated in Galatians 5:22-23. Which of the fruit of the spirit do you need to improve upon in demonstrating them in your life? How can you rise in the spirit to reflect more of that fruit in your life?

Linda Fegins, “The Prayer Leader” serves as prayer leader and teacher/trainer on the “Prayer Boot Camp” with the Global Missions Prayer Force and as a guest intercessor and volunteer for Girlfriends Pray a global prayer ministry. She served as Prayer Coordinator for over 13 years( later Director over the Prayer Ministry) for the Lydia Circle Christian Business and Professional Women. As part of the Lydia Circle she has lead over a dozen prayer boot camps, and has lead prayer services and workshops in the Bahamas and in South Africa and was on the prayer team of a medical missions trips to Jamaica under the leadership of Rev. Jackie McCullough. She is also a member of the National Church Prayer Leaders Network and serves as the Prayer Leader of the Intercessory Prayer Ministry of her church

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Living Separate Lives by Paulette Harper

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    About The Book

Candace Walker, Kaylan Smith, Jordan Tate, and Tiffany Thomas have their share of sorrows, but neither of them realizes how deep the sorrow goes. What happens when they agree to meet for a weekend of relaxation in beautiful Napa County? Which one will leave the same or worse?
For Candace Walker, life has left her battered and bruised. Kaylan Smith has struggled with prejudice from her in-laws. After fifteen years of marriage, bitterness is trying to raise its ugly head for Jordan Tate, whose husband wants to call it quits. And for Tiffany Thomas, dealing with rejection has never been one of her greatest feats.
Although they have been friends for years, they thought they knew each other well. But will a secret destroy their relationship and bring the sisterhood to a complete halt? Will they be able to forgive and allow God to mend that which might be torn?

    About The Author

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Paulette Harper is an award-winning and best-selling author. She is the owner of Write Now Literary Virtual Book Tours and is passionate about helping authors succeed in publishing and marketing their books. Paulette has been writing and publishing books since 2008. Paulette is the author of That Was Then, This is Now, Completely Whole and The Sanctuary. Her articles have appeared on-line and in print.

    Review of the book

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Paulette Harper’s christian novella, Living Separate Lives about four girlfriends Tiffany, Candace, Kaylan and Jordan who reconnect years after high school was quite engaging to me. Paulette Harper‘s realistic characters and storytelling were endearing. Each girlfriend is dealing with issues in her life such as rejection, prejudice, unevenly yoked , never reaching your dreams and at least one is still reacting from the hurt of rejection from her childhood that has lead to poor choices in her adult life. The ladies agree to a girlfriend weekend retreat at Kaylan’s home in Napa Valley region of California. However, the weekend does not turn out how the girlfriends planned. When the truth about one of their lives unexpectedly is discovered accidentally ,the impact upon the life of another causes anger, betrayal and further rejection to show its ugly head. Now the girlfriends really need to go before the King to pray, praise and seek the face of the Lord, when one of them is asked to leave the retreat. Can the ladies who profess to be a Christian forgive the perpetrator? How do you reach out to the one that betrayed you when she is in trouble? This novella raises real issues about friendship, forgiveness, your walk of faith in hurting times and wanting to support a friend in the good times and the bad times. It is an excellent minstry tool for the women’s minsitry or for a workshop on forgivenss and forgetting the past.

Trailer:http://youtu.be/Y2YWSYkfxAM

Social Media Links
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/PauletteHarperAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/pauletteharper
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paulette-harper-johnson/7/a29/8a7
Pinterest : http://pinterest.com/pauletteharper/
Website: www.pauletteharper.com
Email: pharperjohnson@gmail.com

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Christians with Pervasive Issues Virtual Book Tour with Annie Brown

Book Title: Christians with Pervasive Issues
Genre Christian Non-Fiction

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About The Book

Even as a faithful Christian, there may be times when you feel that there is no hope of escaping issues and themes in your life that ensnare and trip you up time and time again. When a certain pattern of behavior or type of suffering has been following you all your life, it’s hard to believe that you can ever escape from it. Christians with Pervasive Issues shows us that every child of God can be delivered from issues that cause them to be a victim, rather than walking in victory. In compassionate, no-nonsense language, Annie Brown demonstrates that with genuine repentance, using God’s principles, and the right counseling/support, you can overcome anything. Christians with Pervasive Issues gives you the ray of hope you need in order to heal your life, and get closer to God.

About The Author

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Annie Brown is the mother of four adult children, five grandchildren, and one great grandchild. She is a licensed minister and social worker. As a social worker, Annie works the terminally ill, providing emotional support at the most critical time in an individual’s life. It is Annie’s desire that Christians work through their pervasive issues before the end of life, so that the transition between death and eternity can be smooth, and not cluttered with unresolved conflicts.

Annie Brown”s Answer to Questions

Describe yourself for our visitors.

I am a God-fearing Christian who believes that a balanced life is important. I am a person who believes in helping others.
How do you find time to connect with God?
I make time for prayer, meditations, and studying the Word of God. I understand the importance of a dedicated prayer life and spending quality time meditating, studying, and having a dialogue with God. Since I am on the road everyday going to visit my patients, I utilize some of that travel time to commune with God.

Describe the importance of prayer and intercession in one’s life?

To me prayer and intercession is part of the essence of who I am…I realize that outside of God I am nothing and to be in fellowship with God it takes communing with Him daily. Prayer changes things is not just a saying but a truth I have learned to embrace in every part of my life…Also to be successful in life I understand that we are required to stand in the gap for others…I really believe that to pray for others I will be healed whether it is physically, mentally, emotionally, and etc…

Tell us about your current book?

Christians with Pervasive Issues is self-help book. The main focus is forgiveness. We have a need to present ourselves to God in humble submission and ask God to forgive us and deliver us. With God forgiving us in mind we need to understand that God forgives us when we come clean and not try to hide behind our issues and use excuses for unholy behaviors.
How did you come up with ideas for this book?
This book was inspired by God. I had never given any serious thought to writing a book because I felt inadequate to do so. However, when one learns the voice of God then we will know when God is speaking and when God spoke those words about Pervasive Issues, I definitely knew it was God, and not me. I share in the book that I did not even know the meaning of pervasive. And believe me, I tried to ignore the command to write, but when God has something for us to do, He will allow us to wander around in the wilderness and when we finish wandering God’s instructions will not have changed.
What valuable lessons do you want readers to learn from your book?
I want readers to learn that forgiveness brings freedom. If we need to forgive others or ask others to forgive us, we need to get whatever the issue resolved before the end of life. As a hospice social worker, I have witnessed so many people being agitated and restless. These persons cannot get comfortable and they continue to say they are in pain but no amount of medication can reduce emotional pain. It is as though, those issues that have been unresolved rear up and say “you thought I was gone but I am not so peep-a-boo”. The sad thing is that sometimes a person’s cognitive abilities to process matters are gone and it takes spiritual discernment and special skills to be able to dig under all that rubberish to find what the issue is so that person can find peace.

What did you learn while writing this book?

I learned much more about patience and the need to wait on God.

What did you hope to accomplish with this book?

My greatest desire is that people will take care of their unresolved issues before the end of life so that the transition will not be cluttered with emotional pain and agitation because there is no inner peace.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to do in your spare time?
Spare time….I could ask, what is that ?…..but on a serious note…I love to spend quality time with my family and friends. I enjoy cooking and I like quiet time. There is nothing like taking “me” days when I stay in my pajamas and do nothing of importance which I have learned to do in my senior years.

The Meaning of Pervasive Issues
I WAS GETTING ready for work and suddenly the words “Pervasive Issues” were dropped into my spirit. Can you imagine someone who is not normally a morning person having something so important to deal with? I could not even think of the meaning of “pervasive,” so I could not comprehend what was being said to me. I went on to work, but it did not leave me. I shared what had been dropped into my spirit with my co-worker who is an encourager. He gave me a push to pursue the message the Spirit was conveying, and to understand what God wanted me to write. I could not begin until I did some preliminary homework. I had to figure out what part of speech that “pervasive” was. “Pervasive” is an adjective, which served as a modifier to the noun (issue). Merriam-Webster Dictionary defined it as “spreading through every part.” If an issue is pervasive, it permeates the whole of something. Pervasive issues need to be dealt with within the Body of Christ.

Book Excerpt
A Remedy to Get to the Root of the Problem
WHAT IS NEEDED is that the people of God “must” clean out their secret compartments and confess that they need the Lord to deliver them. Confession is made unto salvation (deliverance). If we confess our faults, the Lord is faithful in forgiving us. You may ask, “Why do I have to confess if I was not responsible for what happened to me?”
The issue then becomes whether you have forgiven the person that caused me this harm. If there is no forgiveness, then you become a victim twice: a victim of circumstance, and a victim of bondage. This can be in some ways more dangerous than cancer. This will always be eating away at you. With cancer, at least you know what is going on in your body. Being a victim of circumstance and having an unforgiving heart bring torment. This torment becomes a part of you in such a way that it eats through your mind, destroys your inner peace, and puts your soul in jeopardy because it becomes a heart matter of sin.

Connect with the Author

Email Address: aclara2002@yahoo.com
Website www.outskirtspress.com/christianswithpervasiveissues
Twitter link http://twitter/annieclara2002
Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christians-with-Pervasive-Issues/333501483361141

Order a copy

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Day 12 Prayer Journey to Life Transformation

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DAY 12 – February 24- Honoring One Another in Love
40 Day Prayer Journey to Life Transformation
(see prior posts for earlier days)

We have been praying this week about our relationships with our family members. We must begin to deal honestly with negative and sinful attitudes and actions within our homes. God wants our homes to be demonstrations of His love to the world. A lot of what goes on in the home affects our children.

Scriptures: Romans 12:9-21 Philippians 2:1-4

Repent: Of not honoring family members and others who are in close relationship with us: of thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought; of being unwilling to respect and honor others in humility and love; of____________________(feel in the blanks)

Meditate, pray and write down other areas for which you need to repent.

Pray:

Pray for forgiveness and grace to honor and give preference to our families and close relationships.
• Pray that a spirit of humility would permeate our families that will release love for us to honor and prefer one another
• Pray that holy honor for spouses, parents and children would be restored in our speech, attitudes and actions.
• Pray that the spirit of honoring our parents would be restored in the speech and actions of children
• Pray that family members and church members will have a strong and growing love for God and for others.
• Pray that the church would walk in love for one another without hypocrisy and out of a pure heart..
• Pray for a desire for prayer to be stirred up within all family members and that answers to prayer will occur to build faith and consistency.
• Pray that your family and/or friends will experience rich times of praying together, playing together and worshipping together.

Linda Fegins

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Shenette Jones Virtual Book Tour-

Pray for marriages- for the ministry of reconciliation, forgiveness, peace
Pray for ministry leaders-integrity, faithfulness, and holiness
Pray for families

What happens when sin is uncovered? Author Shenette Jones addresses this issue in her book Uncovered

About the Book
After 5 years of marriage, Minister Stephanie Hall’s patience wears thin with her husband’s disinterest in sexual intimacy. With her desire for closeness and attention causing her faith to plummet, Stephanie fights an inner struggle of beauty and self-acceptance as her desperate need to be adored grows out of control…

Markus Hall wishes his past would go away, but the haunting events of his childhood years keep him distant from his wife Stephanie, and her constant requests for sex only push him away and remind him of the very things he’d rather forget. When his boss calls upon Markus to tutor his stunningly gorgeous daughter for her college classes, he can’t resist such a tempting offer, feeling needed and important each time the beautiful tutorial student looks into his eyes…

Suspecting that the relationship between her husband and the Indian beauty is more intimate than it seems, Stephanie decides to take matters into her own hands: weary with prayer, she abandons her faith and finds gratification in the arms of Matthew King, a church member’s husband…

With Markus and Stephanie’s healing seemingly too far to reach, they both find themselves searching for anything that resembles true love; however, in the pursuit of their new passion, the troubled spouses soon find themselves uncovered in a bitter storm of infidelity. Will this God fearing couple return to their faith and mend their brokenness…?

Shenette Jones Answers Interview Questions.

Describe yourself for our visitors.
Whenever I have to share about who Shenette Jones is, I have to first say that I’m a creative collaboration of the arts. I teach hip hop dance; I write poetry and perform spoken word, and I’m a recording artist performing jazz blues and even hip hop locally throughout my great city of Raleigh NC . I love doing speaking engagements. I used to speak only within churches ,but I always hoped to motivate people beyond the church. I became certified as personal training specialist years ago and it allowed me to travel and share practical fitness tips with others. I’m a community activist in Raleigh and I do speaking events for InterAct raising awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault. Finally, I’m an author! I share everything I do with my husband of 13 years and my two sons!

How do you find time to connect with God?
I love to pull out my journal in the morning or at the end of the day to write to him or for him. sometimes it may be as simple as a poem of gratitude. Other times it may be a few pages of pouring out my soul to him…depends on the circumstances, request, or intimate moments of praise.
Who is your favorite character in the book and why?
My favorite Character in the book is William. William is the voice of wisdom in this story and his advice and words often add a touch of healing throughout the entire story. Uncovered would not be a success without William Hall.

What inspired you to write this book?
Uncovered is a story birthed from some of the various realistic struggles and triumphs I personally faced within my own marriage and the similar complaints and struggles I witnessed in several other Christian relationships. It’s a fictional storyline but each scenario has been pulled from realistic events that other Christian women have painfully confessed to. I thought that the common story of infidelity within the Christian home deserved to be told, especially with the powerful message of redemption attached at the end!

Who are your favorite authors and why?? Favorite books?
Wanda B. Campbell, because it was her book. Illusions, that inspired me to go forth with my writing aspirations, and it is she who has personally mentored me and encouraged me as a new author.

Francine Rivers because she has laced the story of God’s love so magnificently within her books, especially Redeeming Love.

Stormie Omartian, because no one teaches you how to pray like the queen of Power of a Praying Wife, Power of a Praying Parent, Power of a praying Woman etc.

The shack, written by William Paul Young. this book left me utterly speechless and grateful for love, life, and The Lord.

Tell us about your journey to publication.
After reading an incredible Christian Fiction novel entitled Illusions by Wanda B. Campbell, I simply emailed her personally to share with her what an impact her story had made upon my heart. I thought it was brilliantly written and I quickly identified with her writing because it was realistic and not a watered down christian fiction story. This was the way I vowed to myself to always keep my writing. To my surprise she returned an email rather quickly and I expressed my desire to publish one day. After sharing my written work with her she encouraged me to continue with the words, “your work should be in Print!” I was chosen to be one of her 8 writers in the Anthology, HOME AGAIN; STORIES OF RESTORED RELATIONSHIPS. I met incredible other authors from across the United States, and the experience was phenomenal. Today I celebrate the release of Uncovered which is the full novel to the work that was written as a short story in the anthology. I give credit to Wanda B. Campbell for giving the gift of time to mentor me and encourage me as an author.

Tell us about your current book?
Markus Hall, a quiet and rather passive husband loves his wife, but struggles to connect with her intimately because of his past hurts that haunt him daily. He tries desperately to ignore his own issues but Stephanie grows impatient forcing matters to explode out of control. Stephanie is a woman of faith, a minister, and a praying wife, until her desires for sexual intimacy surpass her desire for God. They, both Stephanie and Markus are desperately seeking after something but until they finally find it, they cause great pain in the meanwhile.
I personally believe that Uncovered is a story that reaches all walks of life. Instantly this novel connects with readers, neither because of its scandalous storyline nor because of its powerful spiritual message, rather because of its simplicity. Everyone has experienced something similar to what my characters are experiencing whether it’s the longing for a father never known or the loneliness Stephanie feels in her marriage. We’ve all faced the war of temptation when we sincerely wanted to choose wisely.

How did you come up with ideas for this book?
As I write, the Character become incredibly life like. It often feels as though they guide me through each turn and detail.
However I do often begin with a realistic person I know or have seen and I continue to fictionalize the character until he or she has taken on a whole new personality and style.

What valuable lessons do you want readers to learn from your book?
Uncovered was written to deliver one strong message to people from all different walks of life and various backgrounds. That message is simple. It’s a message of forgiveness for others and forgiveness towards ourselves. Forgiveness has the power to close painful chapters of our lives. it also has the power to bloom new beautiful opportunities of love and healing.

What’s next for you?
I’m currently writing a spin off from Uncovered based on one of the characters that appears to be one of the favorites in the book. Torrey Thompson.
I’d also love to let readers know that I’m also a professional singer/performer with a musical background ranging from hip hop, jazz, blues, gospel and even classical. When I’m not writing, I’m performing or creating and writing music. I’d love for them to check out my music at www.shenettejones.com or my
Reverb Nation page. Under Shenette Jones to comment, like or share.

Where can visitors find you online?
www.shenettejones.com
The froggybloggy.wordpress.com (parenting blog)
ReverbNation.com Shenette Jones
Facebook-Shenette Jones
Twitter (authorshenettej)

Interview Questions by Linda Fegins

About the Author

Shenette Swann Jones is a native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but will always claim Memphis, Tennessee, as her second home. Coming from a family of talented singers and musicians, music has always played a first role in Shenette’s life, but writing would always remain her most treasured gift among her other talents. When Shenette wasn’t singing or choreographing a dance routine, she would escape to her many journals or poetry clubs, and eventually even a newspaper staff or two. From music to writing, her passion for life shines in every multifaceted direction she takes.
Today, Shenette is a motivational speaker, a community activist, an incredibly diverse vocalist, and a new novelist. The year 2010 saw Shenette’s first published work in “Home Again; Stories of Restored Relationships”, a heartwarming anthology by award winning author Wanda B. Campbell. Since then, Shenette has perfected her craft as a writer in order to produce her first novel, Uncovered. When she isn’t blogging, journaling, or creating another story, Shenette enjoys taking an aggressive stand in the community against domestic violence and sexual assault. She also advocates strongly for youth education rights and racial relations within her community.
After 13 years of marriage and two wonderful sons, Shenette is thoroughly excited to return to writing full-time and hopes to use her imagination as a tool of inner healing, self-reflection, and a great source of entertainment for others.
View the blog tour schedule at:

http://tywebbinvirtualevents.com/

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