Mark 4:24 says, “And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.”
In other words, God is telling us that we’re not given the privilege to just say the word means this or that. This is where watered down religions come from. The politically correct bible removes the need for forgiveness because it declares there is no such thing as sin because we all make mistakes. It declares there is no need for Jesus.
 
Let me ask you, is that sound doctrine? Would you dare base your eternal existence and earthly life morals and principals off of this? It matters what you hear and how you understand it. It matters how you believe God. In our verse up there in Mark chapter 4, note this is red letters here, Jesus is telling us that the degree to which we believe anything is the degree to which it will be established in our lives. And this verse finishes off by saying that those who “hear” God will be handsomely rewarded with more revelation.
 
I’d rather trade that garbage of the politically correct bible for the Coca Cola – the real thing. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” 
 
We can learn so much from the creation story in Genesis chapters one and two. We see that God does everything by his word and by his Spirit. We should never expect God to do something for us that is not in his word. I’ve often used the example that we cannot believe God for a field of drugs if it’s not in his word. If it doesn’t line up or come into agreement with his plans for you as Jer 29:11 says, don’t get mad at God if it doesn’t happen. Amen? Amen!
 
What we believe matters and our attitude towards his word matters. How we respond to God and his word determines what God accomplishes in our life. Do you believe God’s word? Do you believe that when God said in Jeremiah 29: 11, that he’ll make it come to pass when you trust him?
Hebrews 11:3 says, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Our lives are not just the breath we breathe and the things we do. Though many will live this way, they will answer for it if they don’t repent. We have a very important role in God’s kingdom. How we live this out is by God’s design and our willingness to work with God.
 
There is power in the Word of God. Life outside the Word of God is a disaster. Let me tell you, I’ve been in the power of God and I’ve been outside of it. It’s easier and cheaper to stay on the inside of things. Jesus likened hearing His word and not obeying it to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on the house, and it fell with a mighty crash Matthew 7:26-27 & Luke 6:47-49 records this also. We should see the value in God’s word like someone who just found a pot of gold, Psalm 119:162.
 
I have here a few reasons why we should highly value God’s word and this underscores why we should believe it.

1. It brings revelation of who our God is. It helps us to understand his character and his plans for us. Jeremiah 29:11 – God is a good God, even when he corrects us. What kind of a god doesn’t discipline his kids?
2. God’s word guides us into all truth through the power of the Holy Spirit. God helps us to understand his thoughts and his ways and this, in turn, will help us navigate tough things we go through in life, John 16:13.
3. It brings us salvation through the repentance of a sinful nature and this brings us hope of an eternity spent with our God and our loved ones who are in heaven. John 3:16.
4. We’re transformed by the word. We’re not the same old people we once were. We have been translated into the kingdom of God’s dear light. Now, we have the power to be more like Jesus, Romans 12:2 and Col 1:13.
5. God’s word brings us protection from sin if we’ll read it, think about it, let our spirit absorb it’s truths and power, Psa 119:11. It gives us power over sin and death.
6. God’s word has the power to heal us and bring deliverance, Psa 107:20. If we stager not at the promises of God – like Abraham – we will obtain the victory we need.
7. We’re given permission to create things in our lives as long as it is in agreement with God’s word.
   This one is really important. Let’s look at Romans 4:17 which says, “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.”
   We’re given permission to speak life to dry bones. Have a little arthritis – speak the health of God’s word. Make sure you believe this otherwise, your words are empty. It’s like a cloud floating by, looking like it’s going to promise us some rain and can’t empty rain on us because it is empty.
8. God’s word brings us the victory we need. Eph 6:10-18 gives us spiritual weapons to help us do our part in obtaining this victory. Understanding what God has done for us, what Jesus has done for us and the role the Holy Spirit plays in our lives is crucial. They may be one but they don’t lay off their responsibilities to each other – they work together.

 
Conclusion: God wants us to take his word and cultivate a positive attitude, a victorious mindset, and not be downtrodden. We give God due respect when we take him at his word and act on it. It should be second skin for us to believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths from a heart that believes in God and the power of his word. We should never despise or disrespect God.
It was once told to me that I may be the only way someone sees God. That’s true for any believer. What we say, the things we let come out of our mouth can damage our witness – our ability to confess Jesus is real and God is truly a God of love, and that he cares. Finally, James 1:25 encourages us to not be hearers only, but to be “doers” of the word of God and Isaiah 1:19 reminds us that only the willing and obedient get to eat the good of the land.

I pray this holiday season that you let go of everything holding you back from believing that God is REAL, that God is still ALIVE, and that he loves YOU so very much. Get to know Jesus so you can start off with a wonderful and more powerful new year than you ever dreamed possible.

Merry Christmas to you and your family,
​La Donna Holstine

To understand anything about the glory of the church we need to understand what she is supposed to be doing. In this article, we'll discuss the church and what she is to do to become this powerful Bride. 
So, let's start with Ephesians 5:27 which says: “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” KJV. I also like what the Amplified version says: “So that [in turn] He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy (set apart for God) and blameless.” AMP. That's great! That's wonderful! But how are we supposed to get there? What is it that the church is supposed to be doing to look like that? Let's face it; most of the church doesn't look anything like this for the most part right now. From this verse alone we can see that Jesus is coming back looking for a bride that is as sinless as he is – without spot or wrinkle, without any blemishes (tattoos, unforgiveness, bitterness, hate, and other sins). This also indicates that Jesus is looking for powerful bride (glorious splendor) because he also is powerful. You might wonder what it is that the church is supposed to be powerful in. What the church is supposed to be doing is in direct connection with what Jesus did here in his earthly ministry. Isaiah 61:1 says, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.”

So what is the church supposed to be doing?
1. Preach good tidings to those who are meek (quiet, gentle, easily imposed upon):
The quiet and gentle spirit God loves is the one that holds her composure no matter what is being spoken to her or about her. She's not moved by the rantings and raving of an uncontrolled people. This spirit is in full control of her own actions and only behaves according to the word of God. In this scripture above, this “quiet and gentle” is referring to those who are NOT easily intimidated, living in doubt and fear, etc. That would not be a picture of the powerful Bride that God called her to be or that Jesus is coming back for.
2. Bind up the brokenhearted. We all suffer hurts and wounds and some are so deep it keeps us from living the Zoe life God made available to us. This zoe life refers to or is described as the uncreated and eternal life of God. It speaks of physical and spiritual vitality and is always maintained and sustained by God himself. In this 2nd activity, we are to help those suffering to see themselves as God sees them. God sees our hurts and wounds but he always sees our end and how we have overcome because of what he has done for us in and through Jesus. If you are one that can easily give a good word of encouragement that is filled with power and anointing you have a divine mandate to set people free from these deep hurts.
3. Proclaim liberty to the captives. Liberty is defined as a state of freedom from oppressive governmental restrictions on a person's way of life, the way they choose to worship God, and their political choices. This is exactly what the United States of America was founded on. The simple truth is that we are not to be bound by silly government restrictions and laws that keep us from living the life of liberty that Jesus made available to us.
4. Proclaim the opening of the prison to them that are bound: You know, sometimes our thoughts hold us captive and it can be little thoughts to overwhelming, degrading, manipulative and controlling thoughts. Some of those “thoughts” lead some to commit suicide. In 1642 a poet, Richard Lovelace, wrote “To Althea, From Prison” in which his final infamous stanza read, “Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage.” That's the kind of freedom and liberty Jesus died to give. We, as Christians, bear a significant assignment to set the captives free. We do this through encouraging words and being used by the Holy Spirit to offer divine insight into the person’s problems to help them see just how free they truly are or need to be. There are many other things out there that hold us captive, such as this tirade of human trafficking. This is violates us spirit, soul, and body. This is horrible stuff going on here.

Now, in light of this, does this look like the church today? Do we hear about things like this? No, satan has made sure to keep the church preoccupied so that he can keep her from being that pure and holy Bride, that powerful bride to be so he can keep people bound up in any kind of prison.Let's also look at John 14:12, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my father.” Thank God for his Grace - right? Amen?
Notice that in this verse, we see the words verily, verily. Recall that it is extremely important to take notice anytime you see this in the scripture because the words coming right behind it gives a powerful truth; a powerful truth that you can't just simply toss around or dismiss. Read this verse again and pay attention to the truth presented. I ask again, does this describe the church by and large? Most of the time all we hear about is that some church is in revival and sometimes it spreads to other areas. Revivals are great and necessary, but people don't take that strength home with them beyond the door through which they leave. They don't take that strength and do the works Jesus did. If people who come out of a revival would take the time to share it with others, our world news would be full of reports of miracles of all kinds, endless testimonies of how people have been set free, the brokenhearted would be healed spirit, soul, and body, and Jesus would be glorified. Hallelujah!

This is what Jesus is coming back for, a powerful Bride that is not easily intimidated and knows when and what to say or do in any given situation. To accomplish this, we must choose Jesus. We must be so vitally connected with him on a daily basis and filled with the Holy Spirit to be led by God in doing miracles, We are called by God to do the works Jesus did and do them in a greater way because now we have the internet and can post articles, launch websites and blogs / vlogs, we now have a way to travel worldwide to help others whereas in Jesus' day it wasn't like this at all.

Let's consider the following verses in closing:
Acts 2:43 says, “And fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.”
Acts 5:12 says, “And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch).”
Mark 16: 15-18:
15) And he said unto them, Go ye (men & women) into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Parenthetical emphasis mine)
16)He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but the that believeth not shall be damned.
17) and these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18) They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
Lastly, vs 20 say, “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. (Italic emphasis mine)
Do you see that the Lord was working with them? He was working with them after he ascended. He gave these words, told them what to do and then he ascended into heaven, but his work didn't stop there. Thank God that Jesus is still working with us from heaven helping those of us who are left here on earth. This is us co-ruling and co-reigning with Jesus here on earth to affect his covenant blessings in our lives and the lives of those God brings our way. 

This, my friends, is what the Glorious Church -the Bride of Christ- is all about. Become a part of this Bride today by asking God to forgive you of any sins and to help you live a life for him. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and to fill you with his precious Holy Spirit. Learn more at Getting to Know Jesus.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
All to His Glory,
La Donna

​Checking Your Spiritual Vital Signs
 
It’s common that when our body's get sick, we go to the doctor’s office, and the staff checks our vital signs. That helps them to get some idea of just how bad we are. Checking vitals tells us quite a bit so before you start, take a moment to read Proverbs 18:21 & Isaiah 55:11 & Mark 11:22-24.
Do you realize you can get spiritually sick as well? When you’re down in your faith you’re tired of waiting on God, your spirit has been bogged down with something not of God. Sometimes, when we are physically sick, we may have multiple symptoms or illnesses. It can be that way in our spirit, too.  It can take some time to get things fixed with God so that our lives can run like a well oiled machine, so get with God, be obedient and let his word keep some of those sicknesses away from you and your family. You don’t want to end up in God’s spiritual emergency room so to speak. Key note here is that your healing in anything depends on how much time you spend with God and how well you believe it and trust him and his word. The degree to which you put into God is the degree (multiplied) that God puts back into you. Luke 6:38

In today's message, we’ll look at our spiritual vital signs and talk about how to fix things. If you were to check your spiritual “vital signs” here are nine (9) things you would want to check:

1. The right Spirit- John 3:16. If you are not born again, your spirit is very sick because it doesn’t look anything like God and it can’t have communion with God or be one with him. You won’t have the power to overcome anything. The only remedy to this is to repent of the sinful nature you were born with and ask God to forgive you, ask Jesus to forgive you and to send his Holy Spirit to dwell inside you and to fill you with his might, power, and wisdom. Psa 51:10 says, “Create in me a clean hart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
2. Putting God First: Prov 3:9 There’s something about getting with God first thing every morning. It helps to set your mood so you can face whatever comes your way, it gives God room to set the parameters of your day, so that you are not faced with more than you can handle. It also gives God room to stop satan in his tracks against you for the day. You spend enough time talking to God and it just sweetens your day. Go to God first thing before everybody else gets up and just sit quietly in his presence.
3. Agape Love- Matt 22:36-40. The Greek word used in the bible to describe an unconditional love, a sacrificial love is the word Agape. This kind of love is explained in 1st  Corinthians chapter 13. In our Matthew 22 verse 40, what God is telling us is that all of his kingdom, all of his morals, his principles, his laws, his commandments, his forces are built upon his kind of love - Agape Love. When we adopt this and make this the ruling authority in our kingdoms, our lives will be far more prosperous, and we’ll be that city set on a hill so that others may see the goodness of God and turn to him. 
   
4. Prayer Life-  1 Cor 13:11. You want to make sure you have that connection with God and that your prayer life is in full operation and fully functionable. This is basically just trusting and knowing that God hears you and he’s super excited that you turn to him. He wants you, in childlike faith, to just crawl right up in his lap and talk to him. Get comfortable with having full blown conversations with God. Communing with God is where it all starts - but should never end.
5. Fruit of the Spirit - Gal 5:22, Eph 5:9. These fruits can serve as your personal by-laws, a set of governing rules to help you navigate sticky situations especially when it involves other people. We need to do a study on each of these fruits - get deeper into this.
6. Faith- Hebrews 11:6. We can’t please God without faith. James 2:18-20, 26. The word says that faith without works is dead. You can’t make things happen or change them without doing the work part in this equation. James 1:22 says if we’re not doing the works of God, we are deceiving ourselves, not God, but ourselves.
7. Spiritual eyes and ears: Matt 13:15-16. You need to see what God is trying to show you. Because God is a spirit, he will reveal things to you through the Holy Spirit inside you which will utilize that part of your brain for comprehension. Are you hearing from God? It’s the single most awesome and powerful thing to hear from a God we cannot see with our natural eyes, but in our spirit, when we talk to God, it has to be more real than you and I sitting here talking.
8. Trusting God: Matt 12:21 How well do you actually trust God to take care of you, that he knows what’s best, that he knows how to guide and lead you to that greener grass of the 23rd Psalm and to protect you with his word like in the 91st Psalm. His word is for us to learn and to use. The Bible is our owner’s manual so to speak.
9. ​Time: are you making enough time to spend with God in his word and to hear from him. Some scriptures to support this include Psa 119:105, Joshua 1:8, Matthew 6:6, and 2nd Timothy 2:15. Through some childhood experiences, God instilled in me an urgent importance to connect with him.

Some closing thoughts:
One: So, a quick fix to any spiritual problem is to first get in the presence of God. Get his attention by going to him with a heart full of faith that he’s waiting for you.
Two: It’s of vital importance that we understand that the spiritual realm offers authority over our natural world. That’s something God promises us. We see this in the creation story, Ephesians 2:6, Rev 5:10, and Prov 8:15-16. And all of this is based on Matt 6:10 from the Lord’s prayer.
Three: In general, you only need to ask God for help once. Stay in God’s presence and start working on seeing the victory in your spirit. See yourself healed or having your breaking through. Begin to thank him from the deepest part of your heart - fill those words with faith. It doesn’t matter if your new x-rays come back showing things are worse than before. Keep confessing the word IN FAITH!
Four: You don’t have to pray harder, you do have to believe. Remember that your faith mixed with the words you speak will be key to getting any fix you will ever need. Prov 18:21.
 
In Him,
La Donna       

ABOUT YOUR KINGDOM
Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Do you remember the passage where Paul and Silas sang praises to God and how this got them out of a jail to which they didn’t belong. Their judgment to be put in prison came from man, but God’s judgment of freedom for them over-rode the earthly one, especially since they were doing what God had asked them.
So, you have an earthly kingdom – because you live here in the earth. What is your kingdom made of? What set of morals or principles do you go by for making your decisions? Is your kingdom a mess or is it blessed? Can it get any better?

Praise makes your kingdom stronger and better. We can find the meaning of praise in Gen 29:35 Judah (Yehudah) is the Hebrew word for praise.
Gen 49:8-12 we can see that praise triumphs over all enemies, has royal authority (scepter), has legal authority (lawgiver), from Judah (praise) comes Jesus and everything he does brings praise to God Luke 3:23-33 and victory to you.  Praise led Israel through the wilderness Num 2:3 & 9, praise (Judah) led the conquest of Canaan Judg 1:1-19.

Colossians 3:16 talks about psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Psalm is biblical lyrics (words of praise and honor). Hymns are songs we write – How Great Thou Art, Amazing Grace, etc. Spiritual Songs is the joyful noise like the waters mentioned in John 7:38 that flow from our deepest most inner part – a song from our heart to God. The Greek word for these 3 words is “Odais Pneumatikais” and from this we understand that Psalms are inspired by the Holy Spirit. With a word like odais pneumatikais one might think that the writers of the Roadrunner and Wyle E Coyote cartoon were well versed in Greek literature.
Jesus came to earth and brought with him his kingdom, Matt 3:2, in hopes that we would trade in our thoughts and our ways for his. Our thoughts and ways will form our kingdoms and we want strong kingdoms, Matt 7:10
Here are some things about praising God to help you build your kingdom into something strong, benevolent, and worthy of the Lord.
1. We’re to sing songs of praise and thankfulness. The Hebrew word for “thank” is yadah (or todah) and this implies worship as in reverence. The origin of the verb “yad” (hand) suggests to worship with outstretched hands.
2. We can see in Paul and Silas’ world they were not afraid to praise God. Maybe they could really sing, maybe they couldn’t, but either way, they didn’t care. They sang. Praise needs to be an important part of your kingdom. Praise needs to happen for a lot of reasons not just because something bad is going on in your world (your kingdom) but at all times; the good, the bad, and the ugly.
3. Praise cures the dry times – just start singing praises to God when you feel anything less than your best. God promises he would give us “water” which symbolizes life during our “heat waves”.  Num 21:126-17.
4. Praise brings in the presence and power of God 2 Chron 5:13-14
5. Praise brings victory 2 Chron 20:15-22.

You can praise your way out of darkness. You can praise your way out of troubles, even if it’s your fault – especially when it’s your fault.  Singing praises to God will help you navigate the murky waters of certain situations. Praise your way out from under your circumstances and get on top of them quickly.
Most importantly, don’t forget to just praise God for who He is. You don’t have to be in trouble to praise God. You don’t and shouldn’t wait for bad things to happen to start praising God. Just start. Make it your number one priority first thing every morning to spend some time praising God just because He’s God. Amen? Amen!
Get in the habit of visiting with Him every morning and journal your experiences. As an added note, don’t skip too many days on doing this because you will find yourself in a mental fog, dazed, unable to remember where you left off, etc. Then you’ll find yourself asking God to help you get back on track which is easy to do any time of the year but with the holidays fast approaching, don’t let things get in your way. In fact, you’ll most likely have a smoother holiday season by putting God first.
Additionally, praise and worship helps you to have God encounters, or God winks as some call it, receive a word of encouragement or direction from God when you need it- 1 Sam 16:14-23 / 1 Cor 14:25, create an atmosphere for God to move in and for your benefit - 2 Chron 20, and it helps to gets your spirit ready to work with God to empower your kingdom - John 4:23-24.
Build it up and stay strong in Jesus.
 
Blessings,
La Donna
 

I read a quote a number of years back that read something like God so far today I haven't said anything ugly to hurt anybody, I haven't cussed anybody out, I haven't thrown my alarm clock out the window and the quote just went on and on about things like that before ending with "but when I get out of bed..."

Many of you may well feel like that every morning. Trust me, getting up early to spend time with God before you do your bible studies, your scripture writing or whatever else your morning routine holds will prepare your heart and your spirit to ensure you have a far more pleasant and victorious day.

While doing some bible studies is spending time with God, make time to talk to God and give him the time to speak into your heart and life each day before you get started. One of my old habits that I definitely need to renew is to pray this each morning from Psa 51:10-12: 10)"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11) Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12) Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." That right there is reason enough to get up early and pray.
Okay, here are a few of my favorite reasons for spending time with God early.

1. Jesus got up early to pray and to be with the Father before his day got started. If Jesus needed to get up early….need I say more. 
   Mark 1:35, "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed."
2. God’s mercies are renewed every day, you want to get with God to receive all of them and be sure to thank him for everyone of them by faith before your spirit takes them in. God imparts things into our spirit-some we won’t notice until something happens and then looking back we see how God prepared us for that moment.
   Lamentations 3:22-23. Verse  22)"It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23) They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
3. Why wait until the end of the day to pray for that day? Your enemy started before day light cooking up his calamities to slam you with and without God first thing, you're going to be hit with what satan wants to throw your way. Getting up early to pray gives God room in your life to set the parameters of your day against the enemy and this will help you to have a really great day.
   John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
4. We are called to co-rule and co-reign with God to establish his covenant blessings in our lives. We want to get up early and work with God so he can prepare us for any surprises that pop up on us.
   Rev 1:6, "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. This is also found in Rev 5:10.
5. Rising up early can show that you are diligent in seeking the Lord. You build a certain discipline in this and God can prepare you so that he can use you to bless or help others.
   Isa 61:1, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."
6. Getting up early before your day starts and family wakes up is a good time to pray for loved ones and others the Lord would lay on your heart. That also is working with God to help others.
7. Rising up early is your chance to establish God's word in your heart and mind and to speak it out. You want what God thinks and you want to say what God's word says. That's the best news you'll receive all day. So start your day early with God's good news. This is confessing the word (the answer) over all of the circumstances you face.
   Phil 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise think on these things."
8. Rising up early to spend time with God, honors God before you honor people. Calling on Jesus before calling on others is honoring him-it’s also tithing 10% of your day to God. If you have a 15 hour day, you’ll want to spend an hour and a half in God’s presence, in his word, and inviting him to impart his will and wisdom into your spirit for the day.

Your daily action plan should start by giving God the time of day to impart his wisdom from heaven, courage to face your day, strength for the hard times, and so much more.  Don't give up if God doesn't speak with you right away or give you an answer right away, but keep your spiritual ears open, keep your spirit open and God will often speak when we least expect it.

All to His Glory,
​La  Donna
Photo by Samuel Martins on Unsplash

Like the fresh start of the New Year, Springtime gives us a 2nd chance at renewal. However, we need not wait for certain times of the year or for certain events, like taking summer vacations, to make us feel alive and for that chance to unwind mentally, physically, emotionally, and most importantly spiritually.
If we would cultivate a lifestyle of being in God's presence, we would experience more times of refreshing and each experience would be deeper and more meaningful. It definitely would build your faith and trust in this God we can't see with our natural eyes.
It's time to get rid of everything that holds you back, keeps you down, and suppresses your right to grow and feel alive in Jesus. 
Eph 2:4-6 says  4)  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened [made to be alive] us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6) And hath [past tense-it's already a done thing] raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. [emphasis mine]
Sometimes living a life of faith in God is not always easy but it is always right. To learn more about living by faith, read my blog Flying by Faith and you might also want to read Defying Negative Gravity.

Below are 5 steps you can use today to position yourself for and create for yourself that river of living waters for times of refreshing.  John 7:38 says, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." These living waters can be a constant source of refreshment both for you and for others as you learn to encourage others. This all depends on how much of  yourself you put into Christ.

Step One:
First, we must see God as our provider in everything, not just some being out there waiting for us to get to heaven. He is real and desires to be involved in our everyday lives.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
So get it fixed in your heart now, that God desires to work with you to establish his covenant blessings and his plan for your life. Don’t expect much help if you are not lined up with his word and plans for you. About the only help you’ll get is him helping you to refocus on what he has for you.

Step Two:
As in the Hebrew scripture above, we must go to God diligently. He can tell when you are just somebody that wants something from him and has no plans to honor him. Going to God for everything builds a relationship of trust and faith. When you can prove to God that you are serious about loving him, and wanting to serve him, when you show him you have been in his word about your situation, he’ll come shining through. Wait patiently and full of hope-fully trusting that he will be there and bring you those refreshing explanations that will make you alive in him once again.

Step Three:
Be prepared to know what you want and what you need God to do for you. Don’t just mouth off asking for any and everything. While God has a sense of humor, he’s also a serious God and he’s more than capable of meeting your needs. 
James 4:3 says, “Ye ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
This Is clear evidence that you can’t just ask for anything on a whim. It also gives a good indication that you need to want what God wants you to have. I know that can sound selfish of God but remember that his ways and thoughts are far higher than our own. He authored this life, and we should honor him in it and in every way possible. Isaiah 55:9 says, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth; so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

​Step Four:
Obedience is big with God. He desires that we learn his commandments and follow them all our lives, trusting him to make the promises work in our favor. We need to truly learn to love God not just for what he can do for us but simply just because of who he is. He is love. John 4:8.  Mark 12:30 says, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Read verse 31, as well.

Step Five:
Make sure you understand what God’s kind of love, called Agape, is all about and that you are walking in it to the fullest you possibly can.  Galatians 5:6 says, “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision: but faith which worketh by love.” 
Do you see that? Your faith will not work if you are not walking in God’s kind of love in every situation and towards every person. What this verse is telling us is that it doesn't matter what kind of life you live, or where you go to church. If you are not using God's kind of love in every situation, your faith will not work. It's as simple as that.
Ask God to help you in this because this is the single most important thing you can ever do as a Christian and that is to see others the way God sees them. You need to see yourself as God sees you. 

Additionally, to get to know God on a more personal level, I've created the 29 Days of Loving God package. It's free. I've included instructions and 29 scriptures to journal each day. Although it was originally intended to do during the month of February, anytime of the year is a good time to get to know God.  All you need to do is contact me and I'll email it to you. 
Be assured that this is the only time I will use your email unless you opt in for updates. I don't really have material to send out on a regular basis except for The Net Magazine which goes out monthly for free. 
Make this year the year of refreshing in Jesus.

La Donna

Good Morning and Happy February!
February is the month we celebrate love. I've chosen to spend this month loving on God. We always go to God for our needs and we should, but when is the last time you woke up and said, Oh! I've got to go see God today, don't count on me for dinner?
I have hand selected 29 scriptures to write out, pray and meditate on for this month. These scriptures show us so much about who God is. We want to let God know that we know him and love him for who he is.
We can only love him back with the love that he first gave us. In fact, it's with this same love that we are to love everyone else. 
I hope you'll join me for this special journey. For more details visit 29 Days. If you are ready to sign up, visit our Contact Us page, mark the 29 Days of Loving God selection at the bottom. Be sure to leave me your email so I can send you the set of scriptures.
As an added bonus, you'll also receive a set of scriptures from Dr. H. R. Sharp teaching us 
Who We Are, What We Have, and What We Can Do in and all because of Jesus.
I have never done a scripture writing plan, but this one is special to my heart. Join me today!

Doing More in 2024
​La Donna

​The definition of redeemed is to compensate for the faults of something or someone, to free from captivity by paying a price, or to regain possession of in exchange for a payment. Redeemed also means to make better in behavior and character.
Let me remind you that we are talking about being fully redeemed. There are those of all ages who will not do a complete job on anything they put their hand to.  You might have told your girls to go clean up the kitchen and they left some things undone such as wiping down the counters and the table. Perhaps your son was told to clean out the garage and he only did one side and didn’t even take the trash out to the curbside.
Jesus, on the other hand, is not slack handed. He didn’t gracefully bow out on the whipping post. He didn’t give up on the cross until all of his work was finished.  And when Jesus did his work it was completely finished. All of his work here in the earth was designed to fully redeem you.
What did Jesus redeem us from you might ask. Simply put, death, hell, and the grave; in other words, eternal damnation. He made a way for our fellowship and relationship with our Father God to be completely restored. This is in the Hebrew word Shalom. Many folks just throw off this word as nothing more than the word peace. Oftentimes, our word peace is temporary and carries with it certain limitations, restrictions, or expectations.
For example, we might be at peace with our neighbor but only until they act up again in ways we don’t appreciate or like. Truly, Shalom carries a far weightier meaning. Shalom really means nothing missing and nothing broken.  When Jesus went to the whipping post and the cross he brought to us Shalom-a nothing missing, nothing broken kind of restoration to our Father.
Let’s read Galatians 3:13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree;”
The curse of the law is death.  Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” I dare say this word death is not just the passing away from the bodies we live in. In fact, this affects our spirit. We’ll either live eternally blessed or we’ll live eternally damned.  The choice is ours.
Alright, let’s compare some words here. We’ll start with a few antonyms to the word redeemed. Neglect, disregard, breach, ignore, deprave, degrade or demoralize. Horrible words, aren’t they? Those words do not describe our Jesus. Amen? No, they are the complete opposite of the love Jesus extends to us.
Now, here are some synonyms. Deliver, rescue, ransom, save, recover, complete, fulfill, retrieve, release.  Some words related to these include: finalize, finish, perfect, execute, follow through with.  It’s getting better, right.
Want more? Reclaim, forgive, pardon, bless, consecrate, purify, sanctify. 
I want you to understand that being redeemed is more than just being delivered. We can be delivered from a jail sentence. Sometimes a person who has been released from jail hasn’t changed in behavior or character.
Atone, compensate, amend, collect, rectify, and propitiate are also words related to redeemed. The word reclaim is to bring back to a former state or condition.
In essence, you have been fully redeemed and fully reclaimed. The only thing holding you back from all of the goodness God offers through Jesus (having and maintaining a sacred relationship/fellowship with him) is you.  Our failure to believe, to trust in the word of God, to pursue the things of God will keep you from seeing the fullness of your redemption. 
1 Peter 1: 23 says, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
When you receive Jesus in your heart and in your life, you have been born again. And not of a corruptible seed as our original state was. This time, your spirit cannot be destroyed by a sinful nature.
Listen to me. You can trust God. You can trust that everything in his word is for you today.  As you celebrate Resurrection Sunday, see yourself as fully redeemed, fully reclaimed.  You have been made to be free to obtain all that God offers you.
Happy Resurrection Day
La Donna

Make it Yours
Your words are so vitally important to mainly you, but you can use your words to bless others as well. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” What are you eating these days?
Romans 4:17, the last part of that verse says, “God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.”
Your words can change things. Note also Mark 11: 22-24.
This Make it Yours section is to help you build some confessions based on the word of God.
Here are three confessions for you to use to help you begin to change things in your life:

1. I believe I am fully redeemed from the curse of the Law. I am redeemed and reclaimed by God.
2. I choose to live a life that yields blessings to me here on earth and eternally.
3. I believe I am born again of incorruptible seed and I am free to obtain all that God has for me and I will purposefully seek out His divine wisdom.

It's vitally important to note that speaking out these words just once will never be enough. You must daily focus on these while in communion with the Father. 
 

​I surely believe there is more to understand about prayer than we’ll ever be able to write about. I wanted to get this out to you as you continue to develop and strengthen your own prayer life.  This morning, thoughts about how to understand prayer took over my waking hours.
Certainly, Jesus left us a model prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. But could there be more? Should we bother spending time learning more about what prayer is and how to effectively use it? You better believe it. The scriptures talk about different kinds of prayers such as prayer for salvation and others for healing, etc. And besides that, prayer is how we communicate to God our thoughts, desires, needs, and love for Him; that and more is all done in the spiritual realm. The passage above is something we should often pray in our natural language.  The bible does talk about speaking in tongues in two separate ways. We’ll see how tongues used in a prayer language is helpful and powerful.
One example we see is in Acts 2. After this group was filled with the promise of the Holy Spirit they began to speak in other languages that other men knew. So this is language(s) that can be learned. Although learned, if you speak in a language that nobody understands, it will take the Holy Spirit to reveal its meaning and this is usually done through another individual. This is a public event that requires interpretation.  If it's a true word from God, it will speak forth the mind, will, and counsel of God and you'll be albe to support this word with scripture because God will not contradict His own word. The other example is described in both, Romans 8:26-27 and coincides with Jude 20. Now, Jude only has one chapter, so just find verse 20.
Let’s start with Romans 8. Verse 26) “Likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27) And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Now, Jude 20 reads, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,” 

​I want to talk to you a moment about this second way. We just read where the bible speaks of the Holy Spirit helping us to pray the perfect will of God. This is what we refer to as our prayer language. This one is not a learned language. It takes the help and power of the Holy Spirit to reveal what is said.  Unlike the other example, this is a private event and does not require interpretation. It’s often asked how would we know what we are praying for then. I was taught that whatever is in your spirit is what the Holy Spirit is helping you to pray about. I’ve had great comfort, peace, and success in knowing and praying like this.
Last thing I want to mention today about these two types of praying in tongues is that the bible does not record an end to this. Nowhere in God’s written word will you see where God said this is not to be done anymore this side of heaven.  We have bigger fish to fry than to mull over whether tongues is real or should be used. I personally will tell you that I pray in my prayer language often and I’m tremendously blessed and so are the people on the receiving end.
You need not worry if tongues are of the devil; he can’t give you what doesn’t belong to him. The word instructs us to ask God for this, not our enemy. Besides, I’m certain you’ll agree that honky-tonks are the devil's playground. There’s too much messing around going on in those places. I grew up in every honky-tonk in south central Texas from the time I was about 4 years old on into my adulthood and not one single time did I hear tongues being used. It doesn’t belong to satan, it is a gift from God. 

​To tackle a far more ferocious enemy through prayer, let’s move on. I want to cover two things with you.
First, EVERYTHING that happens in our lives FIRST happens in the spiritual realm. We see this truth in the creation story in Genesis 1: 1- Genesis 2:5. In this passage we read all about God creating heaven, earth, animals, trees, plants, etc. But, notice in verse 5 it says there was not a man to till the ground. Now, didn’t we just read back in Gen 1:27 that God created man?  This is key! Oh brothers and sisters don’t you see? This all took place in God’s spiritual realm. Up to verse 5 in chapter two, this was His vision and plans that He’s talking about to the Holy Spirit and to Jesus. None of what you just read has actually happened yet. All of this that God had said first took place in the spiritual realm. He decreed it to be so in that realm long before it was manifested (developed and took place) in our natural realm.
This is our formula for prayer. Are you with me?
Sadly, the staggering truth is that our mortal enemy, satan, also lives in that realm.
The word says that satan stands before God day and night as the accuser of the brethren, see Revelations 12:10.
It is here, my friends, that we must learn to work with God through prayer and warfare. When we need change in our circumstances, or to help others, we need to share our vision with God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus. It’s important to pray the answer (God’s word) over situations. Talk it over with them. They hear you!!!
Second, to position yourself for prayer and warfare, you must believe that prayer takes place in the spiritual realm because that’s where God is, that’s where He holds His court, it’s where He holds up His word for us as we stand on its truths, and to make sure our choices and the decisions we make are honored and carried out.
Matthew 18:18-20 says, 18) Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19) Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20) For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

​Don’t let this get to you. We use our natural thoughts and mouth-our lips to communicate with each other here in the natural realm. God is a spirit and so are we. When we need to talk to God, what we say to him comes from our spirit but goes through our mouth.  See Luke 11:22-26 and notice how many times God says we are to speak.
In this spiritual realm, that’s where our throne is, that’s where our crown (authority) resides. This is where prayers take place and are made effective. That’s where we trade in our wilderness mentalities for God’s Kingdom Realities. It’s where we realize that we don’t have to be sick, poor, have bad family relationships and let the enemy run roughshod over us. This is where we declare our victory over any and everything ol’ slewfoot throws our way, amen? AMEN and AMEN!

​No doubt you’ve heard from many about the blessings of God. Are you one of those that struggle’s trying to understand anything about those blessings or how to even get them? If you keep on that trend, you’ll give up on the things of God.  I don’t want you to be one of them.  So, I’ve put together a special package just for you to help you take up your place in Christ, Ephesians 2:6.
God’s Spiritual Blessing Package is spelled out in his word from Genesis all the way through the book of Revelations and includes salvation for you and your family, healing for your body, family well being, and prosperity for your pocketbook. Most people give up right there because they don’t understand the bible. I get that, but that’s why we are here. We want to help you so that you can grow and help others. 
A necessary beginning is to understanding how to get anything from God is you have to believe in the atoning work of Jesus, and this pulls God into your corner.
So, let’s start with salvation. You’ve probably heard of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Are you a whosoever?  Scriptures like this and others can bring you to the knowledge of God’s saving grace. You accepted this as truth in your spirit and you just know that in the end, Jesus will be there to escort you to heaven. Repeat that process for all the promises and blessings that God made available to you.
Once you are born again, spend some time in the word to learn God’s nature. See what it is that he likes and what he calls sin. Learn how to pray and talk to God. Learn how to trust the Holy Spirit inside you to lead you, and comfort you. Learn about the commandments of God.  There are many others that will help you become a stronger person than you ever thought possible.
Why is that important? Psalms 84:11 says, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.  See also Proverbs 8:18-21; Proverbs 9:6; and Proverbs 10:22.
The sweet part of all of this is you don’t have to wait until you get to heaven to enjoy these things.  Proverbs 11:31 says, “Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.”  You won’t need healing or prosperity in heaven. You’ll always have everything you need and no sickness lives in heaven. There’s no debt or lack, no such thing as poverty in heaven, praise God.
You have to hear the preached word to believe it. Once you’ve heard the word and you’ve studied it enough or allowed it to stay in your heart long enough for your spirit to grab a hold of it, then you can say you just downloaded that message (blessing or promise) right into your spirit, amen? And that’s what you are looking for-that download.
Let me ask you something. When you go out and buy new software for your computer, you study it to see what if offers and decide if it’s what you need, right? You purchase it and get it home. Is it going to do you any good until you get it uploaded and activated? No, it’s just going to set there or get lost in the shuffle of things. Such are the promises of God.
You can believe all day long in the promises but if you never download them into your spirit and activate them with your faith, it’s like the software you just purchased and left it setting on your desk.  Software that is not installed and activated is dead to you, right?  Faith without works is dead, too, amen.  James 2:26 says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” You can also reference James 2:20.
Many of you are probably thinking, now just how in the world do I activate something that I can’t even touch, this spiritual stuff you are talking about. I’m so glad you asked.
What do you need from God? Make you a list; spend some time thinking about what you would put on this list. And don’t worry about how tall of an order it ends up being. All things are possible with God, Matthew 19:26. Now, this only works when you are believing him for the things he has ordained for your life. You can’t ask God for a mountain of drugs and think this scripture will get you to that mountain. You have to know and believe in what God has for you. As we would say, you have to change your stinking thinking.
Talk to the Holy Spirit about what you need; he’ll guide you to the right scriptures for your particular level of faith and need. You have to have the word of God in this. Your faith cannot operate in the things of God without using his word. When the Holy Spirit reveals that scripture study it, speak it out loud, repeat it over and over, let your eyes read it over and over again. Faith will swell up in your spirit and then you act on whatever it is that comes up in that moment.
For instance. I bought an adorable soft padded little devotional for women. They had one for mother’s, too; I eventually got that one for myself. The Lord told me one day to go and get the one for Mothers and give it to a friend of mine. The one for mother’s had a cover that had this inviting bench set in a garden. It was really nice but it wasn’t near as pretty as the devotional for women. That one was covered in a beautiful rich purple brocade pattern with a stunningly beautiful tea cup and saucer. Gosh how I wish I still had those books. Anyway, I felt like my friend needed something pretty in her life. So, I bought her the book for women. As I was checking out, the Lord spoke to me through the indwelling Holy Spirit and said put it in a pretty gift package, add ribbons – make it special for her. So I did all of that.
When I got to my friends house, she met me outside and I told her, hey God loves you. He sees and collects your every tear; he knows your every heartache and is there for you to call on him. I gave her the package and she just started crying.  She told me she just got her son out of juvenile detention.
I just sunk inside myself.  I asked her for the package back so I could go and exchange it for the devotional for moms. She said no, that just the thought of me coming by with that thoughtful gift and sharing God’s love with her was enough. It blessed her.  I’ll guarantee you there must have been a word from God in the devotional for mom’s; she would have been far more blessed if I would have obeyed God.
The point is that God will work with you to bring blessings into your life and use you to do that for others. You just need to hear from God and be obedient to what he shows you in your spirit. 
Now, about the download package, I obviously cannot produce for you a healing package or a financial package etc. that you can just take home, open it, and consume it like a pill and everything is all better. However, you will do that exact same thing in your spirit.  Download in your spirit the truths in God’s word, act on them just like I had to buy my friend that devotional book and fix it up in a pretty gift bag. 
To help you get started, I do have some things for you, some tangible things you can put your hands on.  Use the insert for more information and to request your Spiritual Blessings Download and we’ll send it out to you right away. 
This set includes:  My Personal Hall of Faith workbook, God’s Plan~My Victory workbook, and four printed sheets of scriptures covering some of the blessings of God for you to use in working with God to make your life better.  As you take into your spirit these truths (that’s the download part) and you act on them (that’s the activation part), God will bring these things to you.
Isaiah 1:19 says, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.  It’s important for you to understand the qualifications in this scripture. Who gets to eat the good of the land? Are you willing to make time to be with God in his word and grow? Can you be obedient to what he shows you?
Another truth that will really set you up for blessings is for you to let go of money and trust God to bless you and to take care of you. Reading this you are probably saying, oh I can’t let go of money. Friend, you can’t afford to not let go of money and trust God.
Malachi 3:9 & 10 says, 9) “Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse [this is the place that feeds you spiritually], that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. [emphasis mine]
Listen to me, tithing is 10% of your gross income – all of your increase. You want gross blessings so tithe off of your gross increase. This is something I live and I can personally tell you that it works like crazy. I have a shed full of my toys and I don’t have room for more, yet the more I give, the more God blesses me back with things.
He’s no respecter of persons; he’ll do the same for you.
Blessings,
La Donna
 

 There’s a passage in Matthew where Jesus returns to Jerusalem, and this was shortly before he was taken captive in the Garden of Gethsemane.  This passage, Matthew 21: 1-11, talks about how Jesus returned.  In verse two we see where Jesus sent for a donkey and the donkey was brought unto him.
Let me set the stage here.  Most of the Jewish population then was looking for their King, a great King, a King of all Kings.  When you think of a King, you think of one wearing a crown and wearing luxurious robes of purple and red and gold threads running through it.  We think of him sitting on a high throne with a scepter in his hand and surrounded by guards, right? That’s what the Jewish people were expecting. And that’s totally understandable.
Verse four and five alerts us to a prophecy that said “Tell ye the daughter of Sion [church], Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” [emphasis mine]
Now, horsemen know horses. They know a good quality horse when they see one.  You don’t buy cattle without knowing what you are getting into, right?
You would think that these folks would recognize a well-bred donkey, quality stock, if you will. After all, most of them were herdsmen and farmers.  There were no marks on him, he was young. Basically, this was the Cadillac of all donkeys … low mileage you see. He had never been ridden before. Many failed to recognize their king because Jesus didn’t come into town wearing royal robes with a crown on his head and waving a scepter at his royal subjects.
Verse 10 says, “And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?”  Sometimes our answers don’t come to us wrapped up in pretty packages with dangling curls of ribbon and a card attached to it, amen? Amen.
I want you to know today that the same King that came riding into Jerusalem that day is the same King that will ride up into your camp bearing gifts, bringing answers, stirring your faith, solving all your problems, meeting all your needs and more.
Isaiah 61: 3 tells us this same King will comfort all that mourn. He will give unto you beauty for the heaps of ashes in your life. He will give you oil of joy for mourning. He’ll walk right up to you and give you a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness that you’ve been walking around in. He will plant you as a tree of righteousness that the LORD may be glorified.
He’ll use you to build up the old waste areas, and raise up the former desolations, repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. He’ll cause strangers to stand and feed your flocks, the sons of people you don’t know to dress your vineyards.
This same king has named us the Priests of the LORD and for our shame he’ll give us double [blessing], for confusion [darkness and despair] we’ll rejoice in our portion.
But this stuff doesn’t happen overnight. In the spiritual realm it has already happened. The sooner you let your spirit believe this, the sooner your answers will come. 
Let me tell you that no matter how dark your world is right now you can rise up victoriously. Realize that this darkness is already around you, it can’t do anything more to you. You have no choice but to open your heart to the only true and living source of light – it’s the King.  It’s the same king that came riding into Jerusalem on that donkey.  While you may be looking for this light you so desperately need to come in one form or another – don’t miss your donkey.
Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." 
You can turn to Jesus today. Visit here to learn more about Jesus and pray to receive him into your heart and life today.
As always, we're here to help you connect with God.
In His Service,
La Donna

I just want you to know that if this describes your life, you can work with God to change everything negative in your life into something far more positive than you can begin to even think or imagine.
John 10:10 says, "The thief [satan-your enemy] cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." [emphasis mine]
This verse clearly shows us who does all the destroying and who does all the blessing. Our enemy, satan, is active and present every day in all our lives.  He's among us because the worldly system was given back to him when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. The worldly system is defined as beg, borrow, and steal, extra-marital relationships, hate, bitterness, murder, sleeping with your neighbor's wife, spiritual and physical death, disease, lack, and poverty of all kinds, and this list goes on and on. 
I hope you don't seriously think that God would leave us in such defeated conditions. Yet, many people live and believe that is exactly what happened. Listen to me when I tell you that God is a good God, he's only good - never bad, and he's good ALL THE TIME because that is exactly what God is. You can trust his word when it says He is Love.
Let's see how God remedied these things in the following three scriptures.
Matthew 12:40 says, "For as Jonas (this is Jonah from the story of Jonah and the whale) was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
Why do you suppose he was there?
Matthew 16:19, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:...
​Revelation 1:18, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. 
Do you see now why he was in the heart of the earth? Jesus had to die like this so that sinless blood could take away from us the keys of death and hell in exchange for the keys of life-the keys of his kingdom.
Right now, maybe you are saying that's great but how do I use this information.  The answer to this is a really strong one. If you are not born again, there is absolutely nothing you can do about this. You have no power over this kind of darkness, this kind of evil. None of us do. None of us have the power to overcome anything negative in and of ourselves. Our only hope is found in believing in Jesus and all that he went through. Everything Jesus went through, from the being captured in Gethsemane, through the trial -being traded out for a murderer named Barabas, through the whipping post, through the crucifixion, even right on through those three days he spent in hell taking back the keys of life, having risen again after three days, and all the way back to his throne in glory, he did for you and me so that we could overcome, being more than conquerors. 
So, what do you do with this information? You simply believe in what the word tells you about this and ask Jesus into your heart so that you can begin to trade in those wilderness mentalities for God's Kingdom Realities such as I am the head, and not the tail, I am above and not beneath, I am more than a conqueror, I'm not poor anymore, I'm alive-I'm alive-I'm alive in Jesus, AMEN!!!
You work with God by simply believing that he has a plan taylor-made just for you and you open your spirit [like unbuttoning your jacket and pulling it wide open] to him to usher in that glorious plan he has for you. Begin to change your confession from doubt to victory, get in his word and get to know the nature of God, learn to see things his way by taking on the fruit of the spirit. Just don't stop. For more blessings reference Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7, read the whole book of Romans, then Hebrews chapter 11. 
You spend enough time in the word of God you'll soon recognize a power and authority that is being built up in you that will boldly defy the odds and cause your life to be described as 2 Corinthians 2:14 which says, "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place." This authority will flow out of your mouth like John 7:38 explains: "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
Take your authority, Jesus freely and willingly gives this to you, so that you can reign with him (see Ephesians 2:6) to effect his covenant of blessing - not curses- in your life. 
As a last note, trust me, it is well worth the effort you put into this.  In other words, the degree to which you put into God, is the minimum degree to which God will return things back to you. You must remember that everything we give to God, he presses it down, shakes it together, and returns it to us overflowing.
Let's close by going back to John 10:10. That word abundantly means to the full, until it overflows. 
If you have never received Jesus in your heart, please visit our prayer page where you can learn more about Jesus and ask him into your heart so that you can begin to live a better life in Him. 
Please leave me a comment if this helped you at all. We've all been in those rotten places in life - no condemnation here. We're here to help you get up out of darkness and walk in God's light.
Blessings be unto you,
La Donna

If you are a mom reading this, I sincerely hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day.
This year, I decided to host a semi-virtual Mother's Day Brunch and Tea. Our menu was a Mediterranean style salad, with bread and butter, and sparkling grape juice for drinks followed by a moment of tea served with angel food cake and vanilla ice cream. 
Although it was nothing fancy, it was still a lovely day. Here are a few of my pics to commemorate the day.

I love flowers. They are one of God's best gifts to us to show us how real He is and that he promotes beauty and peace. If you want to see God, look at flowers, birds, and bees.  Amen.
I've invited those who participated in this semi-virtual celebration to share with us their pics of their Mother's Day celebration. These are below. Enjoy. 

One need only look around and see the chaos of our modern times. These days are marked by governments the world over ignoring the only true and living God. 
We see and hear other religions out there that think it's okay to go around and blow things up, to take away a beautiful life from a beautiful child (I'm of the opinion that every child is beautiful) and make them grow up to hate and to kill, and they have no regard for the women that bring them children.
Can you imagine living under a government that says it's okay to rape women and our daughters? Can you imagine them stealing your sons from you and turn them into murderers? And they call us horrors, prostitutes because we do not worship their god or honor their ways. Their way is to bully themselves into the lives of others demanding folks worship their God. Am I the only one, or does anybody out there see how evil this really is? Do you see any true love or real peace about thinking and living this way? I certainly don't. I would never want to worship some god that has absolutely no regard for human, plant, and animal life.
What's worse is our government here in the United States has allowed some other religions to come in and make their laws applicable - here on our God given soil. In that single act alone, this government has wiped out all the blood that was shed for this country to honor the only real God, they have forgotten what peace and liberty is all about. They have decided that honoring God is no longer a necessary thing to live a good life.
I'm here to declare to you today that there is only one God of real, true, peace and love and this God is the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. Our God is one of peace, mercy, and love everlasting.  
In John 14:6 we read, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
The path that God would have us on focuses on the things we read from Isaiah 26:3 and from Philippians 4:8.
Isaiah 26: 3 reads, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."
Philippians 4:8 reads, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
​Your choices to not honor God are recorded daily so that God can make sure you get what you wanted regarding both your life here on earth and throughout all eternity. What choice are you making today? I choose to love, honor, and worship this God of Abraham - He is My God. My savior Jesus is the ONLY WAY, TRUTH, AND LIFE for me and my family.
To learn more about this God I serve, read my article on Getting to Know Jesus here. 
If you pray and ask God to forgive you of all sin and disobedience, and ask Jesus to come into your life, and to be filled with God's precious and Holy Spirit, please let us know. 
We want to help you get off to a good start in your new life (walk) of faith in this awesome God. He loves you and so do we! 
Listen, we all have trials and tribulations. But it's how you deal with those situations that makes you victorious. Jesus said he has overcome the wickedness of this world and that means that through Him [because we believe in Him, he gives us the strength to overcome], we can choose to not walk in the way of wickedness, evil, bitterness, hatred, and unforgiveness. There is power in the blood of Jesus to help you have a choice to not participate in the evil things of this world. This power in the blood of Jesus brings you the God given ability to not sin against God, to not speak and do hurtful things to others, to live a life that is successful with no sorrow added. This power in the blood of Jesus has caused those of us that believe to overcome death, hell, and the grave. This power in the blood of Jesus has caused those of us who believe to be translated out of the kingdom of darkness [satan's domain-being ruled and governed by it] into God's marvelous light [strength, understanding, wisdom, peace, love and joy in the Holy Ghost and so much more].
​This God is the real God. This God is not weak, because no other god out there sent his son to die on a cross for the sins of his people. 
Choose God today.
In His Service,
​La Donna    

Just as we should eat balanced meals for our bodies, I want to talk to you about your spiritual meals. For this, we’ll look at Ephesians chapter 4. It can never be said enough how important and necessary it is to feed your spirit a well balanced diet. Your spiritual life will suffer worse than your natural body when it is not fed a proper diet and daily so.
We feed our bodies nutrition from fruits, berries, sources of meat, dairy, and carbs. We feed our spirits on the word of God. And that last years keto meal isn’t going to feed you today. Likewise, you need to study the word of God on a daily basis for fresh food. So, when we take in the word of God, we grow from correction, we grow from confirmation, lots of love, and revelation of Gods great plans for our lives. We reach for the place that God desires us to be in our walk with Him. But, none of this happens without proper spiritual dinners on a daily basis, amen.
Ok, if you haven’t yet, open your bibles to Ephesians chapter 4: 11. Here we read,
11) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12) For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13) Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ:
14) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and
carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15) But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
That word stature has to do with how tall your spirit grows.  We have a natural stature, we also have a spiritual stature. 
Verse 11 lists the gifts that Jesus gave the church. We know them as the five-fold ministry. Your spiritual diet should regularly consist of messages from those that operate in that gift. 
A good church is one whose pastor will feed his flock a regular diet from the 5-fold ministry. If your church does not bring in these ministers to feed you, then you need to make every effort to avail yourself to Christian conferences that can bring more to your table. We’re not going to purposefully starve ourselves in the natural but many people the world over will starve themselves spiritually. Don’t starve yourself. Learn to love the Lord, learn to love His word and learn to love spending quiet time with Him. 
In verse 12 we read why Jesus gave us these gifts. It’s for the perfecting of who? The saint’s of God—YOU! We all need to be equipped to do the things God has called us to do. It doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time—start today. We know that God wants us free, healed, delivered, restored to our rightful place and so much more. It’s the responsibility of the 5-fold ministers to get you there.
What the church should be focused on is setting the captives free, causing the lame to walk again, the blind eyes to see again. The church should be focused on it’s connections with God for His blessings to flow in your life.  It should be teaching its members about how God can minister healing to you, spirit, soul, and body.
It’s not about what religion you are. Those religious tags need to fall off right now anyway because that was never God’s design for his church. You can study that by reading the first chapter of 1st Corinthians.  Paul talks about how he is glad he didn’t baptize those who lay claim to those religious tags. Many will say, well I’m Baptist, I’m  Presbyterian, etc.
A good church will teach you who you are in Christ.  It will teach you about your authority in the Lord and how to use it.  It will teach you how to behave in a Godly way in all situations; you’ll respond the same no matter what is going on around you.  A good church will teach you just exactly what the word of God says and nothing more, nothing less.  A good church will teach you the word of faith which is what we preach, what faith is and how to use it to stop the enemy from destroying everything and everyone in your life.
These things come to you by those in the 5-fold ministry, and that includes your pastor.  Find a good church, listen to the things they bring to your table. Is it giving you knowledge to grow, is it giving you strength to endure, does it teach you how to wear that God given crown of yours and keep it on?
In The Net magazine, and throughout all of JHM / TMC we endeavor to bring you such a ministry that can help feed your spirit so that you can become the full stature that God ordained for you to be. To get that well balanced spiritual meal, read a chapter in the bible every day, take notes if something reaches out to you. Pay attention to those times. Use our magazine for good bible study material to help you grow. Get in touch with us if you need more study material or have questions. Stop by to visit the Mary and Betty Amerson Word Study Center, spend some time here on my blog,  Mornings with La Donna, and do yourself a real favor, make sure you stop by and visit Doc on his new blog. I know what I know today because if this man and his wife Beverly’s ministry as well as Mary and Betty’s ministry. 
For outdoor enthusiasts, visit Jason’s blogs. God has given him several ways to relate positions of sports teams to our walk of faith.
God needs you so you should spend plenty of time preparing to be used by our wonderful God. And this is not something to be taken lightly.
Dare to believe that God has so much for you, wonderful plans to bring you an expected end where His goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life. He desires to lead you beside still waters, not roaring rapids. He desires to lead you to greener pastures which speaks of a land of plenty, a land that will have you drinking from your saucer because your cup has overflowed, amen? Amen!
Until next time,
La Donna 

We talk a lot about declaring the word of God over every situation.
For some, you may still be wondering what that looks like, how do you declare the word. 
To give you an example I've chosen the 23rd Psalms.
​Basically just take your favorite scripture or passage and pray it in first person.




Praying the 23rd Psalm
Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus.
I thank you Jesus that you are my (our or name your children and family) shepherd; I (we) shall not want.
Thank you that you make me (us) to lie down in green pastures, and that you lead me (us) beside the still waters.
And I thank you Lord that you restore my (our) soul(s) and lead me (us) in the paths of your righteousness for your name’s sake.
Though I (we) walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I (we) will fear no evil for you are with me (us). Your rod (ordinances) and your staff (laws) comfort and protect me (us).
You prepare a table before me (us) in the presence of my (our) enemies and you anoint my (our) head with oil, my (our) cup runs over.
I thank you that surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me (us) all the days of my (our) life (lives). And I (we) will dwell in the house of my (our) Lord forever.
In Jesus’ name I (we) pray, Amen.
Alternately, you might pray something like this:
Father according to the 23rd Psalms, I declare you are my shepherd, I shall not want.
I declare the green pastures belong to me and my family, that our cup runs over, and I declare that your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. I choose Father to live in the house of my God, my Lord and Savior forever. In Jesus' name, amen.
Apply this technique to any of the scriptures and you are on your way to victory. But don't just spout off at the mouth, you must believe what comes out of your mouth for this to work. Turn inward to the Holy Spirit, recognize what you believe about the word of God in your spirit.
We'll do this again with the 91st Psalm and Isaiah 54:17 in the weeks ahead.
Blessings until next time.

La Donna,