Some months ago, I was really unwell for about three weeks.  It’s rather personal so I’ll not go into too much details, but the only time I got a little comfort was during the night whilst lying down.  In the morning, I’d always feel better and then start thanking God for my healing but I would know within an hour that this pain hadn’t gone away so, what did I do?

I would try to concentrate on my work and each time I felt pain, I tried to just keep thanking God for my healing.  But,  I have to say there were times when I just felt too weak.  And I’m not going to lie to you, all the negative thoughts surfaced and all the “what if” questions that weren’t supportive surfaced but I asked anyway.

The one thing I did was read the four Gospels in the Bible - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Now, why did I do that?

I knew this is where the stories of faith were.  The stories of Jesus healing the sick and performing other miracles and so I wanted to encourage myself and focus on these stories.  And, the one prevailing element that was so clear in all of these stories was that of faith.

In the book of Luke, Jesus asked “who touched me?” And the woman with the issue of blood had to confess it was her.  Jesus told her, “your faith has made you whole.”

And then there was the story of the blind man and Jesus asked him “do you believe I can do this for you?” “Yes I believe,” answered the blind man and, Jesus healed him.

But remember the situation when the disciples tried to cast out the demons out of the little boy and in the end, Jesus had to come on the scene and do the job himself.  We read later where the disciples were questioning why they were unable to cast out the demon and Jesus told them … “these things come only through prayer and fasting.”

What he was saying was that it wasn’t the fast that would bring about the result, but the building of their faith by denying the flesh to focus on HIM.

I read an article lately from a Christian Women’s magazine suggesting that fasting was an old testament act and so no more relevant today.

Well, I’m certainly not going to get myself all emotional about whether you agree with fasting or not, but I will quote the scripture that Jesus relayed to his disciples …

“When You Fast …” (Matthew 6:16)

Not “if” but “when” and, we read in the Acts of the Apostles about the great miracles following their many fasts.

But here’s my point … if you’ve got faith to move mountains then mountains will move.  If you don’t have faith, you’re going to have to get it and in my view … it’s whatever it takes!

Read your Bible, pray, fast, read faith inspired books, listen to other people’s testimonies … but get that faith!

The Bible tells us that:

“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God”

My own personal experience is that during a fast, my focus is more on the things of God and so therefore, I “hear” a lot better.

Did you know that you can read your Bible and still not “hear” what it’s saying.  You can listen to testimonies of others and read inspiring books and still not “hear” the message behind the message?

This is just one of the many reasons to fast – to hear.

If you knew that you only had days to live and yet you knew that locking yourself away and being in God’s presence for those two days and fasting was the only hope you had, would you do it?  I bet if you knew for sure you would!  And yet, the stories in the Gospel are filled with stories of faith.

You could even argue that in Jesus’ time, many saw the miracles with their own eyes and others heard about the miralces as the stories spread like wildfire which, contributed to their faith.  We don’t have the human Jesus with us any longer and there is an absense of miracles in the Body of Christ and so it can become a little harder to believe.

God hasn’t abdicated from performing miracles and so if we’re not seeing results, it’s a faith issue, a belief issue.  Therefore, you have to do whatever it takes to get that faith!

My suggestion is that you begin in the Word of God and get the Word inside of you … it (the Word) can’t act until it’s internalised.

This time last year, we were in a desperate situation and we so badly needed God’s help.  I was in the car just driving around and basically not knowing what to do and I litterally cried out “God what am I supposed to do … I’m reading your Word, praying your Word and believing your Word and yet nothing seems to be happening!”  And I’m telling you, the other motorist passing by may have thought I was arguing with someone on my mobile or just going mad because I was shouting in desperation at the top of my voice.  And then, in a still small voice, the Holy Spirit said “Ah but Trish, these things only come through prayer and fasting.”

Have you ever seen a baby get into a temper and then for no unknown reason just stop almost as though they’ve worn themselves out?  Well, this was me.  I was silent after hearing this.  I pulled up on Frenchay Common, near to where we live, and I literally sat there for about 40 minutes staring at a tree.

For me, this wasn’t the first time I was told to fast and in fact for about three weeks prior to this event, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to fast on more than one occasion and either I didn’t bother or, I’d start and then give up.

In fact the previous day, I started fasting and felt a couple of tummy twinges and “decided” I shouldn’t be fasting since it was “that time of the month” (sorry if there are men reading this but this is a woman’s blog and I’m not dressing anything up!).

Well, after this incident in the car I knew what I had to do.  I hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning and so I decided three days was how long I would fast for.  It was hot, I came on, I had a headache which meant I had to take a painkiller on an empty stomach – somthing I never do - but I was desperate and couldn’t allow allow ANY excuses to get in the way.

I returned home after about 40 minutes of sitting in silence in the car and I collected my Bible, notebook, a book I began reading in 2005 by Mahesh Chavda, The Hidden Power of Praying and Fasting, and I returned to my beauty spot on Frenchay Common and read my Bible, read my book, talked to the Lord, slept and woke before leaving to collect my daughter from School.

For the three days I fasted, I still prepared dinner for Chris and Elodie and in fact, on the second day, nothing touched my lips apart from when Chris and I took communion in the evening.

And the truth is, there were times when I wanted to give up – especially since I wasn’t really doing much work.  I just felt it necessary though to get into God’s presence and now felt right.  But what was surprising was that the second day into the fast, I was feeling gloomy.  I was still reading my book by Mahesh Chavda and whilst I was learning some things from the book, it had lost it’s sparkle from the previous day because I was struggling with this fast, doubts started surfacing and I was just desperate for God to move but nothing seemed to be happening.

And then, out of the blue, one of the men from our Church who, was an elder, called me on the telephone and said “Trish, I have been trying to email you for however long and having trouble, but Father tells me you’re crying out to Him and he wants you to just trust him implicitly.”  Basically, I couldn’t say a word and I just started crying.  And, he said to me, I don’t need you to tell me what’s going on, I just needed to tell you what Father has to say about this.

He sent me the email of what he had told me over the phone and here it is:

This is what I was about to text you, but could not find your mobile
number in contacts for some reason:

“…..but ALL things do work together for good for those who love the Lord.
I know Lord, but it can get awfully tough without respite for long periods. (me)
Take the “BUT” away and just believe unreservedly Trish”.

I want to tell you, the only person outside our house I told whilst I was fasting was my closest friend.  I told no one else and one of the things I’d specifically said to God was “I just need some respite,” the exact words this man used in his message to me.

In terms of where we are today financially, I can not tell you what has happended over the past year since I’d need a book to write it all.  And I won’t lie, it hasn’t been a bed of roses but we’ve seen The Blessing at work .

I do want to make this one thing clear though and I’m teaching my daughter this at 7 …

God is not impressed with your fasting!

I don’t fast to get approval from God or to earn brownie points to get into heaven because neither of these will take me there.

Religious people fast to get recognition from God and earn points to get into heaven.  I on the other hand am Redeemed!  Jesus has already paid the price and I’m grateful to God that I don’t have to earn my way into heaven.  I fast to build my faith, get closer to God and to hear from him so that I can believe that what he says about me in his Word is true and what he says in his Word that I can have, are mine already! This is when miracles happen … when I believe!

By deniying the flesh, you’re forced to focus on Him.  Don’t believe me?  Try it just for one meal or two or 24 hours if you can and take note of the difference in how you think, even if you struggle to read your Bible and pray.

In Isaiah 58 God rebukes Judah for their mechanical fasts.  He asks them “Is this the fast I’ve required of you ….”  And then he sets out the peramters for the fast he does require.

So, like I said, I’m not going to get all emotional about whether fasting is for today or not, all I know is that for me, fasting builds the faith I need to get The Blessings God promised me and when I want that thing so bad, I’ll do whatever it takes! Even deny myself of food for three days.

Blessings,

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As I continued reading to verses 10 and 11, I felt a deep sense mourning in my heart:

“10. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  11. He came to his own, and His own did not receive Him.”

Can you imagine what it would be like for Bill Gates never to be recognized for building the Microsoft empire as we know it today.  Or even worse, he turns up at the Microsoft head office and from the people on security to the Managing Directors, they ask him to leave since they don’t recognize him or believe he’s really Bill Gates?

This in essence is what happened to Jesus.  All things were created through him, including you and I and when he came into the world, we questioned asking, ”Jesus, is it really you?”  “Are you really THE Messiah spoken of by all the prophet Isaiah?”

Let me tell you, familiarity breeds contempt and when Jesus visited Nazareth, they thought they KNEW who He was … “isn’t this Joseph’s (the carpenters) son?”  Wasn’t He among us with His bretheren?  The Bible tells us, they were offended by Jesus when He taught in their synagogues in Nazareth – His own country!  They couldn’t understand how He spoke with such knowledge, understanding and authority because after all, He’s “just” the carpenter’s son.

The truth is, we’re all prone to do this … think we know everything there is to know about a person and we rate them based on our own assessement of our own understanding of who or what we “think” they ought to be.  However, only God knows who you really are and who and what you’re destined to become.  And despite all of your faults and failings, He knows What He’s put inside of you … your potential, your talents, your dreams and your gifts and this is how He KNOWS you.

So the next time you feel discouraged because you’re unrecognized, your talents shifted to one side as though they don’t matter, remember to keep your chin up!  Even after Jesus was crucified, he was still having an impact on people’s lives. 2000 years later, he’s still having an impact on people’s lives and apart from being the Son of God, there is one and only one reason for this big impact …

He finished the course, He did what He came here to do.

What about you?  Are you going to finish the course or will you let naysayers steer you off course because they disown or even reject you.

Be encouraged since verse 12 of John 1 says:

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

Trust me when I say, there are people out there who believe in you, in your ability, in your gifts and talents and to them, God has given you the power to influence, to help, to nurture, to grow and to inspire them to change.  As you inspire change in others, you’ll notice something wonderful happening … your gifts will make way for you and you will walk in your destiny.

Once Jesus’ work on earth was done, He was glorified and now sits at the right hand of the father but, that doesn’t mean that you have to die to receive your blessing.  All you have to do is stay the course, keep focused on Jesus, the high priest of your profession (confession or, faith in Him) and finish the course. God will do the rest.

Blessings,

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Seriously now, if any one wants to know how to run an event smoothly, you need to attend next year and watch excellence in action.  I told the host, Pastor Toyin Jama that in my 30 years of being a Christian, I had never been looked after so well by any Church and, I’m not saying that to flatter.  Honestly they didn’t miss anything.

I had travelled with my husband, daughter and a friend and, at the end of each meeting, we were given food to take back with us to the hotel and, I’m not talking finger rolls and cucumber sandwhiches!  I’m talking chicken, rice and peas, fish, plantain and all the trimmings.  Even the location of the hotel was chosen with my husband and little girl in mind … Manchester football stadium was nearby and the hotel overlooked the docks.

In terms of the speakers, I was personally blessed by the others who ministered and I hope to post some photograps of the event and add some testimonies over the next couple of weeks.

I spoke on Friday evening about how my husband and I used Kingdom of God principles to begin the process of debt cancellation and, to keep ourselves from losing our home almost two years ago now.  Saturday morning for the women’s session, I spoke about “Breaking Free from Emotional Bondages” and after the break, a presentation on  Equipping Men and Women for Business and Commerce.  I’m not going to do the self praise thing though … the testimonies will speak for themselves.

For me, this conference marked the rebirth of my ministry …

“… and God could not have chosen a better venue or a better group of people to initiate this rebirth.”

Though not intentionally, since being called into ministry back in 2003, I have taken a back seat on too many occasions.  When Toyin called me about speaking at their conference, there was no doubt in my mind that this was a God sent assignment.  I prayed far more than I prepared, not because I was so confident about my message but because for the first time in my speaking career and ministry, I was relying on the Holy Spirit and not my own ability.  It’s also the first time I experienced such peace before I spoke.

In fact, on Friday evening, I thought I was going to give a 10 minute word and then discovered I had 25 minutes to speak.  Even then, I was so calm and told God “you’re really testing out this ambassador now aren’t you … but I trust you.”  As I flipped through the pages of my Bible to find a message, I came across these words from Isaiah 51:15 …

“And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand …”

That was it!  My reassurance from God that I had nothing to worry about … just be obedient and He would put His words in my mouth.

Well, I decided that I would speak about the Woman at the Well ~ John 4, but, all that changed when I stood on the platform to speak.  Instead, I felt led to speak about how we used Kingdom of God Principles to keep our home and begin to recover from the financial mess we found ourselves in a couple of years ago.   And even then, I only intended giving a brief overview but it took over.  And, I had no idea that so many people were faced with this issue.  People were coming up to me afterwards and saying “you were speaking to me.”  My heartfelt prayer is that these people experience the Kingdom of God in all its fullness.

I personally know there is more to come than we’ve even experienced so far.

Conference Speakers

Elder Niyi Adeoshun spoke on money management and the myths surrounding money which stop us from walking in our full blessing.  One such myth as I’m sure many of you are aware, is the fact that “money is the root of all evil” when in fact, the Bible states that it’s the ”Love of money …”  And as Elder Niyi pointed out, 1/6 th of the scriptures refer to money and so our problem as Christians isn’t money, but what we do with money and, whether we allow money to control us.  Niyi Adeoshun is a Money Management Coach who truly understands the spiritual elements of financial freedom.

Rev Joanna Barratt blessed us with her rendition of Esther and how we as women can get our husbands to respond to our needs by being more feminine and not bulldozing them.  “Joanna, I’m hearing you!”  Queen Esther when she learned about the fate of her people, not only prayed and fasted, but she prepared for her entrance into the Kings court with the view, that ”If I perish, I perish.”  When the King saw Esther enter his presence, not only did he put out the sceptre, he was probably so captivated by her beauty that he asked what she wanted and offered to give her anything, up to the half of his kingdom.  I mean wow!  I’m going to try this one the next time I have a serious issue I need my husband to do something about.  In truthfullness, I probably won’t get offered half of his estate, but I bet I’ll have a listening ear!

Rev Maurice Barratt ministered to the men whilst his wife ministered to the women, but I did get my chance to hear him during the Q&A session and when it comes to family matters, this man of God is “loaded” to use Pastor Toyin’s phrase.  In fact, if you’re thinking of getting married and your pastor isn’t doing the right thing of counselling you before you say “I do” I would highly recommend that you purchase one of the Barratt’s teaching materials on marriage and family … just fantastic.

Minister Victor George led the session with the young men and his wife, Minister Jumi George led the session with the younger women, on “Before You Say I Do” and so again, since I didn’t fit in either category (too late now, I said it … 20 years ago!) I didn’t get to hear them speak but sat on the panel with them for the Q&A and it was great to hear them giving feedback to the younger men and women on ironing out relationship issues.

Pastor Toyin Jama runs on duracell batteries!  I say this lovingly.  Seriously now, this woman teaches the Word of Truth and encouraged us on Friday night to trust God for our miracles.  I know at least one person who experienced God’s healing touch after her message and being prayed for, which is a testament of God grace and power as well as the integrity of His Word.  When Pastor Toyin isn’t ministering the Word, she’s ministering somewhere … whether in hospitality, arrangement of the next speakers, encouraging the children and whatever else is presented before her – this is why I say she runs on duracell batteries.   I really do give God thanks for her life.  Pastor Toyin truly is a Woman of Influence on a mission, with a mission and doing it on purpose.

Pastor Joshua Jama joined us on the panel for the Q&A and demonstrated a level of humility that is rare.  But, in addition to hearing Pastor Jama’s feedback at the conference, I attended Good News Assembly Church on Sunday morning and was “blessed beyond my socks” as my friend Pastor Christine Kumbin would say.   Pastor Jama started with the story of Jairus’ daughter and he connected the story of Jairus with the story of the woman with the issue of blood … Jairus’ daughter was 12 years old, this woman had an issue of blood for 12 years.  Pastor Jama gave us a prophetic word to expect that something signifcant would happen in our lives in the next 12 days.  Bridget, my friend who attended the conference with me, and myself have already seen some great things happen in our lives this week.  God is Good!

It was interesting that Pastor Jama received his message from the Lord at 5:00 am in the morning.  At 5:00 am, I woke up with a splitting headache and decided I wouldn’t go to Church that morning.  But, by 7:00 am, I was woken up with the noise on the docs and during my slumber, just kept seeing Pastor Jama preaching and people dancing and I knew in my spirit, I had to get up and go to Church.  I can’t even begin to imagine what I would have missed out on had I not attended.  I need to get a copy of that message since it’s one that needs to be in my audio reference library for listening to again and again.

I continue to pray that the seeds of faith sown last weekend will one day soon flourish and other people’s lives will lives will be touched as a result.

A heartfelt “thank you” to Pastors Joshua Jama and Toyin Jama for the invitation to bless and be blessed under their anointed ministry.

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And though this post isn’t about finding your purpose , I will say this:

Start with where you’re at!

My English teacher would probably frown at me for that last sentence but, I mean well.

I particularly want to focus today’s post towards mums (moms) who have School aged children which means they have to make regular trips to their child’s School.  I want you to consider carefully the influence you could have in your child’s School … In my veiw, it’s all a part of your purpose.

Rather than thinking about the School just in terms of an educational institution where your child learns, plays and eventually leaves with some qualifications, I want you to …

Think of  it as being a part of “Your Assignment.”

As our Church mission states, we are called to “be a light to the city and a blessing to the nation.”

And, as Kingdom citizens we are supposed to demonstrate the Kingdom of God where ever we go and that includes our children’s School.  We are not there to catch up on the latest gossip, to tear down the other parents and teachers and to justify our own circumstances by trying to find others who may be in a worse situation than we find ourselves, just to make ourselves feel better, we are there to be beacons.  But as the song goes …

“You can’t be a beacon if your light don’t shine!”

So, how do you let your light shine?

You lift up and encourage rather than tear down.

It’s your responsibility to bring peace to situations and not add fuel to the fire.

I have to tell you, that as a parent, I find one of the most destructive places in the School is the School playground – and I don’t mean during the kids playtime.  I mean when the parents are in it!  Sometimes you can see fire coming out of the mouths of some of the parents (mainly the women) and it’s so very sad.

There are those who think they’re better than the other parents, or, they can do a better job than the teacher (why these people aren’t homeschooling, I’ll never know) and then there are those who should be an influence but no one knows it because they totally remove themselves from any dealings with the other parents.

But, I want to remind you that as Influential Women, we ought to be an influence where ever we go and that includes our children’s School.

This also has such a major impact on the lives of your children and believe me, even the other children will notice it too.

The Bible says:

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour , wherewith shall it be salted ? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  ~ Matthew 5:13 KJV

And I’m sure this isn’t what you want … to be considered ”good for nothing.”

But, even if you’re struggling with the question “what is my purpose and where do I find it,” I can assure you that when you bring peace to situations, when you bring light, when you bring purpose into someone elses life, this is the beginning of you discovering your own personal destiny.

Blessings – until next time,

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June 10th 1989 was the day those words reverberated in Fishponds Baptist Church … “I Do.”  In fact, so many of our guests commented on two things after the service:

1. It was one of the few weddings they’d been to where the bride and groom said their vows to each other and loud enough so people could hear at the back of the Church – not difficult for me!   And, previous to the actual day, during our practice, we started saying our vows and I stopped the minister … I told him “I want to say my vows to Chris, not you.”  He laughed and said “point taken.”  So, on the day, this is what we did … looked into each other’s eyes and said our vows like we meant them!
2. How blessed they were.  We didn’t have the usual order of service - We wanted to give people a taste of Church!  And if you didn’t dance, it’s because you didn’t know how to!  

One thing is for certain, that day was a day of celebration for both Chris and me and as I stress to everyone, the angels rejoiced then and have been rejoicing ever since.  That’s not to say we’ve not had our fair share of troubles and, dare I say, it’s not to say that there haven’t been times when we’ve both felt like walking away, but we stayed the course! 

I knew on June 10th 1989 that Chris was the man God had ordained for me to marry and even a few years ago when our marriage went through its biggest trial in our 20 years of marriage, the one thing that that was etched in my mind was the “KNOWING” that Chris would play a vital role in the fulfilment of my destiny and likewise, I would play a major role in his.  

It was this “KNOWING” that has given both of us the will, desire and motivation to stay the course.  In other words, it was a heart thing and not a head thing.

Perhaps one day, I’ll have to write an article on how you know you should stay the course because I believe too many dreams are aborted because people listen to their head and not their heart.  Too often, we listen to other people and not the Holy Spirit and then wonder why we make such huge and stupid mistakes.

Had I listened to the person who was very close to me at the time that Chris and I were going through tough times in our marriage a few years ago, I would have divorced him!  But immediately when I heard that word “divorce” come out of this person’s mouth, I knew where it was coming from and, it wasn’t heaven sent.  And I’m not saying this out of religious belief, i.e. ”I don’t believe in divorce” but, because as I said, the angels rejoiced when we said “I do” and, we walked into our marriage with the Holy Spirit, knowing that the person we were about to be “tied” to was the very person God ordained for us to marry and, this path was set for us, EVEN before the world began. 

How is that for assurance!

I wish I had a digital photograph to post here, but 20 years feels like an age and I almost feel as though they were taken in the 60′s!!   And for any of you younger folk reading this, yes our wedding photographs are in full colour! 

Have a blessed day,

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The first issue and, I know I’m going to get some unsubscribes for saying this, but I hope after you read the four Gospels and, read about Pauls ministry, you’ll resubscribe when you learn the truth …

Jesus didn’t preach Jesus, He preached the Kingdom!

Jesus never said, Seek First Jesus Christ, He said “Seek First The Kingdom of God”

So, if “come to Jesus” is all we’re preaching, we’re only giving people half a story.  And, I don’t know about you, but I don’t like it when people don’t give me the full story which is why I hate watching a great movie and then at the end, they leave it to your imagination to guess what happened.  And of course, this is what people will do if given half a story … they will guess!

This is what the world does when we only sell them Jesus and fail to preach the Kingdom … they only get half the story and then we wonder why people reject Him.  It’s not really Him they’re rejecting though … they just have no real concept of what’s behind the door:

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. ~ John 10:9.

How rude do you think I’d be if I invited you to dinner at my home but left you outside to admire the front door (nice though it is) and you never got past the front door to dine at my table?  Sadly, this is the experience of many Christians and it was sure my experience until I started educating myself about the Kingdom.  And, the problem is, when we teach people about the door but not give them a taste of what’s behind it (in the Kingdom), it’s no longer just plain stubbornness that makes them reject Jesus, but their lack of understanding. 

Fortunately though, we do have the Holy Spirit to convict people of sin which, is great.   The problem is when problems come these people who made a decision to follow Christ but have no idea why except, that they are told if they don’t repent, they’ll go to hell, don’t know how to accept their princely herigtage so they act like vagabonds (outcasts) because they don’t understand the benefits of being a son or daughter of the living God.

So, going back to my original question, who are you trying to reach with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

If you’re trying to reach the lost, who may have rejected Jesus anyway and, who think they don’t need Him, will your online ministry name attract or repel?

Will “YouMustBeBornAgain.com” entice non Christians to visit?  In fact, it probably wouldn’t entice me since I’d immediately think this is someone ready to preach hell fire and brimstone.

Likewise, if you believe you’re called to be an influencer in the marketplace, who do you think will visit your website when you have a name “CattleOnAThousandHills.com,” or “AliveInChristConsulting.com?”

We have to be wise and ensure the names aren’t just going to attract those who are already born again or people used to Church or worse, a name that is there primarily as a badge of honour to your Christian status.  No!  Let your life and your message be that.  When people see the Kingdom in us, they’ll yearn to have what we have. 

If like me, your ministry is to primarily encourage and empower those already born again, then you might be able to get away with some of the names I mentioned, but, I didn’t spend $2800 to buy womenofinfluence.com for nothing.  I knew the name would attract both Christian and non Christian women alike which, it has.

However, I had to learn what names would attract people online and off and, what wouldn’t and so I know it’s not an easy task to come up with a name and message that attracts but, watch this space, I’m writing a program called “Internet Ministry Secrets” that I know many ministries will greatly benefit from. 

That said, it is not my intention to put people in a box and get them to emulate my style.  I see too much of this in Christendom these days and I just wish these people would get over their egos!  What I want to help you with is being attracting with the message that comes from your heart without the religious attachement – there is a big difference between the two and, one will help your outrach and the other could create many outcasts!

Love you all, be blessed,

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• Dictionary.com defines the marketplace as:
• An open area or square in a town where a public market or sale is set up.
• The world of business and commerce.

A situation or place in which values, opinions, and ideas are put forward for debate or recognition: a marketplace for new ideas; the literary marketplace.

But before you look at these definitions and think they exclude you, I want you to stay with me on this one because I want to show you that you do indeed have a role in the marketplace and more importantly, it is a God ordained appointment for you to be an influence in it.

Ed Silvoso in his book “Anointed For Business” refers to the marketplace as a “combination of business, education and government.”  He goes on to say that these three are “to a metropolis what the heart is to the human body.  Through these three arteries flows the life of a city.  A city cannot exist without a marketplace in the same fashion that a body cannot live without a heart.”

So, let me ask you … have you been involved in any marketplace activities today?  Been to your local store, purchased something online, fed your children, read a good book and hopefully, even taken a shower!  I would have included in this list taking your children to School or gone to School or college yourself, but I know it’s Saturday today so for most people, there is no school.    

But, whilst you may not have been a provider of any of the services I mentioned above, you are somehow involved and connected through your purchase, indulgence and hopefully enjoyment which means, you have the power to influence what goes on in the marketplace.

If enough people decide to boycott a business, soon, that business will fail.  If enough people cast a vote of no confidence in their government or education system, heads are gonna role and the people in those institutions have to take notice and “shape up or ship out.”

And I know there are a few of you questioning why things have been allowed to get so bad economically and, whilst I don’t want to cover it in detail this article, I will say candidly, “because we let it!” 

God gave us a dominion mandate … not in Revelation, but as early as Genesis (Genesis 1:28) and whilst we were not given a mandate to have power over other human beings we were given specific instruction to “be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it.”  

One of the many definitions of subdue is “to conquer by force or the exertion of superior power, and bring into permanent subjection.”  

“Into permanent subjection” to what or who though?  The permanent subjection to God’s will for our lives which, I hope you know is good! 

Submission, as I always tell people is actually spelt “LOVE,” and was never intended to come with an attachment of fear … only a reverent fear of God. 

Man (and by this, I don’t mean the gender man, but mankind) has however abused this authority and so wherever people see the words submission or subjection, they run for the hills.  But this isn’t the message God wants us to take to the marketplace … we have to take them the message of the Kingdom and better still, show them the Kingdom.

The message of the Kingdom is “THE” message that Jesus Christ himself preached and hence the reason he had such an influence in the marketplace and synagogues and, why he could so easily draw people to listen to him.

Yes, I know he was the Son of God and so it was to be expected that people would be drawn to him but take note of those who rejected and was repelled by him … those who either felt he threatened their positions or those who felt they didn’t need him or anything he had to offer.  Nothing and I mean nothing has changed today!  There will be those who think you’re after their position and there will be those who’ll take the view that “I’m alright Jack,” but the truth is, I cannot personally think of another time in my living history where people have been so hungry to hear the truth.

I know the statistics show an increase in crime, the picture the media paints of the economy is bleak and there is even a falling away from the Church.  But no one will convince me that the majority of people are repelled by hearing the Good News of the Gospel.  The trouble isn’t the Gospel of the Kingdom, but, the gospel we’ve been preaching.

So, why and what is that Good News of the Gospel?

This post is getting a little long so I’ll continue it next time.

Blessings,

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Yes I know, heard it all before and it sounds corney. It’s true though … I try to remember something I can be grateful for on a daily basis.

It’s so easy to focus on prayers that need answering, the things we need and want and forget that we have life, food to eat, a home, a car, our children etc. And what I’ve personally experienced is that the more I give God thanks for something, the more I grow to appreciate it’s value.

So, if there is something you want to value more, but struggling to give it (or someone) the respect it deserves, just start thanking God for it and see the mainfestation of what you speak unfold.

Maybe it’s something as seemingly trivial as your time … start thanking God for time and notice how much more of it you gain within the 24 hours He has given you … or your husband … start thanking God for the man you’d like him to be … or your children … start thanking God for who they are growing up to become.

I can hear some of you saying now … “I aint giving God thanks for my husband, he’s the worse thing that ever happened to me!” Or, “Trish, if you knew my child you would be asking me to rue the day he or she was born.”

Well, my message is simple … God’s Word is true and the things God says about your husband and your child and every other circumstance in your life is true so start thanking God on the basis of His Word.

When you wake up tomorrow, when it’s no longer Thanksgiving try starting the day with “BLESS THE LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits …” Psalm 103: 1-2

Your baby wasn’t created a drug user or your husband a control freak … God created all things good and so try and find promises (truths) of God to match your situation and I promise you that you will see your situation changing around you.

This is all a part of renewing the mind … seeing what God sees and saying what God says … about your time, yourself, your situation.

I’m grateful to all of my readers for the encouraging emails, the prayers and the support and though shorter than usual, I hope this post will encourage you to get passionate about gratefullness, tomorrow, the next day and the day after that … each miracle will motivate you to become more thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving,

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Proverbs 23:7 says:

For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

Naturally, this applies to women as well as men but it really does clear up one thing, that “luck” has nothing to do with what you get in life and certainly who you become, but rather it’s what thoughts you given birth to in your mind.

T.D.Jakes in his Women Thou Art Loosed Bible, speaks about the fact that we must purge our thoughts and clean out low self-esteem, pride arrogance, hidden jealousy etc. He says …

“To use a medical metaphor, the mind is the “placenta” of the spirit man. It holds and nurtures the seeds it has been impregnated with until the time of delivery. If you have the seed of a thought in your mind and you don’t want the child that that seed will produce, your only recourse is to abort it before it is carried to full term.”

In other words, your thoughts have led you to where you are today. You thought it, mediated it and then manifested or gave birth to it.

So, if you don’t like who your are or your situation, it’s time to change the way you think about yourself, others and life, so you don’t keep reproducing the same kind of “child” as T.D.Jakes put it.

And I for one know just how difficult that can be at times, especially when you can’t see your way clear out of a situation. But you have to ask yourself, are my negative thoughts going to bring me joy and peace? Am I helping myself or those around me by rehearsing the same stories of yesterday and will my current thoughts bring me what I really want in life?

Any dream is possible if you can conceive it first in your mind and, if you don’t like the way your life is now, change what you’re thinking and by doing so, you can literally abort your self depreciating thoughts and immediately conceive new thoughts that will bring you joy and peace now and in the future.

Seeing yourself the way God sees you and speaking what you want your life to look is far more powerful than complaining and whining about the way things are. And, I’m speaking from personal experience here.

I remember going through a really bad period at work a few years ago and looking back, I tell my husband how much I now feel sorry for him. I drive and he doesn’t and so I would take him to work and pick him up again and I’m telling you, all I spoke about for months whilst this thing was hanging over my head was the situation. It was eating me up and no doubt others around me too.

At the time, I told my HR manager that if it took three years, the truth would come out. It did take three years and ironically, it was when I stopped focusing on the problem … when I stopped talking about it and feeding myself and others with the negative aspects of the situation.

You see, whilst I was desperate for that episode in my life to be over, I was prolonging the situation by feeding on it day and night. I was speaking about the situation and how wrong things were instead of focusing on “living life” and, what that looked like for me.

It was a real lesson for me and I’ve had to learn to “live” through difficult times and let the joy of the Lord be my strength.

Now, I understand that we are continually manifesting all the time and so it makes more sense to think and speak what you want to happen as opposed to the fears and worries or, what you dislike about you, your life and other people.

What goes in, must come out and so if you want to change your thougts and your life, it’s time to get into the Word and believe those things that God said about you. His Words are the most positive things you will ever read about yourself and His plans for you are good (Jeremiah 29:11). It’s time to check out His plans for your life and put a stop to living the plans other people have put in place for you.

It took me years to realise why it was so important for me to read my Bible. I was always led to believe that I had to read my Bible every day because that’s what I had to do to become a “good” Christian. It wasn’t until a few years ago during a discussion time with my husband that it hit me …

God keeps emphasising the importance of meditating and speaking His Word because we keep forgetting what He says about us and take more notice of the opinions of others and then we replay the negative video tape over and over with our own silent and negative confessions.

It really is time to start thinking about what you’re thinking about. As one author once said, “thoughts are things … what are you thinking about?”

The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 to be transformed by renewing your mind but it’s impossible to be totally transformed without adhering to verse 1:

I beseech you therefore, brethren by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Notice how verse two begins with “And.”

This is the reason I state that you can’t do verse two without adhering to verse one first … verse two is a continuation of verse one.

So, what does it mean to “present your bodies a living sacrifice?”

The answer to this and much more will be covered in the upcoming series.

Until then, take some time out to read the Word. Don’t let the enemy rob you of your blessing because you don’t know the promises of God for your life.

Until next time, Blessings,

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Can you imagine the director of a movie shouting “Lights!” “camera!” … and then just stopping there?

What’s missing and what would be the result?

There would be no action and therefore, there would be no movie!

I’m not a huge movie fan but for you movie fans out there, I know you’d be distraught. But guess what … too many of us are living our lives on the “lights, camera” and no action scenario.

Many of you may have read my inspiring story which may even have compelled you to sign up for The Influential Woman Newsletter which, is great but in order for me to change some things in my life, I had to take some serious action.

Without the action, I would still be reading, and praying, and waiting.

And guess, what? Nothing would have happened. Actually, it would, I would just have had to live on the emotional rollercoaster of feeling low every time my past decided to present itself so vividly in my mind. But I’m grateful that even at the age of 15, after the death of my Nan (Grandmother), whilst I had no idea how it worked, I grasped the concept of the power of perspective.

In my own childish way, I understood that by framing in my mind how I wanted my future to look, it would make me feel better here and now. With that new perspective on life, I’d be able to think more clearly and take appropriate action toward the life that I so desperately wanted.

And, I would surround myself with friends who would cheer me up when I was down- the great thing is, these guys I used to hang around with at School, didn’t even have to try! They were just naturally funny and I’m grateful to God for such great friends in those days.

I learned I had to read things that challenged my thinking and the ways of doing things I’d become accustomed to and I would have loved back then to have had daily inspiration via a PC or mobile phone to keep me motivated when I occasionally got down … I know, I’m showing my age now.

And this brings me to a serious point and I’ll use a real life example to illustrate:

I remember once I received an email from one of my subscribers to say that she had unsubscribed from my newsletter because “I didn’t expect to receive so many emails!”

Those were the days when I was sensitive to “unsubscribe emails,” forutnately, not anymore.

But I had to remind my readers that change is not like playing a game of Monopoly! If I send you something and it’s not for you, just pass go and still collect your £200 – or $200 if you’re in the US. since I’m sure you don’t read every article in you’re daily newspaper – like the sports section for many of us women – but you still read what’s relevant to you and pass on the rest.

We have to remember not to throw the baby out with the bathwater!

Jim Rohn, motivational speaker, taught me, “always be a gatherer of good ideas.” Even if you don’t like the preacher, teacher or whoever, if they’re speaking truth, listen to what they have to say since in amongst everything you don’t like, might be the pearl that could change your life forever.

My mission is to inspire you to take some action! The kind of action that’s going to move you from where you are today, to where you want to be tomorrow.

So remember,

“It’s not the lights and the camera that completes the movie, the final cut is in the action”

I love you all!

Have a blessed day,

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