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I WAS IN PRISON DOCUMENTARY

Overcoming Trials

Without trials there is no proof that the Word of God works. Overcoming trials is the manifestation of your faith. Rejoice! 

 “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Abraham is considered the father of the faith. He lived before Jesus had come and was under the old covenant. He didn't have the Holy Spirit living inside him, nor did he have the power that we now have when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, yet he simply believed what God said. It is because of his faith that we are now heirs of all the promises listed in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. 

If Abraham believed God and walked in faith without the Holy Spirit and without the Bible imagine how much easier it is for us! How can we complain?! 

“by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:4-6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We have the Bible that tells us the dead can be raised, he didn't. Yet he was willing to sacrifice his only promised son Isaac, believing God would raise him from the dead! Once again he proved his trust in God's word.

We have the power of God living inside of us because of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit! 

Right now my family is going through a trial which, in the natural, doesn't look so good. BUT we serve a SUPERnatural God, so we give no place to fear. This is sometimes a daily battle, as we live in a fallen world, completely driven by fear and worst-case-scenerio. Staying in the Word is not optional, our peace depends on it!  

Every trial is an opportunity for God to show himself strong in your life. It's a chance for new strength. 

Have the God kind of faith. Does God worry? Does God fear? Does God get concerned that your situation is beyond his expertise? No way!! Then why are you?!?! Faith is a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22) 

There is only ONE faith, God's faith! That is what you have! 

“one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:5-6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

God already gave us faith (Romans 12:3,6)

When you are in faith sometimes it comes across as uncompassionate, insensitive, people may think you don't even care. They might even think you are delusional or in denial about the "reality." The carnal mind can't comprehend faith. Only a mind renewed in the word can grasp this concept. Satan is carnal, faith confuses him. 

Fear creates worry, faith produces results. Would you rather have sympathy or solution? 

To accomplish all that God has for you it is going to require the supernatural. Faith won't be optional in the places where he wants to take you! 

Be encouraged if you are going through trials, this gives your faith an opportunity to grow and you have nothing to fear, Jesus promises victory!

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:3-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬


The Reason I don't have any problems

I have never had my three year old stress out over whether or not I would provide snacks for him. My five year old has never gone on google to check her symptoms if she isn't feeling well. Our nine year old has never had to question if there would be enough gas in the tank for us to take her to school.

Is that strange?

No.

Children never worry about anything, and if they do worry about something we reassure them that it will be okay. They believe us.

There is a reason why people miss being a kid and not having any problems. Yet the funny thing is that when they were kids, there were just as many problems in the world.

The problem is not the problems but rather that we have let them become OUR problems.

The bible tells us that unless we become like a child we will never inherit the kingdom of heaven. Why is this? Children are faithful little creatures. When you tell them something they believe you. It's simple. They don't have any problems because they know that we, their parents will take care of all their problems.

God wants us to trust him to fix our problems. He tells us in his Word that by his wounds we are healed. He tells us that he became poor so that we through his poverty, we could become rich. He tells us that he has good plans for us. Plans for a hope and a future. He tells us that this is a free gift. He tells us that grace has provided for it.

He gave us everything we could possibly ever need or want by grace. Undeserved favor. We can't earn it. No matter how hard we try.

The only way to receive everything that he has provided by grace is to take it by faith. We have to use our faith to be healed. We have to use our faith to prosper. We have to use our faith to overcome our circumstances.

You cannot be in faith and in worry at the same time. Worry is fear and it's the polar opposite of faith. If you need something from God, he has already provided it for you. Your job is simply to rest in the finished work. Like a child.

"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." Hebrews 4:11 KJV

The only "work" you should be doing is the disciplined work of getting rid of unbelief so you can stay in a state of rest (faith.) Keeping fear and doubt out of your mind is your only job. And it is not an easy job because we live in a fallen world. A world that revolves around fear. God gave us his Word which can renew your mind to the truth. His Word is the only way to break the cycle of fear and doubt, that if left unchecked, will run your life.

Am I saying that you won't ever have any problems? No, not at all. I could list quite a few things in my own life right now that I could be worrying about. I have chosen not to do that. I have rolled my problems over to the Master problem-solver instead. If I get tempted to be anxious then I get in the Word and remind myself who I am. I am royalty. The God of the universe is my Father. He wants to take care of all my problems, but he can't do it if I won't give them to him. Remember, it is by faith that we inherit the promises. Faith rests and lets him do the work.

I challenge you to renew your mind to this truth. We are so used to "working" that it almost feels irresponsible to let go and give him your problems. We are so accustomed to solving our own problems that we feel our whole world will crash down if we don't take care of it ourselves. That is what the enemy wants you to believe because a burned out Christian is an ineffective Christian.

It's time to start seeing your break through! So tell me, what do you need from God?

XOXO








In Prison Today

Coming home has never felt quite as good as it did today. Being able to say yes when my little boy asked me to snuggle has never made me happier. 

Today I prayed with several women who wouldn't get to raise their own children. One mom in particular asked for prayer for her two boys and little girl who are now in the foster care system, with people she doesn't know. She cried as we prayed and gave the care of them over to Jesus and asking him to be their guardian since their mom no longer could. She was empowered and found peace knowing that even though she had to be away from them to fix herself, she could still effectively pray for them and God will move in mighty ways on their behalf. 

The women I met today were broken. They were hurting and empty. They were in desperate need of help. When I looked at them I saw lost faces that were just searching for an answer. A hope. 

We ministered a message of redemption, love and freedom and their faces lit up. True freedom is found in Christ, I don't care if you live in prison or the fanciest house on the planet. Those women soaked up every word into their thirsty souls. Jesus is the well that never runs dry! Many of them left with a new excitement after learning that the promises in the Word are for them too, even in prison. Where sin has run in their lives, his grace runs deeper. 

I got a new understanding of what Jesus meant when he said the harvest is plenty but the laborers are few. We were completely outnumbered by those women. There is just not enough time. Each one of them need and desperately want discipleship, yet it isn't available to them.

Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Luke 10:2

We need more laborers. While it is not possible for every single person to go minister in prison, there are still ways to get involved. My book, Rise Above is designed for discipleship and teaching people how to walk in their authority in Christ to overcome any situation and accomplish all God has for them, no matter the circumstance. Our goal is to get a copy into each hand that wants one.

I wish you all could be there to experience the overwhelming gratitude they showed us, the tears streaming down their faces, their new excitement and their new found hope. If you would like to help us spread the good news then consider a partnership with this ministry. Each inmate is $10 so just click the "donate" button on the right then select the "recurring" option. This allows us to cover our costs and purchase the books for them, as the prison does not provide any funding for this sort of thing. 

Please be in agreement with us that God will provide everything we need to saturate the inside of those prison walls with the message of FREEDOM in Jesus!

XOXOXOX

Know Your Authority!

We had such a good night last night at our Women with Vision meeting! If you are a lady in the Orlando area and you are looking for some powerful, straight from the Word teaching then you need to come join us!

Last night we talked about knowing our authority as believers and our rights in Christ. This revelation truly set me free in so many ways and gave me the ability to boldly approach my problems knowing that the God of the universe has got my back! Here are the notes from last night, I pray they inspire, transform and empower you in your calling!

Faith works by love (Galatians 5:6) Not our love to him because we fail him daily. But his love for us. When we get an understanding of that love then our faith is super charged. 
One of the laws of faith is authority. We must understand our authority in Christ if we ever want to take hold of the promises of God. 
You ARE a redeemed people. You ARE healed. It's who you are. Anything other than that is a violation in your body and life. God has given US the authority and power to overcome the enemy. 
“Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.”
Luke 10:19 AMP
http://bible.com/8/luk.10.19.amp
Jesus is not going to force himself on you. He gave you a free will so that you can freely choose him. 
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.”
Revelation 3:20 AMP
http://bible.com/8/rev.3.20.amp
“I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out [freely], and will find pasture.”
John 10:9 AMP
http://bible.com/8/jhn.10.9.amp
Freely. Not forced. He loves you too much to force you to love him back. 
Whereas Satan does not come in with an invitation, he comes and checks all the doors and if he finds one open he will go in it. Uninvited. 
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”
John 10:10 AMP
http://bible.com/8/jhn.10.10.amp
The thief is the devil. He comes in like a robber. We must be on guard and keep him out. How can we do that? Knowing our authority. 
Satan is the god of this world.(2 Corinthians 4:4, 1 John 5:19)If we are trained up in the world instead of the word then we are basically trained in the enemies territory. 
Nobody goes to war not knowing what they are defending. They know what belongs to them so they can defend it. Sadly most Christians don't know what belongs to them and because of that they are not able to withstand the enemy. 
When you are told a lie long enough, it becomes truth to you. That is the only power Satan has. Lies. Jesus didn't tell us he would resist the devil for us, he told US to resist him! His work is done! The devil is defeated but now it's our job to use the authority given us to keep him OUT! 
We don't need to look at society for truth, we need to look at Gods word.
Satan does NOT want you to find out your authority. He will do anything to keep you from finding out your rights in Christ. 
“Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.”
John 17:18 NLT
http://bible.com/116/jhn.17.18.nlt
He told us to speak to our mountains. He didn't say he would do it for us. He already made the ultimate sacrifice in sending Jesus. He finished it all! 
We need to stop seeing ourselves as defeated and victims and recognize the mighty soldiers we are because of Christ in us. 
Stop continuously acknowledging your weaknesses and ONLY acknowledge his strength. Acknowledging your weapons, not your inadequacies.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself. That's pride. When God promises us all these benefits we need to believe him! They belong to us! 
What are you according to the word? 
I am the head and not the tail
I am above only
I am blessed in the city and in the country
I am fearfully and wonderfully made
I am seated with him in heavenly places
I am healed
I am prosperous
I am filled with joy 
Until you recognize and acknowledge who you are in your mind(transform your mind) you won't see it physically manifest.

Join us in our meetings Thursday nights, 7pm in Lake Mary. 

268 Volterra Way
Lake Mary, Fl

XXOXO

We need to stop idolizing our children

Do not be deceived by all my social media pictures I post of my kids. Don't think that just because I am a stay at home mom that my children are the center of my universe. Just because I quit my day job to trade it for the mom job does not mean that my kids are the most important thing in the entire world.

Insert your *gasp in horror* right here.

Let me say first that I love my kids with all my heart. I thoroughly research every decision I make about them and almost all my time is spent caring for them. I am a true believer in the fact that if you are going to have children then they should be raised by you.

There is a disturbing trend that I have noticed when it comes to motherhood. One that leaves the mom unfulfilled, frustrated and even depressed. It's not doing the kids any good either.

We are idolizing our children.

While children are a blessing, and a gift from God, raising them is not the sole purpose that God put you on this earth.

Yes, I know that it may shock you, but God has a purpose for you beyond your just your kids. Raising little ones is such a tiny percentage of both their lives and ours. They should be a blessing, but they will end up driving you crazy if they are not taking the proper and God given role in your life.

The first thing that we need to understand is that God did not design children to come first. God is first, then your spouse, THEN your children. Spending time in the Word of God is the best way we can grow in our relationship with him, it needs to be a priority. This also means that we should be nurturing and improving our relationship with our spouse before our children. If you don't spend time laying a firm foundation in your marriage then your entire family will crumble to the ground. Kids do not come before your spouse. Don't get mad at me, the bible says it. I'm just the messenger.

Some ways you can put your spouse first are:


  • Going on dates regularly
  • Putting the kids to bed early so you have alone time with your spouse before bed
  • Making the kids have a "quiet time" or nap during the day so you can spend a little while connecting with your spouse
  • Bottom line is that your kids should not run the house, you and your spouse should.


The other point we need to consider is that when we spend all our time and energy on our kids and their millions of activities, we are doing them a disservice. Kids need to be bored. They need to have time to play and get creative. If we are over scheduling them then they will not have this crucial time and it will effect their development. They learn through creative play, yet these days there is such a child centered mentality that we worry if they have a single moment of boredom then it will ruin their childhood.

You know what my kids do when they are bored. Clean. No, not for money. There are extra things they can do if they want to earn money, but they have regular tasks that they do as members of this household (even the 3 year old.) I sure wish someone paid me every time I cleaned my house, but the truth is that ain't happening! We don't want to raise spoiled and entitled brats.

God has big plans for you. Plans beyond just your kids. Yes, your kids will be part of that plan, but we shouldn't limit ourselves. We need to be spending disciplined time in the Word to grow into the purpose that he has put us on earth to accomplish. God comes before your spouse and your kids.

"I just don't have time to spend time in the Word because my kids just take up so much of my time!"

I get it, but you need to schedule everything around your relationship with God. Your kids are under your command and if they are not "allowing" you to spend time in the Word then you need to get your house under control. Set aside time every day that you can pray, read your bible, or listen to a good podcast.

You only get one life to live! Put your kids in the proper ranking order in your household and watch your life flourish!

XOXO






I'm Going to Jail!

Everything God gives us is a seed. Your words are seeds. Your thoughts are seeds. Your money is a seed. When you plant seeds, no matter what kind, you will reap a harvest depending on what you have sewn. Sew words of life, reap life giving abundant plants. Sew negative words, reap dead fruitless crops. Negative thinking will make you depressed. Positive thinking and meditating on God's Word will make you full of joy. Sew financial seeds into God's kingdom, reap your own financial harvest.

Dustin and I have seen so much financial blessing through following the simple principles in God's word. There is no way we should be able to live the life that we do. It's purely God's blessing. A while ago God spoke to me and told me, "Your job is to take care of my people, My job is to take care of you." That took the pressure off me. That meant I was free to give and sew financial seed into his kingdom, knowing that he will always provide for my needs AND wants. There is more scripture on finances than almost anything else in the New Testament because Jesus knew that often people's hearts are more attached to their money than anything else. Even their relationship with Him.

If you want to see financial blessing come and overtake you, start planting. (Luke 6:38, Deuteronomy 28:2, Proverbs 11:24-25, Malachi 3:10, 2 Corinthians 9:10)

Everything we have on this earth will fade away to nothing, but when you are sewing into people, and establishing God's kingdom it stays with you for eternity.

I ask you friends to consider partnering with me. My first batch of books is on it's way to Lowell Women's Prison to be used for curriculum in discipleship classes for inmate Moms. These women are hungry for truth and my book is set up to help establish a good foundation in the Word, teaching them their authority to RISE ABOVE their circumstances, no matter how bad.

Sponsorship are $10 per inmate (book) and a minimum of 30 inmates need sponsored every month. Please consider a one time sponsorship, or select the "recurring" button to be a monthly sponsor. "Donate" button is on the right of this page.

I am excited to share the testimonies of these women, and also to hear how he has blessed YOU for your obedience in furthering his kingdom!

XOXO




A New Kitchen for $300!


Before/After




We bought our house about 7 years ago, and one thing I have always wanted to change was the kitchen. When you have 3 growing, hungry kids you pretty much live in this part of the house, so you want it to be nice! We finally decided to bite the bullet and invest some time (and a little money) into this busy part of the house. I was surprised to find out that there are some HUGE changes you can make on a small budget. The first thing that needed to go was the cabinets.



BEFORE :(


We all know cabinets are not cheap so we opted to paint ours. We made our way over to Home Depot and bought a Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations kit. This kit comes with everything you need to refinish your cabinets and the best part is that you don't have to do any sanding or priming! The kit will run you about $85.

New cabinets for less than $100? Count me in!

Next step is putting hardware on those bad boys. You wouldn't believe what a difference hardware will make on your cabinets. I will warn you though, this was the most expensive part of the transformation. The hardware cost about $120 for all cabinets and drawers. This is not something I would skip, it is well worth the money and takes the whole kitchen up a notch! Do a little research and find hardware that fits your style. Chunkier hardware gives a more custom look and makes those new cabinets pop!


Last but not least, backsplash! Right now is a great time to remodel your kitchen because subway tiles are IN and the price is LOW. You can get a case for around $18 each, we used just over 3 cases in our kitchen.  Even after buying grout and other supplies we were still out of there for less than $100.

Hubby had never done tile before so this was a learning experience, but after a few YouTube videos we were knocking it out! The hardest part was cutting around the outlets, but I did the measuring and he cut. We finished the backsplash in two days, and neither one of us had ever done it before! You will need a water saw for this (we borrowed one from a friend.)

AFTER :)





If your kitchen just needs cosmetic help then there is no need to break the bank. Get yourself on Pinterest and look for inspiration using as much of your current stuff as you can. We actually intended to get new counter tops, had them on order, but as soon as the cabinets were done I didn't hate the counters anymore. We decided to keep the ones we have and save ourselves a pretty penny. Also look for small touches that can give your kitchen an updated look. We used a darker gray grout on the backsplash to give it a little edge. The end result is amazing! I feel like I am walking through a showroom kitchen every time I go to the fridge.

Not only did we complete this project for around $320, we added thousands of dollars to the value of our house. If you are willing to do the work yourself you will be amazed how economical a new kitchen can be!

We would love to see your kitchen projects! How did you upgrade on a dime?

Before/After

The Joy Killer

Do you want to know the number one thing that will suck the happiness right out of you?

Comparison.

We live in a society that is more covetous than ever, and social media plays a huge part in the dissatisfaction. People live way above their means to keep up with the Jones' and work jobs they hate to keep them afloat. What would happen if we started worrying more about what our unique God-given purpose was, instead of our neighbors new car or our high school friend's latest vacation? 

The reality is that comparing yourself to anyone else is wrong. Whether it be someone's house, job, body or vacation, the truth is that even if you had it, you would just want the next thing that came around. There is nothing in this world that can truly satisfy besides the plan that God has for you. He is not holding back any good thing from us, his plans are better than we can even imagine! 

Maybe you are not the envious type, but instead you look down on other people. This is just as bad as wishing you had the things that others did. You are still comparing yourself. 

When we compare, we are robbing ourselves. If you are envious of others it is pointless because God wants to give you the desires of your heart. There is no need to want what others have. On the flip side there is also danger in thinking that we are better than other people because then we are not holding ourselves to God's standard, we are holding ourselves to the standard of those around us. 

Just to give you an example, it might seem silly, but it will help you get the point. I am really picky about what I feed my kids. I check labels and buy almost everything organic. The last couple years when I was teaching and saw what most kids pack for their school lunches I was horrified. I couldn't believe how bad these kids were eating. It was all processed "food" and full of sugar. I started to get a little slack about the amount of sugar my kids were eating because "it wasn't as bad as most kids." This was having a negative effect on them because I was not holding them to a higher standard, I was just comparing their eating habits to every other kid. It was wrong. I am by no means perfect when it comes to their diet, but I no longer compare what they eat to other kids. I do what is best for them without worrying about what other people do.

For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 2 Corinthians 10:12

When we think we are better than other people it takes away the drive and desire to grow. It lowers our standards.

There is nothing more freeing than letting go of the need to be like anyone else. The only person we should be comparing ourselves to is Jesus. He is our standard, nothing else. He wants to give you a life that is better than you ever dreamed of, but the first step is to stop comparing and start answering his call!

XXOO



Feed My Sheep

A couple of years ago, my husband and I were going through some tough financial times. Things were really tight, but I knew that this state we were in was not God's will. His will is for us to prosper. We are his own special people, and all of the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 belong to us through Jesus. I remember one day I was praying, seeking guidance and I clearly hear Him tell me, "It is not your job to take care of yourself, that is My job. Your job is to take care of others." This set me free!

It is so easy for many of us to say that we love God, and that we are followers of Jesus, yet we fail to do the things he has commanded us. The perfect example is found in John 21 when Jesus supernaturally provided Peter with a net full of fish after a night of catching absolutely nothing. Later in the chapter Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him. Peter says yes three times and each time Jesus responds saying, "then feed my sheep." Jesus provided for Peter so that he could provide for others.

Faith without works is dead. Saying that we love God means that we need to follow his commandments. He does not bless us and provide for us only to make us comfortable and happy, he provides so that we can "feed his sheep." So many Christians begin to tap in to all the wonderful benefits of the cross, but then they do nothing for the One who gave them all of those things.

If we just enjoy all the benefits of the cross and then keep it all for ourselves then we are selfish.

The way that Jesus asked Peter to prove his love is the same way we are supposed to prove our love. God takes care of us, we take care of others.

What exactly does it mean to "feed his sheep?"

It is our responsibility to serve others in any way we can. This could mean literally feeding people, it could also mean feeding them spiritually by encouraging, coaching, or ministering or praying for them. If you have nobody you can "feed" then you can give of your finances to ministers you trust, who are currently spreading the gospel and doing work of the kingdom. There is always something you can do.

We need to live a life of service. After all, Jesus took our place and suffered all the punishment so that we could live a life of health, peace and prosperity, the least we can do is dedicate our lives to his kingdom!

Every day when we wake up we should be asking God what we can do for him today. Always be open to respond to the call when he needs you. Live a life of giving and service towards others, even if they don't deserve it. Remember, you didn't deserve it either and Jesus did it for you!

Since Dustin and I have made the decision to serve others with our resources we have seen more blessing on our lives than ever before. I encourage you to push yourself out of your comfort zone and watch what God does in your life, you will not regret it!

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