Quitting is Not an Option

Last week we talked about commitment. I pray you sought God and have an idea about your commitments and how to prioritize them. Many times we become so bogged down with our commitments and our day to day routines that we may want to throw in the towel or simply say I quit.

If you are employed inside or outside of your home, if you are a caregiver, or have children that you are caring for.  If you have health concerns, financial concerns or are concerned about any are of your life you can become weary. Well I want to speak words of encouragement to you that I pray will strengthen you and enable you to move forward and continue moving forward.

The Bible is filled with stories of people like you and me who have faced insurmountable odds but remained steadfast in their faith, committed to their cause, persevered against the odds and never gave up. Quitting was not an option.

We find a summary of great testimonies of faith in the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith for us. It tells us how faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. This scripture reminds us of several things. It reminds us that faith is now. Faith should be present before what you are expecting or believing God for appears. It reminds us that without seeing it or touching it by faith we can be assured that what we pray for will occur. Faith is the conduit or place of passage between desire, thought or hope and manifestation.

As we continue reading in Hebrews chapter 11 we read of how :

Abel by faith offered the best lamb as a sacrifice to God, God testifying of his gifts

Enoch walked with God and was translated and did not see death

Noah built the ark, obeying God without questioning

Abraham trusted God, leaving his land not knowing where he was going. Along with his wife who were both past child bearing age believed Gods promise that his seed would be too numerous to count

Moses’ parents hid him three months, being not afraid of the king and his order to kill all male children

Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, forsaking Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king, passing through the red sea as by dry land

The walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days

Rahab the harlot received the spies with peace and did not perish with them that believed not

The woman with the issue of blood after spending all she had pressed her way through a crowd of people believing if she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment she would be healed.

Can you imagine going from doctor to doctor with a disease that cannot not be diagnosed?  Your insurance is cancelled and you spend everything you have. Your only hope, which is the same hope you have had all along is Jesus.

More times than not, we exhaust all of our possibilities, everything we think we can do with our own thoughts or our own abilities before we go to God, why is that? Even when we pray first we may still try to intervene when we don’t see or receive our expected results when we expect, want or think we need to, or should receive them.

To listen to the message in its entirety click on the link below and select Quitting is Not an Option

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We will not have a call Thursday February 25, 2016, join us again Thursday March 3, 2016.

Commitment

Who or what are you committed to? Who or what has your attention? What are your priorities? Well the standard answer in most Christian circles would be, personal relationship with God first, family second, personal ministry third if applicable and job fourth.

If that is the way you would answer does it always hold true? Do your commitments and priorities change, should they change?

How are you allocating your time? This time last year I would have said my personal relationship with God was first, but I wasn’t committing the time to Him that I should have. My job unfortunately held a pretty close second tied with my family. My personal ministry, or Gods call on my life was last.

You see I was neglecting the thing I love the most, which is serving God in the purpose and plan He has chosen for my life, because my priorities were wrong. I was too focused on my job, oh yeah, and I forgot. To unwind I’d fill my weekends with watching all the television programs I’d recorded throughout the week. Thank God for His mercy and His grace I’m also grateful as we read in Romans 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

I believe our first commitment should be to God. He says in all our ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct our paths. He also says but seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

He is telling us when we do things His way we need not be concerned about the cares of life, what to eat what to drink what to wear. He will take care of not just the small things, but everything that matters to us. Who knows us and the things that we need better than the One that created us?

Sometimes we can get so caught up in the cares of our lives that we are unable to focus on the things, or purpose God has placed us here to serve.

The job of the enemy is distraction. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but because of the hedge of protection God has around you the enemy will distract you with the cares of this world. He wants you to worry about your finances, your health, your family; any and everything that you hold dear, or that that you think is needed to survive. Notice the emphasis here is on the word you.

God says take no thought for these things. He knows we have need of them. If He takes care of the lilies of the field surely He can take care of you.

To listen to the message in its entirety click on the link below and select Commitment

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His Will; His Way

Have you ever been impatient, and decided to help God out. Well, believe it or not He doesn’t need your help nor does He need my help. And what help could we possibly provide?

We read in James 1:2-8 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

James is telling us or I would say forewarning us that when we encounter different trials and tribulations that it’s going to test our patience, and rather than being impatient, or anxious we should allow this test of our patience to be a joyous occasion, because of the fruit of patience that will be produced from our trial or tribulation.

⁴ But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

When we allow patience to perform its tasks, it’s working out within us the ability for us to exercise our faith in Gods ability to bring us victoriously through our trial or tribulation.

⁵ If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

God is merciful, even during our trial or tribulation if we need guidance He says ask Him, if we need wisdom to get us through, He says ask and He will give it to us. He won’t judge us, or think whatever we are asking is something we should already know as man might think. Have you ever been afraid to ask someone something because you thought they might judge you, or even ridicule you because they think what you are asking is something you should know? God doesn’t respond to us that way. He says ask, and He will provide us with wisdom, He will give wisdom to all that ask equally and not make us feel guilty or feel bad for asking.

 ⁶ But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

When you ask God for wisdom, be prepared to receive it. Have faith that He will give it to you. Don’t go before God with a mindset of well, I think I want to, but I’m not sure. Be steadfast and determined in your quest for wisdom. Don’t be wishy washy.

⁷ For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

When you come before God doubting and unsure, you will leave Him the same way, doubting and unsure because He will not respond to you if you display uncertainty in your request.

⁸ A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

When you’re doubleminded you’re unsure and unstable. If you don’t know what you want or why it is you are even seeking wisdom why would you expect God to understand your confusion?

He says acknowledged Him is all your ways and He will direct your path.

To listen to the message in its entirety click below and select His Will, His Way

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Perseverance

Joseph was a dreamer. At 17 years of age he was going about his business feeding the flock. Now Joseph was special in the eyes of his father Jacob, because he was born when Jacob was no longer in his prime. As a matter of fact Joseph was Jacobs’s favorite child. He loved him more than his other children. In fact, he loved him so much he made him a coat of many colors. Now how would that make you feel if you were one of Joseph’s brothers?

You’d probably be jealous and maybe a little envious, and Joseph’s brothers, well they hated him plain and simple. As a matter of fact they couldn’t even carry on a peaceable conversation with him. So Joseph, happy go lucky in his colorful coat has a dream and shares it with his brothers. He tells them we were binding sheaves, or bundles of wheat in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance, or bowed down to my sheaf, they responded to Joseph saying are you going to rein or rule over us and have dominion over us, so they hate him even more.

Then Joseph has another dream and shares it with his brothers and his father. He tells them how in his dream the sun, the moon and eleven stars made obeisance or bowed down to him. This time his fathered rebuked him saying are your mother and I along with your brothers going to bow down to you on earth?

His brothers grew angrier, but his father thought about the dream.

What had Joseph done to cause his brothers to be so angry? Absolutely nothing. He didn’t cause his own birth. He didn’t make his father love him, nor did he make his father make his coat of many colors. He wasn’t even responsible for his own dreams. All he did was share his dreams.

Did you cause your own birth? Are you responsible for the dreams or visions God has given you?

I will issue a word of caution here. Not everyone will understand, encourage or support you in your vision, goals, ideas, or Gods plan for your life. Be careful with whom you share your dreams.

Your only responsibility is to have that childlike faith, believing and trusting in God as you forgive those that trespass or conspire against you, or try to deter you from God’s plan for your life, and persevere, or persist in anything you have undertaken. Maintaining your purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles or discouragement, continuing steadfastly, that’s the definition of perseverance.  Believing God for whatever He has placed in your heart whether it’s healing, a job, a relationship, a spouse, the birth of a long awaited child, a business venture, deliverance, or salvation for those you love.

You must be resolved, or stand steadfastly in your faith as you persevere.

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Who Are You?

How many times have you asked yourself that question? Who am I? Why am I here? I know I have a purpose, but what is it?

Oftentimes people struggle with knowing who they are. They want to know their purpose. People want to know why they were put on this earth and what God has chosen for them to do. For each of us it’s a personal struggle or journey. Sure, people can throw ideas at you based on their observations, but who are you, really? That’s the question.

Do you know who you are? Do you know what God has purposed for your life? I think sometimes our struggle to find out who we are takes us down various paths. Those paths may include different jobs or relationships. Sometimes there may be a struggle on a job, or a particular relationship. Sometimes we may think we have missed God, especially when we are going through difficult times, but I believe every experience whether good, bad, or indifferent is part of our journey. It’s what makes us who we are. Nothing just happens.

I will tell you this, everyone is here for a reason, and there are no mistakes or accidental births. Birth in itself is a miracle. Several years ago during prayer God spoke to me in an audible voice “The miracle of Birth” I didn’t know then and still don’t know now why He spoke those words to me, but I am sharing them with you today because maybe His intent was for you to hear them.  So I say to you this day birth in itself is a miracle.  Each one of us is a miracle of God.

But who are you? You already know you are a miracle, but what else? You are a spirit that resides in a body and you have a soul. Your soul or heart encompasses your mind and emotions.

One thing that you must know is that before you were born, your destiny was already planned.

Jeremiah 1:5 before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.  Whether you were ordained as a prophet like Jeremiah or God has another plan for your life, He does indeed have a plan for you. His plans or His thoughts for you are great. Jeremiah 29:11-13 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. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

God is telling us to call upon Him, to pray unto Him. And when we do this, He tells us He will hearken, He will give heed or attention to what we are saying, He will listen to us. And, if we seek Him with all our heart, now remember this is being done within our soul, then we will find him, and when we find Him, we will find ourselves.

I often think of our purpose or God’s plan for our life as that thing that won’t go away. Sometimes it may lie dormant especially if the enemy is attacking and trying to pull you away from God’s purpose for your life, but rest assured, try as he may. Not even the devil himself nor his henchmen can stop God’s plans for you. He has anointed, appointed and equipped you to do everything that He has predestined for you to do.

Who are you? You are a child of the Most High God with a predestined plan to succeed in God’s will for your life.

Sisters Steadfast in Faith invite you to join us every Thursday at 9 pm EST for E2E, Empowered to Excel. During our weekly call we will share words of encouragement from the word of God which are meant to inspire and encourage you to be steadfast in faith while empowering you to excel. 

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No Excuses

Ready, set, go! Welcome to 2016! Now is the time to do anything and everything that you have been putting off. Everything that you said “in January I am going to (you fill in the blank).”No excuses.

What is near and dear to your heart? What is the desire God has placed in you that just will not go away? You fall asleep thinking about it. You wake up in the morning thinking about it. During the day when your mind drifts you catch yourself thinking about it. What is it? Have you written it down? What is your vision or better yet, what is Gods vision for you? What are you doing about it?

I have always had a heart for those that are hurting. Sometimes the signs are obvious while at other times they are not. I yearn to see the broken restored.

As a female quite naturally I have a heart for women, but it doesn’t stop there. In my own quest for self-analysis, and during my own journey I have found that oftentimes my opportunities for growth also involved a male in my life. Male and female relationships involve a females understanding of a male as well as a males understanding of a female. Let’s be honest, if we want any relationship to work we must be willing to make an effort to make it work. If one person desires for a relationship to work more than the other person in the relationship the person that wants the relationship to work most is usually more willing to work on the relationship.

Our makeup is both spiritual and physical. Our spirit resides in a physical body that carries emotions. Our emotions often dictate how we react. We must learn how to balance the spiritual with the physical. We must recognize our battle is spiritual while at the same time recognizing the needs of the physical.

My focus for 2016 is prayer, salvation, healing, deliverance and restoration as you will see when you click on this link http://www.gretahillman.com/#!ssif/dork3  which takes you to a new page in my website or visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/sisterssteadfastinfaith . Sisters Steadfast in Faith (SSiF) is geared towards women yet offers insight to both men and women. We encourage prayer and celebrate victory. Look for words of encouragement and a study of God’s word when you visit us.

What is your commitment? What is your focus? It doesn’t matter what has happened in the past. Now is the acceptable time. Today is a new day. Maybe you have been working on your vision for years, or perhaps it’s just come to you. It doesn’t matter. It’s up to you to do all you can by the grace of God. No excuses. Set realistic goals and move forward. The only one standing in your way is you. Let 2016 be your year!

Only God Knows

We have often heard perception is reality. I would like to take this a little further. Oftentimes a person’s perception, assumption or insinuation becomes their reality. This reality, or these beliefs may or may not be based on facts.

These thoughts, which may or may not be based on facts become harmful when they taint the mind or thoughts of the believer causing adverse behavior towards others.

We read in Romans14:4 who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

How easy it is to make an assumption based on things we see or hear. On the rare occasion that I am watching the local or national news and hear a reporter make an assumption that is obviously not based on facts it makes me chuckle. It’s merely journalistic sensationalism, an attempt to draw the attention of the viewer and cause speculation.

But what happens when false perceptions impact a person’s life or livelihood? A dear friend of mine worked diligently on a project. She spent countless hours on research, neglecting family and friends working towards a deadline. Proud of her presentation she believed everyone would be able to see the amount of time and effort that was dedicated to her project.

Contrary to her belief, one observer of her presentation said it was sloppy and called her lazy, stating more research should have been done and the presentation was poorly put together. My friend was hurt by these words. If this person knew the effort that had gone into this project perhaps they would have thought differently, or would they?

Many times our thoughts are guided by our own performance. We may judge others based on our abilities, our performance, or ideals, our beliefs, our character. We may have an unspoken expectation. Have you ever heard someone say “he could have done better than that”, “I don’t think she even tried”, maybe these words were spoken to you or about you. Maybe you were the person speaking these words.

I am by no means excusing intentional poor performance. What I am saying is that we should not judge nor condemn because it is not our place. We can offer constructive criticism and even when doing so it would benefit us to first know the facts.

Perhaps my friend’s project may have appeared to someone with savvy computer skills to be somewhat amateurish but my friend utilized her skills and resources to the best of her ability.

Knowing my friend as I do, when speaking with her I reminded her that no one knew everything that went into her project but God Almighty Himself. She may know the time and effort that she expended, but only God knows how she, her family and friends were impacted. I’m so thankful God is all knowing. He knows what we are thinking, what we are feeling and how we are impacted by others behaviors towards us. We can find comfort in knowing regardless of the storm around us He is always our peace.

Always put your best foot forward.  Do the best that you are capable of doing, and never let anyone steal your joy! Colossians3:23-24 and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.