Chosen Women

For the last blog of 2010 I have chosen to re-post our first blog of 2010. I pray that you took it to heart in January 2010. I pray that you are better for it. If you did not and you are still alive, there is time to take it to heart and to make a change. Have a blessed and wonderful New Year! Evang. Lisa
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Monday, January 25, 2010

Praise the Lord, Chosen Women!

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me; bless His holy name! That is my soul's cry this morning -- I simply bless Him for being so all important in my life. I went with some very precious couples this weekend to see the film Book of Eli. It got mixed reviews, but for this group of saved individuals it was awe-inspiring. I have not been able to shake the image of the main character whose conviction and commitment to God and the Word shook me to my core and made me re-evaluate my own conviction.

Then, as if that reminder were not enough my husband preached "Obsessed" on Sunday. Simply put, he told us of how Jesus, after giving all to us, is looking for lovers who will become obsessed with Him to the point of stalking! He is looking for those who will desire Him more than our necessary food; who will seek to be with Him wherever He may be found; who will talk about Him relentlessly like a new teenage crush or our deepest puppy love; who will put nothing before our times together AND who thoughtfully seek for the next time to talk and be together . . . literally obsessed with Him. I will not soon forget that Word. I think it has literally changed the whole game for me. I told him it was one of the most convicting and challenging messages I have ever heard. I was the videographer for Sunday but I think only about 3 minutes actually got taped -- I was too focused on taking every Word into my own spirit.

I challenge you to take some time this week to re-evaluate your relationship with the Lord. Are you an obsessed lover? Be real with yourself. I told Pastor, "Obsessed saints would simply never miss an opportunity to fellowship; to commune; to study; to worship nor to obey Him." They would not put anything before Him. Some of us are obsessed, but not with God.

Our obsessions lie with our children; our mate; finding a mate; keeping a mate; our job; our television; our stomach; our friends; the mall; travel; pampering; nursing old hurts and wounds; our bodies; our looks; vengeance against those that hurt us; anger; laziness; being trendy and in style; texting and talking -- but too few hold Jesus Christ of Nazareth as our obsession. He cannot get as much of our attention as those other things.

Get real with you and get your priorities straight if they are not. We do not want Jesus to make the Rev. 2:4 declaration to us -- that He has against us that we have left our first love. Make sure that your relationship with Him remains the greatest of all things in your life!

In Service for the Master,

Evangelist Lisa Y. Mitchell

Praise the Lord, Chosen Women!

   While listening to a familiar Christmas hymn I had such a revelation. I heard a television minister say that revelation comes when the Holy Spirit shows you something that could have so easily just gone past your attention. Revelation breathes life into something and provides us a new or different perspective.

     The carol's phrase simply said, "God and sinners; reconciled." I'd heard it so many times. Yet this year the weight and truth of that phrase quite overwhelms me. Through Jesus' selfless and substitutionary work, a loving and peaceful relationship exists in my life with the Father. Moreover, heaven is in my view. Sin had a price; separation and death. Jesus paid it all. Merry Christmas -- thank you Jesus! Now, let us now finish this awesome teaching from Dr. Z!

In Service for the Master,

Evangelist Lisa Y. Mitchell
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3.     Learn how to be politically savvy and use the gifts God has given you to your advantage.  Daniel was a wise man of Babylon (read Chapter 1).  When King Neb initially called the wise men of Babylon to interpret the dream, why wasn’t Daniel called in too?  Maybe this was a part of the Divine set-up.  Daniel knew he didn’t have time to question everything – time was of the essence.  Apparently, Daniel knew he could stand before King Neb, so he used his political platform wisely.  Daniel was also gifted in dream interpretation.  He confidently stood before King Neb, asking for time to interpret the dream.  Pay attention in a crisis!  You must know who you are!  Your gifts are weapons to use against spiritual enemies!  Can you imagine where your life would be without your God-given gifts?  Servant of God, don’t panic; rather think!  If you are a Psalmist, you need to sing.  If you are a gifted teacher, then teach.  If you have the gift of service – serve; get the point?  God will always meet you in the operation of a gift.  His gift in you is what gives you the edge.  Daniel had a “Divine Edge” on all of the other wise men of Babylon, because the Spirit of God was the source of his gifting.  Daniel was confident in using his gift during a time of crisis.  Daniel also knew that God had given him Divine favor with King Neb (again, read Chapter 1).  When the other wise men of Babylon sought time, they were immediately turned down!  When Daniel asked for time – King Neb basically said; “No problem Daniel.”  Amazing!

 

4.    Don’t be arrogant – you cannot do this alone!  Daniel acted wisely: first he identified the problem, he had the courage to appropriately confront, and then he used all that God had already given him: political platform, God-giftedness and Divine favor!  Daniel knew that this was a new problem and it called for a new solution.  He had sense of enough to call the Community of Faith together in a prayer meeting, because all of their lives were threatened!  The wisdom literature says, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecc. 4:12b)  There is power in numbers.  When you are confronted with an overwhelming problem, Satan will tempt you to isolate yourself, so that he can get in your head and tell lies.  The devil will tempt you with self-pity, and make you falsely accuse God.  The enemy wants you to believe the situation is your fault, so that you will make it about yourself, instead of perceiving it as a Divine assignment.  When you open your heart to other believers, there is much less chance of the enemy being able to attack in this manner.  True prayer partners have Godly ears and eyes for the devil; they listen for and recognize Divine order.  Have you ever noticed that when you are weak, your prayer partner is strong and vice-versa?  Get with your prayer partners when a crisis hits!  Get on one accord and pray through.  Don’t let up until heaven hears you.  Plead for God’s mercy, and don’t worry about the details.  Just pray!

 

5.    Expect results.  When you pray through, God acts!  When God acts: PRAISE HIM!!! 

      My friends only God can spare your life: both naturally and spiritually.  Are you struggling with God-given vision today?  Is Vision dealing with you?  Perhaps you unknowingly seek answers from the gods?  How often in life do we face illogical, insane folks who are in authoritative positions, and they wreak havoc over innocent victims?  This is the kind of stuff that makes you ask, “God why?”  It is okay to ask why, but remember when Jesus was on the cross, and he asked “My God, my God  . . . why?”  Jesus did not get an answer to his question.  He let go of his faith and said, “Into thy hands I commit my spirit.”  He put his faith to work.  In three days He was raised from the dead.  It was the Divine Plan in action!

     After God revealed King Neb’s dream and its interpretation to Daniel:

“Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, ‘Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret this dream for him.”

           
     When you hear from heaven, you will speak with authority concerning the problem, because you have will understanding.  God gives wisdom and understanding to those who ask!  In this lesson, the vision that caused so much trouble was from God.  Daniel and his friends prayed, and God gave Daniel the Vision that set everybody (King Neb, the wise men of Babylon, Daniel and his friends) free!  God set Divine order in Babylon.  He wanted King Neb and everyone else to know that Israel was his Chosen, and even though they were in captivity, God had not abandoned them.  God wanted everyone to see and know who he was and who his people were.  The same holds true today.  God wants everyone to know who he is and who you are Servant of God!  You are special, because God made you special.  Woman /Man may I encourage you to ask God for wisdom and understanding concerning the vision you are dealing with, and let Vision deal with you. 

                                                                                               

Praise the Lord, Chosen Women!

   Are you full in the swing of the holiday season? Go ahead and enjoy this season! For many it is festive and especially joyous -- a time of celebrations, family gatherings, giving and visiting. Yet for others it brings stress as they try to please people with tangible things which they cannot afford; and grieve over losses, unfulfilled hopes and unmet desires. Please keep Jesus in the forefront of your mind. Do not go into deeper debt. Encourage gratitude in your household. Help create an atmosphere where gift giving does not alienate anyone. What about encouraging handmade gifts or low dollar amount limits in your gift exchanges?

We are helping our son greatly purge his already overflowing toy boxes to give to more needy children. Our goal is to positively help impact his character as opposed to just piling more toys into his room to boost our parental egos. Parents, take a look at why you are doing what you are doing. So often it is not about them -- it is about your bragging rights. I am not trying to put a damper on your Christmas -- just please weigh your motives. Remember that famous saying, "Jesus is the reason for the season." If you do believe that please do something that brings HIM glory in these coming days. This week we continue into Part 2 of the powerful 3 Part Series by Dr. Zenobia Bereal.

In Service for the Master,

Evangelist Lisa Y. Mitchell
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"Dealing with vision -- while Vision deals with you!"

     King Neb was a bully who depended on gods!  He was a heathen king and he acted just like a heathen when under pressure.  He became desperate and threatened to kill the wise men of Babylon and destroy their personal property.  The astrologers answered him:

“There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks!  What the king asks is too difficult.  No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.” (2:10a-11)

     My brother used to always say, “a man has to know his limitations!”  These magicians knew their limitations – the demands imposed on them were too great, and their futures were bleak.  They knew how to perform magic, but their sorcery skills could not work miracles!The gods work magic; which is a temporary fix.Magic may help you get by, but miracles set you free.A miracle will help you escape death – God sets you free from every oppressive foe!  The God-given problem upset the apple cart for everyone involved: King Neb, and the wise men of Babylon, which included God’s servants: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; who are more popularly known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  They were completely unaware of what was going on!  All of a sudden, their lives were in danger.  God had not foretold them anything.  Servant of God, sometimes the trouble just appears out of nowhere.

     The furious, maniacal King Neb made a decree, ordering that all of the wise men of Babylon be put to death.The man was desperately insane because of his God-given vision.The burden of the Lord was on King Neb, and he didn’t have a relationship with God, so instead of him knowing how to deal with a vision, it dealt with him!  Herein lies the point concerning vision: 

Whenever God chooses to deal with any human being, no one can resolve God’s will, giving them peace but God. 

     In this case, God dealt with King Neb who ruled over Israel at that time, because they were in captivity in Babylon.  However, God never gives up complete authority over his people Israel.  God wanted King Neb to know, “look, I sent my people here to be under your leadership in order to punish them, but don’t get it twisted, I love Israel!  You and everybody else must understand that you are under my Authority.  They may call you king, but remember . . . I AM THE KING!” 

     Daniel and his friends were God’s servants who were subject to King Neb’s evil authority, and because of this things went crazy.  Arioch, the commander of King Neb’s guards had gone out to put to death all of the wise men of Babylon.  Men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.  Daniel spoke with Arioch and asked him, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?”  Arioch explained everything to Daniel, and he went to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.  When Daniel got home, he explained everything to his friends. 

“He urged them to plead for mercy from God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.  During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision.  Then Daniel praised the God of heaven.”  (2:18-19)

     Using Daniel as a model, let’s walk through the process of finding God when God-given trouble is dealing with you:

1.      Daniel plainly asked Arioch, “why is this happening?”  Get a clear understanding about what the problem is.  When trouble presents itself, there is a tendency to emotionally overreact!  The devil gets busy in the mind, and creates false realities that seem very believable!  If you feel insecure, afraid, defensive, etc. recognize that the devil is driving your feelings.  Satan loves confusion, because it keeps you entangled.  Insanity and frustration are hand-in-hand.  When trouble comes, get a clear understanding about what is really going on.  Take the time, calm down and listen carefully.  If you don’t have an understanding of what the problem is, how can you seek a proper solution? 

2.  Daniel went to King Neb about the situation.  Go straight to the source of the problem.  Once you find out what the problem is, does it really help to rehearse it over and over and over again with anyone who will listen?  Usually it doesn’t help at all!  People will give you all kinds of counsel and opinion, but at the end of the day, you will still need to have the courage to confront.  Think on this.

(Find out what else to do when we complete this powerful series next week. If you missed Part I please scroll down to see last week's blog. Have a wonderful week in Him!)

Praise the Lord, Chosen Women!

    This week begins a new season for the Chosen Women Website! In the coming weeks and months the website will feature ministry from anointed friends and ministry gifts within our Chosen Women Network! This week we start with a powerful series from Dr. Zenobia Bereal of West Angeles COGIC, and Share Wisdom, Inc.!

    Rev. Dr. Zenobia Bereal (“Dr. Zee”) received a calling to teach and preach God’s Word at age 13. Her academic achievements include: a B.A. in Religion and Leadership (with honors) from Vanguard University; Masters in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary; Masters in Divinity equivalency from Ashland Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate in Ministry from Ashland Theological Seminary. She was ordained under the authority of Christian Bible Fellowship Church. 

    Currently, Dr. Zee serves as President/CEO of Share Wisdom, a ministry that has birthed "Seminy-to-Pew" and "Let's Talk About It"; para-church ministries that are designed to reach souls who have needs outside of traditional models of teaching and therapy. Dr. Zee has served as an Adjunct Professor (Old Testament) at Vanguard University and substitute Professor in the School of Professional Studies at Vanguard. For more on Dr. Zee visit her website at www.revzee.com.

    Dr. Zee's ministry and friendship have been a profound blessing in my life. I know her to be a true worshipper, an anointed psalmist, an accurate and sure prophetic voice, and a woman sincerely seeking to fulfill God's will and purpose for her life. I pray that her teaching series blesses you!

In Service for the Master,



Evangelist Lisa Y. Mitchell
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"Dealing with a vision - while Vision deals with you!" 

“Take me to the king. . . I will interpret his dream [vision] for him.”  Daniel 2:24b

    Dreams and visions are sometimes very intriguing.  Have you ever had a dream that was so vivid you thought it was real?  When visions and dreams seem real, we usually assume they mean something.  You can be so moved that you will find someone you trust to share your dream.  Dreams comfort, teach, guide, and even frighten people.  Such was the dream that King Nebuchadnezzar (“King Neb”) experienced in Daniel chapter 2.  His dream was so troubling, he could not remember it!  The dream caused King Neb to be unable to sleep.  He became so upset, he summoned his supernatural helpers: the “magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers.” (2:2a) It seems that somebody in the group would be able to conjure up an answer for King Neb’s vision; but, because the dream was from God, no one could speak to it but God!  King Neb called on his gods (the wise men of Babylon) to help him with God Almighty.  It is sad but true . . .  Let’s not get on King Neb’s case.  You may not realize it, but we do the same thing in the 21st century!  Instead of humbling ourselves before God Almighty when we are confronted with a crisis that is too much to deal with, we often resort to conjuring up ways to cope.  Over-eating, smoking weed, drinking alcohol, lewd sex, etc. are coping methods we use to conjure up answers to comfort ourselves in times of need.  Like King Neb, we call on our “magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers” to help us get by trouble that can very well be a God-generated crisis in life.

    There are times when God will deal with an authority in your life, in order to show the world who he really is AND who you really are as his servant!  The situation may be adverse and unfair, but God is still at work.  This can be a confusing time, because like King Neb’s dream; it comes out of nowhere!  The authority may be a pastor, spouse, boss, professor, etc.  Scripture teaches us that God does, at times, generate circumstances that are impossible for humans to deal with outside of his Divine participation.  Always remember, you are God’s servant, and all trouble is not about you.  Can you say it with me, “it’s not about me . . .” Although it may appear to be directed straight at you, and it feels like it is a frontal attack on your spirit - God has a plan.  You are dealing with a problem (vision) and Vision is dealing with you.  Another thing, God gives people vision, because he is the only true Authority.  The Psalmist declares: “the earth is the Lords, the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein.”  (Ps. 24:1)  The situation you now face can be God’s plan to promote you in the long run.  Could it be that like King Neb, you are caught up in a move of God?  King Neb was caught up in a move of God and no one was prepared to deal with it but the man of God; his name was Daniel. 

    Let’s go deeper into this story.  King Neb told the magic men:

    “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means. Then the astrologers answered the king, ‘May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.’ The king replied to the astrologers, ‘This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.  So tell me the dream and interpret it for me’” (2:3b--6) 

    If I were one of those magicians, I would have answered King Neb, “You’re kidding right?”  King Neb wasn’t kidding!  It was all or nothing for the magicians.  King Neb’s troubled spirit was imposed on those under his leadership.  At this point, injustice prevailed.  It all seems so unreasonable!  Sound familiar?  Are you in an impossible position, because of a troubled authority over your life?  Has someone imposed their trouble on you because they can?  I call it a “dump”!  Be encouraged servant of God; God really is in control.  Maybe it is a test that is building your faith.  Perhaps the Lord is maturing you in Kingdom matters.  I know it is very uncomfortable, but rest assured, God will bring you out of it! 

    All of a sudden, the wise men of Babylon found themselves in a life and death dilemma.  They faced death and destruction, because they were unable to do the impossible – tell King Neb what he dreamed, and then interpret it.  The gods could help the wise men of Babylon to interpret the dream only if they already knew the dream.  The problem was too big for the gods, because in order to help the magicians, they needed something to work with.  That is the way it is with humans when it comes to dealing with supernatural troubles (visions).  When troubles come, and people depend on “gods” the gods use their powers to manipulate and control people and circumstances.  When a vision is a God-purposed matter, only God can reveal and resolve it!  God doesn’t need something to work with – he is the Creator.  God works out of nothingness. 
(Part II Next Week!)