"I shall not, I shall not be moved
I shall not, I shall not be moved
Just like a tree that's standing by the water
I shall not be moved."
Psalms 18:2
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, (just as the enemy has many ways to attach, God has many ways to defend) F44 in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Life has taught us, the enemy uses countless ways to levy an attack. An approach can come from the most secreted and even personal avenues in your life to the most obvious. Life has also taught us, God has countless ways to levy a defense against those sordid attacks. If only by our faith, like David we would trust God to fight our battles. In this verse David is so overwhelmed in his zeal he can only express his desire to trust in God by calling him names that fit his needs.
David refers to God as “strength,” “foundation,” “place of safety,” “fountain,” “deliverer,” “my strong God,” “defender,” and “horn of my salvation.” David knew and believed that in God, every angle of attack was covered by all, but one in the same . . . God.
When our car needs repair, do we take it to a grocery store? No we take it to a mechanic, a specialist, a dealer. When we are hungry, do we go to the news stand? No, we go to a restaurant, a fast food joint; our refrigerator. When our lives are faced with spiritual attacks, do we go to our bosses? No we go to God, the healer, the strong tower, the Boss! Believe this . . . David didn’t have confidence in God because he heard God was a deliverer. David believed in God because God had proven himself daily and through generations. God still proves himself to us and has proven himself through generations. Now we must trust and believe him for all he has promised us.
When we take that step and refuse to come down off the wall; when we stand when the enemy says run; when we hold onto our faith when everything around us is falling; we too will be able to cry out all those names David cried out in praise.
Elder James Sangster
Hi Precious Women,
God is always doing something fabulous in our lives each and every day. As I was reflecting on how far I have come in Christ, I realized that God had to free my mind in order for me to allow him to use me. The great thing about God is that he will not force himself on us, but allow us to open our hearts and minds to him. In the midst of allowing him to use me, I went through some tough times, cried many tears, over came some fears and let go of a lot of hurt that I was holding on to. I wrote the following poem because now I am FREE!
Free your mind from yesterday's tears,
Free your mind from yesterday's fears,
Free your mind from the words that broke you,
Free your mind from the hurt that over took you.
Free your mind from the burdens that you bared,
and all of those times you felt no one cared.
Be Free oh precious woman
from the chains and bondage that wasted your time,
for NOW your hopes, and dreams of many FREE tomorrows
is at the front of your heart and mind, forever!
By D Sangster
7/31/2009
"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." Psalm 18:2
Who do you rely on when times get tough? Do you focus on the situation or the person that can eliminate the situation? Do you get on the hell-a-phone or take your prayers to the throne of God? You see, only God can deliver us from our situations that we face and encounter in this daily walk of salvation. He gives us the strength when we think we can't make it another day. He gives us the joy when we think we can't smile again. He gives us the peace when we think there is just too much confusion going on around us.
You know what? Go is your high tower and that means that nothing can be above you because God is higher than that situation. Just place your trust and faith in the only one that can get you through any situation you might encounter.
Stay on the throne and be patient; God IS NOT finished with you yet!
Ok, divorce by any means is still divorce and we just don't like that word. We believe marriage is honorable and should be a sacred union between two people that have an undying love for each other, through Christ. Hence, it is a bit unsettling to hear that Nas and Kelis are calling it quits. Not only that, they are expecting their first child in a couple of weeks and are separated. Can anyone see why this is unsettling to us? What God has joined together should never be put asunder. Can all really be lost if they are seeking God for answers in working out their problems?
Here you have two young people that are in the public eye, getting all sorts of advice from many directions and choose to go with the, sshhhhh "D" word. I had to whisper that and not say it too loud because it just doesn't fit in the realm of what we believe. Have they sought counseling? Is anyone telling them to pray about their situation and try to work things out?
Several things are very clear from this story that we should pray about. Rich people are not exempt from having problems, issues, arguments, etc, so don't get it twisted, they are human too. The other thing is that we are at war between marriage and divorce. As the body of Christ, we need to ensure marriage wins!
Please lift them up in your prayers and lets continue to pray for marriages all over this world.
We are excited to promote the "Sisters In The Spirit 2009 Retreat" to be held from July 24- 26, 2009. Click the link for more information on the retreat and what Rev. Bernada Baker is doing to connect women in Christ!
Blog Link
Here are 10 tips to help you maintain a healthy marriage from the Sangsters:
- Be Appreciative- Tell your spouse that you appreciate them and everything they do for you, even the small things.
- Be Committed- stand strong in your commitment to save your marriage and make it healthy again. If you don't stand up for your own marriage, who will? God gives you more strength than you can ever imagine.
- Be Communicative- Keep those lines of communication open with your spouse. Talk to them daily and just discuss family matters and matters of the heart with them. It shows inclusion and promotes openness. You should also make your requests known to God, who will hear your prayers and help you in your walk to have a healthy marriage.
Personal Note: James and I talk on the phone EVERYDAY about some of everything that matter to us. He gets in his 15,000 words for sure. But ladies, I have found that the best time to just get out your 25,000- 100,000 words that they say we need to get out daily is when the spouses are on their way to sleep or following them around the house. It is actually a lot of fun, at least in my household. - Be Encouraging- Say words of encouragement to your spouse. When they do something great, tell them that they did a great job or good work. It can only encourage them to keep pleasing you, right?
Personal Note: James has a lot of "swagga" which is a slang term that means he has style. I learned that word from our "almost" 17 year old son. Anyway, I love encouraging James on his style of dress, his neckties, how well he mows the lawn and prune the roses, etc. And you know what? All of us have so much "swagga" that just gets our spouses turning cartwheels. Tell them how good they look to you and how much you love how they drill the nail, park the car, wash the car, wash the dishes, cook dinner, wear those high heels, etc. It really matters and makes a difference on your relationship with them. If "swagga" isn't a word for you, create one that you and your spouse can relate to that says "you rock my world honey when you....." - Be Genuine- In your communications, have a spirit of genuineness and not sighing, pouting or complaining about something. If you have been with them long enough, they will detect if you are genuine or just doing it for self gain. Do it in love!
- Be Fearless- I love this one because God has NOT given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind. Don't be afraid to try new things in your marriage to make it more enjoyable. Go someplace new (even if it's to a new park or restaurant), try a new bedroom move (just don't hurt yourself), try a new perfume/cologne to entice your spouse (or as the old timers used to say, a new "come and get me sauce"). Just don't be afraid to do it. This is YOUR spouse and you are entitled to have a great time with them. And the best thing about it is "IT'S 100% LEGAL) Oh Yeah baby!
- Be Fun- Did you ever have fun with your spouse early on in your marriage or during the engagement stage? I know you both hung out and took walks in the park, went to the beach, baseball games, basketball games, plays, movies, etc. You did things that were fun and enjoyable for both of you. So why do you think that you can't still have fun because you are married now?
Personal Note: I cannot tell you how much fun James and I have. It is so natural, that people see it when we are together on the street, in stores and around others. We truly have fun together and we would not have it any other way. - Be Honest- Be sincere and truthful in your communications. If you are worried or hurting about something, talk about it honestly. You know when the door is opened for that honest communication with your spouse, so don't be afraid to do it. God has not given you the spirit of fear so allow God to lead you and you will NOT go wrong.
- Be Humorous- Didn't you ever laugh when you were dating your spouse? Surely somebody cracked a joke or two in the relationship. You cannot tell me that you didn't laugh at jokes, movies, falling down, getting up or just silly things. But you know, those things gave you both hope and lightened the load of just being in a relationship. Remember, laughter is good relationship medicine and should be practiced as often as you can do it.
Personal Note: James and I laugh more now than we did back when we were courting (yeah, I did say courting). We both are a couple of characters but it makes our relationship so much better. - Be a Listener- There are times when our spouses just want a listening ear. Don't be too busy to be a listener when your spouse needs to talk. You did talk all night when you were dating right? I bet you couldn't get enough of talking to them on the phone or in person. The difference now is that you don't tell them to go home and come back tomorrow, because you are living under the same household. Lend that ear to them and they will cherish it!
Personal Note: James and I spend time listening to each other quite a bit. I usually get in my listening time when he is out in the yard or relaxing in his recliner. I usually get him to listen more when it's time for bed. Yep, I literally talk him to sleep! It's fun!
Some people don't want to hear it, but the reality is this, if you are not fulfilling your role as the spouse that God wants you to be, someone else will be happy to try and fill it for you. NOT on God's watch baby! Tell that devil he is a liar from the pits of hell and don't let that happen in your marriage!! Take Charge of what you need to do to keep your marriage healthy. You have to be committed to doing what it takes to keep it presentable in the eyes of God, so the world can know what real marriages are made of.
Listen, God wants us to have marriages that glorify Him, so He will ensure that we can overcome the obstacles that sometimes easily beset us in this daily walk; we just have to put forth the effort first and be open to following God's instructions.
Now, go grow a healthy marriage...in Christ!
Click here for part 1 of how to grow a healthy marriage.