Good listen about getting free from Porn

Hi there.....   I hate porn!  I hate everything about it!... I hate what it does to the person engaged in it and the death it brings to the person, their wives/girlfriends and children.

Also,  there are all the downstream effects of pornography: erectile dysfunction,   more twisted lusts, and the crimes people commit to fulfill those new desires and fantasies.

Did you know that the number one reason a woman will leave a man is because of porn addiction?  She knows he's fooling around on her.  I have met many porn widows.... some who were positive that their husbands/boyfriends were having an affair on them. They might not have been physically at that moment but they were emotionally!

There has been so little authoritative teaching on this subject and so many Christian men struggle with this I am thrilled to find this youtube video about purity.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCNBCm0egWo

There's also a book put out by Promise Keepers called, "Sex, God  and Men" by Douglas Weiss.  It has some good stuff in it about the different levels of masturbation etc.  and how to bond with your mate so porn is not so desirable.

Basically..... your best option is to ask Holy Spirit to help you to hate your sin... that's the start.  And, as always,,, run to God... not away from Him!  A healed heart is much stronger at resisting porn than a broken, hurting person.

So If you want to pray with me let's start out this way... You can add whatever the Lord lays on your heart.  

" Lord, your will be done and your kingdom come in our lives in a greater way today.  We claim courage to run to You, not away from you. We know that you were tempted to sin, yet didn't sin and we too can resist temptation! Hallelujah for the hope and victories you have in store for us! Amen!"

Have a great day!
Brenda Gale Thompson

Trends

I am noticing a trend these days.    Many dear people who have gone on holidays  have come back under attack instead of refreshed.  This should not be so!

I wouldn't have put it together if it hadn't been happening so consistently.   People getting hurt, accidents,  disappointments coming back, weariness about the work load, frustration that things aren't changing fast enough...  it's been a real onslaught!

So.... better late than never let's claim God's promises for our friends and families.

Thank you Lord that our friends and families get refreshed when they go on holidays.  Let them come back pumped up with the good things You want to do at church.  Lord, help us all to remember the good things that are happening at our churches and not the things that irritate us. Ignite passion in our hearts for all you want to do.  Help us to keep our hearts clean and to extend mercy, grace and forgiveness to others.   Help us to communicate effectively and give us wisdom about what to do and how much to do.  Thank you Lord that because we love your word, nothing can cause us to stumble or take offense.  Thank You Lord for healing every person that has been hurt in any way.   Help us Lord to not become weary in our outreach because we know this is Your work and your kingdom. Amen!

On the good side 6 un-churched people asked Jesus into their hearts in the last few weeks and many have been healed of all kinds of back problems and arthritis. 
 
Bless you!
Brenda Gale Thompson

p.s.   Let's claim refreshing because, "He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed!" (ref. Prov. 11:25)

Complaining Trend

Someone I know was having a rough couple of weeks and they were talking to me.    I prayed for them and later that day another person was having a hard time with someone in leadership, so I encouraged them and we prayed for healing and restoration.

The next day I was helping someone out and they had a list of complaints a mile long about church and problems there.   I couldn't help but notice a trend there.

 I asked the Lord what his take was on all these legitimate complaints.  You know what he said? He said, "Your leaders are works in progress just like you are.  Don't expect perfection from them until you are perfect yourself."

Contrary to popular belief,  God is working on them just like he is working on us..... but the area he's working on might not be the area that bugs you the most. 

I too have had my share of trouble with persons in leadership, surprise, surprise.  I wouldn't be human if it weren't so.   The Lord has opened my eyes to see the bigger picture and to see the damage that can be done to a church by disappointment and offense.

The Problem is.... there are only so many churches to go to and if you leave offended at one you're enlisting in God's 'wilderness wandering game'.  No thank you.  Been there before and I want to move on to the next level.

I am not by any means saying that our church has it all together.  On the contrary, I can see some gaping holes and areas that need improvement.

So I am going to share some wise words a couple of my mentors shared with me years ago.

The First is never leave a church with offense in your heart.  Always ask God to heal  you up first and try to leave on good standing, not the superficial, "Thanks,  I'm called out. Good bye."   This will help you grow in Christ. If you can't leave the way you want because of situations outside your control, then pursue healing in the new church you go to.

Second, when a leader starts claiming he/she's something great etc. and it rubs you the wrong way, pause and think about it.  Is the person saying this to excuse a character flaw or are they attempting to, 'call those things that be not as though they were?" Usually if it rubs you the wrong way it's because you have had their flaws cause you personal pain.  It's time to seek the Lord and find the balance in your life.  God, family, work then church is the way most ministry leaders advise people to prioritize your lives.

I remember something a leader said when one of his helpers quit his job and stated he was going to go preach the gospel for a living.  This person said to themselves, "Why this guy can't preach himself out of a garbage can! He'll be out of money in a month!"  Holy Spirit quickly spoke up to this man, "Then help him!"   That quieted this leader.  So many other people were quick to tell the would be preacher that he would never make it and that he better go back to his regular job but this leader would not join in their criticism or judgement. Time marched on and the would be preacher did become successful, praise God!

Are you wondering who the leader was?   Kenneth Copeland! And the would be preacher was Jerry Savelle! What a loss it would be to the body of Christ without Jerry Savelle's Ministry!  He has helped countless people around the globe get a handle on the basics of faith--myself included!

So when I hear a leader claiming great titles I remember that story and I figure I can be on the helping side which is Holy Spirit, or I can be on the devil's side which is criticizing and judging.  No thank you.  I am Not going there.  Yes, the attacks are real and yes sometimes leaders get puffed up.  God's able to correct them without my help... I know that now.

I encourage  you to give all your expectations of what leadership should and should not be over to the Lord daily.  That's what I am learning to do.  As I look at God in praise and worship it gets easier and easier to do this.  Let's pray...

Lord we need your help to love people through the unlovely situations we face daily.  Let your love and peace we shed abroad  in our hearts.  Give us your hope that you are able to change us and the situations around us.  We ask for joy and humor in our daily journey with you. Bind us all together in your love and thank you for unity of spirit in our churches.  Thank You for helping us look past our hurts to the beauty you are creating in the people around us and in us.  Thank You Lord for time with you and for transforming our hearts so we want to spend more time with you every day. Amen!

Bless you!
Big hugs,
Brenda Gale Thompson

3 Keys to Releasing the Rivers Inside of You

 
I was trying to make a video clip and I lost 2.5 hours worth of work but I remembered what the preacher taught! This is from Ezekiah Francis.  He is an apostle from India and he really loved the presence of God in our church, (www.theoasis.ca or "Kinburn Revival" on Facebook, Kinburn Revival on YouTube).


He said that there is nothing to wait for.  "Quit singing, "One day, one day..."  We have already gotten all we are going to get.   The main key is to release the power of the Holy Ghost inside of us.  We have all the creative power of the universe inside of us already." (ref. Col. 1:27).


I believe that.  God promised to meet all our needs according to his riches in glory (ref. Phil.4:19).  Thank God he didn't say Heaven.   We can get to the glory realm every time we worship, are thankful, by sowing and obeying.  Those are the four main doors that I have discovered thus far (another teaching for another day)


In his presence we should ask Holy Spirit what we are allowed to decree or call into being.  That's the time to speak all the prophesies that you have over your life.  That's the time to pull down the provision you are waiting on.  That's the time to obey whatever Holy Spirit says to do or say.


You might think I am crazy and that's okay, but God did that!  He waited till Holy Spirit was moving before he spoke things into being. (Gen. 1:1-3)  Even Jesus learned to wait upon Holy Spirit.  He himself said, I can only do what I see my Father in Heaven doing. (John 5:19)  Since he was on earth when he spoke this, he was relying on Holy Spirit to show him what was going on in Heaven much the same way we need to wait on Holy Spirit.


Holy Spirit is the only God agent on the earth.  He is our guide to walking in the spirit, too all things pertaining to life and godliness (ref. 2Pet. 1:3).


Ezekiah then mentioned 3 keys to releasing the rivers inside of us.


1. Expand your spirit.  Reading your bible will really help. He reads 10 chapters in his bible every day.    We read a lot of commentaries and how to books in the Western World but many of us have gotten away from reading our bibles (myself included).  We need to strengthen ourselves with His might in our spirits. (ref. Eph 3:16)


2. Guard your  heart.  Proverbs. 4:23 reads, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."  We (myself included) need to be careful what we are allowing into our ears and eyes-- our spiritual gates.

3. Listen!  One word from God can change your life.   Reading your bible will help you tune your spirit back to heaven's frequency.  According to Ezekiah, the very best way to grow in your listening ability is to pray in tongues, then ask for the interpretation.  Speak in tongues at least 1 hour  a day and ask for the interpretation every so often.

I started out as a baby christian singing in tongues and the song's were helping me so much that I blurted out, "What am I singing Holy Spirit?"  I immediately got the interpretation.  I really do believe we have not because we ask not (ref. James 4:2).

Ezekiah prays in tongues a minimum of 3 hours before every service to prepare for it.   He challenged us to pray in tongues for one hour a day, asking for the interpretation so we would grow.

As I was writing down these notes in my journal I got, "We will yet do greater things than these!"  Holy Spirit wants this for us.   

So I decided to give what he said a try.  I have a hard time setting aside the time to read 10 chapters at once but I can do 1 chapter in the morning, one at lunch, one at supper etc.  I was pleasantly surprised how peaceful I became after a stressful morning.  It works!  Reading one chapter of my bible helped me to refocus and I realized that what was bothering me wasn't really important in the grand scheme of things.

May I dare you to try this out?  It's helping me.  I know we are all busy, but he's worth more than anything in our lives-- isn't he?

Let me bless you now.  "I bless you with the ability to press in for more of God.  May you (and I) always have a hunger for his word and His presence.  May the zeal of the Lord consume us and may we seize the moments every day to obey and bring his Kingdom to the earth.  I declare you are blessed to be a blessing everywhere you go, in Jesus' name. Thank You Jesus that signs and wonders follow us as we obey your promptings today. Amen!"


Big hugs,
Brenda Gale Thompson