Month: April 2007

God’s Word on words

To reinforce just how important and powerful your words can be, I am listing God’s Word on our words.  You’ve heard and have probably said the old saying, “you are what you eat”, and I say to you, “you are what you speak, you have what you say, you say what you think and you think what you believe“!!!  Here are some scriptures to back me up:

Thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; and the light shall shine upon thy ways.  Job 22:28

A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.  Proverbs 18:7

A man’s heart deviseth his way; but the Lord directeth his steps.  Proverbs 16:9

Whoso keepeth his  mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.  Proverbs 21:23

The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life.  Proverbs 10:11

A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth.  Proverbs 12:14

He that keepeth his mouth, keepeth his life.  Proverbs 13:3

A gentle tongue, with it’s healing power is a tree of life, but willful contrariness in it breaks down the spirit.  Proverbs 15:4 Amplified Version

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.  Proverbs 16:24

My son, attend to thy words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.  Proverbs 4:20-22

Rachele & Gary

Rachele and Gary want to bless an orphaned child with a loving home and this child would also be a true blessing to Rachele and Gary.  They are asking us to pray for them as well as the agency they are using.  Right now the waiting period is 18 months or more.  Jesus told us that we would have the power to call things that are not, as though they were; all we need is to ask for it and stand steadfast in faith that is has been done.  In the past the agency has asked their community to fast and pray hoping that God will move the hearts of adoption officials so these children can be placed with loving families.  They are fasting and praying from April 23-25 and are asking for our support.  I am listing their letter below.  I pray that you will make time to pray for these children and the parents looking to adopt and ask God to move mightily in the hearts and minds of everyone involved; In Jesus’ holy name, AMEN.

Specific Issues in Need of Prayer:

  • To decrease the wait time for referrals from China and El Salvador;

  • To allow more orphans in China to be listed and available for adoption;

  • For paper chasing China adoptive parents who need to reach their May 1st deadline;

  • For adoption agencies to be accredited in Russia;

  • For the hearts of leaders in the field of adoption to make decisions in the best interest of children – and not to be motivated by personal greed, ambition, or national pride.

We are praying boldly and in faith—as Jesus taught us in Mark Chapter 11: 

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.  “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”  -Mark 11:22-24 

This would also be a great time to ask your church community, fellowship groups and bible studies to pray together for orphans waiting to be adopted.  For those who can join us in prayer and fasting from April 23 – 25, we appreciate your support, prayers and faithfulness.

Sincerely,

America World Staff

A Cry To God

How long O Lord, will this go on? This sadness that grips me, from dusk till dawn.

The days of my youth have passed me by, I cant see tomorrow, no matter how hard I try.

I know Im forgiven, and have been set free, But the sins of my past, they still torment me.

Your blood shed for me washed me white as snow, And Im not deserving of this, I know.

To walk in the light, and to be free at last, I must forgive myself, and let go of my past.

Thank You O Lord, for not leaving my side, I know Ive been foolish and full of pride.

Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace, Jehovah, Yeshua, You are all of these.

With Your name on my lips and Your joy in my heart, Today Ill step out in faith, Ill make a new start.

-Briggitte L. Cruz 

Doris

I just spoke with Doris and she has been taken to the hospital as she passed out in her home this morning.  Doctors say that she experienced a “shower” of blood clots in her lungs.  Please keep Doris in your prayers so that she can be released and given a clean bill of health. 

Lord, Your word says that whenever two or more are gathered in Your name in prayer, there is power.  Yeshua, we come to you on behalf of our sister and Your daughter Doris for healing.  Father, because of Your Word, we are more than overcomers, and by Your stripes we are healed.  Jesus, we know that You bore all of our sickness, pain and sin on the cross and that we have victory over all illness, sin and death.  Father, You are Jehovah Rapha, the Ultimate Healer and you complete all things to perfection.  We stand in faith that You are in control and we submit our lives to You for Your glory.  Surround Doris with angels and cover her in a blanket of peace while she is going through this trial.  Give her doctors and nurses that serve You and send people her way that will help to keep her faith strong and her mind set on You, in the might name of Jesus, Amen.

“You have given Doris abundant life, she receives that life through Your word and it flows to every organ of her body bringing healing health.” John 10:10, John 6:63

My Redeemer Lives!

“Thank You God, that Your word is alive and full of power.  It is sharper than any two-edged sword; it divides soul and spirit; and it judges the thoughts and purposes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 

“Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has already ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession of faith in Him.” Hebrews 4:14

April 17th Power in Prayer, Power in our Words

You all know by now that I am trying to send the message to everyone to Pray!  Lately I  have been studying about words, our tongue, and how they affect our daily lives; and the lives of those around us.  I spent some time today going through an amplified bible and reading scriptures focused on prayer and our words.  I wanted to share a few of them with you and URGE you to get a copy of God’s Creative Power for Healing, by Charles Capps and Hung by the Tongue by Frances P. Martin as companions to help you understand and unlock God’s power and the authority we have been given by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  God Bless. 

“Let us pray fervently knowing that God hears the prayer of the righteous.” Proverbs 15:29

“The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16

“Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my firm, impenetrable Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalms 19:14

“Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.” Psalms 34:13

“Set a guard, O Lord, before my mouth, keep watch at the door of my lips.” Psalms 141:3

“The Servant of God says, The Lord God has given Me the tongue of a disciple and of one who is taught, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary.  He wakens Me morning by morning, He wakens My ear to hear as a disciple, as one who is taught.” Isaiah 50:4

“The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the consistently righteous, the upright, in right standing with Him.” Proverbs 15:9

“But I tell you, on the day of judgement men will have to give account for every idle, inoperative, nonworking word they speak.  For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced.” Matthew 12:36-37

“Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word, nor unwholesome or worthless talk ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace, God’s favor, to those who hear it.” Ephesians 4:29

“Also, Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward, faint, lose heart and give up.” Luke 18:1

“For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days, good-whether apparent or not, keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from guile, treachery, deceit.” 1 Peter 3:10

“So too, the Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer, nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groaning’s too deep for utterance.” Romans 8:26

“Let us then fearlessly and confidently draw near to the throne of grace, the throne of God’s unmeried favor to us sinners, that we may receive mercy for our failures and find grace to help in good time, for every need, appropriate help and well-timed  help, coming just when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16

Isaac

My friends grandson Isaac was taken to the emergency room over the weekend because he was not feeling well.  When he got there, they determined that his blood-pressure was  high (even though he is just 11 years old), however they do not know why or what could be the cause of it.  They have conducted several tests and have ruled out numerous causes.  He is home now under close observation and will go back for more tests this week.

Lift up Isaac’s family in prayer asking God to give them both physical and spiritual strength to care for him.  Pray that God watch over Isaac and his doctors and give them the knowledge they need to find out the cause of the illness.  Let all the saints pray, “Jesus bore Isaac’s sickness and carried his pain, ttherefore, there is no place for sickness and pain in his body; for God sent His Word and has healed Isaac.” Psalm 107:20

Tragedy on Virginia Tech Campus

A graduate student took the lives of 32 people and wounded several more just before turning the gun on himself in a senseless killing on the Virginia Tech campus today.  Many of the wounded are in critical care, fighting for their lives.  Please remember the families and friends of the victims in your prayers this evening.  Ask God to give them peace as they mourn their loss.  Also keep the remaining students, families and staff in prayer that they may find the strength to move forward and that they not be bound by fear.  Let all the saints pray, “We bind the enemy and his plans to implant fear and cause chaos and harm.  We speak to the enemy and bind it’s power and demand he let go of our children, in the name of The One, who has already defeated him; Jesus Christ.  Amen

April 16th “Do this in remembrance of Me”

There were a lot of preparations for the passover meal on the evening that Jesus was arrested.  Jesus made all the arrangements and appointed his disciples to gather what was needed in addition to the location the meal would take place.  He orchestrated everything down to the smallest detail and the passover meal began with Jesus washing the feet of His disciples.

Matthew, Mark and Luke each tell of when Jesus took the bread, and gave thanks to God.  This bread was His body which would be given for us.  He told them to take it, and eat it; in remembrance of Him.  He then took the wine and gave thanks to God.  This was his blood; the new covenant which would be shed (poured out) for us.  He told them to drink it; in remembrance of Him. 

Jesus wasn’t asking them to give thanks to God and remember Him for that meal alone.  He was instructing them to give thanks to God every time they broke bread and to also remember Him.  As believers, we too are disciples of Christ and thus we are compelled to follow His instruction when we break bread.

This act of remembrance has taken on many forms throughout the centuries; as a child I was taught to say, “God is  great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food, Amen.”  Over the years I have taught my children to bless their food, give thanks to God, and I allow to them say their own special blessing.  Today when I break bread alone or with family and friends, I ask who would like to say the blessing and if I am in the company of others who do not observe this sacrament, I silently give thanks. 

I must say that I have noticed several “Christian” friends and acquaintances who do not give thanks unless it is Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter.  I used to wonder why more Christians did not observe the sacrament, or why they appeared to be uncomfortable giving thanks when in public and then it hit me; they were embarrassed to proclaim their beliefs in public!!!  We should NEVER be ashamed or embarrassed to show our faith in public.  Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, so shall the Son of man be ashamed of them when He comes in His Father’s glory.” Mark 8:38

When you give thanks, it can be as short or long as you need it to be.  Your only requirement is to give thanks to God in remembrance of His Son, Jesus Christ each time you eat or drink.

God Bless.

April 15th

How much power do your words carry?   Have you ever said something that you felt had an impact on those who heard it?  Do you think that you affect others by your words?  Do you think you affect yourself by your words?  I wanted to give you an excerpt from “God’s Creative Power for Healing”, by Charles Capps, to show you the effect of words.

The following was taken from an article in Readers Digest, 1991 entitled “Patient Knows Best”:

“A person’s answer to the question, ‘Is your health excellent, good, fair or poor?’ is a remarkable predictor of who will live or die over the next four years according to new findings.”

A study of more than 2,899 men and women 65 or older found that those who rate their health ‘poor’ are four to five times more likely to die in the next four years than those who rate their health ‘excellent.’ This was the case even if examinations show the respondents to be in comparable health.

These findings are supported by a review of five other large studies, totalling 23,000 people which reached similar conclusions, according to Ellen Idler, a sociologist at Rutgers University, and epidemiologist Stanisav Kasl of Yale University School of Medicine, co-authors of the new study.

People that have an image of themselves being in poor health will talk about poor health  Even though they may in good health, they seem to  live out the reality of the image they have of themselves even unto death.  This would confirm Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

Charles Capps

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, if you NEVER read another book on healing the rest of your life, you MUST read, “God’s Creative Power For Healing”, by Charles Capps.  A very dear and close friend blessed me with a copy and it is absolutely the very best book I have ever read.  It is eye opening and life changing and the best gift you could ever give yourself.  It may be a small booklet, but don’t let its size fool you.  It is an easy and quick read but one you’ll want to read over and over and over again.  When you buy the book, make sure you get extra copies for your loved ones and friends. 

Jim

Just wanted to give everyone an update, we’ve heard that Jim is doing well.  God answers prayer!  It may not be when we want it, or how we want it – we must have FAITH that God will be glorified and in His infinite wisdom knows what must be done.

Cindy

I just got word that Cindy is doing fine, Praise God.  This is wonderful news and another testimony to God’s healing power and love for His children.  Let us pray that Cindy continues to grow stronger and that she will be a living testimony to the power of prayer.

Daniele

We serve an awesome and loving God!  Daniele got the job!!!  Praise God!  Not only did she get the job, God blessed her with a bigger salary than she asked for.  HOW GREAT OUR GOD IS!!  His desire is to bless us abundantly above and beyond what we could ever think or ask.  Thank you for keeping Daniele in prayer these past few weeks.  We are so happy and excited we cannot put it into words.  Thank you Jesus, and may You be glorified through this wonderful gift.

Bob

Last year Bob overcame the loss of a kidney to cancer.  Recently he has lost his appetite and some weight.  His color is not very good and he just hasn’t been himself.  He is very close to his family and loves to hunt with his sons.  His sister knows the power of prayer and is asking for us to pray for him.  Please lift Bob up in your prayers by asking God to complete the healing that began over a year ago.  Let us pray that Bob also comes to a deeper and more intimate relationship with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Let all the saints pray, Every cell that does not promote life and health in Bob’s body is cut off from its life source.  Bob’s immune system will not allow cancer or any growth to live in his body in Jesus’ name. (excerpt from God’s Creative Power by Charles Capps)  Bob and his wife just celebrated 57 years of marriage on April 14th, may the next 57 years be filled with love, happiness, family and good health, In Jesus’ name.

April 5th – Is once enough?

I have a question that I would like to hear your opinion on. 

How often or how long should one pray, when asking God for something? 

The “something” can be for healing in your body, deliverance from an addiction, finding your soul mate, approval for a loan, buying a house, good grades in school, financial blessing, salvation for a loved one, anything that one would pray about. 

I hope to hear from everyone as this is something that I have questioned and debated with friends and mentors.

-Briggie