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Author: Sharon Ricks

Let’s Have Church!

Let’s Have Church!

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God just continually blows my mind. 

I remember once when we were ministering at the nursing home God really showed up. He changed that place into a birthing room. You could feel that somebody was being delivered. Chains broken. Set free. 

When we arrived, some of the women were just praising and worshiping the Lord. They had their hands upraised and they were singing to the songs that one of the nurses had playing on her phone. It was amazing. 

We forget that even though they are now living in a nursing home, before they became residents, they were probably active in ministry. They were ushering in the spirit of the Lord and we could feel His presence there. You could tell that they had forgotten all about it being a nursing home…it was a sanctuary. And the hearts of the people were wide open to receive.

I love it when the word falls on fertile ground. 

When the word was brought forth, they were ready. God speaks to us in many ways, and today He spoke to me through the residents at that nursing home. He showed me that being shut in doesn’t mean that you are shut out. That just because you are not in church doesn’t mean you can’t have church. And it doesn’t matter where we are when we praise Him…all that matters is that we do. 

Until next time…

Be blessed

No Struggle Necessary

No Struggle Necessary

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This year is just speeding by…

In a way, I am a little disappointed. Not in the way time keeps moving, because that’s what time does. It’s more in the way I have been managing my time.I was in a meeting yesterday, and the leader asked how many of us had completed a project we were assigned to do. Out of the five of us in attendance, only one of us had partially completed it. That’s not good. 

I’m not sure what is happening with the others, but I know for me…this year has been a little rocky. I think part of it is that I feel stuck creatively. Not only am I not working on the book I was supposed to write two years ago. I don’t even know where to start. My study time is non-existent, which mentally affects my motivation, and we’re not even going to talk about how physically out of shape I am…sigh.

But there is always hope…God gives us second chances. Well, actually He gives us lots of chances.

1 Peter 5:10 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

God says that our experiences were predetermined way before the world began. We may sometimes cause our destinies to be delayed, but the Lord will never give up on us. He knows how to get the best out of us.

So, I know that although it may seem like nothing is happening in this new year…there is definitely some growth going on. If nothing else, I am learning that my plan doesn’t mean much if God is not in it. I know that I can make all the plans I want, but if God is not ordering my steps, I won’t get very far. 

I know that He has a plan for me and I am not going to have to struggle to make it happen.

Until next time…

Be blessed

God, You are Amazing!

God, You are Amazing!

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I am so utterly and profoundly grateful for how God watches over us. He blesses us in ways that still amaze me…

Before the pandemic, every first Sunday we would meet at one of the local rehab facilities to minister to the patients there. We know that we are there to pray and sing and love on them, but every single time that I was there…I felt like I was the one being ministered to.

Once while we were there, the young man who was preaching that day became so overwhelmed while reading the scripture that he could hardly read it. The Spirit of the Lord was so heavy on him that the word of God came to life right before our eyes. The other thing that made it so amazing was that four of the five patients that day were men. 

That may not seem like much, but typically the services would always have mostly women. God is so intentional. He knew in advance who would be there, and He sent the one that the people could identify with.

The one that they would open their hearts and minds to hear.

When a man loves the Lord it is so powerful. It’s awesome when anyone loves the Lord, but women typically won’t have a problem expressing how they feel. Men, on the other hand very seldom let their emotions show. To them, it feels like they are showing weakness…when in fact, it’s the other way around. It shows a confidence in Christ that wherever I am…Christ is with me, and I am not ashamed of how I feel about Him.

God wants all of us to open up to Him just like that. 

He wants us to not be so concerned with others that it affects our worship to Him. Don’t let anything come between you and your praise to the Father. We want the kind of relationship with Him that even when we don’t have the words to say…we know with confidence that God hears our heart. And if we put our relationship with God first…the Bible says EVERYTHING else will be added unto us.

How amazing is that?

Until next time…

Be blessed!

Pray Like God Hears

Pray Like God Hears

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I only have one message for you today, and that is…prayer is needed.

God is calling on us to step into the office of intercessor and pray for those who can’t find the words to pray for themselves. Sometimes….actually most of the time we are not going to see the things we have prayed for. That’s what having faith is all about. Faith is knowing that God will even though we don’t see it.

I think the problem for most of us is that we don’t believe that God will answer our prayers. I mean, we hope that He does, but there is that little nagging voice saying…He probably won’t do it. That voice is not of God, because over and over in the Bible it says that He will. 

John 15:7 says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Isaiah 65:24 says He doesn’t even wait for us to ask, “Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.”

There are way too many promises in the Bible of how God answers prayer to list them here today. The point is that He does. Anyone that says differently just doesn’t know our Father. 

The thing is…God will answer…He just may not answer the way we want.

God loves us so much that He sent His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, to the cross to die a death He didn’t deserve. And because He did that….we can be assured that God does hear us, and He will respond.

He knows us, and He knows what He has placed down on the inside of each one of us, and right now He needs us to tap into that power to pray for one another like never before.

Until next time…

Be blessed

We are God’s Testimony

We are God’s Testimony

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Before the pandemic I used to attend a local Women’s Conference as a participant. But one year, God moved me to set up a vendor table, and I am so glad that I did. 

As you know from my previous posts...then again, maybe you don’t. My book has the same title as this blog, “Let My Life Be A Testimony.” The women who stopped by my table that day to talk to me about my book, began to share their testimonies, which just confirmed that I was doing the right thing.

Their stories ranged from being healed from cancer to being examples of faith for their children. Our stories….our testimonies are so important right now. The people that we influence need to know that we understand what they are going through because we have been there. I believe God is calling us to a higher work. One that will cause us to move out from that comfortable place. We are going to have to represent Him in the earth in a way that we never have before.

God has been preparing many of us. By shaping us and growing us to go outside of the church walls to minister to His people (and we don’t have to wear a collar to do it either). All we have to do is be willing to be used by God, and allow God to do what needs to be done. 

Most of us won’t think we’re up to the challenge, but God does, and He needs us to step up to the plate. We are in a battle, and the enemy is counting on us to be so distracted that we miss God. But don’t worry if you feel unequipped for the assignment, 2 Chronicles 20:15 says, “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 

So stay close to Him in this season. Listen for His voice and know that we never walk alone. He is always there to lead us and guide us.

Until next time….

Be blessed

No Room For Doubt

No Room For Doubt

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I love sharing with you what God has shared and is sharing with me. I try really hard to just give you the essence of what He gives me. If I gave you the whole thing, it would be way too long, which is really hard for me, because I love to write, and I love to talk.

And here’s the thing…sometimes I find myself editing out things, because I think it may not be interesting, and won’t hold your attention. It’s not needed. I think it is though, because I still keep trying to make it about me. Help Lord…sigh. If I just stick with what He tells me, there would be no room for doubt.

The thing is…if I say something that God has told me to say, and it doesn’t happen right away, or seems too scary, or too big…I start thinking that maybe God didn’t say it. That is definitely a trick of the enemy. 

This is what I have learned though. Sometimes it may not be a right now word. We have to not only be confident in what we know about Him…we have to be confident in His word. That’s the kind of God we serve. He knows what we need when we need it…even though we don’t see it right now…wait on it. God doesn’t waste anything, and if we need a word, or we need a word for someone else, He will always provide.

My prayer for everyone that is reading this blog post today that no matter what is said, or not said, you will always leave this site wanting to know more about the Lord, Jesus Christ. That there won’t be no room for doubt, and that you will have a greater thirst…a greater hunger for His word. 

Until next time…

Be blessed

God Says It Won’t Work!

God Says It Won’t Work!

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Our mistakes do not define us. They don’t limit us. They may change us. Grow us. Heal us. But they won’t destroy us.

Be aware…the enemy is relentless. He doesn’t get tired of trying to derail us. His job is to make sure we never get to the fullness of what God has predestined for us. He doesn’t want us to know how powerful we really are. Because if we knew…we would be so much more dangerous in the Kingdom of God. He wants us to be so distracted that we won’t recognize what he’s doing.

But God says it won’t work.

God has given us the wisdom needed to defeat the tricks he sometimes play on us. Our biggest defense is to read God’s word so that we can see in advance how to avoid some of the pitfalls Satan and his imps try to set up for us. Because he will never quit coming after us. 

But God says it won’t work.

When Jesus came out of the wilderness after the 40 days (Matthew 4:1-11), the enemy was right there to try to distract Him. To tempt Him. To keep Him from doing the will of God. And he did that because he knew Jesus was about to walk into His destiny. He knew that millions and millions of people would be saved through Him. He even tried to use the word of God against THE WORD of GOD.

But God says it won’t work.

The thing is…when Jesus didn’t fall for his schemes, the Bible says that he went away for a time. That didn’t mean that he wouldn’t try again. It just meant that he needed to regroup for the next attack. Just like God has assigned angels to cover us, the enemy has assigned his minions to study us. But he is defeated, and nothing he tries will ever work…not unless we let it

We will continue to make mistakes as long as we are on this earth. That’s how many of us learn those hard lessons. Some of us just need real-life examples. And that’s okay. Our job is to grow from them. And to keep looking forward to that place in God where doubt, fear, and condemnation no longer has our address.

Until next time…

Be blessed

What Fear?

What Fear?

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I remember a while ago, I had this dream about snakes. Seeing snakes…even on television quickens my spirit. When I was younger, a snake came out at me while I was playing in the tobacco barn. And I watched as my grandmother killed it with a tobacco stick. She had this fearlessness that I admired. My mother had it too. She wasn’t afraid of anything…at least not that I could tell. 

I wanted that fearlessness too.

I know what the Bible says about it. In 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.” But I felt like it kept eluding me. But here is what God did. I prayed that God would give me power to overcome the spirit of fear. 

And He did it through a dream.

In this dream the snake came out and I saw it, but instead of running, I grabbed it by the neck and threw it down on the ground. Then I asked this man that was standing nearby to chop his head off. But, here’s the crazy thing….I kept replaying the scenario with different people killing the snake. I still grabbed it by the neck, but I asked different people to kill it…some were family members, and some were strangers. 

And what God revealed to me was that I was no longer bound to fear. And not only was I set free, but I was bringing some other people out with me. I had operated in fear for many years, and I asked God to show me what it felt like to NOT be afraid. All I know is that God answers prayer.

In that dream I saw myself taking authority over the thing I feared the most. Praise God!

We are in some trying times right now, and a lot of folks are fearful of what tomorrow may bring. We are afraid to go out and afraid of staying in. We are fearful for our finances, our jobs, our children, our families…our country…our world. But in Psalm 34, the Bible says that God delivered us from ALL our fears. And if He said it…I am determined to believe it!

Until next time…

Be blessed

Welcome 2023!

Welcome 2023!

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Happy New Year!!!

Praying that everyone had a great start to a great new year! Even if you didn’t, I pray that God turns that thing around for you.

I think this year I want to do things a little differently. I don’t particularly like doing resolutions, but I still typically list at least a few things that I hope to accomplish in the new year. This time I don’t want to do that. I want to set one goal for myself. A stretch goal. Something that I know God has been showing me.

I am so glad He is so patient with us. 

The Bible says in part that only what we do for God will last (2 Cor. 5:9-10). I can only speak for myself, but I don’t want anything that God doesn’t want for me. In the past I did. I just wanted what I wanted. I would do things, and then have to ask for forgiveness, because I didn’t do what He told me to do.

Not anymore. If God is not in it…I don’t want any part of it.

I don’t want to keep doing things over because I didn’t listen the first time. I want God to know that my only goal is for my life to be pleasing to Him. The Bible says that if we seek His kingdom first, then all the other things will be added unto us (Luke 12:31). Anyway, we can have all the material things in the world…including money, and still be miserable. And here’s the thing…submitting our plans to God first means we understand WHO is really in control. 

When we listen for His voice, and keep our eyes on Him…nothing will be impossible for us. 

The best way I know to discern what God is speaking to us is to read His word. The Bible has in it every plan, every direction, and every goal that He desires for us. 

Start by reading Psalm 23. It is God’s love letter to us. Read it out loud, and when you read those words…really listen to them. It’s just comforting to know that God continually pursues us, watches over us and looks for ways to bless us. 

Until next time…

Be blessed

Dealing With Feelings Of Doubt

Dealing With Feelings Of Doubt

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Today, God used my pastor to peek into my heart and speak to that place in me that has really been struggling with the spirit of doubt. Oh, make no mistake about it…it definitely is a spirit. This doubt has been keeping me from doing some things I know God has assigned me to do. I was letting my feelings of grief, and loneliness override my knowledge of who God really is in my life.

I forgot for a moment how God will use our pain as a platform for our deliverance. I forgot that He will cause the thing you have been running from to be the thing you end up running to, and I forgot that He will give us bursts of joy right in the middle of our seasons of tears. 

I am convinced more than ever that everything God does or allows is so intentional. He knows what we are capable of…He just needs us to get on board with knowing it too.

Without a shadow of a doubt, I know that God is the lifter of our souls, that He will fight our battles, and make all of our crooked places straight. I know that everything He allows is to help us get to that place in Him where there is no worry…no fear…no doubt. 

When we come through this season, God is going to bring us out into that wealthy place. I’m not just talking about financially. We will have more love, more power, more faith, more joy, more hope and more peace. In Jesus’ name.

Claim it for yourself. Believe it for yourself. Receive it for yourself.

Until next time…

Be blessed