My Alabaster Box

Satan is Defeated - 5 ways to GET EQUIPPED for Victory!

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

Each and every one of us is filled with purpose from the day that we are conceived in our mother's womb.  God has a plan that He has called us to walk out in it's entirety for His glory.  The road will not always be easy (James 1:2-4) and the burden will not always be light.  There will be struggles, doubt, temptation, fear, haters and more.  But I have good news, with God all things are possible and He wants us to be confident that that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).  Just as we, God's children have purpose, that ole devil, Satan, has a purpose as well.  John 10:10 (above) tells us that Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy.  He wants to steal your joy, kill your purpose and destroy your life!  Satan can only do what we allow Him to do and he will be successful when we are not connected to Christ through a true relationship with Him. Jesus gives us the rich and abundant life. Part of that abundance is guidance into what He has called us to do.When things are going well the road is easy.  When you have discovered your purpose and have begun to walk in it, be prepared for the attack of the enemy. 

Be Persistent in Prayer!

"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16)

Have you ever needed God to move in your life or someone that you know?  I am not talking about a little blessing, I am talking about you really need God to show up and show out right now! Sometimes a little prayer or even a few prayers just won't do.  When you really need God to move on your behalf or on the behalf of someone that you love, sometimes it is going to require you to get on your face (literally and figuratively) in front of The Lord. Many think that praying once for a thing is enough but I beg to differ.  When you really want that shoe, do you accept that they don't have it in the store or do you call another store or even go online to find it? Why shouldn't prayer be the same way?  If you really need something for the Lord, you need to show Him how much you really want it.  You should show Him how much it really means to you rather than asking once and then waiting. 

Honor Begins at Home - Courageous Movie Review

Inspiring, Encouraging, Faith-Building, riveting and even convicting.  These are the descriptions that popped into my mind and heart after seeing this remarkable film!  Courageous is the story of four Sheriffs who are called by the Chief to protect and serve their community.  They are committed and passionate about their careers.  They pour their all into their work.  Dedication to the county lives in their hearts.  Quite frankly, they are the best at what the do – serve and protect their community.  If the deputy sheriff was looking to promote four of his best people to the next level, Adam, Nathan, David and Shane would be the recipients. 

They are all fathers – called by God to serve and protect their families in every way.  In this area, they are falling short.  The same dedication that they bring to their jobs is often left behind when they get home.  Adam doesn’t seem to be paying enough attention to his children.  Nathan is doing well, but knows that good is not enough when it comes to fatherhood.  David is not stepping up to his role and Shane doesn’t seem to have his whole heart quite where it needs to be.  From the outside in, one would say that they are good fathers.  When tragedy strikes home, it forces them to become closer and makes it clear that God is calling them to bring a deeper dedication, passion and commitment to their homes than what they bring to their jobs. 

New Year, New Prayer for 2012

Happy New Year!  2011 has come and gone and the 2012 is upon us.  Many of us have made resolutions (which few of us will keep), updated our goals, set new goals and even made vision boards.  The new year is a time where most people begin to assess where they are and the steps they need to take to close the gap to where they want to be.  We often take the time to think over the successes and the failures of the year.  We write down what we need to change and what needs to stay the same.  These are all great things to do but, all too often our resolutions and goals fall by the wayside in the earlier months of the year. 

I want to encourage My Alabaster Box family to commit to making 2012 the best year yet!  2012 should be the year where we finally do the things that we want rather than just talking about them.  If you are unhappy, do something about it.  If you have negative people in your life, let them go.  Don't take old things nor people into the new year.  Assess your friendships, relationships, careers, businesses and ensure that they are adding to your life and not just taking away.  Pursue your passions and stop doing the things that you hate to do.  Find what makes you happy and go after it.  Pick a place that you've dreamed of traveling to and go.  Love those who hurt you, forgive those that have persecuted you and mend those broken relationships.  Pursue your dreams with ALL that you have inside of you.  Don't be afraid to fail.  Be prepared to succeed.  In all that you do, seek God's guidance, trust His way, His plan and His timing.  Make 2012 count! 

A Prayer for 2012

Father, we thank You for the blessing of another year.  Another chance to live out your purpose and plan for our lives.  We ask that you help us to leave anything that is outside of your will in 2011.  We ask that you help us to pursue You passionately, increase us spiritually and develop us personally.  We ask that you protect us as we enter into this new year. Lord, you know the our hearts and our deepest desires. Our prayer is that you would manifest those things in our lives in Your timing.  We ask that you move us out of our own way so that each and everything you have for us in 2012 comes to past.  Draw us closer to you Father and reveal Your purpose so that we may walk out Your plans.  Father make this year the most blessed one yet.  Remove the spirit of procrastination in our lives and help us to take the required steps to fulfill the destiny that you have set before us.  Remove the things, people, attitudes and habits that may be preventing us from rising to the next level in Your kingdom.

Lord, we honor you first and in our lives and our desires are second.  We ask that you hear our prayers, use us for Your glory and remove any temptations that would take us out of your will. Father we claim that 2012 will be our best year yet.  In this year we will grow closer to you.  We will love more and give more.  We will live lives of integrity.  Jesus, we ask that in 2012, you will break our hearts with the things that break our hearts.  We want to please you in all that we do. In 2012 we will be believing for miracles, answered prayer, manifested purposes, and destinies fulfilled!  We surrender hurt, grudges, pain and anything that may be holding us back from loving the way that you have called us to love one another.  We ask that you take what the enemy meant for bad and turn around for our good.  We look forward to the blessings that you are going to bestow upon us in this year and we promise to give you all the glory, honor and praise that You so righteously deserve.  Make our lives a living testimony of your love.

Amen!

Until Next Time,

His Will is always Done!

 

It was labor day weekend.  I was preparing to leave Detroit to head back home to Minneapolis.  I got a call from my mother informing me that my sisters' friend had an accident and was in a coma.  I didn't really know the young man but any friend of my sisters' is family.  This news really really affected me.  I immediately went into prayer for him.  I asked God to go into that hospital and work a healing miracle just like he had done for so many others.  A coma is nothing to Jesus!  He has resurrected many.  I prayed and I prayed and I prayed.  I cried, I cried and I cried!  My heart was literally hurting for this young man and his family. 

I prayed for him every day.  He was in my thoughts daily.  I would even go to his Facebook page just to see if there were any updates of good news.  I remember the day when I saw that he was doing better.  He was moving and later even breathing on his own.  It gave me a renewed hope, faith and trust in my Savior.  I knew that He was going to heal Him.  So many people were praying for this young man.  A great young man with his head on straight that was dedicated to taking care of his mom and siblings.  He did so many wonderful things for so many people.  His heart was in the right place and He loved God.  I knew that it wasn't time for him to depart from this earth just yet. 

Last week I received a call.  My sister was devastated.  Her friend that she loved so much had been   called home.  God saw fit to take his angel.  This hurt so much.  How could so many prayers go unanswered? I had to pray and seek His peace that would surpass all understanding.  In His presence, I found the answer.  God's will is always done and will always supersede our desires.  We all wanted him to heal and come out of his coma, but God has plans for his angels.

Delayed but NOT Denied!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11)

(Image created by Edwin Lester)

"You're on the edge of a breakthrough."  "Your blessing is around the corner." or what about "Your heart's desires will be fulfilled".  How many times have you heard these words when someone is encouraging you while you are waiting on your requests to be granted and your visions or desires to come to pass?  I have heard them too many times to count.  I must admit that at times, waiting is nothing more than frustrating! There are times when I just want to raise my hand and say "Lord, Did you forget about your child down here?"  There are times when I feel like living for God is just not bringing about the rewards that are promised although I know that is not true.  I see others getting blessed (or so I think) and I lay sit wondering when my greatest blessings will come into manifestation.  I pray, I obey, I love, I turn my cheek to enemies, and I am reaching to go to a higher level in God.  But still, I wait. 

Prayer of the Week: A Prayer for Patience

 

"Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving." (Colossians 4:2 Amplified)

Prayer is a learned discipline that promotes Spiritual Growth and deepens our relationship with God.  A life without prayer is a powerless life!  Many Christians sometimes do not know how to pray nor what to pray.  Prayer is something that we must commit to doing in our daily walk with God.  My Alabaster Box is going to be providing our readers with various prayers for various situations of life.  I want  you to take these prayers and speak them over your life if/when the situation applies to you!  I pray that as you come to the website to see the featured Prayer of the week, you will be inspired and motivated to communicate with God more often through prayer! 

There will be a new prayer featured every week so please be sure to check back every Monday!

Featured Prayer: A Prayer for Patience

September 12 -  Patience is a virtue but it is also one of the hardest things to exercise.  In today's society everyone wants things to happen right away.  God is sometimes immediate but not most  of the time.  He calls us to be patient.  The Bible tells us  "But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:4).  In your walk through your trials and tribulations, do your best to endure. I pray this prayer to help maintain my patience. I want to share it with you. Pray this to our heavenly Father when you get discouraged.  Remember that waiting on God ensures that everything happens in its perfect timing.

Click Here for the Prayer for Patience

The Love Jones Series: I Love it When You Pray with Me!

We welcome you to the Love Jones Series!  This blog series will be where we share what we (Quentin Love & Tanika Jones) have learned about the necessity of having a God ordained courtship.  We pray that this series will be an inspiration to those that are waiting on their mate, those that are dating the wrong way and those that are looking for Christian couples truly committed to God in their relationship.  This will also be another way to hold us accountable!  We also pray that through this blog, our relationship continues to get stronger and that everything that we do is pleasing to God.  We hope that you enjoy our first blog together: "I Love it When You Pray with Me".

 

August 18, 2001 the man that God made just for me said those three words that every woman wants to hear from the right man - "I Love You".   Ten years later the love that we have for one another has blossomed into something that I never could have imagined for myself.  In the midst of those ten years, we have been through ups, downs, twists and turns.  We have had break ups and make ups! All the various and separate roads that we decided to travel led us back to one another. BUT this time has been different.  In our time apart we grew emotionally and most of all, spiritually.  The experiences that we had in our time apart prepared us for the love that we have now.   This time around is much better than it has ever been!  We have both truly learned the importance of a three cord strand. 

The Prayer Series: When All Else Fails, Try Prayer! (Contributor: Joe Akuoko II)

 

Please Welcome Guest Blogger, Pastor Joe Akuoko II from Redemption House Family Church in London!  I pray that you are Blessed by His article on Prayer.

 

"Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1)

"Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing,  in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

I believe these two are the only media through which God can be reached and understood – Prayer and The Word.  Prayer is a two way communication between God and man. The interesting thing is how many Christians either don’t understand the reality of what this two- way communication is about or have never tried it.  Prayer for the believer is food to the Spirit man and one must keep feeding it.  Prayer empowers your Spirit man and opens it to the possibilities unending in the Spirit realm.

The greatest challenge for every believer in the 21^st century is the rise of secularism and desire of man now more than ever to be a god onto himself.   If we are not careful, the very elect will buy into this and lose the essence of their salvation.  Without much hope being offered by the Luciferian systems of the world, Christians without any shadow of doubt must rely on prayer as the key from which we can survive.

Spiritual Growth Tip: Set a Time for Daily Prayer

 

Prayer is essential for your spiritual life!  Prayer is your line of communication to God.  Prayer is how God speaks to you.  Prayer brings about the blessing and the victory.  Just like we can't live with our Spiritual Food (The Word), we cannot live without constant communication to God.  A life without prayer is a powerless life!

Sometimes within all the activity in life, we don't take the time to pray.  I am not talking about the "Lord, thank you for waking me up this morning" quick prayer.  I am talking about really getting into the presence of God!  I understand that the days get busy with work, activities, children, husband, family among other responsibilities.  But we cannot forget God!  It is important to set aside that time to pray.